The night was cold, the ground was cold, I am cold. Everything ws around us was cold. The direction we came from was deathly quiet since every soul that was supposed to be defending Lorren fled or are fleeing for their lives. Zel was riding on her horse while the three of us lagged behind her. 

"Zel! My feet hurts! Why can't I ride on the horse?"

"Because you don't know how to ride one. Gods, please be quiet for a moment."

Olivia frowned at Zel's dismissive tone but Zel continued to ride quietly, ignoring Olivia while she stuck out her tongue at the unknowing Knight.

I wanted to get on the horse as well since my feet are already aching after walking non-stop for hours. I hate it, but I couldn't complain about it. At least not loudly. My hands and back are also pretty sore due to the weight of the bags and weights I'm carrying for them. I grumbled under my breath while I watched with envy as the other adventurers travel with barely anything on them. 

Lucky bastards.

"Arthur, are my books safe in there?"

"Yes! For the last time, can you stop asking about your books? Why are you even asking about it?"

Maria fidgeted then took a step back before mumbling something under her breath.

"What was that? Sorry, I couldn't hear you."

"W-Well... S-Some of those books can...well... T-they might... mighthaveachancetoexplodeorspontaneouslycombust."

"......"

"T-There's also-"

"Get this off of me!"

"Nooooo!"

Maria dove for the heavy bag as I threw it off of my shoulder. The moment she caught it, the surface crackled with blue lightning for a moment. It stopped—thankfully—and nothing really happened.

"D-D-Did you guys m-made me carry fucking explosives all this time?! W-What else do you have in here?!"

"O-Oi! T-That's my bag! W-What are ya' doing with it?! There's nothing but-"

"Aha! Fucking knew it! You probably made mecarry some fucking teargas or some shit like- What the hell is this?"

I took a look at the soft, white fabric on my hand. I wasn't expecting this, but this is still a nice find-

"Gah! My fucking knee!"

I clutched my knee as I dropped to the ground in pain. Immediately, Jin wrestled her bag and the cute looking panties in my hand. I tried to grab hold of it for dear life, but in the end I had to give it up or else she might actually cut off something.

"P-Pervert! I hope you fucking die! Die! Die! Die!"

"F-For a small kid- Urk! Fucking hell."

"Shit! Shit! Shit! Piece of shit! I'm gonna kill y-"

"Jin! Arthur! Will the two of you shu- Will the two of you please stop getting on my nerves while I think? Please!"

Her voice cut through he silence of the night and every adventurer around us shot a look at our direction. Everyone went silent after that. Jin still kicked me in the shin but I just gave her a glare and walked it off.

Zel let out a sigh before shaking her head.

"Honestly, why can't the two of you get along?"

"Tch. I'll get along with him after he dies! I-I won't be able to wear this pair anymore now that he got his grubby little hands on my fuckin' best pair!"

"Then throw it away then!"

"Do you know how expensive this is?! It's cotton! Cotton! Do ya' know how expensive cotton is in this part of the fucking world?!"

I could feel the stares being thrown at us by some curious male adventurers and the glare of some of the females in the crowd. Well, at least I'm not the one waving around my damn underwear in the air like a fucking madman. Still, it feels pretty damn uncomfortable to be the object of some of these women's disgusted looks.

"Cotton's pretty damn common in the place where I came from. Hell, my undershirt's 100 percent cotton. Besides, what's so special about something so plain? I prefer the black ones with laces, the kind worn by mature working women in their late thirties. If I was to steal some panties I prefer stealing one of those."

Maria let out an eep before hiding behind Olivia. Some of the receptionist booed me and most of the female adventurers glared daggers at me and I think one of them even cursed me. Although I could spot some of the guys nodding their heads in agreement at my words.

"Disgusting."

Everyone turned to look at the source of those words. Zel scowled at me with disdain while she blushed profusely. My heart sank a bit at the sight of her disappointed expression.

"How lewd and uncouth of you!"

"M-Maria?!"

"Hmm. So his true colors are finally showing, huh?"

"Oh come on, Olivia!"

