"Anyway…" Luka coughed into his hand, the sound exaggerated and obviously fake.
"I've got places to be—so…" He trailed off, already turning on his heel before anyone could stop him.
Without missing a beat, he grabbed his personal maid by the wrist.
"Y-Young Master?" Serene blinked in surprise, trying to ask something—but her words were immediately muffled.
Luka covered her mouth with his hand.
"No talking," he muttered.
He strode out of the tavern, dragging his bewildered personal maid behind him as the doors swung shut.
Outside, a large crowd had already formed, murmuring and whispering.
Luka didn't bother acknowledging them.
He kept his head low and pushed through, parting the sea of onlookers.
After a few moments of weaving through people, he finally spotted the carriage down the block.
Arriving in front of it, Luka yanked the door open, pulled his personal maid in with him, and slammed it shut behind them.
Only then did he finally sigh and slump back into the cushioned seat.
"Note to self," he muttered, "don't get confused at what the Second Princess is thinking inside that head of hers."
▬▬ι═══════ﺤ
Knights' Graveyard.
With the moon high in the sky, stars twinkling like scattered gemstones, and a chilly breeze curling through the air—
Luka stepped out of the carriage and immediately shivered.
"Damn, it's cold as hell out here…" he muttered, wrapping his arms around himself.
Serene, trailing right behind, accepted his hand as she stepped down, exhaling visibly in the cold night air.
"It really is," she said, her voice soft and almost frosty as her breath misted in front of her.
Luka made his way to the coachman and gave him a nod.
"We'll be staying in the village for the night. You're free to head back. Thanks for driving us around today."
The coachman tipped his hat, his voice respectful.
"It was my pleasure, Lord Junker."
With a flick of the reins, the horses whinnied and began pulling away into the night.
Luka turned his gaze toward the nearby graveyard.
The rusted iron fence, once half-broken and loose, looked recently reinforced—patched up with wood planks and makeshift wire.
As he walked closer, he could already spot a few shambling figures inside—zombies—staggering around, some of them pressing up against the fence, reaching toward the village lights like moths to a flame.
"Stay put," Luka muttered. "I'll take care of this quick."
"Understood, Young Master," Serene replied without hesitation.
He made his way to the gate, only to find it locked tight.
"Great…" he sighed, tilting his head up and closing his eyes for a moment. "This is gonna be a pain in the ass."
With a resigned grunt—
Luka grabbed the top of the rusted iron fencing and hoisted himself up awkwardly.
The cold metal bit into his hands, but he pushed through, swinging over the top and landing on the other side with a soft thud.
Of course, right away, a zombie noticed him.
It let out a low groan, throat rattling with decay, punctuated by strange, wet clicking noises.
Luka drew his Soulreaper Dagger, its blackened blade humming faintly in the moonlight.
He stepped forward in a controlled stance, feet steady.
As the zombie staggered within range—
Luka slashed with precision—his blade slicing clean through its neck.
The head hit the dirt with a sickening squelch, the body still twitching as it staggered forward.
Without hesitation, Luka lifted his boot and brought it down with force, crushing the skull beneath his heel.
A muffled crunch followed, and the body collapsed a heartbeat later, motionless.
[Ding! You have killed a Zombie!]
[+15 XP Earned!]
[New Title Unlocked: (Rot Familiarity) - Zombies no longer react to your presence as quickly. Slightly reduced detection range from undead enemies]
Luka gave a small exhale, satisfied.
He then moved like a shadow through the graveyard, slipping behind two zombies with their arms stretched through the iron fencing, mindlessly reaching for the light beyond.
They didn't even get the chance to turn around.
With a clean, horizontal arc of his dagger, both heads flew off—bodies crumpling soon after.
Luka stepped down hard, cracking the skulls underfoot like overripe melons.
[Ding! You have killed a Zombie!]
[+15 XP Earned!]
[Ding! You have killed a Zombie!]
[+15 XP Earned!]
He rolled his shoulders and glanced around.
"Seriously… how many of these things are there?" Luka muttered as he rubbed the bridge of his nose with his free hand.
At a glance, there were over a dozen still roaming—more than he expected.
"And it's only getting colder. Wonderful."
With a frustrated sigh, he approached a cluster of undead lingering near a toppled headstone.
Silently, he came up behind one, planted a boot on its back, and kicked it forward—sending it stumbling straight into the rest like a bowling ball.
Before the others could react, Luka dashed in.
Two clean stabs—dagger through the eyes, then twisted into the brain.
[Ding! You have killed a Zombie!]
[+15 XP Earned!]
[Ding! You have killed a Zombie!]
[+15 XP Earned!]
The fallen zombie tried to crawl—
Luka stomped the back of its head, ending the twitching.
[Ding! You have killed a Zombie!]
[+15 XP Earned!]
Another lurched forward, arms swinging.
Luka ducked, drove his dagger up under its chin.
[Ding! You have killed a Zombie!]
[+15 XP Earned!]
A low growl came from his left—
Luka spun, sidestepped a lunging corpse, and swept its legs.
It hit the ground with a splat before he crushed its skull.
[Ding! You have killed a Zombie!]
[+15 XP Earned!]
"Alright, five more. Let's wrap this up."
Moments later:
[Ding! You have killed a Zombie!]
[+15 XP Earned!]
[Ding! You have killed a Zombie!]
[+15 XP Earned!]
[Ding! You have killed a Zombie!]
[+15 XP Earned!]
[Ding! You have killed a Zombie!]
[+15 XP Earned!]
[Ding! You have killed a Zombie!]
[+15 XP Earned!]
Finished with the cluster, Luka didn't waste time.
He walked deeper into the graveyard, the cold air nipping at his face, his dagger slick with gore.
One by one, the zombies fell.