The Soldier and The Novelist

The Defector’s Strange Tale

Before me, she crossed her arms and began to walk around the round table with a slightly theatrical tone.

“The beginning of it all was when I interviewed a refugee from the Aldanak Federation,” she said, walking slowly.

“My job is to write fictional stories, but a true story cannot exist without the weight of reality. That is my belief. That’s why I wanted to interview a person who risked their life to escape from a country under decline. Their story had to be worth telling.”

We all listened silently to the novelist. Even Gold was captivated by her words.

“About a week ago, I had the opportunity to talk to a person who defected from Aldanak through a contact of mine. He didn’t cross the Granos River, which is commonly used by defectors. Instead, he crossed through the Evilshaw Mountains, which are known as the den of fanged beasts. I couldn’t help but feel a sense of excitement for an adventure story, although it may be in bad taste.”

She came to the back of my seat and stopped, placing her hand on the back of the chair.

“The interview was conducted in a room at an inn in Ixlaha. The person I met with appeared more worn out than I had anticipated. I would go as far as to say that he was utterly exhausted, even to his soul. His eyes were sunken, his cheeks were hollow, and white hair protruded from his head. His pre-defection photo displayed a ruggedly handsome face, but now, there was nothing left of it. He must have endured a lot. The interview took place three days after his defection, so it wasn’t unexpected. However, in my eyes, he seemed more bewildered than fatigued.”

She paused for a moment before continuing her story.

“When I asked him about his defection, he began to speak softly. He had been a high-ranking military officer in the Federation and fled with several escorts. However, he was the only one who made it across Evilshaw Mountain alive. Everyone else lost their lives on that mountain. I wanted to know what it was like for him during that time. It may seem cruel, but I was curious about the extreme psychological state he was in. It’s a story that carries the weight of reality and cannot be filled with imagination alone. So, I asked him if his subordinates were killed by the fanged beasts, but…”

She came to the back of Hugh’s seat again and stopped, her hand still on the back of my chair.

“He remained silent and ambiguously shook his head. It didn’t seem like a nod of affirmation, but rather one of negation. And that was it. He kept his mouth shut, not wanting to talk about it. Looking back now, he probably couldn’t come to terms with what had happened to them at that time. He couldn’t believe it himself. I patiently waited for him to speak. After a long silence, he finally spoke…”

This time, she placed her hand on the back of Hugh’s chair and waited for a while. It was as if she had a premonition of the importance of what she was about to say.

And then she spoke, “It wasn’t a beast. It was in the shape of a human.”

However, no one showed surprise at her statement. After surveying our reactions, the novelist smiled confidently.

“The forms of the fanged beasts vary, with some being similar to hungry wolves and others to avian creatures. One characteristic common to all of them is the presence of extremities called shell armor on their bodies. Given your experience as mercenaries, this should come as no surprise to you.”

No one nodded in agreement because it was already common knowledge.

There are currently 77 species of beings that fall under the broad categorization of fanged beasts, and the shell armor they possess varies from species to species. Some have fangs visible in their mouths, while others have talons on their limbs, and birds may have beaks and wings in addition to these. But what they all share is an extraordinary degree of hardness.

The shell armor of an adult fanged beast is said to be about three times harder than the steel used to make ordinary swords. This means that there are virtually no means for humans to crush their shell armor in combat. This is why fanged beasts are still considered a major threat to us humans.

According to current research, the hardness of shell armor decreases significantly after the death of its owner. As a result, the technology to process it while maintaining its hardness has yet to be discovered.

“I asked him many times if it was truly humanoid, and not a mistake. There have been no reports of a bipedal fanged beast until now. So if it’s true, it would be the 78th new species,” she continued.

Only Hugh nodded silently in response to the novelist’s words.

“Every time I asked, he nodded repeatedly. He was certain that the creature was humanoid. Based on his story, the group was attacked by the monster in the Yunaria mountainous side area. It had a body roughly the size of an average adult male, and its shell armor covered almost its entire body, as if it were clad in a suit of fangs. He didn’t seem to be lying.”

Continuing to walk while talking, the novelist resumed her stride.

“I heard it was overwhelmingly powerful, despite being humanoid, its movements were just like those of fanged beasts, if not even more so. It possessed terrifying agility and ferocity, as well as weapons and impenetrable armor that covered its entire body. The soldiers fell one after another, and it is said to be a truly horrifying sight. They were scratched and beheaded by its claws, while their entrails were devoured by its fangs. Its limbs were covered in fangs. The man spoke quietly, with a pale face about the situation. However, what shocked them was not just its strength…”

The novelist paused briefly, as if to emphasize her words.

“That monster was also invincible.”

We didn’t react to the story as if the fact was already known. The novelist continued regardless.

“During the battle, one of the soldiers managed to strike the monster and pierce its heart with a blade through a gap in its shell armor. It was undoubtedly a fatal wound. However, as soon as the blade was pulled out, the chest, which should have been pierced completely, immediately healed, and the wound disappeared without a trace.”

