Ch.69Chapter 69. The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse

# The Undead.

Those who move their decayed and withered bodies are, fundamentally, beings that can never be considered alive.

Their bodies move solely by recalling the records of the corpse, merely inducing the actions of their former lives.

“Uhyooo…”

As such, their actions, excluding directions from superior entities or casters, are typically centered around memories of the past, especially lingering attachments from when they were alive.

This is why ordinary undead are fixated on the living.

All undead inevitably retain survival instincts, and thus instinctively aim to quench their thirst by taking the blood and warmth of the living.

“Uhyooo…”

However, occasionally there appear undead who have awakened to self-awareness, with purposes beyond these one-dimensional survival desires.

Whether for revenge, honor, love, or a sense of mission to carry on traditions.

In whatever form, powerful attachments that transcend survival desires overcome even the obsession with life itself, giving them a purpose they must fulfill.

“Uhyooo~ Uhyoooo~!!!”

One of those beings who had achieved such a miracle caught Briton IV’s eye as he passed by—screaming at the undead gathered in the prayer room of the temple.

A man wearing a crow-like mask, his entire body wrapped in white leather clothing.

The way he rested his chin on his hand and tilted his head indicated he was looking with interest at the undead praying before the altar.

“Truly fascinating power. The dead typically think of nothing but their own lingering attachments, yet how does this power forcibly rummage through the minds of the dead and even change their speech and behavior?”

The White Knight of Plague, Blight.

The fact that he, who still maintained his scholarly demeanor, found this interesting meant that a phenomenon that could not be overlooked was occurring.

“Hey there, Archbishop. Look over here for a moment.”

“Uhyooo…?”

Feeling his interest deepen, Blight gave instructions to one of the undead.

As the archbishop turned his gaze in response to his gesture, Blight put his arm around his neck and smoothly pulled him closer.

“Yes, Archbishop. I called for you. I’m curious about something—could you tell me what comes most vividly to your mind right now?”

The undead cannot resist the will of superior entities and casters.

The words of Blight, who was clearly one of the 4 knights and a close associate of the Lord of Corpses, could not be resisted by a mere undead.

Even if he had once been the highest-ranking individual apart from the Pope, without awakening self-awareness, he was ultimately just an equal among the dead.

“U, uuu…”

But even such beings have lingering attachments from their living days, though they don’t take precedence over survival instincts.

In response to Blight’s question that sought to probe these attachments, the dead man soon recalled his most vivid memory and spoke it.

“Uhyooo…”

“Pahahahaha!! Yes!! Uhyooo!! Is that more important to you than your old memories?!”

Blight burst into laughter at the response and struck the man’s body violently.

Though this broke his neck, the dead do not feel pain and are unconcerned by such injuries.

Once free from control, he simply moved away as if nothing had happened, putting his hands together before the altar and continuing to pray while making “uhyo” sounds.

“This is truly remarkable. The memories of corpses infected by the power of a lord who can taint all living beings on this continent with death, endlessly repeating a single human’s name! What an extraordinary phenomenon that defies common sense!!”

Finding this discovery extremely interesting, Blight spread his twisted hands wide and began to express his excitement.

“For now, they merely call out the name, but this modest discovery might someday lead to a grand conclusion. Therefore, I, Blight, who first recognized the value of this phenomenon, shall bestow upon it the name ‘Uhyo Disease’!! Uhyoooooo~!!!”

“…You seem particularly energetic today, Blight.”

Uhyo Disease.

A name that would disappoint the young man who remained in his memory, thought Briton IV as he approached from behind. Only then did Blight notice his presence and turn his attention to him.

“Oh, if it isn’t His Majesty the King.”

The warmth evident in his voice.

Along with it, he smoothly pulled out his twisted hand and placed it on his chest, opening the beak beneath his mask to greet him.

“Ah, the great and wise fourth king of Briton. I, Blight, your loyal servant and humble scholar, greet you after so long~”

“Of course, the kingdom you tried to protect and all its people have long since rotted and fallen, but still! Puha! Hahahahaha~!!”

Despite his corpse body showing no signs of vitality, he maintained an extremely playful and boisterous atmosphere.

Briton IV, recalling how intelligent and quiet he had once been, concealed his sympathy for him and displayed a bold attitude.

“…That too is my fault, which I must accept.”

