第１４１５堀：領主館調査 (Part2)
The first floor was primarily composed of communal spaces—reception rooms, a dining hall, and a kitchen—and in terms of layout, there was nothing particularly out of the ordinary. However...
"It looks like there was quite a battle in the hallways," I remarked.
"...The signs of combat are especially concentrated along the route leading to the second floor."
Just as Cleena noted, the first floor was defined by the scars of conflict and dried blood. Every corner had been ransacked; not a single room remained untouched. There were traces of makeshift barricades, and the reception rooms had been stripped of their furniture. Yet, there was something conspicuously absent.
"There are no bodies," I observed.
"Yeah, just bloodstains. This has to be the work of a Lich," Ovik replied.
"...Ovik. What makes you so certain it’s a Lich? The possibility that they were devoured by monsters isn't zero."
Cleena was right; that possibility existed. Yet, Ovik spoke with absolute conviction. I wondered why.
"In that case, you’d inevitably find bones or scraps of flesh left behind. But there’s nothing—only blood. It means the corpses were harvested in their entirety."
"Ah, I remember hearing about something like that. A naturally spawned Lich once used villagers to make it look like a village was still functioning."
"That kind of thing actually happens?"
"...I’ve heard of it, too. Liches are sometimes high-ranking mages who mutate after death, retaining their intellect and performing all sorts of schemes."
Right, I recalled hearing stories like that. Even the Liches serving as adjutants to Steve and John were surprisingly eloquent.
"That Lich claimed it just wanted to live in peace, but using the dead to hide its presence was a bridge too far," Ovik added.
"Exactly. Though, its power was weak enough that we could have taken it down ourselves. In the end, there’s no room for reconciliation—it’s either kill or be killed. Well, that’s completely different from the Liches in Weed, of course."
"Wait, the way you’re talking... is this a recent story?"
"Not exactly recent, but it happened after Weed was established."
"Right. Once we became affiliated with Weed, there was a report about a village near Roschur that had gone silent. Several adventurer teams had gone missing, and when it became clear things were dire, the request came to us. Before heading out, we consulted with Steve, John, and the Liches to prepare."
I see. So that’s how it happened.
"When we brought this up, they suggested that the victims might be being used as puppets."
"Exactly. They were taking down anyone who wandered in with suspicious efficiency, which led to the theory that they were reanimating the dead to live as if they were still alive, just to exploit them."
"But wouldn't they be different from when they were alive? Wouldn't there be something off about them?"
"Apparently there is, but they can still extract information. That’s why there’s value in turning the dead into puppets here, too. You know the rumors about them heading toward the northern town, right?"
"...I understand what you’re implying. They turned the lord and his subordinates into the undead to extract information, then set their sights on the northern town?"
"That’s the theory."
Yuki had mentioned this as well. When someone is controlled as an undead, their memories from life are laid bare, making information security a nightmare. That was why, in our case, we were even equipped with self-destruct devices to ensure no corpses were left behind. Though, we’d never actually have to use them.
"Anyway, have we finished checking the first floor?"
"Mm. The map confirms it."
"There really weren't any bodies anywhere, were there?"
"Yeah. I suppose that’s a result in itself."
With our sweep of the first floor complete, we headed toward the second floor to rendezvous with Deryu and the others. Investigating a mansion like this—it really does give you the creeps.