Chapter 133
Ssshhhhhhhhh.
That day, it was raining.
A small boy was crouched down. He didn’t know how long he had been there, since when, or even why he was there.
He wasn’t hungry.
He wasn’t thirsty.
He was just there, simply because he existed.
Day after day, he blankly stared at the black sky and the red clouds.
Then, one day, a ruckus could be heard.
—Baby~ this place is too scary~
—When are we going back? If we’re too late, the professor’s going to worry.
Two women and one man.
The women clung to the man’s arms, one on each side, chattering away in an effort to win his favor. The man, on the other hand, wore an emotionless expression as if unimpressed.
That’s when they spotted the boy.
—Ack! Baby, I’m scared! I think that’s an undead.
—……
The man stopped walking.
Then, he simply stood still for a while, silently staring at the boy. The women glanced at the man anxiously, then started to whine.
—Let’s just gooo~
—Finally, something we agree on. Baby, we don’t have time to waste on this kind of...
The man snapped his fingers twice. As if it were a signal, the two women pouted and turned their backs, walking away.
After sending the women off, the man slowly approached the boy.
—What are you doing? In a place like this?
—……
The boy didn’t respond. His fearful eyes scanned the man from head to toe, then he buried his face back into his arms.
—Kid’s ignoring me.
The man chuckled and stretched out his neck.
—Ain’t this place f***ing boring? So gloomy and all.
—……
When the boy looked up again, the man’s outstretched hand came into view.
—If you’ve got nothing to do, come with me. I don’t know much about anything else, but...
The man’s wide grin etched itself onto the boy’s retinas.
—When it comes to ‘fun’, I can definitely guarantee it!
He didn’t know why, but for some reason, that smile felt warm.
The boy took the man’s hand.
And so, Prince ended up joining Richard’s legion.
Even back then, Richard had plenty of undead, but Prince was treated as a special case.
Prince grew immensely, just as Richard had hoped, and eventually rose to the rank of General in the Legion, leading the zombie corps.
Each day spent together was joyful and happy.
He wished those days would never end.
‘……’
But eternity didn’t exist.
The legion was disbanded, and Richard disappeared.
‘……No wonder I feel all unsettled.’
Snapping out of his recollection, Prince shifted his eyes.
Simon was lying haphazardly on the couch in his mansion. Beside him, Feer was proudly going on about the new Commander he had appointed. Prince let it wash over him with one ear, thinking it sounded like the bragging of an overly doting parent.
Rustle.
A soft shuffling sound, and Simon opened his eyes.
“Ughhh.”
[Oh! You woke up earlier than expected, boy!]
Still groggy, he sat up from the couch and rubbed his eyes.
“…Feer? What happened?”
[What do you mean what happened! You blew away the Magnus, didn’t you! It’s only been about an hour since then!]
“……”
Simon held his forehead and winced.
“I really blew away Magnus… right?”
[Yes! And you used Corpse Explosion to do it!]
Simon blinked up at him.
“I vaguely remember blowing them up, but… corpse… what? What is that?”
[Kuhuhuhu!]
Feer clicked his tongue.
Should they call it pure ‘talent’ that he triggered a miracle with an instinctual insight? At this point, they might need a new word just to describe Simon.
Feer began to explain the situation to the puzzled Simon.
[Alright, how much do you remember?]
“I remember sending zombies to swarm Magnus. Then I was focusing like crazy, and somehow…”
Simon looked at Prince.
“I think I said something cool to him at the end…”
Prince let out a short snort.
[Something about ‘showing how to win’ or whatever? Sucks that you can’t even remember it.]
“Ugh.”
Simon groaned and turned his head. The crown was once again being worn by Prince’s main body.
[Don’t get the wrong idea. I only used it again to control the zombies after you dropped it.]
Prince walked over to the main body and picked up the crown.
[Don’t like admitting it, but you control this power better than I do. If you want to take it...]
Simon shook his head.
“I’m never using that thing again.”
[…?]
[I agree with the boy’s decision.]
Feer nodded seriously and continued.
[The boy maintained perfect self-control even while wearing the crown, up to a point! But in the end, he lost his mind to the crown’s power, and even his own self was taken. His consciousness then was utterly unmanageable!]
Simon nodded.
More than anything, his hands were trembling.
As though severed from his brain’s control, they shook and kept drifting toward the crown. If he didn’t concentrate, his gaze kept being drawn to it too.
[Addiction symptoms.]
Said Feer.
[The more one uses the crown, the more they become intoxicated by its power! Keep relying on that strength, and eventually, the crown will consume you.]
“Yes, it’s too dangerous a power for me right now.”
Simon judged that unless it was an extremely critical situation, it was better for Prince to keep using the crown. Prince looked visibly relieved.
[But seriously, you don’t remember using Corpse Explosion?]
“I told you I don’t.”
Simon replied, then drew runes into the air.
“I think I did it like, like this. Like this.”
He didn’t remember clearly, but his body was tingling. The memory in his mind had vanished, but his body remembered.
After sketching in the air with his fingers a few times, Simon said,
“The main rune activates on the Core as… ‘Rage’, right?”
[Correct.]
He had inadvertently gained the ability to use a new technique.
He thought he’d review it properly once they returned to Keyzen, but then he suddenly remembered—
“Practical evaluation!!”
[……?]
“I’ve got to get back fast. I’ve still got the zombie with me! My team must be worried.”
