The hanging corpse swayed slightly in the strong wind.

Behind it, Erich caught sight of something— a shadowy afterimage moving.

Slowly, Erich brought his hand toward his sword. Frederick also seemed to have noticed those silhouettes and kept his watchful gaze fixed in that direction.

Then, all at once—

—thud.

The rope snapped without warning, and the body, fluttering in the wind, dropped to the ground.

Through the blizzard on the upper steps, figures emerged: watchmen with haggard faces.

They looked like they hadn't slept for days, as if they might collapse at any moment. The watchman at the forefront looked Erich and Frederick up and down.

"... Who are you?"

A vein throbbed on Frederick's forehead. Clearly, there was something about the watchman in front of him that didn't sit well with him.

As Frederick moved to step forward, Erich blocked his way and spoke first.

"I'm the new outpost commander assigned here. And you are?"

At Sergeant Kurz's words, Frederick's expression grew even darker.

"You lot knew someone was coming, and yet this is how you manage your outpost?"

There was a murderous glint in Frederick's eyes. He was seething with rage.

But, in Erich's mind, pressing them now wasn't a good idea.

'Their morale is low... In fact, it wouldn't be strange at all if they tried to desert right now.'

—crack.

Frederick's hand shot toward Kurz. But Erich grabbed Frederick's wrist and stopped him.

Frederick glared fiercely at Erich, his face twisting with hostility.

Then a twitch ran between Frederick's brows. No matter how much strength he put into it, his hand simply wouldn't move. He realized Erich's forceful grip was restraining him.

"Frederick. This isn't their fault."

Frederick shifted his gaze to the body that had fallen.

Around the exposed neck and forearms, there wasn't a single sign of defensive wounds you'd expect from someone forced to hang themselves.

Not a trace of struggle. Context made it clear: it was suicide.

Seeing Frederick's anger abate, Erich quickly continued.

"From the start, none of them asked to be put in charge. Having a non-veteran like a sergeant as the commander just means there used to be officers above them. But all those higher-ups either ran away somewhere, or died. There's no way a proper handover ever happened, so it's not odd if they don't know what reports should be made."

Frederick furrowed his brows, but shortly withdrew his hand. That meant he accepted Erich's words, at least for now.

Even still, sergeant Kurz just stared blankly at Erich and Frederick with unfocused eyes.

"But we still need an explanation. Frederick, gather the watchmen and put the body in storage. When everything's sorted, bring Sergeant Kurz to the outpost commander's quarters."

Frederick handled the watchmen expertly, as if he'd never been angry just moments before.

Yet, in that moment, Erich read something in the men's eyes.

'Fear.'

Something was lurking here, something they couldn't identify.

*

Erich entered the quarters used by the previous outpost commander. The empty room had dust piled here and there.

It seemed no one had used the place for quite some time.

But it was clear the Black Serpent Outpost hadn't gone without a commander all this while.

Which meant—

'Even the previous outpost commander didn't stay here alone out of mere fear. What could have frightened them so badly?'

As he put down his belongings, Erich considered the situation. The disappearance at the Black Serpent Outpost, and, earlier, the watchman's suicide. There had to be some kind of link between the two.

Whatever it was, they seemed to have lived under constant unspoken fear and pressure at this outpost. But what exactly caused it? Erich had no inkling.

Erich quickly sifted through possibilities as he tried to guess at the threat haunting the outpost.

It wasn't the barbarians. If, as Frederick thought, it was a problem with the barbarians' coming-of-age ritual, the watchmen would have known the cause and burned with anger or a desire for vengeance.

That meant this fear likely arose from not knowing the source.

But it also couldn't be written off as mere delusion among the troops. If it were, the terror wouldn't have been so infectious among so many.

'So, there was a real threat that instilled fear...'

But what could induce such fear while remaining unidentified? Erich's eyes narrowed as he gazed at the blizzard outside the window.

—creaaaak.

Just then, the door opened. Frederick came in, bringing Sergeant Kurz with him. As soon as they entered, Erich caught a subtle whiff of blood.

The corner of Erich's lips rose in a faint smile.

'A true veteran. He's already performed an autopsy?'

Without even being asked, Frederick had already checked the cause of death while taking care of the body.

"No doubt about it—suicide. There were even hesitations. Unless this fool was threatened into meekly putting his neck in a noose, he hanged himself by his own hand."

"Well done. Did Sergeant Kurz say anything?"

"Hmph, he hardly said a word. Frankly, it made me want to smack some sense into him."

