Chapter 92: A Flower Blooming in Death (2)

On the hotel rooftop.

Leaning against the railing, gazing at Icata’s nightscape, I, Karina, let out a deep sigh.

My chest felt heavy.

It seemed like my fault that we lost the necromancer and got Gerard injured.

‘If I had tied him up properly, this wouldn’t have happened.’

I ruffled my hair.

At first, I couldn’t believe it.

So, after Gerard was taken to the hospital, I returned to the room and immediately checked the mana suppression rope on the floor.

There were no signs of it being torn or cut.

Nor was the rope’s effect faulty. I tested it on Bain, and it worked perfectly.

The rope’s mana suppression was intact.

That left only two possibilities: someone untied it, or he freed himself.

Since only Gerard and I were in the room, and both of us were far from the necromancer, the former was impossible.

Thus, the conclusion was that the necromancer untied it himself.

“I tied it too loosely.”

I mocked myself.

That wasn’t all.

I even caused a conflict with Gerard.

‘All because I provoked him over something already settled…’

I had half-meaned it as a joke, but the moment I saw the Eye of Truth, memories of Gerard surfaced, and I thought, ‘Should I try it now?’

But…

‘This is how it turned out.’

I lacked consideration and respect for Gerard.

That’s what caused the incident.

‘Even after apologizing so sincerely at the cathedral.’

How hard it was to say sorry.

Yet, due to a moment of complacency, I undermined my own sincerity with my own hands.

‘If it weren’t for that, the necromancer’s escape would’ve been stopped.’

Gerard wasn’t so dull as to fall for a surprise attack so easily.

He must’ve been angry because of me, his attention distracted, leading to the ambush.

‘Everything happened because of me.’

I sighed.

Before I realized it, a communication ring glimmered in my hand.

It was Gerard’s.

“Senior Gerard asked me to give this to you.”

Just moments ago, Gwyn had said that while handing me the ring.

Seeing it only made me more irritated.

“Ugh, you idiot. You fool!”

I punched my head with my fists.

Then.

“That won’t change anything.”

It was Ivan.

He stood behind me, holding my arm, having come up unnoticed.

“…Let go.”

“Only if you promise not to hit.”

“Me? Or you?”

“Obviously both.”

“Fine. I won’t hit.”

Ivan released my hand.

I glared at him.

“Why’d you come up? I want to be alone. What? Did something happen in the capital again? Did someone die?”

“No.”

“Then what?”

“You’ve been up here forever. I came to ask what we’re doing next. We can’t keep going like this.”

“Seriously? Why ask me? There’s Bain.”

Ivan stared at me.

“You don’t know?”

I turned my head.

I knew that as long as I was around, Bain couldn’t lead or judge properly.

Gerard must’ve had that in mind when he gave me the ring.

Even after the fight with Yuria earlier, Bain had been oddly quiet, wary of the others’ reactions.

But.

‘So what?’

What’s that got to do with me?

“And?”

“What do you mean, ‘and’?”

“Gerard’s injured and back at the Academy, and the commander giving us orders turned into a zombie. What more can we do in this situation?”

“So you’re saying we give up?”

What?

Give up?

I shouted reflexively.

“Are you crazy? Who said anything about giving up? The word ‘give up’ doesn’t exist for Karina Zain!”

Ivan smiled.

“Exactly. So stop wallowing in self-blame and let’s move. Even without Senior Gerard, we have you, and just because Sir Paxen became a zombie doesn’t mean our investigation team’s mission is over.”

I snorted.

“You talk about a big game. Sorry, but I wasn’t blaming myself. I was thinking about what to do next.”

“Oh, really? So you’re done thinking?”

“Yeah. I was about to go down even if you hadn’t come. Move.”

I pushed past Ivan and headed downstairs.

Ivan followed, smiling as if he couldn’t stop me.

‘Right. Giving up is out of the question.’

I steeled my resolve as I descended.

Only the one who tied the knot can untie it.

Having made this mess, I couldn’t just despair—I had to take responsibility.

‘That guy probably expects that too.’

I looked at Gerard’s communication ring and gripped it tightly.

‘Don’t act pathetic.’

As Ivan said.

The cadets were all gathered in Gerard’s room.

The mood was quite somber.

“Hey, look at me for a sec.”

As soon as I entered, I drew their attention.

Now it was time to say the thing I least wanted to.

‘You know? The coolest person in the world is someone who admits their mistakes.’

I squeezed my eyes shut.

“F-First, losing the necromancer was clearly my fault. I admit it and… apologize!”

There was no response.

An awkward silence.

I didn’t want to open my eyes, but curious about their reactions, I did.

“…”

They were staring at me with incredulous expressions.

“What? Did I say something wrong?”

“No, it’s just… uh.”

“It’s weird hearing you say that, Karina.”

“Yeah, that’s it.”

Light laughter broke out.

With that, the room’s atmosphere warmed, as if it had never been gloomy.

Just one apology.

I was surprised by the change but mostly embarrassed.

I felt my face flush.

So I hurried on.

“E-Enough! Gather up. I’ll tell you the plan.”

The group assembled around me.

“Listen up! From now on, we’re going after that guy called Zad.”

I shared the information I got from the necromancer.

Zad was a zombie created by the necromancer Guartes and the cause of this whole incident.

He could act independently with his own will.

“Where’s he hiding?”

“I don’t know. But…”

I placed what I was holding on the table and continued.

“I think we can find him easily with this.”

It was Gerard’s communication ring.

Adorned with amber and green gems.

“With this?”

