Restarting Life In Another World - 144 4.6 The undead Manor

“It was believed that there are great riches there along with the curse. Even though I warned them not to go, they didn’t listen. Instead, they pushed me aside and went there anyway. But it came true; the curse was real. None of those who went there returned, and soon after that, people started going missing one after another.”

“I can understand. But didn’t you send anyone to look for those people? The ones that went there at the start.”

“Yes, but none of the people whom we sent returned. After that, everyone was too scared to go anywhere near.”

Markus put his fingers on his chin and thought for a while. Everyone looked towards him, curiously to hear what he had to say.

“We will go there to investigate.”

The village chief stood up in shock. “But—”

“No, it’s our responsibilities as knights to deal with these issues. If we don’t, then who will?”

The village chief still looked shocked, but we ignored him and stood from our seats.

“Garo, you and your party will stay here and guard the princesses. I am trusting you with this important responsibility. Jackie and the two of us will go to this ruin and see what is behind this all.”

Garo looked reluctant, but when he realized Markus looked serious, he nodded. The four of us then walked out of the hut.

The chief went and informed the other villagers, who looked anxious to know what happened, while Markus and I walked back to the carriage. As for Garo, he went to inform the rest of the knights regarding the recent development.

“What happened out there?” Princess Anna asked as soon as we entered.

“We came across something, so we will probably need to stay here for the night. It will become troublesome to deal with undead after sundown, so we will need to head out quickly. Nara, I, and Jackie will be going. Garo’s squad will stay here to guard you two.”

Princess Eliane nodded in response, but Princess Anna still looked somewhat confused.

“But can’t all of us go there? It will be quicker that way.”

“No, princess, we fear we might need to fall back if the threat is severe. We haven’t assessed the region yet, so it’s simply too risky to take you.”

“But—”

“No, Anna, it’s alright. It will be faster with just the three of us,” I said, interrupting her.

She still didn’t look much convinced, but she nodded. “Okay.”

There were still a few hours left before sundown, but for some reason, the sky had started looking cloudy. The days were longer than night during this time of the weather, but due to weather, there was a chance that it would start getting darker faster.

Princess Anna looked a little upset since I interrupted her, and it was justified since I was indeed not very polite to her.

“That’s alright. You don’t need to worry; I am not that upset.”

“I am glad to hear that.”

As we were talking, Jackie came to us and knocked on the door of the carriage. I didn’t expect them to arrange things this fast, but I guess they hurried since we didn’t have much time.

“The horses have been arranged for the trip. They also gave us a map of important locations, so I think we are good to go.”

“Alright, we will be there soon,” Markus replied.

Jackie left to bring the horses after hearing our response. I then opened the door of the carriage, and the two of us jumped out.

“Good luck!”

“Beat all those undead!”

What princess Anna said sounded more like something that Sistina would say, which made me smile. “We will. See you guys later.”

The two of us then walked towards where Garo and Jackie were standing with three horses. All three horses were black with light brown tails. They had a small white mark on their forehead, which was considered a good luck sign.

There were small bags tied on both sides of the three horses. By the looks of it, they were probably food and supplies that we might need.

It would be foolish to retreat back towards the village if it gets dark since the undead would follow us. So, instead, it was a good idea to flee to the nearby plains. When there, we would need the necessary resources to spend the night.

Markus walked up to Garo and placed his hand on his shoulders. “Okay, Garo, I am leaving the rest up to you.”

“I will do my absolute best. Please leave everything to me, and take care out there.”

Markus smiled in response. There was a hint of pride in that smile, which I think any good ruler would feel when he sees his subject’s loyalty.

The three of us then climbed on our horses. My horse was the smallest out of three because I was light since I wasn’t wearing any armor or carrying any weapons. Still, I was a novice when it came to horse riding, so controlling it was a bit hard at the start. But since the horse was rather diligent, I quickly got used to riding it.

From there, we travelled eastward. The map was hand-drawn like every other map out here, but the artist probably wasn’t as skilled as those who drew the other maps we were carrying. It was hard to follow, and the physical features weren’t marked well. But since it had a line drawn showing the path, we were somehow able to find the direction.

After riding for about two to three hours, we came across what appeared to be a large hill. Markus stopped and jumped down from the horse. Following him, Jakie and I also got off our horses.

I was confused since there was nothing that appeared like a manor in the region. Markus took out the map and looked at the marker placed, and it appeared that we were definitely at the right place.

I looked back towards the hill in surprise. “It’s odd. Weren’t we supposed to be at some kind of cursed manor? Did we take a wrong turn somewhere?”