Chapter 191: Encounter (1)

If the strength someone had in life was proportional to their power as a zombie, then the mansion of the Flandre family was literally a demon’s lair.

The excellent knights that the family had trained now threw themselves at Laurent as zombies. They no longer retained their intelligence from life, but their bodies were even stronger.

Laurent grew more exhausted with each battle.

All the zombies lunged headfirst to bite his flesh, and so Laurent had to see up close the disfigured faces of the knights he knew.

Each time he eliminated one, his heart also cracked. But it still wasn’t time to break down.

He still had something he had to do. Finally, Laurent reached the top floor of the mansion.

The hallway, once perfectly tidy, was now destroyed everywhere and abandoned like a vacant lot.

Laurent took a deep breath.

Before his eyes, the scenery of old times overlapped. He couldn’t allow himself that. He shook his head forcefully.

With each step he took, his resolve hardened.

The smiles of the servants who had once welcomed him in that house were cast upon the beheaded corpses of zombies.

He trampled over the memories and faced the cruel reality. Behind that door had to be the last illusion he hadn’t yet given up on.

Laurent gripped the handle of his sword tightly.

And opened the door.

“Ah…”

The wind entering through the open window made the curtains flutter. In front of them stood his father, dressed in a hospital gown.

“Father?”

Laurent entered.

“Are you alright?”

Unlike the hallway, the room was clean. True to someone as orderly as his father, there was not a single thing out of place. Even the bed was well-made, save for a slight wrinkle where the body had sat up.

Laurent’s steps quickened.

“Father.”

As he got closer, what was behind the bed was revealed. It was a horribly mangled pile of flesh.

Laurent stopped.

Only a few bones, crushed meat, and dry bloodstains on the floor remained.

But Laurent knew instantly what it was. The bloodstained brooch was the one his mother always wore.

Laurent let his arms fall.

“Father…”

Finally, his father turned around. His face was distorted, as if burned.

Between his open lips protruded crooked and rotting teeth, between which were decomposed flesh and scraps of cloth, giving off an unbearable stench.

He tried to bite Laurent.

Laurent reflexively raised his sword. The zombie that had been his father bit the blade, and several teeth fell to the floor.

“Kehe…”

The zombie didn’t stop and staggered forward, emitting a gagging sound.

Laurent gritted his teeth and swung the sword.

But the zombie moved grotesquely to dodge the attack and lunged at him. Laurent tried to regain the sword and aim for the zombie’s neck, but couldn’t land a proper strike.

Their bodies clashed and fell to the floor, tangled.

While Laurent, pinned beneath, furiously punched, his eyes suddenly locked with the zombie’s.

Though he looked horrific, the outline of Lian Flandre—whom he knew well—was still there.

“Father…”

Through the zombie’s pupils, Laurent’s face was reflected.

An exhausted expression.

Laurent thought.

It’s too late.

In fact, from the moment he fell to the ground entangled with the zombie, the outcome was sealed.

His father had been strong, and as a zombie he was too. Facing him hand-to-hand was a guarantee of being bitten.

Laurent tried with all his might to swing the sword.

But before he could, he felt a sharp pain in his shoulder. He had been bitten.

Laurent dropped the sword and blinked.

Through the wound, a burning and indecipherable energy invaded his body. In an instant, it spread through his entire system, traveling through his veins.

When that energy reached his brain, his entire field of vision turned a dark red. A surge of impulses he had never felt began to boil in his stomach.

Reason vanished. Only instincts and desire remained.

Laurent struck the zombie crushing him and stood up.

His skin began to deform abnormally. But there was something more powerful than the pain that dominated his mind.

Humans. Flesh and blood.

That was what he needed.

And in that mansion infested with hungry zombies, Laurent still knew one living person.

Stephanie.

The face of that girl came to mind. She was surely curled up in the small guard booth.

Laurent dragged himself to the door. Though his body was no longer in a normal state, he moved persistently. He went down the stairs, crossed the hallway, and finally reached the entrance of the mansion.

The pain began to fade. He no longer crawled; like the other zombies, he now staggered as he walked.

Laurent stood in front of the booth. From his mouth came only a ragged breath.

“Kehe…”

Laurent opened the door. He saw the girl.

Exhausted from the long journey, she was curled up in a corner, breathing shallowly. Asleep, she looked like any other child her age.

Poor girl.

But that thought was quickly consumed by the crimson impulses controlling his mind.

Laurent tilted his head.

He had tried to remember something but couldn’t. In reality, the very act of thinking had blurred. Only the desire that drove him from deep within remained.

Laurent approached the girl.

***

Yuri ran nonstop until he reached the royal palace of Briol.

The guard stationed at the gate looked at him with astonished eyes.

“Prince?”

“Yes, it’s me.”

“W-What’s going on…?”

It was known that the third prince was in Bezos, facing the imperial army.

Thanks to his brilliant performance against the Empire, the name Yuri Briol was once again shaking the continent.

And now, that same Yuri had suddenly appeared at the royal palace.

“I just came for something urgent. I’ll leave right away. Open.”

“Ah, yes, sir!”

Yuri passed through the palace gates. The guard gave him a military salute.

“T-Thank you for your hard work.”

“Well done.”

As soon as he entered, Yuri approached a passing servant and asked,

“Where’s my brother?”

“P-Prince?”

“Where is he?”

“I… I’m not sure…”

Yuri asked everyone he came across if they knew where Cedric was. But no one seemed to know. All of them tilted their heads, puzzled.