Everyone avoided my gaze while I looked around me. Some of the men and dudes gave me thumbs up and a smirk but I just scowl at them while we all continued our march along the main roads. There was a few murmurs and rumors being thrown around now, in fact I'm still getting some glares from many of the female receptionists.

The tension in the air was definitely still there, but at least the mood's a bit lighter now. At the expense of my reputation, that is. Even Ehlri was wary of me. Everytime she looks at my direction she immediately blushes and averts her gaze.

"This sucks."

"Hah, that's what you get for being a damn pervert."

"Hmph. I'm just stating the facts. I have no interest in going after girls that are significantly younger than me. If I could, I'd go after more mature women or at least girls that have that air of maturity around them. Not some..."

I glance to the loli beside me.

"FBI bait right here."

"What?"

"Nothing."

"Arthur, one more talk about your fetishes and I will personally knock you out."

"Sorry."

Zel sighed one last time before returning to her usual silence. 

She's been silent for the past hour now since we left Lorren. She had that distant look on her face everytime I glimpse at her. She would look around from time to time, but always with that wary look on her face. Sure, the surroundings were dark as hell, but the mages managed to light the path pretty clearly with their magic.But Zel still looked around us, it's like she's looking out for something. 

Well, she might be doing just that but I don't think anyone can sneak up on us with the empty plains around us.

"Ugh... We should've stayed in Lorren! I can fight off those Undead."

"For the last time, Olivia, you won't be able to face..."

Zel took a deep breath and sighed heavily. I just watched silently as Olivia began to pester Zel once more.

"Tch. Nehuet isn't that big of threat! Come on, I'm pretty sure one hit from my [Greater Purify] will kill him."

"I doubt it. Besides, you won't be able to cast it in time with that Dragon of his."

"A Dragon is no big deal! I'll blast that to smithereens as well! Besides, we've got an entire army of adventurers with us."

"Hah, if you told that to the soldiers at the front, they would've probably given you a beating. Probably. Anyways, we shouldn't fight a battle like that. It is a waste of good men."

I smiled a bit at Zel. Maybe everyone else who heard her did, who knows? Zel shook her head a bit before looking back at Olivia with a gentle gaze.

"It's better to not risk any lives and flee than to waste precious lives. Remember that."

"Ah... Hmm... Okay."

"Good, now let's camp here for tonight."

Everyone turned towards Zel in surprise. The open, flat area felt safe and it felt and looked like a good place to set up camp for the night. But why now? And why here of all places? Everyone around looked like they are having the same thoughts as me.

Under the dim light of the moon, Zel looked around and nodded. She got off the horse then folded her arms together while she looked at the night sky. Everyone was waiting for her to say something, anything really but continued to stand in place while she stared up at the stars. She was utterly fixated on it, and no amount of prodding could distract her.

"We won't make it to Ferhun by tonight. Not at this speed. If we rest for an hour or so, we'd be able to reach it by dawn."

She nodded to herself before finally looking back at everyone.

"An hour's rest! We move after an hour or the Dread Knight will soon be upon us."

Zel yelled out loudly before walking away.

"Rupert! You take care of everyone. I will go and patrol the area."

"S-Sure..." 

"I can come with you."

"Thanks Arthur, but..."

Zel glanced at Jin and Maria, before looking back at me.

"You know what, sure. Just stay close and keep an eye out for wild monsters."

I nodded at her and followed after her. But before we could walk away, I heard Jin's shout from behind us.

"You better not lay a fucking finger on her, you here me?!"

"G-Good luck, you two!"

I growled a bit as my walk turned into stomping while Zel just chuckled loudly.

"Don't worry. Arthur here wouldn't dare lay a finger on a maiden like me! We'll be back in a few minutes."

"I'm not that sketchy..."

My growls faded into the many noises of the night as the two of us began to walk farther from the camp.

"Achoo!"

"Bless you."

"Thanks. Damn, it's cold!"

"Yes, I suppose it is."

Zel chuckled as the two of us walked a good distance away from the camp. I think we're about five minutes walking distance away from where we set up camp, but I'm not really sure as well.

