Ch.153153. See? I told you I have a talent for hitting people.

“Is her hair really red?”

“Y-yes, it is. How did you know?”

“Her eyes aren’t red, are they?”

“Wow… Young Master, do you have divine powers too?”

I desperately hoped it wasn’t true.

I prayed this was just a minor coincidence—a case of someone with the same name who happened to look similar.

Why?

Because if Dennis’s wife was the same ‘Enna’ I knew from the original story, the situation would become extremely serious.

Enna.

To put it simply, she’s a villain.

In the far Western Continent, ‘zombies’ exist.

These zombies are created by dark wizards, and if you’re bitten, you become infected over time.

However.

Enna wasn’t 100% infected; instead, she acquired the monstrous healing abilities of zombies.

She was a mutation.

And just like Luna in the original story, if she couldn’t satisfy her urge to kill, she would activate skills like ‘Blood Massacre.’

That’s why.

Readers often debated what the difference was between Luna and Enna, questioning why one was the protagonist’s companion while the other was a villain.

The reason was actually simple.

Luna met the protagonist early on, while Enna never did, which led her to commit all sorts of atrocities.

The one fortunate thing is that the story hasn’t properly begun yet.

The early part of the story is about the protagonist, Serion Lykus, coming to Lake Territory.

That means there’s still a chance to save Enna.

Of course, since she’s Dennis’s wife, I needed to save her even if it meant changing the story a bit.

That way, this guy would trust and follow me too.

I composed myself and cleared my throat as I faced Dennis.

“Well, she’s not younger than me, is she?”

“…Pardon? Of course not… Young Master, aren’t you still not of age yet?”

“R-right. I just knew someone with the same name, and coincidentally, they looked similar too.”

“Oh… is that so?”

I managed to change the subject for now.

However, my mind was becoming increasingly complicated.

It would still be a long time before the protagonist, Serion Lykus, would meet the villain Enna in the Western Continent.

I felt I should probably ask the Poison Lady for help.

Come to think of it.

If I recall correctly, while it wasn’t explicitly stated, Enna had been bitten by a zombie long before her first appearance in the story.

In other words, she might have left Dennis after realizing she was gradually turning into a zombie.

If that’s the case, how did she get bitten by zombies that only exist in the Western Continent…

I leaned toward Dennis to focus on our conversation.

“Do you know about zombies?”

“Zombies? Ah! I’ve actually seen them in person.”

“You’ve been to the Western Continent?”

“Yes, since my wife is from the Western Continent, I’ve been there a few times.”

“Did you see zombies when you were with your wife?”

“No, after my wife left me, I thought she might have gone back to her homeland, so I worked as a wandering mercenary there for a while.”

I stroked my chin as I continued.

“Did your wife ever go to the Western Continent alone?”

“She went a few times. Her younger brother used to live there.”

“What about her brother?”

“…He died. He was infected by those zombies you mentioned earlier.”

The puzzle pieces were starting to fit together.

In the original story, there was no explanation of how or when the character Enna became infected by zombies.

Based on what Dennis said, I could make two guesses:

Either she went to the Western Continent to see her brother and got bitten by a zombie, or she was bitten by her already-infected brother.

“When did your wife’s brother die?”

“I remember that clearly. It’s been over three years. My wife left immediately after we held her brother’s funeral in the Western Continent.”

“Did your wife do anything unusual or out of character before she disappeared?”

“I’ve thought long and hard about whether there was anything unusual before she left, but there was nothing different from her usual behavior. That’s why I never expected her to leave.”

If that’s the case.

It seems more likely that she was bitten by her brother.

Even without physical changes, she must have known.

She knew she would soon turn into a zombie like her brother…

That’s why she left Dennis early on.

As I leaned back in my chair with a serious expression, Dennis leaned forward toward me.

“But why are you suddenly asking about zombies and when my brother-in-law died?”

“I was just asking questions as they came to mind during our conversation. I didn’t have any particular intention.”

“I-I see.”

Come to think of it, finding her would be problematic.

She’s probably starving, unable to satisfy her murderous urges.

Luna managed to get by because her condition changed to emotional deprivation, but I can’t sacrifice people to satisfy Enna’s urges.

Moreover.

Is all of this really a coincidence?

I keep feeling connections to characters from the original story.

I felt safe bringing Dennis in as a companion because he wasn’t a character that appeared in the original, but to think his wife would be Enna.

