"Using your own soul might cause you to grow weak and die, while using another's would cause a clash of the 'selves' and endanger your sanity. Or perhaps the damage would affect something more vague, such as your fate... Ego and desire are the strongest powers humans have, so it only makes sense that using them is self-destructive. Such arguments aside, that's more or less how the creed of magic tells it. That's why you have to use human life force with humility. You have to cheat the system by earnestly believing that 'Compared to the great nature, I am absolutely worthless. However, regardless of whether you use yourself or someone else, doing that results in dilution. The pure original is too volatile, yes, but the diluted life force loses it's special qualities and grows far too weak. In the end, it's never worth the effort. Using humans as magic fuel just isn't a good idea. Normally, anyway."
I noticed that Beatrice was making a bitter expression, probably because she'd just been told that she wasn't normal.
I mean, think about it. We were all using humans soul as fuel. And of course, there wasn't a single humble person at the Obsidian Table.
We were all greedy egoists right down to the core, Beatrice was no exception.
So, according to Babylon, we were just a bunch of lunatics walking a one-way road to self-destruction.
Foolish and wicked, we were the prime example of the ignoble beast of man. I wanted to argue that it didn't apply to a true ancestor like me, but she wasn't completely off the mark, either.
"So Katyn's magician is not normal?"
"At the very least, it's clear that he uses unorthodox means. He might even be a match for the Vice-Commander... Though, that might be an exaggeration."
"I do not want to imagine a world that has more than one of that... Even so, Lord Heydrich said that it's 'a most excellent close to the opening performance. It's quite rare for Him to say something like that. Seems safe to assume that this will not be easy."
Looking at the situation, it was likely that some madman who didn't fear death was still spreading curses even after meeting his end. Obviously we were dealing with someone who had a bunch of screws loose.
"Well, regardless of whether we go on to destroy ourselves, this situation has quite a bit of depth to it. Like a chance meeting with the future, of sorts. If we wish to go on as we are, there's surely some vital knowledge for us here."
Babylon turned around. We followed after her, ready to face the anomaly.
That was when...
"Umm, excuse me."
"Hm? What is it?"
We turned around to the source of the voice, drawn-out as if to purposely kill the mood.
There, we saw Claudia, looking strangely bashful.
"I would like to, erm... Use the facilities."
"..."
There were no words for this. Even I was completely speechless.
"Pft, kh... Ahahahah! Oh dear, what a tough little lady... Can I entrust this serious mission to you, Beatrice?"
"Very well, leave it to me. Let's go, Claudia. We cannot ignore nature's call."
"I-I'm sorry. Being tense makes me physically..."
"Fucking hell, just go already!"
As if keeping me from making my anger physical, Babylon placed her hand on my shoulder.
"By the way, Bey. I'm liking you more and more recently. How do we take care of this problem?"
"I don't give a shit!"
"I see. So this is your third anomaly?"
"Yes. The others were generally assigned to one each, so I'm more experienced than the rest. It's nothing to be proud of, though."
"But why? Doesn't that make you a veteran?"
"There are things that you shouldn't go through more than once."
Babylon gently avoided Claudia's question and formed a faint smile.
We were already on the outer edge of the forest, so we knew we'd encounter the walking corpses at any moment. Most would've assumed that Babylon didn't want to talk because this wasn't the situation for it, but I knew the truth was different.
She probably just didn't want to talk about what kind of anomalies she'd faced.
Claudia was questioning me and Beatrice as well, but we weren't giving her any answers, either.
"Give up, Claudia. She'll be the same as us. There's no point in asking. Babylon is a seriously depraved woman. The fact that it's her third time says a lot."
Basically, the anomalies that fucker Mercurius had told us to take care of were all the kind that made us feel like he was indirectly mocking us.
It was as though he were saying, 'This is how stupid you are,' so we really didn't want to talk about it. We were all sure the one at Katyn was probably the same in that regard.
"Well, just take in whatever happens here and let your imagination run wild. Got it?"
"Mrrg... That doesn't quite satisfy me, but very well. You're being considerate of others for once, so I will choose to respect that."
I wanted to correct her misconception, but talking was a fucking hassle, so I just placidly waved my hand.
"I'm sorry, Claudia. I know that being here makes you curious about many things, but we can't help with that. I must say, though, you're unexpectedly assertive. I'm also impressed you're not afraid of Bey and the fact you were an army nurse. It's easy to appear courageous, but how are you, really? Aren't you scared?"
"Oh, I am. It's just that I'm quite dense, you see."
"You're only half a person, after all."
"Yes, that's exactly how it—"
"No."
Beatrice, who was ahead of us, suddenly turned around.
"When faced with dangerous situations, humans aren't just afraid. Most of us find them scary and enjoy them. So please, be aware that those people who exclusively hate and fear battle are as rare as those who take nothing but pleasure in them. Yes, indeed, there is nothing special about that. You're the epitome of normality, Claudia. Tests of courage and dares are always fun, after all!"
"Uhh, I see...?"
Overwhelmed by Beatrice's barrage of words, Claudia didn't know how to respond. I was more or less used to the bitch arguing against Claudia's thought process, but she seemed to be getting more and more desperate as time passed.
