The Fallen Kingdom of Ciel-Terra had already begun its takeover of the Gaisenfall Great Forest, but so far, the frontline base had not been moved from the rocky fortress built within the territory of the Kingdom of Lugarut, on the southern side of the forest.
Until the nullification of the “sanctuary” where the ancestors of the elves rested, caution should be exercised, and in any case, it was necessary to restrain the Kingdom of Lugarut.
However, crossing the vast Great Forest to head towards the northern frontline zone from here was proving to be difficult, so the forces were gradually being shifted towards the forest.
In one of the chambers of the rocky castle, where the flag of the Crimson Rose fluttered, a bar was set up, incongruous with the rough and eerie fortress, exuding an adult atmosphere.
The walls, covered in a soft, deep-sea-colored wallpaper, were dimly lit by magical lamps with reduced brightness.
Behind the makeshift counter made from felled trees, bottles of liquid of unknown origin, resembling alcohol, were lined up.
It was not a place where ordinary soldiers could casually come and go, only a few high-ranking officers were allowed entry.
Furthermore, ogres couldn’t physically enter this place, and lizardmen preferred to gather only with their own kind. Most of the elves still hadn’t come to such a place.
Therefore, only Everis and Tracy mainly came to this place, and recently, Everis had taken to bringing in handsome young men as assistants and experimental subjects, teaching them the ways of alcohol.
In the corner of the counter, a black cat curled up, fast asleep.
Tracy, who had been drinking rock-hard liquor while occasionally petting her, glanced towards the entrance as someone unexpectedly entered.
“Oh my.”
There stood a woman, dressed in attire reminiscent of a fairy, with delicate, colorful… yet tattered martial arts attire. Her glossy blue-black hair was tied into buns on either side of her head.
Her skin was devoid of color, pale as if drained of blood, with a talisman affixed to her forehead covering most of her face, but even the glimpses revealed a girlishly charming countenance.
It was the former female Fighter Chenxi, who had belonged to the adventurer party “Sub-Zero Crystal Spear”.
Defeated by Udanosuke, she had been remade into a Jiangshi by René and Everis.
“How unusual, Chenxi. What brings you here?”
“Tracy.”
“Well, have a drink. You liked sake made from rice, didn’t you? It was hardly available in Ciel-Terra, but you can get as much as you want here since it’s the real deal.”
Tracy took a cup from behind the counter and poured some sake into it, then offered it to Chenxi.
Taking the cup, Chenxi lifted the edge of the talisman on her face and drank the sake.
“How is it?”
“…I don’t get drunk.”
“Well, that’s true. It can’t be helped.”
“You too, right? You’ve been trained against poisons since you were a child, so regular alcohol won’t make you drunk.”
“Yeah. But delicious things are still delicious.”
Both of them chuckled lightly.
As if nothing had happened.
As if they had coincidentally met at a tavern in Terra Ruale in days gone by.
However, Tracy knew very well that everything had changed.
“Is this the first time we’re talking like this since… that happened?”
“…That’s right.”
Chenxi and Tracy.
Both were top-class adventurers in the Kingdom of Ciel-Terra and had some interaction due to that connection.
To have someone she had known in life now turned into a walking corpse right before her eyes, serving the same master.
It was a truly bizarre tale.
During their long march, Tracy had been constantly engaged in reconnaissance, including scouting the surrounding villages, and had been busy before and after, so although he recognized Chenxi’s presence, this was the first time he had spoken to her since she had been turned into an undead.
However, despite being fundamentally twisted in her existence, she surprisingly didn’t seem to have changed much.
“Is something the matter?”
Waiting for the right moment when she seemed to want to be asked, Tracy inquired.
Chenxi wouldn’t usually come to a place like this. Tracy guessed she had some trouble or was troubled by something.
“I fought someone from the Khenis Empire whom I knew from my time there. It was during the battle a month ago. He said he wanted to protect me.”
Then, she slowly began to speak, taking some time.
About her time training in the empire, about fleeing the temple unable to endure the harsh bullying from her senior disciples.
Having left her home almost as a runaway, with no place to return to, she drifted to a snowy country, flowing wherever fate took her.
She had thought her life as an adventurer, mostly enjoyable and blessed with companions, was an unexpected happiness.
And in that, she had a little concern for her former senior disciple whom she couldn’t even bid farewell to…
“…I injured them in the battle a month ago, but he survived… If the conflict with the Western Army escalates, I think he’ll come back again. That’s why I’m concerned… Ah, life used to be much simpler. In my world. There were quests to fulfill, enemies to defeat, and all I had to do was fight.”
Chenxi shook her head with a resigned tone.
“Is it tough for you now?”
“I’m happy. Very much so. To be able to serve Princess-sama… Old friends, old acquaintances, they all become unimportant. I feel like I was born for this, died for this. I feel it’s my destiny. …I’m aware I’m saying unreasonable things, you know? But well, I’m so happy that even that doesn’t matter.”
