Chapter 60 - If There Is a God (3)

Half a day passed holding out behind the defensive line.

It was only when night fell that the chaos in the city reached a lull. One could say there was a clear standoff between the areas where the zombies had spread and the areas where they hadn't.

"Is there any more medicine left?"

"No. That was all that man gave us."

"That's a shame."

The bundle of Demonic Energy Antidotes given by the Demon Knight had all been used up.

This was because quite a few people had been corrupted by demonic energy while fighting against the demons.

They tried feeding it to the infected just in case, but unfortunately, it didn't work. Even still, being able to save a few people suffering from demonic energy corruption was better than nothing.

"Hwaaaak! Save me, save me!"

Just then, someone came running from the zombie-infested area.

"It's a zombie!"

"Ready your arrows!"

"Are there any bite marks?! Don't just reach out to them!"

"Were you bitten?!"

The zombies chasing the survivor were struck by arrows and fell back. Meanwhile, the survivor almost reached the barricade.

Torches raised here and there illuminated the surroundings, revealing the survivor.

"No, I'm not!"

"Wait, get back! There's a bite mark!"

"I said I'm not!"

He denied it, but on his forearm, a clear bite mark was exposed through his clothes along with dripping blood.

"Save me!"

"No, we don't know when he'll turn!"

"I'm no— Ghk!"

At that moment, the man trying to climb the barricade stopped in his tracks and began to twist his entire body. Although the response time and the speed of infection were noticeably different, that specific sight was exactly the same as forty years ago.

The people who gathered without realizing the demon had parasitized them. The Priests' forceful quarantines. The fights that broke out because of those who denied it. The flames and blood that spread as a result, blood, and blood once again...

"Hey, hey! Sir Windhand!"

A young Cutie man covered his mouth. As his excessively fast breathing was forcibly blocked, his dizzy mind seemed to settle down a little.

"Pull yourself together!"

"Yeah, yeah... I should..."

He was floundering in the sea of his memories, but he somehow held onto his reason. It was a frontline they had barely managed to establish. If they couldn't prevent an incident from happening here, it was obvious it would lead to even greater casualties.

The one who turned into a zombie was ultimately beheaded by a sailor defending the line.

"Why, why again..."

"Dad..."

However, existing amidst that spurting blood and the cries coming from all directions made the moments of the past continuously flicker before his eyes.

It was even worse because he happened to be from the Slender race, the longest-living race among humans. If he had been from another race, his memories might have faded with age.

"Damn it..."

The average lifespan of the Slender race was between 150 and 200 years. At Windhand's age—53—he was in his prime, and his memory was perfectly intact.

That was the problem.

The events of those days, practically engraved into him, surfaced far too easily. Thirteen years old. The time that stained his young days with grief came to mind all too vividly.

"A flying demon is coming!"

Just then, someone shouted. His mind, which had been consumed by fear, cleared up a little.

It was funny, but it was true. A demon flying through the sky breathing fire was actually better than those zombies.

"Everyone, brace yourselves!"

Windhand tightly gripped his sword and gave orders to the people.

Wooden planks, prepared by dismantling ships or tearing down house walls, were raised one after another over the people's heads. They had been soaked in seawater so they wouldn't catch fire easily.

SCREECH!

And when the sound of the flying monster drew almost perfectly near. CRUNCH! A subtle bursting sound dug into their ears.

"Sir?"

The ears of the young Cutie man right next to him twitched.

SCREECH— KACK!

The roar of the flying demon was bizarrely cut off.

"Wait a second."

Windhand slightly lifted the plank and checked the sky. The demon's body was tangled in a rope and being dragged to one side.

CRASH!

The rope finally caused the demon to plummet, smashing it into the ground. SLICE! What followed was the sound of a smooth cut.

The tough, eerie sound of a hunk of meat being severed in a single strike burst out along with spraying blood.

"Sir!"

The young Cutie man ran forward, and Windhand unconsciously held his breath.

The current scent of blood and the metallic stench of the past mixed together. He wondered if the smell of ash suddenly drifting in from somewhere was the scent of the burning village. Just like back then, just like that moment.

["Suriya, run. Don't ever look back, just run. Got it?"]

["Dad, what about you?"]

["Dad will be fine. So run, run!"]

When the Temple's Heresy Inquisitors burned down the entire village, claiming it was too hard to distinguish between zombies and the living.

Just like that damn day when his father sacrificed his life to draw the Heresy Inquisitors' attention and buy him time to escape.

"Wait, check for marks—."

"There's no need to check that person!"

And, and...

["It's okay now, child."]

"Windhand."

It was so similar to that brief moment when his savior discovered him hiding and reached out a hand.

["You're safe now."]

"I have saved the Lord."

'At least I didn't lose you this time. I didn't lose you this time at least.'

'My savior, my benefactor, my...'

"Will you go?"

"Of course."

'Mother.'

* * *

Had I killed the golem, rescued the Lord, and wiped out all the enemies scattered along the path the golem had invaded from?

