Chapter 31

As they stepped into the village, Gilbert and his team first secured an evacuation route for the residents using weapons blessed with holy water.

The undead monsters now covering half the village have no sight or hearing, and they attack by following the scent of moving creatures. It seems they can also detect temperature, as they do not react to inorganic matter.

"Are their killing abilities really that low? How low exactly?"

Gilbert, eyeing the undead monsters densely clinging to the roof of a nearby house, asked one of his soldiers.

"They don't have sharp teeth or claws. Instead, their saliva contains a mild poison. It's not strong enough to cause immediate death, but it gradually paralyzes the body and affects the mind, making it hard to move and think."

A mercenary standing nearby grimaced.

"Even without teeth, being bitten could be troublesome later. Well, if we can get healed by a cleric before we can't move, we should be fine."

Several clerics accompanying them nodded in agreement.

A mercenary who had been checking for remaining residents returned, carrying a barrel.

"Let's use this. It's probably whey from goat cheese. The strong smell makes it perfect as a decoy."

The barrel contained a yellow, murky liquid, likely discarded and fermented, giving off a unique odor. The men grimaced, then poured the liquid over their heads using a ladle.

"Well... now we just need to lure them as far away from the village as possible and keep crushing them until they can't move."

"Can't say I've seen a simpler or dumber plan. It's a valuable experience, though."

"Is that supposed to be a compliment...?"

Gilbert and the men, joking around, ran towards the swarm of undead monsters, now reeking of the fermented dairy product.

◆◆◆

A carriage, loaded with evacuating residents, sped towards the city.

"Will Gilbert and the others be alright?"

Flora, her face filled with worry, clutched the brooch Gilbert had given her and stared out the small window at the receding village.

"They have the blessing. Now we just have to pray."

Barbara, after giving a brief reassurance, removed a small statue of a goddess from the wall and handed it to Flora, who clutched it along with the brooch. The statue was a gift from the children on the day they left the village.

"And, by the way, you should think about what you want to cook for him today. It's much better to think about that than to worry. Can we borrow the kitchen in the city?"

Barbara said this calmly, with a soft smile.

◆◆◆

Gilbert and the men, left behind as decoys, stood in what had become a red and black, swamp-like area, breathing heavily.

"Seriously, they regenerate too fast."

A mercenary, out of breath, swung a club at the densely packed undead monsters. Meanwhile, Gilbert was using his battle axe to mow down several medium-sized ones at once.

The frog-like undead monsters were more troublesome than they looked. There were so many of them. Once they latched onto you, it was hard to shake them off. As the fight went on, the small wounds they inflicted began to paralyze his arms and legs.

Their bodies, splattered with red and black decayed flesh, were now in a terrible state.

"So, what do we do after this?"

Gilbert, without a moment to catch his breath, answered the intermittent questions from the exhausted men.

"The elders are bringing additional holy water and weapons from the city on their way back. We'll use them strategically and withdraw one by one from the edges."

If Dolf's words were to be believed, in the worst case, they could all force their way into the carriage.

While thinking this, Gilbert slammed his battle axe into the ground, collapsing a hill of small undead monsters. The red and black decayed flesh scattered but showed no signs of decomposing, instead bubbling and regenerating.

A mercenary standing nearby was swaying on his feet, the paralysis poison having spread significantly.

The clerics were waiting near the village entrance, having set up a barrier. However, it was difficult to get the men to the clerics for healing, as they were surrounded by the regenerating undead monsters.

The battle axe and the rope tied to it, which Flora had made, remained free of the decayed flesh, preventing his grip from slipping.

– Maybe the holy water soaked into it is working...

While thinking this, it seemed the carriage had returned.

The clerics set up a barrier at the village entrance, and the men escaped one by one, diving through it.

"My barrier can only handle this size. I need your help on the sides!"

The clerics shouted, and the soldiers who had already escaped nodded, cleansing their swords with the holy water Dolf had brought and dealing with the monsters.

Gilbert, covering the rear, was the last to leave. However, one of the mercenaries stumbled and fell to his knees, the paralysis poison having spread throughout his body.

"Hey, what's wrong!"

"Just a bit more! Get up!"

Several men rushed over, but the mercenary's strong build made it difficult to drag him out quickly.

While swinging his battle axe, Gilbert glanced at the scene and lifted a barrel of whey, pouring it over his head.

"I'll buy you some time, so get out while you can!"

He shouted, ran in a circle to attract the undead monsters, and then sprinted in the opposite direction of the village entrance. The countless undead monsters, like a red and black wave, surged after him.

While running, Gilbert was thinking about what to do next. He had acted on impulse, but the number of undead monsters chasing him was overwhelming. With that many, it wasn't a matter of low killing ability; he would be crushed to death if they caught up.

– This is bad. What should I do? ...No, if I die here, Lionel will kill me. And more importantly...

His thoughts were becoming muddled from fatigue, paralysis poison, and the situation. It was a miracle he could even run properly. The rope tied to his battle axe was swaying at the edge of his vision.

Looking back, he could see Flora, her face filled with worry, leaning out of the skylight on the carriage roof.

"Flora!!"

"…! Yes!"

Flora, surprised, responded.

"What's for dinner tonight!?"

This must be due to the paralysis poison, Gilbert thought, questioning what he was doing, but he felt he had to know.

"Beef stew, with lots of beef!!"

Flora's voice was loud and bright, and it felt like she was wishing for his safe return.

– Right. If I die here, I'll just make everyone I care about sad without accomplishing anything. I can't let that happen.

Gilbert, after confirming the distance, stopped and raised his battle axe. He needed to reduce the number of monsters chasing him and then run to the carriage.

"I have too many things to protect to die here."

As he muttered this, something exploded near his ear. There was no time to confirm it; a red and black wave of undead monsters was surging towards him.

His battle axe, swung down, sliced through the wave. At the same time, several small, white lightning bolts crackled and spread through the split.

The lightning eventually covered the entire wave of undead monsters.

The decayed flesh that fell to the ground dissolved into the earth like mist. This was the last thing Gilbert saw before his vision blurred and his consciousness faded.