By Zephyria 
“Now, stories of mutants are being heard frequently even in the capital.”
Lucilla naturally brought up the Duchy of Grimesbane.
“Richard’s wife-finding game is over, and so many knights died in the early stages of the Duchy of Grimesbane restoration operation that it’s not easy to keep them quiet. What’s more, what other story could be as disgusting and sensational as making monsters out of corpses? All sorts of people are blabbering, causing a commotion. If you only listen to the rumors, the Sierran Empire seems like it will collapse tomorrow.”
“……”
“But what’s even funnier is that most of the people claiming to have seen mutants are Kiadris knights. The knights from the Duke Valentia Family who entered the Grimsbein Territory with them mostly saw monster variants, not ones made from people, according to them. Funny, isn’t it?”
“……”
“I don’t know if this is because Wesley’s remnants are still around, or if Edwin Kiadris, whom our Prince has a hand in, has developed other intentions, or if that cunning and pretty Lady Kiadris is acting like Richard’s subordinate. Just so you know.”
“……”
“Anyway, I’ll look into it more, so if you’re moving anywhere, give me a heads-up. I’m afraid my mother will faint, you know. She doesn’t show it much, but… you know.”
“……”
“Alright, stay well, and contact me if anything happens. Don’t contact me if nothing happens. Bye!”
With a cute chirp, the Ranunculus flapped its wings and stretched its neck. The round-bodied Ranunculus remained round no matter how much it stretched its body. I took the Ranunculus sent by the Emperor and the Ranunculus sent by Lucilla and fed them Mana.
The third and final Ranunculus delivered a formal report in Duke Widrow’s voice.
“The front line in the Duchy of Grimesbane is currently at a standstill. The mutated monsters, which had weakened once, have regained their strength, but the knights, having learned how to deal with zombies, are fending them off with ease. Thanks to a large amount of Recovery Artifacts poured in, there have been no fatalities, but many knights are complaining of post-injury aftereffects, so we are recruiting mercenaries and knights from all over the country to fill the gaps.”
“……”
“Therefore, we could only send two platoons of troops to Felix. Currently, 52 knights are on standby to receive orders from the Second Prince. Since it has been decreed that they can act autonomously until the Prince’s order is given, appropriate mobilization measures are necessary.”
“……”
“The classification system for zombies and their behavior patterns that you informed us of previously were of great help in combat. Just in case, I am sending two Ranunculuses without messages. Please use them as needed, and if you have any further advice regarding the Sun God’s message, zombie behavior patterns, or methods of extermination, we humbly request it.”
My eyes met Rubel’s.
Was there something I hadn’t told him yet?
I had told him how to distinguish between Ginger Corpses, Steel Corpses, and Blood Corpse Fiends.
I had also told him that to defeat zombies, one must dismember and crush their entire bodies.
I had also mentioned that Blood Corpse Fiends use martial arts that remain from their former habits, and that since zombies cannot learn, lower-level zombies do not transform into stronger ones.
Then, suddenly, I remembered a question a mercenary had asked me. I couldn’t recall if it was John, Leon, or someone else who had asked if I knew how to make zombies.
I opened my mouth with uncertainty.
“…In my past life…. I did enter a place where zombies were made. It was a place that looked similar to the black magician’s cave I entered this time. I don’t remember much clearly, so I don’t know if it will be helpful…”
“…Is it a scary story?”
“…Pardon?”
Rubel was fearless. I was flustered by the child’s question and lost for words. Rubel looked at me for a moment, then fed Mana to the Ranunculus I was holding. He continued in a slow, gentle tone.
“I want to hear it while lying down, Mika. Hold my hand.”
“…That.”
“No?”
“…No, it’s fine.”
My spirits, which had been quite low, lifted in an instant.
I put the Ranunculuses, glowing green after being fed plenty of Mana, back into their cage. The Ranunculuses mimicked Rubel’s words and played around. Hold my hand. Is it a scary story? No? Rubel shushed the Ranunculuses. I just watched the scene blankly.
“After I hear your story, I can compile it and send Ranunculuses to various places tomorrow, right?”
“Yes? Yes…”
“Then I’ll leave these guys with someone for a bit. It’s bothersome if they make a fuss nearby.”
“Yes.”
After the child took the cage and left, I remained stunned for a while.
Sitting blankly, I found myself looking into a mirror. I wondered if my expression was so distressed that the child felt pity, but my face in the mirror looked much the same as usual. I wondered for a long time what the child had read from me.
❖ ❖ ❖
I pondered for a long time about what I had told Rubel and what I hadn’t. It was usually because I was too distracted when talking about past events, being physically close to Rubel.
Today was no different.
Rubel rested his cheek on my right shoulder and lay down, pulling my left hand and fiddling with it. As the child inhaled and exhaled, my body, touched by his breath, slightly swelled and deflated. His gentle breathing was so close that I also held my breath and spoke softly in a low voice.
