WNC 350

The Cigarette Man was no match for me even when he was alive. It’s true my haste led to rougher moves, but I still cut off his life before two hundred exchanges, so the hierarchy of skill is clear.

But now his sword is fiercer, and his instincts are more beastly.

If I hadn’t already cut down several Blood Corpse Fiends beforehand, he would have been a difficult opponent.

As far as I knew, Blood Corpse Fiends used the same sword arts as when they were alive. Even if their bodies became faster and fiercer, they couldn’t grasp any further Martial Principles.

So I too drew my sword faster, faster. The Cigarette Man originally used swift sword strikes. We exchanged blows so quickly that it took three counts to hear the sound of our swords clashing after they had already met and separated.

My entire body heated up from constantly unleashing Sword Energy. My sweat-soaked clothes clung to me. I relentlessly etched every single one of the Cigarette Man’s movements into my mind.

Perhaps it was because the Cigarette Man held swords in both hands. There was rarely an opening in his upper body. Without further thought, I lowered my body. Rolling on the ground, I severed his ankle. I followed up by deeply cutting the other leg, but it was a bit shallow. This one only received a minor wound.

A zombie wouldn’t even flinch from losing just one ankle. The zombie, leaning slightly, followed my movements as if it had feet.

Then, it mimicked me, rolling onto the ground to target my ankle. I leaped up and dodged.

Central Plains zombies rarely showed the Naryatagon stance before both legs were severed, but was this one following its old habits too? It was utterly ridiculous.

…Habits?

I thrust my sword to the Cigarette Man’s right. Continuously targeting only the longsword in his right hand, he rolled to hide the short saber in his left. The subsequent sword strikes were all feints. I waited for the moment he would unconsciously extend his left hand.

Shink.

I severed one arm. Immediately, I targeted the other arm. As it tried to kick me with its legless body, I leaped upward, stamping its thigh with my heel. Since a Blood Corpse Fiend doesn’t see with its eyes, it thrust its sword-wielding right arm upward to attack me directly.

Shink.

I cut again. This was almost the end. I immediately struck its neck and cut the fallen head in half. I also cleaved its independently wriggling body into four pieces. The companions who had finished off the Steel Corpses before me expertly drew their swords in the sand and then wiped them clean. Hugh Benson gestured towards me with his chin.

“Let’s go.”

“Yes.”

After that, protecting the children was entirely left to Peter and Elvin.

After encountering zombie hordes about four more times, Peter, perhaps feeling uneasy, begged to fight as well. Hugh Benson frowned irritably for a moment, then sighed and explained with annoyance, just like that day I went to him for relationship advice.

“What’s most important to us right now?”

“…What’s important? That’s killing zombies…”

“Protecting Your Highness. And what happens if a tired person is in charge of that?”

“It’s… it’s not good.”

“Right. Keep going.”

“Yes, sir.”

Besides that, although Peter was a bit timid, he resembled Hugh Benson, possessing a broad vision and using a dagger, which allowed him to defend the surroundings until others could approach. This was likely another reason he was chosen as a guard.

Hugh Benson didn’t explain that far. He was the type who didn’t want to talk when tired. I only felt pity for him.

Benjamin, who was also in a position to be protected, did not step forward to fight this time either. Sensing everyone was on edge, Ruben even held his breath carefully.

Unlike the two young knights who were protected between the two Sword Masters, Marianne helped the group from afar by casting spells like Wind Cutter and Recovery.

❖ ❖ ❖

Another four days passed.

This time, Elvin seemed to have found the right path. Over forty zombies loitered at the edge of the territory, their teeth chattering. The exhausted and breathless group watched them, then collapsed a few steps further.

No one reprimanded the mercenaries for their pathetic state. Hugh Benson glared at the zombies, opened his canteen, and was about to pour it over his head… but Elvin snatched it away. It was right to refrain from carelessly using water in the desert. Hugh Benson, with fierce eyes, snatched the canteen back from Elvin and poured it over his head.

“Well, we’re going to the Oasis now.”

“Mm.”

“Damn, I was so sleepy I could die…”

At Hugh Benson’s muttering, Giselle, who had been lying face down on the ground, sat up and swayed.

“…Can I sleep…?”

“Somewhere they can’t see. My dreams are unsettling.”

“Yeees.”

So, in the territory of the third Oasis, we didn’t venture too deep and set up our tents first. Still, it was nice that Marianne, who occasionally dozed off on her camel, cast Clean Magic on everyone with pity, allowing us to sleep comfortably.

Instead of resting my eyes, I began Circulating Qi.

This was the first time since my previous life that I had fought until my Dantian was completely empty. Especially since the opponents were what they were, a strange sense of déjà vu arose, and I became even more cautious of my demeanor, fearing I might inadvertently show a harsh attitude towards the children.

After finishing Circulating Qi, I set up a pot and prepared a proper meal from the morning. While spooning stew, some were nodding off. I unconsciously glanced at Hugh Benson, who slurped down his portion of stew and declared,

“Today, we nap.”

“…Is that… okay?”

“Damn it, we’ve been up all week. It’s fine to sleep all day. Who knows what kind of hell we’ll go through next.”

Fortunately, since we hadn’t packed away the tents, the mercenaries could go straight to sleep without any trouble.

Thinking I might Circulate Qi again, I sat by the campfire. Ruben tugged at my sleeve.