We've been walking for a few minutes now and none of us are seeing any monster tracks or something. In fact, I'm pretty sure that we're the only ones here. There was no sleeping Giant Frogs, no Mimics or Slimes or anything, just us in the open. For some reason, it felt pretty lonely to know that. Lonely and calming to be precise, but lonely nonetheless. After a few more minutes of walking, I looked up at the stars to get a sense of where we are.

The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

In a world without much light pollution, it's not really surprising to find yourself nearly blind in the middle of the night. It was dark, so dark, in fact if it wasn't for the moon I don't think I'd be able to see the silhouette of my hands in front of me. But as dark as it may be, it's a shame the stars don't shine this brightly back in my world.

It was beautiful. The sky was peppered with stars beyond my counting. There's no familiar constellation up there, but I don't think there's a shortage of it either. It was like a someone dropped a bunch of gems in the heavens and those gems shimmered like bright glitters. Words could not describe such beauty, and I don't think even the greatest poets could do them justice either. I just wanted to lie down on the soft grass and gaze at them for hours and hours on end.

"It's beautiful, isn't it? The stars?"

Her crimson eyes glimmered in the dark like a cat's. But her gaze is glued solely on the bright moon ahead.

"Yeah. They do. The stars never looked this beautiful in my wor- country."

"Hmm. Sad. It is sad, but at least you're looking at them now."

"Heh, yeah. Now that I think about it, it's the first time I've really stargazed ever since I got here. I've never actually looked at the night sky."

"Well, want to watch it with me someday? I actually know much of the constellations. Though if you want to know more about constellations, your best bet would be Maria. Well, that's if we don't get killed on one of these days."

"Hah! Don't worry, Olivia's there to resurrect us. Besides, I don't think Illyria will let us die just yet."

The thought was pretty gruesome to be honest, but Zel just scoffed at it. She chuckled cutely as she tucked away a lock of her silver hair that obscured her eyes behind her ear.

"You speak like you know the Gods personally. Well, maybe it's just Olivia rubbing off on you or something. Anyways, I still haven't told you about Nehuet, right?"

I've completely forgotten abut that until now. In fact, I wanted to get the thought of a game boss coming to kill me but it would be a waste not to learn about him now. I nodded at Zel and she sighed.

"W-Well, in that case... The pers- No, thing would be more appropriate. Yes, thing... The monster currently running loose is Nehuet the Dread. He is a cursed Knight from more than a century ago."

I could see her shudder from the name alone. 

"He rides his Undead Dragon and he wields this giant runesword. He could raise the dead and he's unlike most Undead. He's not a Dullahan, but he's pretty similar since he's just a soul bound to a set of black armor."

"I wonder what kind of man he was in life?"

"No one knows. Whatever was left of the kingdom before this one was burned to cinders. What we do know is that he was raised from the dead after fighting off against the Demon Lord's army by himself to save as much people as he can. The one who raised him is the only being that could command nearly all of the Undead on this continent."

Zel's shoulders shuddered once more before she glanced back at me.

"Well, I'm pretty sure that you won't fight something like that. Right?"

"Y-Yeah! Of course! How the hell could I even fight something like that?!"

"Ahaha, right... right. Want to go back now? I think the area is free from any monsters."

"Maybe. I want to gaze at the stars some more."

"Really? Well, I think a few minutes won't be noticed then."

The two of us walked around some more while we stared up at the stars. I still had some questions about this Nehuet guy, but I think those things could wait. I'm still taking in the view of this sky.

----------------------------------------

Olivia fidgeted in her spot while she waited for Zel and Arthur to come back. It was cold, cold and miserable. She wantede to eat, have a drink, and probably gamble with someone at the guild. Everyone around was either busy setting up their areas or guarding the tight perimeter that no one saw Olivia sneak out of the camp.

"Hmm... W-Where could I go- Ah! Those bushes look pretty nice. I'm sure no one would be walking around here."

She sneaked her way towards the edge of a small cluster of trees and ducked behind a large bush. No one has noticed her absence for now while she tried to adjust her robes.

"Damn robes! Damn it! I shouldn't have drank that much water earlier!"

She shifted uncomfortably as she looked around her.

"No one's here... Damn, this is really uncomfortable."

