“Not that I don’t agree with you, Mr. Gregory, but I do think that keepin’ the soldiers ignorant of the Beans was the only way to go about it,” Rob began. “You know that we can’t keep our mouths shut. If the higher ups had decided to tell every footsoldier about the Beans, there would be mass panic!”

“Yes, Mr. Robert, I understand that portion of your argument, though I presume that informing the soldiers that there was a potential threat may have prevented many of the needless casualties suffered,” Greg replied.

“It’s not like the Beans attacked us by surprise. General Krüger informed Captain Bösch of a threat hours before the Beans attacked Dijon, though he was informed that French Catholics would be the ones attacking us, not the Beans. The captain also said other areas were also preparin’ for an attack, so a lot of commandin’ officers at least knew that somethin’ was happenin’. Telling the commandin’ officers while keepin’ the footsoldiers in the dark was the best strategy, I think. The only problem was that the Beans weren’t French Catholics and were easily able to overpower us.”

“French Catholics?” Marvin asked, barely loud enough for them to hear.

“Yeah,” Rob replied. “Captain Bösch was informed that French Catholics had performed a coup and were lookin’ to expand their territory or somethin’.”

“And the Beans were confused for the French?” Greg asked. “How is that conceivable?”

“I don’t know, man. I’m just a footsoldier, no one tells me anythin’.”

There was a pause.

“Why was the Empire even in France to begin with?” Marvin mumbled.

“Well, if the soldiers got overwhelmed, which we did, they could’ve retreated back to the Empire’s borders and fortified there, which we did. We didn’t lose any territory, and less people died. They had everythin’ planned from the start, except they underestimated the Beans. Well, I guess they thought they were just French guys and prepared accordin’ to that. Which wasn’t enough.”

“If they had everything planned, then why do you suppose we are going on these scouting missions?” Greg asked. “These missions are dangerous and have a history of injuries and disappearances. Not to mention the fact that we are sitting ducks in Besançon and we still do not know how to kill them. If they attack, we will all die needlessly.”

“How else are we supposed to find out how to kill them?” Rob asked. After no one responded, he added, “Barry, you’ve been awfully quiet. How do you feel about all this?”

They had crested another hill, riding down the other side as they continued west.

“I feel like my legs are on fire,” Schmidt replied.

“Gimme a serious answer, Barry.”

“I agree with Rob. I think the Empire handled everything as well as they could have. There was no way for them to anticipate the Beans, and they’ve been able to prevent a mass panic so far. They didn’t lose any territory, either.”

“All they lost was men…” Greg said.

Schmidt thought of Dijon. “Thousands of men died, and you write it off—”

“Mr. Schmidt, I agree with you. The loss of men was catastrophic and the Empire should have done more to preclude it. They may not have been able to anticipate the Beans, but they recognized that an attack was coming. They should have been more prepared than they were. The men that died against the Beans are honorable. The men that allowed those men to die; they are the ones that I despise.”

For some reason, Schmidt thought of Bösch. “Even if we caught the Beans by surprise, we’d be no match. No one could have prevented what happened unless they knew how to kill the Beans. The Empire handled everything as well as they could have.”

They began to climb another hill. Each step from Schmidt’s horse caused his rash to burn. There was silence before Rob spoke. “That’s enough of that, I think. Maybe those other scouting groups weren’t killed by the Beans, but killed each other before they got back.” He laughed awkwardly.

Marvin mumbled something that got lost in the wind.

Rob started talking again. “It’s a really nice day, though, isn’t it? The sun’s out, the sky’s clear, the only thing is that it’s a little chilly… Somewhere in the fifties, probably… But, some people like that, you know? I’m just not one of them. Except, I don’t like it when it’s too hot, either, like anywhere over eighty is too much for me because I start to get sweaty and…”

They crested a hill.

“Do… Do you guys see that?” Rob asked, pointing off the road to the north. “That… doesn’t look like a tree to me…”

Schmidt turned towards where Rob was pointing. In the center of a field a few hundred meters away was a reddish brown object. It looked human, and was completely still.

“Please tell me that’s not what I think it is…” Rob said.

“I think it is...” Schmidt replied.

“And what do you think it is, Mr. Robert?” Greg asked.

“A Crimson Bean,” Rob said.

“A Crimson Bean? That? Surely, you jest.”

“No, he’s being serious,” Schmidt said. “We should be careful, we don’t know what it’s going to do.”

“But, it is just... standing there, in that field. It does not seem to have moved a single step since we first laid eyes upon it. Those monsters can not even see, correct? Then there should be no way that it would be able to detect us from such a distance.”

Rob replied, “Don’t underestimate them. I don’t wanna die, at least not yet. If you wanna put your life on the line, go ahead, but don’t drag mine in too. I like it too much to lose it in some godforsaken field in the middle of nowhere.”

“Alright then. So, how shall we proceed?”

“I don’t know, man! You’re the leader, Mr. Gregory.”

Greg sighed, then took a deep breath and closed his eyes. After a moment, he opened them and turned to face the rest of the group. “First, we will remain here and wait. I want eyes in all directions, keeping watch for any signs of movement. If we see anything, anything at all, we return to Besançon with the information we have and call it a day. If not… we will head toward the Bean and gather as much information as we can without harm befalling any of us. We retreat at the first sign of danger. Is that clear?”

Schmidt and Rob nodded, Marvin replying something quietly as they got into position.