It seemed like I’d need to check family records before recruiting companions from now on.

“You must have had a hard time. Traveling through various territories looking for your wife all this time.”

“Haha, it’s fine. I never thought of it as hardship.”

“What will you do when you meet your wife?”

Dennis hesitated at my question, then made a bitter expression.

“I just want to ask her one thing. If she really meant to leave me.”

“What do you mean?”

“I shouldn’t think this way, but there’s also the possibility she was kidnapped, right? Even the fact that she took her belongings could have been staged by the kidnapper to confuse my judgment.”

Humans are imaginative creatures.

How many thoughts must have gone through his mind after his wife disappeared before his eyes?

If I hadn’t read the original novel, I wouldn’t have ruled out the possibility of kidnapping either.

After listening silently, Dennis scratched his head awkwardly.

“Am I overthinking this?”

“No, it’s perfectly reasonable to consider that possibility.”

“Being able to share these thoughts with someone… time really is a healer.”

“Don’t worry, you’ll be able to meet your wife soon.”

Dennis kept bowing his head in gratitude, then suddenly blinked.

“By the way, may I ask why you inquired if my wife did anything unusual or out of character before she left?”

If I told him the truth now, Dennis’s mental state would be shattered beyond repair.

I adjusted my posture, trying my best to hide my expression.

“Well, people’s behavior usually changes when they experience emotional shifts. That’s why I asked.”

“If my wife hadn’t been acting like her usual self before leaving, I wouldn’t have suspected kidnapping.”

“Don’t think negatively. You probably haven’t made enemies who would do such a thing.”

“…Thank you for comforting me.”

Before I knew it, time had flown by as I had my first genuine conversation with Dennis.

After checking the time belatedly, we each headed to our rooms to prepare for tomorrow’s departure.

And so.

Several days passed.

“…Thank you for your hard work, Sir Selden Alphonse.”

After finishing the final training session, I could see how delighted Elkan and the Dark Corps members were, their bodies trembling with excitement.

I threw the wooden sword on the ground and laughed heartily.

“What’s there for me to work hard at? All I did was hit you guys.”

“We couldn’t land a single hit on your face until the very end, Sir.”

“Did you want to hit me that badly? I could let you land one blow now if you want.”

“…No, thank you. Thanks to you, we’ve absorbed a lot of the Thousand Origin Pill’s energy.”

Surprisingly, I seemed to have a talent for hitting people.

The Chugong acupressure technique I started without any basic knowledge had proven effective.

“Elkan, are you feeling alright?”

“Since you hit us evenly all over, Sir Selden Alphonse, my body feels quite balanced.”

“See? I told you I have a talent for hitting people.”

“…Pardon?”

I got excited and blurted out what was on my mind, causing the Dark Corps members to tremble again.

I cleared my throat in embarrassment.

“Ahem!! What I meant is that I have a talent for teaching others.”

“That’s certainly true, and I have nothing more to add on that matter.”

It’s true.

Whether it was the effect of the Thousand Origin Pill or the excessive effectiveness of the Chugong acupressure technique, the Dark Corps members had become incredibly stronger compared to when I first met them.

Of course, they were still no match for me, but their progress was truly remarkable.

However.

There was someone trembling in fear as he watched the Dark Corps members benefit from the training, and that was…

“Young Master… I really have to take the Thousand Origin Pill too, don’t I?”

“Dennis, some people are desperate to be saved, so why do you keep complaining when you’re well-fed?”

“N-no, I’m just happy about it.”

“You won’t be lonely. When we arrive at Lake Territory, I’ll make a few more people take the Thousand Origin Pill besides you.”

“…Haha, Dennis is happy not to be alone.”

Dennis’s eyes welled up with tears as if he was deeply moved.

With a satisfied expression, I sent the Dark Corps members back and headed to the inn with Dennis.

Since we would finally arrive at Sertena Territory tomorrow, I felt somewhat refreshed.

“Whew!”

After returning to the inn and finishing my shower, I flopped down on the bed.

Then, I heard a knock.

Knock knock-!

‘Does Dennis have something else to tell me?’

Creeeak-!

I tilted my head curiously and opened the door, only to raise my voice in surprise.

“Wh-what a shock!”

“Father!!”

It was Lucien, who should have been in Lake Territory, visiting the inn.

And with a very bright expression at that.