Chapter 46

Lingering Death

โ€œDamn it, damn itโ€ฆ How far is that thing going to chase me!?โ€

Lieutenant Colonel Yakov Schwizen of the Kingdom Armyโ€™s Intelligence Division was sprinting with all his might. It was just before dawn, and the corridors of the detention facility, still unlit for the hour, echoed with his desperate footsteps.

โ€œHaah, haah, haahโ€ฆ!โ€

If he didnโ€™t keep running, it would catch him.

That thing wrapped in countless layers of bandages, like a mummy, clinging to him like a shadow, relentlessly closing in.

โ€ฆBut surely, by now, heโ€™d lost it after running so hard.

He glanced back over his shoulder as he continued sprinting.

As he thought, the shadow of the mummy was nowhere to be seen.

He exhaled a sigh of relief and muttered under his breath,
โ€œKiwi Alayaโ€ฆ! Why was that guy controlling zombies? Could he be more than just a mere Dark Healerโ€ฆ?โ€

After catching his breath, Schwizen scanned his surroundings.

He was on the third floor of the detention facility.
Escaping the zombie was a relief, but he had strayed far from the location where the clergy were stationed.

โ€œIโ€ฆ I have to go backโ€ฆโ€

Schwizen turned to face the corridor he had just come through. The path ahead was pitch black.

โ€œโ€ฆโ€

He found himself unable to take the first step.

โ€œIs anyone there?!โ€

He called out into the darkness, but as expected, there was no reply. Odd. Even at this hour, a few Kingdom soldiers should have been standing guard.

โ€ฆCould it be that they were all alreadyโ€ฆ!?

โ€œNo, no way! That canโ€™t be!โ€

Schwizen shouted to steel himself and finally forced himself to take a step forward.

Itโ€™s fine, itโ€™s fine.

Nobodyโ€™s chasing him anymore.
His squad was waiting for help. He had to get back to the clergy quickly so they could vanquish those cursed zombiesโ€”

โ€œHuh?โ€

Schwizenโ€™s eyes widened.

Several meters ahead, the lantern-like magical light fixture on the corridor wall flickered. With a sharp โ€œpop,โ€ it briefly glowed pale blue, only to extinguish again. The light pulsed irregularly, casting an eerie, flickering glow.

โ€œW-Whatโ€™s happening hereโ€ฆ?โ€

Each pop of sound coincided with the light turning on and off, as if beckoning Schwizen forward.

โ€œItโ€ฆ itโ€™s a trap, isnโ€™t it? It has to be!โ€

Schwizen shouted, though he wasnโ€™t sure who he was yelling at. He simply couldnโ€™t suppress his voice.

โ€œIโ€™m not going! I know itโ€™s a trap! Thatโ€™s right, Iโ€™ll just take a detour. If I go around to the corridor on the opposite side and turn the cornerโ€”โ€

Suppressing his ragged breathing, Schwizen turned his head toward the other path.

Peeking around the corner of the wall was the face of the mummy he had been fleeing from.

โ€œWh-Why are you behind meee!?โ€

In a split-second decision, Schwizen stepped forward and began sprinting full-speed down the corridor where the flickering magical lights had earlier made him hesitate.

There was no other path left to take.

From behind, he could hear the heavy, dragging footstepsโ€”thudโ€ฆ thudโ€ฆ thud.

The mummy was closing in.


โ€œAhhh!โ€

He let out an incoherent cry, running with all his might. The magical lights on the walls flickered on one by one in sync with his movements, as if they were deliberately refusing to let him escape.

โ€œDamn it, damn it, damn it, damn it!โ€

Reaching the end of the hallway, Schwizen turned the corner at full speedโ€”only to slip. Losing his balance, he fell sideways to the floor.

Yet, there was no pain.

Instead of hitting the hard ground, he had landed on something softโ€”something alive.


โ€œUghโ€”UAAAAHHH!โ€

Beneath him was a person. A Kingdom soldier. His neck was grotesquely twisted, his head rotated a full 180 degrees, with his chin pointing toward the ceiling.


