Chapter 17

It had decomposed skin, rotting eyeballs, missing nose and ears, and dirty bones sticking out from all parts of its body. It was a human corpse that moved by receiving dark energy, and this zombies appearancewas a truly gruesome sight to see.

Urgh!Hans gagged.

During theirtrip, hesawa monsters corpse and actually killed a monster himself. And because he had served the Steelwallsrather thanother families, Hans was more used to death and corpses than the average person. However, the creature in front of him was on a different level.

Grrr! Grrrr!

Under its torn skin, they could see itsAdam'sapple bobbing up and down.

Step!

The zombie walked slowly butboldlytowards the two, and Hans took a step backward.

S-s-sir Zich! T-that is!

Be quiet.

Clang!

Zich moved past the stuttering Hans and pulled out his sword. The sunlight dyed thebladered, making it look like the sword of judgment that an angel might use.

Step! Step!

Zich followed the footsteps of the zombie that was coming towards him. Behind him, Hans clutched his torch and gulped his saliva.

Grrrrrrr!

As Zichclosed in onit, the zombie stretched out its hands. In its open mouth, dirty teeth hung irregularly, and the zombies long and black fingernails looked sharp enough to rip a persons skin into pieces and take out their bones.Its discharge was toxicenoughto rot a whole body.

But...

Its still just a zombie.

Whoaaaaaaa!

The zombie wildly moved with its tangled-up legs, and Zichdodged to theside and swung his sword.

Slice!

The sword cleanly cut the zombies neck. Even as the zombies head flew to the sky, it clacked its teeth at Zichbut that was only for a moment.

Drop!

Thud!

Two different types of collisions could be heard: the sound of the zombies head falling to the ground and the sound of the zombies body shedding.

Eick!

The zombies head rolled to the bottom of Hans feet, and Hans backed off with a shriek.

I-is it dead?

Yeah.

With a scowl, Zich looked at his swords body; it was smeared with the zombies fluid.

Ah, damn it! This is why I hate zombies! If I am dealing with the undead, clean ones like theskeletons are much better!

Zich took off some tree leaves and intensely wiped the zombies fluids off his sword before he placed it back inside its sheath. Then, he walked to the side of the fallen zombie, and Hans also snuck aroundbehind him.

Why is it here, sir?

Hm, I dont know either. Why would it be here?

It wasnt even a small village; it was uncommon to see a monster hiding inside a city, not to mentiona zombie that feasted on human flesh.

Well, letsinformthe Magistrate for now. It might have come under the cover of darkness, or it might have been an unlucky guy who got mixed up in a crime and got sold to the citys black market.

Then, could it be a coincidence, sir?

It is likely, but

Zich glanced at the zombies head which had stopped moving with its mouth hanging wide open.

I dont have a good feeling about this.

From his experience, he had felt this feeling when something big was about to happen.

* * *

Zich and Hans handed the zombie over to the Magistrate. The officers asked them a couple of questions and soon handled the corpse.

Zich furrowed hiseyebrows.

Its strange.

Sorry?

Zich stared at the spot where the officers had taken the zombie away.

If thiswas thefirst time this happened, they would have asked us much more questions todigup asmanydetails as they could.Amonster,especiallya zombie,appeared withinthe city. But the officers didnt ask us that many questionsas if this is a common occurrence.

Then, are you saying that something like this frequently happens in Porti, sir?

I cant say for sure, but its likely.

Hans gulped his saliva back down. Just the thought of these disgusting creatures walking around the city was enough to make him shudder.

But it probably hasnt been for long. If it hadbeen going on for a while, rumors would have spread by now, and public sentiment would have grown terrible.However,you cant sense that in the city yet.

W-what should we do, sir?

Theres no need for us to do anything. The higher-ups will handle the matter by themselves. And if we encounter another zombie, we can just hand them over to the officers again. We just do what we have been doing.

Hans nodded.

* * *

Lets express our gratitude to them.

[Thank you!]

A soaring spire quietly looked towards the ground in a magnificent temple. Age and long years had spotted its corners with ashy stains, but they couldnt have dropped the places worth. On the contrary, these spots added to the temples deep history and made the temple more familiar to its visitors.

In front of the temple, a nun and about fifteen children were bowing their heads. The people they were bowing to were Zich and Hans.

Alright. Before I come back, you must listen to Sister well andbe kindto each other. Do you all understand?

[Yes!]

Their tones and tempo played separately, but the children yelled vigorously in front of the temple andtheir voicesechoed. At the childrens waving hands, they waved their hands and walked away from the temple.

When they couldnt see the nun and children anymore, they let down their hands.

Good, todays good deedwas also perfect!

