Chapter 24
There were no attacks from the outlaws as we passed through the village.
However, it was obvious that someone had been there.
The traces of presence scattered throughout the area told us that they were simply waiting for us to show an opening.
Their gazes were filled with murderous intent.
Their determination, that they would do anything for survival, was palpable.
Lucille grew sick of the fact that those people were watching us.
At one point she grabbed my shoulder in irritation and said.
“Joshua, there are two people on the right. So what do you think? Want to help me turn them into mush? If you don't want to, then I want to rip them apart on my own.”
Her voice was gentle and her smile was bright, yet her suggestion was horrifying.
If I gave her permission, she intended to hunt down the ones hiding nearby.
Even if she did not kill them, she fully intended to cripple them.
“If they don't approach us first, we have no reason to attack them.”
"I know that in my head. But they are being so obvious. They are desperate to squeeze something out of us."
I shook my head.
“Your sister and the students behind us might be put at risk. So please hold it in, unless you want to take that risk.”
Lucille continued muttering complaints.
Tania approached her gently, calming her down.
Fortunately her mood softened, and she pulled her mind away from the prowlers.
I checked the surroundings.
There were zombies in the street, but fewer than expected.
The ones roaming about were bent over something on the ground.
Corpses.
They had already found prey.
A zombie’s senses dull once its stomach is full.
Until they finished devouring that corpse completely, they would not set out to hunt again.
Even so, I did not lower my guard.
There were always zombies that attacked indiscriminately.
“...Something is moving over there at the end I think? And I hear sounds.”
Talleon asked uneasily.
The boys had been busy following me, with no time to observe the area or find the source of any sound.
“It is nothing.”
"Really?"
“Yes.”
I offered him a gentle smile to reassure him.
The boy looked at me skeptically.
He seemed to realize that I knew exactly what he had heard.
We kept walking, and by the time dawn approached, we finally stopped.
We had reached a small hill.
I looked back.
We had already passed a path lined with wooden houses.
“If we came this far, then they must have given up on us.”
Tania murmured.
There was no one following us.
There was nowhere to hide below the hill.
If they intended to ambush us, they should have done so earlier.
“I can see the Tower now too.”
Sunlight broke through the dark clouds.
The view opened up.
Our higher vantage point helped too, letting us see buildings in the distance with perfect clarity.
A massive stone tower stood tall and imposing.
Smoke rose faintly from one of its open windows.
It was clear that someone lived inside.
My companions’ faces brightened.
The blisters on their feet and their fatigue were forgotten the moment they saw hope.
“Let us hurry. We are nearly there it seems.”
The boys, who had seemed ready to collapse at any second, now rushed forward with renewed energy.
As I calmed them down, I checked for threats.
There were zombies as expected, though fewer than in the areas we passed earlier.
“We cleared some of them out while the knights were scattered looking for supplies.”
Lucille answered, but her voice lacked strength.
Her distant gaze told me everything.
They lost comrades.
I did not bother asking about it.
She immediately hid her expression and tried not to show any signs of sorrow.
We rested at the top of the hill for about thirty minutes, regaining the energy we needed to move again.
While we rested, Lucille approached me.
It took her over a minute to open her mouth, her expression full of hesitation.
"Joshua, I have something I want to say."
“You may speak.”
"I think you know that my role is to search for food outside. I succeeded in that mission in Triden. But a problem happened. Perret took the whole thing and flew away."
I listened quietly without interrupting.
She took a deep breath and continued.
"Right now I have no food. I have been eating from the backpack you and Talleon brought. If I return empty handed like this, then I am going back as a failure. The only survivor among my group, and with nothing to show for it."
“So the point is, you want food from me. You need a justification, a pretext.”
Lucille bit her lip.
"It is embarrassing, but you are right."
“Do you only need enough to keep up appearances?”
"…Huh? Are you actually going to give it to me?"
“Yes. I planned to from the beginning.”
I did not want a capable ally like her to become a powerless figurehead once she returned to the Tower.
I wanted her voice to carry weight among the leadership.
To help her complete her purpose.
Lucille clearly had not expected that answer. Her mouth fell open because of it.
Then she spoke in a voice mixed with guilt and gratitude.
"As long as I don't return empty handed, I will at least have something to say."
I nodded.
I separated three days’ worth of food and placed it into another backpack.
Since it was enough for five people, it amounted easily to over fifteen servings.
Lucille bowed her head deeply.
She did not raise her head for a long time.
The students, who had been excited, finally noticed her posture and froze in shock.
"D-Did my sister make a mistake again?"
"It’s not like that, Tania. I am simply showing him proper gratitude. This has nothing to do with being a knight. It is what anyone should do."
No one asked further questions.
Lucille slung the backpack over her shoulder.
Then she drew her sword, eyes burning fiercely.
"Trust me and follow my lead. I will get you all to the Tower safely."
She was reliable.
She was the type who kept her promises.
Even if it put her in danger.
And my role as leader was to prevent that danger whenever possible.
* * *
"Huh?"
