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Chapter 73
“Lady Penelope!”
Uben, who was running ahead, shouted urgently. He had stopped and was now turning back toward us.
“His Highness will be here soon! We have to go!”
There was no time to hesitate.
Eudorian…
Among all of us, he was the strongest. And above all, if someone had actually died, the scent of blood would not have been this faint.
“Penelope?”
I quickly approached Lumi and hoisted him onto my back.
“If you carry me like this, people will definitely think—”
“Just stay on.”
I cut Lumi off mid-sentence, lifted him securely, and started running. My heart pounded violently at the smell of blood, but strangely, that made carrying Lumi easier. I soon caught up with Uben, who had been running ahead.
“H-haah… haah… W-where is His Highness?”
Uben gasped between ragged breaths. We had run so far that even the faint blood scent had disappeared.
“He’ll come. We need to get down first.”
As the smell faded, my heightened state began to dissolve. Lumi’s weight suddenly felt heavier and heavier.
He was slender, yes, but still a grown man nearly as tall as Eudorian. Just keeping his long legs from dragging on the ground was a struggle.
I adjusted my grip as Lumi kept slipping downward, bracing my shaky knees before forcing myself to move again.
We had to hurry.
I needed to get Lumi and Uben somewhere safe—then go back for Eudorian.
But the longer Eudorian failed to appear, the more unease gnawed at me.
He must be hiding somewhere… waiting until I return.
Up in a tree, perhaps, like he had done before when he brought Lumi back from the forest.
He had survived then. He had to survive now.
“Penelope. Put me down. You can’t go any farther.”
“Just stay on. That’s how you can help.”
Lumi wasn’t wrong. Soon, I wouldn’t be able to carry him at all. But stubbornness kept me moving.
“…I hope no one dies.”
I might be able to keep my mind even as a zombie, thanks to my possession advantage. But the others wouldn’t. One bite, and they would forget who they were, where they were—wandering aimlessly, chasing humans.
I didn’t want that. I couldn’t bear it if they became zombies on this mountain.
“How could I ever put you down?”
Lumi had followed us into danger, armed only with a sword and a teapot because he was worried. He was the one who always ate the food Eudorian pretended to pass to me, without drawing attention.
Only now did I realize how carefully he had looked after me within the fortress.
“My lady! Lumi! Hurry!”
He had helped me work the fields despite hating the heat. He ate meals he didn’t even want because I cooked them. He reacted to my ideas as sincerely as if they were his own.
“Let’s go together.”
“……”
Lumi fell silent.
Then suddenly—blood. A thick, sharp scent hit me.
It was Lumi.
Thump, thump, thump.
My slowing pulse surged again. I sprinted toward Uben, who was running ahead and anxiously glancing back at us.
I didn’t know how Lumi did it, but the blood scent flared sharply, then vanished. Thanks to that burst, I could focus on running again. Every so often, a faint trace leaked out.
He timed it perfectly—just enough scent to prolong my awakened state, just when it would run out.
I couldn’t see it, but I could feel Lumi clutching Uben’s collar tightly.
“Uben. We’re almost there. Just a bit more.”
The slope grew gentler. We were nearly down the mountain.
“Find a building we can hide in.”
Three zombies, reacting to the sound of our running, turned their heads toward us. Their dull, unfocused eyes fixed on our figures.
Grrr—
I didn’t slow down. The smell of corpses on us masked our human scent. They heard noise, but wouldn’t smell humans.
If we just moved quickly, we could avoid them.
Even so, I shifted Uben slightly to the opposite side of the zombies.
No reason to take unnecessary risks.
Grrr—
Their ruined throats scratched out louder groans. One swung its arm through empty air, as if trying to grab us.
Then one zombie staggered, changed direction, and began following.
It was coming after us.
That meant it smelled humans.
Sweat poured down Uben’s face as he glanced back.
“The scent must be fading. Uben, hurry!”
Excessive sweat must have washed off the zombie blood covering him.
Finally—escape.
The trees opened, and a wide clearing appeared. Scattered houses dotted the land.
I scanned for the sturdiest structure nearby.
“My lady! Over there!”
Uben pointed. We ran.
The zombies around the houses all turned toward us—dragging their feet, swinging their arms wildly as they closed in.
Lumi’s scent had completely vanished now. My awakened state was ending. I pushed myself before my strength disappeared.
Crack!
I kicked a zombie that came too close, knocking it down.
The building appeared. Abandoned farm tools littered the yard. Rotten wood piles lay scattered. The roof was partially collapsed, and windows broken—but the wooden door was intact.
I shoved it open.
Dust and old timber air rushed out. Light streamed in through broken windows, revealing warped floorboards, a rusted stove, and a cracked table covered in rusted cans and shattered dishes.
A narrow staircase led up toward the roof. The steps were steep, and parts of the edges were broken, but there was space under the high gable.
I grabbed a shard of broken dish, hoisted Lumi, and climbed the stairs.
“Lumi. Stay here with Uben.”
I set him down on the carpeted floor.
“I’ll be back with His Highness.”
I checked him again—where was he injured? The blood scent earlier had come from somewhere.
Lumi simply nodded.
“We’ll wait here. Just… come back.”
As he spoke—blood scent again.
“Go. To Eudorian.”
His red lips closed tight. He must have bitten the inside of his mouth.
“…Stay safe.”
I gave Lumi one last look and turned away.
On the way down, I dragged the shard across my palm.
Drip, drip—
Blood ran down my wrist and into my clothes.
“Uben, stay quiet with Lumi. Go upstairs. Now.”
“What about you?”
“I’ll return with His Highness. Don’t worry.”
I stroked his hair and face firmly. Zombie blood still covered him—his human scent was masked again.
Uben looked like he wanted to protest, but he swallowed it and nodded.
I opened the door and stepped outside.
Zombies reacted to the noise, but soon lost interest. I had no human scent.
Thump, thump, thump.
My awakening would end soon.
How far could I climb before that?
And if I found Eudorian again—would he still recognize me?
Please, I prayed, let the Eudorian I meet again be the one I know.
