Chapter 120

The sounds of crickets chirping echoed loudly through the night.

And there I was, crouched in the middle of the dark forest, where that serenely quiet ensemble resonated.

In the distance, several faint lights flickered into view. I silently stared at them.

“Those damn bastards. Who the hell makes a war so dirty?”

Beside me, Dennis muttered under his breath, equally exasperated. His eyes glinted with fatigue and dissatisfaction. He continued to grumble.

“Isn’t this insane? Digging tunnels at this hour…”

“Desperation, I suppose.”

It was Tucker, also lying next to me, who answered in my stead. He scratched at a large pimple next to his eye and continued.

“Still, it’s good that we noticed early. Otherwise, we’d be caught with our pants down.”

“True. We have to admit they’re good at digging tunnels.”

“…Shh.”

As I put a finger to my lips, Dennis and Tucker finally fell silent. However, they still fidgeted with their mouths, as if the urge to speak was too much for them.

– Thud! Thud!

From afar, a dull thudding sound resonated. It was the noise of a pickaxe breaking the ground. I realized that the direction of the sound matched where the dim lights were hovering, so I gripped my gun tightly and muttered.

“They’re over there.”

The enemies were located there. I estimated how long it would take me to reach that light from where I was crouching.

‘If I run, about 15 seconds.’

Not far at all. They were hiding so close that I could reach out and touch it. I swallowed the nervous lump in my throat.

Seeing my intense demeanor, both Dennis and Tucker wriggled uncomfortably in the pit.

“Damn it. Priest. How long are we supposed to stay like this?”

I had noticed before that Dennis was a good worker but had a tendency to complain excessively. I shrugged and replied.

Dennis continued.

“I think we need to narrow the distance soon. It’s the woods, so it wouldn’t happen, but if by chance the moonlight breaks through…”

“Today, it’s overcast. The moonlight won’t come through.”

“Who said that? Is it just Bohmann?”

“According to Bohmann’s observation, yes.”

“You know we can believe everything Bohmann says, except when it comes to weather observation.”

“Really? Damn. How did that guy become the observation officer?”

At that moment, someone quickly approached my side with a rustling sound. Tucker jolted at the presence, startled.

“Priest! Reverend Antenelli!”

From the darkness emerged Lieutenant Atkinson, the squad leader I was temporarily assigned to. Perhaps it was due to the chill of the forest nighttime air, as he sniffed before continuing.

“We’ll start moving soon. Get ready.”

“…Understood.”

With a light pat on my shoulder, he quietly moved to where the other squad members were. I stared at his back for a long time.

“Finally, we’re moving.”

“I thought my back would break.”

“Prepare yourselves.”

As I spoke, the surrounding sounds returned to just the chorus of crickets. We held our breath and waited for the signal.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

My heart sounded uncharacteristically loud. It seemed to drown out even the cricket sounds surrounding us. No, was it an illusion?

My lips were parched. Shooting with a gun, stabbing with a bayonet, striking with a spade… it was something I had repeated for years, but it never got easier.

“Huff… huff…”

Dennis, who pretended to be okay on the outside, gasped, overwhelmed with tension as he stared into the darkness. I fixed my gaze on the dozens of shadows hidden in that pitch blackness.

‘Oh, the Lord has saved me. Oh, the Lord has rescued me…’

How long had it been since I instinctively called upon the Lord’s name in my mind?

Among the still shadows, one was suddenly moving. A round helmet bobbed, and then a single arm rose unexpectedly from within the shadows.

The fingers of that arm silently pointed ahead.

“All ready, fix bayonets.”

Without any prompting, we all rose from the darkness. Dozens of shadows moved in unison.

The sounds of crickets ceased. Could even the tiny creatures foresee the slaughter that was about to unfold?

I didn’t know. What I did know was…

“…It’s time.”

Time to kill someone else to save my own life.

I pushed through the darkness and walked towards the distant, flickering lights where the enemies were furiously swinging their pickaxes.

– Whoosh—!

Suddenly, my foot sank into the soft, muddy earth, which gripped my ankle. I unconsciously looked down.

The earth was soft and covered in moss. A pale, rough hand protruded from it.

That hand was too short and thick to be human, gripping my ankle…

“…”

The flickered eyes gazed up at the ceiling. I slowly rose my body.

The air in the room grew oppressively hot, suffocating me. An unknown weight pressed down on me. It was a pressure that felt like it was squeezing my lungs.

I clutched my chest and bent over. Then, I intuited.

“…Damn it.”

I’ll probably be dreaming this kind of misery for a while.

* * * * *

The first night spent in the depths of nature passed without incident, and a peaceful second morning arrived.

