Mistress Of The Evil Forest

Case 96: Cradles.

A heavy atmosphere lingers in the room.

After the discussion, everybody has more or less figured out that there is something terribly wrong with this district. A monster of unknown origin running rampant, killing people, and the police's seemingly indifferent attitude toward the act.

Wiping her nervous sweat, Kris of Claire's party speaks up. ''I think we should report this to the imperial family directly. This incident can't possibly be solved by us... Not that I think Professor Heisenberg and Professor Florence are weak.''

''I... Agree.'' Jayden, the only male member present, follows.

However, Claudia is still reluctant. She certainly didn't expect the case to get this big this quickly when she arrived here. If she leaves this place now...

''... Will there be another victim appearing if we leave?'' Hailey taps her a few times. Moreover, mobilizing such a large force would make our enemy more vigilant.''

''Are you suggesting we confront them right away?'' Claudia squints her eyes, feeling something amiss.

''Why not? Last time I remember, there isn't someone in this District 5 who could match your power.''

''I'm thinking about the possibility of the cult's involvement. Possibly a demon.''

At this, Claire interrupts the flow.

''I don't think this is the work of a demon... Or the cult, for that matter.'' She says. ''If so, she would be here already.''

For a moment, everyone in the room suddenly feels that this statement is quite reasonable. Not only demons but Silaerob is seen to have been involved in the execution of cult members as well. For her not to appear right now means that either it is not the dark side's work... Or everything has already been resolved.

Nevertheless, after a quick discussion, at Hailey Florence's insistence, the group decides to confront the police directly. As they step outside, however, things take a strange turn.

''What's wrong, Claire?''

For whatever reason, Claire feels something odd about the scene. Although the bustling district seems just as normal as earlier, she can't help but sense an ominous aura. When she tells the others this, the tension rightfully increases again. 

History has proved that the light element holders always have a unique attribute to themselves, be it a strong sixth sense, supernatural intelligence, or even a reality-bending ability. So, Claire's worry is taken very seriously.

''Isn't that very obvious?'' Hailey sighs. ''Haven't we established that this place is suspicious? Let's hurry.''

Yet, they don't have an option besides continuing their search. With rushed steps, they arrive at the police department building again, this time with their guards up.

''What is the meaning of this?''

Claudia slaps the file onto the table and says it in an interrogative tone. The police chief, who is already sweating, retreats, his face showing extreme fear.

''D-Did our report has errors, perhaps...?'' 

''Still pretending.''

''Eek...!''

As it is, Claudia directly lifts the man up by his collar, releasing her immense aura. In an instant, the room is filled with a vicious cold sensation.

''Why didn't you help the victims?''

''W-What do you mean?!''

''Every victim in their diaries said that they had been stalked for weeks on end, yet you didn't show up even when asked to.''

''T-That—''

—Th■t's b■ca■se we we■e the ■nes killing th■m, ha̵̢̳̟̺͋̈́̆ḧ̶͖͈̝̠̗́́̌̈́̌̔̌̂́̉͊̆̾͘͝ä̵̧͇͈̘̬̝̟́̋͊̌͐̌̈́̀̇ḥ̶̨̝̮̫̼̱̩̘͒̀͆̋͋̔̉͌͠a̸̢̧̨̡̱͈̻͓̫̭̯̳̖̯̽̽̏̾͌̓̿ͅh̴̜͉̼̱̫͔͒͂̆̃̓͘͜h̶͕̭͆ͅå̴̧͕̮͖̫̮̲̹̙̰̮͉̎͛̓̒̌͝h̵̥̯͕͚͇̯̝̮̱̳̭̲̠̣͌̆̀̆̽̽͆́̅͛͛͗̃͘͝ä̷̢̛͉̮̘̭̬̭́͑̈́́̒̇̄̈͋͆̈́́̄ḩ̴̣̯̬̈́̋̇́̓̂̈́̈̊͊̇̏͘͠͝h̷̢̡̖͇͔̘̬̯̹͑͋ͅä̵̧͚̟̳͓̙̰̭̯̜̰́̄͌̋͑͗́̿̏́͒͘h̷̛̛̟̙̮̪̲̆̊̍̂̊͑̊́͂̕͘͠͝ă̴̹̲̟̬͙̞͖̗̪̗̲̠̤̈̇̈̒͗̋̕͝h̶̨̠̝̣͉̗̙̪̾̂̋̓̈́̆͘̚ͅa̶͖̬̘̼͉̲̟̎̈́̎̈́̓̎͊̕!''

