SOTBW - 83

“Is this the soldier who applied from Romsoa? Your name is...?”

“Amelia Royan.”

“Ah, yes. That’s right, I remember now. It’s commendable that you didn’t run away. Good job coming here.”

The knight patted Amelia on the back and handed her a crumpled piece of paper and a handkerchief.

“Use this to tightly block your nostrils and cover your nose and mouth with the handkerchief. And once you enter the tent, don’t breathe through your nose.”

“Is this part of the training?”

“Yes, it’s very important training. We need to know what we’re fighting against.”

Only then did Amelia realize the true nature of the stinking carts inside the tent. She rolled the piece of paper tightly and blocked her nostrils, letting out a long sigh.

The knights of Recheo directed the young soldiers who were ready to enter the tent. Some soldiers went in, only to immediately come out, retching. Looking behind the tent, Amelia saw some soldiers already vomiting. Nervously, she quickly began breathing through her mouth.

Inside the tent, several candles dimly lit the area, and two fully armored knights stood by the entrance. They didn’t block their nostrils or cover their noses and mouths with handkerchiefs. They seemed completely unaffected by the putrid stench that filled the tent, as if it was a normal occurrence.

Amelia tightly pinched her nose with her fingers and glanced at the table, which had an unusually large number of candles lit around it. She could occasionally hear the sound of thick liquid dripping under the table. It was obvious what was hidden inside the black cloth.

Soon, an elderly man entered, his face covered just like the young soldiers. He was wearing protective armor made of cowhide and special gloves that reached his elbows. The knights guarding the entrance greeted the old man, and the young soldiers awkwardly bowed their heads. The old man, standing in front of the table, politely introduced himself.

“Nice to meet you. I am Roberson, a theologian studying Serith. Ah, but now I’m retired and not really a scholar anymore, just a grandfather. Sometimes I visit here to explain to the rookies what Serith is. I hope my lecture will be of some help to you.”

After speaking, the theologian gestured to the knights. The knights quickly untied the black cloths that were tightly wrapped. As the cloths were pulled apart, the stench grew even worse. One young soldier, unable to stand it, ran out of the tent after unknowingly breathing through his nose.

But the theologian and the knights continued, unfazed, as they uncovered the contents. Amelia stood in the corner, clasping her hands tightly together. When the multiple layers of black cloth were fully removed, the creature’s body became visible.

The undead lay on its back, and although it was smaller than Amelia had expected, its upper and lower halves had been severed. The lower half of the Serith was covered in thick, bristling hair like a spider’s, though upon closer inspection, it seemed more like the smooth exoskeleton of a crustacean. Its four legs, which extended to the sides, made it look more like a spider, and Amelia couldn’t help but feel repulsed by the sight.

What shocked her most, however, was the upper half. Its arms were abnormally long, and its claws were shaped like hooks, but other than that, it appeared completely human.

“Anyone with some knowledge about Serith might find this strange. Despite being undead, isn’t this one a little too small?”

The theologian checked his gloves for any holes before, with the help of the knights, attempting to reassemble the severed head, upper, and lower body of the Serith.

“Have you heard that the size of the undead attacking the fort has been getting smaller over time? I’ve been studying these monsters for about ten years, but this is the smallest I’ve seen. In the past, most of them were about the size of a wagon… Hmm, putting it all together, it’s just slightly smaller than an adult. You can come closer and take a look. I’ve removed all the organs, and the cut surfaces have been thoroughly cauterized.”

Curious young soldiers, eager to see the creature up close, rushed toward the table as soon as the theologian finished speaking. Amelia, however, stayed back, moving only a few steps closer as she observed the Serith. The theologian, after soaking his gloves thoroughly in holy water, began to dissect the creature.

“Serith are unique creatures because they don’t mate, but rather reproduce through division. The newly born undead grow by feeding on the cocoons left behind by the adult Serith. The fact that such a small specimen has come here to hunt humans means there’s nothing left to eat outside the walls. The Serith are likely overcrowded. This is certainly not good news. If underdeveloped Serith are gathering here, what will happen to the adults?”

“But don’t Serith stop growing once they become adults?”

A young soldier asked.

The theologian, who had just put down his knife, praised the soldier, saying, “Good question.”

“After the Serith were sealed, a man named Aron Noctis was asked this question: ‘Why couldn’t even the great magic defeat the Serith? Why did we fall helplessly to them, nearly reaching the brink of destruction?’ Aron’s response was, ‘Can you imagine killing the one who brought forth the rotten smell from your mother’s breath? We simply could not do it.’”

The tent grew silent.

The theologian, looking down at the Serith he had been dissecting, let out a deep sigh.

“We suspect these creatures will evolve further. But when and how that will happen, no one knows. It’s something nobody can predict. One thing that’s certain is that over time, magic no longer works on them. Ah, of course, this is still a topic of debate among scholars.”

The theologian continued, cutting into the Serith’s lower abdomen with his dissection knife.

