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Episode 5
“Huff… huff…”
Werner, the Crown Prince’s escort knight, struggled to catch his breath. It was obvious he’d sprinted here straight from the knight order’s training grounds.
“Werner. What’s going on?”
“Well— huff, huff— at the knight order, Sir Isaac”
Did Isaac’s wrist fall off again or something?
If he shouted something like There’s a zombie in the knight order! Or Sir Isaac turned into a zombie! It would all be over.
I hid my trembling fingers behind my back. Thankfully, Tristan’s attention was fully on Werner.
“Well, you see— Sir Isaac and Sir Harold are about to have a duel!”
“…What?”
Tristan’s expression hardened.
“Isn’t it a once-in-a-lifetime spectacle? People have been betting forever on who’s the strongest in the knight order, but the two of them never fought, so it always fizzled out. This time, I bet on Sir Harold!”
Werner poured out his excitement without a care.
“Oh— my apologies, Lady Walker is here. Didn’t mean to be rude. Last time I bet on Sir Isaac, so please don’t misunderstand.”
He even flashed me a friendly grin.
At least they haven’t found out he’s a zombie… yet.
He should be lying low, not dueling. If this went wrong, everyone would find out he wasn’t human anymore.
No. As long as His Highness doesn’t see it himself, maybe we can still cover it up.
“You really are something else…”
Tristan pressed his fingers to his forehead, clearly annoyed by Werner’s antics. Luckily, he didn’t seem interested in the duel.
“Go. Now.”
“Just as I expected!”
Shattering my hope, Tristan sprang to his feet.
“I already told them to save the best seats. Let’s go!”
“I could learn something myself.”
As a knight, he seemed genuinely interested in watching skilled fighters like Isaac and Harold.
I barely resisted the urge to smack my own forehead.
“Ah, if you’re not too busy, would you like to come as well, my lady?”
Werner naturally included me.
As the Crown Prince’s escort knight, he was usually friendly even with clerks. Normally, I’d have declined.
“Would that be alright?”
But this time was different. I smiled shyly, laying the groundwork to stop the duel.
“Actually, my brother Isaac hasn’t been feeling well lately…”
“I heard he broke three wooden swords during training the other day?”
“…That’s exactly why I’m worried. I’m afraid he’s pushing himself too hard.”
“He usually breaks around five. That’s why people joke he eats up the knight order’s budget the most! Hahaha!”
Werner laughed heartily. I barely stopped myself from wanting to punch his exposed Adam’s apple.
Isaac… what exactly have you been doing all this time?
I wasn’t in charge of budget allocation, so I had no idea he was that bad.
I silently apologized to whoever handled the budget and followed Tristan and Werner out of the office.
What do I do…
Isaac hid his anxiety and tried to look calm as he gripped the wooden sword. He swung it lightly a few times—this much was fine.
But if I put in even a little strength.
Crack!
A chilling sound came from his wrist. It felt like it could drop off at any moment, so Isaac carefully grabbed it.
Damn it. I wasn’t supposed to take the bait.
He let out a deep sigh. He really wanted to avoid this situation.
If Harold hadn’t touched his nerve, he would’ve laughed it off.
Isaac, about your sister. What was her name… Emily? Anyway, she’s the defective one with no ability, right? She’s old enough now—wouldn’t it be profitable to sell her off to a decent family?
The memory made his teeth grind again.
I’m planning to formally propose soon, so take good care of things, yeah? I know the Walker family only accepts sons-in-law, but surely you won’t apply the same rule to defective goods, right?
He knew it was provocation. Still, he couldn’t tolerate it.
Emily wasn’t someone who deserved insults from trash like Harold.
Strictly speaking, Emily wasn’t lacking at all.
She wasn’t extraordinary, but she was a lovely sister. Smart. Kind.
But for Walker, that wasn’t enough.
Her soft pink hair looked like cotton candy, and her gentle green eyes were pleasant—but next to her siblings, she faded.
She was smart, but not like their eldest brother, who remembered everything at a glance.
