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Chapter 36
Crackle—snap—
In the dim night, the knights and soldiers of the Winterrose family had found a suitable clearing and finished setting up camp.
Exhausted from constantly fending off the undead that kept appearing, they stared blankly into the reddish flames of the fire, warming their bodies.
This is just great… the mood is already terrible.
Watching from a distance, Eric clicked his tongue in sympathy as he observed soldiers clutching their lances in fear.
Even though these were professionally trained troops, they were far from like the soldiers of the Ather family, who were constantly sent to the border to face monsters.
Being from the northern regions but mostly from the farmlands, far from the front lines, they were relatively weak.
To them, the undead that charged relentlessly without caring if limbs were torn apart were far more daunting than the occasional lone wolf chased out of its pack.
Even the knights… don’t seem to be in a good situation either.
The knights struggled as well, though not as desperately as the soldiers. Still, a sense of unease lingered on everyone’s faces.
Undead knights had begun to appear one by one. Unlike simple mercenaries, seeing a former comrade now turned enemy must have been heartbreaking.
No matter how skilled Lillian is with magic, expecting four people to continue exploring against an unknown number of undead is too much. I hope they can hold on a little longer…
“Lord Eric.”
Eric glanced at Malefica, who called him over, and approached quietly.
“You fought much better than I expected.”
Her voice carried genuine surprise.
However, the way she looked at him suggested it wasn’t merely praise.
“…Better than expected? How bad did you think I was?”
“Hmm… like a goblin, I guess?”
At her reply, Eric gave a bitter, awkward smile.
A goblin, huh… Not entirely wrong. Despite training under Leona and defeating some monsters and named enemies, by stats alone, he was only slightly stronger than a ratman or a goblin.
“I don’t mean to mock you. It’s just… you’re incompetent, aren’t you? Oh! Not just any incompetent, but one without the goddess’s blessing.”
After that, as Malefica added a clarification to avoid misunderstanding, Eric looked down at her with a troubled expression.
So it has come at last.
The second son of the Ather family was confirmed to be incompetent by the Pope himself when he was born to the Duke and the royal family.
Unlike others blessed by the goddess, an incompetent person remained weak into adulthood, incapable of even killing a ratman. A being born without any divine blessing, viewed as sinful yet serving as a reminder of the goddess’s greatness.
And yet, this incompetent person had just defeated a wolf from the Moonlight Forest, a creature even many soldiers struggled to face. This wasn’t just a trivial achievement; it required extraordinary effort.
Even though I’m already exhausted from people watching me, it’s going to get even more intense…
Well… eventually they’d have noticed anyway. At least I didn’t have to deal with a named enemy in the Nibosus Mountains.
“Malefica seems… very interested in me.”
“Of course. You are the proud hero of our order, aren’t you? You even told me to see for myself.”
Shaking off distracting thoughts, Eric addressed Malefica confidently, noticing her fixed gaze.
“So, what do you think? Do you still doubt me?”
Through experience clearing “Protect Humanity” several times, Eric had learned the key to dealing with paranoid types like her: never appear indecisive. If there was something to hide, it must be hidden well enough that suspicion never arises; otherwise, confront it head-on.
People tend to shrink back when faced with someone boldly upfront.
“Hmm… what do you think, Lord Eric?”
“Of course, my doubts are gone. Who else is as honest as me?”
Without hesitation, Eric replied. Malefica blinked, stunned.
“…You’re surprisingly shameless.”
With the body of an incompetent person, he had mastered swordsmanship enough to easily subdue an undead wolf. Achieving such skill purely through effort, without divine blessing, must have taken years of grueling practice.
And yet… this person, who had hidden his abilities for over a decade, calls himself honest.
Or…
Malefica, staring intently at him, recalled something. She remembered old texts mentioning that some incompetents had awakened to extraordinary abilities during the past war against the Demon King—rare, but possible. Much like what heretics now preached.
“I think I understand one thing you mentioned before.”
“One thing?”
“Yes. Why Leona and Lillian trust you so completely.”
After staring at Eric for a while, Malefica slowly relaxed, her expression softening. His confident, unwavering gaze was unlike any incompetent she had encountered. He had a strange charisma, even if she wasn’t sure about his ties to heretics.
Thud—
The uneasy atmosphere between them was interrupted by approaching footsteps.
“…Thank you for protecting the lady today.”
The Winterrose knights approached timidly, looking embarrassed.
“And… we wish to apologize for our disrespect toward you during the journey from the Duke’s house. We acted recklessly, relying on rumors.”
Seeing the group bowing with their representative at the front, Eric spoke quietly.
“Not Lord Eric, but Hero.”
“…Huh?”