The sound of trickling water made Olivia wince a little as the thought of someone peeking at her from the darkness made her shudder. She wanted to cry in embarrassment; how could an Archpriest like her be reduced to peeing outside in the cold behind some bushes in the middle of nowhere?!

It was humiliating. Utterly humiliating. 

Tears dripped from her face as she finally finished. The ground beneath her was soaked with her holy water and she wanted to forget about it. She straightened her robes and let out a sigh of both relief and frustration. She was about to walk back discreetly towards the camp and forget about everything when she glimpsed a shape move in the darkness.

Reflexively, she raised her arms defensively as she watched the unmoving shape of a person standing behind the trees come to a standstill. Her face glowed bright red and she immediately began to cry. Her cheeks grew flushed and she felt flustered, ashamed, and suicidal before going full circle as she staggered backwards. 

"M-My purity! My purity has been defiled! W-What are you doing over t-there watching a holy maiden d-do something n-n-not meant for unpure eyes?! P-P-P-Pervert! Show yourself!"

She gritted her teeth in shame as she watch the figure turn its head towards her.

"I-I'll beat you up! Show your face, perv! Come here and I-I'll beat you!"

Despite her provocations, the figure stood still. It continued to watch in silence as the Archpriest fumbled for her staff.

"V-Very well! I'll- Eek?!"

She jumped back as a handful of figures emerged from the darkness. Whoever was watching her take a leak earlier, they weren't alone.

"[Holy Light]!"

Perhaps out of fear, or embarrassment, OIivia casted a spell to help light up the area. 

"Jin, have you seen Olivia anywhere?"

"Mhm. She's taking a piss somewhere over there."

"Oh. Okay."

Maria glanced over at the direction where Jin pointed at and sighed.

"She should really tell us where she's going."

"Eh, just let her be.You know she'll just say something like 'Archpriests don't need to use toilets' or something like that. Besides, I'm sure she can handle herself out there."

Jin gnawed at the last strip of jerky she had. But even with her friend's words, Maria felt uneasy. It's only been a 5 minutes and 47 seconds ever since Olivia ran off to pee somewhere private, but there was something bugging Maria.

It was silent. Too silent. It felt eerie and off that there was no crickets chirping or any sort of noise. It was an unsettling silence that drowned out the sounds of nature. No one else has noticed this, but Maria knew something was off. 

"Jin, I think we should check on-"

"[Holy Light]!"

Before she could finish, the woods near their camp exploded in bright light akin to the afternoon sun. Everyone looked at the direction of where it came from and for a moment, it seemed as if it was already daytime. But as fast as it appeared, it disappeared immediately.

What followed next was a scream and a white thing emerged from the woods shouting and crying. Every adventurer grabbed their weapons at the sight of the ghost, but as the apparition approached, it was clear to everyone that it was just Olivia. She must've ran into some creature while she pissed in the woods is the prevailing thought among everyone. That was until they saw the large mass following after the Archpriest.

"Z-Zombies! Undead! Undead! And the damn girl's leading them toward us!"

One of the adventurers shouted as they watch Olivia cry out for help as the horde of Undead chased after her.

"S-Somebody! Help me! I want to go home! I want to go home! Mama!"

"Oi! Lead them away from here not towards us! Oi! Oi!"

Jin threw rocks at her direction while she dodge frantically. She glared at the Thief, but it was shortlived as she found herself nearly clawed by one of the Skeletons behind her.

"W-We need to help her! We need to help her!"

"S-She can take- Hey! She's getting closer! She's getting closer!"

An adventurer with a bow began to shoot at some of the Undead. Some of the arrows flew a bit too close for Olivia's comfort. She yelled something, but she was drowned out by the moans and groans of the Undead behind her.

"Stand back! I'm gonna... help... her..."

Maria's hands dropped to her side as everyone watched the shape hovering above them all. Even the shambling husks of what was once people stopped in their tracks and gazed upon the large mass of rotting flesh and bones above them.

With its back against the moon, it blotted out the dim light of the moon behind it while it soared above them all. Through the bones and rotting flesh, some light pierced through its shape while it flied through the air using the smae found magic that bound its flesh together. Everyone beneath the giant Dragon stared in both awe and fear but all eyes were glued on one figure.

