Chapter 2: New Century (Epilogue)
Chapter 349: Funeral and Return Journey
The surroundings were ruins, shattered walls, and debris. Severed limbs filled the air with the scent of slaughter. Everything visible was cruel, and the scene of the fierce battle at the time could still be vaguely recalled.
The air was thick with the smell of gunpowder, making one’s nose uncomfortable.
Soldiers pushed the undead’s Battering Rams and Corpse Catapults into the burning trenches. This was the best way to purify these foul things. The corpses of Zombies and Ghouls were also disposed of in the same manner.
The battlefield was littered with corpses intertwined with Skeleton Soldiers. Some were still recognizable, but most had lost their heads and limbs, leaving only broken pieces. These soldiers had largely died en route to the Burvik Great Mausoleum, constructing an unbreachable defending line with their flesh and blood.
The scent of blood mingled with gunpowder, creating a strange, stomach-churning stench.
The Players suppressed their urge to vomit, immersed in the game’s realism, and a sense of reverence for the fallen NPCs could no longer be concealed.
The soldiers worked to clear a path through the corpses, remaining on guard against any undead that might not be completely dead and searching for any wounded soldiers who might have been overlooked. The Players were the most skilled at this, as they could see the HP Bars.
A group of Knights hurried past the Emerald Fortress gate, carrying stretchers. They held torches, their flames gleaming in the darkness, swaying with the night wind.
At midnight, soldiers carried stretchers covered with white cloths into the fortress. On the stone road leading to the training ground, Knights stood on either side with solemn expressions, clad in armor. Their swords were frosted in the cold wind. They placed their right hands over their chests and bowed their heads to the fallen warriors.
The North Wind Duke Ongel and Champion Knight Hofths’ bodies were at the end of the procession. Six Great Knights, clad in silver armor and carrying black shields on their backs, carried them. Their faces were not covered by the white cloths. A ring of Heaven Grass, symbolizing a pure land of rebirth, was placed beside the stretchers. The flanking Knights observed the heroic visages. Rune knelt on the ground, holding his head, sobbing uncontrollably.
“I really miss this guy discussing married women with me,” Clemon sighed, looking at Hofths’ body. “Although I disagree with his aesthetic, he was truly a good-natured person. Even the most ordinary soldier could call him brother.”
“Who wouldn’t agree?” someone softly echoed.
The group continued, arriving at the high platform in the center of the training ground. During the day, it was used to treat soldiers, but at night, a burning trench had been set up for the burial of heroic spirits.
“Send the heroes on their way!” Clemon roared from the platform.
The soldiers stepped forward, gently placing the white-cloth-covered bodies into the trench. The flames engulfed the corpses with a crackling sound. Everyone watched in silence until, finally, the remains of Duke Ongel were also consumed by the fire.
The flames in the trench gradually died down only when the dawn broke through the dark clouds. The bone ash of the fallen soldiers lay quietly in the trench, white as frost.
Mages erected wind-resistant barriers while soldiers used shovels to collect the warriors’ bone ash, packing it into urns to be taken back to their hometowns. Military pay and the bone ash would be returned to the families of the fallen soldiers according to the roster. Any remaining bone ash that couldn’t be contained was taken to the highest tower of the Emerald Fortress and scattered over the battlefield by the wind.
On the walls of the Emerald Fortress, a group of Players watched the rising sun with dejected expressions, sighing. Faint conversations could be heard occasionally, but they were swallowed by the howling wind of the fortress.
“My Lord, why are they sighing?” Mia asked, standing beside Nobody Does Human Things, looking curiously at the group of mournful Players. The war was over, and these adults were Foreigners with immortality. She didn’t understand why they still looked so heartbroken. Were they grieving for the fallen warriors? What passionate people they were.
“Their attendants died,” Nobody Does Human Things replied.
“Oh…” Mia nodded in understanding, looking at the sighing Foreign warrior Players. She felt a warmth in her heart, a sense of emotion. To put it bluntly, attendants were like servants. Whether out of admiration for strength or seeking protection, they had to stand in front of their masters when facing danger. They also handled all sorts of errands usually, without any reward.
“Then, if I died, would you be sad for me, my Lord?” Mia turned her head, her bright eyes blinking as she looked at Nobody Does Human Things. Though she appeared brave, her small hands were quietly clenching the hem of her clothes.
Nobody Does Human Things glanced at Mia. For the first time, he noticed how bright her eyes were, shimmering with expectation and hope in the dawn light.
“Probably,” he said, feeling awkward and touching his nose. He didn’t know why, but the atmosphere had become tense. He was a straight man. But Mia’s face was fairer and rosier than many girls, and she looked so spirited. If not for the Adam’s apple, he might have truly believed Mia was a girl. He had secretly used Appraisal technique long ago, but it didn’t reveal Mia’s gender. Sometimes, Nobody Does Human Things even wondered if Mia was a hermaphrodite…
“Thank you, my Lord,” Mia’s eyes sparkled with even more brilliance, more beautiful than dewdrops bathed in the dawn light, having received the answer she wanted. This made Nobody Does Human Things uncomfortably look away.
“My Lord!”
“Hm?”
“I will always follow you!”
“Just live well…”
“If I die, I will become an Undead and continue to follow you.” Mia’s gaze was firm. Although she wore a smile, she didn’t seem to be joking.
“Forget it, Undead are too ugly… I’d be disgusted…” Nobody Does Human Things pouted.
“Ah? How can you say that!”
…
…
The next day, the news of King Maidon’s demise reached the Emerald Fortress. After nearly a month of vying for the throne, Maidon’s Second Prince had killed his four brothers to claim the throne. This outcome surprised many Maidon nobles who had been watching from the sidelines. They had considered the Second Prince a rough and violent brute, with nothing but martial prowess and no intelligence. They were, of course, unaware that behind the Second Prince stood a highly skilled aide. Even less did they know that this aide, named Terrence, was currently writing a letter to the King of Winter.
