Dangerous Zombie

Roko and Kaguya rushed back to Fuyuki. Roko had expected to use the sled to go back but since they were downhill from the village, Kaguya pulled out a set of skis from the castle storage. Having never skied before, Roko instead chose to use a snowboard. Having never used a snowboard either, Roko was barely able to keep himself balanced as Kaguya and Mikado rushed through the snow in front of him. Miraculously, Roko was able to keep himself from falling and rolling down the rest of the way in a giant snowball though he did have to have Mikado stop him once he reached the end.

"I'm never doing that again." Roko gasped as he unstrapped his feet from the snowboard.

"You'll get used to it." Kaguya smiled.

As Roko got up, he could already hear the screams and shouting as townsfolk rushed around in dismay. Gripping the sword he had gotten from the castle storeroom, Roko and company rushed into the village where a small horde of undead were shambling through the square, swiping at whatever came near them. A small contingent of soldiers stood against them, poking at the zombies with spears but otherwise too afraid to get near them.

"Do zombies exist in this world?" Roko asked as he unsheathed his sword.

"Only as fiction." Kaguya replied, "Do try not to get bitten, just in case. That goes for you too, Mikado. As unlikely as that might be."

"Understood." Mikado said as he adjusted his leather armor and drew his sword as well.

Roko and Mikado charged past the soldiers and swung at the zombies without mercy. Thankfully these weren't advanced zombies like the ones Roko had seen in some of his video games. None of them ran or jumped or did much other than shamble. Compared to what Roko had been through before, this was hardly a challenge. They didn't seem any sturdier than a rotting corpse either as Roko managed to behead one with ease. Upon getting in the center of the zombies, they would all try to swarm him but since they were so slow, all Roko needed to do was keep a cool head and slice off any limbs trying to grab him. There wasn't a critical mass of zombies that made dealing with them an actual threat but they weren't thinning in numbers either.

As Roko wielded his sword, he could actually feel his body move lighter and faster than he felt before. It wasn't a night and day difference, hell with the zombies as his enemies, Roko could hardly measure his strength properly cutting the deceased flesh of these undeads. But his body was undoubtedly different. Stronger. All that training in Momokami had definitely improved his physical health, maybe not to superhuman levels like with Rokusho or Murasaki or even close to a trained athlete. But it made Roko feel like he was in better control of every inch of his body. It was an almost liberating feeling...except for the dark part of his mind that knew it was only temporary. Or as temporary as his efforts to maintain it are. The day he allows his body to degrade even a bit could mean making a fatal mistake in the heat of battle. And Roko didn't like that. His better health opened up new possibilities but he couldn't always plan on his health being well enough to execute on those possibilities. It'd disappoint his teacher. It even disappointed him to an extent. But Roko didn't want to continuously strain the abilities of his body. That put too much fluctuations to calculate into his plans. He didn't want an invincible body for his plans just something sustainable. Still, Roko wasn't going to complain about it.

One of the zombies, an elderly one, reached out towards one of the soldiers who stood there, paralyzed with fear as he clutched his spear close to his chest. Roko stepped in, slicing off the zombie's arm before kicking the dead body away.

"Either use that spear of yours or go somewhere you can't get in the way!" Roko barked.

"T-That's grandpa." The soldier whimpered.

"What?" Roko turned around.

"That's my grandpa..." The soldier yelped, "He died almost 10 years ago."

"...Well he's dead now." Roko said as he sliced off the elderly zombie's head.

The soldier let out a soft weep before stumbling back and running away.

"Kaguya!" Roko called out.

"Yes?" Kaguya called back from above, having found someway to get on top of one of the house's rooftop.

"How are the soldiers handling things?"

"I've switched them around so they won't have to face family anymore but they still seem rather frazzled by the dead coming back to life thing."

"Anybody you recognize that I should be worried about?"

"In the back." Kaguya replied, "There's a dead man in a decorated military uniform."

Roko sliced down another zombie and looked down the waves of zombies to one particularly rotting corpse in a tattered military coat. A few medals hung off him and he was holding a scimitar. The zombie was standing still, almost as if he was watching and commanding the battlefield. There was no sign that he was actually issuing any command or was any smarter or stronger than the other zombies but he clearly was important.

"I'm going in." Roko said as he beheaded another zombie and began to rush towards the militant zombie.