'''' !!! ''''

When Claudia senses the terribly distorted voice coming out of the man, she reaches out to her sword. Yet, even with her incredible speed, she doesn't make it in time.

THUD—!

Taking a solid hit to her head, the red-haired professor's vision shakes violently, and her consciousness turns dazed for a moment. 

''Ugh...!''

When she finally stabilizes a bit, the surrounding scene has changed dramatically. She is now in a dark, damp, and claustrophobic tunnel. Under the flickering lights, the ominous mucus spreads all over the floor, and it appears as though it is wobbling ever so slightly, creating an illusion that it is moving on its own.

Without her comrades in sight, Claudia breathes out a nervous sigh and pulls out her sword. Trailing along the tunnel, she eventually encounters a split.

''H-Help me!''

''Huh?''

Suddenly, she notices an ordinary woman standing on the left path, calling out to her. Behind the woman, the lights are completely off. The woman's clothes are tattered, revealing numerous bruises and small wounds across her flesh. As she reaches her hand out to Claudia, the professor immediately moves her feet.

''Calm down—''

Claudia stops in her tracks. For a moment, an astonished look flashes on her face.

''...Calm down, miss.'' She says after a brief silence. ''How did you get here?''

''I was kidnapped by those police! They are committing heinous crimes down here!''

''What did they do to the kidnapped?''

''They tortured them! Please! Help us!''

''How did you escape?''

''I was just lucky! Please, don't just stand there and come here to help me!''

''...''

'Fuck.'

Claudia curses in her heart. Almost. Almost. She almost fell for it. This woman... Her mouth wasn't moving. From the beginning, there are numerous red flags. Her voice—no, 'its' voice—is too clear and healthy for someone in such bad shape. Moreover, 'it' refuses to step forward, only demanding she come closer.

''What the hell are you?'' Claudia narrows her eyes, pointing her sword at the creature.

''...''

The 'woman' stays in silence. It is apparent to Claudia that behind that cover, something terrible is lurking within.

''!!''

The lights flicker constantly. When the creature's eerie facade is finally taken off—by ripping apart the skin of the woman—the light also turns on. Standing there with its head slightly tilted is a humanoid creature as tall as the ceiling itself. Its flesh is terribly burned, its bones form impossible formations on the flesh, and its body is covered in a mix of blood, flesh, and... Sharp teeth.

Looking at the creature's round eyes, which are painfully visible due to its lack of face skin, Claudia feels sick to her stomach. Cold sweat drenches her face, and her hand holding the sword trembles.

Still, with her extensive experience on the battlefield, Claudia slaps herself in the face once and grits her teeth. 

'[Inspect].'

Nothing shows up. But that doesn't hinder her.

As the creature slowly approaches her, she sets her blade ablaze before resolutely cutting it from top to bottom—with all her strength.

BOOM—!!

A blast of fire fills the tunnel.

''Hah... Hah... Hah...''

Claudia pants, her blurry eyes tracing the horrifying mess she has made on the ground. On the verge of losing her mind, Claudia leans against the wall. At this point, the invading scent and the sticky feeling can't bother her.

'How did it come to this...?!'

A nightmare. This can't be anything other than a nightmare.

Yet, even if this was a nightmare, she had no choice but to advance. After all, her students are still somewhere, waiting for her to rescue them.

Dragging her tired legs, Claudia continues to navigate the tunnel.

After what seems like an eternity, she arrives at a spacious chamber. Here, the temperature sharply decreases, causing her to shudder. However, she can hardly notice that.

''What is...''

Neatly organized in rows and filling the room are human-size chambers made from pieces of bones, their shape resembling that of large cradles. 

Inside them, humans reside, lying peacefully as if sleeping.