◆Chapter 8: Humans Are More Worrying Than Zombies
◆Chapter 8: Humans Are More Worrying Than Zombies
WE follow the aqueduct until we reach the wall facing the rear garden. Since she’s already soaked, Cia steps down into the waterway and peeks through the iron grate.
“How’s it look? Any zombies?”
“No, I don’t see any in the rear garden.”
“Okay!”
Most of the nearby zombies stormed the castle while pursuing the living last night. Because of that, I had assumed there wouldn’t be many left loitering in the gardens, but I didn’t expect there to be none. It sounds too good to be true, but maybe luck is finally on our side.
I sit down on my butt on the walkway beside the aqueduct. Before me is a groove carved into the wall opposite the outer wall. The lever mounted there is perpendicular to the outer wall, and when I push it with my foot, part of the wall moves down, creating a crawl space big enough for one person to pass through.
“Heh. So that’s how it works.”
Cia told me about how it functions in advance, but seeing a trapdoor work in person is oddly thrilling. It seems to be constructed in such a way that only the lower stone is slanted, making it possible to move with as little force as possible.
“Okay, I’ll go first.” I wait until Cia pulls herself out of the aqueduct to crawl my way out of the castle wall. Outside is shrouded with miasma again due to the zombies retaking the castle.
I have only one thought when I see the sorry state before me: Do I have to spit again?
“Up you go.”
Cia is struggling to get through the tight passage, so I take hold of her hand and pull her through.
“Thank you very much, Big Sis.”
“Mm-hmm, you’re welcome. Now that we’re out…the real challenge begins here.”
We advance through the garden, stepping as softly as possible. I furtively poke my head around the side of the tower keep and discover five zombies lying in wait. One zombie is pressing his forehead against the castle wall like he’s reflecting on his actions, while the others are sluggishly wandering around, groaning “Bwahhh bwahhh.”
The invigorated zombies last night had red eyes, but these zombies don’t. However, that’s not enough evidence to rashly believe these zombies won’t be reactivated into a super state when they see us. I pick up a stone off the ground and chuck it at the inner wall.
The stone makes a direct hit with a clunk. Reacting immediately, the zombies totter and fumble their way toward the source of the sound.
“They aren’t moving very fast.”
“I was concerned how we would get by if they were in the same state as last night, but we can handle them like this.”
The zombies seem to think there are people on the other side of the castle wall, since they’re banging against it, ramming their head into it, and launching all sorts of body attacks. I wait for a few minutes, but no other zombies show up. Now’s as good a time as ever to strike first.
“Cia, once the zombies are purified, warn them not to kick up a fuss,” I instruct Cia before kicking off and launching a surprise slap attack on the zombies from behind. I smack each of them on the back of the head.
How do you like that slap attack?! I think as I hop back a step and watch as the fallen zombies all begin to glow. The dezombification process ends while I swallow a very unfeminine “Booyah!”
Confused dezombified people replace the zombies. Some are about to speak but close their mouths when they see Cia standing there with her index finger pressed to her lips. From the looks of it, all five are knights. If possible, I want their assistance. Explaining the situation to them is critical to earn their help.
I swallow my pride and use charades to convey the situation to them by pretending to be a zombie and then showing the purification process, all through hand and body gestures. I put my thumb and index finger together in a circle to ask if they understand. The knights respond with thumbs-up. My explanation got across to them at the price of my humility, as my bright-red face can attest to.
Pulling myself back together, I peek around the corner wall to grasp what I can of the situation in the front courtyard. Of all the horrible things, I come face-to-face with a zombie! I gulp back the scream threatening to rip from my throat. I’m scared to death, and it reeks! But the bigger problem now is that we’ve been found.
As I’m hesitating over what move to make, two of the knights yank the zombie back to a spot that isn’t visible from the rest of the courtyard. I swiftly slap my hand down on the zombie and touch the arms of both the knights who are already beginning to rot from holding back the zombie while unprotected. The newly dezombified person is bewildered like everyone else, but he keeps his mouth shut when he sees Cia take her “shh” pose.
With that done and over with, I take another gander at the courtyard. Luckily, none of the other zombies have noticed us. But my eyes fly open at how many of them are roaming in circles around the courtyard. Their numbers easily surpass a hundred. I’d taken on a few hundred yesterday, but it’s not an easy number to stomach.
In any case, our biggest predicament is how to purify this many zombies without being overwhelmed. We can’t just charge in from the front like fools…
“Lady Mizuha,” a quiet voice interrupts my internal debate. I glance over my shoulder to where two knights are looking at me with determination brimming in their eyes.
“We will draw the zombies’ attention from the opposite end of the courtyard.”
“Do you see how many there are? That’s a reckless plan—”
“Please do not worry over us. We are Royal Knights.”
Just saying they’re knights isn’t very convincing to me when I don’t really know much about this kingdom’s knights. Though the cold, hard truth is that I can’t think of a more effective strategy than the one they suggested.
While I feel bad to ask this of them, I bow my head and say, “Th-Then please do it. But be as careful as you possibly can.”
For whatever reason, not only are the knights gaping at me, but they also have nosebleeds. Is it really okay to entrust any kind of plan to these people? I’m worried for them for all sorts of reasons…
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“OOOOOOHHHHHHHHH! LADY MIZUHA!”
“LADY MIZUHA! LADYYY MIZUHAAAAAAA!”
