Chapter 33 (1/2)

“Hmm? Umm? This is…”

Lapis was groaning near the adventurers that were setting up camp.

In front of her was the driver of Shayna’s caravan and the adventurers that were riding on it laid down onto a large blanket. All of them were unconscious, but were grimacing.

Lapis announced that as a priestess she had medical experience and was examining them, but judging from her expression and the sounds coming from her mouth, Loren decided that the situation wasn’t good.

Judging by the weapon that Loren carried around, everyone believed that Loren was quite strong.

Of course they had Loren move the patients out of the caravan.

As he remembered that, he couldn’t help but shiver slightly.

The bodies of the female adventurers that he carried out were ice cold.

Since he used to be a mercenary, he had experience dealing with corpses.

He had felt many corpses, allies’ and foes’, and knew the coldness of a dead body.

Even so, Loren was so surprised at how cold they were that he didn’t even hear Klaus complaining that he had his hands all over the girls’ bodies.

As he cautiously called out to Lapis, who was still examining the driver and adventurers, he worried that maybe they weren’t even alive anymore.

“How are they?”

“Two of them are already dead.”

Her answer was surprisingly concise.

It was so brief that Loren thought that he had misheard her, but seeing the other adventurers turn towards her with shocked expressions, he was reaffirmed that he didn’t mishear anything.

“Dead?”

“Yes. I’m not sure what the cause of death is, but both of their breathing and hearts have stopped.”

Lapis pointed to two of the female adventurers’ bodies.

Since they weren’t moving and their eyes were closed, Loren couldn’t tell the difference between the two and the rest of them, but thought that if Lapis said they were dead, they must be dead.

“Is it true that two of them are dead?”

Broas, who was taking charge of setting up camp, heard what Lapis had said and walked over.

Among the adventurers that were on the quest, he seemed to be the oldest, and seemed to be well acknowledged among them as well. No one complained when he took charge and gave out orders.

The only one not being obedient and complaining was Klaus, and Broas didn’t want to make him follow orders, so Klaus and his party were left alone to set up their own camp.

If one showed knowledge that came from experience, Loren didn’t mind following his orders, but thought that not everyone thought the same way, so he decided not to mention anything.

“Yes it’s true. Do you want to check as well?”

“I’ll do that just in case.”

After replying Broas kneeled next to the adventurers that Lapis pointed out. He then proceeded to put his finger on their wrists and necks, and stood back up.

“They’re dead all right. No mistaking that.”

“Yes, they are totally truly completely dead.”

Loren wondered if it was necessary to emphasize that part, but what she said next made him forget what he was thinking about.

“I recommend that we cremate the bodies right here.”

“What?”

Loren knew that Broas couldn’t help but be surprised.

Even Loren himself was quite surprised at Lapis’ suggestion.

Ways of burying the dead differed in different regions.

But most of the time the dead were buried in the dirt, whether or not the body is put in a casket.

It wasn’t that cremation wasn’t practiced, but in areas where it was done frequently there was usually a good reason for doing so in the past.

“Right here!?”

Broas wasn’t going to carry around the dead adventurers the whole trip.

But it was obvious that he didn’t think of cremating them either.

Lapis continued as she saw the confusion.

“If you don’t want to cremate them right now, I suggest we hurry back to Kauffa.”

“Why is that?”

“I’m not completely sure but…those two are becoming undead.”

At Lapis’ words, commotion arose from around them.

Becoming undead meant someone or something that died becoming a monster in the form of a zombie or ghoul for various reasons.

There were several ways one could become undead, and some of the most common ways were magic spells, being cursed by a high rank undead monster, or when someone had a strong attachment to his current life.

“How is that happening?”

“If you don’t believe me, there’s another priestess here so you can ask her to examine them, you know?”

Priests were experts when it came to the undead, which were dead beings who lost their way.

It was hard to believe that Lapis would make a mistake, but she said to check with a different priest if they doubted her.

“Hey, don’t get our priest…”

“Klaus, anything that has to do with lost souls is the job of a priest. Please let me…”

Klaus was about to complain about Lapis bringing up his party member, but the blue haired priestess stopped him.

Klaus still looked unsatisfied, but the priestess named Roll walked up and kneeled next to the female adventurers.

“My G.o.d the G.o.d of Water. Show us the path and bestow it upon us.”

She cut her finger with something like a symbol on her chest, and Loren, watching her, muttered without thinking.

“She really looks like a priestess.”

“Are you saying that I don’t look like one?”