SWY 27

Chapter 3: Survivors

Sharhan and Lestel, deliberately riding through the forest in search of water, stopped their horses the moment they spotted a stream. No one had to say it first. They had drained their waterskins completely that morning and hadn’t had a sip since. Now that they had found a stream, they needed to drink and refill every pouch. If not, they might collapse from dehydration.

“Shh, quiet. You know the drill, right? No noise.”

The horses were just as thirsty as the humans, if not more so, given the burden of carrying them all this way. As expected, Lightning flared her nostrils in excitement at the sight of water. Sharhan gently soothed her and led her to the edge of the stream to drink first. Thunder was already gulping down water beside her.

While the horses greedily quenched their thirst, Sharhan, Lestel, and Derry kept watch. You never knew when a moving corpse might come crawling out. Resting like this was more dangerous than riding.

“Seems quiet,” Derry said, licking his dry lips anxiously. He was clutching a metal rod.

Sharhan held back a chuckle as he glanced at Derry, gripping the rod like it was his lifeline. He’d handed it to him after finding it on the road, thinking he needed something to hold, but as expected, Derry had zero aptitude for physical activity.

His swings were clumsy, his stabs even worse. Sometimes he flailed so hard his legs gave out and he nearly fell over. After watching in disbelief, Sharhan had suggested, “If you run into a moving corpse, don’t try to crack its skull. Just shove it with all your strength and run.” That was probably the best Derry could manage.

Sharhan and Lestel had already given up on expecting Derry to hold his own in a fight. They’d only told him not to get in the way when they were dealing with the creatures, but Derry hadn’t given up.

Determined to protect himself, he practiced swinging the rod whenever he could. Progress was slow, but not nonexistent. At least he looked a bit less helpless than before.

Once the horses had finished drinking, it was their turn. Sharhan knelt at the edge of the stream and gulped down mouthfuls of water. The stream was clear and clean. It was so cold, with winter just around the corner, that it made his teeth ache, but that shock of cold helped sharpen his senses.

After filling their water skins, they roughly washed their faces. That gave Sharhan a moment to breathe and glance to the side, where a scruffy-looking Lestel stood. Even when they were filthy and worn out, Lestel always seemed to glow in some annoying way, but right now, his disheveled look was just as irritating.

‘That bastard’s a mess too now. Look at those sunken eyes. Who would believe he’s the heir to House Ailun like that? He’s going to drop any minute. I should make sure he gets proper rest tonight. If he collapses, it’s going to be my problem.’

Sharhan clicked his tongue.

After all, it had taken them five days just to get this far from Luhas. They hadn’t had a proper meal or sleep, let alone a chance to wash. They had encountered more moving corpses than they could count – sometimes they fought, sometimes they fled – and the constant tension had worn them down.

Even sleep had to be taken in turns. When he traveled with the Red Wolves, they had numbers on their side. Now there were only three of them, so sleep shifts were short. Honestly, these days had been harder than when Sharhan was at war. And if he was feeling it, there was no need to ask how Lestel and Derry, who’d never seen such death up close, were holding up.

“Why are you staring at me like that? Realizing how handsome I am again?”

Sharhan sighed at Lestel, who was tossing back his long silver hair and acting smug.

“Shut up and wash your damn face.”

“Do I look that bad?”

“Yeah. You’re filthy as hell.”

“That won’t do. I need to look cute for myself.”

Lestel muttered nonsense as he splashed water on his face, then went all in and washed his hair too. He shook like a wet dog, spraying water everywhere. Sharhan wiped the droplets off his cheek and glared at him in disapproval.

“You insane bastard. You’re washing your hair in this cold? What if you catch a cold?”

“There’s a human blanket right next to me. What’s the worry?”

“How long are you going to treat me like a blanket? Since we’re on the topic, let’s sleep separately from tonight. I’m exhausted from all the nights you’ve clung to me.”

“You snored like a baby, don’t lie.”

“I… I didn’t snore.”

Sharhan immediately denied it, but he didn’t sound too sure. Lately, he’d been so on edge that he collapsed the moment he laid down.

“You snored. Don’t be coy. Just cuddle up quietly. And let’s be real, you can’t sleep without me anymore.”

“W-what kind of crap–”

“Because of the cold.”

“What?”

“Without me, you won’t be able to sleep. It’s getting colder every day, and we can’t even build a decent fire.”

“Derry’s doing just fine sleeping on his own.”

Hearing his name, Derry looked up from where he had just finished filling his pouch.

“He’s got a robe, doesn’t he?”

