Chapter 53

Lambert, having joined forces with the headless horse, was making his way towards the city of Baraila. Lambert was astride the headless horse but did not let it run; instead, he walked it to match the pace of the blind Albana.

The headless horse, as Lambert had expected, was able to walk calmly even with the weight of Lambert, who was as heavy as a block of metal. Although it did not match the horse Lambert had ridden in life, it was a large and sturdy mount, comparable to the warhorses of the Regius Kingdom during the Eight Nations Unification War. Lambert had been disappointed that there were no horses in the city of Ainzas that could carry him and run, but he was inwardly overjoyed that the headless horse could walk with him on its back.

"Hmm, not bad..."

The headless horse, hearing this from Lambert, was not entirely displeased either. It had been afraid of Lambert, but after their battle, Lambert showed no hostility, and his attitude conveyed admiration. Just as humans are drawn to powerful beings, so are animals. If such a being acknowledges them, their attraction only grows.

Even as Lambert merely sat on its back, the headless horse grew more attached to him as they progressed. Albana, who was naturally sensitive, noticed this and let out an impressed "Oh."

"You are quite remarkable, Sir Swordsman. Your charisma seems to extend to humans, beasts, and even the undead. If the times were different, you could have been a king of a nation."

Hearing Albana say this, Lambert stopped abruptly. Unconsciously, he almost let out a miasma, but he quickly regained his composure and shook his head to feign nonchalance.

"No, it's nothing."

"…It seemed like you were deep in thought? Why are you traveling alone, Sir Swordsman? I find it quite mysterious…"

Lambert's life was taken because of his overwhelming charisma. He was in a position where he could have easily claimed the crown of the New Regius Kingdom, but for that very reason, he was slain by his former best friend, Glaive, and fell from a great hero to a great sinner.

"It's nothing."

"…You seemed to be thinking about something?"

Albana, showing a slight hesitation, said this. She had been pondering whether to delve deeper or not.

"I was thinking of a name for the horse."

Lambert replied brusquely, as if the previous atmosphere had been a lie. Albana immediately knew it was a lie but did not press further.

"That's good. If it's going to be your horse, it needs a name. When you first said you were going to make it your horse… well, to be honest, I had my doubts… but now, seeing it, it does have a rather cute side."

"It's a horse I've chosen."

Moreover, Lambert thought it was a horse befitting an undead like himself. It was not often that an undead would find an undead horse. Both the horse and himself retained a high level of self-awareness, which was extremely rare for undead beings. Lambert felt a sense of destiny between them.

For an undead to retain self-awareness, the strength of will, attachment, and mana is crucial. Normally, mana disperses outside the body after death, but the stronger the attachment, the more it clumps inside and remains in the bones. Most necromancy techniques use this residual mana to control corpses. However, without the will to control oneself, one becomes a mindless killing puppet. Thus, the strength of will, attachment, and mana determines how much self-awareness an undead retains. In this regard, the headless horse was undoubtedly an excellent steed.

As a side note, the time elapsed since death is also a significant factor in an undead's ability to retain self-awareness. The mana in the bones can mutate or disperse, losing its original form.

The horse, despite having been dead for fifty years, did not become a mindless undead. Lambert, who regained almost his entire self-awareness two hundred years after his death, was clearly an outlier.

"Sir Swordsman, so, what name did you decide on?"

"Um…?"

Lambert had not really thought about it, so he was at a loss when asked. Seeing Lambert's confusion, Albana broke into a cold sweat, realizing she had made a mistake. She knew Lambert was trying to avoid something, but she had asked out of the flow of conversation, not to cause trouble. Now, the awkwardness was growing.

"…How about Chocolat?"

On the spur of the moment, Lambert said this. Seeing Albana's face contort, he added, "Because it's black," as if it were an excuse.

"…No, I did say this horse has a cute side… but Chocolat might not be a good fit…?"

Albana said hesitantly. It was a fair point; Chocolat did not suit a headless giant horse.

"Um, um…"

"How about Nightmare? It was originally a monstrous horse feared as a 'nightmare steed.'"

"Hmm… I'll consider it."

Albana pressed her lips together and smiled softly.

"But, while we're on the subject of the horse, you, Sir Swordsman, have a surprisingly cute side. I never thought… that you would come up with a word like Chocolat… No, no, I'm not teasing you! It's just, do you like Chocolat?"

"……"

Lambert did not answer. Chocolat, or chocolate confectionery, was a favorite of his former lord, Prince Aurelia. Although Aurelia was ascetic and often pretended to be a man to deter the duke who coveted the throne, he rarely indulged in sweets. For Lambert, it was a distant memory from a time long past.