At the Amsen Pier, I even discovered the demon worshipers I had suspected and slaughtered them all. I dealt with the other reinforcements as well.

After that, I cut through the town and slowly made my way back to where my group was supposed to be...

"..."

Seeing Windhand's darkened, grim face, I couldn't help but wonder what the hell had happened.

Did a ton of people die while I was gone? I thought I saw quite a few familiar faces earlier.

Even the adventurers had waved me off, telling me to leave it to them. If the casualties had been high, they definitely wouldn't have reacted like that.

So why was Windhand making such a melancholy expression?

SLICE!

With no idea what was going on, I just swung my sword for the time being. The severed body of a Gargoyle landed on top of an empty house.

"Are you sure it's okay to leave the people behind?"

"... Since the incident forty years ago, everyone knows how to deal with zombie outbreaks. You saw how the pirates and civilians all banded together to set up a defensive line first."

"That is true."

"... The infection speed is bizarrely fast, but it's fine. It'll be fine..."

For reference, just the three of us were currently moving toward the castle.

It would be great if everyone could move to the castle, but the situation didn't allow for it, so what could we do.

Maybe if it was up to a dozen or so people, but even I couldn't cover over a hundred. Especially not right now, with the escort distance being long and the penalty of being vulnerable to ambushes at night.

The people knew that too, which was why they stayed at the defensive line. None of them would have any complaints. And even if they did... as long as they didn't show it, it meant they didn't. Yep.

"There won't be another massacre like that this time..."

I flinched mid-slash while cutting off the head of a leaping zombie.

It was already bewildering enough that the genre had suddenly shifted from fantasy to a zombie apocalypse, but a massacre on top of that?

At the scenes flashing through my mind, I gripped my sword tighter for no reason.

Would sinking five ships count as a massacre too? A somewhat useless distraction came as a bonus.

"...! You're!"

Just then, a response came from the castle. To be exact, from the people stationed in front of the castle gates.

It was dark, and we hadn't brought any torches, so it was impressive that they spotted us.

"Open the gates!"

In any case, the soldiers who recognized me hastily raised the iron grate they had lowered.

As the iron grate went up with a metallic screech, Windhand twitched as if he were about to dart inside at any moment.

"It looks like there's less damage than I expected. That is a relief, Sir Windhand."

"... Yeah."

Come to think of it, what happened to Windhand's brothers?

I still remembered Windhand saying he couldn't gamble with his brothers' lives and begging me to save them, but I still had no idea who exactly these brothers were.

It didn't seem like he was referring to actual blood relatives, so I just assumed they were privateer crewmates he'd left behind in Zakrati... But the only person he specifically begged me to save earlier today was the Lord, wasn't it?

Treating the Lord as his 'brothers' presented a difference between singular and plural nouns. I couldn't quite get a read on it.

"Suriya?"

Just then, someone called Windhand's name.

"Mayan!"

"Suriya! It really is you!"

The person who came running out through the open castle gates was someone I also recognized. It was the same person who had braved his injuries earlier to tell me the Lord was inside the castle.

"You're back?"

"... Yeah. I brought someone to help us."

I sidestepped their hug and scanned the inside of the castle. There were torches placed everywhere, so visibility was quite bright despite it being night. They probably set it up that way to easily spot approaching zombies.

"What about the Lord?"

"She's safe inside."

"Yeah...? That's a relief."

"Go see her. She'll be happy to see you."

"... Yeah, I should."

More importantly, they'd at least roughly patched up the breached castle walls. I felt somewhat satisfied spotting the barricade that must have been built after I left the castle.

As long as the inside had been fully cleared out—meaning no zombies remained within the castle—there would be no need to worry about safety here.

"Ugh. Is that the monster we saw from the ship? The one smashing the castle wall?"

Meanwhile, DeB scowled deeply upon seeing the corpse of the monster I had killed. It was an understandable reaction.

It wasn't exactly pleasant to look at to begin with, but now that it had been torn limb from limb, the Patchwork Golem had reached the peak of gruesomeness.

"Just how is everything playing out. If it weren't for you, Sir Knight, the casualties would have been massive."

DeB snapped a branch off a shrub inside the castle. Poke, poke. He jabbed the Patchwork Golem's corpse with the leafy branch.

"Do you think Bipurit made a contract with the demon worshipers?"

Who knows. Most likely.

Not only was the Bipurit gang unbothered by the zombies, but I had also found and killed several Demon Contractors at the pier earlier.

Moreover, they had reportedly grown powerful enough to 'suddenly' swallow up the city. If there was cooperation with Demon Contractors behind the scenes, that explained everything immediately.

Though I had to wonder why they chose to kick things off right when I arrived.

No, seriously, no joke, how did incidents pop up with such perfect timing everywhere I went? This was why I couldn't drop my suspicions about it being a game. It was honestly ridiculous.

Was I going to get a literal GAME OVER screen if the number of city casualties crossed a certain threshold? Wow. Just thinking about it was horrifying.