Sharhan eyed Derry’s robe with open envy. The talk about it being warmer than it looked hadn’t been a lie. Every night, Derry bundled himself up in it like a cocoon and slept without complaint. Curious to see if it was really that warm, Sharhan had touched it once, and to his surprise, it was indeed quite cozy.

According to Derry, it stayed cool in summer and warm in winter. He’d received it from his teacher as a gift to celebrate becoming an adult. Judging by its qualities, it was probably an artifact from the ancient empire, a magical item. Derry agreed. His teacher had never said it was a magical item, but Derry also suspected it was a relic left behind by the first lord.

“How about staying there tonight?”

Derry, rubbing his now water-bloated belly, suddenly pointed excitedly at something in the distance. Following his finger, they saw a shabby-looking cabin.

“Let’s do that.”

Sharhan glanced at the bleary-eyed Derry and the freshly washed but clearly exhausted Lestel, then nodded. There was still about an hour of daylight left, but now that they’d found shelter, it was better to settle in for the night.

The three of them quietly led their horses toward the cabin. Judging by the animal skins and dried meat hanging under the eaves, it had likely belonged to a hunter. There were also several chopped logs piled up, probably in preparation for the coming cold, and an axe embedded in one of them.

After releasing Thunder and Lightning and grabbing their gear, Sharhan approached the cabin entrance, but his expression tensed. From a distance, it hadn’t been visible, but there were many bloodstains. Bloody footprints marked the ground, and handprints smeared the walls. The doorknob was crusted with dried blood. Someone injured must have hurriedly taken shelter inside.

Sharhan held a finger to his lips. It meant “be careful”, there might still be a moving corpse inside. A minor injury would be fine, but if the person had been bitten, they could’ve turned into a moving corpse.

Derry gripped the crowbar tightly, and Lestel picked up the axe and gave it a test spin, clearly pleased with its weight. Standing next to Sharhan, Lestel tapped the door with the butt of the axe.

Tap, tap!

It wasn’t loud, but if there were a moving corpse inside, it would be enough to provoke a response. The three listened in silence. Nothing. Exhaling softly, Sharhan slowly pushed the door open.

Lestel stood close at his side, axe raised, ready to strike down anything that came through. Inside, however, the only signs were those of a hasty escape. No people, no creatures, just silence. Relieved, Sharhan waved Derry in. Derry hurried in like he was being shoved and quickly shut the door behind him.

“Not bad. Cozy, even.”

It smelled musty, but with solid walls and a roof to block wind and rain, it was more than enough. They hadn’t dared enter any of the abandoned villages they passed, and as a result, had spent many nights sleeping on the roadside, without even a fire. Today, they were lucky.

Flopping onto the bed, Sharhan gave Derry a thumbs-up.

“Nice job. Thanks to you, we’re not sleeping on the ground tonight.”

Derry scratched his head and grinned sheepishly. Though it had only been a short time since they’d started traveling together, Sharhan had grown noticeably friendlier. Even Lestel’s sharp edge had dulled. Derry’s constant effort to help and tendency to tread carefully likely played a part.

“Should I cook something? There’s a hearth over there. It should be okay to light a fire tonight, right?”

Sometimes, watching Derry push himself despite his exhaustion made him seem like a small, frightened animal, scared of being abandoned.

“Just rest.”

“I’m fine. Aren’t you hungry? I’ll try making a cornmeal soup or something. I handled all the housework for my teacher and brothers, so I’m pretty good at–”

Derry stopped midsentence, his smile faltering and his face stiffening. Every time he mentioned his teacher, his expression soured. He must be carrying deep guilt over the fact that his teacher had created Paphun tea.

He would apologize constantly whenever he saw the dead. While all deaths were tragic, certain ones hit him harder, and on those nights, he couldn’t sleep.

Sharhan patted Derry’s thinner-than-ever shoulder and stood up.

“I’ll go grab some firewood. You take a break, even for a moment.”

“I’ll go with–”

“No, I’ll go.”

Lestel pressed Derry back down and followed Sharhan outside. It was a quiet gesture to give Derry some time alone.

Standing side by side in front of the cabin, Sharhan and Lestel silently scanned the area. Thunder and Lightning were nowhere in sight, they must’ve wandered off to graze.

The forest was still. With death so widespread, even wild animals had grown scarce.

“Sounds like he’s crying again.”

As expected, they could hear Derry sobbing softly. He was trying hard to muffle it, but Sharhan and Lestel had sharp ears. Once he let it out, he’d greet them with a bright smile again, pretending like nothing happened.

“He’ll get better with time.”

Lestel replied flatly as he picked up some firewood.

“You don’t blame him anymore?”

Sharhan poked at Lestel’s side, teasing, just as–

BOOM!

A thunderous crash shook the air.