Chapter 93: A Flower Blooming in Death (3)
Icata had three schools.
The first was Frey Hero Academy, renowned across the continent.
The second was a knight school, dedicated to training knights.
The third was Frey University.
Among them, Frey University was a place where only nobles and the upper class attended to build foundational knowledge and refinement in academics, culture, history, and military strategy.
Perhaps because of this, its scale was smaller than Frey Hero Academy or the knight school.
Yet, as a place frequented by prominent central nobles, those with dreams and ambitions of inheriting their family legacy or entering politics all attended Frey University.
Of course.
[Temporary Closure]
Due to an unprecedented zombie outbreak, it was currently closed.
Sshk… Sshk…
In that place, dark shadows were approaching.
“Here.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah. It was faint earlier, but now that we’re here, I’m certain.”
The shadows halted their steps.
“No doubt about it. Paxen is at Frey University. He’s inside.”
Their identities were the Academy Investigation Team.
The pursuit, which began last night, had continued for a grueling 26 hours.
This was because Karina’s mana detection range was limited.
A radius of 1 kilometer at most.
Even that was only possible because it was Karina; anyone else would have had an even shorter range.
Thus, labor was required.
They had to scour Icata themselves, starting with the areas attacked by zombies, but often came up empty-handed.
The strange thing was, the moment they began their investigation, the zombie attacks inexplicably stopped.
“Hmm. That’s weird. Why aren’t the zombies showing up? There hasn’t been a single one since the indiscriminate zombie terror the day before yesterday. Weird, so weird.”
“…”
“You’re right! Maybe they got killed by the knights there?”
Finally, Karina shouted in frustration.
“If that were true, Royal Dream would’ve already published an article about it! Ugh, please stop saying stupid things, you idiot Rachel!”
Rachel flinched.
“But… we’ve checked almost everywhere.”
Indeed.
Not sleeping, wandering for hours relying solely on Karina’s senses, was an indescribable ordeal.
No matter how much their stamina and mental fortitude surpassed that of ordinary people, they were still human and couldn’t overcome the monster called sleep.
Especially Karina, who was constantly manipulating the communication ring, felt an unimaginable level of fatigue.
“Huh? Lady Karina!”
But as if to reward her efforts,it happened while they were passing through Royal Road.
Someone recognized Karina, waving and running toward her.
“Stop!”
Bain blocked her.
It wasn’t the first time this had happened.
Since the investigation began, nobles occasionally recognized Karina, and each time, it broke her concentration, causing her to lash out.
“Stay there…”
“Move. Hera!”
But this time was different.
Karina pushed Bain’s face aside and ran forward joyfully.
Since this had never happened before, everyone was dumbfounded.
“Lady Karina! It’s been so long!”
“Hera! Good to see you!”
Karina hugged the noble named Hera, smiling.
Her face perfectly suited the description of “girlish.”
“It’s been since you entered the Academy, right?”
“Yeah! Exactly.”
“How’s the Academy? I bet you’re the best there too, right?”
“Hehe. Do you even need to ask? I’m Karina Zain.”
“Karina Zain──!”
Hera mimicked her, but instead of getting annoyed, Karina burst into giggles.
“And you? How’s university?”
“I’m doing great too!”
“Oh, come on, liar! If you were doing great, would you be loafing around here at this hour? Wanna get scolded?”
“Eek, scary! But it’s true. We’re on break right now because of the zombies.”
At Hera’s response, Karina’s expression hardened.
“They showed up there too?”
As far as she remembered, there hadn’t been any news of zombies at Frey University.
“Nooo.”
“Phew. I thought so…”
“But I think I saw a strange man.”
“…A strange man?”
A glint sparked in Karina’s eyes.
Ivan, who had been listening quietly, approached.
“Excuse me. Could you tell us about this strange man?”
“Who’re you?”
“Oh, I’m Ivan, a cadet from the 890th class.”
“Nice to meet you. I’m Hera Kitten.”
“The daughter of Baron Kitten. I’ve heard much about you.”
Hera couldn’t hide her embarrassment at Ivan’s striking appearance and manners, her face flushing.
Normally, Karina would’ve teased her immediately.
