Chapter 18

Continuing to walk, relying on the two iron bars for over ten hours.

A city came into view ahead.

As I had expected, it seemed these iron bars connected the cities.

Of course, I couldn’t just walk into the city boldly.

Even with a hat on, I would likely be asked to remove it upon entry, and that would lead to the same trouble as before.

The sun had already set, and the surroundings were completely dark.

I decided to enter the city by crossing the defensive wall, just as I had done with the previous one.

"…Here goes."

I confirmed no one was around, leaped onto the wall, and, seeing no one on the other side, jumped down.

"Well… what should I do?"

I pulled my hat down low and started walking.

Still, despite it being night, it was very bright everywhere.

This was because bright lights were leaking out from every house.

"Perhaps while I was gone, some easy way to secure light was invented and even spread to the common people…?"

Reflecting on it, the people’s clothing seemed more vibrant overall.

Come to think of it, the clothes I had borrowed were made of good material and didn’t feel stiff at all.

That giant iron mass moving at high speed, and the fact that humanity had developed this much—

I was sure I could find a way to die.

"The problem is how to find out."

Just wandering around the city wouldn’t help.

I needed to find someone knowledgeable and hear their story.

…Would I be able to do that?

"No, wait… That’s right, I should ask a necromancer about the undead!"

Why hadn’t I thought of it before?

And speaking of necromancers,

"Was it John Dias? Or Jen Drago? Anyway, the guy with the long hair who was so obsessed. If I talk to him, maybe I can find out how to die."

But then I realized a big mistake I had made.

"I got rid of him… I should have asked where that John guy was…"

I hadn’t expected him to die so easily.

He was so confident… *snicker*… Oh no, I’m laughing again.

"…!"

Right then,

I was hit by that strange sensation again and looked up.

"…No doubt about it, there’s an undead somewhere in this city!"

I couldn’t tell if it was related to John, but I decided to meet and confirm.

I started running, relying on my intuition.

Eventually, I arrived at a large mansion surrounded by high walls.

I jumped over the wall and entered the grounds.

I cut through the beautifully maintained, spacious garden and approached the mansion.

Light was spilling out of the mansion’s windows, and elegant music could be heard from above.

"…Is there a ball going on?"

Despite the atmosphere that didn’t seem to fit the presence of an undead, I entered the mansion through a back door.

I cautiously made my way down the hallway.

Music could be heard from the upper floors, but the ground floor was completely devoid of people.

I would have expected a mansion this size to have a fair number of staff.

I hesitated to go upstairs, so I went out the window and decided to climb the outer wall.

"…I can hear the music from here…"

I peeked into a room through a window on the second floor.

It was a vast ballroom.

Young men in formal attire were dancing to the music.

If you heard that, you’d think it was a normal ball.

But something was clearly off.

"…Why are there only men?"

They were all young and exceptionally handsome.

In a typical ball, men and women would dance as pairs, but here, the men were dancing with each other.

Of course, I’m not familiar with such wealthy circles, so I only know this theoretically…

"Or is this normal in this era?"

But there was something else strange.

None of them looked happy; in fact, they all had expressions of agony.

The music stopped, and the handsome men stopped moving.

Suddenly, a large door at the back opened,

"Hehe, my darlings~ I’ve been waiting for you♡"

A creature entered the hall with a sickly sweet voice (though it was rather deep).

It was a massive, muscular giant.

He was definitely over two meters tall.

His arms, chest, and legs were thick, and his silhouette could easily be mistaken for an orc.

But why was such a formidable man wearing a pink dress that a little girl would wear?

Moreover, the skirt was abnormally short, and his underwear was almost visible.

…Of course, I don’t want to see it.

To top it off, he had long blonde hair in pigtails, tied with cute ribbons, and a makeup job that would shock even a middle-aged woman.

What the hell is that…?

"…The presence of my kin I sensed is coming from him… So, he’s an undead… That makes sense—"

But does being an undead explain it?

It would rather tarnish the reputation of the undead.

As an undead myself, I don’t want to be considered the same as that kind of creature.

"For my darlings, I’ve prepared a loving meal today♡"

The giant undead spoke in a deep, purring voice and pulled in a large serving cart.

It was filled with a variety of dishes.

They looked somewhat appetizing,

"But he made them… Even if they look good, they make me lose my appetite…"

There might be something dangerous in them.

"Don’t be shy? Eat as much as you like♡"

"Y-Yes!"

When the giant undead winked, the handsome men started eating the food.

But they all looked like they didn’t want to, their faces contorted in pain.

"…You don’t dislike the food I made, do you?"

"!"

The giant undead asked in a particularly low voice, and the handsome men hurriedly denied it.

"N-No, of course not!"

"Mr. Brodia’s cooking is very delicious!"

"I could eat as much as I want!"

…Are they being threatened?

They don’t seem to be undead; they look like living humans.

"Oh, you’re saying such nice things♡"

The giant undead, delighted, wiggled his hips and hugged one of the handsome young men from behind, whispering in his ear.

"As a thank you, I’ll eat you tonight♡"

*Ugh!*

I felt sick and almost vomited.

Even as an undead, I had nothing to vomit.

"No, what the hell is that disgusting thing…?"

Just as I muttered that,

"Who’s there?"

The giant undead suddenly looked in my direction.

I quickly pulled my head back.

"…Hehe, who is it? Who was peeping at my room? Hiding is no use?"

The window suddenly opened with a bang.

…How did he do that?

Anyway, hiding was pointless now.

Since I had a reason to see that undead, I calmly showed myself and jumped into the mansion through the window.

"Oh? Not bad, a handsome guy♡"

"Ugh, disgusting…"

I blurted out my true feelings when he winked at me, and in that instant—

"What did you just say, you bastard!?"

The giant undead snapped and lunged at me.