I wanted to make a comment, but decided against it, since I actually agreed with her point.
Deadly situations were both fun and exciting. The very best festivals were always the most dangerous ones.
Anyone who thoroughly denied the sensation was lying. Fuck, if you ask me, they were a buncha freaks.
"Well, thanks for sharing your views on the matter. The fact that you're a soldier lends weight to your point, and you might be completely right. That aside, have you spotted any signs of the abnormality?"
"No, actually. Nothing worth mentioning..."
She shook her head in an uncomfortable manner. Beatrice was the most mobile of us all, so we had her go in front of us.
"I can't find or feel anything strange. If I didn't know any better, I would assume this is a normal forest. Though, now that I think about it, if thousands of corpses walked around here every single night, it would already be a bigger matter than the war."
"So there's a cycle, huh, Babylon?"
"You mean, days when the anomaly can and cannot happen?"
"Yes."
Babylon nodded and pointed to the sky.
"According to the information I gathered, it's most likely that. It's related to the number of days since the new moon."
A full moon hung high above us, lighting up the night. It went without saying that it was a celestial body linked to the arcane.
"There tends to be more sightings the fuller the moon is. Considering how it looks today, the chances are very high."
"But we haven't seen even one."
"There's another condition. It's not fulfilled yet, so let's just wait for a while."
"What's with the cryptic bullshit? If you know something, then spit it out."
However, all I got from her was an implicative smile. That was one of her bad habits.
She wasn't alone in that, though. Malleus, Christof, and most of all, Mercurius were just like her. Fucking eggheads had a tendency to put on airs of intelligence.
They were too prudent and valued knowledge so much that they got all stingy about it. It made them want to wait for the right moment to share there "wisdom" just so it'd have a stronger effect. What an annoying bunch, Holy shit.
They themselves would whine about it non-stop if someone did it to them. Don't they think that's dumb?
"Bey, I can more or less tell what you're thinking, and I agree completely, but you're not in a position to say it."
"But I didn't say it."
"It's written all over your face. Isn't it, Claudia?"
"It is. In large letters, too."
"Tch. Fucking hell, shut up."
"Anyway, for now, we have to wait. Let's be patient, okay? If it was just about the phase of the moon, then that alone would be enough. However, the second condition requires a certain degree of luck. It might irritate you to know what it is, and I would rather not have that. I can assure you it's possible it will happen tonight, so don't get too grumpy. All right?"
I reluctantly nodded. It pissed me off that she treated me like a brat, but she was the type of woman that was hard to talk back to. Not to mention she was above me on the chain of command at the moment.
"Then, should we simply wait here? Or walk a bit further?"
"Let's keep going. When something happens, it'll be easier for us if we're deep in the woods. With that in mind, are you okay with a bit more walking, Claudia?"
"I am fine, I assure you. I'll try not to be a burden to you all, so please, as you were."
"Well, if it becomes too hard, just ask Bey to carry you!"
"Why the fuck would I ever do that?"
"How cold of you. She's your responsibility, isn't she?"
"I'll take that role, thank you very much. Letting this man carry a girl is far too careless."
"Hah. You're not wrong here, but get off my fucking case already, damn."
I couldn't use Yetzirah while carrying Claudia, and the night of bloodstained roses wasn't even an option. It affected everyone in the area of effect, enemy or not.
Not like I was kind enough to be considerate of Babylon and Beatrice, but I didn't want Claudia to be caught up in it. She'd probably be drained in just a couple of seconds.
It wasn't the right time for that to happen.
"Though, that'll change if she does her transformation here."
"What? Did you just say something?"
"Nothing. Stop minding me and just scout ahead."
We continued walking deeper into the forest. Soon enough, the fog grew thick and the smell of death filled the air.
On the way, we saw a whole lot of holes dug in the ground. They were empty, but they obviously used to contain corpses before something got them out.
All our faces turned stiff. The atmosphere here made it evident that this was indeed a forest of the dead, and it was clear that the ground beneath us was still full of undiscovered remains. Normal people wouldn't tread on the ground, even for a dare.
You could almost feel the remnants of the victims' resentment and hear the echoes of their regretful wails.
"This is the place, right?"
"Yes. No two ways about it."
Deep in the forest, we found an unnatural opening with a hill in it.
We didn't see any moving corpses yet, but I couldn't be more certain that I was looking at the place of the massacre.
"It fucking reeks. Yeah, this is way above ten thousand. Those sons of bitches went all out."
"If you ask me, it feels mechanical. Like a slaughterhouse assembly line, almost."
"Ah, I get ya. Can't say you're wrong."
Being reapers of human souls, we had a nose for this kind of thing, so we could more or less tell what had happened here. The air, abnormally thick with death, told us all we needed to know.
They formed lines of troops and then methodically and systematically — and perhaps even with integrity — gunned down the people one by one, like a row of dominoes.
Babylon was right, it was more like a slaughter than a massacre. Hell, considering the purpose, it was safe to call it a "disposal."
Bringing the PoWs over their country was too much of a bother, so they decided to just dump them. I could almost feel that sentiment here, and I wasn't too far off the mark, either.
