Chapter 6 Death Haze

"Killing these rotting corpses isn't so hard after all," Field muttered, his confidence surging as he flicked the foul blood off his sword.

"My lord, watch out!"

Another half-bodied zombie, seizing the opportunity, crawled toward Field, aiming to sink its teeth into his ankle. At the critical moment, Asina grabbed a manure fork from the cart and drove it hard into the zombie's back, pinning it to the ground.

"Whew! Nice work!"

Field broke into a cold sweat, stepping back as his heart pounded wildly. That had been too close!

While the church's clergy could cure the zombie toxin, the cost was exorbitant—no less than a hundred gold coins.

Taking a moment to steady his racing heart, Field exhaled deeply and ruffled Asina's hair in gratitude. "As a reward for saving my life, I'll give you a gold coin, Asina!"

Asina's eyes sparkled with excitement. She had never seen so much money in her life. "Really? But... this is what I should do anyway."

Unlike the zombies in horror movies, these rotting corpses could be harmed simply by piercing their bodies with weapons.

More zombies surged forward, clawing and gnashing at the barricade of carts.

But the slaves behind the carts, seeing that the zombies weren't as terrifying as they'd thought and couldn't breach the wooden barrier, began to rally. Even their lord and that seemingly fragile girl were fighting back. Many of the men picked up their farming tools and joined the counterattack.

Field didn't hesitate either, raising his sword to continue the slaughter.

As blood splattered, more and more zombies fell to the slaves' tools and Field's blade.

"Ah!"

A scream rang out. One of Connor's cavalrymen, while charging, had his cloak grabbed by a zombie dressed as a village woman. With a fierce tug, the soldier was yanked off his horse, his legs flailing as he fell backward.

"Crack!"

The sudden fall caused the back of his head to hit the ground, instantly knocking him unconscious.

Connor cursed in frustration. "Damn it! Useless!"

What infuriated him even more was that Field hadn't been reduced to a quivering mess. Instead, he was calmly directing the slaves.

"Cut off the heads of every corpse and pile them up for burning," Field ordered. He had spent the journey studying the nature of corruption. The bodies of these corrupted humans posed a significant environmental hazard if left unattended, quickly becoming new sources of pollution. Field frowned, his gaze lingering on the distant gray fog that stretched to the horizon. "We haven't even reached Nightfall Territory yet, and we're already encountering so many zombies. This doesn't bode well."

Though his family disliked him and had exiled him, sending him into a zombie-infested wasteland seemed excessively cruel.

"Thank you for your help, my lord."

The fleeing refugees, as if seeing their savior, knelt and crawled forward, prostrating themselves before Field and kissing his boots.

"May the God of War illuminate your path!"

Field accepted their gratitude with composure, scanning the ragged, beggar-like refugees. "Where are you from? How did so many zombies appear? Shouldn't the towering walls of Kashan Fortress keep these corrupted creatures at bay?"

"It's the death miasma! The gray fog from the Northern Frontier seeped through the fortress walls and engulfed our village, Oak Village. It happened at night, and most of the villagers were corrupted in their sleep, turning into zombies. Only we managed to escape," the villager explained, trembling as if reliving a nightmare.

The gray fog, also known as the death miasma, was said to be the root of corruption. Mixed into the air, it could quickly kill and transform any living thing that inhaled it into a corrupted monster.

Only those with lordly abilities or Divine Chosen Ones were immune.

Alternatively, one could purchase the church's atonement lamps to disperse the fog. Of course, they were expensive. Field had spent fifty gold coins to buy two, and that was only because of his noble status.

Field listened quietly, then frowned. "Where is your lord? As far as I know, every border fortress has a Divine Chosen One stationed there. The fog shouldn't have been able to penetrate."

"The baron and the Divine Chosen One went to investigate traces of a cult. Only the baron's son remains in the castle."

"Let's go. We'll meet the master of this place," Field said, mounting his horse once everyone had regrouped.

To reach Nightfall Territory, they needed the local baron's permission.

Upon arriving at Kashan Fortress, Field was awestruck by its grandeur. The sprawling stone walls and round towers, combined with the mountain range, formed an impregnable defensive system. The walls were wide enough for horses to gallop on, lined with ballistae, catapults, and cauldrons of boiling oil. Even an army of a hundred thousand would break against such defenses. Everywhere, the fluttering griffin banners proclaimed the might of the old empire.

But the biggest problem was...

"Where is everyone?"

Field was stunned. The entire outer wall was deserted, not a soul in sight.

Connor also paled. "Could the orcs have launched a surprise attack? If they've breached Kashan Fortress, the entire province will fall in an instant."

"That can't be. It wouldn't be this quiet."

Fortunately, after advancing a short distance, Field spotted torches burning on the inner walls of the fortress.

"Stay back! Who goes there?" a voice shouted from the walls. In the torchlight, figures moved about, indicating that the castle was well-manned.

Why had they suddenly abandoned the outer defenses? Field wondered.

"I am Baron Field of the Ross family, on my way to assume my position in Nightfall Territory. Please open the gates of Kashan Fortress and let us pass."

The officer on the wall seemed hesitant. After a moment of deliberation, he called over a young man—the son of Baron Bull.

"No! My father hasn't returned, and no one is fooling me into opening these gates! Leave now, or we'll shoot!"

Hearing the resolute response from the walls, Field's mouth twitched. He guessed the young man had been terrified by the zombies. "It's me, Field. I've even donated money here, remember? I'm not your enemy."

"Don't flaunt your petty coins! The entire empire sends money to the border. Who do you think you are, expecting me to remember you? You're just some outsider, coming to Bull's territory to make a fool of yourself."

"Ugh, of course. Nobles are rarely decent people," Field muttered through gritted teeth. The original owner's final act of kindness had come to nothing. If Field had any soldiers, he would've stormed the castle right then. But he kept his patience. "These villagers, I rescued them on the way. You—"

Before Field could finish, he was cut off by more insults.

"Damn it, do you think my castle has an endless supply of food? Who told you to save those fools? You meddlesome idiot! Take one step closer with them, and I'll rain arrows down on you!"