โ€œUghโ€ฆ ughโ€ฆ ughโ€ฆโ€

Trying to escape the soldierโ€™s bloodshot, wide-open eyes, Schwizen crawled backward on his hands.


Squelch.

His hand landed in a warm, sticky liquid. It was bright redโ€”blood.


โ€œUwaaah! Uwahhh! Uuuuugh!โ€

Realizing that the slippery substance covering the floor was blood, Schwizen felt bile rising in his throat. Yet, the sound of the mummyโ€™s footsteps continued to echo from behind.


โ€œNo, noโ€ฆ no!โ€

โ€ฆI canโ€™t die like this!

Wiping the blood off his hands on his uniform, Schwizen kicked off his blood-soaked boots and started running again.

โ€œSomebody! Help! Anybody!โ€

He pounded desperately on every door he passed, tears streaming uncontrollably down his face.

But no one responded.


Clatter!

One of the doors swung open when he pounded on it. It appeared to have been unlocked, slightly ajar from the start.


Iโ€™ll hide in here!

Schwizen pushed himself into the room and quietly shut the door behind him.


โ€œHaahโ€ฆ haahโ€ฆ haahโ€ฆโ€

His breathing was ragged, his heart pounding violently. His teeth chattered uncontrollably, the noise echoing in his skull.

To stop it, he bit down hard on his own arm.


โ€ฆStay quiet. Donโ€™t make a sound.

Holding his breath, he prayed that the footsteps would pass by the door.


Thudโ€ฆ thudโ€ฆ thud.

Thudโ€ฆ thudโ€ฆ thud.

Thudโ€ฆ

The footsteps stopped.

Every pore in Schwizenโ€™s body began to sweat cold.


Did it find me? No, thatโ€™s impossible! I threw away the bloodied boots! I wiped my hands clean! And Iโ€™m wearing socksโ€”thereโ€™s no way I left footprints!

Trembling, he curled into himself, clutching his shoulders so tightly that bruises began to form, and whispered a desperate prayer.


โ€ฆOh God, please, oh merciful God! I have served you faithfully until now, living a virtuous life as your devoted servant, doing my duty for the Kingdom! Please, I beg you, save me!

After what felt like an eternityโ€”


Thudโ€ฆ thudโ€ฆ thud.

The footsteps resumed, passing by the door and gradually fading into the distance.


A minute laterโ€”

โ€œHaahhhhhh!โ€

Schwizen exhaled a massive breath and collapsed to the floor.


โ€œDid Iโ€ฆ did I survive?โ€

It was a miracle that heโ€™d found a place to hide. Surely, there was a God. Surely, He rewarded those who truly believed.

โ€œThank you, Godโ€ฆโ€

But what kind of room was this? Could there possibly be a rifle or some kind of weapon? Anything useful at all?

Schwizen turned to look behind him.


There it wasโ€”the mummy.


โ€œWh-?!?โ€

In his shock, Schwizen jumped back, hitting his head against the door.

The window at the far end of the room was open, letting in a gust of wind. Had the mummy come in through there?

There was no time to think.

The mummy reached out.


โ€œUghh! Aghh! AAAHHHH!โ€

Schwizen wrenched the doorknob open and bolted back into the corridor.


โ€œWhat is this? What is this?! What the hell is going on!?!โ€

The mummy was still pursuing himโ€”or so it felt. But he couldnโ€™t look back anymore. He didnโ€™t even know where he was running now.


โ€œI donโ€™t want this! No more! Why wonโ€™t it just kill me?!โ€

Tears, snot, and drool poured down his face as he ran.

He even wet himself.

Nothing made sense.

He couldnโ€™t understand the zombieโ€™s behavior. If it wanted to kill him, it could have done so at any time.


โ€ฆCould it be? That zombieโ€ฆ maybe it canโ€™t kill me?

Schwizen stopped and turned toward the mummy with a deranged smile.


โ€œThatโ€™s it! Thatโ€™s gotta be it! You canโ€™t kill me, can you?! Thatโ€™s why all you can do is try to scare mโ€”โ€


Grab.

