Chapter 57

Rio and Shiraha arrived at the guild and approached the old man at the reception desk straight away.

"We found a body in the forest and have recovered the dog tags," Rio said.

"...I see. Show them to me."

The old man, whose expression momentarily darkened, urged them without letting his personal feelings interfere. Rio submitted the recovered dog tags. The old man stiffened for a moment when he saw the names engraved on the dog tags and looked up at Rio.

"Any other bodies?"

"No. Was the person part of a group?"

"They were supposed to be a group of three, all veterans who have been with us for five years."

The adventurers who were present began to pay attention to Rio and Shiraha upon hearing the old man's words. The old man, ignoring the attention, asked Rio:

"What was the condition of the body?"

"Let me explain in order."

Starting from where they found the bloodstains on the animal trail, Rio explained. The old man, who had retrieved a map from behind the counter, pointed to the discovery site.

"Here. It's outside the territory of the Tereop. If the body was already severed where the bloodstains were found, there would be no point in hanging it from a tree. If it wasn't a Tereop—"

The old man, frowning, stood up with his cane in hand.

"I'm a bit concerned. I'll send out investigators. I'm sorry, but I'll need the new recruits to guide them. Hey, anyone who wants to earn some extra money, come and be a guard."

The old man issued the request to the adventurers who were listening. A few of them, who seemed to be used to it, stood up with a wry smile and came to the reception desk. The old man handed them a request form with the reward amount and the minimum necessary precautions written on it, and called out a middle-aged man who looked like an investigator from the back of the guild.

"Yomban, it's an investigation. It might be the same case, so take some samples with you."

"Understood."

Yomban, responding with a deep, sturdy voice, glanced around the adventurers to confirm the lineup before heading back. As Yomban's broad back disappeared, Rio asked the old man:

"Is the case you mentioned about the Tereop?"

"Can't say for sure. It's a forest where new species of beasts are often found."

The old man pulled out a file from the bookshelf behind the reception desk.

"In the past year, adventurers have been dying sporadically. While that's unfortunately not unusual, some of them have died in suspicious ways."

From the context, it seemed that the body Rio and Shiraha found would also be classified as one of these suspicious deaths. However, some beasts carry their prey to trees out of fear of being taken by others before eating them. Rio couldn't think of what made this case suspicious. He looked at Shiraha with a questioning gaze, but she only slowly tilted her head.

Seeing Rio and Shiraha's expressions, the old man explained the suspicious points.

"First, the adventurer was killed despite being able to retreat to an animal trail used by adventurers. Even if a beast is chasing its prey, it would sense the danger and retreat when it reaches a trail with a strong human scent."

"Is that true even for Tereop?"

"Especially for Tereop. They don't pursue deeply because they use ambush tactics and are cautious. Also, they don't hang their prey from trees."

In other words, the adventurer was likely killed by a different beast, not a Tereop. Given that the victim was a veteran who had been with the guild for five years and knew the forest well, the need for an investigation was high. The old man continued:

"Also, there's sometimes a black, wax-like substance left at the scene."

"Wax? Like the wax used in candles?"

"Something similar. Some insects cover their bodies with wax, but from the state of the adventurer's body, it looks like a large carnivorous animal did it."

"That's why you want to investigate for a new species?"

"Exactly. Did you see any black wax?"

"No, I didn't notice. What about Shiraha?"

"...I didn't see it either."

After a moment of reflection, Shiraha shook her head.

"It was a dim forest. We might have missed it. In any case, an investigation is necessary."

"Understood."

Since it was their first day exploring the deeper parts of the forest, both Rio and Shiraha had plenty of energy left. There was no reason to refuse. The adventurers and Yomban prepared, and Rio and Shiraha set off from the guild immediately.

"Let's finish the investigation before sunset and return to the entrance of the forest."

Rio and Shiraha nodded at Yomban's declaration and headed towards the forest at a brisk pace. Yomban, the investigator, and the adventurers were all familiar with the Rihelan Forest, so their pace didn't slow down even after entering the forest. Upon arriving at the scene, the adventurers split into groups to secure the perimeter and assist with the investigation, while Yomban turned to Rio and Shiraha.

"Which branch was the body hanging from?"

"That tree. The branch extends northward, slightly zigzagging."

"I see. It's a thick branch, high up, but even a bear could climb it."

While examining the state of the body, Yomban looked around suspiciously.

"There are no animal footprints or flattened undergrowth around here."

"I noticed that too. Most of the bloodstains on the grass are in the form of droplets."

If the body had been dragged, the bloodstains would have been smeared. The fact that they were in the form of droplets indicated that the wounds were at least above ground level. A four-legged beast could drag its prey but not carry it, making the droplet-shaped bloodstains unusual.

It was more plausible that a human had carried the body. However, the lack of footprints was concerning. Carrying an armed person would leave clear footprints, and even if they were intentionally erased, traces would remain. Shiraha looked up at the tree.

"The body was hung while moving along the branch."

"That's the most plausible explanation. Everyone, search the tree for black wax."

Following Yomban's instructions, the adventurers skillfully climbed the tree. Soon, a report came in.

"We found black wax. There's not much, but if you need a sample, I'll put it in a vial."

"Please do."

Yomban, leaving the sample collection to the adventurers, sketched the tree where the black wax was found and marked it with a number tag. Following the trail of black wax, they reached the blood pool where Rio and Shiraha first found it. They thoroughly searched the area but found no more black wax. Was it only produced when chasing prey, or had it been collected?

Yomban, looking up at the sky, instructed the adventurers to gather.

"It's getting dark. Let's wrap up the investigation and head back. Be cautious of ambushes—"

Just as Yomban was about to give the order to retreat, a group of four adventurers ran towards them at high speed along the animal trail leading deeper into the forest. Rio and the others instinctively reached for their weapons but recognized them as higher-level adventurers they had seen at the tavern. The group, who had been looking behind them, also noticed them and shouted:

"We're being chased by a creature with black wax! You guys should run too!"