Chapter 94: A Flower Blooming in Death (4)

“Frey University?”

“Yes.”

I nodded at Guartes, chuckling inwardly.

‘A zombie with a campus romance fantasy? What’s next?’

It was absurd, but I let it slide.

He was going to die anyway.

Trying to understand him would only give me a headache.

“Please kill the one hiding there.”

“Kill him?”

“Yes.”

“So, is that a request?”

“Yes. A request.”

I hesitated.

Honestly, I wanted to take it.

I needed the money.

But… unfortunately, Zad’s death had nothing to do with the Academy’s ducal contract.

No matter how broke I was, a contract was a contract.

I was about to refuse.

[Do it.]

A gloomy voice came from behind.

An old man’s voice, unfamiliar.

Yet, why did it feel familiar?

“…”

I turned to see a crystal orb.

“Bishop Cristiano.”

[It’s me. Been a while, hasn’t it?]

“…Indeed.”

I nodded.

Bishop Cristiano.

This was an unexpected development.

[I’ve heard the gist of it. You’ve got a lot of complaints about our cult.]

“…”

[As you know, we’ve had friction with the Darkness Council. It’s mostly sorted now, and it’ll be fully resolved in a few days. So, no need to worry about that.]

“Hm. Understood.”

[Always so straightforward. Anyway, back to the point. I want to entrust you with a request. I’d like you to deal with that zombie named Zad.]

“Is this a personal favor, separate from the long-term contract?”

[Exactly. A request from me, Bishop Cristiano, to Shadow. I swear it won’t interfere with the long-term contract.]

I stroked my chin.

If the contract’s guarantor vouched like that, I couldn’t complain.

But I was curious about something.

“Why kill Zad? If used well, he could be a great weapon for the cult.”

Honestly, I thought Cristiano would choose to exploit him.

He was the most cunning person I knew.

If Zad could be manipulated, he’d be a terrifying bioweapon with devastating power.

His ability to think independently was his greatest asset.

Plus, the money invested in him was a waste.

‘Not my money, of course.’

Even to a third party like me, killing him seemed like a shame.

But Cristiano was cool about it.

[Simple. I like control.]

“…”

[If it can’t be controlled, it’s got to go. Right?]

I didn’t answer.

His words grated on my nerves.

Was I being oversensitive?

[Anyway, that’s my request. Talk to Guartes for the rest. I trust you’ll handle it well. See you next time.]

The crystal orb’s light faded.

* * *

I recalled my conversation with Bishop Cristiano.

‘If it can’t be controlled, it’s got to go. Right?’

A loaded question.

It felt like a warning aimed at me, or maybe suspicion.

Cristiano never trusted anyone to begin with.

‘It’s weird. Why say it out loud?’

It was like he was saying, ‘I’m watching you, so be careful.’

‘Did Rachel say something?’

I immediately shook my head.

No way she would.

‘Whatever. I’ll deal with that later. Focus on what’s in front of me.’

I was heading to Lunatic.

I wanted to go straight to Frey University, where Zad was hiding.

But I needed preparation.

‘Numbers always win.’

Even if Zad lost most of his zombies, he’d likely kept some strong ones.

Plus, Paxen.

Going in alone was too risky.

So, I arrived at Lunatic.

“Hey, Master.”

“What’s up, Boss? Back again? You’ve been coming a lot lately.”

I saw two guys drinking.

I strode over and smacked Dayle’s head.

“Ow! Why’d you hit me!?”

“What? You don’t like me coming often?”

“When did I say that? I’m happy, happy!”

“Then smile when you say it next time.”

Ignoring Dayle’s pouting, I continued.

“Good timing. I had something to discuss.”

I told them everything that had happened.

“You know about Zad, right? I mentioned him before.”

“Yes.”

“This zombie outbreak. He caused it.”

I explained how Clatter left me and how we reunited by chance.

And what I saw at the hotel—Clatter’s desperate wish.

“Then Clatter must show up where Zad is.”

“Yeah. He might already be there.”

“What do we do?”

“Obviously, help Clatter fulfill his wish.”

I didn’t know if catching Zad would satisfy Clatter.

But since Zad was the trigger that sparked Clatter’s desire, I figured dealing with him might resolve Clatter’s regrets and thirst.

“So, this request is for Clatter to handle?”

“That’s right.”

“But what if he vanishes?”

Luis and I both looked at Dayle.

“I mean, let’s say Clatter takes down Zad with our help. But if he uses that Thought Devouring thing too much, he could disappear, right? Why aren’t you thinking about that?”

“That’s…”

I trailed off, then sighed and spoke firmly.

“We respect Clatter’s choice.”

That was my conclusion after much thought.

“You think I’m not worried? But I’m choosing to trust him. That’s the best I can do as his ally.”

“Trust is the best, huh.”

Dayle scratched his chin and grinned.

“Shadow’s my home after all. I love it.”

“We need to prepare.”

I nodded.

“No telling what kind of fight’s coming. So, brace yourselves. Disguise properly too.”

“Don’t worry.”

Luis wasn’t the concern.

Dayle was.

“Heh. This vibe. This air. This thrill. It’s like when we took down Narsi. Come to think of it, this is only the second time the whole guild’s gone out together, right?”

Dayle mumbled like a maniac.

I shook my head and asked Luis.