Despite Frederick's harsh words, Kurz's face showed not the slightest change. He just looked like he wanted all of this to be over, as soon as possible.

Erich didn't press Kurz any further. Instead, he took out three cups and a small bottle from his belongings, filled them from it, and handed one to Kurz.

"... What's this?"

Before Kurz could react, Frederick quickly took the offered cup and sniffed at it. His eyes went wide in surprise.

"What, you're breaking the rules on your first day?"

Despite his words, Frederick immediately took a sip.

No wonder—Erich had handed them alcohol.

Watchmen of the watch made an oath upon joining: no marriage, no sex, no drinking.

Of course, it was rarely kept in practice... still, it was an official rule. Watchmen were not supposed to taste or make alcohol.

Yet Erich raised his cup with a smile.

"I haven't taken any oath yet, have I?"

To be sure, Erich didn't think the Watch's oath was totally useless. No marriage prevented corruption from inherited posts; abstinence eased command; no alcohol kept minds clear.

But in this situation, such oaths were useless—these men's minds were anything but clear.

At times like this, nothing lifted spirits quite like a drink.

—gulp. gulp.

Kurz silently took the cup from Erich and drank. Since this was something ordinary watchmen rarely had access to, he couldn't resist.

Once Kurz drained the last drop, Erich gently asked the question.

"Now that you've drunk, why don't you slowly tell us what happened at this outpost?"

Kurz's cheeks turned red with the unfamiliar rush of alcohol. His eyes, unlike before, were now alert and lively.

"... At first, I thought it was just nonsense. It all started three years ago."

"Three years?"

"Yes. Someone claimed to have seen a monster climbing the wall. Nobody paid much attention, but the next day that watchman was found dead."

"Dead? Someone killed him?"

"No. It was exactly the same as now. He hanged himself. Back then, we all thought he'd just gone mad—at least until there was another victim."

"Another victim?"

"About once a month, someone started hanging themselves. And every one of them said exactly the same thing before: that while standing watch on the Great Wall at midnight, they saw something climbing up the wall."

"Didn't you try to confirm it?"

"We're not fools. After that, whenever anyone saw something while on watch, they rang the bell. But even that was useless."

Kurz's complexion darkened again. The memory of it was enough to revive his terror.

"Did the bell ring?"

"It did. But by the time other watchmen arrived from the barracks, nothing could be found. The watchman who claimed to have seen a monster insisted the thing vanished without a trace, and—without fail—any watchman who made such a claim hanged himself before long. As if it were fate."

"So if you guard those watchmen closely?"

"Nothing happens as long as we're watching them. But there's always a moment when vigilance lapses. If they disappear then, without fail, we find them as corpses."

"Are you saying that's what happened with that watchman?"

"Yes. The bell that watchman rang was a week ago. And, while everyone's guard was down, on the very day the new commander arrived—this happened."

Erich could now understand his men's fear, if only a little. At some point, the bell that should have been a warning of intruders had become a death knell to them.

Every watchman climbed onto the Great Wall daily to stand watch. But if they encountered something during their vigil, they were sure to die soon after.

It was like hearing a line from a scary story—one people joked about, not something that actually happened.

'But things like this are really happening...'

What on earth was going on here? Erich quietly stroked his chin.

What was happening to them wasn't simply mass delusion.

If it happened to just one or two, it might be coincidence. But for it to recur every month was impossible by chance. Even after investigative teams were dispatched, no clues had been found...

That could only mean something was truly happening here.

"Frederick."

"H-huh?! Wh-what is it?!"

At Erich's sudden voice in the silence, Frederick started in surprise—the story had shaken even him, it seemed. But Erich gave Frederick a meaningful smile.

"S-Seriously... What are you thinking?"

A strange sigh escaped Frederick's lips. Erich turned to the now-fidgeting Sergeant Kurz.

"Tonight, the watch will be handled by myself and Senior Watchman Frederick. It'll be a good chance to learn how to stand watch on the Great Wall."

"O-Outpost commander. That's..."

Sergeant Kurz looked alarmed. Of course, Erich understood his discomfort. Until now, no commander would have volunteered for a shift after hearing these stories.

You could tell just by the state of the commander's quarters.

But Erich was confident he could handle whatever appeared, and he judged there was no way to uncover the truth of this tale without seeing it for himself.

Erich drew his sword and opened the door. The blizzard and, beyond it, the massive Great Wall filled his vision.

It was time to find out what lurked behind the legend.

-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=【ദ്ദി(⩌ᴗ⩌)】

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