Chapter 91
When they stepped out of the thicket, a river appeared.
“……It’s terrible.”
Tania said under her breath.
Bloodstains covered the area around the riverbank.
“Is this drinkable?”
Leo asked as he approached the river and turned his head.
“It has to be purified. If you just drink it, you’ll get sick.”
Joshua answered.
“Hmm, I’ve got a bad feeling about this. What if Adela makes ice, and we lt it to refill our water?”
“Sorry, but that won't work.”
Adela countered imdiately.
“Ice created with my magic can't be used for consumption.”
“Why?”
“Because it’s made from mana. It’s different from pure water.”
“How useless.”
“I don't want to hear that from soone who can't do anything but slash and stab.”
She bit her lip slightly, looking agitated.
Joshua stepped in between them to diate.
“Don't waste your energy, we’ve got a long way to go.”
“Leo provoked first.”
“I know.”
Leo’s heart sank.
The look Joshua gave him wasn't pleasant.
“That’s five points deducted.”
“W-Wait, taking off that many points just for a little joke is too harsh.”
“It’s important to set the standard at the beginning.”
“Urgh.”
Leo slumped his shoulders.
When they last talked, he had sixty-one points.
Losing five points over a single slip of the tongue was fatal.
“I’m even further from a perfect score now.”
“You can make it up.”
“Are you giving the disease and the dicine?”
“That’s just how it is. Leo, you need to increase your tolerance.”
“I think I take good care of my own people, even if I don't look like it.”
“Adela is a comrade too.”
Leo looked at Adela, who was standing behind Joshua.
He noticed her sullen expression.
“I’ll behave myself. Is that enough?”
“Don't just end it with words, put it into practice.”
“You’re just like a professor.”
Joshua turned around and moved his steps while pointing downstream.
The companions naturally split into two groups as they walked.
Apprentice knights and male students.
Probationary mages and female students.
He didn't intend to intervene and force the two groups together.
The important thing was their cooperation when a situation arose.
Knights and mages could complent each other's weaknesses.
They needed experience to realize that.
“Captain, I’ve got sothing I’m curious about, may I ask?”
Talleon spoke to Leo.
“What is it?”
“Do you hate Senior Adela, Captain?”
“What do you an by that?”
“You seem to be on guard against her.”
Leo toyed with his chin.
He definitely tended to act more sensitive toward Adela than toward others.
He thought about where that emotion originated.
“It seems Joshua is going to put Adela in an officer position.”
“Ah, I heard that too.”
“If a mage unit is ford, they’ll enter a competitive system with us.”
“It shouldn't be a competition, we should go with the mindset of doing well together.”
Leo groaned.
He didn't think Talleon’s words were wrong.
It was just a matter of the thods he had experienced since the world turned out this way.
“When I was in the Sunlight Knights, I went on reconnaissance every single day without fail. If I returned empty handed, I had to starve that day, and sotis I was even beaten. Back then, I was more afraid of Lord Carius than the zombies.”
“Sir Joshua is different.”
“I know. Joshua is a great leader. At the sa ti, he’s cold headed. If I beco useless, he might throw away.”
Talleon held back his words.
His first leader was Joshua, and that was still true now.
He realized anew just how lucky that was.
“You weren't always such a bright person either, Captain.”
“It’s this kind of world. Everyone has at least one thing to worry about.”
“Try having an honest talk with Sir Joshua.”
“I’d rather die.”
Leo narrowed his eyes.
He didn't want to show a weak side to Joshua, the leader.
“We’ve arrived.”
Joshua stopped his steps.
A hut was visible at a location slightly away from the riverbank.
“What’s the possibility of people being there?”
Leo asked.
“Not a single person has looked out even though we’ve co this far. There’s a high probability it’s empty.”
“It could be a trap.”
“Right, you and I will go check it.”
Joshua instructed the other students to wait and approached the hut with Leo.
The windows were broken and the stairs were ruined.
He leaned his body against the wall and slowly approached the door.
Click!
He didn't feel a presence even when the handle turned.
Leo drew his sword and stepped inside.
“It seems there’s no problem.”
“Let’s search the rooms thoroughly.”
Leo nodded and examined the structure of the rooms.
There was a living room.
The furniture was scattered randomly, making it a ss.
There were three rooms connected to that living room.
“I’ll check the two rooms further in. You take the bathroom.”
“Urgh, of all things, you give the slly place again.”
He approached the place where a sign on the door said bathroom.
He opened his ears and focused on the sound.
He didn't feel anything unusual.
Thump!
As he grabbed the handle and opened the door.
“Groaaar!”
“Aaaagh!”
There was a zombie.
He felt like his heart was going to drop.
He quickly snapped to his senses and gripped his sword properly.
Slash!
He cut off the zombie’s flailing arm with his sword.
Then he quickly widened the distance.
his narrowed vision returned to normal.
“……What happened?”
The zombie couldn't co out of the bathroom.
A long wire was tied around its abdon.
“Urgh!”
As the zombie struggled, the wire tied to its stomach dug into the gaps in its flesh.
He stared blankly at it.
No, it was more like his body was frozen and wouldn't move.
Eventually, the zombie’s body split in half.
Thud!
The zombie, having fallen to the ground, let out a scream and crawled toward him.
“Leo!”
He heard Joshua’s voice from behind.
His stiff body moved once again.
Swish!
He reflexively swung the sword he was holding.
He saw the zombie’s head fly off before his eyes.
“Are you okay?”
Joshua approached.
“……Yeah, I’m fine. I think I’m okay.”
His hands were shaking.
