Late at night, Lake Forest was not dark. Moonlight filtered through the trunks and broadleaf branches, mysterious and chilly, leaking sparsely from the dense canopy and scattering silvery flecks across the black humus.
The white-haired boy dragged a corpse wrapped in oilcloth deep into Lake Forest, far from the forest paths.
The heavy body sank into the carpet of fallen leaves and soft earth. He had to pull hard to make it inch forward, leaving behind a rather obvious trail.
"Primeval jungles are ridiculous."
The coastal tropical jungle was incomparably damp at night. Ian's thin linen clothes clung tightly to his skin, soaked through with sweat and moisture, making him exceptionally uncomfortable. He also had to watch out for the dark green moss beneath his feet. That wet, slippery stuff covered every part of the jungle—tree roots, rocks, and rotten logs alike. One careless step would send him sprawling.
After dragging the corpse for a while, Ian had to stop and rest. He wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve, gasping as he complained, "These fallen leaves have to be at least a foot deep. I'm starting to think I don't even need to dig a hole—I could just bury him under the leaves."
That was what he said, but Ian had still brought a shovel. He had no intention of sparing himself that little bit of effort.
Ian knew perfectly well that the trail left by dragging Osena's corpse would be hard to conceal. But Lake Forest changed quickly. In a few days, everything would return to normal. He was not worried that anyone would find the drag marks. Even if they did, they would probably assume some crazed wild boar had rooted them up.
At first, Ian had considered carrying the corpse. But setting aside how