But this was an urgent situation.
Karina urged her on.
“Hera, can you explain quickly?”
“Oh! Right, the strange man! So, yesterday morning, I went to school to pick up a textbook I forgot. On my way out, I ran into him.”
“Was he a zombie?”
“Huh? Nooo, not a zombie. He looked human, and he didn’t smell weird. More importantly, he spoke.”
Hera waved her hands, pursing her lips as she recalled the moment.
“The reason I called him strange was because of his question.”
“Question?”
“Yeah. What was it… ‘If a stone gained sentience, would you consider it a living being?’ Yeah, I think that’s what he asked.”
Karina and Ivan exchanged glances.
And now.
They had arrived at Frey University, and Karina had been sensing mana emanating from the campus since it came into view.
They scaled the wall one by one.
The grounds were eerily silent, as if no one was there.
It wouldn’t have been surprising for zombies to appear at any moment, but for now, they seemed undetected.
“Let’s move.”
Led by Karina, they moved stealthily.
Their destination was the library next to the main building.
“…The library?”
Karina’s mana was definitely flowing from within.
“Is Zad in there…?”
“Uh… maybe?”
“Paxen’s definitely there. And there’s a good chance Zad is too.”
“Zombies in a library? That’s so unbalanced.”
As Hera said, he was a strange guy.
“Now what?”
“What do you mean? We go in and teach that guy a lesson.”
“But our mission is to investigate.”
All eyes turned to Rachel, who had spoken.
“Huh? Why’re you looking at me like that…?”
“You’re saying that when the enemy’s right in front of us? Are you suggesting we turn back? What if they escape while we’re gone?”
“B-But we don’t know how many enemies are there… And Sir Paxen’s there too.”
Her words made everyone’s faces stiffen.
The weight of Paxen’s name was undeniable.
“I’ll handle him.”
Ivan spoke up.
“You?”
“Yeah.”
“What about Zad? If he took down Paxen, he’s at least as strong as him.”
Silence fell among the group.
Two Central Knight-level opponents.
And likely more zombies below them, not the ordinary ones they fought in the tenement but vision-using zombies.
“…Fine. Let’s come back with the knights.”
Karina spoke with difficulty.
Her fists clenched, her eyes glaring at the library where Zad was.
It was frustrating, but there was no choice.
It wasn’t that they hadn’t considered it.
Not just Rachel, but everyone here was suppressing their boiling anger, vengeance, and pride, fully aware this was a losing battle.
“Let’s do that.”
“Yeah, now that I think about it, rushing in emotionally seems dangerous.”
“Phew. Alright.”
With Ivan’s final word, they turned to leave.
“…”
And froze.
Dark figures were approaching them.
One, two, three, four…
The number of figures kept growing until it reached ten.
They encircled the group at regular intervals.
A perfect encirclement.
The problem was who they were.
“…That guy.”
“What? You know him?”
Gwyn nodded.
“Bexter. Leader of the Black Lion Mercenaries. An Aura Expert swordsman.”
And that was just the beginning.
“Zillion…?”
“What? That guy’s Lokan.”
Zillion was the capital’s defense force’s most renowned fighter, and Lokan was a famous eccentric mage from the Magic Tower.
The others were similar.
All were prominent figures in their fields.
Exactly as feared, they were vision-using zombies, and among them were those who had reached mastery.
‘Even they fell…’
And then.
[You could enter as you pleased, but leaving won’t be so easy.]
A voice came from inside the library.
“Zad!?”
[I do indeed bear that name.]
Two figures emerged from the library.
A lanky man in tattered clothes and a sturdy man in a pristine white coat.
Their attire made it clear who was Zad and who was Paxen.
[Unwelcome guests in my home. Welcome.]
“Huh, you really talk?”
Bain’s murmur made Zad tilt his head.
[Why? Is it strange that I speak?]
“You call that speaking!? A corpse talking is obviously weird!”
[You’re trapped in stereotypes. How pitiful.]
Bain, ignored by a zombie, stood there dumbfounded, mouth agape.
[You lot, this place…]
Zad fell silent.
Something had shot toward his head.
It was a sword Rachel had thrown in a surprise attack.
