"Damn it, it's filthy cold."

Frederick grumbled. He followed Erich, wrapping his black cloak even tighter around himself.

"Hey, you haven't even gotten your cloak yet, aren't you cold? I feel like I'm going to freeze to death over here."

"Frederick, that's all because your mental strength is weak."

"... Mental strength?"

- Ptooey!

Frederick spat into his palm. But after clenching and unclenching his hand a few times, the spit turned right into little ice shards and fell to the ground.

"In this weather, who cares about mental strength..."

Frederick muttered with a complaint. But Erich only laughed to himself.

'... Honestly, it's not really about mental strength.'

The aura of a Swordmaster could be used in many ways.

For example, you could run a very small amount of aura through your body to keep yourself warm...

Of course, Frederick had no way of knowing that, so he only gave Erich a peculiar look.

"By the way, how much do you know about Morris village?"

"Not much. But then, is there even anyone who knows much about some remote little backwater like that?"

They were now heading to a village called 'Morris', which was, in a way, territory under the Watch.

Essential supplies and expenses for the Watch were provided by the Empire, but that alone was not enough.

So through territories "permanently loaned" from the North, the Watch received income necessary for operations and stationed guards in the villages to protect them.

Moreover, these territories were much better postings than any outpost or fortress beyond the Great Wall, so everyone wanted to go there if they could.

'But then... why did Max hole up there?'

The basic reason for hiding was understandable. In places like that, it was hard for the Watch to monitor things and not many guards were stationed.

So unlike other outposts or fortresses, which already knew Max was a fugitive, with a little acting he could just appear to be an injured guard.

But that actually wasn't the part Erich couldn't understand. As the saying goes, "If the tail grows too long, it gets stepped on"—in the North, Max's safety could never be guaranteed. No matter how you looked at it, that was still Watch territory. Why would he dig himself even deeper into a place he'd eventually be caught?

'If it were me, I'd have chosen to cross the main road instead.'

The surveillance might be strict, but with Max's skills, even if injured, he could have escaped past the territories of the imperial nobility. If that had happened, they'd never be able to catch him.

"What are you so deep in thought about? If you think about it... you really—"

"Really, what?"

"You always act like you're the only one in the know, always thinking things by yourself. Like you know everything already? Then why do we need a senior watchman, I wonder."

Erich answered with a broad grin. Frederick was shrewd tactically and a brave guard, but he also made for good teasing.

"What, are you itching for another insubordination?"

"... That damn insubordination..."

Frederick shot a sidelong glance at Erich, then continued.

"I'm not stupid enough to try to challenge a Swordmaster. I'd need a hundred lives and it still wouldn't be enough."

Despite his reputation, Frederick was surprisingly flexible. Probably why he was popular among the lower-ranked guards.

Of course, Erich had also heard there were some reasons why Frederick ended up as he had...

'Well, that's for later.'

Right now, Morris was the important thing. He was one step away from reaching the truth that had existed before his regression—he couldn't stop here.

'Why had everyone in Morris village disappeared all at once?'

The rumors Erich had heard about Morris before his regression were murky at best.

'The ghost village, Morris.'

It wouldn't happen until much later, but in all the Watch's history, there had never been an instance of a territory under Watch management being left completely empty. So the rumors only grew and grew.

After Morris became a ghost village, and the war with the dead began, the tales of Morris became even more grim.

Could there be a connection between the dead and Morris village?

"Oh, I can see it now."

Frederick spoke up. Sure enough, ahead of them, a reasonably sized village came into view. But Frederick shielded his eyes and squinted.

"But something's off, right?"

"What is?"

"Look over there. It's like the villagers have been driven out..."

Just as Frederick said, a palisade surrounded the village, and people were causing a commotion at its entrance.

"... What is that? A rebellion?"

"Only one way to find out."

Erich and Frederick sped up their pace.

*

"You son of a bitch! Aren't you going to open the gate?!"

"Ugh, because of that bastard, my blood pressure's going up—I'll die before my time!"

The villagers were stamping their feet, kicking at the palisade, or waving their hoes. Just then, a man stuck his head out from among the crowd.

"... What do you want?"

"Ah! You startled me. Who are you? Are you with that guy?!"

In an instant, the villagers' hostility was directed toward the two suddenly appearing Watchmen.

"My name is Erich. I came to this village for some business..."

"Ah! Are you the one sent from the Black Citadel? Finally! Do you know how long we've asked for someone to do something about him?!"

"Well..."

Erich paused briefly. Would it help to say that he was unrelated to all this and here on different business?

'This situation could be useful.'

As Frederick started to answer, Erich cut him off.

"That's right. Did you send the report?"

"Everyone here has sent one! Can't you do something about that lunatic?!"