“Most of the zombie manufacturing facilities I saw were not run by Thousand-Faced Devil himself, but by his disciples. Unlike what I saw this time, their forms were crude, and the corpses were scattered haphazardly, making it difficult to discern their intentions.”
“…I see.”
“Moreover, they originally followed the principles of the Five Elements in the Central Plains, so I remembered their forms but not the principles. I won’t be able to convey what I saw fully through a Ranunculus, so I need the help of another wizard… That’s all I wanted to say.”
Rubel didn’t reply. I liked the time the child spent lost in thought. Rubel gently stroked each of my fingertips, then half-rose and looked down at me. I couldn’t look directly at him and fixed my gaze on the tip of his chin.
Rubel spoke very carefully and cautiously.
“I… I don’t know if I should ask this, but…”
“It’s alright.”
“…Mika. That villain, the Thousand-Faced Devil… were you perhaps on the same day…?”
“…How did you know that?”
I asked back in surprise, then immediately closed my mouth with an “Ah.” Since I had heard that the Ninth God had pulled me over, dragging in nearby souls indiscriminately, it was natural for a clever child to deduce it.
I had buried the memories of the day I died deep and hadn’t brought them up for a long time. It wasn’t that I had forgotten. I knew well that there was no use in chewing and re-chewing painful experiences like fodder.
One can endure another day by cherishing happy memories and quickly forgetting sad ones. That’s how I endured longer than others. My life after rebirth was also spent smiling thanks to that.
I knew what Rubel was curious about. He wanted to ask how I died. And I also knew why he couldn’t bring himself to ask. Who would want to dig up painful memories?
However, I didn’t want to hide anything from Rubel. Rather, if there was something I didn’t know, I wanted the child to read it and explain it to me. It would be even better if I could gain something beneficial from the process.
With that in mind, I opened my mouth after careful consideration.
“I… I mentioned before that I died at forty-five in my past life, didn’t I?”
“…Yes.”
The child, realizing what I was about to say, clung to me.
His gentle patting, as if to comfort me, was amusing and cute. It was obvious that he was lying down in this posture not because he was scared, but because he was worried I might be scared. Thanks to that, I could continue speaking with a smile.
“The War of Righteousness and Evil broke out when I was forty-two. In the early stages of the war, I too… went around hunting other demons. Back then, I was confident in my skills, so I didn’t think it was a place to die. I led many young people from the same noble family under the command of the then head of the family. Under the guise of teaching them how to find, chase, and capture demons.”
“……”
“I was arrogant.”
Whenever I recall my nephews who fell before my eyes, the world still goes dark.
Namgung Mujun, whom I had secretly chosen to pass on all my knowledge to and had been nurturing, died in the first year of the War of Righteousness and Evil. Among those who died on the same day was Namgung Seon, the direct grandson whom the former head of the Namgung family cherished dearly. Ahwa, who always made others laugh with her playfulness, and Ahjeong, who was particularly attached to me…
Precious lives, which made me shed tears of blood, were lost in vain. The grudges built up on the path I took to uphold righteousness and punish evil became regrets. Countless Namgung martial artists rushed into the path of death and, ultimately, died.
“In the second year of the War of Righteousness and Evil, zombies appeared. Then, I lost many more relatives and friends…”
From then on, the dead began to rise again.
In the Central Plains’ Martial World, after punishing villains, people would praise them as chivalrous heroes.
Martial artists of the Orthodox Sect took pride in killing evil enemies and making a name for themselves. There’s a naive period for everyone, where it’s confusing whether they practice chivalry for praise or receive praise after practicing chivalry.
In my youth, I too had instances of fighting twenty enemies alone at once or humiliating stronger and bigger opponents in front of others to hear the cheers of the crowd.
If I, who was praised for having no greed, was like that, what more can be said for the younger, more energetic ones?
Chivalrous warriors rose like wildfire everywhere, eager to eliminate villains, and wandered through the chaotic times.
However, the ones who rose as Ginger Corpses, staggering, were the precious sons and daughters of the common people. The ones who rose as Steel Corpses and ran around were excellent friends and beloved nephews from various sects. The ones who rose as Blood Corpse Fiends and wielded swords were chivalrous warriors and masters whom everyone had heard of at least once. They were all friends and family.
Everyone knew that if zombies were not exterminated, people would die. But how could one, in human skin, carelessly dismember their bodies and scatter them into the earth?
If you died by a zombie’s hand, you were a weakling who couldn’t even defeat the dead. If you killed a zombie, you became a heinous sinner who killed the already dead twice.
Killing demons earned cheers, but killing zombies earned curses.
Naturally, many heroes would skirt around zombies if they saw them. Those were the times.