A guard at the Tower’s main gate spotted silhouettes approaching from afar.
They were covered head to toe in dirt and dust, looking gaunt.
Their staggering gait resembled monsters.
Yet they were clearly human.
“Are they another group of survivors?”
“Check their identity before letting them in. We were ordered not to accept just anyone.”
The Tower’s population limit was almost reached.
No more people could be admitted.
The guard raised his sword nervously as the group came close.
“Who are you!”
He shouted.
A normal citizen would have flinched in fear.
The person before him remained calm.
The guard felt heat in his throat and cold sweat on his forehead.
The armor was faded and rusty, but the star insignia engraved into it shone unmistakably.
"No matter how filthy I look, you cannot recognize your superior? Should I bury you right here?"
“Lady Lucille…? Is that really you?”
"Then who do I look like?"
The guard gasped for breath.
He nearly screamed.
He quickly sheathed his sword and dropped to one knee.
The people here were not knights, but ordinary Tower survivors drafted as guards due to manpower shortages.
“But where are the other knights? And who are those children behind you?”
"Do I owe you a report?"
Lucille’s sharp tone made the guard’s throat tense.
She was exhausted and on edge. She was sensitive enough to explode any second.
Joshua’s request had kept her from exploding earlier, yet suppressed anger never truly vanished. It simply piled up.
“T-That’s not it. We were just told not to let just anyone in. There are almost three hundred people inside already. It is overcrowded so…”
"Hey, are you telling me to abandon my family?"
“F-Family?”
"That girl is Tania Rainwood. My younger sister. The boys helped me find food. They are benefactors."
The guard craned his neck, looking between Lucille and Tania.
Aside from Lucille’s sharper features, the resemblance was unmistakable.
"How long are you planning to block us? Do you need me to beat sense into you?"
“N-No! Please enter.”
The guard hurried to open the gate.
Meanwhile he discreetly examined the group.
Based on their uniforms, the youths were academy students.
One boy in particular caught his attention.
His clothes were filthy.
He carried a dagger and a book at his hip.
Unlike the other students, his eyes were sharp and unyielding.
"…Woah."
Talleon whispered in awe once they entered the Tower.
Most buildings had decayed and lost their function, yet this place remained intact.
Line Tower had originally been used as a library and for scholarly exchange among professors.
Shelves were packed with books, filling the air with the familiar scent of paper.
"I love it."
Tania clapped with joy.
It was peaceful.
It felt like a place where she could study again.
The two trainee knights did not understand why she was so delighted.
"Mages are strange. What is so good about this place?"
"Training dummies are better than books."
"Sigh. This is why sword swingers are hopeless to talk to."
Their meaningless chatter felt strangely nostalgic.
Joshua hoped they could enjoy this brief moment of normalcy.
"You have returned, Lady Lucille."
A man with messy brown hair and a tiny frame stepped out from the reception desk.
He looked up at Lucille and bowed.
"Nice to see you, Martel. You seem to be doing fine."
"Thanks to you."
"I am going to go report right now. These kids are my guests, so treat them politely. If I hear about even the smallest trouble, you will regret it."
"Understood. Guests, please follow me. I will show you your room."
As the students were about to follow Martel, Lucille grabbed Joshua’s wrist.
It was clear that his destination was somewhere else.
"You follow me."
“You are taking me to the leadership on the fifteenth floor, I presume?”
"You soulless brat, can you at least pretend to be surprised? Most people throw a fit when they hear they are being brought to the upper ranks."
“Are they planning to give me an important post?”
"Ha, please. Earn that on your own. With your ability, it doesn’t even seem impossible if you want it."
“I’ll pass. I am not interested in joining the knight order.”
"Eh, really? That is… disappointing."
Joshua followed her up the spiral staircase.
Along the way, many survivors watched him.
At first their gazes were curious, but soon twisted with hostility.
"Looks like you are not very liked."
Lucille giggled, forgetting her own past.
Joshua ignored the stares.
He was so used to hostility that he almost found amusement in their cold looks.
[Cool] mocked them silently.
They passed through the hallways and reached the meeting chamber used by the Tower’s leadership.
"Once we pass this door, you will see the real power of the Tower. Nervous now?"
“…I have been here a few times.”
"How would you come here? Students are not allowed on the upper floors, no matter the reason."
“If I explained, it would get complicated.”
This was my seventh time coming to the Tower.
Of course I had been inside this room before.
Back then I was not Joshua, but I used to be thrilled just to enter. Not anymore though.
Following Lucille’s gesture, Joshua stepped inside.
It was the office used by the executives of Line Tower, where every major decision was made.
Only members of Order of the Star or those they appointed had permission to enter.
Joshua was the first student to break that rule.
Chairs surrounded a large round table.
Most seats were empty.
Three people remained, one of them seated at the highest position.
‘As long as he is here, the rest barely matter.’
The General, ranked four in THE Survival’s hierarchy.
The Knight of Steel.
Rodwell Dandelion.
His eyes turned toward Lucille and Joshua.
"Welcome back, Lady Lucille. And… you are?"