## Chapter 96 – Zombie Parade
Despite searching the surroundings, we didn’t find any significant clues. The only things we encountered were those zombie brothers from earlier. We continued deeper into the forest without any real progress. Time just kept passing.
“It’s getting dark. Hey, are we going to keep going?”
Claudie stopped the party. The sun was setting. I was prepared to camp out, so it didn’t really matter to me, but it seemed like any further searching would be impossible. We needed to prepare our sleeping arrangements before it got completely dark.
“Indeed. It would be best to set up camp soon.”
Our special forces nun, Elise, said this and began to look around.
She was clearly looking for a good spot.
Frankly, Claudie was a complete amateur when it came to wilderness survival, and Copson was just Copson. It was best to listen to Elise here. At the mention of setting up camp, Copson started gathering suitable firewood. I followed him, picking up branches.
“This place isn’t very good. Follow me. I saw a place on the way here.”
“Oh, reliable.”
Following Elise, we came to a flat area that looked pretty decent. It looked like we could easily make a bivouac for the night with just a few branches and a little work.
Did we pass by a place like this? When I asked, she said she saw it in the distance on the way. Anyway, Copson and I gathered the tinder we had collected in one place.
“Claudie, pay attention. There are a lot of things you need to know to camp in the mountains.”
“…I’m more used to the desert, though.”
This would be a good experience for her too.
Copson prepared to start a campfire, and I collected large leaves with Claudie.
Elise began to build a wall using rocks and branches of a suitable size. Horrified by this, I entrusted the leaf gathering to Claudie and quickly ran to help her.
You shouldn’t make your comrades do all the hard work alone.
“Ah, thank you. But I can do it alone…”
“It’s faster with two people.”
“Understood.”
We built a makeshift wall and a clumsy roof. You can make do with just rocks and wood. There were plenty of materials around, so the work was quickly finished. Finally, we spread leaves on the roof and floor. That made a space big enough for four people to lie down in comfortably.
Copson, having finished the campfire, lit it.
Surprisingly, he had even found four flat stones and placed them around the fire like chairs. He had a great sense of style. As I admired it, he said proudly.
“The sun has set. Let’s sit down for now. We can eat and then sleep.”
As the fire burned, the sky turned black. It was completely dark. We sat around the campfire. The temperature dropped rapidly as the sun went down, so the warmth of the fire felt quite pleasant.
“You made it better than I expected. That’s amazing.”
“It’s nothing. I’m just used to it.”
Elise and Claudie started chatting. Even I thought we had made a good campsite. My experience in the military was useful, and I had a little in common with Elise in this area.
It was all the result of countless outdoor training exercises. I missed my time in the military. It was only a few years ago, but even the military was better than this other world.
“Copson, do you have any jerky?”
“Nope.”
Copson and I took out our rations and warmed them over the fire. This familiar taste. That’s right. This is my staple food. This taste that’s so dry you have to eat it with water.
I had forgotten about it because things had gotten so much better lately. This is the true taste of my hometown.
“Anyway, there aren’t enough undead. At this rate, the festival will be over before next week.”
“I think so too. Ah, damn it. It can’t end yet.”
“Is there some prize you’re after?”
“I’m aiming for a greave, but at this rate, I won’t even get to see it.”
“Hehehe, that’s why you should have enjoyed it like me from the start.”
Copson suddenly unbuttoned his shirt and started showing off his T-shirt.
It was an “I Love Brass Castle Holy Knights” T-shirt.
“This T-shirt. It’s great. Well, shouldn’t you enjoy the festival? It’s a rare opportunity. Getting good equipment is good, but making good memories is also important. Isn’t this a world filled with suffering? You can’t live if you don’t have something to enjoy.”
He seemed to be caught up in the atmosphere and started saying plausible things, but looking at his ridiculous T-shirt, he just looked like an idiot.
“You must be really happy, you bastard. What about the poster?”
“I hung it up in my room. I look at it every time before I go to bed and when I wake up in the morning. It makes me feel good. I’ve even been thinking about joining a religion.”
“You’re out of your mind.”
“What’s so crazy about it? Nuns are nice, aren’t they? One of the advantages of the church…”
While I was chatting with Copson, Elise suddenly interrupted.
“Even if it’s not a nun, there are many advantages to having a religion.”
“Huh?”
For some reason, Elise took out the scripture she had hanging on her waist and continued.
“Copson, that’s right. How about joining the Radiant Light Holy Order? We are always recruiting ordinary believers as well as paladins, so if you are interested, I can write you a recommendation letter. I may be a lower-ranking nun, but I can hand the recommendation letter to a senior pastor.”
I exchanged glances with Copson. He and I, who were from the same Krassheim, knew very well how violent and terrifying the Radiant Light Holy Order was. Those paladins are just thugs.
Elise opened her scripture. It felt like she was going to start explaining the doctrine or something equally hard to listen to. If that happened, we would be screwed, so we decided to quickly change the subject.
“Ah, hahaha! I’ll definitely ask you if I’m interested, Sister Elise!”
“I’ll keep that in mind positively. If you’re interested in the doctrine…”
“H-How about we decide on the watch schedule first?!”
“The watch schedule, you say. Certainly, there are some undead that don’t make a sound, so it’s necessary to take turns one by one.”
Copson lowered his voice even in his panic.
In a way, that was also a talent.
People always say that everyone has at least one thing they’re good at, and maybe Copson is best at lowering his voice in front of women. Well, changing the subject to the watch schedule was excellent.
