SWNOVELXO Chapter 368
Kurt, Arisa, and Lakia, who tagged along, set off for the Holy Kingdom almost immediately after Aila finished her explanation.
“But won’t we run out of time? Moving from the Holy Kingdom to Astram and back again will take a lot of time… If the trial ends in the meantime, won’t all this be for nothing?”
“It’s not certain, but… there should still be time.”
Finally finding some mental calm in the carriage heading to the Holy Kingdom, Arisa asked Aila with a worried tone.
In response, Aila explained the process of the Holy Kingdom’s religious trials.
“The Holy Kingdom’s interrogation process is quite harsh, but it’s also meticulous and persistent, aiming to extract every last bit of information from the accused. It’s torturous… but it also means the trial won’t end immediately. Plus, the charges against Daria aren’t ordinary—they’re suspicions of heresy by a special saint, so they’ll be even more cautious. And with me, also suspected of heresy, evading the Holy Kingdom’s soldiers, the chances of her trial happening right now are very slim.”
Indeed.
No matter how much Aila moved to save Daria, if Daria’s trial ended while she was preparing, it would all be meaningless.
In fact, it would be counterproductive, as she’d lose the chance to defend Daria during the trial.
In that sense, her bold escape from the Holy Kingdom was because she trusted in the Kingdom’s persistence and caution.
You can tell how persistent the Holy Kingdom is by how well the truth about the Ancient Empire in this world has been hidden.
Even though the current civilization has faced two near-extinction crises due to otherworldly monsters and wars with demons, erasing much of the history of the once-dominant empire shows a level of paranoia that’s hard to achieve without some lost ancient magic.
They’ll likely interrogate Daria with the same paranoid level of caution.
“Looking at past precedents, Daria’s interrogation will probably follow a 49-day first-class procedure. Dragging it out longer would be risky, but it also means the Holy Kingdom won’t hastily pass judgment on Daria during that time.”
“49 days…”
It could feel short or long, depending on perspective.
“And considering the time it took for me to rush to Astram after Daria’s arrest… it’s not exactly leisurely, but if we keep up this pace, we should make it in time. I actually expected it to take longer to convince you all to come to the Holy Kingdom, but you were more proactive than I thought, so we’re not short on time.”
“Is that so?”
Arisa sighed in relief at Aila’s words.
“Yes. Unless something unexpected happens, there shouldn’t be any major issues.”
With that, the carriage carrying the three sped toward the Holy Kingdom.
Hoping no special trouble would arise.
…
They did everything they could to shorten the time and reach the Holy Kingdom as quickly as possible.
The carriage was packed with long-lasting preserved food to minimize stops in villages for supplies.
Though it was hard for Kurt, they even skipped stopping to cook, eating dry rations on the move.
They also purchased a carriage pulled by red-sweat horses, faster and more enduring than regular horses, and took the shortest route—a straight line on the map—instead of the usual detours.
But trouble always strikes when you least want it.
The problem was their choice of the shortest route.
There’s always a reason why people avoid certain paths.
It was around the time they passed a few villages on their way to the Holy Kingdom.
Thud thud
“…The fog is pretty thick.”
“That’s strange. Morning has already passed…”
It was closer to noon than morning.
By now, the sun should be overhead, but the carriage pulled by the red-sweat horses was still moving through a thick fog.
The fog was so dense that even the scorching sun above felt faint, giving a chilly sensation despite it being midsummer.
The carriage, pulled by monsters, couldn’t reach its desired speed due to the lack of visibility.
“Ugh… It seems like we’ll be delayed more than expected…”
“No wonder the map had a warning to avoid this area. It must be because of this abnormal fog.”
As the thick fog slowed the carriage, Mari and Arisa complained.
Then Aila chimed in, sounding puzzled.
“Huh? That’s strange. As far as I know, people avoid this area not because of the fog, but because undead appear here.”
“Really… Huh? Undead!?”
“Wait, undead!?”
“Huh? Didn’t you know? I thought you were aware and chose this route…”
Aila was taken aback by their clueless reactions.
“Seriously! Undead are corpses that come back to life with a grudge against the living! They attack people to turn them into moving corpses like themselves!”
“We were in such a rush we didn’t have time to study the travel route! I just thought people avoided this path because it was rough…”
“What if ghosts show up!”
“No wonder the fog feels eerie even in broad daylight… If I’d known, I’d have chosen a different route…!”
At the mention of undead, not just Mari and Arisa, but Karina and Serena, who had been quietly listening, also paled and trembled.
Seeing their reactions, Aila forced a bitter smile and corrected them.
“Undead might appear, but ghosts won’t. Because undead aren’t actually revived dead people.”
“What do you mean?”
“It’s not widely known outside the Holy Kingdom, but undead aren’t revived corpses—they’re just moving corpses.”
“What’s the difference between a revived corpse and a moving corpse?”
Aila paused to think, then found a fitting analogy.
“Hmm… Think of it like a puppet with strings. We don’t call the puppet alive just because it moves, right?”
“…So you’re saying undead don’t have a will of their own? They’re just being controlled by someone?”
“More like they’re created with commands embedded in them… but roughly, yes.”
“Then who makes these puppets… I mean, undead?”
“Vampires. With their special abilities, they turn dead bodies into moving beings that act solely on the instinct to increase their kind.”
“Vampires can do that…?”
Mari was stunned by the unexpected revelation.
“Yes. Though only some vampires can do it. Each vampire clan has a unique ability, and turning the dead into slaves for their clan is one such ability.”
“Now that I think about it, the vampire we saw in the dwarf village also used a strange technique…”
Damian, who could hide within the bodies of his thralls and carry an army of thralls within himself, had a similar ability.
Thinking of undead in that context made it somewhat understandable.
“Vampires are usually very secretive and cautious, so it’s not surprising you’re unfamiliar. I only know because I’m from the Holy Kingdom and have access to information about vampires.”
Aila smiled reassuringly.
“So, in the end, zombies and ghouls aren’t truly revived dead people. No need to worry.”
“But they’re still dangerous!”
“Right! Whether they’re revived or just being controlled, moving corpses are creepy!”
“Well, it shouldn’t be a big problem. While undead do have a tendency to attack the living, it’s not much different from territorial monsters. With our strength, they’re not a major threat. Unless the vampire who created them is around.”
“It’s not that! Just the idea of undead is terrifying!”
“Ugh… I already want to take a different route!”
As they freaked out over the idea of undead, the carriage continued forward.
Then, suddenly, a figure emerged from the thick fog.
“Ahhh! A zombie!”
“No, a ghoul!”
The women screamed, still on edge from the undead discussion.
But what emerged from the fog was neither a zombie nor a ghoul.
“Help me!”
It was a pale-skinned woman in a nun’s robe.