Published: August 25, 2025
Today, three chapters are posted simultaneously.
This is the third chapter.
The next day.
In the morning, after a leisurely breakfast, I kept a fire going and was trying out a magic spell for memorial rites for the undead when Mr. Glen, who had gone out, returned. Behind him, dashing while avoiding the undead, countless undead—both humanoid and animal-shaped—were pursuing him.
“Welcome back. How did it go?”
“I ran around the village along the wall, and just as you said, the mansion that looks like a castle in the center is the nest of the undead. The closer you get there, the more undead there are. Yesterday, I thought there were a lot around here, but after seeing that, it seems like hardly anything.”
“Were there that many?”
“Yeah, countless. From what I saw while running, the humanoid undead seem to be hunting outside as well.”
Mr. Glen had seen zombies and skeletons setting traps and hunting, bringing back their prey. The hunted animals were gathered at the square in front of the mansion at the village center, where they were butchered, distributed, and eaten. Finally, the remains were taken inside the mansion gate, immediately reanimated as undead and sent back out.
Though I had expected this given the magical beast’s abilities, it seems the situation really is like a ghost town.
“I’ve heard of ghost towns, but I’ve never been. But the area around the mansion really felt like an undead town. The humanoid undead felt more human-like than those I’ve seen elsewhere.”
“I confirmed that myself. I was trying to attract and purify the undead with magic, but zombies and skeletons seemed to sense my intentions and moved away.”
Miss Remily had told me that some undead retain partial memories from when they were alive. Besides, the magical beast in question doesn’t simply create undead but binds the souls of the dead, turning them into earthbound spirits, so many likely retain strong memories from their former lives. Though they don’t become fully human again...
“We definitely need to deal with the magical beast causing this.”
“That’s the problem, though. That thing is pretty dangerous. I can’t handle it.”
Oh... Honestly, I’d hoped Mr. Glen would stand aside, so this actually suits me fine. I thought he’d actively confront it, so this surprises me. He must have sensed my thoughts because he opened his mouth with a look of exasperation.
“You think I just smash anyone strong I see, don’t you?”
“Isn’t that the case?”
“If the opponent’s stronger than me, I don’t back down—that’s lame—but I still only fight those I can actually hit. There are many types of ‘strong.’ Some set traps or run away, avoiding direct fights entirely. I don’t get along with those kinds. I can’t even hit them... The thing in there is probably like that.”
Indeed, this magical beast’s ability specializes in undead creation and dark magic that targets the mind, making victims see illusions. Its power is so strong that even magic tools designed to counter mental assault are rendered useless.
Equipment differences hardly matter. Relying on numbers risks friendly fire triggered by hallucinations. That’s why the gods said, “One person with mental assault resistance has a higher success rate than a strong army.”
Mr. Glen probably hasn’t thought it through that far, but he must have sensed the magical beast’s danger to some degree.
“I wasn’t born strong either. I’ve lost to humans many times before, and when something’s dangerous, I sometimes avoid it.
Well, if you’re going, I won’t stop you or say you can’t, but if things go south, I won’t be able to help.”
“It’s fine. I’m not planning to die, and I’m not asking you to join in a suicide mission.”
“You don’t deny it’s a suicide mission? Then what’s the plan?”
“For now, we’ll eliminate as many undead as possible. Not just around the mansion but inside it too—we’ll try to lure them outside. The fewer obstacles before we defeat the magical beast, the better.