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The night wind carried the moisture of the waterfall, dispersing the nauseating stench that filled the cave.
Returning to the surface, neither of them spoke, simply walking in silence back toward the village along the path they had come.
The battle with the giant spider had drained much of their energy and ammunition, but more importantly, a wave of mental exhaustion was now washing over them.
"I need to rest," Leon S. Kennedy's voice was a bit raspy as he stopped and leaned against a tree. "At least an hour. Otherwise, I'm afraid I'll shove my gun barrel up my own nose in the next fight."
Noah did not object.
He checked the map, his finger tracing across it before finally stopping on the building they had left not long ago.
The Village Chief's Manor.
"We'll go there," Noah said. "It's the sturdiest and safest place. We've already cleared it thoroughly once."
Leon S. Kennedy nodded in agreement.
Compared to sleeping out in the danger-filled mountains, that "mansion" was undoubtedly the best temporary rest stop.
The two changed direction, taking a shortcut across a barren field to return once more to the most prominent building in the village.
Just as Leon S. Kennedy was about to push the door open as he had before—
"Whine... whimper..."
A faint, suppressed whimper of an animal in pain drifted from the shadows at the side of the manor.
The two paused, immediately raising their guns and moving cautiously toward the source of the sound.
It was a corner where firewood and junk were piled.
The beam of the flashlight swept over, illuminating the source of the noise.
A massive, snow-white wolf-dog was lying on the ground, its body trembling uncontrollably. Its right hind leg was clamped firmly in a giant bear trap.
Blood had already stained its white fur and the surrounding ground red.
Seeing two armed humans approach, the wolf-dog let out a low, threatening growl from its throat, struggling to stand up, but the sharp pain in its leg caused it to collapse instantly.
Its body was huge, nearly half as tall as a person, but its azure eyes were currently filled with pain, fear, and despair.
Leon S. Kennedy lowered his shotgun.
"Oh, buddy," he looked at the poor animal and couldn't help but curse, "you've had a hell of a bad day."
He thought of the mutated hounds they had blasted to pieces not long ago, then looked at this wolf-dog which, though hostile, still had clear eyes.
"We have to help it," Leon S. Kennedy said, moving forward.
"Don't move," Noah stopped him. "It's very tense right now. If you go over like that, it'll attack you."
Noah slung his gun behind his back and slowly walked toward the wolf-dog.
He crouched down, maintaining a safe distance and keeping his line of sight level with the animal.
"We won't hurt you," Noah's tone was steady and gentle.
The wolf-dog continued to growl low, but its hostility seemed to lessen slightly. It could sense that there was no bone-chilling Killing Intent coming from the human before it.
Leon S. Kennedy followed Noah's lead, approaching slowly and placing his shotgun on the ground to show he meant no harm.
He moved behind the wolf-dog and carefully gripped the cold steel of the bear trap.
"Hey, pal, relax, relax... it'll be over in a second."
He took a deep breath, the muscles in his arms tensing instantly, and with all his strength, he wrenched the trap open!
Clang!
With a tooth-grinding sound of metal springing back, the tightly locked serrated teeth were finally forced apart.
"Whine!"
The wolf-dog let out a cry of pain and immediately pulled its leg out, collapsing onto the ground and licking the torn wound with its tongue.
Noah took out some gathered herbs from his backpack and put them into his mouth to chew.
Soon, the herbs turned into a dark green medicinal paste in his mouth, emitting a bitter scent.
He walked up to the wolf-dog and, under the big fellow's wary gaze, carefully applied the paste to the bloody wound.
The cooling power of the medicine instantly eased the searing pain.
The wolf-dog's body twitched then relaxed. It stopped growling and lay there quietly, watching Noah treat its wound.
Noah then tore a long strip of clean bandage from his tactical vest and, with gentle and professional movements, wrapped the wolf-dog's injured hind leg and tied a firm knot.
Throughout the process, the massive wolf-dog showed surprising calmness and cooperation. It seemed to fully understand that these two humans were helping it.
After the bandaging was finished, Noah and Leon S. Kennedy stepped back a few paces.
The wolf-dog tried to stand up. It was still hesitant to put weight on the injured leg, but it could manage to support its body.
It walked up to Leon S. Kennedy and Noah, lowered its head, and gently nudged their pant legs with its nose.
Then, it took two steps back and barked at them twice: "Woof! Woof!"
It was a crisp, loud bark filled with gratitude.
It wagged its large, fluffy tail vigorously, gave the two one last look, and then limped away into the nearby woods, quickly vanishing into the darkness.
"Hey, unbelievable," Leon S. Kennedy looked toward where the wolf-dog had disappeared, a complex expression on his face. "In this hellhole, a dog actually has more humanity than the people here."
The two entered the Village Chief's Manor.
Closing the door and shutting out the dead silence and danger outside, a sense of security naturally arose.
