Iron Bronze Duo (3)
In the outer regions just beyond Carpe's domain, at the entrance to the public cemetery where adventurers, soldiers, and city residents who had lost their lives were laid to rest,
Ahin was bent over, gripping a tree trunk with both hands, and let out a series of dry heaves.
His face had turned deathly pale, and the furrowed brows that looked ready to snap at any second were a perfect mirror of his current state.
“You shouldn’t have drunk so much…”
Er patted Ahin’s back as she spoke, the only one among their party who seemed to have any sense.
The other mourners in the procession had either no reaction or simply shot them uneasy glances as they passed.
Among the mourners dressed entirely in black, the two adventurers in their distinctive gear lingered under the tree for what felt like an eternity.
“Ugh… damn it…”
“Feeling better now?”
“No… not at all.”
Ahin’s face remained stubbornly pale as he answered.
He had never imagined that the free meat and alcohol would lead him to this point.
He should have known better than to boast about being perfectly fine and marching toward the inn on four sturdy legs.
“If you still don’t feel right, we’ll postpone the exploration. The deadline still gives us some breathing room.”
“Ugh… no, I’ll be fine if I just rest a little…”
Ahin spoke in a voice that sounded as though he was already half-dead, but then he added with an aggrieved expression.
“Why are you the only one who’s perfectly fine… You drank way more than me.”
“You’re too weak, Ahin.”
“That doesn’t sound quite right…”
His mind was still a bit hazy, but Ahin remembered last night with perfect clarity.
He remembered Er alone emptying a large barrel filled with alcohol.
He remembered the adventurers who were drawn to her beautiful appearance retreating in horror when they saw her drink.
Er, whose tolerance was monstrous despite her pretty looks, had been the one slamming his back while standing perfectly sober.
“Damn it… Are adventurers in Carpe nothing but monsters?”
“Stop talking nonsense. If you’re feeling even slightly better, we should try walking around. We need to decide whether to continue the exploration or retreat based on your condition.”
“Just ignore it and keep going—”
“No.”
Er’s voice cut through his with a flat tone.
“If we push it, we’ll die.”
Her face, which spoke of death so casually, carried a hint of desperation and sorrow.
“Okay… I get it. Fine, then.”
Ahin nodded without realizing it, unable to refuse.
Seeing Ahin’s spirit instantly deflate, Er widened her eyes in surprise and spoke in a weaker voice.
“I must have been too sensitive. Sorry.”
“No, it’s fine… I think I was being childish. Anyway, let’s move a little like you said. Then we can figure out the next step.”
As Ahin said that, he shook off the dirt and stood up, leading the way toward the cemetery.
Er watched his retreating back with eyes full of guilt and quickly followed him.
“Ahin, you were a priest, right? Can priests really purify undead?”
“If you call it purification, sure.”
Not much was known about the priests of the temple.
Those who studied the god’s teachings and trained themselves.
Those who punished the occasionally dark-tainted beings and purified their corruption.
Since the temples in cities and villages focused more on service than purification rituals, rumors spread easily but the truth remained hidden.
Yet Ahin’s face worsened even more than during his earlier nausea.
“That’s not as holy or impressive as people think.”
“What do you mean?”
Er asked with wide eyes at the unexpected answer.
Ahin took a moment to steady his breathing and replied.
“Undead don’t die easily, right? But to complete a purification, you need to destroy every last one. So what do you think happens then?”
“Do they just pour in holy power?”
“Holy power? It’s just mana that sparkles a little brighter. Not a huge difference. So the temple’s options aren’t very straightforward.”
As Ahin spoke, he picked up a fallen branch from the ground and made a chopping gesture in the air.
“You kill them until there’s nothing left.”
“Eh…”
“If you crush every last scrap of flesh and bone, even undead can’t rise again.”
Ahin had carried this question for years while living in the temple—whether this was truly what they meant by purification.
“They smash skulls with clubs, chop joints with swords… Some even turn everything into raw meat with a single punch. Those guys who solve everything with violence are called paladins, but they’re a bit different from priests.”
“Paladins, huh. Especially that Veronica woman—she’s famous as the Grand Inquisitor of the Church, right?”
“Yeah, that’s right. The Inquisition is part of the paladin ranks.”
