“I wonder, has something happened in there?”
“Who knows? But, I think there’s no doubt it’s nothing good.”
◆◇◆◇◆
The inspection itself was more or less necessary.
Its border was at the moment nothing more but a plain, however for the sake of avoiding disputes of the territorial borders, which might happen in the future, it was indispensable to properly define it.
Inducing Kurt became the most important goal after all.
『There’s no problem. He seems to be lurking around.』 (Burkhart)
Kurt, the blacksmith Eckhart and the few remaining supporters went out armed to the location we intended to inspect as potential territory during darkness.
Even after arriving at the location, we intended to inspect, we were entirely aware of the five people hiding in a thicket slightly further away and looking this way.
Kurt, who suddenly showed his figure in front of us, begins to blow into something similar to an old ocarina.
However, apparently the black smoke has received a note telling it that it only applies to Kurt.
Before long screams considered to belong to Eckhart’s group can be heard.
『Only himself being safe and the others are doomed? How evil.』
『They have splendidly been used and thrown away. As expected, he is a small man.』 (Burkhart)
Burkhart-san’s evaluation of Kurt was harsh.
Besides, it’s not like Kurt will be safe for eternity either.
We should defend ourselves as that body of black smoke began to gush forth in large quantities even from far away. I deployed a magic barrier together with Burkhart-san.
That’s to be expected of her as well. She didn’t have that much knowledge in magic tools.
“Nee, do you know about it, doushi-sama?”
“That’s probably the 『Flute of Grudges』.” (Armstrong)
“Flute of Grudges?”
Unexpectedly doushi seems to have a clue about the magic tool Kurt has been blowing into.
With the hatred of the person himself, the grudges gathered from the surroundings by the flute are used to change oneself into a powerful undead, which kills the target.
However, if it’s the Flute of Grudges, there are also many situations where it ends with killing the individual target, involving several people at worst.
Its dreadfulness is excessive to a degree that we have to retreat in a hurry.
“Uncle-sama. I’m recalling from the books I read in the past that tornadoes are a lot smaller, but…” (Elise)
“I can think of several reasons, however…” (Armstrong)
First was the fact of these Savage Lands being a vastly empty plot of land.
Plants and bugs get crushed under the hooves of running deer.
Bears drown in rivers and their children end up dying as they haven’t been brought up.
In daily life, there were things like not being pleased with friends.
The grudges, which accumulated, bring harm to people utilizing these plots of land.
There’s no more than a small amount of something like grudges gathering from one place, but since the Savage Lands are vast, it’s a matter of dust becoming a mound if you pile it up.
“That means, the situation is hopeless unless Wend’s elder brother stops blowing into the flute?” (Erwin)
“Rather than stopping, there’s no other choice but to destroy either the magic tool or its user!” (Armstrong)
“Eh, what do you mean by that?” (Erwin)
Erw remembers a sense of discomfort due to doushi’s remark of destroying Kurt and not killing him.
“Erw-boy, why you do you think Baron Baumeister and Burkhart-dono immediately deployed a magic barrier? If the the body of a normal human suffers this amount of thick and dense grudges, they won’t escape dying.” (Armstrong)
While doushi was answering Erw’s question, he also explained that Kurt shouldn’t be alive anymore.
To put it simply, it’s very likely that Kurt and his followers have already died.
“It’s not something you have to worry about, Elise. Though it might be bad taste, but they reap what they sowed.” (Wendelin)
I wish for their death from the bottom of my heart.
In the end they even tried to assassinate a person.
Margrave Breithilde and the nobles of the central government shouldn’t have done something like using Kurt in order to suppress my anxiety of the future.
“However, if that’s the case, why is the tune of the flute still continuing to resound, I wonder?” (Ina)
“That’s simple. It’s because it is a magic tool!” (Armstrong)
Doushi quickly replied to Ina’s doubt.
Once you get it working by blowing into it one time, the flute’s tune won’t stop until killing the person, who had been defined as target by the person operating it.
Although Kurt has already passed away, why are the flute and the gathering grudges recognising me as their target?
“The answer is that the person, who is using the flute as existence manipulating the assembly of grudges, has transformed into an undead. It will be a reasonable labour to purify that, boy.” (Burkhart)
A report, that a change occurred in the aforementioned huge tornado of black smoke, is given by Burkhart-san, who was concentrating on deploying the magic barrier.
Holding that flute in his mouth just as before, Kurt is continuing to play the melody from there.
And, although they were his followers, they had changed into zombies after all and were buried into the limbs and torso of the black giant as if being nothing more than decorations.
“What does that mean? It’s the first time I’ve seen an undead like that!”
It seems the zombie Kurt is the core, but the other zombies have been embedded into the whole body as well. The majority of the parts of the mysterious giant were composed by the grudges in a state of black smoke.
She has fun in defeating wild animals and monster if she can eat them, but if it’s this kind of undead, she can’t eat, we should defeat it quickly.
“It’s good, if it finishes with Kurt’s rampaging as it is just the right opportunity.”
Considering the other party, they likely hated me for being born in the first place.
That’s something intolerable from Kurt’s point of view.
And, in case I gave him the money I’m possessing, he would work me like his slave.
People, taking things into consideration to that extent, are able to approve just because he is my elder brother connected by blood.
I wasn’t such a saint.