“…Hm?”

“There’s no pillow…”

“Ah.”

No pillow… That wouldn’t do. I got up obediently. It wasn’t until I gave the child my arm as a pillow that I remembered the sleeping bags the group had brought had a plush raised head section, so pillows weren’t necessary.

Was I really this absent-minded? I must have been very tired too.

Still, I decided to close my eyes and snatch a nap since I was lying down. I thought I wouldn’t be able to sleep because Ruben had pulled me close, wrapping his arm around my waist, but that wasn’t the case. I slept so soundly that when I woke up, it was already midday.

I considered getting up, but then I saw Ruben asleep, his forehead pressed against my upper chest, so I stopped.

I didn’t want to wake the already sensitive child. I just tilted my head slightly and scanned my surroundings. I closed my eyes and sensed the presence of others.

All eleven members of the group were nearby. Seven of them, including Ruben and myself, were lying inside the tent, and four were outside. The ones outside were Benjamin, Elvin, Hugh, and Leon… yes, those four.

Lying down, I idly tried to figure out what they were doing.

The tent was thin and the distance was close, so I could clearly tell what they were doing just by sensing their presence. Benjamin was pestering Elvin to teach him sword fighting. Leon occasionally laughed and offered encouragement, and Hugh Benson was grilling something over a fire made with magic firewood.

…He must have been so frustrated at not being able to do his part and being protected.

It was amusing and cute. I casually lowered my gaze and gently stroked the face of Ruben, who was fast asleep, completely exhausted. Even that strong-bodied man must have been tired and scared; how much more terrified must this delicate child have been? I felt uneasy that I had left him in someone else’s care for so long.

Listening to Leon’s occasional laughter, Benjamin’s battle cries, and Elvin’s wind sounds from outside the tent, I traced Ruben’s fair cheek with my fingertip. It was amazing how he had such a milky, clear face despite being exposed to the sun.

As I watched the child for a long time, I felt drowsy again and closed my eyes, trying to sleep.

Thanks to repeating eating and sleeping, eating and sleeping, for the entire day, everyone regained their energy.

And so, on the second Saturday of December.

To replenish our water supply, we went to the water source in the center of the Oasis, riding camels for the first time in a long while. The camels, which had barely managed to endure with Recovery spells cast two or three times almost every day, seemed full of energy with every step, perhaps because they had slept soundly.

It wasn’t just the camels that were energetic. Marianne seemed to be the most energetic among the group. She kept her camel right next to Elvin’s and chattered with the intensity of someone about to grab him by the collar.

“Are Divine Revelations one-way? Summon the Oasis. Tell them to push all the zombies away immediately.”

“…That’s…”

“Can’t you summon it once we arrive at the water source? Don’t you believe in other gods, Senior? Summon the Sun God here. Just tell them all to come. I’ll listen.”

“…Mm.”

“Aaaargh! Just tell them to come!”

However, there was no god at the water source we arrived at.

It was a lake, half the size of the Oasis where we met the third god, but still larger than other Oases. A few human-sized lizards splashed as they drank water at the edge, their large eyes rolling nervously.

It was normal for Oases to have a few Undines, so we watched the Sylphs and Undines who had come with us chatting hand-in-hand. Everyone in the group helped fill their empty canteens. Empty bubbles fizzed from the tilted canteens.

We drank cold water for the first time in a while and washed our faces refreshingly.

Everyone sat scattered around, resting.

For some reason, Ruben went to Hugh’s side instead of mine and asked something in a low voice. Seeing his fingertip scratching the ground, I realized they were communicating through written conversation. Wondering what they could be discussing so secretly, I watched them. Hugh Benson’s lips moved silently in response, and they continued their written conversation for a long time.

The two then gathered the rest of the group.

Hugh Benson looked more tired than usual. He wiped his face a couple of times and beckoned Leon to come closer. Leon seemed to think he was going to whisper something and tried to unbuckle the axe he carried on his back. Hugh Benson shook his head sideways.

“No, bring that with you.”

“Yes? Uh… this?”

“Yes. Let’s try the axe one more time.”

“…Yes?”

“If the god or whatever summoned us here, damn it, let’s beg them to come out and greet us. I don’t know if this will work, but let’s try it.”

…Did Ruben say this?

I looked at the child with great surprise. Amidst everyone’s stunned silence, Ruben cleared his throat awkwardly. He had learned a bad habit from me. I suppressed the urge to clear my own throat.

Ruben’s eyes were red, and his earlobes were flushed. His shy expression was so cute that I couldn’t tear my gaze away. So, I looked at Ruben with my eyes and listened to Leon’s voice with my ears.

“Uh… how…?”

“Before, you just set it up, prayed a little, and put it down. Let’s do the same. But damn it, think about whether this is the right path, whether we’re really going there, you know?”

“Ah. Yes…”

Leon slowly got to his feet, looking uncertain. The others who were sitting also busied themselves getting up and stood around the axe, looking at it. It felt like children playing pretend, but I too closed my eyes and clasped my hands.

I muttered in my heart.

Whoever is looking for us now, if you can hear me, please clear away those damned zombies.

Perhaps due to the hardship, my words weren’t polite. I was half-doubting if a being called a god could even hear me. However, words have different nuances, so after a moment’s thought, I corrected my mindset and politely repeated.

Sun God, please vanquish those dreadful fiends.