The Mass of Corpses in the Tree Hollow

"Stay here and don't move."

After instructing his sister, Sifa picked up the lantern, gripped his pistol, and walked over.

Just as Helibel had said, there was an inconspicuous tree hollow at the base of the enormous Summer Oak, from which the corpses of cats and dogs hung. Wild grass covered its surroundings, leaving only a small opening exposed.

Sifa placed the lantern beside the hollow, and its light shone into the darkness within. For an instant, he seemed to see something flash deep inside, though it might have been nothing more than an illusion.

But the next moment, he saw a person.

A man raised his head with vacant eyes and stretched an arm toward the entrance, as if asking for help.

"There really is someone."

Sifa called out, "I see you. I'll pull you up right now."

He set down the lantern, lay prone on the ground, and reached an arm into the tree hollow.

He quickly caught the man's hand and immediately pulled him upward. But as soon as he pulled, Sifa found it strange. The man in the hollow was very light, allowing him to haul the other person out with ease.

Yet the moment the man was pulled out of the hollow, Sifa jumped in fright. The man had only one arm left. Worse still, everything below his waist was gone. A pale section of spine protruded from his body cavity, with several intestines dangling beneath it.

Fuck!

Sifa hurriedly let go. Physically and mentally, he had no desire to keep holding a corpse's hand.

"Did you find anything?" Unable to see what was happening behind Sifa, Helibel could not help stepping forward.

Sifa shouted, "Don't come over."

Then he shook his head helplessly. "Looks like we'll have to notify the police."

At noon, old Mrs. Paris returned to her house, followed by a filthy, disheveled vagrant.

Not long after they entered, Mrs. Paris's hysterical screams and curses suddenly rang out from inside. At that moment, a squad of police officers who had long been lying in wait in the yard rushed in and quickly brought out the old woman and the vagrant.

Next, the police in black-and-white checkered uniforms dug open the tree hollow in the Summer Oak behind the house and unearthed several mutilated corpses from inside.

Aria's mother was among them. The poor woman was covered in bite marks, her stomach had been bitten open, and her internal organs had been hollowed out.

The corpses kept drawing the sound of vomiting from the yard, making Chief Kaoxi thankful that he had not gone in. He then smiled at the young nobleman with short black hair beside him and praised him without reservation.

"Excellent work, Sifa."

"I heard from your father long ago that you were seeking to change. I thought he was joking, but now I believe our Enqi Town is about to gain a young gentleman who is righteous and full of initiative."

Sifa smiled and said modestly, "I merely did what anyone should do. It's not as noble as you say."

At that moment, Paris was being led away by the police. The old woman cursed every officer with the most vicious words she could muster.

When she saw Sifa, she extended a claw-like finger, pointed at him, and shrieked, "It's you, you Devil! You are blaspheming the goddess! The goddess will punish you!"

The old woman twisted her body and struggled violently. "Let me go! I did nothing wrong! Why are you arresting me? I merely sent those poor people to the Nation of the Evernight. There, they will find eternal peace—no sorrow, no Affliction, no hunger!"

"I am Blessed by Evernight! You cannot arrest me!"

As the old woman's voice gradually faded away, Chief Kaoxi shook his head and sighed. "A lunatic."

Then he added, "I only hope those murder cases can be resolved as quickly as this one."

I hope so too. Looking at the misshapen police chief beside him, Sifa said so sincerely in his heart.

The incident involving old Mrs. Paris quickly caused a stir in town. People mourned the victims who had died miserably in the tree hollow and wondered how such a tragic event could have happened in the always peaceful Enqi Town.

That day, the number of worshippers praying at Saint Witte Church was three times the usual number.

Because her mother had died, Aria took leave to return home and arrange the funeral. Helibel gave her a week off, and Enilu had her collect five pounds in funeral expenses from Kunna, the housekeeper.

This gave the grief-stricken maid a small measure of comfort.

The daytime passed, and night arrived as expected. Beneath the gradually waxing Crimson Moon high in the night sky, Sifa donned a dark brown high-collared long coat, put on the Black-Iron Mask, concealed the Golden Revolver, and wore the Shadow Glove before arriving at the Sea Monster Tavern.

The tavern was as lively and noisy as ever, and tonight, a gambling event was being held.

The game was "Dogs Catching Rats." Guests could bet on which dog would catch the most rats, and could even bet on the exact number.

Sifa walked to the bar and lightly tapped the counter. "A glass of Southville Beer."

"No problem. Is Bridge here? I still owe him two hundred pounds." Sifa accepted the beer, lifted his mask to expose his chin, and took a sip.

Sanchi wiped a glass and said, "He went out tonight. No idea where."

"In that case."

Sifa took out his wallet, counted out two hundred pounds, and placed it on the counter. "Pay him back for me."

Sanchi skillfully took an envelope from beneath the counter, put the money inside, and tucked it away.

"Tell me about the employer. I'm already here, so there's no need to keep it secret anymore, right?" Sifa said as he drank his beer.

Sanchi shrugged. "Have you heard of Doug? If you haven't, you should know Black Tie, right?"

"Doug? Black Tie?" Sifa frowned slightly beneath his mask. He had no impression of the former, but he had heard of the latter somewhere.

Then he suddenly remembered that he had heard of Black Tie from Chief Kaoxi.

It was a gang on Acacia Road, the largest gang in Enqi Town. No matter what they wore, its members had to wear a black tie, hence the name.

"So tonight's client is a gang member?" Sifa considered whether he should turn it down. He had no favorable impression of gangs, neither in his previous life nor this one.

Sanchi set down the glass and corrected him. "More precisely, the gang's leader."

"Tell me about this Mr. Doug." Sifa had not forgotten a Hunter's code: Hunters had to actively gather information.

Sanchi glanced at him, cleared his throat, and said, "Duke, you know the rules."

Sifa chuckled and took out a ten-pound note. "To hell with your rules."

The bartender gritted his teeth. "You cannot use money to insult my professional ethics!"

Sifa chuckled again and took out another note.

"Dammit, Duke, you weren't like this before!" The bartender covered the two notes with a glass and slid them toward himself.

"Listen, this is the last time. You can't keep doing this." Sanchi quickly pocketed the money.

Then he lowered his voice. "Doug used to be one of the lowest people in this town. He was born poor. His mother was a streetwalker, and heaven knew which man had fathered him. When he was young, people always called him 'little bastard, little bastard.'"