The mummyโ€™s hand closed around Schwizenโ€™s neck.

It slammed him into the corridorโ€™s window.


โ€œHuh?โ€

The next moment, Schwizen was airborne.

The window shattered as he was thrown from the third floor. Falling backward, he braced for death.


โ€ฆIโ€™m dead.

Or so he thought.


โ€œGah!?โ€

Instead of the hard ground, his back hit something softerโ€”heโ€™d landed on the roof of a military truck.


โ€œIโ€™mโ€ฆ not deadโ€ฆ? Ugh!โ€

He had landed badly. One arm felt dislocated or broken, and his leg might have been sprained. Blood from a gash above his eye stung as it dripped down.

But he was still alive. He could still move.

Descending from the truckโ€™s roof, Schwizenโ€™s eyes widened in disbelief.


โ€œThe keysโ€ฆ theyโ€™re in the ignition?!โ€

Climbing into the vehicle, he quickly turned the key.

The engine roared to life.


โ€œYes! Iโ€™m out of hereโ€”agh?!โ€

A sudden flash of intense light and a deafening boom paralyzed him.

Looking out the windshield, he saw a massive figure cloaked in darknessโ€”an officer of the Demon Nationโ€”and a hero bathed in holy light, clashing in midair. The shockwaves from their battle were obliterating the surrounding buildings.


โ€œIโ€™VE HAD ENOUGH OF THIS!โ€

Schwizen slammed on the accelerator.


โ€œIf I stay here any longer, Iโ€™m dead! Iโ€™ll definitely die!โ€

He sped off, heading toward the Elden South Gateโ€”and the Kingdom beyond.


โ€œI donโ€™t want to die here! Ellieโ€ฆ I want to see Ellieโ€ฆ!โ€

Ripping the badge from his chest, Schwizen tossed it into the back seat.


Defected Dark Healerโ€™s Rise to Wealth

Defected Dark Healerโ€™s Rise to Wealth

็•ฐ็ซฏใฎใƒ€ใƒผใ‚ฏใƒ’ใƒผใƒฉใƒผใŒ้‡‘ๅ„ฒใ‘ใงใใ‚‹ใจๆ€ใ†ใชใ‚ˆใฃใฆ๏ผŸใ€Œใใ‚Œใชใ‚‰ไบกๅ‘ฝใ—ใ‚ˆใ†ใ€ใ€‚ไฟบใฏไบกๅ‘ฝใ—ใŸใ€‚้ญ”ๅ›ฝใงๅƒใ„ใŸใ€‚้‡‘ใ‚’็จผใ„ใ ใ€‚ๅ‡บไธ–ใ—ใŸใ€‚ๅฎถใ‚’ๅปบใฆใŸใ€‚ๅฆปใŒใงใใŸใ€‚ไบบ้กžๅ›ฝๅฎถใฏ่กฐ้€€ใ—ใŸใ€‚, You think an unorthodox dark healer canโ€™t make money? 'Then Iโ€™ll just defect.' So, I defected. I worked in the demon kingdom. I earned money. I got promoted. I built a house. I got a wife. The human nations declined.
Score 9.9
Status: Ongoing Type: Author: Released: 2024 Native Language: Japanese
In order to make money, the young man "Kiwi Alaya" was running a clinic as a dark healer in the kingdom. However, with the outbreak of war between the kingdom and the demon kingdom, he was labeled a heretic. Threatened by the kingdom's army that he would be burned at the stake for heresy unless he closed his clinic and assisted in torturing captured demon soldiers, Kiwi immediately decided: "If that's the case, I'll just defect." Since he couldn't make money in the kingdom, he devised a plan to defect and decided to work in the demon kingdom. Although his initial motive was purely self-interest, his sincere and responsible work ethic, along with the demonsโ€™ favorable misunderstandings of him, allowed Kiwi to steadily build trust and wealth in the demon kingdom. Meanwhile, in the kingdom that let Kiwi slip away, the soldiers of the demon kingdom, who seemed to recover quickly from their injuries, began to pressure them, causing the once advantageous war situation to gradually shift...?

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