Chapter 6: Fears and plans

"What is that rotten brain doing..."

Cranberry massaged her forehead as she walked towards the garden, holding the wooden sword against her shoulder.

She was still holding it by the blade as if that was the propped way.

There was still some time until the training session but Cranberry decided to check up on her servant since he suddenly leveled up his skill.

Truth to be told, she didn't care what Zombie was doing when she wasn't around, but if something happened to him, her mother would scold her again.

She already had to suffer through punishment after lady Raspberry saw that Zombie is missing an arm, she didn't want to risk a repeat.

"Well... it's not so bad if that rotten brain is training on his o..."

She sighed to herself and entered the rose garden.

And her jaw dropped.

Between the roses that her mother grew herself, the blue-skinned boy was trembling.

...while pressing a rabbit monster to the ground by the neck with his one hand and biting into its back.

From the monster's wounded back blood and some translucent fluid were splashing around as the beast tried to free itself but it was only making the wound worse.

"Gfaoff...! (Master! I won!) Gfaoff...! (It wanted to kill me but my corpse venom will finish it instead!)"

As Zombie boasted, blood and venom spew from his mouth.

The whole scene made a for a grotesque sight.

"..."

All color left Cranberry's face and she clenched her fist around the wooden sword's blade so hard that her knuckles turned white.

"Gfaoff... (Just wait a bit, I think that it's almost dead.)"

"...skwee..."

Zombie declared proudly while pumping the twitching rabbit full of venom.

"Are you..."

Cranberry's low voice sent chills down Zombie's spine.

Her body started glowing faintly and in the next moment, the sword's handle smashed against the boy's forehead sending him rolling back into the white roses.

"FUCKING WITH ME?!"

She growled with a face twisted like a demon.

"Skwee..!"

The freed rabbit suddenly regained some of his energy and dashed away as fast it could, leaving behind a bloody trail.

"Graough...?! (Wh-what...?! Why did you do that?!)"

Zombie crawled back and complained.

"You useless moron!"

Cranberry's eyes started glowing and she delivered a crushing blow to Zombie's back.

"Graough...! (Guagh...!)"

Zombie gasped as he felt his bones shatter.

/Warning

Servant became damaged

Servant has insufficient mana to heal

Permission to use Master's mana required

The message flashed in front of their eyes but furious Cranberry didn't care at all.

"You cretin! Rotten brain! Useless idiot!"

With each curse, her eyes glowed and a destructive skill was unleashed onto the powerless servant.

/Insufficient mana

He couldn't dodge because he used up all of his available mana on producing the corpse venom.

/Warning

Servant became damaged

Servant has insufficient mana to heal

Permission to use Master's mana required

/Warning

Servant became damaged

Servant has insufficient mana to heal

Permission to use Master's mana required

/Warning

Servant became damaged

Servant has insufficient mana to heal

Permission to use Master's mana required

/Warning

Servant became damaged

Servant has insufficient mana to heal

Permission to use Master's mana required

The popping-up messages were blocking their view yet Cranberry didn't have enough.

Her body released a faint smoke as she activated the thrashing.

Several blows fell on Zombie's body at once turning most of his bones into splinters.

/Warning

Servant became damaged

Servant has insufficient mana to heal

Permission to use Master's mana required

"Did you know that there is a tradition amongst the nobility, where once a year the children from the distinguished families who are ten years old will gather at a grand party and will kill their first monster in front of everyone?"

Cranberry asked but Zombie could only twitch in response and look at her with confusion.

"Did you know that each family that sends the child there prepares the best monster they can? And that shows their power and prestige amongst the others?"

/Warning

Servant became damaged

Servant has insufficient mana to heal

Permission to use Master's mana required

The girl continued while ignoring the messages.

"Did you know that this tradition requires the children to be at level one?! Hence the monster they will finish off will be their first kill?!"

Cranberry crouched by Zombie and lifted his head by pulling his hair.

His jaws were hanging loose and the rabbit's blood and the remnants of corpse venom were dripping down like saliva.

Cranberry tilted her head and stared daggers into him.

"Did you know that whatever you kill, I, as your master, will receive a portion of your experience points?!"

She asked and smashed his face into the ground.

/Warning

Servant became damaged

Servant has insufficient mana to heal

Permission to use Master's mana required

"DO YOU KNOW WHAT MY MOTHER WILL DO TO ME IF I BRING SUCH SHAME TO OUR FAMILY?!"

She growled.

"If you killed that trashy monster and I would level up because of it, mother would...!"

She trembled, stood up, and swung at him again.

/Proficiency level reached

Servant's skill upgrade

Blunt damage resistance (level 3)

/Warning

Servant became damaged

Servant has insufficient mana to heal

Permission to use Master's mana required

"...Tsk...! Heal him!"

Cranberry clicked her tongue and turned away

/Permission received

Commencing healing...

/Healing complete

"Graough...! (I-I'm sorry... I had no idea...)"

After the murky red light healed him, Zombie slowly got up and wiped his face, his right hand didn't connect to the rest of his arm even though he made sure to stick it to its rightful place when the healing started, so now he was just clenching it close to his body.

"Shut up. I don't want to hear your groans."

Cranberry barked and started walking.

"Haa...!"

But suddenly she stopped and sighed aggressively.

Zombie flinched.

"I never explained it to you, so I guess that a part of it is my fault... That's why I healed you just now."

She turned her head his way but didn't look directly at him.

"From now on your free-roaming around the mansion ends. You will accompany me while I study, so such blunder won't happen ever again."

That declaration left Zombie stunned.

His master, that was always so ruthless...

Was she showing consideration towards him?!

"From now on you are absolutely forbidden to use your bite and corpse venom skills... Oh, and better start praying that your venom doesn't actually kill that trashy monster, or I will keep hitting you until my bash will reach max level."

Cranberry glanced at him, and if the looks could kill then Zombie would drop dead then and there.

The girl was clenching her fists so tight her knuckles turned white.

"Haa..."

She suddenly sighed and all the tension got released from her body.

"Just... Try to be more patient, like me."

She said lightly and when the blue boy tilted his head in confusion she shrugged her shoulders.

"Three more years. We just have to endure three more years and after that joke of a party will be over, we will be able to start leveling up. You'll get hour fill of killing then, and so will I."

Cranberry smiled with pure joy.

Zombie never before witnessed a child who could invoke such terror with a simple smile.

"You know, my rotten brain Zombie? I have big plans."

She looked up and reached her hand to the sky.

She clenched her fists and her smile turned into a chilling grin.

"Really big plans."