The two knights had circled around to the opposite side of the courtyard and are now successfully luring the zombies toward them by shouting at the top of their lungs. The hundred or so zombies turn their backs on me and hobble toward the knights. I guess you could call this plan a success… But…
“H-Hey! What’s the big idea?! Please don’t shout my name to lure in zombies!”
“You are such a sinful woman, Big Sis.”
“Hoooow?! I don’t want to hear that from you too, Cia. What sin have I committed?!”
Even the knights standing defensively behind Cia are nodding. I don’t know how or why, but apparently I’ve committed some great wrong.
“A-Anyway! I’m off to purify the zombies while their attention is being drawn by the others. Watch my back!”
I rush into the fray with the remaining three knights. The zombies don’t take notice of my approach. The “Lady Mizuha” call is louder than my stealthy steps. There’s nothing more embarrassing than hearing your name being shouted, but I just have to put up with it for now.
I whack each zombie on the back as I run around the courtyard. Occasionally, one reacts to my presence, but I’m able to escape unscathed because of how few actually respond and because of the knights who have my back. I spend the rest of the time rapidly purifying everyone until there’s not a zombie left in the front courtyard.
As the dezombified people are adapting to being human again, I rush over to the knights who acted as bait. They’re both collapsed on the ground exhausted, their shoulders shaking with heavy breathing.
“I was able to safely bring everyone back thanks to your courage. Thank you very much.”
“We didn’t do a whole lot other than retreat while yelling.”
“Ah, about that! Why did you shout my name?!”
“Erm…how can we explain? …Let’s just say it’s a secret.”
“Hah,” I sigh. “Well, you pulled it off, so whatever. Just know that you embarrassed me beyond embarrassment!”
I’m grateful they undertook the dangerous role of being bait, but I can’t let what they did pass without a word of complaint. However, the knights react in the complete opposite way from what I expected. Their expressions melt into dorky smiles that perfectly match the kind of laughter that goes “Durhurhur.” It’s rude to say after they just helped me out, but they’re kind of creepy. I quickly run away from them and accidentally bump into another knight.
“I-I’m sorry.”
“I can’t believe I was saved for the second time by you, lass.”
That gruff voice! Could it be?! I look up and see just who I expected.
“Sir Oden!”
“Indeed. Your pronunciation has improved.” Sir Oden gives a satisfied nod. Apparently it paid off that I had imagined the food when I said it, though it had the adverse effect of making me hungry.
“Big Sis! Zombies are spilling out of the castle!” Cia cries out. I shift my attention that way to see zombies exiting from the inner gate in droves.
“Whoa! I’m getting some serious déjà vu here…”
“Then the result shall be the same as the last time.” Sir Oden scoops up a nearby shield and holds it in a way that covers his whole body. “They took me by surprise last night, but I’ll never lose to these slowpokes. Rest easy, lass. I swear on my name as the captain of the Royal Knights that I will trample all the zombies in your path.”
“Uh, please don’t. They’ll turn human once I purify them, you know? Please hold back—”
“CHAAAAAAARGE!”
Ah, it’s no use. He’s not listening.
I sigh and follow behind Sir Oden as he charges through the zombies and into the tower keep.
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“IT figures it’d turn out this way…”
Sure enough, the corridors are covered with injured people. At the very least, they have been dezombified, but after seeing how hurt they are, it kind of makes me wonder if purifying them was the right thing to do.
“ANY ZOMBIES LEFT?! I, Oden, shall be your opponent!” Sir Oden, the culprit behind the mass production of injured, bellows as he takes the vanguard.
Somebody’s full of life, I muse with a dry smile as I jump up to follow him, but instead of launching into a run, I stagger forward. On top of not getting any sleep, I’ve been running all day. My body has reached its limit.
But I don’t have time to rest. Taking into account the high possibility of the zombies becoming super zombies once night hits, we should purify not only the castle but the city as well. As for the castle, only a few sections are left to search for zombies. The third and final floor of the tower keep is almost completely purified, so it’s not too far-fetched to say all I have left to do here is clean up the stragglers.
But while that’s true, something is bothering me. Despite having purified hundreds of zombies, I’ve yet to find Lex. Where are you, Lex?!
As I’m walking around the third floor searching for him, I come across a room without a door. The location alone tells me this is Cia’s bedchamber. Hesitantly, I peer into the room. My eyes bulge at what I see there.
“Bw…ahh…”
A lone zombie is brandishing a shield as if covering the hidden passageway. Unlike the other zombies who roam the corridors, it stays perfectly in place. I think about how strange that is until I realize that zombie is Lex, and now it oddly makes sense.
“You protected us this whole time.”
I highly doubt zombies have intent. But the zombie before me—Lex—alone is different. Is this a miracle? Or is it possible simply because it’s Lex? I don’t know. Only one thought sticks with me.
“…You’re kind of cool.” I flick Lex’s forehead with my right index finger. The curse on his body begins to lift, and he returns to his human form. Eventually, he regains consciousness, and blinks several times, as if he can’t wrap his head around the situation.
“Lady Mizuha… What have I—”
“Thank you. Also…welcome back,” I say with a smile. I thought these were the things I should tell him before anything else. Lex looks baffled, but he pieces the situation together on his own. A tranquil smile immediately graces his lips.
“I’m back, Lady Mizuha.”
How strange. I feel at peace when I’m with Lex. Maybe it’s because he’s the very first person I met in this world. As those thoughts are going through my mind, my vision suddenly sways. I fall on the ground with a thud. Lex is shouting something, but it sounds so far away.
Weird… What happened to me? It wasn’t until I asked myself that question that I realized for the first time that I had fainted.