"To think I would find all of you here..."

He stood atop the giant beast while he rested his palms on the hilt of his sword. His black armor gleamed in the moonlight while he looked down upon the entire area with his piercing red eyes. No, to call them eyes would be wrong. They were more like balls of firemoving about where his eyes should be within his helmet. 

One of the adventurers stared at him and faltered. He turned and ran, leaving the rest of his team behind as he shouted into the night.

"N-Nehuet! It's the Dread Knight himself! Run for your-"

"Desist."

His deep voice echoed out across the open plains. The adventurer that tried to run dropped to his knees and immediately began to cower.

In fact, every living soul there cowered at the sound of his voice. Many fainted, a few soiled their clothes, some prayed to the Gods, and only a few watched him cautiously with weapons raised. Maria and Jin wanted to flee but their bodies refused to move and instead they found themselves before the Undead Dragon as it flapped its skeletal and rotting wings around them.

Nehuet dismounted and he fell onto the ground with a loud, metallic clang as the red orbs in his helmet blazed like a roaring fire. He gazed at the two girls in front of him, taking note on the small one as she raised a pair of twin daggers in a defensive stance. He scoffed and turned his gaze towards the entire camp.

"Where is your leader? I assume he or she is present among you?"

No one dared to answer the terrifying 8-foot tall giant. The orbs in the dark void of his helmet dimmed for a moment before flickering towards the quaking Maria.

"Does this large group have no leader? I wish only to converse with your leader and nothing more."

The armor groaned as he leaned over the poor Archmage. Maria wanted to bawl her eyes out as the man's massive frame towered over her while he waited for her answer in unsettling silence.

"S-She's p-patrolling... for monsters."

The flaming orbs darted to the side as he watched the little girl riase her weapons at him. He simply nodded with an audible creaking sound before looking around him.

He paused for a moment before the raspy sound of air echoed out of his empty helmet. He looked disappointed while he stood silently in front of his mount. Maria watched the imposing figure slump slightly as his red eyes looked at the large horde behind him. 

"A shame. I wish to return at once to my post but it seems that I must deal with this large group first."

But before Nehuet could raise his sword against anyone, someone threw a rock at his head. It didn't do much to him, but it sent a reverberating clang around him.

"You must be Nehuet the Dread."

Her voice cut through the air like a fine sword and he turned to the person standing behind him. His body creaked like a rusty lever as a gasp erupted from everyone when the person drew their sword at the hulking monster of steel.

"You must be the lea- No, no. You are... a noble. Yes, I recognize that face of yours. I assume you are leading this group?"

"Yes. I am known as Zel to this people, but since you recognize me I assume you have met my older brother in the fields of battle?"

Zel's face was calm despite the tremendous pressure being exuded by the metal knight in front of her. Maria watched her friend size up Nehuet in front of the terrified crowd. Neheut's eyes glowed brightly in glee before he took a heavy step forward.

"Yes, yes... I am familiar with the House of Lockhart. You have held off the army of my mistress in the Northern Passes. Yes,yes."

"Ufufu... I've never expected that I'd get the chance to meet the legendary Nehuet the Dread himself. But I must say, your entrance earlier was a bit overwhelming for me."

"I must be! I may be an Undead Knight, but I am still a knight with standards and a leader as well. A great leader must know how to set an example to his troops."

"So it seems..."

The wary Knight eyed the mass of Undead standing in attention in the distance. It was clear to her that they are both outnumbered and outmatched. But to everyone's surprise, Zel continued to converse with Nehuet.

"Well, I should say that we should stop with the formalities and begin oour duel at once. But, I believe you still have more to say?"

Jin and Maria noticed that Zel was speaking with a lot more formality today. Of course, Olivia didn't care about these details since she was still busy preparing to blast every Undead in her line of sight with a powerful spell.

Nehuet and Zel engaged in a tense standoff. Nehuet's eyes glowed a bright red while Zel glared at him with her crimson eyes. For a moment, the earth stood still as they both slowly raised their weapons. For a moment, Jin and Maria wanted to dash and stop Zel from doing somehting so stupid. For just a brief moment, Olivia's magic faltered as she watched her friend face off the Knight of Metal. 

