Erich and Frederick, guided by a resident, ran for quite a while and arrived at the back mountain. However, even as he ran, Erich kept thinking.

'This isn't a place where someone could escape to.'

The village of Morris was structured with sheer cliffs and the Great Wall at its back, and a main gate at its front. And yet, this is where Max supposedly escaped to...

― Bwooooooooo

The sound of a horn blew from somewhere. Erich suddenly stopped in his tracks. His gaze flickered with a crimson glow.

"Let's stop running, shall we? You must be tired."

"What?"

The resident leading Erich looked back at him. Then, he broke into a grin that nearly tore at the corners of his mouth.

"When did you know?"

"If I didn't, I'd be an idiot."

But Frederick widened his eyes as if he didn't understand a thing.

"You sons of— I was the only one who didn't know?"

As Erich flashed a faint smile at Frederick, his gaze quickly swept around in every direction. Although hidden in darkness, his eyes could pick up every shape.

"Well, there's no way Max would really be here. So what are you people relying on to pull this off?"

At that, the village chief stepped out from the darkness and spoke.

"Relying on something... We who live day to day, what could we possibly believe in?"

"For just 'getting by', you seem to be making a lot of money. Who's giving you so much?"

The chief bared his teeth and chuckled.

"Kehekeh. Even if you try to lead me like that, I have no intention of revealing who's behind this. Seems you already have a general idea, though."

The village residents all brandished various weapons. They were clearly tense, but a murderous intent hung in their eyes, as if this wasn't their first time.

Frederick's eyes bulged with rage at the sight.

"You wretches are not just pitiful, you're actually unbelievable. Well, who should I cut down first, then!"

"Frederick, calm down. They're not coming at us relying only on their own strength."

"Did they hire mercenaries or something? Keh-haha."

Frederick swept his gaze confidently around. Just as he thought, most hands gripping weapons were shaking.

But there was still something off—despite trembling hands, their faces wore expressions of composure. The chief clapped lightly, snickering.

"Keh-keh-keh. We're not so clueless as to not know our place. There's no way we'd beat you on our own."

"That's right. So when are you bringing out whoever's behind you?"

"Oh? You predicted this too?"

Erich's eyes scanned the dark forest. But unlike Erich, Frederick couldn't make out anything in the pitch black and frowned.

What emerged from the darkness were the chief and his henchmen. But they weren't all of the fighting force here.

Blue veins ran under skin shimmering with a frosty sheen. Anyone who touched them looked like they'd freeze instantly.

White, burning eyes glared from their faces, and in their hands were massive weapons.

They were, unmistakably, monsters.

― Grrrrrrrr.

"What the hell! What are those things!"

Frederick recoiled in terror, all trace of confidence gone from his face. Naturally so, for even Erich had reacted the same way when seeing them for the first time.

'The dead.'

Erich's lips curled into a crooked smile. Though he had long since figured it out from all the clues, seeing the dead before him made him want to laugh.

"You don't look as surprised as I expected. You've never seen anything quite like these before... Have you just given up?"

The chief glanced uneasily at the dead. Their overwhelming appearance was enough to send chills down even allies' spines.

But seeing Erich react so coolly, it seemed the chief sensed something had gone wrong.

But it was already too late.

― Shrrrring.

With a bored expression, Erich drew his sword. The longsword used by Watchmen slid out from his leather scabbard.

"I've seen plenty, more times than I can count."

"You—you've seen enough of these to get sick of them? Preposterous lies."

"You're seriously out of luck, chief."

"I'm out of luck? Me? Heh, you still don't realize your situation? This is where you should be begging for your lives."

"I'm sure you had a plan too. Like using those things over there, for example."

"Using them, you say? That's a rather uncharitable way to put it."

"But there's one thing you don't know. They never make investments that won't pay off."

The chief's white eyebrows shot up. At that moment, however, the expressions of his henchmen contorted.

"If you stare into the Abyss too long, the Abyss stares back at you. This is getting annoying, so look back at yourself. Remember who you are, and what you've become."

"What are you blabbering—kuhk."

The chief never finished his words. Nor did his henchmen. White lumps began protruding out from their throats.

"Kraaaagh! W-wait!"

"W-what is this...!"

Erich simply watched them coldly. It was a grotesque sight as humans rapidly turned into the dead.

But he had already seen it happening from the start—the thing growing in their veins. So there was nothing to be surprised about.

"Now we're at twenty."

― Shwiiiik!

Erich's blade shot out like lightning. The ones who'd just turned into the dead didn't even have time to react.

― Thud.

The chief's head fell to the ground.

"Nineteen."

No sooner had he spoken than the dead surged at him all at once.

In the pitch-black night, all that could be seen were the white glowing eyes of the dead and the crimson gleam of Erich's.

Like fireflies darting about, their eyes left afterimages as they rushed around.

"Thirteen."

With every number that fell from Erich's lips, an icy sound echoed. The sound of the dead's necks being severed was surreal and unnerving.

― Grrrrrrrr!

Already, the number of dead had lessened. Perhaps sensing they were cornered, one suddenly snapped its jaws open at him—spewing a blast of blue frost.

― Flap!

But Erich quickly spun around, taking the chill on his back.

― Slice!

Another undead's head hit the ground. He immediately worked his mind to figure out the situation.

And as he caught his breath, he glanced toward Frederick.

"You bastards!"

Frederick was wrestling with one of the dead. Though he held the advantage, one slip and it could have cost him dearly.

Erich shouted to him.

"Frederick! Cut its head off! Striking anywhere else does nothing!"

"Damn it! You could've told me that sooner!"

In fact, Erich had already yelled this to Barnes earlier. Frederick had just half-listened and forgotten.

'If you're slow, your body pays for it.'

― Slash!

Frederick's sword slashed the dead's neck. When he completely severed it, the struggling monster finally stopped moving.

Seeing this, Erich refocused on the dead before him. Plunging into their midst, his flashing eyes and sword cut down their throats one by one.

But even as he dispatched them, something was still bothering him.

'There's no way so many of the dead could have been here from the start. But if these things were transported into the Great Wall from Morris village...'

If this guess was right, everything that happened afterward also fit perfectly.

Nicholas had brought an Orca-roid over the Great Wall.

And there had been "something" that could only have been transported at the scale of a place the size of Morris village.

It had to be even more valuable than an Orca-roid.

'What if that "something" was the dead?'

And what if the disappearance of Morris village and the closure of the Black Serpent Outpost were to erase the evidence?

'If so... it would also explain why we couldn't identify the "backer" connecting the chief and Nicholas.'

But this incident had occurred much faster than originally planned. Of course, that meant they would have been far less prepared than when Morris was originally attacked.

'The backer is someone who controls the dead.'

Yet, one question remained unsolved. Nicholas brought in the Orca-roid through the Barbarians and nearly crippled the Watch.

And yet, after giving Morris village enormous sums to create a smuggling route—all they'd brought in were these dead? A mere dozen or so at that?

'If this isn't everything...?'

As the grim thought crossed his mind, Erich lightly severed both arms of the last remaining undead.

― Slice!

He spoke, glaring at the creature.

"I know you've been watching everything through these things' eyes. Like some kind of pervert."

The armless dead just stared at him with burning white eyes.

"So wash your neck and wait. I'll be coming for you soon."

After beheading the creature, Erich turned quickly and headed for the main gate.

If his guess was correct, Barnes's location wouldn't have been left untouched either.

'I hope they can hold out until I get there.'

-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=【ദ്ദി(⩌ᴗ⩌)】

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