The Forest Race Clonne

Chapter 1

“Sei, I have something to confess to you.”

It was the day before my mother passed away. It was also the day she woke up from a long sleep and sought me out for the first time in a while.

“Please, go ahead, Mother.”

Holding her frail hand tightly, I waited for her to speak.

Her face, marked by illness, no longer retained any of its former beauty. Her skin was rough like old leather, and even the color of her eyes had turned dull and dark. Even as a young child, I could sense the end was near.

“Listen carefully, Sei. The man you know as your father… he isn’t your biological father.”

After hesitating several times, the painful truth was finally spoken in a strained voice. Her already pale face grew even paler, as if she couldn’t bear the weight of the truth. But when I didn’t react, confusion spread across her face.

“Are you listening?”

“Yes, of course, Mother. I heard you. You said I am not Father’s biological son.”

Then why aren’t you surprised? she asked, her eyes trembling. I gazed steadily into her eyes and replied calmly.

“I already knew.”

“What? H-how? Who told you such a thing? No one was supposed to know!”

My mother was shocked, her breathing erratic. I hurriedly tried to calm her down as I explained.

“It’s alright, Mother. No one told me. Look at my reflection. I don’t resemble Father at all. I merely deduced it on my own.”

“Then why didn’t you say anything until now?”

Her demand brought a bitter laugh to my lips.

Even in such a situation, she was curious about that? Facing death, she still couldn’t bring herself to tell her young son that she loved him. I had thought she had given up on her role as a mother, but it seems I was wrong. A corner of my heart felt a pang of bitterness.

‘Because it doesn’t matter to me.’

Yes, by now, it all seemed meaningless.

Father never loved Mother. He chose his concubine over his legitimate wife and raised her son to be his heir.

In such circumstances, why would it matter if I wasn’t his biological son? When I found out the truth, I actually felt relieved. It allowed me to let go of any remaining attachments.

Seirakia Lavant.

The day after Mother’s funeral, I abandoned the name I had lived with along with the place I called home.

No one was there to see me off. The only companion that day was the chilling wind heralding the coming winter.

* * *

Sometimes, I wonder.

Perhaps, I might be insane.

Not because I enjoy harboring such extreme thoughts, but because anyone placed in my situation would surely reach the same conclusion.

―Sei, you don’t seem to be in a good mood today. Is something bothering you?

Like the voice I hear now, for instance.

―Did you have breakfast? Surely you didn’t skip it? That’s not good for your health. You are already thin, so you should make sure to eat well!

‘Here we go again.’

I sighed and buried my face in my arms.

I know it’s impolite to react this way to what sounds like concerned advice. However, the office was empty, and I was the only one who had shown up for work. In other words, this voice has no physical presence.

‘No wonder I think I might be losing my mind.’

When exactly these auditory hallucinations started, I can’t remember. But at some point, they began to manifest, and they’ve grown clearer with each passing day.

―Sei, are you listening to me? Why aren’t you saying anything? Surely, you can hear me, right? Sei? Seiii?

“…Stop calling me. I can hear you just fine.”

―Geez, you had me worried.

I can even converse with it. Not something I wanted to acknowledge. Hearing the relieved prattling, I sighed once more. I’d intended to ignore it completely this time but ultimately failed.

―By the way, you’re here early again today? You worked late yesterday too. Is it alright for you to be in so early? How much sleep did you get?

“I slept as much as I needed.”

―And how much is that? Don’t tell me you’re calling a quick one or two-hour nap ‘enough sleep’?

“I can handle it.”

―That’s why you’re always overexerting yourself!

To others, it would just look like I was talking to myself. The mere thought dampened my mood. I’ve never thought of myself as normal, but I didn’t want to confirm it in such a manner.

―Work is important, but you need to take care of your health! At this rate, you’re going to collapse!

“Enough. I said I can handle it. Stop bothering me.”

―Sei, you’re really too hard on yourself!

Whatever. What does that matter to you?