A few zombies tried to get in his way but Roko managed to take them down with little effort. Roko raised his sword and slashed down at the decorated zombie. To his surprise, the zombie reacted swiftly, managing to block Roko's attack with his scimitar and even hold him back. There definitely was not enough muscle left in this corpse's body to counter the amount of force Roko was using so there was undoubtedly some sort of magic reinforcing this body. And if that kind of magic didn't naturally exist, then there was no other explanation than the otherworldly.

"I don't suppose you can talk now can you?" Roko scoffed.

The military zombie didn't respond, instead reaching out with his other arm to try and scratch Roko. Roko stepped back and lopped off the forearm with his sword. The zombie did not falter as it dragged his body towards Roko, raising his sword to try to slice him down. Roko continued to step back, blocking the zombie's attack with his sword. From the force of the attack, Roko surmised that the zombie barely had the strength to actually inflict a cut. It would be shallow but it was still dangerous. Roko slid the edge of his sword across the opponent's sword, hitting the side of their sword with his guard while angling the edge downward, sliding the tip of his sword underneath the zombie's wrist. Roko slashed upward, severing the zombie's sword arm from the rest of its body. The zombie stumbled back, giving Roko the opportunity to stab his sword through its heart. The corpse stalled for a bit before it dragged itself across Roko's sword, opening its jaws to bite him. Roko's mind froze, unable to dislodge his sword from the zombie's body. Before the zombie could bite him, a sword pierced through his forehead, splattering a few disgusting aged blood onto Roko's face.

"Don't forget that they're corpses." Mikado said as he drew his sword out of the rekilled person's head, "You need to aim for their head."

"I'm perfectly aware." Roko sighed as he kicked the military zombie off his sword and wiped the blood from his face with his sleeve, "It takes a bit of getting used to is all."

"Quite." Mikado said as he sheathed his sword.

Looking around, Roko could see the rest of the zombie horde lying dead again on the ground. Their heads and their bodies separated and littered across the streets. There was a few moans from some zombies that were not lingering in the square but Roko could see the town's soldiers moving about to clean them up. With the situation seemingly under control, Roko sheathed his sword as well.

"Good work." Kaguya jumped down from the roof, falling comfortably into Mikado's arms who let her back down on the ground gently, "That seems to be all for now. A pretty small attack all things considered. I imagined there'd be more."

"What are we doing with the bodies?" Roko asked.

"The solution for now is to burn them." Kaguya explained, "But I suspect you'd want to examine the bodies for clues."

"I don't know if there would be any clues left on a corpse." Roko scoffed, "But I suppose we don't have much of a lead otherwise."

"From what I've head, there isn't any other leads." Kaguya sighed as Roko knelt down to examine the dead militant zombie's body, "We've tried examining the bodies before, both physically and magically and there was nothing we could glimpse from them. We were planning on trapping one and examining a live specimen but we're not quite prepared to do that yet."

"Anything special about the corpses chosen to be resurrected?" Roko asked.

"Not particularly. Some are just villagers, some are soldiers." Kaguya shrugged, "This one is of some renown. Commander Miyako Kirito. He was a man of distinguished, venerable service, even into his elderly days. I've met him a few times myself. He was always a man of justice. Shame to see his body puppeteered in such a disgraceful fashion."

Roko looked over the old man's rotting corpse to no avail until he patted down the coat he was wearing and discovered a small book hidden in a breast pocket on the inside of the coat.

"What's this?" Roko asked as he held it up.

"Let me see." Kaguya said as she took the book from Roko and flipped through it, "...Ah. I see. This must be his investigation journal."

"Investigation journal?" Roko frowned as he stood up again.

"At the time of his death there was a series of murders, or rather, assassinations being perpetrated among the capital's elites. It threw the court in complete chaos, though the power struggle was already well ongoing, you mind. I heard Sir Kirito was investigating it in his late age but he died before he could uncover the truth. This is his journal chronicling the investigation."

"That seems interesting." Roko said as Kaguya handed the book back to him, "But it doesn't seem relevant. I don't know how a series of murders that must have been years ago could be related to this incident."

"Hmmm… There might still be merit in examining it." Kaguya said, "You never know. Perhaps you'll even find the killer at the end."

"Anything to get me out in the road, I suppose." Roko sighed as he pocketed the journal, "I'll read it tonight."