Ahin’s tone was slightly reluctant as he said it.
Er, who hadn’t caught the hesitation, continued in an excited voice.
“Most of the heroic tales that come out of temples are about her, right? Cutting down a thousand demons, single-handedly defeating death knights…”
“That’s right.”
“Is that all true? I feel like there might be some exaggeration mixed in…”
“It’s actually only a small part of it.”
“Yes, what did you just say? I couldn’t hear because your voice was too soft.”
“I didn’t say anything.”
Ahin answered Er’s question by raising a finger and pointing somewhere.
“Er, it’s over there.”
“Hmm… Yeah, that seems right.”
The place they were heading to was deeper into the cemetery.
A region filled with ancient graves that no one ever visited.
“This kind of place is perfect for undead dungeons. There’s plenty of qi.”
“Qi…”
The dark, stagnant aura that emanated from the dead.
Even though the day was bright, the area felt somehow gloomy. Was that because of the qi?
Ahin’s serious golden eyes narrowed as he continued carefully.
“We can’t just leave them like this.”
“You’re right. A while ago, zombies attacked the mourners. It should have been taken care of by Carpe’s temple, but…”
“Carpe’s temple doesn’t have any paladins. And they’re not free to head out to places like this.”
Most of the Church’s paladins were stationed near the main temple in the holy city.
They were the Church’s greatest power.
The army that fought under the god’s name wouldn’t abandon its base easily.
“There are wandering paladins, but your condition looks pretty serious. We might not be able to wait for them.”
Ahin narrowed his eyes and surveyed the area.
Unmanaged graves had sprouted all kinds of weeds, creating a sinister atmosphere.
Occasionally, broken tombstones were visible, reminding them how long they had been neglected.
“Found it.”
Ahin located the stairs leading down to the underground cemetery and tore off the warning sign attached to it.
“Alright, let’s try using some real strength for the first time in a while.”
“Is that safe?”
“Of course!”
As Ahin spoke, he loosened the cloth tied around his arm.
He then rotated his arm a few times and raised his thumb.
“What are you looking at me like that for? Let’s finish this quickly and get out of here!”
“Hehe… I’m curious how long that overconfidence of yours will last.”
Er said as she prepared for battle, gripping her shield and sword with both hands.
“If anything feels off even a little, we retreat immediately. Understood?”
“Of course.”
Er stared deeply into Ahin’s golden eyes, then led the way down the stairs.
The underground atmosphere grew even more ominous.
Stairs that had once been walked on and corridors leading downward were pitch black, with nothing but Er’s carried magic-stone lantern to light their path.
The stench of rotting flesh vibrating through the underground cemetery made them wrinkle their noses with every step.
How far had they walked relying on that dim light?
Ahin thought they had gone a bit deeper when he heard a clattering sound from the darkness ahead.
“Ahin, the light.”
“Got it.”
Ahin raised the magic-stone lantern higher.
The faint lantern light illuminated the underground cemetery.
Row after row of bone boxes and coffins lined the musty space, and two corpses with decaying flesh turned their eyes toward them.
“Ahin, back up! Those are zombies!”
Er lifted her sword and shield as she spoke.
Zombies moved slowly, but if they allowed an attack, the corruption that arose from rotting flesh could be deadly.
Right after she assumed a combat stance to prepare for their attacks, bright light particles scattered across the area.
“You’ve gotten stronger. Charge!”
“What nonsense…”
Before Ahin could finish, Er felt the weight of her shield and sword lighten.
It was the same sensation she had felt when fighting the lizardman.
She had confirmed it.
The feeling she had sensed that day was real.
That man truly could heal wounds and strengthen abilities.
She didn’t know why someone like him was chasing adventurers, but…
“Thank you, Ahin!”
Now she would simply do her part.
The sword swung lighter than usual targeted the zombie’s neck.
Even though the severed head would keep moving without effect, the act of blinding its vision was enough.
Given the zombies’ sluggish movements, it was almost impossible to dodge or block.
Crunch— the sound of rotten flesh splitting apart as the zombie’s head rolled on the ground.
There was no time to catch her breath.
One healthy zombie remained, and the one with its head cut off would surely attack—
Groaaar…
And then Er’s eyes widened in disbelief.
The zombie’s head she had just cut was burning.
