Chapter 23: Trembling Giant (2)

Chapter 23: Trembling Giant (2)

Two days had passed, and it was the third day at the mountain lodge located at an altitude of 2,700 meters.

Last night, one of the security guards had visited the lodge for an investigation. Since there was a saying that “the culprit will definitely return to the scene,” even we, who arrived just yesterday, were not excluded from suspicion.

We cooperated diligently with the security guard’s random investigation. Even if it was a forged license, it was properly registered in the database, and our movements could prove our innocence. Our official reason for the visit was a company team-building event.

After chatting with the security guard and exchanging information, it turned out that the county law enforcement authorities hadn’t even figured out if this was a simple disappearance case or not. Security guards in this rural area, with a population density of only four people per square kilometer, could only be so competent. They were elected officials chosen by votes to begin with.

The tired-looking security guard mentioned that they were expecting support from higher law enforcement authorities soon for the search. The county police would probably arrive within a few days, followed by the federal police.

We had breakfast, which consisted of grilled trout aged overnight in the refrigerator with mayonnaise sauce, fish mayo, salad, coffee, and egg sandwiches we had purchased in advance at the restaurant.

There was enough grilled trout for each person. We had spent the whole day yesterday investigating, and Kyung-tae had managed to receive one package of trout each time we went out.

In any case, Kyung-tae’s sociability helped.

“Shall we summarize?”

After finishing the meal and gathering around, I sat at the head of the table and made eye contact with my subordinates.

“The minimum number of confirmed missing persons is over thirty. We don’t know where they disappeared to, but at the moment, the forest and the lake are the most likely destinations.”

The existence of the frozen lake was another reason why the search was difficult, along with the thick fog in the forest. If you set up a fishing tent, used it to sink the bodies by poking holes in the ice, and waited for the ice to freeze again before taking down the tent, it would be a perfect crime.The roots of this story extend from novell bìn origin.

Yesterday evening, I saw dozens of tents on the lake. They belonged to anglers who spent the night fishing.

Furthermore, the Poplar Cluster wasn’t the only forest in this area. With the fog and the proximity of the camping grounds and lodging facilities, it was just one of the most prominent places.

“Let’s assume that some kind of human hunting is going on here.”

I raised my index finger.

“First, as of now, there is no commonality among the victims. These are lives that wouldn’t be of any use to Round Table nobles. It’s also difficult to see this as a trap to lure me in. Why would hunters want to provoke the vigilance of their prey? ...Tsk. Even though it’s disgusting, I’m still in the position of the hunted.”

I felt uncomfortable, but I was still the prey.

The fact that there was no commonality among the victims was confirmed not only through two days of investigation but also by tapping into the security guards’ radio communications. Different origins, ages, genders, relationships, and classes. Those nobles wouldn’t be able to come up with a reason to murder an entire family, including a six-year-old child on a family trip.

In the first place, trapping me, who possessed the “Eye of the Golden Age,” would be an almost impossible task. Unless they accurately predicted the state of the forest, there was no point in wasting effort on an empty possibility.

I extended another finger.

“The second point. considering the estimated timeline of each disappearance case and the results of our investigation, the unidentified group of murderers doesn’t seem to be that large. Even if we assume a conservative estimate, it’s likely less than half of our group and at most double our size.”

So, they didn’t pose a significant threat to me and my team, especially within this foggy forest.

“The third point is that the victims come from various states. This means that there’s a high probability that this case will eventually fall under federal police jurisdiction. If we delay, it will become troublesome.”

Until the search was officially closed, we probably wouldn’t be allowed to move around freely due to the need for crime scene preservation. It might be different if the vast forest were easy to control, but it was not.

“The fourth point is, as I mentioned before, this forest is one of the obstacles I have to overcome in collecting the fragments and clues of the new magic spell—let’s call it the “Code.” How many of those do you think who possess the Code will willingly reveal their secrets?”

Unless I saw it with my own eyes, there was no way for me to avoid this danger.

I folded my fingers.

“It will take at most one or two days. I need to understand the magic of this forest.”

And by laying the foundation of the circuits now, I could attempt further exploration when the forest’s abilities became stronger and more complex in the future. Having the key to the analysis, the magical potential of a single organism weighing 6,600 tons was incomparable to an ordinary forest.

‘It will probably become one of the best and worst labyrinths in the world in the future. In terms of scale, it will probably still lag behind places like the Amazon.’

Therefore, I was convinced that the knowledge I gained at this time would generate a snowball effect in the future.

“Any objections?”

No one among my subordinates spoke up in response to my question.

“It’s too sloppy to think that way.”

“What do you mean?”

“The order of the characters is wrong.”

I referred to the 72 characters of Kabbalah (magnum nomen Domini Semenphoras licterarum), which express the name of God that I couldn’t dare to utter. Devil worshipers, who turn crosses and stars upside down, also write these characters in reverse order, as if it were obvious.

Would the real mages from the Witch Council make such a mistake?

That was impossible.

“It might be the work of the Yankee faction that received orders from their homeland.”

Despite the persistent tracking, hunting, and suppression efforts by the Round Table Cabinet, the new stream of devil worship created by Indian witches spread rapidly worldwide. However, such underground church-like expansion inevitably came with the loss and distortion of doctrine.

The symbol itself had no magical effect.

Kyung-tae glanced at it once more and furrowed his brow.

“The state of the body is quite... unusual.”

Indeed, the corpse wasn’t just torn apart; it was “unfolding” like plant roots. If blood vessels and capillaries penetrated the skin and branched out in all directions, it might look similar.

I said,

“It’s not a corpse.”

“What?”

“From a plant’s perspective, there might just be a nutrient clump here.”

“....”

Those torn apart might be due to human activity, while the pulling could be the forest’s doing. When pulling in moisture, other substances might have come along, and perhaps the root tips in the cold sensed their taste. Or maybe they caught a scent floating in the air

As evidence, the direction in which the remains were spreading and moving was tilted towards where surface and underground roots and stems were closer and more abundant.

Kyung-tae, who had been lost in thought for a moment, suddenly understood my point and grinned.

“So, it’s an environment where you can kill people without worrying about the body being discovered?”

“To some extent.”

“Sounds good, doesn’t it?”

What he meant by “good” was not only about the current moment but also the satisfaction of knowing that this environment could potentially kill people without concerns of bodies being discovered. Even if I were a skilled forensic scientist, it would be difficult to gather detailed information from a corpse damaged in this way.

However...

“No, it’s not all good.”

Kyung-tae, correcting my words, suddenly smiled and wore an ambiguous expression.

That’s right. Could it really be considered good?

In an environment where any action wouldn’t easily become known – or could be easily covered up – how many lunatics would emerge once real political and economic interests began to intertwine in this maze? Just given anonymity, Satan could possess anyone, whether they were humans or not.

Creatures in the green maze would reveal their true nature without shame, not even realizing they were at the bottom. Those people around me were more likely to be a hindrance than help.

Author's Thoughts

Disclaimer:

This novel is a work of fiction! While it may incorporate elements inspired by our "real" historical world, including historical events, settings, and cultures, it is important to note that the story and characters are entirely products of the author's imagination. Any resemblance to real persons, living or deceased, or actual events is purely coincidental. This work should be enjoyed and interpreted as a work of fiction and not as a representation of historical facts or reality.

Also, if you find some error in translation please do let me know by tagging me (@_dawn24) in our Discord server. Since this series is kinda hard to translate. But I'll try my best to make it at least readable :)

Enjoy reading~!