I hadn't wanted to do the sewers or the dragon slayer fight over again either, but this was exhausting in a different way. At least with those two, I could directly reduce the casualties by throwing myself into the fray, but this was a mission that only resolved if the people themselves did well.

After all, compared to the size of the city, I only had one body.

"It's also weird that there haven't been any more attacks since earlier today..."

I was contemplating whether I should go on a night patrol right now, but those words made my hand twitch.

Well, if he was worried about reinforcements, there were some... They had shown up about three or four hours ago at the Amsen Pier where I dealt with the demon worshipers, but...

Well, I slashed them all up before they even reached the port. From the ships all the way to the guys swimming to shore, every last one of them.

"Eh, where are you going now?"

... Honestly, I felt like things would get way too annoying once they reached land.

And that still held true right now.

"Don't tell me you're going to hunt the remaining demons all night?"

"Hm? Wait. Where are you going?"

I slowly started walking.

My fatigue was still around the 60 mark, and my gut feeling was so iffy that I figured I should check Amsen Pier one more time. Or the Kkatunat Pier to the west.

"Take a short rest before you go. It's almost dawn, isn't it."

DeB's hand grabbed my collar. I swatted it away sharply. DeB had good reflexes and pulled his hand back quickly, but I think I still grazed him.

"Sir."

"Do not interfere with me."

He wouldn't get a bruise from that little hit, would he? My character's Strength was so high that I was a little worried. Not that I had pulled my punch, though.

"Hey, you should at least see the Lord before you go."

"I have no time to waste on useless matters."

Brushing off Windhand's suggestion as well, I stepped onto the piled-up furniture.

Beyond the barricade, I could see the path I had taken earlier today. The remains of the demons I had completely slaughtered on my way through came as a bonus.

"I'm telling you to get some rest, you know? No matter how good your stamina is, resting doesn't seem like a useless matter."

He was right. He was right, but... what could I do when my concept didn't allow it!

Above all, it would be one thing if we were in a separate space like a dungeon, but knowing that zombies and people were mixed together in the city made me a bit anxious.

It wasn't that I was super terrified, but more like the feeling of going to sleep with an unfinished assignment? The feeling of catching a cold right before a deadline?

And since 'Eliminate Demons' was still listed in my quest log, it was true that I still had work left to do.

Either way, I really didn't like this subtle nervousness. The possibility of having to retry because too many people died overnight was even more horrifying.

Rather than staying put feeling like this, I'd rather just work a little more.

"If you're overworking yourself because of my request..."

"Overworking?"

I turned my body and looked back.

"I will not tolerate you insulting me."

"... Alright, I apologize for that. But—."

"Give it up. Now that demons have appeared, no one can stop Sir Knight."

With a grunt, DeB climbed up onto the barricade. He must be planning to follow me. Considering who the enemies were, he would be better off staying here.

"I won't stop you, so please allow me to tag along."

But oh well, what could I do when that was what he wanted. I turned my body back around and stepped onto the highest point of the barricade.

"Ships!"

Someone cried out.

"Seven ships from the south!"

"...!?"

The south was the direction of the island occupied by Bipurit. There was no way ships coming from there were allies. In other words, all seven ships were enemies that needed to be dealt with.

"No wonder there weren't any attacks..."

Why were my bad feelings always right? If there was a god, shouldn't things not be like this?

Or did they purposefully let them get spotted while I was here to minimize casualties? If I had been somewhere else, it would have taken longer to receive the news.

"Sir—!"

SWOOSH!

Regardless, it was time to move. I jumped down from the barricade and dashed toward the opposite castle wall.

I had no choice. The hole I was planning to pass through was facing north, while the enemies were spotted in the south. To see them, I had to climb the southern wall to secure a line of sight.

Tap, tap.

The hem of my coat snapped back as mana wrapped around my legs.

And when my rapidly rushing body reached the castle wall, I jumped right up and ran along the surface. Vertical running, basically.

FLAP!

And before gravity could overcome my momentum, my hands grabbed the battlements and pulled my body up. The sound of my stiff coat flapping spread quietly through the silence of the night.

"...!"

The sentries standing guard atop the wall freaked out without making a single sound, while I scanned the sea from the top of the wall. The night sea was incredibly dark, but the moon was bright enough that the ships could faintly be seen.

There was still quite a bit of distance left. Enough for me to be certain that I would reach the harbor faster than they could arrive.

"You. Pass on a message."

"Y-Yes?"

"That I don't need reinforcements."

CRASH.

Kicking off the battlements with a loud boom, my legs launched me down below the castle walls.

I didn't worry about the soldier failing to pass on my words to his superiors, or about his superiors not believing my words and sending troops anyway.

Even if they did, they would only be making a wasted trip...

"Please be careful!"

As you could tell from the soldiers' reactions, there was a high chance they would trust me and not send anyone.

After all, these were the same people who had dispatched troops earlier because they spotted the ships before I did, only to end up simply spectating as I sank all five ships myself; there was no way they'd make the same move twice.