HEO 32

Silver didn’t ask any more questions and simply looked away. The moment the ever present smile vanished from Wolf’s lips, his face became similar to that of Black Weasel. Not long ago, Wolf had marveled at Black Weasel, asking, “Is he considered handsome here” It was like the pot calling the kettle black.

That bastard… his face is ordinary except for his eye color…

Yet he charmed Silver and Black Weasel with his ‘face’. So then, the evil spirit clinging to Wolf must be… a Glamaug?

Glamaug was notorious as an evil spirit that manipulated human minds. It mesmerized its victim’s eyes, tricking them into seeing a ‘dazzling light’ radiating from its host’s face, then skillfully enslaved them. In many ways, it resembled the spirit possessing Wolf.

Silver made up his mind. While perhaps not on par with the three great sea harbors spirits, Glamaug was still a formidable first-class spirit.

The tavern felt more pleasant than last night. No animals were present, and warriors lay sprawled everywhere, snoring with barrels clutched to their chests. Behind the counter, a girl around his age yawned repeatedly. Silver tapped the countertop with the back of his hand.

“Two chickens. For sacrifice.”

“Performing a ritual in broad daylight?”

“Don’t ask. Where’s the sacred altar around here?”

“If that’s what you mean… See that birch forest outside the window? Go deep inside and you’ll find it. Grab any chickens you see out front. Oh, right, no hens. Money…”

Silver paid and left the inn. He caught two black roosters strutting in front of the inn, tied their legs together with twine, and slung them over his shoulder. As he headed toward the birch forest, Wolf asked.

[It’s cold. Why go into the forest?]

[I have business.]

[Yeah, I didn’t want to drink a single drop of water at that inn either. Even if it’s cold, let’s roast some meat in the forest. Anyway, Silver. Here’s what I want to say. Come with us to Atania.]

[Huh?]

Silver frowned.

[What kind of nonsense is this? Why are you trying to pull me in now?]

[Don’t misunderstand! I’m trying to help you!]

Wolf blocked Silver’s path.

[You’re barely seventeen. Working under an assassin at that age is insane! And this country is… Do you know how horrified I was last night? Corpses hanging from trees… Prostitution right out in the streets… In the taverns, men and women… naked, entangled… I’ve heard about Stoll’s debauchery until my ears hurt, but this, this is truly…]

Wolf’s face turned crimson as he rambled incoherently. Silver cackled.

[Who do you think you’re treating like a snot-nosed kid? In Stoll, sixteen is considered an adult! Worry about yourself.]

[Silver, listen to me seriously. A smart, talented person like you deserves a wider world…!]

[I said worry about yourself! You’re screwed, bastard. Screwed! An evil spirit’s latched onto you!]

[Yeah, my situation isn’t exactly great either. I guess an evil spirit latched… Wait, what? An evil spirit?! Wh-who’s got one?]

Wolf abruptly raised his head. His eyes nearly popped out of their socket.

[It’s possessed you, you! Not just any evil spirit, but a Glamaug! You were completely unaware, but Bingapsu and I recognized it. And you bastard just keeps cackling away, blissfully unaware …]

Silver jabbed his finger into Wolf’s chest.

[Got it now? I was on my way to perform an exorcism. Snap out of it, you idiot! Keep this up and you’ll forget your own name later.]

[……]

[Don’t get the wrong idea, I’m not doing this because I particularly like you. The real problem is Bingapsu. Honestly, it’s rare to meet someone possessed by an evil spirit. Even in Stoll, they’re as rare as shooting stars. Bingapsu seemed intrigued and was probably scheming something.]

[…Scheming? What?]

[What kind of scheme would an assassin have? Basic murder, at least torture. This isn’t my guess! Last night, after smoking hallucinogens, Bingapsu blabbed everything. He said he’d cut off your limbs and offer them as a gift to his murderous old hag friend, or that he’d drain your blood. That’s what he said.]

[…Hey. Silver.]

Wolf closed his eyes, then opened them again.

