Chapter 3

003

Xiaoming got out of the carriage obediently, but the soldier waiting there struck the undertaker's back of the head.

"What kind of dog's work were you doing in there to move so slowly?"

The undertaker, smoothing his hair, smiled.

"…I apologize."

Displeased by his smile, the soldier spat.

The undertaker confirmed a strange aura from his lazy eyes.

The first one to get out of the carriage was complaining with a troubled look, but a rough man stepped forward.

"All personnel, line up in a single file!"

Compared to the soldiers, who looked like beggars, this man, wearing a chainmail vest, seemed to be in charge.

The people who got out of the carriage shuffled in a line. Among them, the fence was protesting with a clear sign of dissatisfaction.

"This isn't the usual checkpoint! No matter how much the nobles are in conflict, it's already difficult enough to enter the dog-like land of Khehling…"

Swoosh.

"If you want to die, keep talking."

As the man drew his sword with a cold voice, the fence shut his mouth. The men surrounding the carriage numbered about twenty. Their equipment was not in good condition, but they held long spears and maces.

"Name, place of origin, occupation, and reason for being here."

"Piet. From Hessenau…"

They scribbled down the information of the people in the carriage on parchment. Soon, the soldier reached the young man.

"You."

"My name is Todd Howard, from Betelburg. I am an undertaker and have come to collect the bodies of the fallen."

The soldier's eyebrows rose as he wrote.

He scratched his head. It hadn't been washed in a long time, and his greasy hair was matted.

"Damn, Betelburg? You've come from far."

The frowning soldier muttered something and moved aside.

Next to him stood the hooded man who had been troublesome in the carriage.

Before the soldier could speak, a nervous voice cut in.

"Karina. Mollendorf. Assistant clerk. I came because the officials all died."

For a moment, a gleam of light passed over the soldier's eyes.

It was the kind of look you might see from a long-starved wild animal.

It seemed he had done this several times before. He would probably get some extra points.

Todd suppressed the urge to whistle.

"Huh, I can see there's no group among you. It's surprising that a woman came all the way to Khehling alone, let alone a clerk."

"What? Have you never seen a woman who can write, even in a backwater village?"

In a developed city, it might be different, but men in the frontier often looked suspiciously at women who buried their noses in books. He tapped the scabbard at his waist.

"It's not impossible. But you should be careful with your mouth, miss."

When she didn't respond, the soldier chuckled and turned away.

Todd, who had been watching him respectfully, focused on the parchment in the soldier's hand.

"…Frontier bumpkin-X, …

Bruno-goat-dung-eating-bastard-X,

…Damn, shit. …

Woman-X,

'Nobles': None."

Upon closer inspection, only hastily scribbled Xs were written.

The soldier had only pretended to record their information.

The soldier holding the list whispered to their leader.

The leader cleared his throat and raised his voice.

"I am Centurion Bruno. As you know, this is a conflict zone! By the order of the esteemed Margrave, a requisition order has been issued in this area! Each of you must pay three standard silver coins of Agentum or an equivalent value!"

The soldiers immediately raised their spears with a fierce look.

In reality, it was a requisition, but their actions were no different from robbery. Even if the conflict between the nobles intensified, it was an unwritten rule not to harm the common people traveling in the area, but these men had no qualms.

Everyone looked displeased, but there was nothing they could do since it was the Margrave's order.

"Sir! Can't this do? If I sell all this and come back, I won't have anything left!"

"Shut up. If you don't want to get your guts ripped out, open your bag. Old man."

While complaints and minor arguments continued, a soldier approached Todd.

The only things he had were burlap, an old bell, an incense burner, a small shovel, and various surgical tools.

The soldier frowned at the sight.

"Hey, undertaker. If you have nothing to offer, you can't pass. Got anything useful?"

Todd rubbed the back of his neck and handed over a necklace with a faint green gem.

"Is this enough?"

The soldier, who immediately smiled, snatched the necklace.

