Chapter 107

The Marquis’s tone was laced with meaning.

“Even among humans, there are those unaffected by the goddess’ blessings. Just as they don’t harbor an inherent animosity towards other races, the same applies to magical beasts. There are countless species of magical beasts, enough to fill dozens of volumes if compiled into a bestiary. Some of them are completely harmless to humans.”

“That’s… unconventional. Is His Majesty aware of this?”

Adrian asked, his tone serious.

“Of course. But why bother taming a harmless magical beast when the Heineken Empire has an abundance of skilled and capable humans?”

There was no need to rely on magical beasts when humans could perform the same tasks, if not better.

“However, if a nation lacks manpower, or skilled individuals, then taming or controlling harmless magical beasts, even through fear, becomes a viable alternative. And that, I believe, is what Parman is doing.”

“Modifying magical beasts?”

Modifying magical beasts due to a shortage of manpower… It was common knowledge that Parman, with its closed borders, had a smaller population compared to other nations.

Limited land, no influx of immigrants… It was also widely believed that their rampant inbreeding had resulted in a high infant mortality rate and a prevalence of birth defects.

“It’s certainly possible, especially with ghouls. I examined the monster’s remains before coming here. It appeared to be a modified magical beast.”

“But how could they modify the Queen in such a short time?”

Carl Lindbergh shook his head, finding it hard to believe.

Infiltrating the castle, heavily guarded by soldiers, and reaching the Queen… It seemed impossible.

When he’d last seen her, before her transformation, she might have been weak, both physically and mentally, but she’d still been… human.

“This plant, and the hundreds of limbs attached to the monster’s body… they’re the key.”

The Marquis clapped her hands together.

The knights waiting outside entered, carrying something heavy.

“This might be unpleasant to witness. But I believe it’s necessary. I suggest the little fairy, the faint-hearted attendant, and the angel avert their gazes.”

Lulu, Janis, and Marco hesitated, then chose to remain.

Adrian looked at Carl, his eyes filled with concern.

He was still recovering, both physically and emotionally. Whatever the Marquis had brought, it couldn’t be good.

“Carl, what do you want to do?”

“…It’s alright. I’ll see it.”

“Very well, then. Let’s have a look.”

The knights placed a cloth on the table, then carefully laid their burden upon it.

“Gasp!”

Janis was the first to react, a silent scream escaping her lips.

Lulu and Marco gasped, turning away.

Carl Lindbergh stared at it impassively, then he glanced at Janis, then back at the object on the table, his eyes widening in recognition.

“Ah… this is…”

He trailed off, unable to speak.

Adrian pulled him close, shielding him.

It was a human leg, grotesquely swollen and partially decomposed.

The silk cloth wrapped around it bore the insignia of the Lindbergh royal family.

“Do you recognize it, Your Highness?”

The Marquis asked, and Carl nodded, his voice barely a whisper.

“It’s… my father’s leg.”

“Allow me to explain. Tenjira contains a sap that directly interacts with magic. In small quantities, it can purify and amplify magical power, a boon to any mage. However, when inhaled or ingested in large quantities, or administered over a prolonged period, exceeding one’s capacity to process it, the magic becomes… corrupted. Twisted.”

“But the Queen has been confined for over a year. Could this… happen after so long?”

Carl asked, and the Marquis shook her head. She turned to the knight who’d brought the leg.

“Where was the Queen initially confined?”

“In the King’s chambers.”

The knight replied.

“And where did she… emerge from?”

“…The tower.”

The knight’s face paled.

“…A spy?”

Adrian’s face hardened. He hadn’t considered the possibility that someone might have moved the Queen to the tower.

Were there spies among his own men, loyal Heineken soldiers? He’d personally executed all of Parman’s agents and Kitchener’s remaining followers.

Fortunately, the Marquis’ answer was far simpler.

“The King, also exposed to tenjira, didn’t become a ghoul. This indicates that he died before the tenjira could take effect. The Queen consumed his body, triggering her transformation. She then continued to feed, increasing her size and power.”

Carl Lindbergh stared at her in horror.

“But where did she find so many bodies?”

The soldiers killed during the Queen’s rampage had been accounted for. Their bodies might have been mangled, but not… consumed.

