“Huh? We’re going to exterminate undead right now?”
“Yeah, it seems so.”
Zenos nodded in response to Lily’s surprise.
After finishing his lectures for the day and preparing to head home, he was suddenly summoned by the administrative office. Apparently, there was a mass outbreak of undead in a nearby cemetery, and they wanted him to join the extermination squad.
Since they were departing at night, they returned to the dormitory within the grounds to eat dinner for the time being. While Lily carried over the stew, Camilla was enjoying a glass of wine.
“Undead extermination, huh… That’s unfortunate.”
“Completely. It was so sudden.”
“No, the unfortunate ones are the undead.”
Camilla continued in a low voice. Lily placed the dishes filled with stew on the table and muttered with a hint of anxiety.
“A mass outbreak… Cemeteries really do attract undead, don’t they?”
“Since it’s managed by the church, that usually doesn’t happen. It seems the cause is unknown.”
“Hoo…”
Camilla stared into space for a moment, then pointed at the dishes on the table.
“Well, you can’t fight on an empty stomach. Eat up.”
“You say that so grandly, but Lily made this, you know.”
“How rude. I also snuck in from the side and sprinkled some sugar while being unnoticeable.”
“Is the taste okay? You didn’t do anything unnecessary?”
“Lily, I’d like extra chicken. And if you put carrots in my dish, I’ll curse you for generations.”
“Oh, how scary… Wait, Camilla, you’re eating too?”
“You, can you also eat solid food?”
“Kukuku… With enough spirit, anything is possible.”
“Your biology is becoming increasingly incomprehensible.”
Speaking of which, he had heard in a lecture that there were still many mysteries about wraiths. If he observed this one and published a research paper, he might even earn a degree. Not that he had any intention of doing so. Besides, this individual was probably too unique to be of any reference.
The relaxed dinner time passed quickly, and the time for departure arrived.
“Oh, Zenos… Are you going too, Mr. Zeno?”
The sun had already set completely. Under the moonlight, they headed to the assembly point, the plaza in front of the Royal Healing Institute, where Umin was among a group of healers.
“Yeah, it seems so.”
“That’s strange. Special trainees are guests, so they shouldn’t be called out for extermination.”
“I’m not sure, but I was told it was decided by those higher up.”
“Higher up…”
Umin placed an index finger on her cheek.
“…I see. Mr. Zeno, it’s possible you’ve already caught the attention of the Goldrun faction.”
“Seriously? I don’t think I’ve done anything that stands out that much.”
“Even so, you stand out. You’ll be fine if you just act normally, Mr. Zeno.”
“Well, I intend to do it normally, but…”
“Alright, let’s depart. I’m Cresson from the Goldrun Laboratory. I’ll be taking command.”
The man bustling at the front was the one who often picked fights.
“Huh, he’s the leader?”
“It’s questionable whether he’s suitable. Since it was an emergency summons, they couldn’t get hold of any senior healers, so this extermination squad seems to be mainly composed of younger members.”
For the time being, Zenos and Umin walked side-by-side, matching the group’s movements.
The cemetery, which was the scene, was located in a place surrounded by forest. Hearing the somewhat eerie hooting of an owl, the group proceeded deeper into the forest.
“There they are…”
Cresson, at the front, said in a hushed voice. In the cemetery, pale ghosts were already floating through the gaps between the numerous crosses, and zombies were wandering around. Cresson slowly raised his staff.
“Charge! Follow me!”
After giving the order, Cresson immediately started running. The group followed, and the voices of chanting for recovery magic began to echo from all over.
White light flashed in the darkness, and the death throes of the undead roared.
“Mr. Zeno, let’s hurry.”
“Yeah.”
Because they were at the back of the line, their initial move was slightly delayed. Battles had already begun in various places.
“Heh, they’re being awfully meticulous, taking them down one or two at a time. Is that the Royal Healing Institute’s method? It seems rather inefficient.”
“Well, I guess it would seem that way from your perspective, Mr. Zeno…”
However, honestly, with this many healers, there shouldn’t be much to do. He thought so for a moment, but…
They’re not decreasing.
The number of enemies wasn’t decreasing.
They were steadily being exterminated, but their numbers were actually increasing. The number of undead clinging to a single healer increased to three, then four.
Being touched by a ghost drains a portion of one’s life force. Some of them, unable to handle the attacks, fell to their knees with pale faces.
“H-hey, what’s going on?”
“We can’t, handle it!”
“S-seriously, this is bad.”
Voices of panic began to rise from all over.
“Hey, leader. Do something!”
“I-I know. It’s disadvantageous to deal with them individually, gather together for now!”
Cresson shouted, his voice laced with anxiety.
The young healers formed a circle in the center of the cemetery. This allowed them to concentrate only on the enemies in front of them.
However—
“I-It’s no good!”
The ghosts and zombies continued to increase in number, clumping together, tangling, and attacking with overwhelming force.
“Uwa, aaaaaaaah!”
Right after Cresson screamed—
“[High Heal]!”
A white storm raged. Along with a thick wave of heat, particles of light sparkled. The countless undead swallowed by the white vortex ascended to the heavens with thin death throes.
“…Huh?”
In the now quiet cemetery, the group of healers simultaneously let out a strange sound.
A short distance away, Zenos said with a composed expression.
“That was close. You did a good job of gathering the enemies together, so it was easy to clean them up.”
“…Huh?”
Seeing Zenos say it so casually, everyone opened their mouths wide again.