Chapter 69: The Four Knights of the Corpse Lord
Undead.
Their rotting, desiccated bodies move, but fundamentally, they couldnt be considered living beings.
Their bodily movement was merely a result of recalling the corpses memory, inducing actions from their living days.
Woo Hyooooh
Accordingly, their actions were centered around memories of their past, especially the regrets they harbored in life, unless directed by a superior being or mage.
This was the reason why the typical undead were fixated on the living.
All undead inherently possessed a survival instinct, and thus, they would instinctively aim to satisfy their thirst by consuming the blood and warmth of the living.
Woo Hyoooo
However, occasionally, there were undead who would break free from this one-dimensional survival instinct, possessing a purpose that would awaken their sense of self.
Whether it was for revenge, honor, love, or a sense of mission to continue traditions
Powerful regrets that transcend the will to survive grant them a rightful purpose, overcoming even the obsession with life itself.
Woo Hyoooooh~ Woo Hyoooooohh~!!!
One such miraculous being, screaming at the undead gathered in the churchs prayer room, caught the attention of Briton IV as he passed by.
A man wearing a crow-like mask and draped in white leather clothes.
His posture, leaning his chin on his hand and tilting his head, indicated his interest in the undead praying before a god.
Truly an interesting power. The dead usually think of nothing but their own regrets, yet how does this power forcibly stir the minds of the dead, even altering their words and actions?
Blight, the White Knight of Plague.
His continued interest as a scholar implied that an undeniable phenomenon was occurring.
Hey, Archbishop. Please look this way for a moment.
Woo Hyooooo?
Feeling his interest deepen, Blight gave an order to one of the undead.
At his gesture, the Archbishop turned his gaze, and Blight pulled him closer by putting an arm around his neck.
Yes, Archbishop. I called you here. I have a question. Could you tell me what youre most vividly remembering right now?
Undead couldnt go against the commands of superior beings and mages.
Being a close aide to the Corpse Lord and one of the Four Knights, Blights words were indisputable to a mere undead.
Even if one were of the highest rank, second only to the Pope in the past, without awakening their ego, they were merely equal dead.
Uhh
But even such a being, prioritizing survival instinct, must have had something akin to regret from their living days.
Prompted by Blight to dig into such a regret, the undead soon voiced the most vivid memory they possessed.
Woo Hyo-oh
Ha-ha-ha-ha!! Yes!! Woo Hyo-oh-oh!! Is he more important than your old memories!?
Blight burst into laughter and violently struck the body of the undead upon hearing this response.
The undeads neck bone broke, but being insensible to pain, he was indifferent to such injuries.
Once released from control, he moved away as if nothing happened, praying before the god with his hands clasped and chanting Woo Hyo.
This is truly remarkable. The memories of an undead, consumed by the power of a lord capable of drowning this continent in death, incessantly repeating a mere humans name! What a bizarre phenomenon that defies all logic!!
Blight, greatly intrigued by this discovery, started guffawing, spreading his twisted hands wide.
Its just a name for now, but this minor discovery might lead to a grand conclusion someday. Thus, I, Blight, who first recognized the value of this phenomenon, shall bestow upon it the name Woo Hyo Disease!! Woo Hyooooooh~!!!
You seem unusually energetic today, Blight.
Woo Hyo Disease, indeed.
Briton IV thought to himself that the young man, who was still in his memories, might be displeased with such a name. As he approached from behind, Blight finally noticed his presence and turned his attention towards him.
Oh, it turns out to be the king himself.
The pleasure was evident in his voice.
With that, he placed his twisted hand over his chest and opened the beak of his mask to greet.
Ah, Briton, the great and intelligent fourth king. I, Blight, your loyal retainer and humble scholar, greet you after such a long time~
Of course, the kingdom and people you sought to protect have long since decayed and fallen. Pffft! Hahahahahaha~!!
Despite his lifeless corpse, there was an unmistakably jestful and boisterous atmosphere.