Really, I had no words for what I saw. Man, what a waste of good resources.
"Well, not like our concentration camps are any better. Murder without any passion to it is so fucking boring, I swear."
"Here's another way to look at it: no one burdened by humane emotions would be able to kill this many people. Many humans grow numb to performing such horrid acts when it's their job or an order. Many of those responsible for this massacre were probably excellent men of character."
"What, like you and Samiel? Don't fucking act like you're innocent. Your hands are as bloody as mine. At least I kill for my own sake and how I want to. Just like Lord Heydrich, I don't make any excuses or—"
"Stop it, you two. We're with Claudia!"
Unable to bear it, Beatrice joined the exchange.
"There are many ways to define what constitutes murder, and I have no intention to try and deny what I've done, but we should at least make an effort to keep up appearances in front of civilians. Even if it's hypocritical or deceitful, we soldiers should be mindful of how we present ourselves. After all, we are meant to protect our country and its people."
"Huh. 'Protect', eh?"
Naturally, I couldn't even begin to relate to that. We were on such different wavelengths that I even found it stupid to talk back.
"Well, sure, whatever. That aside, you sensing this?"
"Sensing what?"
She squinted with a suspicious look in her eyes as I looked around the area.
"The times are spread out. The reek of blood ain't uniform."
"Y-You're right."
I had to tell her, but she noticed it, too. It wasn't like she was weak on this front — we just had different fortes. Nonetheless, falling behind me at something was probably humiliating for her.
"Huh? Umm, what does that mean?"
"It's no big deal, really. Just means that the poor little Poles weren't the only ones to die here. The massacre here happened about four or five years ago, and most of the reek is from about that period of time, but there's fresher smell, too."
"Are they the victims of the anomaly? Riza said something about there being some dead."
"Even so, the numbers are far too great. The locals have no reason to group up and tread deep into a forest so ominous and eerie. I cannot measure it well as Bey, but they amount to more than one hundred."
"A hundred...?"
"Yeah, and they weren't your usual nobodies, either. There was fighting here. It was probably one company... No, wait, there are slightly differences between the new ones, so it's more like three or four platoons. Dumb fucks sent their people in waves. Hilarious. First they sent and lost their scouting party, then sent a decent force, but that didn't hold, either. Then they went all out, but not even that was enough. Holy shit, what a bunch of dumbasses."
I chuckled and looked at Babylon.
"So what's this all about? We got other organizations coming here or something?"
"We do. I just didn't want to say because we have Claudia with us."
She heaved a sigh.
"It's the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Vatican. Their forces were sent here several times."
"Huh? The Church...? What does it have to do with this?"
The fact that Claudia — a member of the Church — was surprised by this was both stupid and only natural.
Organizations never showed their true faces to their adherents, especially not ones as simple as that idiot.
"Claudia, you worked as an army nurse, didn't you? This is a slight extension of that. No organization can function on appearances and lip service alone. That is why they need power. You understand that, yes?"
"It could be political power, economical power... Or military power."
"Military..."
"Yes. You can't have authority without that. Especially if you're the Church... The strongest organization there is. It has countless adherents and millennia of history, so of course it has an immense dark side, as well."
"Without any supercoating, the House of the God you adore so much hires killers to take care of those who fuck up the dogma. Nothing weird about that, eh? I know shit all about history, but the Crusades and the Inquisition killed a whole bunch of people, didn't they? Well, that's still going on. Hell, you said it yourself. 'That's how God is,' or something."
"Bey, why are you so...?"
"Well, it might surprise you, but he's right. The anomaly here at Katyn is too warped to be considered a case of resurrection, but it challenges Christ's authority nonetheless. The Church has no choice but to remove it. Though, just like Bey said, they seemed to have underestimated them, but I suppose that's just a sign of the times. Just like His Excellency the Vice-Commander said, we are the Supreme and Ultimate Arcane... But that's irrelevant here."
Right. It didn't matter at all. Even if the dogs of the Church were involved in the matter, they couldn't do shit to get in our way, as proven by their total annihilation.
Well, that was all in the past, so all we'd done here was teach dumb little Claudia how the world actually worked.
"Umm, did that hurt your feelings? Sorry if it did. I didn't intend to do anything to belittle you or any other adherents."
"No, there's no need for you to worry. I'm a bit surprised, but there's nothing wrong in anything you said. Also, regardless of how the Church works, I don't believe it sullies the purity of praye—"
Suddenly, Claudia cut her words short and looked up.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing. I just felt a droplet."
"Oh, same here. It's raining."
Before I'd realized it, the moon above was shrouded in thick clouds that released light rain over us, and it didn't take long for it to become a deluge.
"W-Wah! Oh dear, this isn't good."
"...What a predicament. We can handle it just fine, but Claudia might get sick here. Bey, take her to a place where she can hide from the rain."
"Shit. This pisses me off. It had to start now, of all fucking times."
"Kyah!"
My complaint was followed by thunder that made Claudia cower.
Ignoring her completely, Babylon looked up...
"They're coming."
...And whispered those words.
Then, she raised her voice.