The farmers were furious, their anger all directed at the Watchman standing, expressionless, behind the palisade.

Erich smiled reassuringly and spoke to them.

"I'll take care of it."

"Oh! At last!"

Erich patted Frederick lightly on the shoulder, making him open his eyes wide in surprise.

"Hey, weren't you the one who said you'd handle it...?"

"Come on, this is what a senior watchman is for!"

"..."

Frederick tilted his head, then stepped forward.

"I'm Senior watchman Frederick! Open this damn gate now!"

"Senior watchman, sir, welcome."

"... It's not 'welcome', you idiot!"

Frederick's face twisted into a scowl. But despite Frederick's threatening tone, the guard simply stared back blankly, unfazed.

"Are you an inspector, sir?"

"Inspect... I am!"

Frederick couldn't have sounded more suspicious. But the guard replied calmly regardless of his tone.

"When conducting an inspection, unless it's a special inspection from the commander, notices must be sent in writing at least a week in advance. I have received no such notice."

"... Huh?"

Frederick's eyes grew wide. For someone to respond like that to a threat—Frederick whispered to Erich.

"This is bad. That guy's not your normal nutcase."

"Hmm, I see. If he acts like that even after seeing your scary mug—"

"?

Ignoring the increasingly irritated Frederick, Erich quickly scanned the guard up and down. He seemed like a real headache.

'A guy who sticks to regulations like that is a rarity. Normally, just the hint of an inspection scares most of them half to death.'

And for someone to not be intimidated by Frederick was even rarer. As Frederick said, it meant he was 'quite a nutcase' in another sense.

But Erich quickly thought of a way to get the gate open—he'd dealt with guys like this plenty of times before.

While Frederick was wavering, Erich stepped forward, pulling down his shirt slightly to reveal his injured shoulder.

"The Watch is obligated to protect injured members. That applies wherever the Watch is stationed—outposts or fortresses, it's all the same."

"... That's correct."

"Then open up. I need treatment for my injury."

The man's eyes shook. Conflicting regulations seemed to be waging war in his mind.

Soon, having made up his mind, the man stepped down from the palisade and opened the main gate.

-- Creeeeak!

"Thank goodness for you Watch folks, or we'd have had to sleep outside again because of him!"

"Please, get that guy out of our village!"

The villagers each muttered curses as they passed by the man, their eyes full of hostility. Once everyone was inside, Erich finally stepped through.

As the villagers disappeared, Erich spoke to the man closing the gate.

"Erich, captain of the Black Serpent Outpost. I was sent here on business by proxy of the commander."

"I'm Barnes, resident guard of Morris village."

"... Barnes?"

Erich's eyes narrowed. The one they were chasing was Max. And yet the man before him was named Barnes. Was that just a coincidence?

"You bastard!"

Frederick strode up and grabbed Barnes by the collar, but Barnes just stood there without resisting.

It was Frederick who ended up feeling awkward when the man offered no reaction.

"Leave him. He's not someone who'll be scared by threats."

"Tsk."

Frederick understood as well. Punching people like this never worked. And, truthfully, not opening the gate was what the rules dictated.

"This place is colder than the others. Locking the gates when a certain temperature is reached—is that regulation still observed here?"

"Yes."

Barnes replied dryly. Erich continued.

"But inside the Great Wall, it's rare for the temperature to get that low. Yet judging by the villagers' reactions, you seem to lock it quite often. Am I right?"

"Yes. Lately, we've been closing it even more frequently."

Erich nodded quietly. This regulation was a very old one.

'It was because of the dead.'

This seemingly odd rule dated back to the great war against the dead—the reason the Watch was created in the first place.

'When the dead appear, the air freezes and bitter cold follows.'

And when the war with the army of the dead began, this rule came back into use. Nowadays, though it was dismissed as an obsolete custom, Erich—who had faced the dead—understood well.

Erich silently scanned the village and the Great Wall looming behind it.

'... Given the geography, it shouldn't be this cold.'

Of course, some areas inside the Great Wall were especially cold due to the towering height of the structure itself, where the massive, winding walls created fierce winds.

But in Erich's eyes, this didn't seem like one of those places. Yet the chill came frequently.

"I'll show you to your lodgings. You should recover from your injury."

"... All right."

Frederick's expression was disgruntled as Barnes led the way to their accommodations. Erich started to follow—then he paused for a moment.

― Thud.

Erich turned his gaze toward the dark forest outside. The darkness seemed like it was about to swallow Morris whole.

And then, in the next instant—

Erich was seized by a chill deep enough to freeze his bones.

'... That can't be right.'

Erich's eyes narrowed. Was it because his aura's flow had briefly weakened? There was no reason for someone with aura to feel cold like this.

He was seized by an ominous feeling, as if the chill seeping into his bones was watching over them.

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

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