All it took was a bite from an undead for someone to become an undead themselves. It was currently treated as a type of curse. Only holy women could break the curse by using magic to turn the living dead back into the unliving dead. Which was to say that there was no way of saving the infected. There was no stopping the infection. That being the case—
“If it’s too late for you, then go get examined just to be sure. Then let the holy women put you down. I’m gonna have to do it myself if you go on a rampage. I’m serious—don’t put this off.” I glared at Dan, and finally he resignedly nodded his head.
“All right, all right. You volunteering for extra work tells me you’re serious about this. I’ll head to the church right now. You guys handle the rest.”
The remaining two members of our squad nodded. Dan got back on his horse and bid us farewell. The surrounding townspeople looked at us nervously, but I didn’t have time for them.
“Brother, is something bothering you?” Robert got back on his horse, a concerned look on his face.
Maybe I was overreacting. It wasn’t very likely that the girl was cursed. Like Dan had said, I’d never heard of an undead that wasn’t cold and rotting. Common sense would dictate that the girl was alive. But I had a bad feeling I just couldn’t shake. “Something was off about that girl.”
“Off how?”
“There was a warm feeling to her. The sort of feeling a kind and loving person would have.” I didn’t claim to be able to read minds or anything, but that was the sort of vibe I got from her. It was like how you could tell that someone was an asshole hiding behind a fake smile or that someone wanted to be alone. Anyone could pick up on that kind of thing. I just happened to be a little more attuned to it than most.
“Isn’t that a good thing? I’m sure her parents love her dearly.”
“But on top of biting our old man, she kept struggling even when her dad picked her up.”
“Now that you mention it, that is unusual.”
“That whole time, the feeling I got from her was just as warm as ever.”
Robert’s face changed like he had just heard a ghost story. “What are you getting at? Are you saying she bites people out of love? She causes a scene in public out of affection?”
“Exactly. It’s weird.”
“B-But brother, we’ve fought undead in the past and you’ve never said anything like this. Not even once.”
“Yeah, I never felt any trace of humanity from the undead we fought before.” It was possible the girl wasn’t an undead but something else entirely. If she was just some freaky human lashing out as an expression of love, then she could still be saved. The problem was—
“Worst-case scenario, she might be afflicted by some sort of illness or curse—so that’s why you sent father to the church!”
I gave a slight nod in response. If it was just a disease or a curse besides undeath, the church could potentially cure it. “The girl’s dad took off though. Hopefully I’m just getting worked up over nothing.”
“Actually, brother, I think I should look for that girl.” Robert had a serious look on his face.
“You sure? This is all just a gut feeling, y’know?”
“I trust your gut. That gut has saved us on countless missions. Besides, I think this may be related to the spike in undead outbreak cases lately.”
“You really are a brother I can be proud of.”
“As are you.”
“I wasn’t being serious, by the way.”
“I was.”
“I can’t stand you.”
We decided to split up, but before I left, I said one last thing. “And Robert.”
“What is it?”
“Don’t get bitten. That’s the one thing you need to look out for. No matter what.”
“Right. Will you be heading to the church after making the report? We can meet back up there.”
“Sure.” What a pain in the ass the whole situation had become. All because my old man just had to get careless around a kid. The other two holy knights and I headed to the city’s holy knight office. After leaving Viola in the stable, I filled out some really annoying paperwork. I made an excuse for why Dan couldn’t come himself, then got back on Viola and returned to the streets.
My destination was the church. It was a stone building with a sort of sacred atmosphere about it. It wasn’t my first time there, so I knew where everything was. I took Viola to the stable, then went inside.
When I opened the door, I saw a holy woman collapse onto the wooden floor. Everyone around her was frozen, as though they were in disbelief as to what had just happened. And then I saw Dan, blood dripping from his mouth. Blood gushed from the collapsed woman’s neck as she lay there motionless.
No. I knew the moment I saw it happen. The woman on the ground was dead.
“What the hell are you doing, old man? Attacking a woman is a little more than just an accident. If Milna sees this, a divorce will be the last of your worries—she’ll kill you.” Milna was Dan’s wife, Robert’s mother, and my adoptive mother. She was probably at home, waiting for us all to get back. “Hurry up and apologize to the holy woman. Beg for her forgiveness. I don’t wanna see you ruin your marriage, so this’ll be our secret.”
Suddenly, I completely understood how that girl’s father felt when he had run away. The truth is right before your eyes, but you just want to escape and avoid reality. Who would’ve thought I was that type of person too?
“Say something, old man.”
Dan’s eyes were vacant. His teeth were chattering. Yet I got that same warm feeling from him. It was like a parent embracing his beloved child. How could he attack someone with that feeling in his heart? I didn’t understand it at all. Then, Dan started walking towards me. He was going to bite me.
He had attacked one of the very people he had sworn to protect. Should I arrest him? No, given the incident with the girl, I had to assume my hunch was correct. This was a new type of undead. Which meant that as a holy knight, it was my duty to exterminate it. I had to kill him.
Pull out your sword. Swing. An enemy was just a few steps away. An enemy who looked just like Dan. I had to kill it.
“Ah, damn it!” I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t even place my hand on the handle of my sword. Dan bit right into my neck. Alongside the pain of my flesh being ripped off, I could feel something flowing into me.
✦ ✦ ✦
By the way, do you know why the undead bite people? Because it’s a blessing. I’m undead myself, so I would know.