As Simon hurriedly gathered his outerwear, Prince chuckled.
It was a familiar sight.
Back when Prince had first joined Richard’s ranks, he was still a student at Keyzen. He remembered how he would sometimes deliver supplies to the gates of Keyzen when Richard forgot something.
‘Haah, does that mean I have to go back to Keyzen too?’
Prince glanced at his main body.
Moving it to Keyzen would take at least two years, but there was no way Simon would let it go, so he had no choice.
The days of feeling like a king were now over...
“Your main body can stay here, Prince.”
Prince was startled by Simon’s next words.
[Wh-What? Really?]
“You’re ruling Deathland, right? And since I’m controlling you, that means Deathland’s under my control too.”
[…]
“If we’re getting a personal fief just by placing a General there, I’d say it’s not a bad deal. Right, Feer?”
Feer nodded.
[Of course! Among the undead, there are some with bodies too large to enter my ruins, or those too harmful to humans! We could release and manage those types in Deathland!]
“That sounds great.”
Most of all, as long as certain conditions were met, Prince could descend into a zombie anywhere on the continent, regardless of distance. His main body might stay in Deathland, but he could always be summoned to Keyzen whenever needed.
“In that sense, I’m counting on you to take good care of Deathland, Prince.”
[…]
‘Take care of Deathland.’
It was hard to describe the look Prince gave at those words. It seemed like he was confused… or maybe deeply moved.
[B-But are you really leaving things like this? What about restraints or anything? What if I betray you?]
“Betrayal? Please. You’re already shackled by becoming part of the legion.”
[…]
Prince let out a long sigh and approached his main body.
Rip.
Snip.
Then he tore off the pinky finger and ear from the body he’d cherished so much. Simon’s eyes widened in shock.
“Prince! What are you—?!”
[Hold on.]
Prince kneaded the parts in his hand, as if firming up the flesh.
Rumble!
A black lightning bolt struck down from the ceiling, entering his hand, and the body began to compress drastically.
[This should do, right?]
When he opened his hand, a gray ring had formed. Prince flicked it toward Simon.
[Put that on any hand and channel Darkness into it. Then you can talk to me.]
Simon did as Prince instructed, sliding the ring onto his finger and letting Darkness flow into it. The ring turned black, and he brought it to his lips.
“Can you hear me?”
[Loud and clear.]
Prince nodded.
[Next function: just touch the ring to a zombie’s body. I’ll be able to descend into that zombie. If you need my help, well…]
Prince scratched the back of his neck, looking awkward.
Simon smiled as he looked at the hand now wearing the ring.
“I’ll treasure it.”
[Kuhuhuhu! If you call me, don’t mess around, come straight away! Let’s go, boy.]
“Oh, right, Prince!”
Simon suddenly remembered something.
[What?]
“Is there anything good in this mansion that’d make a decent zombie?”
* * *
One hour remained until the practical exam ended.
Students who had been searching for zombie materials in Deathland were now returning to camp to prepare for the evaluation.
Class A students were lined up in a long queue, and inside the large tent ahead, Aron and the assistants were busy evaluating zombies.
And—
“Simon! Why is he so late?!”
Maelyn stomped her feet and shouted.
“I mean, he escaped safely, didn’t he?! By now, he should’ve already gotten here, what’s he doing?!”
“…I’m worried about Simon.”
Kamibarez kept glancing around nervously and muttered.
After the battle with Prince, Dick and Kamibarez had been completely unconscious. Maelyn, rescued by Simon, had arrived later and woke them. The three had made it safely back to camp.
And according to ‘Feon’, the one who had rescued Maelyn, Simon had also been captured by necromancers like her after the incident, but escaped on his own and entered the sewers.
Since he had reached the safe zone, there shouldn’t be a problem, but they couldn’t help feeling anxious.
Dick shuddered.
“Ugh, just thinking about it gives me chills. When that insanely strong zombie showed up, I thought I was done for.”
Kamibarez nodded.
“Yeah, surviving that was a miracle.”
“You should be grateful! Lord Feon is the one who saved us!”
Dick turned his head slightly.
“But, hey. Aren’t we trusting this Feon guy a little too easily, just based on his words? Are we sure he’s trustworthy?”
“Of course we are! He’s the one who saved my life!”
Maelyn fired back, full of conviction.
“And he told me to go back to my friends! Why else would he know who you two were? He saved you from that strong zombie!”
Dick rested his arm behind his head.
“But here’s the thing… Didn’t you say Feon was wearing the same badass bone armor as that skeleton we saw at the mansion?”
“Yeah.”
“That skeleton attacked us. Don’t you remember?”
Maelyn went silent.
Of course she remembered. A slash had come flying toward her, and Simon had thrown himself in the way to save her.
As the thought resurfaced, her face grew hot. She fanned herself quickly and blurted out,
“Ah, well! Maybe back then he didn’t know who we were! Or maybe it was just a misunderstanding!”
“That’s… kind of suspicious though…”
Maelyn narrowed her eyes and glared sharply at Dick.
“Are you doubting Lord Feon right now?”
Dick flinched and backed off, afraid of getting hit again.
At that moment, Kamibarez, who had been quietly thinking, finally spoke up.
“…Maybe.”
The other two turned their eyes to her. Kamibarez cautiously shared her theory.
“Maybe this Feon… is actually Simon?”
Superb.