Chapter 2

002

Caw-.

A loud crow's call echoed mournfully.

The rain, which had been falling all night, continued to pour down without end.

Thud, thud, the sound of raindrops hitting the carriage roof never ceased.

Due to the deep mud everywhere, the coachman had a hard time, but the carriage somehow managed to move forward.

“...”

Inside the carriage, over a dozen people were squeezed in.

They all looked like rats pulled out of a sewer.

If they had been well-off, they wouldn't have boarded such an uncomfortable cargo carriage.

A musty, moldy smell filled the carriage, but no one complained; they all kept their mouths tightly shut.

One of the men, who had been rolling his eyes, couldn't help but speak to the person in front of him.

“Hey.”

A young man leaning against the corner opened his eyes.

His dim eyes revealed a dark green gaze that fixed on the man.

The man, who had suddenly made eye contact, absentmindedly scratched his arm.

“What is it?”

“Do you know where this carriage is heading before you got on?”

“Yes, it's on the way to Keholing, isn't it?”

“It's a place where two nobles are currently in conflict.”

The young man shrugged as if to say, "So what?"

“That's why I'm going there. Isn't that the case for you too? Your luggage looks quite substantial.”

He pointed to the leather bundle the man was carrying. The man's luggage was filled with various odds and ends, making strange noises whenever the carriage jolted.

The man cleared his throat and fiddled with the leather strap on his back. His hands were already drenched in sweat.

“I'm a peddler. There aren't many opportunities to make a quick profit like a war for wandering merchants.”

The peddler's eyes narrowed as he scrutinized the young man again.

The young man was wearing a tattered burlap sack, and his physique didn't look good. Moreover, his complexion was pale, giving him the appearance of a sick person.

“However, you don't have any luggage, and you don't look like a mercenary trying to make a fortune.”

The peddler's honest assessment made the young man chuckle.

“It's a rude question, but can you tell me what you can do? It's a shame for a young man to go to the battlefield recklessly.”

Another person, who had been listening quietly, chimed in.

“Well, that could be it. You look pretty good, and your skin is fair. What would a slender man like you be doing on the battlefield?”

He made a lewd gesture with his hands and chuckled. The man grinned, revealing his rotten teeth.

“Why don't you come with me when the carriage stops? Two silver coins, how about it? I'm a broker, so I have plenty of coins.”

He was a fence, not a broker.

Despite the rude remarks, the young man smiled and replied.

“I'm sorry, but I'm an undertaker.”

“Hmph! What a pity. Still, if you need travel money, just let me know. I'm willing to give you three silver coins.”

The fence smacked his lips and turned away, as if he had lost interest.

The peddler, who had been watching, spoke cautiously, perhaps feeling embarrassed.

“Still, why Keholing? These days, there are plenty of places where you can bury bodies, right?”

The young man nodded.

“That's true. Everywhere, only ominous news is heard.”

Indeed, it was an era of turmoil.

The ailing emperor's condition was worsening, and rumors were spreading that an incapable child would succeed to the golden throne. Gossips claimed that the empress was exercising influence from behind the scenes.

In opposition, the Duke of Keholing, the emperor's brother-in-law and one of the seven dukes, openly displayed his disloyal attitude toward the royal family.

Taking advantage of the weakened central control, the dukes were struggling to claim even a small piece of land with forged documents.

To make matters worse, plagues were rampant, and earthquakes and hailstorms were occurring simultaneously.

Rumors were also spreading that heretics were sending scouts to spy on the empire's territories, making it a particularly chaotic time.

“This is the place where the most intense conflicts are happening! I can make a fortune, but do you really need an undertaker when all the bodies will be dumped in a pit?”

The young man closed his left eye and murmured.

“As I said, I am an undertaker. Even wildflowers have names, so how tragic must it be for those who die namelessly on the battlefield.”

His eyes were filled with a strange sense of mission.

The young man added calmly.

“Welcoming the dead on their final journey is my duty and a sign of respect. Although I can't perform funerals for everyone, I will accompany as many as I can.”

The peddler was visibly moved.

‘In such a harsh era, there are still kind young men like this... At least the gods are still watching over us.’

However, his moved feelings were shattered by someone's sharp remark.

“You'll be dead in less than a week. Who will bury who?”

Everyone's attention turned to the source of the voice.

It was a man in a cloak. His face was hidden, but he sneered.

“You look like you could die at any moment. Instead of worrying about the funerals of fools who go to war for a few coins, why don't you worry about your own life?”

The young man was unfazed by the harsh words.

“Well, if I die there, it must be the will of heaven. Who would take this wretched body?”

The man in the cloak chuckled.

“Without any insignia, you're just pretending to be a monk.”

The young man's attire resembled a monk's, but there were no symbols of any church.

A faint smile on his face.

Narrow, but ominous eyes.

Such a look is usually seen in fanatics with misguided beliefs.

The undertaker sneered as he looked the young man up and down.

“You're a madman, aren't you? No wonder you're only cleaning bodies.”

The peddler's face twisted. He wanted to speak but held back when he saw the young man's calm expression.

“Do you know that corpses are the source of plagues? You call yourself an undertaker, but you don't even have a beak mask to protect your face. And you don't have proper gloves.”

“I have the equipment.”

“Don't lie. I've been watching, and you only put some useless junk in the luggage compartment and got on with nothing. Are you even a proper undertaker?”

The undertaker's face showed a fleeting sadness.

The fence, who had been pretending to sleep, opened his eyes halfway and chuckled.

“Indeed, that's true, isn't it? Hehe. You were probably embarrassed to say it in front of everyone, but soon the coachman will take a break...”

Thud!

Suddenly, the carriage came to a noisy stop. As a result, the people cramped inside tumbled over each other.

The fence, who had been pushed down, roughly pushed the peddler away and shouted.

“Damn it! What the hell! The coachman is driving like a madman!”

Thump, thump!

Everyone immediately tensed up.

The sound of knocking on the window meant that someone had stopped the carriage.

Moreover, this was a desolate road, and heading to Keholing was not a good sign.

As some people subtly reached for their waists, a voice was heard.

—This is a checkpoint! By the order of Duke Stephan, we are monitoring the movements of people traveling here. Everyone in the carriage, come out!

At the mention of a checkpoint, the men exchanged glances and cautiously opened the carriage windows.

Through the gap, they saw rough-looking men in tattered armor.

“Hurry up and get out! If you delay, you'll be executed for treason!”

Despite the soldiers' menacing threats, the men remained cautious.

After confirming the duke's flag outside, they exchanged glances.

Nodding, they removed their hands from their waists and slowly got out of the carriage.

As the people in the carriage got out one by one, the man in the corner muttered.

“Why are the duke's soldiers here? I heard that Duke Stephan was reorganizing his troops near the Frongi fortress...”

The undertaker, who had been sitting at the back, didn't miss his muttering. He subtly leaned out to observe the situation outside.

The flag hanging on a tree looked like a rag, poorly maintained.

There were no proper fortifications or torches at the checkpoint.

The soldiers patrolling around the carriage looked ragged.

Moreover, for a wartime checkpoint, which is an important task, the soldiers were all standing in a slouch.

They were not regular soldiers.

The undertaker, who had been observing the soldiers, subtly touched the necklace in his pocket.

A faint green light flickered several times between his clothes and then faded.

After calculating in his mind, he realized that the soldiers had accumulated a significant amount of karma.

It seems like a good harvest after a long time.

A subtle smile appeared on the undertaker's lips.