“But if that weren’t the case, it’d be hard to make sense of the existence of sacred artifacts. Why were the sacred artifacts created? If magic, which is almost like a miracle, exists, why was there a need for something like a sacred artifact? Perhaps it was because magic no longer worked, and something else was needed to break the deadlock. The abilities of the sacred artifacts, except for the Sword of Rakhshu and the Ring of Mackanon, are still not fully understood. If only Astien and Cyaman had gotten along better, we might have made progress in artifact research... Anyway, I digress. Now, everyone, take a look here. The real mouth of these creatures is where a human’s navel would be...”

The theologian’s dissection of the Serith continued for an hour. The knights told the soldiers they could leave if they found it too difficult, but Amelia, still pinching her nose, forced herself to stay and observe the dissection.

By the time she left the tent, the stench of the corpse had permeated her entire body, and no matter how much she tried to shake it off, it was inescapable. Amelia washed her face with cold water, but she gagged for a moment from the lingering smell. Having spent so much time watching the dissection of the dead body in the dimly lit tent, her eyes felt sore.

She was relieved that the dissection was of a small specimen. If it had been any larger, she was certain she would have wanted to run away. Thinking back to when she first encountered an undead creature in the weapon storage basement, paralyzed with fear and unable to move, it felt almost absurd to be a soldier fighting these creatures.

Amelia blushed as she remembered when Najane had claimed credit for killing an undead creature, trying to get a reward. She felt so embarrassed that she wanted to hide.

The knights of Recheo said it was okay to disperse. Every single young soldier gathered in the training field was from Recheo. Amelia watched them return to their dormitory before slowly heading back to Romsoa by herself. Perhaps due to the stench of the dead creature, her head felt a little dizzy.

“Amelia?”

As she crossed the main gate, a familiar voice stopped her. It was Daniel. He was dressed in casual clothes and walked toward Amelia.

“Are you skipping training today?”

Amelia tilted her head and asked.

Daniel was about to answer but took a few steps back when he noticed the terrible smell coming from Amelia’s clothes.

“Hey... What did you do to smell like this?”

“Isn’t this a familiar smell to you, Sir?”

Amelia chuckled softly.

Daniel pinched his nose and grimaced.

“Where the hell have you been?”

“I went to deliver some wounded soldiers who had died from the dormitory to the crematory,” Amelia lied smoothly.

Daniel clicked his tongue.

“You asked a maid to do something like that?”

“Sometimes. By the way, what are you doing here at this hour?”

“I was just at a meeting with another knight order.”

“A meeting?”

“We’re going to take down some bandits in another region. They made me the lead commander.”

Daniel seemed reluctant to leave. He especially didn’t like the fact that the bandit-hunting area was in the Elbision Territory. If it became known that Daniel was the commanding officer, the Luamars family would undoubtedly send someone to insist that he visit the Duke’s estate.

But Amelia couldn’t understand Daniel. It was clear which threat—Serith or bandits—was the lesser evil.

“Well, that’s a relief. It’s much better than fighting Serith. Since you’re going far away, bring back some presents—one for Najane, one for me.”

“Who do you think is going on vacation?”

“When do you leave?”

“In three days.”

“Does Najane know?”

“Not yet.”

“He’ll be upset.”

“True...”

Daniel looked up at the distant sky with a troubled expression. He had just checked the soldiers temporarily gathered at the Helquos Knight Order’s training ground. Except for Romsoa, every other knight order had sent injured soldiers to help. It seemed like they were being sent away because they were of no use to Noctis at the moment.

To send such soldiers to hunt down bandits. Daniel bitterly smiled and gave Amelia’s back a light tap.

“It’s freezing cold. Don’t go wandering around. Go back to the dormitory and take a bath.”

“Ugh, do you think I don’t know that?”

“Take care of Najane while I’m gone. You know he’s kind and soft-hearted.”

“This isn’t the time to be worrying about others, is it? If the bandit hunt fails, it’ll be a disgrace for Romsoa, you know?”

“I know, I know. What can I do? I’m in real trouble too.”

Daniel sighed and turned toward the knight’s dormitory. Amelia watched him get farther away, then stood still for a moment. The sun had already dipped lower toward the west. In just a few hours, the night, when the monsters would howl, would arrive.

Amelia leisurely watched the sky tinted with the colors of the setting sun, letting the fierce north wind pierce her body. The terrible smell clinging to her hair didn’t easily dissipate. She recalled the body the theologian had dispassionately dissected. He had said it was smaller than usual. Usually, they were the size of a cart, but this one was unusually small...

The one she had seen in the weapon storage basement had also been about the size of a cart. And now, she had to fight one of those creatures. Amelia wanted to run away. She felt pathetic, knowing she would be devoured the moment she stepped into the field, certain of her death. Everyone was fighting Serith every day, and Najane would give his best in the field too...

Shivering weakly in the cold, Amelia quietly wiped her eyes.

If I had the ability to fight like a hero, would I have steered my life in the direction I wanted?

Someone like me, even if I had that ability, would have wasted it foolishly...

Amelia absentmindedly fiddled with her shabby apron as she slowly walked toward the maid’s dormitory. She saw knights finishing their sparring at the training ground. Amelia wiped her eyes as if nothing had happened. Just then, Najane appeared, climbing the stairs first.

Amelia smiled and waved her hand, just as she always did.

That was the best she could do for now.