Then he ran into Rosso, a member of the royal guard.

He still looked as young as ever, as if time didn’t pass for him.

“Sir Rosso?”

“Oh, Prince? What brings you to the palace?”

“I came for something urgent.”

“I’d heard you were leading the front in Bezos. I always knew you’d become a great knight. Hahaha…”

“Thanks. By the way, where’s my brother?”

“He’s probably handling state affairs on His Majesty’s behalf, so…”

Rosso tilted his head.

“Maybe he’s in His Majesty’s office.”

“My father’s office?”

“I have a feeling he is.”

“I see. Thank you, Sir Rosso.”

“It’s an honor to be of service.”

Yuri didn’t even properly say goodbye before hurrying off again. Ignoring the guards trying to stop him, he reached the king’s office.

Cedric had to be inside.

Yuri briefly wondered what he should say. But before reaching a conclusion, his body had already moved.

He knocked on the door. There was no response from inside.

Yuri knocked several more times.

Suddenly, the door opened abruptly from the inside. Cedric, wearing glasses, appeared before him.

“Yuri?”

Cedric smiled.

“What are you doing here? Good to see you. Want something to drink?”

It was a warm welcome. For the first time, Yuri felt a slight unease.

He had come directly from the battlefield without warning. That’s why all the guards and servants had been surprised to see him.

Yet Cedric didn’t show the slightest hint of shock. He just smiled kindly.

“Come in. You must be exhausted.”

Like he was hypnotized, Yuri entered the office following his brother’s gesture.

On the desk, the documents Cedric was reviewing were perfectly organized.

In truth, it wasn’t appropriate for Cedric, who had not yet been crowned king, to be in Fiore’s office. If he had already been named king, it would be understandable, but that wasn’t the case.

Even so, everything about him looked natural.

“Did something so urgent happen for you to come like this?”

Cedric asked with a smile.

Yuri stopped at the door and hesitated a moment before speaking.

“Aren’t you surprised?”

“Hmm?”

“That I came so suddenly.”

“Of course I was surprised.”

“It doesn’t seem like it.”

“There’s no one who looks like you enough to confuse me. If you appeared suddenly, there must be a good reason. It’s not that unexpected.”

Yuri felt disoriented.

“Come in.”

Yuri stepped in.

That wasn’t the Fiore’s office he knew. The desk was new, and the furniture arrangement was very different.

“It’s changed a lot, hasn’t it?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“Why what?”

“Why did you change dad’s office like this?”

“Because after all, I’m the one who’s going to use it.”

Yuri stared intently at Cedric.

“Brother.”

“Yes?”

“I have to ask you something.”

Yuri didn’t beat around the bush. He had come to the palace for this reason. While Cedric looked at him with curiosity, Yuri asked him.

“Aren’t you hiding something from me?”

“Yes.”

Cedric responded with complete naturalness.

“Who doesn’t have secrets? You have them too, Yuri.”

Yuri paused before speaking again.

“Brother, what happened with Française?”

“I sent a messenger. Didn’t you hear?”

“Yes, I heard. But I want to hear the answer directly from you.”

“From me, huh…?”

Cedric nodded. Then he looked down at the floor and let out a soft chuckle.

“Yuri… you always…”

He looked up. His black eyes shone intensely.

“…Always manage to surprise me.”

“What do you mean?”

“What you heard. I didn’t think you’d ride from Bezos to ask me this. It’s odd. Logically, it’s a bad decision, but in the end, it turns out to be the right one.”

Cedric sat on the edge of the desk.

“I also didn’t expect you to start suspecting me so soon.”

Yuri took a step back, confused by those words. He hadn’t come to the palace because he distrusted Cedric. He just wanted to calm his heart.

But Cedric was smiling with an expression Yuri had never seen on him.

“Brother…”

Even though he had returned in time, after uniting the allied forces, many things had changed. That’s why Yuri always found himself in new situations.

None had been easy. But he had never been this shaken.

It was Cedric.

His older brother, whom he respected.

Cedric, who had always stood by Briol’s side.

At that moment, Yuri shuddered. He discovered a truth he couldn’t believe.

He couldn’t even understand himself.

“Ah…”

In his past life, right after Fiore disappeared, Briol was invaded.

Yuri fought on the front lines. Joshua deployed all his cunning.

All of Briol held out to the end.

But…

Cedric wasn’t there. He couldn’t remember when he had vanished. No one in Briol seemed to wonder about his absence.

As if Cedric had never existed.

He couldn’t make sense of it. Then, Yuri remembered a word.

“Black magic.”

He spoke it aloud, almost unconsciously.

With a distorted face, he looked at Cedric and asked:

“Did you know?”

Cedric, arms crossed, watched him in silence. The lenses of his glasses reflected the light and flashed white.

“Yuri, my brother…”

“Answer me.”

“Why did you grow up so fast? I always admired your exceptional nature, but this time… I truly regret it.”

Cedric approached Yuri.

“Brother, tell me—”

“I know.”

“What?”

“I know about the black magic. And to give you another answer… the story about Française being sealed off due to an epidemic is a lie. Something much worse is happening.”

Before Yuri realized it, Cedric was already beside him. He placed a hand on his chest.

“Don’t move.”

Yuri tried to grab Guilty, but he had no strength in his hand. When he tried to grip the hilt tightly, Cedric spoke again.

“If you let go of the sword, I’ll save your friend in Française. If you don’t… he’ll die in a horrible way.”