Briton IV, recalling his once intelligent and quiet demeanor, masked his sorrow with a composed response.
If that too is my fault, I must accept it.
Oh dear, I was just joking to lighten the mood, but youre reacting too sensitively. Its hard for me to respond if you dont take a joke as a joke.
Blight chuckled and patted Briton IVs back.
In reality, he harbored no resentment towards the person before him.
Some might awaken from death with such resentment, but Blight, at least, found more satisfaction in his life as an undead.
Well, our relationship has always been awkward for exchanging jokes. Its pointless to converse alone. Lets head straight to the altar. The others are waiting there, too.
Lets do that.
Briton IV quietly agreed, continuing across the church with Blight.
They arrived at a place that once served as an altar for ceremonies, now with a gaping hole in the ceiling, exposing the dark sky above.
Scattered under that sky were bones that hadnt even become undead.
In a place where flesh had eroded over time, leaving only bones, a gaunt dead man in a black hood and a heavily armed knight quietly took their place in front of an old coffin.
Haha~ Were the Red Knight and High Schooler already here!?
Blight greeted the two undead cheerfully.
The irritated undead responded by swinging a longsword at Blights neck.
Swoosh!
Blights head was mercilessly severed.
As his rotten body fell to the ground, the one who swung the sword could only burst into uncontrollable rage.
Damn crow, has your brain rotted so much you cant even remember my name!?
Gorgon Zola, the Knight of Famine.
As he wailed, the rolling head on the floor opened its mouth and started to laugh uproariously.
Kahahaha! Sorry about that! Even though I was called a scholar when I was alive, its been quite a while since I died, so my memory is a bit hazy, you see~?
Laughter spilled from the severed head.
And his body, lying down, began to crawl on its own.
The act of him picking up his head with awkwardly moving joints was grotesque, but Gorgon was too focused on venting his frustrations to care.
Fine, if youre so senile that youve forgotten, let me tell you again. My name is Gorgon Zola, not High Schooler, Gorgon Zola!!
Oh, Gorgon Zola. Yes, that was the name.
Click.
Blight fit his head back in place and rested his chin on his hand.
The silence broke before the next answer came.
Isnt your name too long to remember? Cant I just call you High Schooler for short?
Dont call me High Schooler! Unless you want to die!
Hahahaha! Were already dead. What do you mean by dying again? Thats why youre a High Schooler! You dumb High Schooler!
Argh!! I cant take it anymore! Today, Ill bury your detestable face in the grave!
As usual, Gorgon readied himself to charge with his sword drawn in anger.
Briton IV, who had been silently observing the situation as usual, intervened in Gorgons actions.
Gorgon. I understand youre angry at Blight, but could you hold off for a moment?
Whats this all of a sudden, dethroned one?
Gorgon, grinding his teeth and flashing a fierce glare, was visibly agitated.
Yet, Briton IV, with his characteristic composure, simply continued to convey his intentions.
If you have any grievances against me, let me know now.
What?
If theres something youre dissatisfied with, tell me now. If its something I can change, I will do my best to amend it.
Look here, former king.
Gorgon felt puzzled as he looked at Briton IV confessing his guilt.
Even his typically sarcastic tone was withheld, finding the current situation absurdly out of place.
Why are you suddenly saying such things? I always call you dethroned, but thats just the literal meaning; its not like I specifically think of you negatively.
But didnt you just say you hated me?
Did I?
Just now, you said, Dont call me High Schooler. Unless you want to die (die as a knight)
What nonsense is this dethroned guy spouting now?!!
Crack!
Gorgons sword split his skull in two.
Blight, watching this, started laughing while holding his belly.
Hahahaha! I didnt know the king was good at joking! Of course, having stepped down from the throne and become a retainer, its time to get used to playing the fool like this guy!
Why is this wretched guy seeking my sympathy? Im not a fool. Im a self-proclaimed professor
Boom!!
As the three knights gathered and chattered loudly, a red greatsword was swung.