The novelist finished speaking as she completed a full circle around the round table and returned to her starting position.

“In the end, the escorts were completely wiped out by that monster. Thanks to his subordinates, he was the only one who managed to get down the mountain. Apparently, the monster didn’t pursue him beyond the mountain.”

She didn’t sit in her original seat, but instead put both hands on the round table and looked around at us, as if she were examining our reactions.

“Well then, having heard this much, do any of you have any ideas?”

A brief silence fell over the room.

It was Gold who broke it first, raising his hands slightly in surrender. “Honestly, I don’t care.”

Facing him, Hugh let out a deep sigh. It seemed he had resigned himself to the fact that they had been found out. “Well then. Gold is right,” he said.

I remained silent, nodding slightly and lowering my chin. At the same time, the image of that grotesque being came back to my mind. It was not something that could be forgotten easily, even if I wanted to.

Hugh continued, “An entity cloaked in shell armor, possessing incredible strength and an invincible body. There’s no mistake about those characteristics―we too encountered that being five years ago.”

“I see. So, that defector’s account has been proven not to be a delusion,” the novelist said with a smile, as if he had hit the nail on the head.

“But, despite encountering such a monster, you were able to return alive. Even the elite soldiers were wiped out,” she added.

“We were just stronger than those so-called elites,” Gold said nonchalantly. Although he said that with words, he was probably dissatisfied with the outcome five years ago.

“In the end, we withdrew,” Hugh shook his head. “Everyone was in bad shape, and instead of calling it a strategic retreat, it was more like a chaotic retreat. We were carried by Sword, who was injured, and escaped by falling down a cliff.”

“I actually enjoyed that fight,” Gold said, unusually self-deprecatingly. “It’s a bit of a rule violation that stabbing or cutting it had no effect. I got bored halfway through. After all, fighting doesn’t work if you don’t connect with your heart. Right, Sword?”

Gold glanced at me sideways, but I ignored him. It would be impossible for me to agree with this madman, even if the planet were to reverse its rotation.

“But why didn’t you publicly disclose its existence?” the novelist asked. “There’s no doubt that the monster is a new species of fanged beasts, and I don’t think it’s right to let it roam free. Given its danger, shouldn’t you have sought the appropriate authorities’ intervention five years ago?”

“That monster is beyond the limits of our world,” I answered. “How can we handle an entity that cannot be killed? And what would happen if we made its existence known? If we report it, more people will inevitably become sacrifices for investigation. So, it’s better to leave it alone. That’s all we considered.”

“Professor Forester, what you say is understandable,” Hugh said, bowing his head. “However, if you actually fight it, you will understand how abnormal it is. As Sword mentioned, it’s beyond the capability of current humanity to handle. We’ve concluded that Sword’s plan will cause the least amount of damage. Moreover, the monster attacked us only because we trespassed deep into the mountainous region. As long as we don’t interfere, it won’t harm humans.”

After contemplating for a moment, the novelist nodded in agreement.

Hugh added, “Although I sympathize with the soldiers who fell victim to it, there have been no reports of the monster harming humans so far.”

“That’s like the saying in Eastern cultures, ‘Leave the gods alone, and they won’t harm you,’ right?” Gold interjected. However, his eyes betrayed a glint of desire to confront the monster again if given the opportunity. He was truly a kind yet peculiar man.

“I see. So, it only preys on those who venture into the area… like a guardian of a cursed mountain,” the novelist murmured.

When I looked into her dark amber eyes, I had a bad feeling. They were the same eyes that I glimpsed in this woman at the bookstore yesterday. An overflowing curiosity, the color of strong will that could even be called passion…

…What is this woman thinking?

Hugh asked, “So, what’s your purpose in aiming for that mountain? Do you have an interest in that monster?”

“Well, yes,” the novelist responded, but with some hesitation. “More accurately, I should say I’m interested in the monster’s origins.”

“Its origins?” Hugh repeated, and the novelist’s eyes sparkled with a hint of interest at his response.

“Don’t you wonder about it? How and why that monster came to be?”

“Well, I suppose,” Hugh nodded vaguely, then shook his head slightly. “But even in modern science, there are still parts of the ecology and roots of fanged beasts that are not clear, and to clarify them requires specialized knowledge…”

“In fact,” the novelist said, smiling slyly. Her eyes gleamed even brighter, like those of a curious child, and began to radiate with a vibrant light. “There’s more to the story of the defector from earlier.”

“…More?” I looked at the novelist suspiciously. She nodded dramatically and crossed her arms in front of her chest again, as if to say that the story she was about to tell was the real point of the conversation.

“Earlier, I said that they were attacked by the monster as they passed through the mountainous region on the Yunaria side, right?”

“Yes, what about it?”

With one finger of her right hand raised, the novelist paused dramatically. “The place where they were attacked was really strange. The man saw something unbelievable there.”

“What did he see?”

In response to Hugh’s question, she raised one finger on her right hand.

“A city,” she answered, her mouth breaking into a smile.

“There was a ruined city in the middle of the mountain.”