SWY 30

The sound of frantic footsteps pounding the earth grew louder, rapidly closing in. Their destination was unmistakably the cabin. Behind them, the moving corpses followed with a low growl, like predators on the hunt.

Sharhan let out a low curse and drew his sword. Lestel stood as well, gripping his axe.

“Just a little more! We only need to make it to Lyle’s cabin!”

“Aaahhh!”

Judging from their familiarity with the place, they were likely locals. They must’ve been running here for shelter, but hadn’t considered the possibility that if those things slammed into the walls all at once, the door might break under the pressure.

“I’ll go out first and check the situation. You stay here.”

Sharhan planned to assess how many of them there were and who these people were before deciding. He tried to leave Lestel inside, but Lestel scoffed and was already at the door.

“Let’s just take care of it together and rest afterward. It’ll be quicker with two. What are you waiting for?”

“Unbelievable. Why did you even hire me?”

Looking back on the last five days, Sharhan realized that Lestel had never been behind him, he was always at his side. Every time they prepared to fight, Sharhan shouted, “Stay behind me!” yet when he came to, Lestel was always beside him – or even ahead.

“I didn’t want to miss the chance to boss Sharhan Kaios around and mess with him in a peaceful world. How was I supposed to know the world would end up crawling with those things? Joking aside, I’m not the type to hide behind someone when things really get dangerous.”

“Then why don’t you just tear up the contract–”

“Honey, that’s a different matter. This is proof that you and I are connected.”

Lestel lightly tapped his chest, then his hand brushed Sharhan’s cheek. It looked like a caress but passed right by.

“C-connected? W-what do you mean by that?”

The word “connected” made Sharhan flush. It sounded weirdly dirty somehow, and he stammered.

“Honey, why are you stuttering?”

“M-my throat caught for a second, okay?! Anyway, if you’re coming with me, stay close behind. And don’t you dare get hurt.”

“Don’t worry. For the sake of your precious heart, I’ll be super careful. I won’t even lose a hair.”

“You say that now. But if you pull the same stunt you did escaping Luhas Castle and put yourself at risk again, I swear I’ll kill you.”

Without waiting for a response, Sharhan flung open the door. He immediately spotted two men running toward them, followed by a dozen walking corpses. The sudden opening of the cabin door made the men flinch, but they kept running. Neither had a weapon in hand.

Sharhan scowled and dashed forward with his sword. Fortunately, there were only about twelve of the creatures, manageable between him and Lestel.

Sharhan sliced them down one by one, striking them as they lunged like ravenous beasts. One grabbed his shoulder from behind. It was strong, but not strong enough to hold him.

Sharhan slammed his elbow into its chest and stabbed backward with his sword, piercing its neck. No time to rest. He kicked off the ground, moving on to the next target.

They looked like they’d just fed, mouths dripping with blood. Sharhan carved through them, one after another, until the area around the cabin was littered with corpses. Panting, he turned to look for Lestel.

“You okay?”

Lestel approached, flicking blood from his axe.

“As you can see, perfectly fine. What about you?”

“Ask your heart.”

Sharhan’s heart was calm. That meant Lestel was safe.

‘Damn, I didn’t expect to be gauging Lestel’s condition this way.’

He didn’t exactly like the idea of being leashed by Lestel, but he had to admit it wasn’t bad to have such certainty about his wellbeing without having to peel off his clothes to check for wounds.

“You all right?”

Sharhan flicked the blood from his sword and turned. The two men who had fled were now slumped just outside the cabin, too weak in the legs to even make it inside.

“Y-yes… We’re okay.”

“Th-thank you…”

The men, faces pale and haggard, finally caught their breath and staggered to their feet. They looked unwell. Sharhan eyed them warily and asked,

“Were either of you bitten?”

“Huh? No. Uh, no, we weren’t.”

“Sorry, but may I check for myself?”

At Sharhan’s request, the men exchanged glances but quickly nodded. Sharhan carefully checked their necks, arms, legs – any place they could’ve been bitten. Only when he was sure they were clean did he step back.