White flames engulfed it, turning the rotting corpse into ash in an instant.
Er let out a startled sound as she saw white flames also rising from the neck where the head had been attached.
“Ha…?”
It was a sight she had never seen before, a story she had never heard.
The biggest reason other adventurers avoided undead was their stubbornness, yet this zombie had not only been defeated in one strike but had been burned to ash.
She knew fire was the most effective way to deal with undead.
But without a mage or a rare magic tool, it was unrealistic, and she hadn’t spoken of it.
Er’s expression changed strangely as she watched the zombie Ahin’s sword had struck burn away into ashes.
The scent of burning rotten flesh filled the air.
The zombie that had been spitting for a moment fell silent, its lungs also consumed by flames, turning into nothing but ash.
“Eh?”
Er was about to voice her confusion at the impossible chain of events when
“WAAHH! Er! Save me!!”
“Ahin!”
Only after hearing a pathetic cry from a man did she snap back to her senses and quickly turned around.
At the location was Ahin, jumping around and dodging the zombies’ slow attacks.
“[Heal]! Heal! Hea—!”
Right as he finished the incantation, light erupted from his body and poured into the zombie chasing him.
Groaaar!!
“Hehe! How do you like that, you undead bastard!”
Ahin grinned arrogantly as he said it.
“I told you I can carry— I mean, that’s why you were panicking, right?”
Groaaar!!
At that moment, the zombie wrapped in light swung its blackened claws, its entire body now aflame.
The impact landed. His light was burning the zombie white, and the rotting flesh was already falling off and crumbling the body.
But the time wasn’t enough to completely destroy it, so the zombie lunged at Ahin with its collapsing body.
“Waaah?!”
“Ahin, dodge!!”
Er cried out urgently as she swung her sword.
Slice—
Another crunch of meat echoed in the underground cemetery.
Just like always, she blocked the zombie’s arm aiming for Ahin’s head with her shield, then cut off its neck in succession, and stopped with a sudden halt.
The collapsing zombie’s body.
Now Ahin’s face, illuminated by the flames rising from what could only be called a chunk of rotten meat, looked utterly bewildered.
“Heh… The guy who said shouting skill names was weird… But in a hurry like this, there’s no point in naming them, huh?”
“Damn it…”
While Er smiled at him, Ahin muttered curses with obvious exhaustion.
“No, this damn god really doesn’t make any sense… Don’t undead die from one heal?”
“…You’re probably cursed because of that annoying habit of yours.”
“…”
Ahin remained silent, blinking slowly at Er’s words, then sighed deeply as he accepted reality.
“So both of them are dead?”
“Of course. If they were still alive after being burned like this, that would be scarier… Ahin, is this your ability?”
Er pointed to the charred remains still smoldering on the ground.
Ahin gave her an arrogant smile.
“I told you I’m the carry type, didn’t I?”
“I still don’t understand what carry even means, but thanks to you, it’s gotten a lot easier.”
“That’s all? Fewer cuts means I’m conserving energy too, and less repair costs. See? All the idiots who skipped me so far were dumbasses.”
Ahin shook off his gloomy mood from earlier and continued.
“So just trust me. I’ll make sure this job pays for itself!”
Ahin said with a smile that was once again confident, as if nothing could ever defeat him.
………………………………
“WAAAHH!! Er, save me!! These guys are targeting only me!!”
“Yeah. It seems like they only attack when you use your abilities.”
“You damn—!!!”
A furious scream echoed through the underground cemetery.
“WAAAHH!! Er, save me!! These guys are targeting only me!!”
“Yeah. It seems like they only attack when you use your abilities.”
“You damn—!!!”
Er had been through a lot in her life, but nothing compared to this party wipe.
She had been the only survivor, and the trauma still haunted her nightmares.
But Ahin’s healing light had pulled her back from the edge more times than she could count.
And now, after fighting side by side, she finally understood why he had joined the adventurers.
It was never for the glory.
It was for the people who needed help.
Er’s emerald eyes softened as she looked at Ahin’s determined face.
“Ahin… I’m sorry I doubted you earlier.”
“No worries. Let’s finish this and get out of here.”
Ahin winked, and Er nodded, steeling herself once more.
The two adventurers stood together, ready for whatever came next.