“I said before, I am not the Ather family’s heir right now. I am here as the hero of the order.”
The knights looked puzzled. They had not expected Eric to correct them like that.
“Apologies aren’t necessary. You did nothing wrong. Acting for the lord you serve is not a crime.”
Their stunned expressions were met with Eric’s warm smile.
“Lord Eric…”
Touched by his kind smile, the knights’ faces lit up with admiration.
“Lord Eric, your generosity is remarkable. Is it because you’re the order’s hero?”
Malefica, watching quietly, whispered as the knights returned to their posts.
“No. Usually, it weighs more to be forgiven so easily than to be scolded harshly.”
“…Didn’t you say you’re honest?”
“Well… I didn’t lie, did I?”
Flap—
“Ah!”
Silence returned. Lillian, who had been unconscious after fighting the undead, suddenly woke up in alarm.
“Lord Eric! How are things? The undead…”
“All caught. Luckily, no one was seriously hurt. For now.”
Seeing her worried expression, Eric reassured her, pointing to the knights and soldiers, all unscathed.
Though the intense firepower had flattened part of the forest, it created a perfect clearing for camping.
“…By the way, Lord Eric, were there trees like these here before?”
“Huh?”
Lillian’s puzzled look made Eric glance around. She pointed to something beyond the lush foliage.
That…
Eric narrowed his eyes at the massive, dark object towering above the trees.
“A tree?”
A colossal tree, several times larger than the others. He tilted his head in confusion.
…Was it always this big?
As Eric recalled the memory, he jumped to his feet.
“What is it, Lord Eric?”
Leona, standing guard nearby, hurried over as Eric stared at the tree seriously.
“The camp is off. Pack the tents and gather the supplies, now.”
“Huh? S-suddenly?”
It wasn’t just slightly bigger—this tree alone stood out impossibly. Even Malefica, with her keen perception, must have noticed.
Rumble—
“What’s happening?!”
“T-the ground…!”
Crack—crack—BOOM!
Sure enough, from the opposite side of the clearing, a massive root burst through the cracked ground, accompanied by the shocked shouts of the soldiers.
“Grab your weapons!”
“The lady? Is she safe?!”
The root was thicker than a human torso.
…This is bad.
Such sudden growth could only mean one thing: the Nightmare of the Dead artifact had gone berserk. The Count’s heirloom, the Jewel of Life, was evidently the cause.
“What should we do, Lord Eric?”
“Shall I use magic? If we burn it—”
Looking at the chaos, Leona and Lillian waited expectantly for a solution.
“No.”
Eric shook his head firmly, gesturing toward the supplies under the tents, and walked alone toward them.
“Miss Ophelia, are you alright?”
“L-Lord Eric? The trees…”
He reached Ophelia, calming her down.
“Take the soldiers and leave the forest immediately.”
“…Huh?”
The Jewel of Life going berserk wasn’t just accelerating plant growth. As seen earlier, its effect extended beyond vegetation.
Contrary to common belief about necromancy, raising a corpse as undead usually takes time. Fresh corpses still have vitality and cannot immediately accept the necromantic energy.
But with this uncontrolled power, the undead could rise in seconds and attack companions.
“But the heirloom—”
“Now is not the time! If we wait any longer, it’ll be too late. Go!”
Seeing Ophelia hesitate, Eric frowned. Even strong knights could struggle if more undead appeared, especially when everyone was already exhausted.
“And you, Lord Eric…?”
“Miss!”
A knight hurried to Ophelia as she wavered.
“What’s your name, Sir?”
“Uh… Bel—”
“Good. Sir Bel, take the lady and leave the forest with the soldiers, immediately.”
The same knight who had earlier sought Eric’s forgiveness nodded.
“Yes, sir!”
Eric handed Ophelia to him and watched them leave.
“Even though they’re from another family, is it okay to give such orders?”
Seeing them depart, Malefica sighed in relief and asked about Eric’s plan.
“With the situation like this, who cares about families?”
Even though he was heir to the duke’s house, he had no authority over another family’s knights. But there was no time to worry about such things.
“So… what will you do now?”
Eric steadied himself and looked around.
Rumble… Uurgh…
Fallen and tilted plants due to the bursting roots. Undead were beginning to appear.
Ghoul (Human Knight)
Level: 22
Strength: 30
Agility: 15
Vitality: 30
Mana: 8
Traits: X
The number wasn’t as large as before, thanks to previous battles. But each was still knight-level.
“What do you mean, ‘what do we do’? Find the cause and fix the anomaly, that’s what we do.”
Having decided, Eric glanced at the enormous tree in the distance and drew his sword.
At least now, there was no need to comb through the entire forest.
That was the whole point of coming here anyway.
