Chapter 50: Poison Jar
By the time they all got back, everyone at Rusty Den was in the middle of having dinner, sitting near rusty lamps that gave off the impression they could give out at any moment.
After Elias and his squad stashed away the eyes and put away the armoured Predicament, they quickly joined in on the eating.
Elias sat beside Ross and reported everything that happened with the exception of a few details, like their run-in with Roxy’s group, and the transfer of their eyes.
"You guys really managed to put down 21 Predicaments today?" Ross widened his eyes, "How did you managed that? You barely killed 10 yesterday," He asked, suspiciously.
Elias pumped his chest out and pointed his nose towards the ceiling.
"Isn’t it obvious? It was all because Miss Hilda helped us!" Elias grinned smugly, "I told you it was a good idea to have her come along, but no~ instead you made it out to be a bad idea."
Ross cringed when he heard that, chagrined — could it be he was actually wrong?
’Maybe that woman isn’t all that dangerous, after all...’ He thought, re-evaluating his assessment of Hilda, slashing out the idea she could be treacherous.
"That would explain how you managed to get so many eyes..." He muttered, thinking out loud, "However, I have to ask you something that’s been bugging me since you came back."
"Oh? And what’s that?"
"... how come you guys didn’t bring back any corpses?"
Ross side-eyed Elias suspiciously.
"If you guys really did kill that many Predicaments, surely there would be a body to bring back, right?"
"Hmph," Elias snorted at Ross’ question, and shovelled food into his mouth, "Are you really doubting that we killed Predicaments? You saw me go to put away the eyes. And didn’t you see the condition our Predicament was in—"
"I wasn’t with you on your hunt," Ross reminded as he squeezed spreadable cheese on a flatbread, "Besides your squad, and Miss Hertel’s group, there isn’t anyone else who was there to witness your kills; so who’s to say that you actually killed Predicaments today, and didn’t just beg for what Miss Hertel already had, just so you could be lazy?"
After folding the flatbread and taking a bite from it, he turned back to Elias, still suspicious.
"As for the damages the Predicament sustained today, there could be plenty of reasons why... For example, who’s to say you didn’t encounter Roxy’s crew and found some excuse to attack them?"
"Ugh, and why in the hell would I do that?" Elias inquired, nervously, his sweat crawling down the back of his neck.
’How the hell did he almost figure everything out!?’ He shouted internally in awe at Ross’ skill in deduction. Rather than some guy who should be his age, Elias felt like he was facing an experienced detective from the POR!
’Tch, I should’ve expected this from a fellow dummkopf.’ He internally shook his head.
"Alright, fine, FINE! I’ll tell you."
Ross then noticed that Elias glanced at Hilda, who was surrounded by countless people sitting around her, asking her a variety of questions.
His eyes became half-lidded as a glint of realisation flashed through his eyes.
"Basically, what happened was—"
"No, it’s alright now. I got the gist of what could’ve happened."
Ross returned back to eating his rations — his suspicions now fully satisfied.
"As you know, I require the Predicament’s body to be somewhat intact for the resurrection. So if you’re hinting at her, then I suppose the bodies would’ve been left far too damaged to be used, or she could’ve disposed of them afterwards.
"Either way, now I understand why you didn’t bring any back. Good job today, Elias."
"Uh, yeah... thanks, boss."
Elias slowly turned away with a look of relief.
’Thank god he came up an excuse for it on his own.’
He didn’t have a single excuse planned to explain why he didn’t bring back a corpse. In reality, it was because he had forgotten to! Not because Hilda destroyed them or anything.
’But now I know...’ As long as he threw around Hilda’s name or hinted at her for something he did wrong, he would get away scot free without a single bit of suspicion or consequences!
She was the perfect excuse!
’I really am a dummkopf~’ He praised himself.
He had begun to like using this word.
"Elias... you said that the Predicaments had all begun to suddenly migrate towards the centre of Calais, right?"
"H-huh, oh yes," Elias snapped out of his thoughts, "Do you know anything about why?"
Ross fell silent, staring solemnly at the rusty lamp that sat in front of him.
"I have an idea..." He muttered before declaring, "Tomorrow, we’ll need to up our defences and increase patrols around the port."
"What? Why?"
"... Because if the Predicaments are doing what I fear they’re doing... we might have to deal with the aftermath of a Poison Jar..."
While Ross be
"Ehm, what do you think she’s doing?" Seraphine asked, looking towards Nadia, who was eating beside her.
The Heroine glanced at the girl before looking up from her rations to look at Hilda.
The two of them had decided to sit away from Hilda, who was surrounded by people, and chose a more desolate spot in the warehouse. However, the spot was just close enough to where they could clearly see Hilda’s face and faintly make out what she was saying.
The way Hilda smiled and the way she answered the questions of those around her made it seem she was actually having an enjoyable time.
Nadia continued to stare at Hilda silently before returning back to her rations.
"Gathering information, probably..." She muttered indifferently before asking, "Where’s Callum? I usually see you two together?"
"E-eh?"
Seraphine scratched the side of her cheek shyly. Has she really been sticking to Callum that much?
’It feels kinda weird taking him away from Nadia...’ She thought before answering Nadia.
"A-apparently, he needed to go do something Hilda requested of him. Although I don’t know what..."
"... Is that so..."
Watching as Nadia silently ate her MRE, Seraphine turned to do the same with her own.
"..."
’SO AWKWARD!’
The silence between them was deafening and uncomfortable.
’I’m left alone with the main character! Is this not the best time to try and get to know her, in person!?’
The sort of emotions Seraphine was feeling was something akin to meeting your favourite celebrity. Although you most likely knew everything there was to know about that celebrity, that still didn’t mean you wouldn’t have the urge to hear it from them in person!