“Showing is faster than explaining. Everyone, focus on your communication rings.”

I infused mana into Gerard’s ring.

Mana flowed from the rings each of them wore.

Yuria, with her high mana affinity, noticed the change first.

“Oh, this is…”

She glanced at her finger, then at me.

“Right. It’s the mana I just sent into this ring. Communication rings transmit not just sound but mana too.”

“But how does that help us find him? We all have the rings.”

I grimaced at Gwyn’s innocent remark.

“Use your brain, you idiot. Are we the only ones with communication rings?”

The cadets’ faces began to light up one by one.

“No way?”

“Exactly. Paxen. That knight has one too.”

Paxen’s was a commander’s ring with only an amber mana stone.

It was connected solely to Gerard’s ring, the leader’s.

“If Paxen still has his ring, we can track him with this and Paxen’s probably with Zad. Why? Because he’s the strongest zombie he’s made so far.”

It was a universal truth to keep strong subordinates close.

“What do you think?”

“Great plan.”

“As expected of the Lady!”

“Hm. Impressive.”

I lifted my chin.

“This is me. Karina Zain.”

The cadets chimed in.

“…Right. That’s Karina.”

“I was worried when you acted out of character, but it was for nothing.”

Embarrassment surged again.

I slammed the table and shouted.

“What are you all doing!? That creepy zombie might take off the ring any moment. Hurry!”

* * *

At Ladrier Hotel, few places had lights on at this hour.

I knocked on the window of the topmost room.

Tap! Tap!

Guartes’s tense face appeared, peering out cautiously.

Click.

“You’re here. I’ve been waiting. Come in.”

I entered the room.

Guartes bowed ninety degrees.

“…Thank you for saving me. I thought I was done for, but hearing the Master’s voice was such a relief. I’m so grateful I nearly cried.”

“I saved you for a reason, so no need to thank me.”

“I’m still grateful. You’re my savior. I’ll never forget this debt.”

Really?

“If you’re that grateful, die for me someday.”

“Uh… that’s a bit…”

Guartes scratched his head, looking reluctant.

I hadn’t expected much anyway.

“Sit down. I have questions.”

“Ask anything.”

“I went to your lab in the sewer. It was a mess. What is Zad doing?”

Perhaps recalling that moment, Guartes’s face turned ashen.

“Yes. It was him. He suddenly attacked me, and I barely escaped.”

“Why did he attack you? What’s his goal?”

Guartes hesitated.

“His goal…”

He spoke cautiously.

“My guess is… to prove himself to the world.”

“Prove himself?”

“Yes.”

Guartes explained.

One day, Zad started asking questions.

Why was he created, what was his origin?

The role of the undead in the world, human emotions, and more.

Questions an undead wouldn’t typically ask, mostly tied to ‘humans’ or ‘identity.’

“At first, I answered kindly since I valued him, but eventually, it gave me chills. His knowledge absorption was terrifyingly fast. I named him because he demanded to know why he didn’t have a name.”

“So he wasn’t always Zad.”

“He was originally called Number 109.”

A dog-like number.

“Anyway, he craved knowledge. At some point, he started rejecting my demands. He ignored orders, questioned why he had to obey, and constantly demanded recognition as a sentient being.”

“And then?”

“I told him. Obeying my orders is your purpose and identity. Like this.”

I didn’t need to hear the rest to know what happened.

‘He went berserk.’

In short, a being born without a foundation rebelled after his purpose was denied.

“Making strong subordinates?”

“It’s a form of reproduction. Since they’re not living, they can’t breed traditionally and increase numbers only through ‘infection.’ Weak ones die easily, so he deliberately keeps strong ones. But there’s a limit.”

“Limit?”

“Yes.”

Guartes’s expression turned serious.

“This might be his weakness. No matter how special he is, there’s a fixed limit to how many he can control through ‘infection.’”

A memory flashed in my mind.

“Wait. Is this related to the warning you gave?”

“You remember. Exactly. I heard a Central Knight fell this time?”

I nodded.

‘Paxen.’

I was shocked when I read Royal Dream before coming here.

Not only was a Central Knight taken down, but it was one I knew.

“He’ll get stronger, right?”

Surprisingly, Guartes shook his head.

“No. That’s his limit.”

“Hm? Really?”

“Yes. You must know about the random zombie outbreaks across Icata today.”

As Guartes said, after the article about Paxen, zombie attacks erupted throughout Icata.

Unlike previous attacks, which targeted strong hosts in specific locations, these were aimless, indiscriminate terrors.

“It’s because of Paxen. Controlling him takes so much power that he had to abandon other subordinates. Those freed zombies caused random riots.”

“…!”

“He’s likely weaker now, not stronger.”

A plausible theory.

If true, while he gained Paxen as a weapon, he’s easier to deal with than before.

Given zombies’ ‘infection’ ability, their strength lies more in groups than individuals.

I couldn’t believe Paxen lost to Zad.

An Expert upper-tier knight, to a zombie?

Even if Zad’s bizarre, it’s hard to buy.

‘More likely he fell into a trap.’

There’s a reason they say numbers overwhelm.

“So another Central Knight won’t become a host.”

“Correct. One entity. That’s Zad’s control limit.”

I felt relieved.

‘Not a world-ending disaster, then.’

Honestly, I’d been freaking out.

Hearing Paxen turned into a zombie, I thought, ‘What if the entire Central Knights become zombies?’

‘But it was just a worry.’

Knowing it’s not a massive threat, it was time to ask the most critical question.

This was why I saved Guartes.

“Zad. Where is he now?”

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