Chapter 163
Leaving aside the journey down to Altz Point, we still had to make a choice. In the distance, Klitz Point was getting closer.
“What should we do?”
Neither Ellen nor Eleris could give a specific answer to my question.
The last time, we’d arrived at Klitz Point at midnight because of the rain. This time, though, thanks to the good weather, we were able to reach the outskirts of Klitz Point as the sun was setting. In the light, the desolate atmosphere of Klitz Point, devoid of any living souls, looked even more bleak. We had to choose between sleeping in that gloomy, eerie place, or camping out.
Camping out was dangerous. At Klitz Point, we could rest in relative safely, with walls around us and a roof over our head. Of course, we would have to endure the spookiness and the smell of blood.
Since safety was the top priority, it seemed better to stay at Klitz Point, despite the reluctance.
“Let’s go check it out first,” Ellen suggested. “If we can tolerate the smell, we’ll rest there.”
She seemed to be willing to give it a shot first. If the smell from the decomposing bodies was bearable, we could rest there.
Thinking about it made me feel horrible again. Just seeing the corpses was already awful, and after a few days, the bodies would have decomposed and would be swarming with maggots. I didn’t think I could handle seeing that and retain my sanity.
Moreover, there were also the corpses of the people we had killed.
Eleris also seemed to be having similar thoughts. Her expression seemed pretty terrible.
‘... But isn’t a vampire considered undead? Technically, shouldn’t Eleris be viewed as a corpse? ... What is this?’
I’d only thought about it, but I felt like I had inadvertently made an offensive joke at Eleris’s expense. It felt like an extremely disrespectful thought.
After offering a sort of mental apology to Eleris, we entered Klitz Point. Ellen had suggested that, if the stench of rotting bodies was unbearable, it was better camp outside instead of staying at Klitz Point.
“...”
“...”
“... What’s going on?”
First of all, the smell of rotting corpses that Ellen was worried about was completely absent. That wasn’t necessarily a good thing.
“Where... did all the bodies go?”
The corpses that should have been scattered around Klitz Point were gone without a trace.
***
The bodies of the original inhabitants of Klitz Point had all been thrown into a single pit by the bandits. It was effectively a mass burial, if it could even be called that.
We had also dug a trap at the entrance of the inn to bury the bandits alive, but we’d killed any that tried to escape through the windows by stabbing them or shooting them with arrows. We hadn’t had time to deal with their bodies after that.
There should have been bandits’ corpses left lying around. Yet all the bodies had disappeared, as if they had vanished into thin air. Ellen and I had taken out two sentries at the entrance and hid their bodies in the bushes. Those bodies were gone too.
And that wasn’t all.
“... I doubt that someone buried them.”
The pit in front of the inn and the one where the other corpses had been thrown in had both been dug up.
Had whatever happened at Altz Point spread up to Klitz Point? Or was this an entirely separate incident? Either way, it seemed that something unusual had happened at Klitz Point.
“Could it be that some kind of monster has eaten all the corpses?” Eleris cautiously theorized.
If it were just one animal, it wouldn’t have been capable of consuming so many bodies. Besides, there should have at least been some bones left behind.
“Is there a monster that could eat up so many bodies entirely, even digging up the burial pits to consume them all?” Ellen asked with a serious expression.
“Hmm... we can’t rule it out,” Eleris replied, looking pensive. It seemed like she was considering different candidates in her mind. Apparently, she knew of such voracious monsters.
The disappearance of the corpses and the suspicious circumstances made the area feel undoubtedly dangerous.
Ellen was still thinking.
“I can’t decide if camping out is more dangerous or if staying here is riskier,” she said.
Moving around at night was treacherous. Camping out meant being exposed on all sides, making us vulnerable to nighttime ambushes. However, staying at Klitz Point without knowing what had happened was also dangerous. We had to choose between two sets of risks.
We were being forced into an uncomfortable dilemma.
“We could travel all night like we did last time...”
That would deplete our stamina too much. Since we couldn’t be sure if the southern route was completely safe, exhausting our energy this early was not a good decision. It was not a viable option to consider.
“Let’s rest here and assess the situation. It’s impossible to stay hidden if we’re outside. It feels more dangerous that way.”
At least Klitz Point had buildings with walls and a roof. If we hid inside, it would be difficult for potential enemies to identify our location.
Ellen, who was the leader of our group, made the decision.
***
Since the corpses had disappeared and there was no stench of decay, there weren’t any other major discomforts except for the eerie and gloomy atmosphere.
We settled into a different inn from the one we had burned down. To prepare for any potential emergencies, we decided to rest in the ground-floor dining area rather than in rooms, where escape might be difficult.
This choice provided us with a wider space for movement and allowed us to monitor our surroundings through the windows of the open space. We could either light all the torches within Klitz Point to have a consistent source of light that would allow us to preemptively identify any threats, or we could choose not to use any light at all.
“Let’s not light the torches. We might become targets.”
“Okay.”
Ellen chose the latter option. Even inside the inn, the lingering smell of blood from the previous massacre seeped through the covered leather and carpets. However, it wasn’t unbearable—most of the smell had dissipated over time.
Although there were cooking facilities in the dining area, the tense atmosphere didn’t permit us to consider such luxuries. Instead, we relied on preserved food such as bread and ham that we found within the inn. We avoided any food that had started to decay.
