Ghouls

Chapter 8: Ghouls

The Trial of Loyalty did not make anyone wait long.

After a few couples spoke with each other and promised not to cause trouble, the statue of the female knight glowed.

The marble floor's crevices shone with an eerie crimson light that wrapped each pair and teleported them to unknown locations.

Noah opened his eyes without any problems.

He was outside in a strange garden, surrounded by dense hedges with sharp thorns.

Black clouds gathered overhead, but there was one hole that allowed the moon to peek through and give a small beam of light he did not really need.

Eleonora, however, might have needed it.

He could not feel her presence.

He looked around and spotted her behind him, trapped in the hedge.

He took a step to help her, but countless hands suddenly sprouted from the lawn.

Filthy humans climbed out within seconds, dirt covering them.

They wore shredded suits that exposed their rotten flesh in many spots.

Their eyes were hollow, as if someone had dug out their eyeballs, but Noah knew they still "saw" him.

"Ghouls! Don't let them scratch you! Even touching them is dangerous! Cover your hand with something!" Eleonora shouted from behind the ghouls.

Any scratch would infect Noah and weaken him.

In the long run, it could lead to his death.

Noah nodded.

One ghoul rushed at him and appeared in front of him like a demon from a horror movie, lunging for a bite.

It would have been a jump scare for anyone else, but Noah was a night elf.

He retreated from the ghoul and tore off part of his school uniform, which no longer fit him anyway.

He wrapped the cloth around his blade hand and locked eyes on the group of ghouls getting ready to devour him.

Eleonora raised her voice again so he could hear her clearly.

"This is simple! You have to free me from the hedge and bring me into the moonlight circle! You're also safe if you stand in that light! The ghouls will keep coming until you finish this trial!"

If he failed, both of them would die.

With the situation clear, Noah formed a simple plan.

He dodged a few more ghouls while focusing on his next move, then charged toward his fox witch.

The ghouls attacked him from all sides, but Noah was like a fish in water, reading their moves and weaving his way closer to Eleonora.

He did not just dodge them, though.

When they lunged, he struck back and left several ghouls lying on the lawn with missing limbs.

They could only crawl and pose less danger.

Eleonora's eyes sparkled as she watched him.

She giggled to herself, amazed that Noah was stronger than she expected.

Her mischievous side made her act like a princess in a tower, and she was having a lot of fun while Noah fought as if his life depended on it.

Their contrast grew bigger with every moment.

"I so hope my prince can afford to buy me cakes at least seven times a week!" she sang with her eyes shut.

Noah yelled, "Seven times a week, huh? Sorry, honey, but I don't even have a bank account yet!"

Eleonora gasped. "I was locked away for so long that the government must have stolen all my assets too! We're dirt poor, handsome! Kill those ghouls! Maybe they'll drop something valuable!"

"After I get my hands on you!" Noah shouted back.

"Mmm!" Eleonora moaned and opened her bright eyes, watching her destined prince hack his way to her side.

Once he reached her, Noah carefully pushed aside the thorns.

Eleonora fell into his arms, and he carried her to the moonlight.

Under that glow, Noah looked even more striking, as if the moon belonged to him.

Eleonora stared at him in silence.

Realizing she was gawking like a hungry woman, she smiled and pinched his cheek.

"Handsome."

"...I already know that by now," Noah replied, smiling.

"I feel really weak... let's see," Eleonora said, still in his arms.

She summoned a fire bubble no bigger than a ping-pong ball.

The flames were tiny and almost useless.

A silver rose fell from the sky and merged with Eleonora, letting her regain a bit of strength.

"No!" she wailed.

Noah rolled his eyes. "You don't have to actually be weak to act like a princess."

"But it's such a convenient excuse to behave that way!" Eleonora moaned.

At that moment, the hedge split open like gates, inviting them deeper into the trial.

At the same time, the ghouls disappeared, leaving behind some items.

"Items! I want to see them!" Eleonora said, wiggling in Noah's arms and craning her neck to glimpse what had dropped.

Noah laughed. "You're so adorable."

Eleonora froze for a second, then smiled brightly and rubbed her nose on his chest, forgetting about the loot for a while.

It was clear Noah meant more to her than anything else.

She had fallen for him, deeply.

"Can I call you by your name?" Eleonora asked.

"Eh? Of course."

"Handsome Noah!"

"...just pick one of them."