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Chapter 34
“Uben, what did you say?”
Lilia bent toward the child who had come running in panic.
“People are here!”
Both Lilia and Lumi, who were sitting nearby, instantly had their expressions darken.
“His Highness opened the gates and let them in.”
“What—people?”
People had come to this mountain fortress—those thieves who would finally try to take our food.
Without needing to say a word, we all sprang to our feet and hurried after Uben toward the main gate.
“Ah….”
But as we drew closer, the thick smell of blood filled the air. I stopped, turning away while the others continued running.
Thump, thump, thump.
My heart began pounding uncontrollably again.
Even after stepping back into the fortress—away from the smell—it wouldn’t stop racing. It could only mean that whoever had arrived was seriously injured.
Thump, thump, thump.
The inside of the fortress was silent, as if the place were deserted.
‘I want to know exactly how many came….’
The half-formed memories stirring in my mind weren’t enough. I wanted clear information—something solid. Anxiously, I climbed the stairs.
Tap-tap-tap.
I knew that, sooner or later, we’d all find out how many had come. But still…
‘Will this really end quietly?’
I wanted to see for myself.
I stopped only when I reached the window overlooking the gate.
Below, a group of newcomers—at least twenty of them.
“Ah….”
Each one was smeared with blood and sweat, clutching large blades in their hands.
Behind them, zombies they had driven before them were now pounding violently at the gates.
If anyone here showed open distrust or hostility, it could end in serious bloodshed.
My heart, which had been racing, slowly began to calm—but unease kept me watching the newcomers intently.
“Penelope.”
Lumi’s voice came from behind me.
He had run toward the gate earlier—so why was he here now?
His eyes swept over me quickly.
“Lumi?”
I tilted my head, confused by the worried furrow of his brow and the restless motion of his gaze.
Had he followed me?
“…You disappeared so suddenly, it startled me.”
He let out a faint sigh, the tension easing a little.
“Even if I disappear, it’s not like I can go far. It’s still within the fortress.”
“That’s true.”
Lumi erased his faint smile and stepped closer.
“I heard—you can’t stand the smell of blood. Or the sight of zombies.”
“Yes…”
I nodded, though my eyes stayed fixed on the scene outside.
The newcomers had laid down their weapons in one place and were now moving toward an area Haredston pointed out.
“They’re heading to the back courtyard. They want to check if anyone’s been infected before letting them in.”
I frowned, worried they might come straight inside the inner fortress, but Lumi explained further.
“From that room, we can see them better.”
He walked ahead, went into a nearby room, and brought out a chair.
“Can you see clearly?” he asked, sitting by the window.
I gave a small nod, and only then did he look back at me.
“Do you think any of them are zombies?”
People were gathering slowly in the courtyard below. I searched my memory of the novel quickly, scanning their faces.
“…I’m not sure.”
Nothing came to mind.
Which meant—even if one of them did turn, it wouldn’t change much.
Idorian and Haredston could take down zombies barehanded if they needed to. Just like in the novel, they’d handle it.
“Huh?”
The survivors who had climbed the mountain now collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath.
“What is it? Do you see something strange?”
“It’s just… they’re all men.”
The group of survivors was entirely male.
“So?”
“It’s nothing. Just…”
In the novel, they claimed to have fled their cruel lord and come seeking refuge here.
It was a lie, of course, but that was the excuse they gave the protagonists.
So I had assumed they’d come as family groups, not like this….
“Lilia, Uben! Step back!”
Lumi threw open the window and shouted.
Idorian, seeming to sense something too, roughly pulled Lilia and Uben behind him.
And then I saw it—someone in the courtyard trembling violently.
Thump, thump, thump.
Just like me when I struggled against the smell of blood—his whole body was shaking uncontrollably.
“Does the smell bother you even from this distance?”
Maybe he was too badly injured. The scent of blood was drifting even this far on the wind.
Did I make a face?
Click.
Lumi shut the window again and caught my wrist as I instinctively stepped back.
“They might be badly hurt,” he said, glancing at my hand in his grasp before turning back to the window.
Outside, the trembling man suddenly froze, motionless as if dead.
“To smell blood even from this far…” Lumi murmured.
Haredston drew his sword and cautiously approached the man on the ground.
His blade pointed straight at the man’s chest.
Then, as if on command from Idorian, Uben and Lilia ran back inside the fortress.
“This just got a lot more complicated,” Lumi said quietly.
He was still staring at my wrist.
Only then did I realize he hadn’t let go. I tried to pull free.
“…Lumi?”
“Wait,” he said softly, tightening his grip.
“Just a moment.”
His eyes stayed fixed on my wrist. He said nothing—for a long while.
“Three minutes,” he finally murmured.
I blinked, startled. I had thought he was holding my hand to reassure me—but no.
“What do you—”
I jerked my arm, trying to break free.
But he released me of his own accord.
Because my awakening—had just ended.
More precisely, it ended right when Lumi had said three minutes.
“You… Lumi, you just….”
When my awakening ceased, our hands separated. He had been counting my heartbeat.
He had been measuring my heartbeat.
The realization froze my thoughts.
‘Did Lumi really count my heartbeats?’
But why…?
“What did you just do?”
His gaze swept over me slowly.
I couldn’t begin to guess what he was thinking.
“Why would you do that?”
Did he know something?
No—that couldn’t be….
“Lumi. Answer me.”
My voice came out sharper than I meant, edged by fear.
“I already know,” he said quietly.
“I’ve known for quite some time.”
And then—
Tat-tat-tat!
“Lady Penelope! Lumi!”
We turned. Footsteps were pounding up the stairs.
“There you are!”
Lilia and Uben appeared, breathless, rushing toward us.
“Did you see it too?”
“A zombie got inside! That man—it’s a zombie!”
Standing close to Lumi, Uben pointed out the window.
“Oh—it’s getting up! It’s moving!”
The man who had fallen dead was rising again.
And by then, he was no longer human.
Kieeek!
A high, shrieking cry burst out as it lunged toward the nearest person, jaws snapping.
Haredston’s sword flashed high.
In an instant, the zombie’s head was severed.
“Ah….”
A small sound escaped my lips before I could stop it.
The decapitated body twitched uselessly for a few moments before going still.
Its head rolled several times before stopping against a stone, and someone picked up a nearby rock and smashed it down hard.
It all happened in seconds.
Now I understood what Idorian had meant when he said the state prioritized capturing zombies alive—he hadn’t meant individuals were required to do the same.
If someone was discovered to be a zombie, their head was still taken off—just like that.
The forgotten fear of death washed over me.
“To think they tried to sneak into the fortress while infected!”
“We could’ve all died!”
Uben and Lilia stamped their feet in anger and relief.
Beside me, Lumi rose slowly and murmured,
“I told you—it’s gotten much more complicated.”
I finally tore my eyes away from the zombie’s corpse.
“Be careful, Penelope.”
His blue eyes met mine—steady, unwavering.
He already knew.
Lumi already knew I was a zombie.
And the warning he whispered, meant for my ears alone, echoed in my head like a roar.