“How long for the disguises?”

“Just masks, and we can go now. But for full disguises with face masks, at least 30 minutes.”

Thirty minutes.

Longer than I thought.

“Can’t it be faster?”

“With two people… If you’re in a rush, just use masks.”

I shook my head.

“No way. A mask that’s not a thief gadget like a skull mask would break with a single sword swing. If our identities get exposed, that’s the worst loss.”

Clatter wasn’t the only one after Zad.

I was looking for him before I met Guartes.

The Academy Investigation Team was too.

I was especially worried about the communication ring I gave Karina.

If she used it to track Paxen, they might beat Clatter to Frey University.

‘If I’d known Paxen was dead before coming to the Academy, I’d never have given her that ring.’

For these reasons, fragile masks were out of the question.

Especially for Dayle.

If his odd-colored eyes got exposed and made it into Royal Dream, it’d spark a war with the Beltus Cult.

“Then there’s no choice…”

That’s when.

“Hey! How about this? Use my invention!”

“Invention? You finished it? Finally?”

“Heh. Yup.”

Dayle rubbed his hands.

“I told you it’d blow your mind.Finished it yesterday! It’ll solve this problem.”

“What is it?”

“Well…”

As Dayle explained, my eyes began to sparkle with excitement.

* * *

Leaving Lunatic, I headed straight for Frey University.

The moonlight, shrouded by clouds, cast an eerie glow.

The ominous vibe unsettled me.

When I arrived at Frey University, the first thing I felt was a powerful mana wave shaking the air.

A red sky blazed in the distance.

‘…Karina?’

I ran toward it without thinking.

Passing buildings and a field, I arrived.

As expected, the Academy Investigation Team and zombies were clashing in front of the library.

My bad feeling was spot-on.

And.

‘That’s Clatter?’

Somehow, Clatter was fighting zombies alongside the cadets.

‘Did he follow them?’

Given he came to the hotel to see me, it was likely.

Even amidst the chaos, Clatter was dominating, moving like a madman.

Three headless corpses already lay around him, with another joining them.

Thud!

Then it happened.

Paxen, who’d been still, moved.

Boom.

In one leap, Paxen reached Clatter and swung his sword.

A fierce Aura Sword gleamed on his blade.

Clatter raised his dagger with full Sagi, but.

Crack!

He fell to his knees.

Creak…

If Bain hadn’t cast magic, he’d have been in trouble.

[Frost Storm]

Paxen’s body froze rapidly, and he quickly escaped the spell’s range.

“You okay?”

Bain supported Clatter.

Clatter glanced at her.

His gaze had been fixed on one thing from the start.

Zad.

[Clatter.]

So I sent a Whisper.

[Run.]

Clatter kicked off the ground at full speed.

“Hey! Swordsman!”

Roar!

Paxen swung his sword to block Clatter, but it didn’t reach.

I jumped in between them.

Drawing Raven’s sword, I blocked Paxen’s greatsword.

Clang!

Clatter leaped over us in a single bound.

In that brief moment, our eyes met, and I nodded again.

“Go.”

I saw a spark ignite in Clatter’s eyes.

Whoosh!

Clatter crashed into Zad.

[Khehe. Yes. I’ve been waiting for you.]

Zad’s laughter echoed across the yard.

The fateful match was finally happening, and all I could do was believe.

In Clatter’s victory and overcoming his limits.

‘But first, I’ve got to take this guy down.’

I turned to Paxen, our swords locked.

Growl…

He was damn strong.

Just blocking his sword felt like holding a boulder.

But I’d taken down Narsi.

‘I’ve grown a lot since then.’

It wasn’t just Clatter vs. Zad I was looking forward to.

This was my own curiosity.

The Central Knights were the empire’s finest swords.

If I fought one properly, who would win?

I poured all my mana into my sword.

Mana layered over mana, and the Mana Sword around my blade burned brighter.

Zing──

Enough to push back Paxen’s Aura Sword.

──!

I shoved Paxen back.

Quickly, I drew a spell.

[Lightning Slash]

A bolt of lightning pierced Paxen’s body.

But he was a zombie.

I knew this wouldn’t faze him.

It was just to buy time.

I slung Raven on my back and threw daggers.

Using the timing of Dagger Arts and [Telekinesis] to twist their paths.

Clang!

Paxen blocked them all.

Five daggers scattered in all directions.

My domain was complete.

[Dagger Shift]

Suddenly, I saw Paxen’s profile from the front.

* * *

Soon, all the zombies were down.

Thanks to Clatter, who took them out as soon as he appeared.

With his help, the cadets defeated the zombies, and Ivan and Gwyn finished by cutting Bexter’s neck.

“…”

But their faces held not joy of victory, but shock.

The cadets stared at the battle before them, mouths agape.

It was another world.

Swish!

One side was a brutal fight, filled with raw killing intent.

The other was a dance of shadow, darkness, and light.

Paxen’s relentless tormentor moved too fast for the eyes to follow.

“…Is that even possible?”

Exactly ten flashes.

Paxen’s movements faltered, and a sword gleamed in the gap.

A red line appeared on Paxen’s neck as he swung.

Thud.

His head rolled and stopped, expressionless.

Paxen’s body swung a few more times before collapsing forward.

“…”

A heavy silence enveloped the scene.

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