"More than enough. These days, with so many corpses, even undertakers carry such things. It's the end of the world, the end of the world."

Todd thought that the Margrave's troops acting like highwaymen was the real end of the world, but he didn't say it out loud.

Karina curtly handed over three silver coins when the soldier approached. He thought the soldier would turn away quietly after clutching the coins in his palm.

After all, once the preceding people had paid their share, they wouldn't be bothered anymore.

But the soldier was staring beyond her shadowy cloak.

"Take off your cloak."

"What? I already paid what you asked for!"

"I've checked everyone else's faces. Only yours is hidden."

The soldiers' gazes were now focused on her.

The atmosphere suddenly turned tense. Karina instinctively took a step back.

"Why do you need to see my face? I already told you, I'm a clerk sent from Mollendorf…"

"How do we know? For all we know, you could be a spy for the enemy. No more talk, take off your cloak."

As the soldier reached out his hand, Karina roughly slapped it away. The force of the slap was so strong that her palm turned red.

"You bitch…!"

Just as the soldier, who had lost his temper, drew his sword, a burst of flames erupted before his eyes. The soldier, screaming, rolled on the ground.

Karina, sighing, spoke coldly.

"I don't want unnecessary bloodshed. That's why I threw you the coins you wanted. If you don't want to see more blood, it's best to let me go…"

She was trying to appear calm, but her voice was subtly trembling, and her hand, which was forming a seal, was shaking.

The centurion, seeing this, immediately snatched a mace from a nearby soldier.

Crack!

"Ugh?!"

A semi-transparent barrier deflected the arrow, but Karina let out a startled cry.

"An inexperienced mage. Don't kill her! I need to see her face."

Arrows immediately rained down on her. Karina hastily reinforced her barrier, but its durability was not great, and cracks began to form like spider webs.

The barrage of arrows stopped.

As the nearby soldiers lunged with their spears and swords, Karina, who had dropped her barrier, quickly bent her hand.

"Swallow, O Flame Serpent of Karuntill!"

Flames, extending from her wrist, writhed like a snake, enveloping the soldiers surrounding Karina. The fierce flames swept around once, and the charred soldiers fell.

Taking advantage of this, the silent people rushed at the soldiers. Perhaps they thought that with a mage, they had a chance, as they even drew their daggers.

The fight quickly escalated.

The merchant hastily raised his hands and backed away.

"I, I'm not involved!"

Following him, the fence quickly knelt, and Todd joined them.

The old driver, who had been watching the situation, tried to join in but was unfortunately hit by an arrow aimed at the mage.

In any case, except for these three, the rest fought against the soldiers.

The centurion, shrugging his shoulders, drew his axe. He swung it at a man entangled with a soldier. The axe, flying straight, split the man's forehead.

As the soldiers loaded their crossbows with arrows, Karina was busy reinforcing her barrier.

The centurion, drawing his sword, deflected the colliding blade and slashed the clumsy warrior's hand.

"Ah!"

If he lost his sword, it was over. The centurion's sword pierced his throat. Pulling the axe blade from the split forehead, the centurion immediately threw it at another man.

This time, it hit the back. As the man's body stiffened, the soldier he was facing thrust his spear.

The fight was quickly over. The centurion, who had risen without much emotion, looked around.

"Three dead, five injured."

Recruiting new soldiers was already difficult, and losing three to this female mage was a significant loss.

The soldiers were facing the mage at a distance. As the archers fired arrows in quick succession, Karina couldn't chant any spells.

The humid forest and the light drizzle made it difficult to cast fire spells.

The mage was gradually cornered, but the soldiers couldn't land a decisive blow.

The centurion, clicking his tongue, gripped his axe.

"Step back!"

At his shout, the soldiers surrounding the mage immediately retreated. As Karina hurriedly cast her spells, the axe blade pierced through.

Crack!...

The axe blade pushed through the barrier. Finally, it found a gap and embedded itself in Karina's shoulder.

"Aah!"