She wasn’t bad physically, but she couldn’t compare to the second brother, who could shatter rocks barehanded.
She had decent dexterity, but she couldn’t rival her twin sister, who mixed potions with perfect precision.
In the Walker ducal house—where each generation was born with one divine talent—Emily was painfully ordinary.
But that’s only what ignorant fools say.
Isaac often thought back to when their parents died. Without Emily’s calm smile, the family would’ve fallen apart completely.
When everyone else was lost, she stood firm and became their support.
No one was allowed to treat her lightly.
Isaac tightened his grip on the wooden sword. The blessing God gave him was unmatched physical strength—but as a zombie, it was nearly useless.
Still, his experience hadn’t disappeared.
He closed his eyes briefly, then opened them again. The duel was about to begin.
The training ground, normally used only by knights, was packed with people. Word of the duel had spread fast.
But with the Crown Prince present, there was a strange, space around us, like an invisible barrier.
Thanks to that, it was surprisingly comfortable to watch despite the crowd.
“This is why it’s convenient to bring His Highness along, right?”
Werner grinned. Clearly, that was his plan.
“Oh, it’s starting!”
We sat on the folding chairs Werner brought. At the same time, Isaac and Harold stepped onto the field.
His wrist…
Without realizing it, I checked his wrist first. Thankfully, it was still attached.
“Salute.”
A duel between knights was an honorable contest. The two bowed politely to each other.
“Ready!”
They took positions with their wooden swords. I had to work hard to hide my anxiety.
“Is he really that unwell?”
I flinched at the voice near my left ear. When I turned, Tristan was leaning slightly toward me.
It was the first time I’d been this close to him, and I instinctively looked away.
“…Pardon?”
“Sir Isaac.”
“Oh, my brother. Yes, um. He’s been saying his stomach hasn’t felt right these past few days. Maybe something he ate didn’t agree with him…”
“That explains why he looks so pale. He’s practically blue.”
Werner chimed in. Under the training ground lights, Isaac looked even more ghostly.
Of course he does. He’s a zombie.
Not a drop of blood flowed through his veins.
I need to make him wear makeup next time…
Today, his leave had been rejected, so he’d rushed to work like that. Anyone could tell he looked sick.
“Is he really okay?”
“Wait, that changes things. I’m switching my bet back to Harold!”
“Please win, Isaac! Do you know how much I bet on you?!”
Cheers and groans mixed. I looked at Harold, standing opposite Isaac. Even though it was obvious Isaac was unwell, Harold had no intention of backing down.
Figures. This duel wasn’t a coincidence.
Great talent always casts a deep shadow.
Isaac became the youngest knight through sheer talent, then the youngest to join the imperial knight order.
People even said he was guaranteed to become the youngest captain. Of course, he had enemies.
“St—art!”
The moment the duel began, Harold charged.
“Hyaaah!”
His wooden sword swung toward Isaac’s neck. Even with wooden swords, a wrong hit could cause serious injury.
Clack! Swish.
Isaac smoothly redirected the strike. Using Harold’s own momentum, he deflected it, throwing Harold off balance.
Whoosh!
Isaac’s sword aimed for the back of Harold’s neck.
Clack!
Harold blocked and rolled away, creating distance.
Frowning, he rotated the hand holding his sword. Isaac’s strike had been unnaturally light.
As expected, he can’t put strength into it.
I wasn’t an expert, but I’d seen Isaac’s monstrous strength since childhood.
If he’d swung seriously, Harold’s sword would’ve snapped in half.
Harold seemed to sense that Isaac wasn’t at full strength. Smirking, he charged straight at him again.
Clack, clack! Swish—bang!
Wooden swords collided repeatedly. Every time Isaac deflected, Harold struck the opening.
It was an obvious attempt to force a fight.
And Harold was right.
Isaac’s wrist was twisting more and more.
Crack…
Others might think it was just flexibility.
But I saw it clearly.
His wrist was seconds away from snapping completely.