“Oh, my, I was just joking to lighten the mood, but you’re reacting too sensitively. If you don’t take jokes as jokes, it becomes awkward for me to respond.”

Blight chuckled and patted Briton IV’s back.

In reality, he harbored no resentment toward the man before him.

Some might have awakened from death with such resentment, but Blight actually found more satisfaction in his life as one of the dead.

“Well, we’ve always had an awkward relationship for exchanging jokes. Since it’s uncomfortable to talk just the two of us, let’s go straight to the altar. The others will be waiting there too.”

“…Let’s do that.”

Briton IV silently agreed and continued through the temple with Blight.

At the end, they arrived at what was once used as an altar for ceremonies, but now had a hole in the ceiling revealing the dark sky above.

Scattered beneath that sky were bone fragments that couldn’t even become undead.

In this place where flesh had decomposed over time leaving only bones, a gaunt corpse in a black hood and a heavily armored knight were quietly positioned in front of an old coffin.

“Haha~ The Red Knight and High School Graduate were already here!?”

Blight greeted the two corpses cheerfully.

In response to his friendly attitude, the agitated corpse swung the longsword in his hand at Blight’s neck.

-Slash!!!

Blight’s head was mercilessly severed.

As his rotten body collapsed to the ground, the corpse who had swung the sword could not contain his anger and burst into lamentation.

“Damn crow bastard, has your brain rotted so much you can’t even remember my name!?”

The Dark Knight of Famine—Gorgon Zola.

The moment the lament erupted from his mouth, the head rolling on the floor opened its mouth and burst into laughter.

“Kahyahya! I’m sorry about that! I may have been called a doctor in my living days, but having been dead for quite some time, my memory is rather hazy~?”

Laughter erupting from the fallen head.

And the body, still collapsed, began to crawl on its own.

The way it moved its joints abnormally to pick up the head seemed grotesque, but Gorgon was focused only on venting his emotions.

“Yes, if you’ve become senile and forgetful, let me make it clear once more. My name is Gorgon Zola! Not High School Graduate, but Gorgon Zola!!”

“Oh, Gorgon Zola. Right, that was your name.”

-Click.

Blight adjusted the joints of his head and rested his chin on his hand.

His response came after a moment of silence.

“Your name is too long and hard to remember, can’t I just shorten it to High School Graduate for convenience?”

“Don’t shorten my name to High School Graduate! Not if you don’t want to die!”

“Khahaha! We’re already dead, what are you going to kill? This is why you’re a High School Graduate! You stupid High School Graduate!”

“Kraaak!! I can’t take it anymore! Today I’ll bury your ugly face in a grave!”

As always, Gorgon drew his sword in anger, preparing to charge.

The one who intervened in Gorgon’s action was Briton IV, who had been silently observing the familiar situation.

“Gorgon. I understand your anger toward Blight, but could you hold off for a moment?”

“…What is it suddenly, deposed one?”

Gorgon gnashed his teeth and glared fiercely.

Nevertheless, Briton IV conveyed his intentions to his fellow loyal servant with his characteristic solemn attitude.

“If you have any grievances against me, please tell me now.”

“What?”

“I said if there’s anything that displeases you, tell me now. If there’s anything I can fix, I’ll try my best to do so.”

“…Listen here, fourth king.”

Gorgon felt puzzled seeing Briton IV express his guilt.

The situation seemed so absurd to him that he even refrained from his usual mocking tone.

“Why are you suddenly saying such things? I may always call you ‘deposed,’ but that’s just the literal meaning, not meant as a negative judgment of you.”

“But didn’t you just say you disliked me?”

“Did I?”

“You just said: Don’t shorten Gorgon Zola to High School Graduate. Not if you don’t want to die (Knight of Death)…”

“What nonsense is this deposed one spouting now!!”

-Crack!

Gorgon’s longsword split Briton’s skull.

Watching this, Blight clutched his stomach and burst into laughter.

“Puhahaha! Your Majesty, I didn’t take you for someone who makes jokes! Well, having stepped down from the throne to become a vassal, you should start getting used to playing the fool like this one!”

“Why are you seeking my approval, you insolent fool!? I’m not a jester but a self-proclaimed professor…”

-Kwang!!

As the three knights gathered and noisily chattered, a red greatsword was swung.