"Perfect." Kaguya smiled, "Then I'll report to Azayaka. If there's still any investigations you want to do, you'd better do it now. We'll meet up at the inn for lunch."

"Got it." Roko said as he looked around at the remaining corpses he had to examine, "But we should get these out of the road at least."

"Once we're sure the undead are taken care off, we'll start gathering the corpses in the forest and begin burning them." Kaguya explained, "The soldiers will be handling that mostly. Feel free to help if you have the time."

Roko leaned against a tree as he read the journal. He said he would read it tonight but it was only a few minutes past noon and he felt like getting a head start on this rather sizable recollection. Most of the bodies of the recently undead was burning in front of him. Some corpses were set aside so their ashes could be stored and returned to their family as a final service but for the ones that this service was not requested, they were simply put into a giant pile and set alight. The scent of burning, rotting flesh was something unnervingly unpleasant but as with any scent, Roko got used to it, though he didn't think he'll ever forget it. When the bodies were set on fire, the soldiers were eager to leave but Roko insisted that someone stay behind in case the bodies started moving again. He was met with speculation and disgust but they were receptive to the idea. As such, Roko took the first shift in this watch and used the time to begin reading from a random page.

Kumo 17

The blue skies greet me today. But I enter deep in Shizuka Castle's dungeons, where the remnants of the Tatsuki rebels were being left to rot. Many of their members were upstanding young men and women who simply chose the wrong side to fight on. It's unfortunate but this is the fate they chose for themselves when they decided to sacrifice Daigo as the figurehead of their rebellion. Homura Tatsuki is quite the ruthless woman to start a rebellion and then sacrifice everyone, including her husband, in order to escape scrutiny on herself. But now she's been found dead. The signs are all the same, dying in her sleep with no visible wounds or signs of distress. If there is no killer then there sure are a lot of people dying peacefully in their sleep nowadays. Though I might have to thank the killer this time for killing such a loose end. There was no doubt that Homura would start another scheme for power if given enough time. But as dangerous as she would have been, it's no excuse for killing her. And there's no forgiving the many good people this killer has targeted as well. I go now to tell these prisoners the fate of their idol that they were sacrificed for. I wonder how they will respond.

"So this is where you've been?"

Roko stopped reading as Kaguya walked up to him with Mikado following behind her, "This certainly seems to be an unpleasant place to be reading. Does the smell not bother you?"

"You get used to it." Roko said as he closed the book, "Well, not entirely but it's not too distracting."

"And I suppose the sight of burning rotting corpses is simple to ignore as well?" Kaguya crinkled her nose at the pile of burning bodies, though the fire has died down a bit since it started, "Regardless, I've come to invite you to that lunch I promised you. This morbid bonfire won't be going anywhere anytime soon."

"You never know." Roko said, "If they rose once, they can rise again. Depends on how powerful this unnatural power is. You certainly wouldn't want any burning zombies running around Fuyuki now would you?"

"Your diligence is inspiring." Kaguya smiled, "If it bothers you that much, I'll have a soldier take up your shift. You must be starving by now."

"After the smell of rotting flesh on fire, my stomach isn't particularly in the mood to eat." Roko shrugged.

"I'm sure that'll change once you get actual food in front of you. Come on."

After lunch, Kaguya lead Roko back to the castle, the path to the castle finally starting to be cleared by the castle staff. Sunlight filtered through cloudy skies, forecasting the coming snow tonight.

"Let's try to get things at the castle done as quick as we can." Kaguya said as they arrived in the front gate, "If it starts snowing too hard, we might need to stay in the castle for the night."

"We're not staying in the castle?" Roko asked, mildly surprised.

"This castle is small and most of the rooms here have already been taken by the nobles." Kaguya explained, "Plus, you probably don't want to live in this castle. It has suffered damages in the past which have not been fixed in years so it can get a bit drafty. Honestly, the state of the nobility is abhorrent. I don't understand how we can still feud in these living conditions."

"Is everyone really that power hungry?" Roko asked, "There doesn't seem to be a lot to gain if one did manage to become king."

"Hahaha." Kaguya laughed softly, "That's my land you're talking about you know."

"I'm sure you'll do something about it."

"Hmmm, perhaps." Kaguya smiled, "That all depends on how many people I can get to go along with my ideas. But everyone has their own ideas for this country. Their own ambitions. Some want to change the essence of this country. Some want to expand our territory and spread our culture."

