TLHZ 13

Chapter 13

“Why do you ask?”
“Well, today when I went to the marketplace, I ran into a strange man. He looked at me like he knew who I was.”

After I explained the situation, Rev’s tail smacked against the desk with a sharp thump thump.
“Hmm. Interesting. Perhaps he sensed the aura of death at the scene of the accident—that might explain his certainty.”
“Is that even possible?”
“Yes. A skilled necromancer or a priest could do it.”

A necromancer or a priest… What an extreme set of possibilities.

“Didn’t you say the Holy See bore a grudge against your family? If it’s those shadowy bastards, it makes sense. They haven’t changed a bit.”
Rev wrinkled his nose as if the thought disgusted him. It was almost funny, realizing even cats could make faces of sheer distaste.

“But if he were a priest, I wouldn’t have failed to notice. Necromancers instinctively recoil from holy power.”
“There are plenty who’ve learned how to conceal their aura. If he was one of the assassins the Holy See uses in secret, that wouldn’t be strange.”
“They can hide it?”
“You may not realize it, but you’ve been hiding your own demonic energy quite well. Likely instinctively.”
“Me?”
“Both holy power and demonic energy affect humans. When bathed in holy power, people feel comfort. When surrounded by demonic energy, they feel unease. You’ve never wondered why so many people seem to dislike you for no reason? As an infant you couldn’t control it, surely.”
“I… never thought of it that way.”

Of course, there were always people who hated me—but I assumed it was because I wasn’t enough to live up to the name of the Walker Dukedom.

“Tsk. Then for the sake of survival, your body must have evolved to conceal it. Even a high-ranking priest standing before you would hesitate to say for sure whether you’re a necromancer.”

So that was why some people rejected me without cause. A bitter conclusion… but not surprising. All that mattered was not being discovered by a priest.

“That’s a relief, then.”
“Relief? Fool! It only means you’re failing to properly use that vast reservoir of demonic energy inside you! It’s been stagnant for too long.”

Rev began to grumble again about how I should’ve listened to him and trained. I brushed a hand over my ear.
“Hm? What’s wrong with your ear? Is something wrong?”
“No, I was wondering if it was bleeding.”
“…Bleeding? Kiiaaaak!”

Realizing I was teasing, Rev’s fur bristled and he hissed furiously.
“Stop treating me like a nag!”
“But you are a nagger.”

“Still, that merchant Donald… his name might sound clumsy, but his skills are impressive.”
Isaac’s voice was tinged with admiration.

In front of us lay five corpses, sprawled across Edmund’s office desk, staining it with blood that was already beginning to congeal. Donald had delivered them in less than a day since Edmund’s order.

His men had come in secret, set down iron crates, and vanished. Each crate was tightly sealed so the contents couldn’t be seen, but we had opened one.

“If anyone finds out, we’ll all be executed on the spot.”
Yulia squinted uneasily at the corpses. It was probably her first time seeing them up close.
“More than that—if word spreads, every family connected to us might be annihilated.”
Isaac replied casually, though his words were anything but.

The bottom line was simple: no one could know about these bodies.

I’ve already told the servants not to let anyone near, locked the doors… I’ve done everything I can.

I carefully recalled Rev’s instructions.

Emily’s Special Zombie Recipe ♡

Freshly dead corpse (check)
Blood of a necromancer (check)
A powerless zombie (check)

Perfect. Everything was ready.

“All right, let’s begin. Isaac, you’re the most urgent case, so you first.”
“Okay. I’m ready.”

We laid one nameless body beside him. I stood before the two.

Drawing a dagger, I slashed my palm without hesitation.
Slice!

Blood dripped heavily onto the floor, slithering across the wood as if alive, curling into a circle. A magic circle glowed beneath my feet.

Necromancer’s blood is a catalyst—it strengthens the spell, raising its chance of success. Closing my eyes, I poured demonic energy into the circle.

Vuuuuum.

Red light flared outward, flooding the room.

“Ugh…!”

The glow engulfed Isaac at the center. The corpse touched by the light crumbled into grains of sand.

Whoooosh!

The grains swirled around Isaac like a sandstorm, books tumbling from shelves, papers scattering everywhere.

“Isaac! Are you okay?!”

I shielded my face with both arms, hair whipping across my vision.

“Isaac!”

No reply. Panic seized me—had something gone wrong? If I broke the circle, I could stop it, but there was no guarantee Isaac would survive.

Before I could act, the storm calmed.

“Isaac…”

I stopped mid-sentence.

He stood tall within the circle. Perfectly fine—at least outwardly. He gazed at his hands. His glasses had been blown away, exposing sharp, predatory eyes. Moonlight caught his black hair, turning it silver. His lips, once bloodless, now bore a faint flush.

“…Strange, Emily.”

He forced a faint smile.

“I feel… stronger than before.”

Though he looked unchanged, he clearly felt otherwise. Clenching his fist, he added haltingly:

“…But I feel thirsty.”

That was odd. They were like living corpses—human desires were dulled: hunger, sleep, even bodily urges. Yet thirst?

“Thirsty?”
“Not water. More like…”

He frowned, searching for the word.

“Hold on a little longer. Once I finish with the others, we’ll go home.”
“…All right.”

He nodded, though his confusion lingered.

“How’s your wrist?”
“Much better.”

He snatched a branch from the floor and swung it—scratching a groove across a desk.

Wood cutting into wood? Impossible. But then, I had just raised a man from death; what wasn’t?

“This much strength should do fine unless it comes to a head-on clash. My senses feel… adequate.”

He flexed his fists. For a first attempt, it was a great success.

So it takes an entire adult corpse just to strengthen him this much… How many deaths would it take to fully restore him?

The thought was daunting.

“What about you two?” I turned to Edmund and Yulia.

Edmund spoke cautiously:
“Perhaps it’s best if Yulia and I wait and observe Isaac’s condition before deciding. We don’t yet know what side effects there may be.”

A cautious but wise choice. Yulia nodded in agreement.

“Then… what about these?”

Everyone glanced at the unopened crates of corpses.

“It won’t be easy to procure more later. Should we store them for future use?”
“But they have to be fresh, right?”
“If refrigerated… not forever, but long enough.”

Rev had said: 48 hours at room temperature, a month if kept cold.

“But what if someone finds out? Better to destroy them now.”
“And if we need them again? Do you think we’ll just find more on command?”

Yulia and Isaac exchanged opposing arguments, both reasonable.

“Emily, can you preserve them with your magic?”
“Hmm… I doubt it.”

If I could, we wouldn’t have needed wagons to move them in the first place.

Edmund gazed at the bodies, calculating, then finally spoke:
“We’ll keep them in the basement.”
“Basement?”
“There’s a place?”

He explained it had been built as a safehouse in case of rebellion or attack. Only he and the head butler knew of it.

“No one can enter without my permission. And it’s naturally cold—perfect for storage.”

“Then show us.”

Isaac hoisted two crates at once. Edmund twisted a candlestick on the wall.

Rumble…

The bookshelf split apart, revealing a great iron door.