Ominous red magical energy transformed into a blade wave, scattering everything except the heads of the two corpses into dust.

“…You fools, can’t you wait seriously until Mother finishes her preparations?”

The Red Knight of War.

To her, who found such boisterous atmospheres uncomfortable, Gorgon, who had barely restored his damaged body, cried out indignantly.

“Listen, Red Knight. I’m wronged here. It was this crow bastard who first…”

“If you feel wronged, you should have at least graduated college and earned a bachelor’s degree. Ah, but with the world in this state and all universities collapsed, that’s an achievement you’ll never attain. Pahahahaha!”

“Kyaaak!!! That academic elitism again! If those qualifications are necessary, I’ll kill you right here and steal your doctorate!”

“Do you think academic degrees can be stolen by winning a fight? This is why you’re a High School Graduate…”

-Kwang!

The Red Knight sent another blade wave toward the two corpses who were about to fight again.

Though this was a common occurrence, the Red Knight, finding it unsettling, turned her attention from the two fools to Briton IV.

“Those two idiots aside, King of Briton. Why are you joining in their foolish antics?”

“…Please refrain from calling me king. I am now merely a knight serving the same lord as you.”

The King of Briton raised his aged body, using the greatsword in his hand as a cane.

After straightening himself, he quietly answered his fellow loyal servant.

“And while their behavior may not be commendable, regardless of the past, I am now on equal footing with you all… Unless our lord commands otherwise, going along with their atmosphere might help me understand them better, wouldn’t you agree?”

“……”

The Red Knight silently turned her gaze away from him.

Her eyes then fell upon the two idiots who were facing each other with just their regenerated heads, engaged in heart-to-heart conversation.

“Crow. I acknowledge that you’re a scholar with better academic credentials than me. But now that all universities and everything else have collapsed, and I can’t earn a degree even if I wanted to, don’t you think it’s unpleasant to mock my efforts to achieve an impossible dream in a crumbling world?”

“Seeing how grandly you speak, you must have quite an ambitious dream. Why not share it with us here and now?”

“First, I’d travel the world gathering suitable slaves… no, graduate students. And someday, when everything in this land is consumed by death, I’d establish an eternal graduate school above it all, where I’d continue endless research with my recruited students. Then I would forever be known as Dr. Zola, wouldn’t I?”

“Oh, so you want to become Dr. Zola?”

“Yes. I want to become Dr. Zola!!”

“That’s quite an ambitious dream, puhaha~”

The two fools continued their nonsensical conversation with only their heads remaining.

Watching them, the Red Knight exhaled a dry sigh and even withdrew her hand that was about to swing her sword.

“Why does Mother keep such inadequate beings by her side…”

If she had the authority, she would first teach those two fools, who had risen to positions equal to hers, their proper place.

As she turned away in irritation, Briton IV, who had been silently observing, belatedly asked her a question.

“You… There’s something I’d like to ask.”

“What is it, King of Briton.”

“Do you still not recall your own name?”

“……”

“…It may seem trivial to you, but for the undead like us, names are important.”

For the undead who rely on and live for their lingering attachments, one’s name is essential to not losing oneself.

That’s why they try never to forget themselves, no matter what.

The names that Blight, Gorgon, and himself as Briton IV still used were meant to maintain that identity.

“…It doesn’t matter.”

Yet she did not cling to her name.

As if she didn’t care about her past that lived on through lingering attachments, she was fixated only on gaining recognition from her mother (lord).

“Names are not important. We awakened from death solely to fulfill Mother’s wishes, nothing more, nothing less.”

“…If that is your will, I shall respect it.”

As she said, those gathered here had awakened from death out of necessity.

Whatever their ideologies and purposes might be, it was clear that they must obey the words of the lord they served.

-Click.

Yes, the one who had just revealed their presence in this space was the being they served.

When the old coffin that had been abandoned on the altar opened, the four knights immediately assumed proper postures and showed respect, sensing the powerful presence emerging from it.

“Everyone……”

What emerged from the coffin was a woman with pale skin.

Soon she gazed at them with languid eyes and parted her dry lips to speak in a weak voice.

“I’m glad you all gathered safely today as well. My loyal knights.”

The Lord of Corpses—Gwen Hwibar.

A being whose goal is to erase all living existence in this world and reign as their king.