"Hmm. Well, my orders was to only investigate artifacts that relate to the large discharge of mana that occured a month ago. I am not interested to spill needless blood today or for a long time."

Nehuet gently raised his sword and swung it over his shoulders. It let out a loud clang that made many ears ring in pain. Zel was unfazed by this and stood her ground against the fearsome Nehuet.

"Rest assured that I have come to the conclusion that such a discharge of Holy Magic must've come from that Archpriest. You have my word as a Knight that I shall be taking my forces back into our borders."

"You are a knight of a kingdom long gone, Dread Knight. I am still unsure of how trustworthy you are. Besides, I have come to the knowledge that the Royal Army itself is marching here to fight you."

"Like I said, I am returning to the borders of my Lord. Stop us at your own peril. I am not wasting my life to look for a nonexistant weapon."

Nehuet scoffed and brushed away the bemused and puzzled stares and murmurs being thrown at him. He clicked his tongue somehow before walking back to his mount.

"I hope we never meet again."

Zel sheath her sword as she watch Nehuet slowly walk away. Each step made his joints groan and creak while the dead slowly shambled away. For a moment, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

"For a moment there, I thought he was talking about that time I revived Arthur."

"Gods damn it."

It was at that moment that everyone let out a collective groan as the walking armor stopped dead in his tracks. Maria and Zel wanted to wack her on the head and feed her to the zombies, Jin actually wacked her on the head and caused her to cry, and the rest of the adventurers readied themselves as Nehuet's eyes blazed brighter than before.

"Perhaps this incursion will not end in vai-"

Time itself looked like it stopped as Nehuet's helmet burst into flames. Everyone just stared, even the Undead around them stared while Nehuet stood in his place silently. Everyone began to look for whoever threw that spell at him while Zel just pressed her face against her hand.

"What's up, fuck face! You must be that guy Zel's talking about!"

Everyone's eyes turned to the figure holding a [Fireball] in his hands. The orbs of flame in Nehuet's helmet blazed as he regarded his attacker with seething anger.

"Y̸̼̫̾̀̍̒͗͆̀̆̆̏̐̎͝o̵̡̦̙̪̻̮̦̫̾̍͒̀̇̈́̾́͘͝͝ư̸̢̧̦͖̬̲͍̙̈̅̀̔͗̆̂̽̚͜ ̴̨͓̬̰̙͕̞̮̲͇̳̖̖͌̎̓̀͌̐̈́̈́͌͐̓̕͘͝͠ͅw̶̤̥̼̟͇͍̭̠͐͆̋̉̂̋͌̆̅̈̂͊͠į̷̡͈̠̞̳͈̩͍̗̾̎̎̎̋̓͐ͅl̵̨̛̳̣̳̓͊͊̔͒͐̂͒̈͝l̸̛̙̗̟̇́͊͗͆͊ ̶̢̛̀d̴̨̡͙͓͎̹̐́̅͌̊̊̎̍̿̃̃͗̕ì̴͕̱͖̀̂̈́̐́͐̔̔̕͘e̸̢̡̘̹̱̺͇̙̲̝̗̥̫̕͝"

The shrill voice that came from him sent a chill through the air that crept upon the soul. The sound of metal grinding on each other deafened many and the very pressure in the air stopped most from moving an inch from their place.

"Man, you look like a Dark Souls boss."

Arthur tossed the fireball a few more times before chucking it at some of the Undead.

"I assume you came here to kill us all? Turn us into undead?"

"I am now thinking about it. What is your name, Swordsman?"

"Woah, you sound angry. I'm Arthur..."

He drew his sword at Nehuet and smiled.

"And I'm the guy that'll kick your ass."

"A duel?  Very well, I acc-"

The orbs that served as his eyes finally burst into flames as he watched the young man run away into the forest. If there was still flesh in his gauntlet, Nehuet would surely be bleeding by now due to how hard he is clenching his fist.

But the chase is on. And Nehuet knew he shall have his duel.