I was able to regroup with Philiana and the others, who were waiting near the cemetery, but the escorts caught the attention of the enemies.
The ones who stopped were a woman and a man, two elves. The woman glared at me. This is bad, they found me.
“Hey, chicken, what are you doing? Weren’t you told to watch over the harem group?”
She seemed to have business not with me, but with Kalm.
“Eh?! Ah, yes, about that… well, a lot has happened. I tried to talk to my superior.”
“Your superior is out on the front lines right now. You should know that much.”
The escort woman, who seemed to be a senior, sighed. Kalm fidgeted awkwardly.
“Then, I’ll go now.”
“Huh? Are you stupid? You’ll just be in the way if you go. Go back to the mansion.”
The man next to her soothed her, saying “Now, now.”
“You don’t have to say it that harshly.”
“You’re too soft, that’s why you’re a pushover. Now go, go.”
She waved her hand as if shooing away a fly and left. Kalm must have a tough time with such a senior.
“I don’t think you need to worry about it. Come on, let’s go too.”
“Ah, thank you.”
As we finally approached the cemetery, its tragic state came into clear view. The escorts, who were numerous, were blocked by corpses and struggling against the wyverns. It seemed like we needed to come up with a plan. Lauren had said she could manipulate corpses without thread. But this dragon? I honestly don’t know if it’s alive or dead. This is because it was completely different from any I had seen before.
Its entire body was a dull color, as if rubbed with ash, and its white eyes lacked any vitality. Its teeth were irregularly spaced, and its form was like a walking corpse. Holes appeared in its fleshless body, revealing bone in places. It was somehow eerie, and its face was unreadable.
The dragon swung its long claws, which extended from its fingers, and attacked the escorts. It lacked intelligence, appearing to simply thrash about mindlessly. The wyvern that Hekactor rode had the composure of a trained dog.
First, it would be best to find the necromancer controlling this swarm of corpses.
“Karubene, search for Cecilia and the main culprit. We’ll draw the wyvern’s attention.”
“Understood. Don’t die!”
Karubene leaped lightly and disappeared into the commotion. Cecilia followed him. As we stepped into the cemetery, the situation was even worse. The escorts were struggling against undead soldiers who could not die. It didn’t matter if their hands were severed or their necks cut. The putrid smell that assaulted my nostrils made me gasp.
I really wanted to help them, but the wyvern was the priority for now. We somehow pushed through the chaotic battle. I was called to by someone on the way, but I ran without looking back. By the way, Pauline was left behind in the hut where we were waiting earlier. She will probably come when this battle is over.
“Ugh!”
“Hang in there! That’s enough, you’re out!”
“Move to the side! What are you doing?!”
Angry shouts flew around us in front of the rampaging dragon. The dragon itself was worked up, blowing hot breath from its nostrils.
“Hey Lauren, is that a corpse?”
“Eh, I don’t know. I, I can’t tell unless I hear its heartbeat.”
If that were the case, it was amazing they managed to transport something so large. Sadly, that’s all I could think of. The sounds flowing in from all sides and the rapidly changing scenery before my eyes intensified my anxiety. My thoughts wouldn’t coalesce; they just spun around, giving me a headache. Combined with the pain from my wounds, I felt truly dizzy.
“Hiro, are you okay? You should go back to Pauline.”
“I, I’m fine. Just wait a moment.”
“Hey you guys, what are you doing? Kalm? What are you doing here?”
Ah, trouble has found me again. Of course, it’s natural to be found with this many people around. Hurry, hurry, I need to think. Then Lauren tapped me on the shoulder.
“I think that one has thread attached to it. I’m, I’m pretty sure.”
Thread? Does only that one have thread attached? As expected, to control something this large, thread would be necessary. This means it’s a corpse being controlled by someone. If that’s the case, all we need to do is cut it. Then, following the thread, we’ll find the culprit. This is a double-edged sword; the enemy must have realized this weakness too. In that case, there’s no reason not to take advantage of it.