“We’ll investigate, Your Highness. Don’t be alarmed. We’ll uncover the truth, regardless of Parman’s schemes.”

However, she added, they should prepare themselves for more unpleasant discoveries.

 

❖ ❖ ❖

 

The investigation proceeded swiftly.

It took only a few hours to dissect the monster’s remains. The limbs that formed its grotesque body were identified as belonging to the former soldiers and servants of Lindbergh Castle.

It had been a brief window of opportunity. Carl Lindbergh, his heart heavy with rage towards Kitchener, slammed his fist against the table.

“Kitchener and Parman… their connection runs deeper, and far more gruesome, than we anticipated.”

Adrian, skimming the report, felt a surge of anger.

“It makes sense now. When Kitchener suddenly replaced the entire castle staff with outsiders… there were discrepancies in the records. We assumed the previous staff had either fled or been dismissed due to their mistreatment.”

He hadn’t considered the possibility that they’d been buried alive.

Carl thought of Marco, anxiously waiting outside for his summons.

“It was difficult to track all the servants. They didn’t have identification, they weren’t allowed to leave the castle grounds, and they had to prostrate themselves before any royalty or nobility.”

If only he’d been more thorough, more observant… He couldn’t bring them back, of course, but…

Carl Lindbergh crumpled the report in his hand.

After a section of the main building had collapsed, they’d discovered a hidden tunnel connecting the King’s chambers to the tower they were currently demolishing.

The Queen-monster had first consumed the King’s body, then, already partially transformed, she’d burrowed underground, making her way to the tower.

Her reason was clear.

To feed on the bodies buried beneath the tower.

She’d consumed the servants’ corpses, growing larger, her malice festering, until she’d become a monstrous reflection of the tower itself.

Carl, who’d walked those same tower stairs, felt a wave of revulsion.

“I doubt Kitchener orchestrated this on his own. He must have been following Mugicha Parman’s orders.”

He might have projected an air of intelligence, but he was too dull-witted to connect tenjira, magic, and ghouls.

If he’d known, he would have focused on controlling the monsters in the Mibari Forest, not waited for Heineken to invade.

Adrian, based on the Marquis’ report, connected all the pieces, linking Parman to this gruesome scheme.

“Tenjira. It requires specific conditions to grow naturally – the soil and air near magic stone mines, and decomposing bodies. Similar to the conditions that create ghouls and magic stones. We found more bodies near the underground storage room, partially consumed.”

He remembered the victims, their bodies unnaturally preserved, preventing burial, forcing them to be cremated. He gently stroked Carl’s hair, trying to comfort him.

Carl Lindbergh’s eyes were shadowed with exhaustion and grief.

He’d been plagued by nightmares, reliving Kitchener’s atrocities.

“I don’t understand.”

Carl Lindbergh leaned against Adrian’s hand, pressing his feverish forehead against his cool palm.

“Why go to such lengths? He was the Chancellor. He already had wealth and power. And the Queen… why?”

Carl, inherently kind and unambitious, couldn’t comprehend such depravity.

Adrian knelt beside him, meeting his gaze.

“Corrupt individuals are like blind moles. They dig deeper and deeper, their tunnels narrower and narrower, until they forget what they were even searching for.”

Oblivious to the filth clinging to them, they just kept digging.

“You don’t need to understand. Understanding it would corrupt you. Don’t you think so?”

Carl was silent for a moment, then took a deep breath.

As he’d suspected, some people were beyond redemption.

“Kitchener won’t stop. Neither will the King of Parman.”

Carl clenched his fists, his expression grim.

“Unless someone… stops them.”

Adrian, captivated by the unfamiliar fire in his eyes, found him even more beautiful.

Carl Lindbergh closed his eyes as Adrian kissed him. He was reminded of his uncle’s family, their shameless behavior even after Jeon Woo-young’s death.

His uncle, whom he hadn’t contacted since he’d stormed out of their house with Jae-young, had tried to claim Jae-young’s life insurance, using her personal information after her death.

Fortunately, after Jeon Woo-young’s furious outburst and the subsequent annulment of the adoption, they hadn’t received a single penny.

Carl Lindbergh gritted his teeth.

While divine judgment was a comforting thought, some people needed to be guided towards that judgment.