Jingle, jingle. Jingle, jingle.
In a dark square where not a single human shadow could be seen, an eerie bell sound echoed endlessly.
What filled that place were things that could no longer be called human.
Dead, yet not corpses—once human, yet no longer human.
Wherever they passed, bells hung along the paths rang as their bodies tangled in the ropes. Each time the bells chimed, they would look around violently, then slowly resume their search for prey.
What they craved were living, breathing beings.
Especially humans—tearing apart their blood and flesh piece by piece, chewing and savoring it as their red, glowing eyes flickered restlessly.
Suddenly, all of their heads turned in one direction at once.
“Ugh!”
At the end of the main street, a man rushed out and immediately collapsed in terror as countless gazes locked onto him.
“Ugh… Father…”
“Shh! Mari, be quiet.”
Aileen, who had been hiding beneath a window near the square, quickly covered the crying girl’s mouth and held her still.
The girl trembled violently, shedding tears she dared not even sob out loud.
It was something she had warned them about many times.
At night, the dead would rise again as monsters, so they must never step outside.
They were to erase all light, scent, and trace of life, and hide as if they were dead until morning came.
And if they disobeyed, she would not help them. She would not come to save them.
They were to survive another day on their own.
That man had not listened.
The capital, where the imperial palace stood, had likely been living in peace, free from the curse of monsters. He must have believed that if he could just reach it, he could return to his old peaceful life. That foolish hope had led him to death.
“Just… just hang in there, Mari.”
At least there was one fortunate thing.
It seemed he had calculated that the road would not be smooth, as he had abandoned his daughter Mari.
And Aileen had managed to catch and save the girl who had followed her father too late.
‘No, I can’t say I saved her yet.’
Until the sun rose and slowed the movements of the living corpses, there was still a long way to go.
No help could be expected.
That was the rule she had repeated endlessly to everyone.
Do not try to save those who did not follow the warning.
Doing so would only create more of the living dead and eventually surrender the entire territory to the zombies.
So even if something happened to Aileen herself, no one was to come and save her. Absolutely not.
“Gyaaah! Help me!”
The man tried to stand again, but was immediately seized by the monsters.
As his scream became the signal, the black mass filling the square rushed toward a single point.
Their sluggish, unnatural movements turned swift and predatory like beasts.
Kraaagh! Grrr. Jingle, jingle. Jingle, jingle.
The monsters leapt onto the fallen man, eager to taste fresh flesh.
“Ahhh! No—help—Aaaaagh!”
Screams and bell chimes mixed with horrifying cries filled the square.
“Cough… ngh… gurgle…”
It didn’t last long. The man was torn apart beneath the wave of grey-black bodies and disappeared beyond death.
When the screaming stopped, only the sound of something wet and crushing remained.
“F-father… sob…”
The girl’s body shook violently again.
Aileen held her tightly from behind, stroking her trembling back, praying desperately that this nightmare would be forgotten and replaced by other memories.
The feeding frenzy ended quickly. The red-eyed monsters slowly scattered again, searching for new prey.
Grrrr… rrrr…
Their cries softened into low growls.
Fortunately, even though so many had gathered, no variants seemed to be present.
If things stayed like this, they could hide until morning and return to the fortress—
“Eek!”
No. That was no longer possible.
As she turned to warn the girl, Mari was pointing at something beyond the square, her hand covering her mouth.
When Aileen followed her gaze, she saw one creature far larger than the others.
A variant zombie.
Unlike the others, its eyes burned a bright, sickly yellow, fixed directly on the window where they were hiding.
“Stay calm. We have to leave here.”
If there was a variant, this weak hiding place was no longer safe.
Aileen pulled Mari to her feet.
There was only one place within the city walls that could hold out until morning—the grain warehouse near the gate.
Stone structure, few windows, iron-reinforced doors. Even a large swarm of zombies would struggle to break in.
The problem was how to get there.
When she looked outside again, the variant was already slowly approaching.
It was time to move.
*****”
In the end, they didn’t even make it halfway before being surrounded.
“Wind Cutter!”
Aileen extended her hand, and blades of wind sliced through the heads of the approaching zombies.
They pushed forward a few steps through the opening—
But more came from behind.
The path ahead was blocked again.
The horde behind them moved faster than she could clear the front.
“Sorry, my lady… it’s because of me… sob…”
“Don’t waste energy crying, Mari. Stay focused.”
The magic she had trained for three years had only reached intermediate level.
It was already considered exceptional, but even after all that preparation—
With just one year left—
She couldn’t die here.
“Fireball!”
Kreeeek!
A fireball shot from her fingertips struck three zombies. Packed tightly together, the flames quickly spread.
But as she stepped forward—
Aileen stopped.
‘Ah… no…’
Beyond the burning undead stood the variant.
It tilted its head, almost mockingly.
Fire meant nothing to it.
It stepped through the flames and crouched to attack—
Swoosh. Thud.
An arrow pierced its neck.
At the same time, footsteps approached from behind.
“Ladies, excuse us for a moment.”
A stranger’s voice.
Before she could react, a strong arm grabbed Aileen’s waist and lifted her onto a rooftop.
On the roof, five or six knights awaited them.
The dim moonlight made their faces hard to see.
Only their imposing presence, tall builds, and overwhelming aura were clear.
“…Who… who are you?”
“Is there somewhere safe until morning?”
The answer came from the tall man who had grabbed her.
Not quite an answer—more like another question.
He was even taller than the others, with black hair swaying in the wind, a sharp jawline, and pale blue eyes faintly glowing under the moonlight.
Aileen stared at him in a daze.
The one she had long wanted to meet, yet also desperately tried to avoid, was standing right in front of her.
A strange mix of relief and dread twisted in her stomach.
“No… it can’t be…”
She kept telling herself it wasn’t him.
But the feeling of standing on the path of unavoidable fate made her shiver.
“Answer quickly. We’re in a hurry.”
His voice, low but sharp, pressed against her ears.
The man looked down toward the square.
The variant was still climbing the building, while zombies swarmed like a growing tide.
Whether this was him or not—
Survival came first.
Aileen pointed toward the grain warehouse.
“There. The grain warehouse. But we have to take down the variant.”
“I understand.”
Without hesitation, he pulled a nearby knight’s spear and threw it.
Thud.
It struck the variant’s neck, pinning it.
“Graaagh!”
“It has regeneration. You must finish it completely!”
“I know.”
He took another spear and threw it again.
Thud.
This time, it pierced through the previous wound and severed the head entirely.
After confirming the monster was down, he gestured again.
“Move.”
Before she could react, Aileen was lifted again and carried like luggage under his arm.
Mari was already carried by another knight.
Resistance was pointless.
The knights moved across rooftops with inhuman agility.
On their black armor, the golden eagle crest was clearly visible.
The imperial knights.
At this time of year?
Black hair. Cold blue eyes.
Aileen’s thoughts froze.
This man—
He was the male protagonist of this world.