"And where do you fall on that scale?"

"Hmm, good question." Kaguya mulled over Roko's question with a thoughtful complexity on her face, "It's not as if I've never thought about it. I've just never been asked about it before. Let's just say...I want the people of this country to see the next day."

"Rather small ambitions for a future ruler."

"I like to think of it as humble. This land can be harsh. Crops are hard to grow. Hunting requires a substantial amount of skill to return with a meal that can barely feed your family. The ruling parties can't get along long enough to pass a single law worth a damn. But you're right. Perhaps I'm a poor fit for the throne."

"No." Roko shook his head, "A simple ambition might just be what the people need right now. So long as you can keep the fighting at bay to give everyone time to heal, then you can set off to whatever horizons you see."

"...I see." Kaguya smiled softly.

"Imagining what lies beyond stirs a wanderlust that makes you want to get there as soon as possible." Roko continued, "From what I hear, every noble grasping for power has let their own ambitions get in the way. So not having such amazing ideas could be what you need. What everybody needs. But you have to keep a very careful ear on the people. If people recover enough to start to get restless, you will need to borrow others ambitions if you cannot find your own vision. If it ever comes to that."

"I understand." Kaguya nodded, "I'll keep your words in the back of my mind."

"I'm no adviser. I've never ran a country." Roko sighed, "So don't take my words too seriously."

"No, it's solid advice."

"Whenever or not that is true will have to be proven in time."

"Strict aren't you?" Kaguya chuckled.

As they rounded the corner of a hallway, Roko noticed a girl walking down the same hallway, looking absentmindedly out of the windows.

"Ah! Take!" Kaguya grinned as she ran towards the girl with her hands up.

"Kaguya!" The girl's eyes brightened up as she high fived both of Kaguya's hands.

"It's been a while!" Kaguya smiled as Mikado and Roko joined her, "Have you been doing well?"

"About as well as I could be." The girl giggled, "Honestly, ever since the royal succession's been decided, things have been kinda boring around here."

"Hey, we all worked hard for that peace. Don't go calling it boring now."

"I don't remember doing anything." The girl smiled smugly.

"Ah, Take, this is my friend, Roko. He's a visitor from another land."

"You're the guy from another world right?" The girl nodded, "That's pretty cool."

"I'm surprised you know that." Roko blinked.

"I like spying on some of the politician's conversations." The girl smirked, "Can't have too much ammo when you're in my position."

"Your position?"

"This is Hagoromo Takeko." Kaguya explained, "She's a childhood friend of mine but unfortunately, her parents died while she was rather young. She's been wandering around the noble sphere but since she doesn't actually have any power, she's usually just a side character to all the political action."

"Who's a side character?" Takeko frowned, "Anyway, since I have no foundation or power, I'm constantly at risk of getting kicked out of the castle so I have to be on my toes against basically everyone just to keep my home."

"You could just move to Fuyuki." Kaguya sighed, "I can arrange some comfortable living for you, at least for a few months."

"Nah. I've lived in this castle all my life. Can't imagine living anywhere else."

"It's not shameful to live as a normal girl for once."

"I'm not saying it is, I just don't want to leave." Takeko shrugged, "Anyway, what are you doing back here, Kaguya?"

"Some insurrection control." Kaguya sighed, "That and the zombies that have been appearing in our land."

"Oh yeah." Takeko nodded, "I've heard about those. Never seen one myself but I'm sure those rotten bastards are pretty dangerous. Don't know about those zombies though."

"Stop it." Kaguya laughed as she slapped Takeko on the shoulder, "But it probably would be safest to remain in this castle right now if the zombies haven't been spotted here."

"The only shambling corpse I've seen around here is old man Hase." Takeko chuckled, "Old guy's turning 101 in a few months. Still refuses to retire though. Swats anybody who tries to get him to retire with his old beating stick and says he'll be the janitor til the day he dies."

"You'd never guess he was one of the generals back in the great Haruyuki War." Kaguya giggled, "I should pay him a visit later."

"You should! I'm sure he'd like to see you again."

"Ah, sorry." Kaguya said as she turned to Roko, "This must be boring you."

"Actually it's been very informative." Roko bowed, "But I should leave you two friends alone to chat. I've got some things to investigate in the castle anyway, so I'll just take my leave."