Zichs voice was mixed with pride.

Hansshotquick glances at Zich.

What are you looking at?

Ah, no, sir. I just thought that you found the exact answer this time.

Hans thought Zich wasbeyondthe boundaryof common sense again since he had interpreted the advice of helping those in need to helping thugs before. However, Zich had surprisingly decided to help a nearby orphanage.

Hans wanted to keep his mouth shut most of the time, but this time, curiosity pushed him to speak. It also helped that Zich didnt strike out in violence after they begantraveling, and it seemed like Zich would generously allow most questions from now on. So, in the end, Hans asked,Did someone else give another piece of advice, sir?

Nothing of that sort. I mean, what do you think of first when you think of the weak? Its children. Especiallychildren without their parents. Isnt that just common sense?

I thought common sense didnt go through to you.

Of course, Hans didnt say this out loud.

But besides that, what do you think about the work?

Since Zich went to volunteer at an orphanage, the servant, Hans, had no choice but to follow Zich and also work. Hans nodded his head vigorously.

Of course, sir! Even though it may not seem like it, I learned all kinds of work in the Steelwallresidence! To mention a few,I learned cleaning, laundry, and even some administrative work! Even if theres a lot of work, I wont falter with this much.

Hans voice was filled with confidence.

By the looks of it, isnt this guy a high-quality talent?

Besides menial works like cleaning, laundry, and other housework, if Hans had learned administrative work to run the household, it meant that he was a servant undergoing training to take the place of someone higher.

But Sir Zich, are you alright? Arent you not used toworkinglike this?

It seemed like Hans wantedto ask if Zich was used to menial tasks since Zichgrewin a noble family, but his true feelings were different.

With that hot temper, can he even look after children well?

But contrary to Hans expectations, Zich was adjusting very well.

Did you forget? Who prepared everything for camping? Menial tasks are nothing for a genius like me.

Hard labor was easy enough to make a personyawn, especially if theyknew how to control their mana. With Zichs sharpness, he couldpick upthings immediately. After all, he really was a genius born once in a century.

And above all, he had gained a lot of experiences before his regression.

Also, even if I cant do menial tasks, I am really good at playing with the kids. Did you see how the kids acted when we were leaving? They were so sad to see us go.

That is true.

Hans didnt know what Zich did, but the childrens eyes were full of sadness and regret when they were leaving.

Did you do anything special?

What do you think children like to do the most? Isnt it to playhero?Zich expanded his chest andboasted,I am amazing at acting as the Demon Lord. I can act really badly and also act the part of getting defeated by a hero.

Sincehe had done all of these things before he regressed, Zich was probably better at acting as the Demon Lord than anyone else.

While they talked, Zich and Hans saw two officers in disguise sticking something on the wall. They hurriedly snuck past Zich and began to walk away with bundles of paper in their hands speedily after they were done.

It must be awanted list.

There were already a couple of people whispering in front of the notice. It seemed like it was a wanted poster for an incredibly wicked criminal since everyonestaredat it with shock.

Hans craned his neck forward to look at the poster, and Zich also stared.

What?

What?

Zich and Hans spoke at the same time.

S-sir Zich. That is!

Hans pointed at the just postedwantednotice. In the poster, a drawing of an incredible beauty stared back at them.

[Wanted]

[The Witch,AineLubella]

[Sins Committed: Responsible for the assassination of theDeputyMayor. Attempted to cast a Great Curse on thecity ofPorti.]

After they had parted a few days ago, Lubella, who should have received the Saint's title, was titled as the Witch and was on awantedposter with her sins listed.

* * *

In the shop, next to Portis commercial district, vendors and laborers were relieving their sorrows with alcohol after their work was over. It wasnt a high-end bar, but the place was enough to please the workers who lived paychecktopaycheck.

Hey, did you see that?

See what?

Two men began talking with large beer glasses between them.

You know, the wanted list for the Witch.

Oh, you mean the Witch from Karuwiman.

Zich and Hans, who were drinking near them,perkedtheir ears.

My business is a mess because of that. Peoplewerenot spending their money, andofficials closed thepalace walls to catch the Witch. Theyinvestigatedso thoroughlythat the freight volumewentdown by a lot.

Thats not the only problem. They say that because of theWitchs curse, the undead are roaming around the city. Officials say that we have to go back home before the sun sets.

I heard that at Grotels place, a child went missing.

Yes, without even a trace.

Damn it! All of this because of one damn witch!

Theyhavent captured her yet, right?

They would have told us as soon as theWitch was caught. This isnt just a triflingmatter.

The two men insulted Lubella until their faces became red. Everyone else beside them was the same: they were all