“We don’t know what might happen. Make sure you eat plenty.”
“... Alright.”
Ellen seemed intent on keeping up our energy, and since the food wasn’t ours to begin with, we might as well consume it. Honestly, though, wasn’t she just looking for an excuse to eat more?
“Don’t you just want to eat a lot under the guise of preparing for anything?”
“Let’s rest and leave quickly at dawn,” Ellen said.
Eleris nodded in agreement. “Sounds like a good idea.”
We decided to use the wide tables on the first floor of the inn as makeshift beds. However, we couldn’t sleep soundly through the night since we needed to take turns to keep watch.
Ellen took the first shift, I took the second, and Eleris took the third. Each of us would sleep for two hours before switching. Ellen planned to take two turns, which allowed us to rest for a total of eight hours.
“I could take two turns,’ said Eleris, looking worried. “You don’t have to push yourself.”
She offered to take the last four hours of the watch, but Ellen shook her head.
“No, Ms. Rellia, you need to conserve more energy.”
It seemed she was trying to be considerate, since Eleris was a mage.
Although Eleris appreciated it, she appeared anxious, suppressing the urge to voice her actual thoughts. ‘I’m fine! Really fine! Actually, I’m more alert at night!’
We decided to sleep early and leave at the crack of dawn, while it was still dark. We all wanted to minimize our time at Klitz Point as much as possible.
***
I didn’t know how much time had passed since we’d fallen asleep on the tables.
Tap, tap.
“... Huh.”
I’d slept lightly, but I woke up immediately, as though I hadn’t been asleep at all. Pale moonlight seeped through the windows around the dim first floor of the inn. Ellen’s expression indicated that nothing had happened.
“You’ve worked hard. Go get some rest.”
“Okay.”
Ellen nodded and climbed onto the table to lie down. She might not fall asleep right away, but it would be good if she could rest, even just a little. Just as I was sensitive even while sleeping, Ellen was likely even more sensitive. If I made any unnecessary noise, she might wake up, so I sat down on a chair, crossed my arms, and scanned the surrounding windows. I didn’t want to disturb Ellen by moving around too much.
Despite it being midsummer, the surroundings were eerily quiet, making it feel almost chilling.
“...”
The realization that I could sleep soundly in a place where so many people had died made me aware of how steely my nerves had become. If we managed to return safely, I couldn’t say how much my skills would improve, but my mental resilience would have strengthened considerably.
I could understand why Ellen had wanted to gain real combat experience. There were limits to what could be achieved through training and practice alone; certain things could only be obtained in real combat.
Experiencing killing was never something I desired.
Through it, Ellen and I had gained something, and also lost something.
I couldn’t call this growth, but it was undeniable that we had changed, and there was no going back to how we were before.
“...”
Eleris was lying on her side on a table, looking at me. It seemed she hadn’t fallen asleep at all.
While Ellen and I were tense, Eleris was probably even more on edge. She was likely staying alert, ready for any unexpected incidents.
Had Eleris ever really gotten any proper sleep since the beginning of this journey?
She was under a lot of stress, just like Ellen, but she didn’t show any signs of struggling.
Eleris smiled at me quietly in the darkness.
It was a smile that conveyed a message: she could protect Ellen and me, no matter what situation arose. ‘So, relax.’
That smile eased my tightly wound nerves, giving me a small sense of peace. It was a smile that alleviated my stress and fatigue more effectively than sleep ever could.
‘Yes. I am safe.’
‘Get some rest,’ I thought to Eleris.
‘I’m fine, Your Highness. You should sleep. I’ll watch over us.’
Eleris responded to my silent suggestion with her own silent insistence that I should rest.
How could I break Eleris’s stubbornness? Despite Eleris’s reassurance that I should sleep, I couldn’t bring myself to do so.
I spent the time by myself keeping watch. If Eleris’s shift ended, she probably wouldn’t even wake Ellen. She would just let her sleep.
How much time had passed?
“Your Highness,” said Eleris, who had been watching me.
Her expression suddenly hardened. “You need to get ready.”
Get ready. Her words made all the muscles in my body tense up.
“Something is coming.”
It seemed Eleris had detected something through her surveillance network. I immediately moved to the window and scanned Klitz Point under the moonlight. The darkness made it hard to see.
I couldn’t use night vision magic, but I cast Self-Deception to enhance my vision. While I couldn’t achieve true night vision, I hoped to see a bit more clearly.
Though it wasn’t quite night vision, I started to make out shapes in the darkness.
“... Is that...?”
Something was gathering around Klitz Point. Something, in large numbers.
“Wake up!”
At my shout, both Ellen and Eleris sprang to their feet.
A large number of unknown figures were advancing towards Klitz Point. Though I couldn’t identify them clearly, it was evident that a group of something was moving toward Klitz Point.
Both Ellen and Eleris had gotten up and armed themselves. The shapes visible through the window soon became distinguishable under the moonlight.
“What... are those...?”
“... Holy...”
Ellen momentarily froze at the bizarre sight outside, and so did I.
“Zombies,” Eleris murmured softly as she took in the scene.
A horde of zombies was heading towards Klitz Point—no, to be precise, they were rushing towards the inn where we were staying.
“The rooms! Get to the rooms! Now!” Eleris shouted urgently.
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