He shoved them deep into his pockets to avoid getting caught.
He hadn't even been flustered when fighting dozens of zombies.
This kind of surprise attack was disconcerting.
“You were careless.”
“I didn't hear a sound. I thought there was no one inside.”
“It’s a case that happens sotis. Starving zombies go into a dormant state just like animals hibernating. Then they wake up when they discover a person.”
“……That’s a lesson learned.”
“The rest of the rooms were fine.”
He nodded and stepped outside with him.
When Joshua gestured, everyone gathered at the hut.
“I’ll take a look around the area for a mont. The knight unit, tie up the horses, and mages, tidy up the house so we can rest.”
Those who received instructions scattered for their respective tasks.
Joshua moved separately.
He intended to investigate the ground near the hut.
The area around the riverbank was full of moisture.
Traces like footprints were naturally left behind.
‘I have to check everywhere except the direction we ca from.’
[Clever] helped with the search.
He joined forces with it and attempted to find traces of another group.
‘……There they are.’
He found the traces without much difficulty.
Judging by the size and shape of the footprints.
They belonged to a person, not a zombie.
The number was four.
‘They stayed near here for a while and then went back to the forest.’
These weren't people who were lost and wandering.
They had a certain purpose.
He couldn't specify the group.
Many groups existed on the path toward Saint Stalia.
He needed more evidence to find out which of those groups survived and was guarding this place.
‘Moving locations is difficult in terms of ti.’
The ti they left Vilne was evening.
The darkness was deepening.
Continuing to move like this wasn't a good choice.
‘There’s a good chance they’ll return, and a high possibility they’ll attack if they do. Besides, they’re cautious bastards. Even though they discovered us, they didn't attack imdiately and are looking for a gap.’
They had horses.
If they were barbarians, they would’ve lunged without regard for anything.
If they were experienced people, they would’ve made a plan before attacking.
‘Even if I try to counterattack by making a trap, the location isn't good.’
The area around the hut was a gravel field.
It would be hard to dig the ground even with tools.
On top of that, the risk was too high to go into the forest and do the work.
He let out a sigh.
The thoughts that ca to mind were all complicated.
He resigned himself and returned to the hut.
“Please eat.”
As he stepped inside, Luna welcod him.
On the plate held in her hand, there were radishes pickled in salt.
It was Serena’s work.
He tossed one into his mouth.
He felt the salty taste first, and the aftertaste was a bit sweet.
“Serena made it.”
“Yeah, I know.”
“How is it?”
Beyond Luna, Serena showed a tense expression.
“It’s not bad. This way, the storage period will increase, and the taste will get a bit better too.”
“I’m so glad!”
Luna handed the plate to him and ran straight to Serena.
Clap!
They high fived.
Luna seed to have beco friends with everyone, and she refreshed the atmosphere regardless of who it was.
It was admirable.
She chose only to do sweet things even without being told, no matter who she took after.
“Why did you go out? It took quite a while.”
Adela asked in a worried tone.
He sat down while leaning against the wall and opened his mouth.
“There’s a group of unknown identity near here.”
His companions, who were busy eating, wore expressions full of tension.
Talleon even thumped his chest as if he were about to get indigestion.
“Did you see them yourself?”
Leo also joined the conversation.
“I found circumstantial evidence. It’s footprints. It looked like four adult n, and for so reason, they seed to be lingering around the hut.”
“Then there’s a possibility this place itself is a trap.”
“Right.”
“In that case, wouldn't it be better to move locations instead of resting here?”
He thought over his opinion carefully.
He didn't know the number of people in the group or the extent of their activity area.
“If we leave this hut, we have to go about ten kiloters further to the next place we can rest. If we intend to go, we have to drive the horses, but managing horses in the darkness isn't an easy task either.”
Talleon wore a flustered expression.
Adela also looked like she lacked confidence.
“Then is your opinion, Joshua, that we should wait here?”
Adela said.
“I think that’s the best option in a situation where we don't know how the opponent will act.”
“What about continuing to move and then camping?”
“The reason I’m trying not to move at night isn't just because of people. Zombies are also a problem. Even if Tania and I illuminate the surroundings, our bodies are bound to beco sluggish in the darkness.”
They expressed their opinions to each other and reviewed whether there were any problems.
In a way, it was close to a process of persuasion.
This was an important task.
He had to make his companions understand the situation.
This kind of process was necessary to build trust.
“If they’re raiders, what they’re after will be the horses. For now, I’ve tied them to the posts outside, but that makes really uneasy.”
“I intend to place a magic circle around the hut.”
“You an the one that hid the farm?”
“Right.”
“Is it safe with that?”
“If it’s soone who isn't a mage, it won't be easy to see through it. However, there’s one weakness.”
“A weakness?”
“It’s useless if the raiders saw the horses before I placed the magic circle.”
Leo swallowed hard.
Joshua’s words pointed to one possibility.
The probability that the raiders had followed them since before they arrived at the hut.
“If that’s true, it ans they’re skilled at hiding their presence.”
They had even noticed the knights following them from Vilne.
If they were being followed by soone who wasn't even a knight.
That ant they were raiders with considerable skill.
“It’s been over a year since the zombies broke out. If they’ve survived until this ti, there’s a high probability they have at least one weapon of their own.”
Joshua swallowed a bitter smile.
He wished it were only an unfounded fear, but the difficulty of this world increased as ti passed.
Zombies, and people.
To survive them, he always needed to stay one step ahead.
“If there are no more questions, I’ll decide the policy for afterwards.”
Reviews
All reviews (0)