🔊 TTS Settings
Chapter 82
Getting to the entrance of the village was harder than we expected.
The biggest problem was that Lumi had injured her foot. She endured the pain and walked for a while, but once her limit was reached, her pace slowed down dramatically. Each time that happened, we had to find an empty house to rest in.
They said we would need to walk twice the distance we’d already covered in order to reach the entrance of the village.
“So if it took us four days to get here, we’ll need another eight days to go forward.”
At my words, Lumi, who was touching his ankle, let out a faint sigh.
“Because we kept moving, it feels like my recovery has slowed…”
His voice was tinged with guilt.
“What if you go ahead first?”
After a moment of hesitation, Lumi spoke again.
“If you leave me behind and go, you won’t risk missing the Imperial Army.”
Thinking about it, Lumi wasn’t wrong.
If we took care of him and kept this pace, we might end up losing track of the Imperial Army entirely.
“You’re right. It might be safer if we go ahead and hold the Imperial Army until you catch up.”
I nodded. But Ildorian immediately shook his head.
“It’s too dangerous for someone who can’t even walk properly to reach the village alone.”
His tone showed his concern.
“That’s right. How could we leave Brother Lumi alone like that?”
Uben shook his head along with Ildorian.
“He can’t even take care of his own meals.”
“It’ll take longer, yes, but it’s not like we’ll miss the Imperial Army.”
But his voice faltered as if he wasn’t fully confident.
“However, Your Highness, I’m not suggesting we leave Lumi alone.”
“What?”
“I’ll take care of Lumi. You and Uben go ahead—”
“That’s even worse.”
Ildorian cut me off firmly.
“But…”
It had only been five days since Ildorian injured his arm, yet he had improved significantly.
His right arm was still immobilized, wrapped and tied so he couldn’t move it, but it no longer hurt from other movements. He could swing a sword with his left hand and lift something heavy without pain.
I wasn’t sure just how badly his right arm had been damaged, but his rate of recovery was astonishing.
“Isn’t that more reasonable? If Uben and Your Highness reach the front of the village first, you won’t miss the Imperial Army.”
With his current condition, Ildorian could easily take Uben and reach the entrance safely.
“And if I look after Lumi, he’ll be safer with me than alone.”
I waited for Ildorian to explain why not—but instead, he merely turned his head away.
“I don’t feel safe leaving the Lady behind.”
This time it was Uben who spoke.
“I know the Lady has gotten stronger, but… I still worry. Anything could happen while we’re apart.”
“…But we can’t help that.”
There was a zombie crisis happening. It was natural that we couldn’t guarantee anyone’s safety or survival.
All we could do was increase our chances a little more.
“Lumi, you think splitting up is better too, right?”
“Yes, I do.”
Even so, Ildorian only turned away, unwilling to discuss further.
There he goes again. No—this wasn’t stubbornness. This was unreasonable obstinance.
Before, he would eventually accept another’s reasoning. But now, without a word, he just…
Frustrated, I turned my head toward the window facing the mountain with the fortress.
“Huh?”
I squinted. White smoke was rising continuously from the fortress.
“There’s smoke coming from the fortress.”
We had stayed there for a long time, but never once did we make a signal fire like that.
Was it an accident?
Or was someone sending a signal?
“Oh, you’re right! Is it on fire?”
Uben rushed to the window, stretching on tiptoes to see better. He clung to the sill, straining. I pulled up a chair, and he quickly climbed onto it.
“Your Highness, Lady—what do you think happened at the fortress?”
He stared outside for a while before speaking.
“…It looks like the Imperial Army has arrived.”
Ildorian finally spoke after a heavy sigh.
“What? The Imperial Army already reached the fortress?”
Uben gasped, shocked—and so was I.
The Imperial Army was already there?
That meant we had even less time than we thought.
“Your Highness…”
Uben called Ildorian with visible worry.
“If that’s a signal for us, then we should send one back.”
“How?”
“We can make smoke, too. They must be waiting.”
I hurried to search the house for something we could burn. I gathered a stack of papers—old books and newspapers piled in a corner.
“I’ll go set these on fire a little away from here. After that, we can decide what to do next.”
“I’m going with you.”
Ildorian grabbed his sword without hesitation.
“Lady, here.”
Uben rummaged in his pocket and handed me a matchbox.
Lumi stood up to follow, but I stopped him.
“Lumi, we’ll be right back. Please rest for now.”
We left Uben and Lumi behind and rushed outside.
We still didn’t know if zombies reacted to the smell of burning corpses or the crackling sound of fire. To be safe, we walked a distance from the house before setting the papers ablaze.
“Penelope. Let’s wait in that place.”
Ildorian pointed toward a nearby storage shed.
There was a small window in it.
Just as we stepped inside—
Grrrr—
A familiar low growl echoed from deep within.
Clang, creak—
Metallic rattling, chains pulling violently.
After a brief hesitation, Ildorian shut the door. He must have decided it was safer to wait here than out in the open.
The zombie rattled and snarled for a while, but eventually quieted a little.
Once our eyes adjusted, we took in the scene.
The zombie was missing an arm.
Its face was horribly torn apart.
It was chained with an iron collar and leg restraints. Judging by its size, it was about Uben’s age at most.
We had seen zombies like this before—family members hidden inside houses or sheds.
Zombies that had once been loved. Parents who couldn’t bring themselves to kill their own child and left food that had long since rotted away.
The smell was unbearable. Ildorian frowned and sighed quietly.
But he didn’t kill the zombie.
It was bound, yes—but more than that, he saw the love and desperate hope left behind by a family that couldn’t let go.
He stood silently, looking through the small window. Then he lowered his head and glanced at me.
After a moment of thought, he raised his sword and shattered the window.
The zombie thrashed again, but Ildorian gently pulled me toward the opening.
“The smell will be a little better here.”
My expression must have been contorted from the stench.
Ash-grey smoke from our signal rose steadily into the sky. Since there was no sound, the zombies paid no attention to it.
“Penelope. You want me to take Uben and go ahead to the village entrance, don’t you?”
Ildorian suddenly whispered.
I nodded. But he stared at me with unwavering eyes.
“Yes. Considering the situation, it might be best to meet the Imperial Army first and let them know we’re here…”
His gaze dropped to my hands gripping the window frame.
“But I can’t do it.”
He spoke softly—but his voice trembled.
“Because for me… leaving you behind is harder than anything else.”
