Chapter 51: A Mirage After the Rain

When the mountain of Undead Mud vanished from northern Ziemeld, it revealed the ruins of a partially collapsed, half-buried house. In one surviving room, an old man lay upon a bed.

“He is barely breathing. Ironically, the slime’s magical blessing appears to have kept him alive…”

　The priest frowned while examining him.

“Magic cannot cure this illness. He does not have long.”

　The priest whispered to Lionel, who turned toward Clark.

“Was all of this done to prolong Duke Ziemeld’s life?”

“That was one purpose of the… experiment.”

“Experiment? Was the sorcerer conducting one?”

“At first, he intended to exploit the slime’s properties to prolong His Excellency’s life. But partway through, he… went mad.”

　Clark looked regretfully at the sorcerer’s recovered body. The man was plainly elderly and had died before the barrier vanished. Clark fell silent as though afraid to speak further.

　He too was so exhausted he could barely stand.

“We will hear the details once the survivors are safe and the situation has calmed.”

　Lionel abandoned further questioning and prioritized securing and transporting the survivors.

　He ordered the Ziemeld knights to prepare a mansion in the capital for treatment, then told Gilbert, Flora, Dolph, and Barbara to wait in the wagon.

“…… wait in the carriage, why?”

“Have you forgotten? The knight who guided us here was wounded by human hands. Until we confirm the situation, protect Flora, the old man, and the others.”

　Gilbert nodded solemnly at Lionel’s whisper.

　—If I told you that you also need protection, you would not listen.

　Lionel smiled wryly at the thought and encouraged Gilbert with a pat on the shoulder.

　Tanned leather wrapped the head of Gilbert’s battle-axe. He complained that its constant glow was blinding, but even he seemed to have realized what it meant. Since Gilbert hesitated to mention it, Lionel left the matter alone.

　Ziemeld’s capital was a castle town surrounding an ancient fortress. As Lionel’s group entered, the few remaining residents emerged. Relief showed on their faces, but so did dark fear.

　The former royal castle of Ziemeld was no longer inhabited and not one light burned inside. For the north’s largest and most powerful city, the scene felt desolate.

　The party was shown to a ducal villa. Servants received the duke, and the rescued knights were placed in empty rooms.

“The recovered knights are badly weakened but have no serious injuries. There was almost no corruption either…”

　The reporting priest hesitated over the final words.

“Then there was some.”

“Yes. But the purification has already been completed.”

　Lionel turned to Sydney, who listened beside him.

“Father Sydney, have you ever known a human to become undead?”

　Sydney smiled bitterly.

“Not to my knowledge. A person would ordinarily die before completing the transformation. The intense pain of decay also leads most victims to seek healing and purification.”

　He paused and looked through the window toward the former site of the Undead Mud.

“However, I have never heard of a tiny slime being so weakened and poisoned that it became undead either.”

　Lionel frowned when he heard this.

“I confirmed the numbers with the young Knights of Ziemeld. We recovered fewer survivors than the number of missing knights. Hypothetically, could some already have become undead and vanished in Gilbert’s attack?”

　Lionel’s voice was low and pained. Sydney smiled gently to reassure him.

“Do not worry. Every swallowed knight wore armor. If that had occurred, ownerless armor would have remained. Since none did, your younger brother killed no one.”

　Lionel sighed in relief.

　Dolph’s party, the Kelvim mercenaries, and the clergy declined rooms in the mansion. They rented a garden and camped there instead, partly for their own safety.

　While Lionel and the others sorted events around a midnight fire, several young Ziemeld knights approached.

“What’s the matter? You guys should get some rest for now.”

“Sir Lionel, there is something we absolutely must report.”

　Lionel and the others regarded the resolved young knight.

“…Another barrier existed until approximately five days ago.”

“……what?”

　Lionel looked at them in shock.

“When it vanished, we assumed its contents had been moved inside the barrier that fell last night. But the number of survivors does not match…”

　The knight stammered, confused and hesitant.

“Do you have a map of the area around Ziemeld?”

“Y-Yes. Here.”

　One knight, evidently prepared to reveal everything, spread a leather map on the ground.

“The other one was around here.”

　Seeing the indicated location, Lionel exhaled deeply and held his head.

“…I was wrong. I thought they intended to use the undead beasts against a neighboring country. They did not. This kingdom was their target from the beginning.”

　The knight pointed to the Ureri River bank within Ziemeld. An attack on the neighboring country would have placed the barrier east of the river near the ancient forest. This one had stood west of the river, closer to the royal capital.

　The mercenary men who were present and silently listening to the conversation frowned.

“The wet season has begun, and constant rain has swollen the river. Its water is muddy and swift. Mixed into the current, the creatures would be almost impossible to distinguish. The damage will spread.”

　Everyone fell speechless at the unfolding danger.

“I can no longer hope my fears are groundless. We must hurry and inspect the entire river.”

“We may have no time to learn Duke Ziemeld’s true purpose.”

　Lionel and Sydney closed their eyes, pressed their brows, and sighed deeply.

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