[Th-that… cutting off my limbs, g-giving them as a gift, draining my blood… that was… just stuff the old man was babbling about while high, right? It’s not exactly credible…]

[Unfortunately, it’s not nonsense. Bingapsu is a liar who lies as easily as he eats, but when he’s high on hallucinogens, it’s different. Trust me, I’ve lived with that bastard for eleven years.]

[Eleven years?]

Wolf’s face drained of color. Silver gestured, “We’ll talk while we walk,” and started moving. Wolf scrambled to follow.

[You lived with that guy since you were six?]

[If I’d been sixteen back then, Bingapsu’s axe would’ve chopped my head off. He spares kids only up to fifteen. Feeling a bit nervous now? Just pray my exorcism works.]

[But tell me… how do you know an evil spirit is clinging to me? Did you smell rotting corpses coming from me, or hear the sound of a skull’s jaws clacking together in your ears?]

Wolf looked at him. It was the gaze of a pawnshop owner, scrutinizing every inch of a worn-out coat for signs of moth damage.

This bastard doesn’t believe a word I say.

Silver racked his brains. He recalled when the prince and his attendant had insulted the Long-Tongued Frog God. When he bristled in anger, they’d excused themselves by saying, ‘Atheism is all the rage among Atania’s youth.’ Would someone who denies their own god just to follow trends believe in another country’s evil spirits? Then…

[How did I know? You want to know?]

Silver stopped talking. For a time long enough to burn through two candle stubs, he glared at Wolf, before lowering his voice.

[I saw it. With my own eyes. The evil spirit clinging to you.]

“……”

Wolf looked like he hadn’t heard him. He stared at Silver for a long moment, unable to move, then his mouth twitched.

[With your eyes…?]

[You said it yourself that Stoll has many strange things. Bingapsu and I fall into that category too. He and I can see evil spirits.]

[You can see them with your eyes?]

[Yeah, I can. I believe it because I can see it!]

Silver’s face took on the glare Black Weasel gives when threatening someone, paired with a crooked, delinquent smile. His voice climbed higher with each word.

[But only when my mind is completely clear. Not when I’m drunk or high on hallucinogens, not when my thoughts are scattered or I’m in a bad mood. Ah, and not when I’m fighting or killing people either! If I saw evil spirits all the time, I’d have gone mad long ago!]

Silver’s mind was usually like a long-abandoned empty house, but occasionally it would shake off the dust and spring to life. When it came to tormenting Black Weasel, he transformed into an acrobat jumping over a flaming ring. Now was precisely such a moment. Only the opponent had changed from Black Weasel to Wolf.

[When Bingapsu and I stared at you strangely at the cave hot springs? That was actually because we saw the evil spirit for the first time then. I didn’t say anything because I knew you wouldn’t believe me if I told you the truth. If Bingapsu hadn’t gone and said he’d chop you to pieces, I would’ve kept my mouth shut till the end! I know, you’re itching to mock me. Like, ‘You’re the one possessed by an evil spirit, Silver’?]

[No, no! Mock you? That’s…]

[You’re one of those Atanian bastards! You don’t even believe in your own god!]

[That’s true, but… You said you see evil spirits, right? Then I have to believe. In a place like Stoll, where men can even get pregnant, it wouldn’t be surprising if someone saw evil spirits. Oh, damn… If evil spirits exist, then God must exist too… I believed there was no god and laughed and cursed recklessly… What am I going to do…]

Silver’s trick worked. Wolf was completely stunned. He staggered like an old invalid leaning on a wall.

[What am I supposed to do? My school teachers said if you don’t believe in God, you’ll fall into hell. Am I going to be tortured forever?]

[What are you worried about? Just convert. Back when our ancestors chewed and swallowed Atanians like jerky, your god didn’t do a thing. We outnumber them. They have one, but we have thousands, tens of thousands.]

[Convert! That’s the way!]

As they argued, the sacred altar came into view nearby. An altar stone, encircled by several small stones in a circle, glowed in the morning sunlight. Scattered around the altar stone, its flat surface engraved with various symbols, were countless feathers, animal bones, human bones, and bloodstains.

Wold was horrified when he saw the human bones. His face instantly drained of color, like a snot-nosed kid caught by his mom with a hidden nude painting of a woman in his desk drawer.