Volume 2 - CH 15

「It's just getting undead. ...... But the numbers are getting much smaller.」

「The living monsters are so exhausted that they're not much of a threat anymore.」

Another month passed as Mars and the rest proceeded with their attack.

They have enough supplies, and since they are not attacking in a hurry, they are less tired.

As Mars aims for a slow life in the future, he thinks this is still fast enough.

He can find no reason to move up the schedule by a few days.

The threats to the Kruse group ahead of Mars and the rest should be more numerous and their speed of progress is much slower.

In the case of the 『Great Norn Tomb』 this time, Mars does not think much of the possibility of being conquered first.

In addition to the dungeon boss, Mars and the rest are more concerned about the presence of the necromancer Norn.

「I wonder if Kruse-sama is safe. ......」

「I think he's safe. He's not among the undead at the moment, and he only has the occasional companion, right? If even his subordinates encounter him only occasionally, then of course the prince is alive. And from what I've heard, he doesn't seem like the kind of guy who would die so easily. (?)」

Julis told Mars that Kruse possesses four magic spells from the 【Forbidden Magic Book】.

Besides, his simple physical strength is also extraordinary. Mars thinks that if they were to fight without the magic of 『Body Strengthening』, Mars would be overwhelmed due to the difference in physique. Of course, there is no way that Mars would fight a battle in which he would lose his advantage.

Julis is on good terms with everyone, but she still seems to be worried about Kruse.

Considering the number of years they have known each other, it is not surprising. Even if they are not men and women, it is natural for them to have feelings for each other.

Julis and Mars have only known each other for about a month at the most, so it could be said that it was just a passing fancy.

「Nemu hates it because it's all zuruzuru-nya. The limp feeling makes her feel creeped and funya-funya-nya. ......」[TLN: Damn, sorry this line is really hard to translate: ズルズルばっかでちょっとイヤにゃ。ぐにゃあって感触で力抜けてふにゃふにゃになるにゃ……]

「I feel guilty when they look like a human. ......」

「That's the hardest part of this dungeon. I feel like I'm a mass murderer.」

The majority are so decomposed and damaged that they have lost their original form, but some of them are mixed in with the undead that one could be mistaken for being alive.

And those undead in such near-human conditions is, without exception, powerful.

Even if they are fine with the task of destroying corpses, those who are close to human beings have a strong sense of the killing.

However, since they came down to this layer, the number of both those undead and monsters had decreased considerably.

Mars felt inward that this was the calm before the storm.

「Wasn't it decades ago when the dungeon was first traversed?」

「It's believed that Rudolf Argest was the first to step on it fifty years ago. It is believed that he laid the foundation for the current dungeon attack.」

Julis responds with a wary look around.

Hazuki and Nemu looked as if to say Hee, and Lilia nodded.

「I think that's absolutely false. The undead adventurers here are clearly capable of conquering dungeons. If they had the intelligence they had before they became undead. I think small dungeons have been conquered many times before. Maybe they didn't know it was a dungeon.」

「Mm ...... maybe it was just a hole with treasure, that's all they knew. In fact, I heard that this 『Great Norn Tomb』 was a sanctuary for the Tomb Guard. That is probably why it was targeted by thieves.」

「Ah, that may be true. It was really said that treasure is buried there.」

If you thought it was a pyramid, it was a dungeon, which is what they would call it today.

「The undead are so old-fashioned in their weapons and equipment that it is surprising that they have made it this far in the first place. Fifty years is nothing. The one we just encountered was wearing clothing with the emblem of a country that died over a hundred years ago.」

「It's not surprising that many of the numerous small countries that existed long ago were built by dungeon attackers」

There are numerous undead adventurers who are tougher than Hydra.

There are a number of them who use magic at a level equal to Julis, who seems to be able to conquer dungeons single-handedly, or at a level close to Hazuki, who is a genius.

Fortunately, there is little intelligence left other than the ability to capture prey, i.e., the combat aspect, which can be dealt with as long as one does not face them head-on and is foolishly honest.

Specifically, Mars and Nemu would act as bait, and Lilia, Hazuki, and Julis would finish them off.

Julis is dexterous and can use a bow as well as a sword, and she can also use magic to some extent.

She is an all-rounder who can do a variety of things with great dexterity, probably because she has tried so many things to be useful to Kruse.

Her expression is hard and her speech is stiff, but Mars can see a single-minded, healthy spirit in Julis.

「Right now we are still breaking through, but if you need big firepower, let me know. This magic is originally to protect Kruse-sama, but with my 『Absolute Protected Area』 I can make time to formulate the magic.」

「Yes! It's useful magic, isn't it!? I wish I could use something like that, too」

「It consumes a lot of magic power, and I can only use it twice a day at most. It's not a very useful ability.」

「Just the ability to protect everyone in an emergency would be helpful. Some mistakes can put you in trouble.」

The atmosphere is somewhat loose, but there is a sense of tension among everyone up to this point.

The presence of the undead foreshadows their own ominous future.

「Nyah nyah. Two more zuruzuru are coming-nya. They are probably strong guys-nya. Their movement is very solid-nya」

「There's no end to it. ...... I shudder to think that these days there are even those who run」

「Running zombies are wicked ......」

「?」

The undead without defects run with ease when they reach this layer.

Their movements are agile and they are a high threat.

「What should we do? Should I use my magic to defeat them from afar?」

「No. ...... I want to conserve as much of Hazuki's magic power as possible. I'll do everything but the finishing blow. It's not a very good thing, but I want to get used to cutting people, as much as possible.」

Mars doesn't think they should forget their disgust, but that emotion can be a risk.

He knows he can no longer bring himself back from the undead, but he can't erase his hesitation.

In fact, there have been a few cringe-worthy moments leading up to this point.

The group had reduced their risk by avoiding killing, but at the same time, they were taking the risk of not being able to demonstrate their abilities when the time came.

Only Julis, who had cut down her compatriots, showed no hesitation with her sword.

「Julis, please ready your bow. As soon as you see them completely, shoot them.」

「All right.」

Only Mars and Lilia, who have good eyesight, can see the shadows of the two undead.

Both were undamaged, and their faces had retained much of their pre-life shape.

――That's a pretty strong undead. The way they walk is clearly the movement of the swordsman.

One is a man.

A tall man with long blue hair. He had a long sword in each hand and was wearing white armor.

Two swords were thrust into his chest, so the cause of death was obvious.

The other was a woman.

She had shoulder-length black hair and a walking stick in her hand.

She was dressed in a long skirt. She wore a short red robe over her shoulders.

On her chest was a silver pendant. Underneath it was a large hole through which a man's arm could have passed.

――Don't tell me

Mars' entire body froze when he saw the woman's undead face.

Just as Mars realizes, there is a clang, and the sound of staff falling to the ground.

When he turns around, he sees Hazuki stiffen with a pale face.

Yes, the undead woman's face looked a lot like the face of someone he sees every day ― Hazuki.

「D-Dad, Mom ......」

The tragedy, which Mars wished had only been imagined, was taking on human form and walking into Mars and his group.