The ominous red magic turned into sword energy, and everything but the heads of the two undead disintegrated into dust and vanished.
Cant you guys wait seriously until Mother finishes preparing?
The Red Knight of War.
To her, uncomfortable with the noisy atmosphere, Gorgon, having barely restored his broken body, exclaimed as if unjustly accused.
Listen, Red Knight. Im being wronged here. The one who started it is that crow
If you feel wronged, you should have graduated from college and at least earned a bachelors degree. Ah, but with the world in this state, universities are completely ruined, so its an achievement youll never be able to earn in your lifetime. Hahahaha!
Kyaaak!!! That damn obsession with academic credentials! If that qualification is necessary, Ill kill you right here and seize a doctoral degree from you!
Do you think a degree can be achieved by winning a fight? This is why guys like High Schooler
Boom!
The Red Knight unleashed sword energy at the two undead, who were about to fight again.
While it was a common occurrence, she still found it unbefitting, turning her attention away from the two fools to Briton IV.
Those two fools aside, King Briton. Why are you indulging in their stupid antics?
Please refrain from using the title King, as I am now merely a knight serving a lord like yourself.
King Briton, using his greatsword as a cane, lifted his frail body to stand upright.
After straightening up, he quietly replied to his fellow loyal retainer.
While I cant say their actions are commendable, regardless of the past, I now stand as an equal to you all As long as our lords command is not given, joining in their mood might help us understand them, right?
The Red Knight turned her gaze away from him without saying a word.
Her gaze then fell on the two fools, facing each other and bantering with just their regenerated heads.
Crow. I admit youre a scholar with better academic credentials than me. But now, with universities and everything having collapsed, even if I wanted to get a degree, its impossible. In a world falling apart, wouldnt it be infuriating to be mocked for trying to achieve an unattainable dream?
Seeing you speak so grandly, it seems you have quite ambitious dreams. Why dont you open up and tell us about it right here?
First, Ill wander the world, recruiting suitable slavesno, graduate students. Then, someday, when everything on this land is driven to death, Ill establish an eternal graduate school that will never collapse and continue eternal research with the graduate students Ive recruited. Doing so, I will be forever called Dr. Zola there, wont I?
Oh, so you want to become Dr. Zola?
Yes. I want to become Dr. Zola!!
Thats a really ambitious dream, hahaha~
The two fools, with only their heads remaining, continued their nonsensical chatter.
The Red Knight, watching them, sighed with a dry throat, and even sheathed her sword, deciding not to swing it anymore.
Why does Mother keep such foolish ones by her side?
If she had the authority, she would first teach those two, who stood at an equal level to herself, about their place.
Briton IV, silently observing her annoyance, belatedly posed a question to her.
You I have a question to ask.
What is it, King Briton?
Do you still not remember your own name?
It might be hard for you to understand, but for us undead, a name is important.
To the undead who lived on regret and relied on it, their name was necessary not to lose themselves.
Hence, they never wanted to forget themselves at any moment.
Names like Blight, Gorgon, and the one he still used, Briton IV, were to maintain their identity.
It doesnt matter.
Still, she did not obsess over her name.
Indifferent to her past life of regrets, she only obsessed over gaining recognition from her Mother (the Lord).
Names arent important. We woke against death purely to fulfill Mothers wishes, nothing more, nothing less.
If thats your will, Ill just observe.
As she said, those gathered here awakened from death for a purpose.
Whatever their ideology and purpose, it was clear that they must obey the words of the Lord they serve.
Click.
Indeed, the one who just revealed their presence in this space was the being they served.
As the old coffin, left atop the altar, opened, the Four Knights, feeling a strong presence emanating from it, quickly assumed their positions and started showing respect.
Everyone
From the coffin emerged a woman with pale skin.
She then looked at them with lax eyes and began to speak with a weak voice through her parched lips.
Fortunately, all of you have gathered safely today. My loyal knights.
The Corpse Lord, Gwen Hwibar.
A being aiming to erase all living beings from this world and to reign as their ruler
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