Clang──!
But it was blocked futilely.
By Paxen’s swung sword.
“Ah! So close!”
Rachel stomped her foot in frustration.
All eyes turned to her.
“…What? Wasn’t it close?”
“What the hell!? Are you insane?”
“Huh? Did I do something wrong? I just threw it because if we kill that guy, the other zombies will collapse…”
But the deed was done.
Zad, staring at the fallen longsword, commanded the zombies.
[Trash. Eliminate them.]
The zombies charged.
“You idiot!”
Karina summoned her staff and shouted.
“It’s fine. He wasn’t going to let us live anyway. At least we tried a sneak attack.”
“Yeah! Thanks, Ivan!”
“Tch.”
As if in sync, the group closed ranks.
Naturally, they formed a formation with the mages in the center, protected by the swordsmen.
Ivan, Gwyn, Rachel, and Yuria faced the zombies charging from all directions.
Before that, magic flew.
Five fireballs hurled by Lokan, the mage zombie.
But they were.
[Dance of Flames]
Completely absorbed by the flames Karina conjured.
“Take this!”
A red inferno engulfed the sky.
A rain of fire poured down.
With that, the six cadets and ten zombies clashed.
“Haa!”
In front of Ivan was Bexter.
The Black Lion Mercenaries’ leader, an Expert mid-tier swordsman.
He was the strongest zombie here.
Clang!
But Ivan didn’t falter.
Instead, something hot surged within him, and his hands and feet felt faster.
A familiar sensation.
‘Like when I fought the Swamp Orcs.’
Back then, Ivan had slaughtered Swamp Orcs with astonishing skill, overpowering even their stronger variants.
Now it was no different.
Groar?
Like water, calm at first but boiling as the temperature rose.
The aura in his body bubbled, then exploded.
Boom! Bang! Boom! Bang!
His blood-pumping heart surged with tremendous force.
Though he seemed outmatched in the first clash, by the fifth, Ivan was holding his own against Bexter, and after that, he began to push him back slightly.
If other zombies hadn’t interfered, Bexter might have fallen to Ivan.
‘Tch!’
Ivan furrowed his brow.
Another zombie joined, making it three.
His hands and feet moved frantically.
His eyes spun, unable to think about which sword techniques to use in the fight’s speed and timing.
His body reacted instinctively.
The result of relentless training.
Fortunately, the formation meant he faced a maximum of three zombies.
Gwyn, Yuria, and Rachel were holding their own against their zombies, and Karina and Bain relentlessly attacked the zombies.
Yuria’s performance was especially dazzling.
Crack!
A swirling cold slowed the zombies’ movements.
This slowing effect helped Gwyn and Rachel nearby.
And Rachel’s performance was unexpectedly impressive.
“Got you, idiots!”
‘…Rachel. You were hiding your true skill.’
Seeing even Rachel, whom he worried about most, perform admirably, Ivan burned with unyielding resolve.
But it was a matter of time.
Unlike the zombies with endless stamina, the cadets didn’t have that luxury.
Exhausted from the pursuit without proper sleep, their energy drained quickly, and the looming presence of Paxen and Zad, still watching from afar, was undeniable.
It was an unfair fight from the start.
After five minutes, cracks appeared.
Gwyn, who had been holding strong, fell to one knee.
“Ugh.”
“Gwyn!”
Bain quickly raised his staff to block a zombie’s attack, but it was only once.
The next attack could only be watched.
“…Ah.”
The zombies’ swords swung down toward the two.
The cadets, including Ivan, abandoned their own opponents and lunged toward them.
But their bodies were agonizingly slow, and time was cruelly fast.
“No…!”
Just as the zombies’ swords were about to tear them apart.
──Swoosh!
A man swooped in like a hawk, knocking away their swords and even severing their heads.
“Mysterious Swordsman?”
The familiar déjà vu made Bain mutter unconsciously.
Unfazed, the swordsman, Clatter, devoured the zombies’ thoughts.
Standing tall, he turned his head forward.
At the end of his gaze, a figure at the library entrance stared down at Clatter.
Zad.
[…]
Clatter raised a finger toward him.
Twitch, twitch.