Though it didn’t apply to me, who had tossed and turned all night thanks to an unwelcome dream, it was indeed a peaceful morning just because Daniel and Vivian had gotten through it without any accidents.

As before, the students prepared a meal using the ingredients they brought and, after finishing all the arrangements, gathered in the living room at my call.

“Is everyone here?”

“Yes—!”

A sluggish response echoed back. All except for Sofia, who nodded off with a dazed expression, and Vivian, who was busy fidgeting with the strange goggles she had shown yesterday.

Sofia must have been exhausted from climbing the mountain in the heat yesterday; it was understandable. I turned to Daniel, who sat in front of me.

“Daniel.”

“Yes, Professor!”

“Um… how exactly do we go about conducting the mystery investigation?”

“Using the equipment that Vivian and I brought, we’ll find all sorts of mysterious phenomena hiding in this mountain!”

Daniel exclaimed, his eyes shining brightly.

So ultimately, we’re going into that labyrinthine forest full of dense underbrush.

I wasn’t very enthusiastic about that. From what I’d seen on the way here, the trails were well laid out, but even in modern times, it’s easy to get lost in such deep mountains.

However, since I had already submitted a summer vacation activity plan to the Academy, I couldn’t just do nothing and come back. The head professor required detailed reports on our activities.

I could fill the report with fabrications, but I thought it would be inappropriate to show that kind of behavior to the students. After all, if I did something like that, both Vivian and Daniel would surely protest strongly against it.

“…Daniel, please explain more clearly.”

In the end, I had no choice but to relinquish the floor to Daniel. Since he was the one leading this summer vacation activity, I thought he might have some plan worth naming.

In response to my near-desperation, an oblivious and excited Daniel pulled out all sorts of knick-knacks from his pockets and spread them across the table.

The meaningless talisman I saw yesterday, a white ceremonial vessel, and a slightly worn bell. Compared to the equipment Vivian held, they were somewhat totemic items.

With everything laid out, Daniel cleared his throat and began to speak.

“As you all know, this mountain has long been infamous for frightening rumors.”

Vallon Mountain. It was formerly known as Hangman’s Mountain.

No one knows its original name, and it has simply been called Hangman’s Mountain for a very long time.

“The reason for that name is… because it’s frequently associated with people who had given up on life coming here to take their own lives.”

For instance, there was an incident where the only son of a border count mysteriously vanished.

It was a well-known tale that he was found hanging from a tree along an old path leading up this mountain after a week-long search in the nearby area.

“The shocking news of a nobleman’s son, who had excellent academic performance and lacked nothing, took the entire city by storm.”

The city was rife with all sorts of gossip. Some claimed he was killed by assassins hired from other noble families because of jealousy over his academic success, while others said a witch lured him into taking his own life.

“With so much gossip surrounding it, the place inevitably turned into a suicide spot.”

People in despair, gamblers who came seeking to end their lost lives after squandering everything, and those who found themselves drowning in alcohol and debts all sought to end their lives here.

“This issue caused concern even within the royal family, prompting a family that had no rightful claim to undertake the management of this territory.”

That family was the House of Vallerge.

The royal family entrusted the territory to Count Vallerge, and due to his astounding acumen and efforts—supported by the royal family’s expectations—Hangman’s Mountain transformed completely into a different place.

“And it has morphed into today’s Vallon Mountain.”

“Daniel, what are we trying to find here?”

Honestly, regardless of the history of this place, I wasn’t curious about it. I only wanted to know the exact purpose of our visit.

Upon hearing my question, Daniel snapped his fingers and said.

“That’s a sharp question. Professor Antorelli. You indeed have an interest in the occult.”

“No, I…”

“There are two main things we need to find.”

First, searching for spirits or ghosts that have lingered here, harboring resentment since this place was once infamous for suicides, or the mysterious phenomena caused by them.

Second, looking for the furry monster Vivian mentioned yesterday.

“Yesterday, Vivian told us about it, and I must say, that furry monster sounds interesting. Since it’s an unidentified creature, we can’t just ignore such a mystery.”

“I was curious too.”

Vivian chimed in to support Daniel’s words. Chloe, listening to the conversation, also seemed intrigued, clenching her fists and attentively listening.

“A monster that drives away criminals seeking to hide while living on a mountain that has been infamous for so long…!”

“Oh, oh…!”

“I can’t take it! Professor! Let’s go right now!”

As Daniel spoke excitedly, he jumped to his feet. I silently observed him…

“…By the way, do we have a map of this place?”

“…Ah.”

Our little adventure was already starting off on the wrong foot.