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Along the snow-covered highway, the members of the Black Iron Claws advanced.
At the front, Valdo rode on horseback, a black cloak thrown over his leather armor. His usual longsword hung at his waist, and a one-handed shield was strapped to his back.
Trailing behind him, more than a dozen members rode in silence as well. Every face showed taut tension and impatience.
As for the member who had brought back that report earlier, he had been left behind at the base because he was utterly exhausted.
He had insisted, “I’m going too… I’m going to save Vice-Commander Carion,” but anyone could see he was in no condition for that.
Apparently, in order to seek help, he had ridden through the entire night without food or water.
Based on what they’d heard from him, Valdo had selected a group from the Black Iron Claws and was leading them toward the place where Vice-Commander Carion and the others had been attacked by monsters…
That was the current situation.
… And as for me...
I was secretly hiding inside the leather pouch hanging from Korn’s waist as he rode at the very rear.
No wind got inside the pouch, and thanks to the soft cloth Korn had stuffed in there before departure, I didn’t feel cold.
The horse’s bouncing was pretty intense, but I could endure at least this much.
So I curled up inside the pouch, doing my best to withstand the constant up-and-down swaying.
But what was truly rough wasn’t the bouncing, it was the sound of more than a dozen horses pounding the snow-covered ground all at once.
After all, my cat ears were more sensitive than human ears.
Unfortunately, with these tiny little paws, I couldn’t cover the ears on top of my head.
Such are the hardships of being a cat.
Even so, just as I was finally getting somewhat used to the rhythm and vibration… the swaying suddenly stopped.
Judging by the sounds and lack of movement, it wasn’t just Korn who had halted.
Apparently, the whole group had stopped.
I poked my nose quietly through the gap in the pouch flap and twitched it, testing the scents around us.
In the cold air was the smell of iron… the smell of blood.
Right after that, Valdo’s low voice rang out.
“... This is where Carion and the others were attacked by the beasts.”
That voice was the signal.
One after another, the men dismounted.
Korn stepped down into the snow as well, gently pressing one hand over the pouch hanging at his waist.
Such a thoughtful little gesture, so very like him, made me purr softly. But the warmth in my heart lasted only a moment.
Peeking outside through the pouch opening, I saw a scene that made me want to cover my eyes.
The surrounding trees were gouged with sharp claw marks, as if something had rampaged here. Some had even been snapped in half partway up the trunk.
Branches and bark were smeared thickly with dark red fluid. Anyone could tell it was blood.
Unable to hide even beneath the snow, the stench of blood hanging over the entire area darkened the men’s expressions.
“... This is human blood, right?”
“And last night’s snow wiped out the tracks too.”
“T-Then Vice-Commander Carion is already...”
Before the sentence could finish, Valdo’s roar thundered out.
“Oi! We didn’t come all the way out here to gossip! Shut your mouths and move your hands and feet!”
“Y-Yes, sir!”
“S-Sorry, Commander Valdo!”
Valdo swept them with a sharp glare and clenched his fist.
“Listen up. If you find anything, no matter how small, report it immediately! Carion is absolutely still alive!”
With that, Valdo himself began carefully examining the blood traces and claw marks left on the trees.
Following his lead, the others all sprang into motion. Some even pushed aside the snow and desperately searched for traces left on the ground.
Korn stepped forward as well, about to begin investigating with the others.
But before he could join them, I let out a small cry.
“Miya~”
Instantly, Korn stopped in panic and pressed a hand down over the pouch.
He looked around frantically, but once he realized no one had noticed, he lowered his voice and scolded me.
“Hey, Al! The Commander’s gonna notice you! Stay quiet!”
“Nyaa!”
But I meowed again, kicked off the bottom of the pouch, and sprang lightly down to the ground.
“H-Hey, Al!? Wait...!”
Sorry, Korn, but I dashed ahead through the snow.
That’s right… Ever since we arrived, my cute little pink nose had picked up a faint scent of blood drifting nearby.
It was a different smell from the blood on the road.
Following my nose into the forest, I quickly found traces of battle just like the ones by the roadside.
Even more trees here had been broken than before, and sharp claw marks scarred them everywhere.
Korn caught up, breathing hard. The moment he saw the devastation, his lips trembled.
“This place... after they were attacked by the road, did they flee into the forest? I see... Vice-Commander Carion led them the opposite direction from the city on purpose... so the caravan and the others could escape safely...”
But there was one thing different from the roadside scene.
A blood-soaked strip of cloth had been tied to the branch of one tree.
That was probably the source of the scent that had been tickling my nose.
“Nyaa~o.”
I ran to the base of the tree, placed my front paws on the trunk, and scratched at it furiously. Korn seemed to notice the cloth then.
Carefully, he untied it from the branch and took it in hand. When he unfolded it, something had been written on it in blood.
“This is... a message from Vice-Commander Carion!”
Korn’s face brightened at once.
Then he looked down at me, as if realizing something.
“Al... were you trying to show this to me?”
“Meowrr~”
“Ahaha! Nice work! Alright, let’s go show Commander Valdo and the others right away!”
But as Korn picked me up, his smile clouded just a little.
“... Though, you did secretly sneak along without telling Commander Valdo. It’s a shame I can’t report that this was your achievement too...”
Ehh!? You don’t have to worry about that!
Honestly, you could be thinking, “Heh, heh, that’s one more achievement with my name on it! Maybe my pay this month’ll be nice~!”
Seriously, Korn really is a good guy after all.
What do you think about this chapter?