Almost as if saying that being happy is tough, she smiled faintly.
Generally, the undead were instilled with absolute loyalty to the magician who created them.
Serving René and fighting until their bodies decayed was not only a sense of duty but also happiness beyond reason for them.
Even if they understood that these emotions were implanted, they could never resist.
“If, by any chance, Sekichin and I have to fight again… I’ll kill him without hesitation. Of course. It’s a happy thing. To be able to assist Princess-sama. But… I can’t help feeling… a bit murky, thinking that the me from when I was alive would never have done such a thing…”
Raising her poisoned hand above her head, Chenxi moved it restlessly.
It must be a strange feeling to be aware that she’s being manipulated.
Tracy thought that she probably wasn’t adept enough to just brush it off like that.
“In that case, why not try to recruit Sekichin into our ranks too? You could both serve Princess-sama together. A strong person would be very welcome, I’m sure.”
“Hehe… That’s true.”
Knowing it was just to console her, Tracy said it, and knowing it was just for consolation, Chenxi nodded.
Tracy didn’t really think René would lose, of course, more like ‘she’ll probably win’, but he doubted if things would go as smoothly as planned.
―― They’re the Imperial Army, after all. If Princess-sama gets fully involved, they might start making countermeasures around the next battle. We’ve already confirmed that they’ve beefed up their defenses with “charm” resistance accessories and equipment for dealing with the undead since the last battle. Next time, they might come to stop the ogres. With the decrease in corpses due to the move and the current Princess’s army relying heavily on ogre heavy infantry for assaults, this place would become crucial in field battles. And they might prepare something to prevent special combat troops and ace-level corpses from being turned into undead even if they’re captured.
Whether they would achieve a brilliant victory and obtain the opponent’s ace, it was impossible to predict.
Well, what can you say since it’s about the future and no one knows what will happen?
Casual conversation over drinks is allowed, right?
“Hey. Tracy, what do you think? You didn’t become undead like me. About the current situation… about Princess-sama…”
Chenxi asked the question with a bit of hesitation.
It seemed she also understood Tracy’s situation. He wasn’t here by choice.
“Well, honestly, I think it’s kind of fun. Princess-sama does horrible things too, but not everyone who opposes her is a good person, right? Even I sometimes find it exhilarating to see things like that. But… I can’t really abandon the human world. I understand why Princess-sama fights like this. I understand, but I can’t accept the consequences. If countries are destroyed, innocent people suffer too. I don’t like the idea of more people suffering. I guess I’m just like everyone else in that sense?”
With a fluttering motion, adding about twenty percent more cuteness, Tracy replied honestly without any pretense.
“So, like… while enjoying the current situation casually, I also pray that someone will stop Princess-sama, you know? Well, it’s irresponsible, isn’t it?”
“Is it okay to say such things so openly?”
“I have absolute obedience due to the magic item’s constraints, so I can openly say rebellious things. Even if I think differently in my head, my body still obeys absolutely.”
Proudly boasting his ‘Sl*ve Core’ embedded in his chest, Tracy shrugged it off.
“You shouldn’t be proud of that.”
“I thought I’d die soon anyway, so I’ve gotten into the habit of enjoying things carelessly. Oh, speaking of which, there’s that too. Witch-san said she’d extend my life. Honestly, this is a future that couldn’t have happened if I hadn’t sided with her, right?”
Chuckling lightly, Tracy finished the remaining alcohol in his glass.
Having picked up his life by chance due to luck and circumstances, Tracy had decided to live as he pleased for as long as he could.
That is, to enjoy what he could enjoy and do what he felt he should do.
“Well, things will be as they will be. Princess-sama is the one making the waves, so all we can do is enjoy the ride and drink when we’re feeling frustrated.”
“Yeah, that might be true.”
“…By the way.”
Tracy glanced at the man standing behind the bar counter, carrying numerous bottles.
Under the moody lighting, a dapper old gentleman ghoul in a white shirt, black vest, and butterfly tie was shaking a silver shaker.
“What are you doing all of a sudden, Marshal of the National Army?”
Alastair was somehow behind the counter.
Tracy had been holding back from commenting, but he couldn’t take it anymore.
“Well… the Chief of Staff said, ‘Until we find a replacement, occasionally do this.’, so…”
“Isn’t Witch-san too free?”
“Princess-sama is aware of it too.”
“Isn’t Princess-sama too accommodating?”
Alastair poured the contents of the shaker into two cocktail glasses under the moody lighting, elegantly sliding them across the counter.
The triangular glasses, filled with a vivid blue liquid, stopped perfectly in front of Tracy and Chenxi.
“Please, enjoy a fleeting dream.”
“You’re overdoing it…”
The black cat woke up and tapped the glasses with its nose, licking off the condensation droplets.