They didn't go to the second floor, instead sitting down on the sofa in the first-floor living room.
Leon S. Kennedy took out two pieces of jerky from his bag and tossed one to Noah. Noah took out compressed biscuits and water.
The two ate the bland, monotonous food in silence, washing it down with water.
Neither spoke. Outside the window, the wind whimpered.
One hour later.
Both opened their eyes at the same time.
The brief rest had given their frayed nerves a moment of reprieve, and much of their physical strength had returned.
"Let's go," Leon S. Kennedy stood up and re-checked his gear. "To the church. Our 'treasure hunt' is far from over."
They left the mansion and crossed the silent village square.
The church, standing like a silent giant beast in the night, drew closer and closer.
On the map, the Merchant had marked an entrance to a catacomb on the side of the church. That was the starting point of the secret passage leading to the lakeside Quarry.
They circled around to a small graveyard on the side of the church and found the entrance hidden by vines and weeds behind a toppled stone angel statue.
Lifting the heavy stone slab, a cold wind smelling of dust and decay blew up from the dark underground hole.
The two descended the slippery steps.
This seemed to be the church's wine cellar, with many dusty wine barrels lined up on both sides.
But they didn't stop there, heading straight for the deepest part of the cellar.
There, instead of wine barrels, was a cold stone wall.
Noah reached out and felt along the stone wall. Soon, he felt a slight looseness in an inconspicuous brick.
He pressed it hard.
Rumble...
The entire stone wall slowly opened inward, revealing an even deeper secret room hidden behind it.
An indescribable stench, a mixture of stale air, blood, and the smell of some kind of grease, wafted out.
The two entered the secret room with their guns ready.
The flashlight beams cut through the silence in the darkness.
In the very center of the secret room sat a massive long table polished from a single piece of obsidian.
And on that table sat... a giant skull.
The shape of the skull was basically identical to a human's, but the size was simply too large.
It was nearly half as tall as an adult man, the pale bone reflecting a heart-stopping, ivory-like texture under the flashlight.
Leon S. Kennedy's breath hitched at that moment.
"My god..." he muttered to himself, "what... what the hell is this thing..."
Noah didn't speak. He stepped forward and walked around the giant skull, observing it closely. His flashlight beam finally settled on the top of the skull.
He reached out, his fingertips gently touching the suture on top of the skull.
It wasn't completely closed.
"This is a fontanelle," Noah's finger traced the gap, "it hasn't fully ossified yet."
He turned his head to look at the horrified Leon S. Kennedy and delivered a conclusion that made Leon's skin crawl.
"This is a child's skull."
Leon S. Kennedy: "..."
His face went pale in an instant.
"A child?" His voice was trembling. "Are you fucking kidding me? If this is a child's head... then how big would he be as an adult?!"
Noah didn't answer.
His attention was drawn to a notebook lying on the table next to the skull.
It was a thick diary with a cover made of some kind of animal hide, the paper already yellowed and brittle.
Noah picked up the notebook and turned to the first page.
On it, written in elegant Spanish, was a strange poem.
He read the poem aloud in a low voice.
"Sleep quickly, dear child,"
"Sleep well and grow fast,"
"As your body grows, Mother sews your clothes."
"Seven quintals of wheat and half a cow,"
"Are your daily rations,"
"The fence still cannot hold your strength,"
"Dear child,"
"For the brothers and sisters who could not grow up,"
"You must grow strong."
A lullaby that should have been heartwarming now felt eerie and hair-raising.
Leon S. Kennedy felt a chill run through his body.
Noah didn't stop; he turned to the next page.
From here on, it was a diary.
"Six months."
"It has only just grown teeth, yet it has already started stuffing everything it can reach into its mouth."
"It can't walk yet, but today... today, it swallowed Uncle Juan's dog whole!"
Leon S. Kennedy's fists clenched involuntarily.
"Nine months."
"It has grown very tall; I have to look up to see its face. But it keeps growing. The roof of the Assembly Hall is too low for it now; it can no longer fit inside."
"Seventeen months."
"The village's food is running low; the cattle and sheep are almost all eaten by it. If this continues, we will all starve to death."
"We sought help from Lord Saddler in the Castle. They sent priests who used ancient incantations to put the beast into a deep sleep."
"I hope it sleeps for a long time, the longer the better."
The diary ended there.
Leon S. Kennedy and Noah looked at each other, both seeing unmistakable shock on the other's face.
A giant infant that grew at an incredible speed from birth, with an appetite large enough to bankrupt an entire village... "This... this is Mendez's 'legacy'?" Leon S. Kennedy's voice was extremely dry.
He seemed to remember something and suddenly picked up his flashlight, shining it into the surrounding darkness.
The beam swept over the stone walls and the floor, and finally, when it illuminated the deepest corner of the secret room—
Leon S. Kennedy and Noah both gasped in unison...
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