I turned my head.
“Claudie, aren’t you hungry?”
Her purple hair seemed to shine in the firelight. When I spoke to her, she leaned her head on my shoulder.
“Aaaang.”
“What?”
“Feed me.”
What is with this older sister… Taking off my gauntlet, I broke off a small piece of dried food and put it in her mouth. Claudie seemed restless. It was the time when we would normally arrive in our room, after all.
We spent our time like that, and night deepened.
As the temperature dropped, we warmed ourselves by the fire and naturally started to get tired. It was time to go to bed. When I got up, everyone else stood up as well.
“What about the watch?”
I asked. Rock-paper-scissors is usually the best in these situations, but as I said, the hand shapes and rules of rock-paper-scissors in this world vary greatly depending on where you were born, where you live, and what religion you believe in, so it’s not something you can use on a daily basis.
If you start discussing rock-paper-scissors with reclusive eccentrics who use all kinds of deformed muk-jji-ppa + α, you’ll literally fall into 심마 (simma – a kind of mental breakdown). I hated that more than anything. I never wanted to have a knife fight for that reason again.
“Hmm…”
Usually, the first watch is the best, and the last watch is the next best, so the second and third watches are hell itself.
“I don’t mind, so decide on the order you want first.”
“No, we can’t do that.”
We gathered our opinions roughly. This took a little time, but in conclusion, Elise, who could use divine power, decided to take the first watch, and Claudie said she wanted to be with me in a row, so naturally, I would take the second and third watches. I was on the second watch. Copson was on the last watch.
Now that we had decided on the order, we could go to sleep. Elise, who was on the first watch, sat in front of the campfire and greeted us.
“Then sleep well. 성도님 (Seongdo-nim), I’ll wake you up when it’s time.”
“Okay. Thanks for your hard work.”
The makeshift survival tent was reasonably cozy. It’s nice to have just a roof.
Copson was on the far right, I was in the middle, and Claudie was on the far left. It was getting cold, so I pulled Claudie close and lay down. I felt her warm body temperature, and sleepiness washed over me in an instant.
Ah, this breastplate is so uncomfortable.
According to the rules, you can’t take off your armor when sleeping outside.
“Hehehe…”
Then, Claudie suddenly kissed me. I covered her mouth with my hand and whispered quietly.
“Hey, hey! The others can see us!”
Copson was right next to us, and Elise was a religious person, so I could never allow such a thing. Damn it! I’ll have to give her sex education again when we get back!
“Go to sleep!”
“Just one more?”
“…”
She calmed down when I kissed her on the forehead.
I fell asleep for a moment like that—
“성도님 (Seongdo-nim), it’s time to switch.”
“—Huh?”
Surprisingly, I jumped in time.
Looking to the side, Claudie was sleeping soundly.
“I gathered firewood in my spare time, so please keep the fire burning. The moonlight is bright, but fire is essential.”
“Ah, aah… Why did the time go by so fast?”
I got up and went outside.
As Elise said, there was a pile of firewood. With that much, we could keep the fire going for a week, let alone a day. She must have gathered everything around here.
“I didn’t feel any particular signs. The forest is quiet. Not even small monsters are visible.”
“Okay, okay, I’ll take it from here. Go to sleep.”
“Then I’ll see you in the morning.”
Elise lay down in the spot I had been lying in without hesitation. Then Claudie hugged Elise. What is this older sister doing now!
“Uh, uh… 성도님 (Seongdo-nim)?”
The lewd Claudie began to dig into Elise. Elise’s face turned red and she began to panic at the unbelievable sight.
“Calm down. Stay still. Something terrible might happen if you move rashly.”
“…What do you mean by terrible?”
“Something unbelievably amazing.”
I calmly began the process of separating Claudie from Elise. She was so strong that it required very delicate control and more than the appropriate level of strength.
“No!”
She wouldn’t move, so I gently pulled on the tip of her ear, and she twisted her body while making a strange moan. Elves’ ears are their weak point.
Only then was Elise freed and let out a hot breath.
“…Sleep well.”
“Hoo… Your body temperature is hot. Then I’ll go to sleep first.”
Left alone, I sat in front of the campfire, feeding wood to the fire and killing time. The forest was really quiet. Normally, when you camp out in a place like this, you can hear the sounds of all kinds of creatures.
The sound of something flying, the sound of strange beings rustling through the bushes. And the sound of something unknown walking through the night. But I couldn’t hear any of those sounds. All I could hear was the sound of the fire burning and the wind.
It was very boring without any stimulation.
As I endured the seemingly endless time, I heard a sound.
—Thump.
“Hmm?”
The sound of something falling? No, that’s not it. Then footsteps? No, it’s too loud to be footsteps. What is that sound?
I immediately drew my sword and looked around.
Should I wake the others?
I might have misheard, so I’ll hold off.
And then.
—Thump.
What the hell is this?
—Thump!
I screamed and tried to wake the others.
At that moment.
—Crack!
“Wh-What?!”
A tree fell over and a huge being appeared.
As a mortal, I witnessed the huge, grotesque monster.
—JYURURURURURURURU!!!
“Eliseeeeeeeeee!!! Claudieeeeeeee!!!”
What appeared through the trees was a huge monster of flesh.
The size of the huge undead, which was sewn together from all kinds of flesh, was close to 3 meters.
“It’s a Flesh Goleeeeeeeeeem!!!”