“The stench of rot is unbearable. Let’s clear these bodies first before we go in.”

The reek of blood and rotting corpses around the cabin was enough to make someone gag. Sharhan and Lestel began dragging the corpses away. The two men approached to help, grimacing as they recognized some of the bodies, then wiped their faces with their hands.

“Thomas…”

“God… Arkin…”

“People you knew?”

“Yes. Neighbors. They were alive just a few hours ago…”

“I understand how you feel, but let’s hurry. It’s not safe to linger outside.”

Urged by Sharhan, the two nodded grimly and joined the cleanup. Derry, who had been peeking from inside, came out in a rush to help too. With five people working, the task went faster than expected.

They couldn’t haul the bodies far, so they stacked them behind the cabin. Just clearing the space in front of the door helped reduce the stench significantly. Only then did the five of them go inside and sit down on the floor. With five grown men packed into the small cabin, it felt cramped, but it looked like this would be their shelter for the night.

“Sorry, but… do you have any water? Even a sip would help. Oh, I’m James. This here is Ralph. We’re from a village called Gagos, within the Delphian territory.”

Of the two, James was taller, and Ralph was shorter.

“Delphian… That’s the land ruled by Baron Olais, right?”

Lestel murmured. Not because Baron Olais was famous, but because he had seen the name on a map. Whoever drew the map had included the names of local lords and brief notes about them. Baron Olais was not a good lord. He was a textbook example of a corrupt, tyrannical noble.

“Ah, Baron Olais.”

Sharhan remembered the name too, having looked at the same map. No wonder they looked so frail and undernourished. It must have been because of the baron’s tyranny.

When Sharhan nodded, Derry quickly handed over a water pouch. James and Ralph drank greedily. The pouch emptied quickly, but that was fine, they could refill it at the stream before leaving tomorrow.

Now that their thirst was quenched, their stomachs growled loudly. But the group couldn’t spare any food. Sharhan’s party was short on rations themselves. The jerky had run out that morning. All they had left was a bit of flour, cornmeal, and geullin grass, and even that wouldn’t last long. With three adult men, even eating the bare minimum, food disappeared fast.

Luckily, Derry didn’t eat much, or they would’ve had even less. In this world, where food was growing harder to come by, reckless sympathy could only lead to death.

Since Sharhan and Lestel said nothing, Derry didn’t offer anything either. James and Ralph clutched their empty stomachs but said nothing, unable to bring themselves to ask. Then James suddenly stood up, as if remembering something.

“T-there should be meat.”

“That’s right. Lyle always hung meat to dry under the eaves.”

“C-could I step outside real quick? This cabin used to belong to a hunter named Lyle, and he always dried leftover meat under the eaves. I’d like to go check.”

“Go ahead.”

James rushed out and returned with a bundle of dried meat. He politely offered some to Sharhan, who shook his head. Relieved, James and Ralph tore into it ravenously. Only after they had eaten enough to take the edge off their hunger did conversation resume.

“Why did you leave your village? You must’ve known the world’s gone to hell.”

James sighed deeply.

“We didn’t leave because we wanted to. Of course we knew how crazy things had become. People dying slowly, only to rise and devour others… There’s no doubt God is punishing us.”

“Did people in Gagos also drink Paphun tea?”

“Yes. A peddler came through and asked to stay the night, then left plenty behind as ‘payment.’ A few neighbors drank it. Why do you ask?”

Sharhan had intended to explain, but stopped. At this point, what would be the point in telling them the truth about Paphun tea?

“Never mind. So, when the chaos broke out, you abandoned the village?”

“No. On the day it happened, the lord came to our village with his knights. Thanks to that, we were able to fight those things off. But then they appeared outside the village too, and the lord became trapped inside. And since we were already a poor village, the lord and his knights took all the food for themselves. We had no choice but to starve.”

Ralph growled beside him, “Those bastards. We’re starving while they stuff their faces day and night.”

“And then?”

“When even the lord’s food ran out, the village head said he had hidden a stash in the ruins of the old site.”

“Ruins?”

“An old city destroyed during the war with monsters.”