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Chapter 12
The bag was heavier than it looked. He had only offered to carry it on a whim, but perhaps that had been the right choice after all.
Ray shifted the strap against his shoulder and tested the weight again, his brows knitting.
“It’s just the village woods. Don’t you think this is a little excessive?”
“Not at all. You never know what might happen out there!”
“……Is that so?”
“Don’t just brush it off with ‘is that so’! Did any of our villagers expect such a huge accident would happen in this little forest, huh?”
At her retort, Ray gave a reluctant nod. True enough—what had happened to him and Theo was one of the worst incidents this quiet village had ever seen. Even he, a man hardened by countless battlefields, had to admit the injury he’d sustained had been serious.
“Hmm…”
“Aha! You don’t have a comeback, do you?”
Next to him, Pera smirked, nudging him with her words. Ray’s lip curled slightly in irritation, though his tail betrayed him with the faintest twitch.
Pera caught it immediately. With her veterinary training, reading body language was second nature. She laughed, a clear, ringing sound that floated along the woodland path.
Before long, the two of them reached a massive, blackened crater.
In broad daylight, the accident site looked far grimmer. That anyone had walked away from such destruction seemed a miracle. Pera’s smile vanished.
Ray’s expression hardened too, his eyes sweeping coldly over the surroundings.
“Are you looking for something? Should I help?”
“I’m not sure what exactly I’m looking for. Just… call it instinct.”
His vague answer made her frown. But then she thought: maybe he really didn’t know what caused the accident either.
There had been no reckless driver, no lurking monsters in these woods. What, then, had brought down the carriage? Unless lightning had struck from a clear sky, nothing made sense.
Determined not to take his words the wrong way, she searched in silence.
The villagers had avoided this place since the crash, so nothing had been touched. When she sifted through the pile of wreckage gathered that day, something caught her eye—a glimmer among the shards.
It was no carriage ornament. Squatting down, Pera studied it closer: a round, yellow-tinged gemstone, set in crude silver. Yet instead of reflecting sunlight, it seemed to swallow it, leaving only a dull, murky glow.
“Ray!”
Alarm prickled her skin. Ray hurried over, scanning what she’d found.
“What is this…?”
“Do you know it? It feels… wrong. Like it’s cursed.”
Not the sort of thing a veterinarian usually said, but the words slipped out naturally. She backed away, shivering.
She half expected him to scoff. Instead, his reaction was grim. Tapping the stone with his scabbard, he suddenly pulled her to her feet.
“Get back.”
“W–Was I right? Is it really cursed?!”
She squeaked, hastily tracing a cross in the air. Her eyes watered from pure fright.
Ray winced at the volume in his ears. Was it really that terrifying, even in broad daylight? He sighed, dragging her back toward him.
“It’s not cursed. Not a ghost.”
“Really…?”
When he confirmed it again, she reluctantly dropped the cross, though her body stayed poised to bolt at any second. Ray almost laughed—if a fight broke out, she’d abandon him in a heartbeat. Humans were more dangerous than spirits sometimes.
“It’s called a demon bomb. Heard of it?”
“Demon bomb…?”
The term stirred something in her memory. Her eyes widened.
“Oh! I know that! They’re made from processed demon, right? Wait—don’t tell me that’s one?”
Her pupils trembled violently. A demon bomb was far worse than any ghost. Yet instead of fleeing, she stepped forward, curiosity burning.
Ray quickly pushed her back.
“Stay away. Demon bombs are unstable. We don’t know what might trigger it.”
“It won’t explode.”
“…And how exactly do you know that?”
His skeptical stare was sharp as ice, but Pera stood firm.
In truth, her minor at university had been Monstrology. She feared the unnatural, yes, but anything that breathed, anything that could be studied—animals, monsters—fascinated her. She had pushed herself to the brink, surviving on three hours of sleep a night, cramming every scrap of knowledge she could.
Now those long years of study came rushing back.
“The simplest check is the expiration period. Though, who knows what’s been developed since then, so let’s skip that. Look at the transparency—it’s far too cloudy. The stronger the bomb, the more it shines like a real jewel. And the silver casing? That should have blackened if it were primed to detonate. It hasn’t. Conclusion: it’s a dud.”
Her rapid, precise explanation gave him pause.
Then she muttered, almost to herself:
“So… can I take it with me?”
“No. Even if it’s a dud, it’s still dangerous. I’ll destroy it here.”
Of course, she was denied. With a groan, Pera clung to his arm.
“Just five more minutes! Please, let me study it before you smash it!”
“…”
“Ray—no, Sir Ray, no—Ray oppa! The Empire’s greatest knight!”
Her desperation nearly made him laugh and grimace at the same time. With a weary shake of his head, he agreed.
But the word oppa made him die a little inside.
Pera, meanwhile, bounced in place with joy. If she’d had a tail, it would’ve been wagging wildly.
Ray watched her carefully as she studied the stone, then asked,
“Why didn’t you recognize it at first? You clearly know the theory.”
“Because I’ve only ever seen diagrams in textbooks! I didn’t expect one this small…”
Ray narrowed his eyes.
“Makes sense. This one’s been modified. I’ve only ever seen them before or after detonation, never like this. I didn’t realize it was a dud.”
His gaze sharpened as he stared at the dull yellow gem in her hands. He knew someone who delighted in crafting such bombs. Someone who always insisted on making them yellow.
If this one had gone off properly…
Ray’s blue eyes turned icy, his entire body radiating killing intent. Pera shivered, her breath catching at the sudden aura of death that rolled off him.