The centurion, who immediately rushed forward, struck her face with a backhand. As Karina fell to the ground, a sword blade hovered over her neck.

"If you open your mouth, your head will roll."

The centurion, holding the sword to her throat, roughly grabbed her by the hair and pulled her up.

Her hood naturally fell back, revealing her face to everyone.

Her hair, short and only reaching her ears, resembled autumn leaves. At first glance, she looked like a delicate man, but her face was slender, and she had no Adam's apple.

Her brown eyes, stained with tears, were bright and still held a rebellious look.

Despite her split lips and blood, her beauty was not diminished. The contrast between her white skin and the red blood made the soldiers' eyes widen.

The centurion, still pointing his sword at her, gagged her. He looked at the three cowards who had survived.

"Clear these bodies."

The fence, rubbing his hands, cautiously stood up.

"Y-Yes! But, sir, do you have a shovel to dig the graves…"

The merchant elbowed the fence. The soldiers, who had just seen blood, scanned them with a steady gaze. The fence bowed his head.

They had to dig the graves and then throw the bodies in.

At that moment, Todd stepped forward.

"I am a commoner who performs undertaker duties. May I perform a simple ritual to soothe the spirits of these people before burial?"

The centurion, who was receiving a report on the loot, raised an eyebrow.

"They were insolent for attacking me. Why should I care about their funeral?"

He stroked the axe at his waist demonstratively. Still, Todd firmly replied.

"Indeed, they were insolent for attacking you, sir, but those who die in a foreign land often harbor resentment. Their grudges could bring misfortune not only to you, sir, but also to the soldiers here."

The centurion's eyes narrowed. He was clearly wavering.

He's half convinced. Todd licked his lips.

He bowed respectfully to the centurion.

"It will only be a simple recitation. If you allow a simple funeral, it will prevent any potential trouble and give you peace of mind. Please, allow it."

The centurion's indifferent gaze lingered on the undertaker and then on the bloodied bodies.

Among them, this one had the most significant karma.

Judging from the fingers clinging to his shoulder and back, he probably hadn't slept well for a long time. Though he pretended otherwise, he was surely the most affected by such superstitious stories.

"…Do it quickly."

"Thank you."

Todd, picking up the bell that had been rolling on the ground, stood in front of the bodies with his hands neatly folded.

The merchant hurriedly whispered to him.

"Look, there's no need to provoke them. Just do what they ask and let's get out of here…"

"You may not have noticed, but they are deserters. They never intended to let us live. If they let us go, our location would be exposed."

The fence, whose expression had hardened, rubbed his wrist. His gaze was on the crossbowmen.

"If you want to live, stay close to me while I chant the spell."

"Spell? What can you do…"

As they kept whispering, the soldiers cast suspicious glances. Todd shook the bell.

Ding.

"I call upon you. Wraiths dreaming in the mist. Lingering spirits buried in the earth…"

The bell's sound.

Whispering, murmuring, summoning, and raising them.

The centurion, who had been standing there blankly, suddenly felt a chill.

A thick mist was rising from his feet.

Rustling, wriggling, and opening their eyes.

The soldiers, who had been taunting the mage, noticed the change and stood up.

The centurion, looking around, spotted the chanting undertaker.

It's him!

The centurion hurriedly threw his axe at the undertaker's back of the head.

Clang!!

Surprisingly, the axe blade was blocked.

It was the fence who had blocked it with his trembling right hand, letting out a near-scream.

"Damn, I must be crazy!"

Since the undertaker, or whatever he was, had already started his trick, they were all as good as dead. Thus, the fence blocked the axe with the hidden blade.

The undertaker, or rather, the necromancer, smiled.

"Well done."

The incantation was complete.

【Kyaahh!!】

Everyone's bodies froze at the terrifying wail they had never heard before.

The fear state caused by the wailing lasted for 3 seconds.

Enough time to reduce the number of enemies at the start.

The necromancer issued orders in his mind, and the dead responded.

The dead rose and attacked the living.