◆ Chapter 5: Not Zombie Free Yet
“I always remember the first time whenever I come here,” Cia says, nostalgia in her voice.
“The time we tried to purify the castle, right? That was a serious life or death struggle.”
“To this day, your bravery continues to inspire me, Big Sister.”
“Ahaha… I think I was more reckless than brave.”
The next day, not long after the sun rose, Cia and I are chatting about the past as we cross the drawbridge over the moat isolating the castle. This bridge can easily be named the most dangerous place I had to purify. I could go on for forever talking about the dangers I encountered here, but we didn’t come to the bridge to talk about the past.
I have plans to meet up with Nady again today. We’re supposed to meet up on this drawbridge. As I’m chatting with Cia, I see someone with perked triangular ears and a fluffy tail running toward us from the city side. There’s no mistaking it’s her.
“I’m sorry. Did you wait long?” she asks once she’s on the bridge, then catches her breath.
“We just got here too. Didn’t we, Cia?”
“Yes, it wasn’t much of a wait because it gave me time to enjoy a pleasant chat with Big Sis.”
That’s basically a roundabout way of admitting we had been waiting. Apparently Cia only counts it as waiting if she is bored. Well, she’s too cute to mind how she words things.
“I feel bad about making you go out of your way to meet me here…”
“We’re the ones who invited you today,” I say to assure her. “Besides, I know how scary it can be to enter the castle grounds alone.”
“Yeah, it certainly is daunting… Ahaha.” Nady forces a nervous laugh.
Cia tilts her head. “Why is that?”
“It’s different for you because it’s your home, Cia.”
The castle belongs to the royal family and Cia sleeps there. It’s only natural she wouldn’t have the same reservations. Though the same could be said for me as it’s where I live in this world and I do treat it like a second home now.
“Anyway, no point wasting the day here. Let’s go!”
It goes without saying that Lex is on guard detail today as well. He’s following from a few feet behind us out of consideration for my request from the other day. I shoot him a look, signaling him to come as I set out through the gate with Cia and Nady.
The gatekeepers instantly stand at attention when they see me and Cia. They keep things formal when there are people around or if Cia is with me, otherwise we often have casual conversations when it’s just me and Lex. Our relationship is a bit like neighbors on good terms.
“I’m sorry yesterday’s outing turned gruesome.”
“That’s not your fault, Mizuha. It’s part of your job,” Nady says, being considerate of me.
The whole zombie bird attack ended up cutting our tour of the capital short. So we decided to have a tea party today to make up for it. Though really, that’s just an excuse to spend more time with Nady.
“Are zombie birds…common?” she asks.
“Humans are the most common. I saw a zombie bird once before, but it didn’t attack me like this one did.”
The last one I saw appeared during our quest to vanquish the Dark Djinn. When I saw it then, it seemed more like a scout. I never saw it again, so I sort of shelved birds as non-threats. But after yesterday, I need to stay on the lookout for them.
Cia frowns up at the sky. “Archers are our only option for shooting them out of the sky.”
“They would need to be skilled archers because not only are zombie birds on the small side, they also move quickly,” I respond, trying to strategize from a noncombatant’s standpoint.
Nady’s ears droop and her face darkens.
“Something wrong, Nady?”
“N-No. It’s nothing. I was just thinking.”
She looked awfully concerned for “just thinking”. I’m worried, but I don’t want to pry too much when she purposefully avoided the question.
“Sir Lex!”
A panicked voice greets us moments after we enter the castle. I turn around to find a knight running up to Lex, his expression grave. As they converse, Lex’s face darkens.
“Never a quiet moment, is there?” Cia says.
“I wonder what happened.”
I have the day off from my priestess duties, but I won’t ignore an emergency because of it. Cia and I share a look and walk back to where Lex and the knight are talking.
“What’s wrong, Lex?”
“…Lady Mizuha. I was hoping to let you rest today.”
“More trouble? Where’s the zombie?”
“There’s no zombie, but…the matter isn’t entirely unrelated to you, m’lady.” Lex seems hesitant to discuss it with me. “Please allow me to receive permission from His Majesty before disclosing the details.”