I barely managed to stifle a sarcastic retort. Auditory hallucinations this detailed are not a good sign. I know it’s dangerous, but I avoid getting a diagnosis to keep it off the record. Mental illness makes job transfers difficult.

‘Let’s just get to work.’

Shaking off the intrusive thoughts, I opened up some paperwork. The workload in our already busy office had recently surged to overwhelming levels. I had no time to waste on pointless hallucinations.

『Aslan Empire Classified Information Handling Department.』

Commonly referred to as the “Security Department,” this place is one of the empire’s major administrative departments, established for the purpose of national security and protection. It is technically closer to a special military investigative agency and, along with the Imperial Guards and the Law Enforcement Corps, makes up the “Three Imperial Forces.” Even the lowest ranks within this department fall within the top five ranks of high imperial offices. Among the ranks one can achieve through entry exams, it is the highest.

‘Though I’m just a lowly office worker in an administrative position.’

Even so, it’s an enviable title to have. There was no way I was getting fired over something like a mental illness.

“Ugh, it’s boiling. Is it already midsummer or what?”

Just then, a brown-haired man opened the door and entered. It was my coworker, Roil. He was twenty-five and in his second year with the department. Proving his point about the heat, he was drenched in sweat and had his jacket, which was supposed to be buttoned up to the neck, slung over one shoulder.

“Morning, Sei! As always, you’re here first.”

“Good morning, Roil. By the way, your attire is improper.”

“Ugh, give me a break. If I had worn my jacket the whole way here, I wouldn’t have made it to work today. This isn’t my fault. The higher-ups are to blame for not switching to summer uniforms in this weather.”

“Is it that hot outside?”

“Don’t even start. It’s a complete furnace out there. I could collapse on the street at this rate. It was perfect weather just a while ago. Damn, why do we even have four seasons? Can’t it always be spring?”

“It’s better than always having summer, I suppose.”

Roil shuddered at the thought, saying it was a terrible thing to imagine. Yet, I’d heard that across the sea, the southern territory is always hot. Conversely, the far northern territory is a land of perpetual ice and extreme cold. Considering such points, the western territory, where we lived, was a rather hospitable place.

“Sei, listen. People should always strive for higher goals. Comparing yourself to those in worse conditions for comfort is pointless. It’s also disrespectful to them!”

“You’re right. But it’s important to keep excessive desires in check. Complaining about a little heat for one season seems like a spoiled complaint, and it doesn’t look great.”

“Damn it, you live in a dorm with perfect temperature control, so it’s always cool for you. Try going outside! You’ll understand my feelings right away!”

“Unfortunately, I have no reason to go out. So I guess I’ll never understand.”

“Wow, you’re really infuriating. Maybe I should consider moving into the dorm this time.”

Roil’s face grew quite serious, as if he was genuinely considering it out of frustration. Although it was hard to trust his sincerity, given this was something he said every time the seasons changed.

In the meantime, other employees began to arrive one by one. After responding to their morning greetings, I resumed the work I had paused. While reviewing the documents—nearly finished but still checking for errors—Roil noisily prepared his work beside me (of all places) and kept glancing over.

“Is that related to the incident? The one we talked about?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

Interest quickly gathered around. Recently, the capital had been plagued by a series of murder cases. So far, there have been seven victims. The crimes were indiscriminate, targeting various ages and genders, and it had been a week since the last victim was found.

The Law Enforcement Corps had spent days searching without significant results. The case was eventually handed over to the Security Department, but there had been little progress.

“They still haven’t identified a suspect?”

“There were signs of resistance on the bodies, right? You’d think they’d at least have some of the culprit’s fluids. How have they not caught them yet?”

“This is the first time our forensic team has come up empty-handed at this level, right? The perpetrator must be pretty meticulous.”

“Well, they’re still a lunatic, regardless. The higher-ups must be going through hell. But then, it had to be a case like this to land on our plates.”

First the Law Enforcement Corps, then the Security Department. This was a serious crime that had undermined two of the empire’s proudest institutions. While the case garnered attention from everyone, it was only natural that interest within the investigative agencies would be the greatest.