With a determined fire in her eyes, Seraphine looked towards Nadia.
"H-hey, so... how about we get to know each other?"
"Get to know each other?" Nadia looked up.
"Yeah! Like, what’s something you like to eat the most?" Seraphine sat up, seeing Nadia engaged in what she had to say, "For me, I like eating pasta. How about you?"
"What... I like to eat?" Nadia repeated, then answered soon after, "Clementines... I like clementines."
"Oranges? Me too!"
Seraphine continued to ask various kinds of questions. Some she knew the answer to, and some she didn’t.
Although Nadia did appear emotionless when answering her, Seraphine knew the woman was more than happy to answer her eager questions.
Though... if she had been anyone else, she would’ve believed otherwise, given how curtly Nadia answered.
"What I like to wear...? Anything that isn’t revealing, really..."
"Favourite season? I guess... the Winter? Since clementines grow the best in that season."
Her answers always came fast without much consideration. However, there was eventually one question that caused Nadia to ponder deeply.
"Do I like to read?"
"Yeah!" Seraphine asked, leaning in eagerly, "And what sort of books do you like?"
"..."
Nadia stared silently at Seraphine before nodding in a reserved manner.
"I do like reading. As for what I like to read..." Nadia went silent, wondering whether she should answer this question truthfully.
"Thick books..." She muttered stiffly, "I like thick books. Any genre will do."
Seraphine eyed the Heroine with a knowing smirk, amused by the answer Nadia gave. She obviously knew that Nadia was lying. The woman loved fairytales, not big and serious novels.
’Though I can’t really blame her,’ Seraphine hummed, ’I also wouldn’t share that I was into fairytales to someone I barely know, if I were in her place.’
She continued to ask the Heroine a few more questions. And eventually ran out of questions to ask.
Well, for now, at least.
Seeing Seraphine run out of questions, Nadia decided to ask a question of her own.
"Hey, uhm... are you sure you haven’t ever shot a gun before? You look like you’re really good at it."
"O-oh?" Seraphine chuckled sheepishly, rubbing the back of her scalp, "T-today was my first day with a gun. Even I’m as shocked as you. Haha, because, uh, I never shot a gun before."
"I see..."
Afterwards, Nadia went silent and brought her face back to eating.
Sensing the awkward silence rapidly return, Seraphine gulped and quickly tried to think of more questions to ask — unable to stand the silence.
Unfortunately, she wasn’t able to come up with one...
Luckily, though, she didn’t need to.
"Miss Hilda, could you tell us what a Poison Jar is?"
The two immediately drew their attention towards Hilda.
"Poison Jar? That’s an excellent question!" Hilda stated in surprise.
She then began to explain.
"The concept of Poison Jar actually originated from Ancient China. Back then, people used to place either poisonous or venomous creatures inside a sealed jar to have them battle it out — all so they could discover the strongest poison.
"In the context of Predicaments, though, a Poison Jar are when Predicaments in close vicinity to one another gather to compete und devour each other to evolve into their next classification — thus, the name Poison Jar."
After a short delay, Hilda then added.
"It’s a rare phenomenon that usually starts because of some kind of infighting or intense hunger."
Everyone who listened to her explanation made "Ooo~"s and "Ahh..."s at her. It was their first time hearing an explanation about Poison Jars, and really, anything having to do with Predicaments.
"Humph, infighting? Why would Predicaments ever willingly do that?" A woman snorted near the front, her tone arrogant and pompous, "Even if it’s just to, like, evolve, they’ll eventually get the chance to passively over the course of their lives. And why do they even eat, when they actually don’t actually need to? They’re so dumb..."
Hilda turned to the woman and smiled.
"Ah, Miss Corry, you know a bit about Predicaments?" She asked, having already been acquainted with the woman in her rounds earlier.
"Hmph, of course! I know someone who works in the LRM, I’ve told you that already," The woman huffed before adding, "So, am I right? Or not?"
Hilda continued to smile at the woman, although if someone looked closer, they would be able to tell it was forced.
"You’re indeed right, Miss Corry, but you shouldn’t take Predicaments so lightly—"
"They’re just beasts! If it wasn’t for the Continental Predicaments, we humans would’ve taken back our lands; just like we did with the western part of Europe." She then flickered her hair poshly, "It took millions of years for humanity to become apex predator in the past, but as long as we continue to improve our technology and further our research into Spiritualism, we’ll eventually take back our title of apex predator on this planet!"
Everyone who heard her words clapped their hands in awe.
And so did Hilda...
Clap. Clap. Clap.
Albeit, very slowly...
"Haha, yes... given enough time, humanity will take back their title of apex predator," Hilda stated with a strange and... foreboding smile.
"Dummkopf."
’Yikes... I don’t think she’s happy,’ Seraphine thought, staring at the ominous look Hilda had on her face.
Her ears then twitched when the Heroine beside her whispered something.
"What does that mean..."
Nadia stared intently at Hilda with a thoughtful look on her face.
"Hm? What does what mean?"
"That word. Dummkopf or whatever..."
"Oh? It means dumb, or uh fool, something like that..." Seraphine casually mentioned, which immediately caught Nadia’s attention.
"You... you understand German?!"
Seraphine watched as Nadia dropped everything in her hands and got on all fours, leaning towards her with an intense, keen look in her eyes.
Seraphine flinched back, startled.
"E-eh—w-well, I-I only studied a little bit of it—"
"That’s good enough," Nadia promptly chimed, "Tell me, Seraphine, do you know what meine Dame means?"
"M-meine... Dame?" Seraphine repeated, confused.