Chapter 11
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Ten days had passed since Claire joined the group.
The members of the Holy Knight Order had long since left, but Yuurai and Claire were still in Grimoire. A major reason was that they had nowhere else to go, but as they strolled around the town of Grimoire and researched this world, time quickly slipped away.
Incidentally, the books stored in the lord's castle were useful for their research.
Yuurai was surprised that she could not only understand spoken language but also read text—but that aside.
For now, here's what they learned from the books.
The Serencia Continent they were in was mainly ruled by five major nations: the Nogia Empire in the west, the Girant Beast Kingdom in the south, the Large Empire in the east, the Shairan Holy Kingdom in the center, and the Rivalt Kingdom in the north, where Yuurai and the others currently were.
The Nogia Empire in the west seemed to be a relatively dangerous country, actively aiming to invade other nations. While minor skirmishes between nations occurred from time to time, the five great powers were evenly matched militarily, so the Nogia Empire's invasions were not going well.
Also, the world was home to many other races such as elves and dwarves. These races lived intermixed, but some were subject to discrimination. Those called demi-humans, who looked neither entirely human nor monster, were particularly prone to global discrimination.
Furthermore, monsters existed in this world, including Yuurai herself. Generally, they were mindless beasts, but some possessed intelligence surpassing that of humans. For now, Yuurai was one of the latter.
At times, intelligent monsters and humans could form bonds. However, such cases were rare exceptions. Monsters were still considered enemies of humans. Most intelligent monsters were cruel and ruthless, attacking humans through cunning means. Monsters capable of understanding human speech were considered especially dangerous—that was the common knowledge of this world.
Among monsters, the Undead types were particularly hated. They had no lifespan, couldn't be killed by mere decapitation, and sometimes came back to life even after death... and so on. They were regarded as abominations that defied the laws of life and should not exist.
Liches, Vampires, Wraiths, Zombies, Mummies, Will-o'-the-Wisps... beings like these were fundamentally incompatible with humans in this world.
Yuurai thought, This is definitely turning into a mess, and grew gloomy.
It was already known that magic existed in this world, and monsters were weak to Light Attribute and Holy Attribute magic. Undead types were especially vulnerable to Holy Attribute compared to other monsters.
While Light Attribute and Holy Attribute shared similar properties, Holy Attribute was said to possess powers more specialized for subjugating monsters. Conversely, Holy Attribute was less effective against anything other than monsters. It didn't seem suitable for human-to-human combat.
By the way, the Holy Knights they fought the other day weren't necessarily capable of using Holy Attribute magic. They were simply devout and had high combat ability. Humans who could wield Holy Attribute were rare—fewer than thirty existed in the world. The Five Saints were among those thirty and were said to excel mainly in protection and healing.
"......Eventually, I'll probably have to fight someone with Holy Attribute. The Undead are especially hated. If I want to survive, maybe I should find a place to hide instead of staying in this town. But I feel like I'd be pursued no matter where I go... Maybe I should just live openly in this town and gain enough strength to fend off any enemy who comes..."
Muttering to herself, Yuurai walked through the lord's castle and stopped in front of a room on the second floor.
"......Anyway, it's about time I did something about Claire."
Claire, who seemed deeply shocked by becoming an Undead, had stayed holed up in the same room for the past ten days.
Undead didn't die even without eating. While they needed magic power to keep living, a mysterious organ inside their bodies generated magic on its own, so as long as they stayed still, they accumulated enough magic power.
"Uhh... ahem. Claire, I'm coming in."
Knocking out of courtesy, Yuurai called out. There was no response.
She had been checking in every day, but never received a reply.
Also, since she had never been scolded for entering uninvited, Yuurai slowly opened the door.
"Claire, still alive?"
It was likely a room once used by a noble girl like the lord's daughter. A place that would've excited any girl feeling like a princess, yet Claire sat curled up in a corner, her arms hugging her knees and her head down. It seemed she still couldn't accept that she had become an Undead.
She had remained like this ever since being brought to the castle. Though she had taken off her Holy Knight armor, she hadn't even changed out of the bloodstained clothes at her neck.
"......Looks like she's not dead. Or rather, maybe she just can't die?"
Claire had once attempted suicide. However, an Undead body healed quickly even if wounded by an ordinary blade, so she couldn't die.
Even though she had mustered the resolve to stab her own throat, it ended only with pain.
Yuurai went to Claire's side and sat down.
"How about going outside for a bit? It's nicely overcast and comfortable."
Both Yuurai and Claire disliked the glaring sun. A slightly cloudy day felt more pleasant.
Yuurai waited for Claire's response, but as always, Claire remained silent.
(......Even though she's part of the group now, I don't have to force her to cheer up.)
(Still... the part of me that's still a boy can't leave a girl alone...)
(I feel no guilt over mass murder, yet I can't ignore a single girl? I'm so contradictory...)
"Claire."
She called out again. No reply.
(......It's not like I've never talked to girls before, but I've never gotten close like a lover...)
(I have no idea how to deal with a girl who's seriously depressed. Even though I'm supposed to be a girl now.)
Ugh... Yuurai pondered.
(If we're both girls... maybe holding hands or hugging would help...? Guys don't do that, so I'm clueless, but I guess I'll give it a try...)
Yuurai gently placed both hands over Claire's.
Her hands were cold, typical of an Undead.
(Actually, maybe it's just because the room is freezing. Even though I'm technically an Undead too, my body still has some warmth.)
Yuurai wrapped Claire's hands with her own, hoping to convey even a little warmth.
(......If I were still a guy, I wouldn't have been able to touch a girl's hand unless we were lovers.)
For Yuurai, it was the first time truly touching a girl. Her heart pounded strangely.
"......Claire. If you hate being touched by me, please react in some way. I'll stop immediately."
There was no response from Claire. Yuurai had hoped for at least some reaction from touching her, but it might have been in vain.
"Hmm... I guess I'll take the lack of rejection as a good sign? Well, it's still some progress. At first, she went berserk just from seeing my face. She must've realized I'm not that dangerous, right?"
Claire remained silent.
"......Hey, Claire. If you truly want to die, I'll kill you myself. What do you want to do?"
No response. She was like a corpse.
"Mmm... I really don't know what to do! If you don't say something, I can't do anything!"
Yuurai let go of Claire's hands and stood up.
"Claire, you're way too unresponsive! You're more of a corpse than a real corpse, even though you're an Undead! Now I'm mad!"
Yuurai forcibly hugged the unresponsive Claire and threw her onto the bed.
Claire let it happen, her gaze shifting ever so slightly.
Yuurai lay down beside Claire and used her as a hugging pillow.
(Mmm... Even though I'm hugging a girl, her body's cold, and she doesn't even smell nice... Claire hasn't bathed or wiped herself in these ten days... At least Undead don't get as dirty as humans...)
Yuurai sighed quietly.
"I'm going to sleep like this for a while. If you don't like it, move away on your own."
Yuurai closed her eyes and spent the rest of the time in silence.
It wasn't that she was sleepy. She just couldn't think of another excuse to stay by Claire's side.
(......I have the power to drive off the Holy Knight Order, yet I can't save a single girl. My power is so unbalanced.)
Yuurai continued to warm Claire's body, feeling a bit frustrated.