TAVBZ 72

Chapter 72

Using the kettle Lumi had brought, we boiled the lake water and sipped it little by little to wet our throats. After that, Idorian said we couldn’t delay any longer, then sprinkled sand over the campfire to put it out.

Once all preparations were complete, we crossed the lake. Idorian carried Uben, and Lumi helped me. Lumi always enjoyed cooling off in waterways during the hot summer, but I had no idea he was this skilled at swimming. Above all, he was always the one who lagged behind the most whenever we trained with Heresden.

Yet Lumi, even while holding my hand and pulling me along, reached the other side of the lake before Idorian.

“Lumi, you’re good at swimming,” Uben said, finally stepping onto land a little later. His short remark, however, carried not admiration, but suspicion in his now narrower eyes.

“Don’t you have good stamina?”

Lumi looked down at him, as though confused by the sudden accusation.

“I’m saying—weren’t you pretending to be exhausted during training? You weren’t actually tired, were you?”

Lumi shook his head vehemently, as if wronged.

“Uben, that’s not true.”

If nothing else, Lumi truly looked as if he would collapse during training sessions.

“Anyway, let’s hurry and find a zombie corpse,” I whispered quietly. “We need to get back to the fortress before sunset.”

Thanks to Lumi having brought a sword, Idorian finally agreed to return. Since I now had a blade, he must have judged the decision wasn’t as reckless as before.

The path back up to the fortress was longer than going down the mountain, but if we wanted to rejoin the Imperial Army, it was the only choice.

“I didn’t see anything like a zombie corpse on the way here,” Lumi said, following behind Idorian.

Uben nodded. “I checked the surroundings too, but I don’t think there were any near the lake.”

“We’ll have to search somewhere not too far from the water…” Idorian muttered anxiously.

Just then, a wind from the west blew through our hair. The rotten stench it carried stabbed sharply at my nose. Judging from the intensity, the zombie corpse we sought couldn’t be far.

“Your Highness, this way.”

As I moved to the front, Idorian immediately rushed to my side.

“Penelope, don’t act alone,” he warned in a low tone. “In this situation, a zombie could appear anytime, anywhere. Please don’t move by yourself.”

I nodded, but still continued toward the source of the smell.

Soon, we spotted a zombie lying beneath a tree.

“A zombie corpse,” I said.

Idorian nodded in relief.

But as we approached, we saw the body was horribly mangled—its limbs torn apart, clearly chewed by some beast.

“We need to get out of here,” Idorian urged, sensing the danger. He didn’t explain further, likely unwilling to frighten us.

Instead, he smeared the zombie’s blood and some unknown tissue onto us. The stench clung to our bodies, making my stomach churn, and judging from everyone’s expression, I wasn’t the only one struggling. Still, no one complained. Sticky blood covered us from head to toe, but survival came first.

“Let’s go. Quickly.”

Following Idorian’s earlier instructions, we began walking. Uben and I took the lead, while Lumi and Idorian stayed close behind.

We walked for a long time. Twice, we encountered zombies, but since the smell of the corpse masked our scent, they ignored us. Another zombie seemed to notice us, but Idorian dealt with it before it caused trouble.

We continued climbing. Uben’s steps grew heavier. The steep slope was taking its toll.

“A little farther, and the terrain will level out,” Idorian murmured.

He said nothing else, but Uben pressed his lips together and kept going. Only the sliding sound of pebbles and occasional bird calls pierced the silence. Everyone controlled their breaths, making even the tiniest noises unnervingly clear.

Rustle—

A sound came from the brush up ahead.

A zombie?

We froze. The sound was right in front of us. As we scanned the shrubs anxiously, a low, rough breathing reached our ears.

“…Your Highness,” someone whispered.

Then something moved in the bushes.

What emerged was not a zombie—but a massive bear. Covered in shining, jet-black fur, it glared straight at us, muscles rippling beneath its hide.

Terror seized me.

The bear stepped closer, sniffing loudly—sniff, sniff—without breaking eye contact.

We have to run.
The thought screamed inside my head, drowning out everything else. But reason knew the truth—we couldn’t outrun a bear. Humans were no match for its speed.

My legs wouldn’t move. Uben beside me looked frozen as well.

“Don’t make eye contact,” Lumi whispered.

Someone grabbed my hand—and my clothes.

“Don’t turn your back. Lower your posture a bit and slowly move away.”

Swallowing fear, I did as Lumi instructed. Uben followed suit.

Slowly… slowly…

Please, just lose interest and go away, I prayed silently as we retreated step by step.

My heart pounded like mad. This—this fear of mountain beasts—was one of the reasons I stayed inside the fortress to begin with.

The bear’s muscles bunched as it shifted its weight. If even one swipe of that paw touched us, our heads would be crushed instantly.

“Keep walking behind me,” Idorian said, standing his ground. He gripped his sword so tightly his knuckles turned white.

“If things go wrong, run. Be ready.”

Moments later—

Crack.

A twig snapped under someone’s foot.

The bear roared and scraped the ground. It lowered its body, then slammed its paw down.

“Run!” Idorian shouted.

The bear charged, and we turned and fled.

We flew down the slope we had struggled to climb. No time for frustration—only survival. Heavy footsteps thundered behind us.

I glanced around. Uben was on my left, Lumi on my right—but Idorian was nowhere in sight.

“Ugh—”

A pained groan rang out behind us. Without thinking, I looked back.

“Lumi!”

His ankle bent awkwardly—he had twisted it. He staggered, unable to run properly.

I reached out my hand in desperation. He tried to grab it, but with his limp, he couldn’t pick up speed.

I scanned behind us.

The bear was no longer visible.
Idorian was gone, too.

“Go! I’ll follow—just run!” Lumi shouted through clenched teeth.

Then—an iron-rich scent pierced my nose.

Blood.

It was coming from the direction we had fled—from where Idorian was.

“Ah…”

My already frantic heart beat so violently I couldn’t breathe.

Was Idorian injured?
What if he was dead?
What if he died because we left the fortress?

The scent wasn’t strong—he probably wasn’t dead.

He’s just hurt. Just a little hurt.

But no matter how I tried to think rationally, my head—and my eyes—kept turning back toward where we left Idorian behind.