After the three of them worked at full capacity for an entire day and two nights, the forests around Krel Village were finally completely cleared of any trace of [Demonized Rabbits].
Fern let out a long breath of relief.
At last, she didn't have to endure those disgusting tentacles anymore.
Frieren also relaxed.
Finally, she could find a place to get a proper night's sleep.
Shane, however, sucked in a cold breath.
'What's the deal? I was just starting to enjoy this farming ga for two days, and now I'm hit with "anti-addiction" asures?'
Damn it.
These [Demonized Rabbits] were basically a gift from the goddess of luck—no offensive power at all, and aside from being a little disgusting, they had zero drawbacks. They were practically walking [Attribute Reforging] material.
He wouldn't mind having a few more.
Hmm?
Wait.
At that thought, Shane suddenly snapped back to his senses. A problem he had overlooked surged to the front of his mind. He slowly scanned the silent forest around them, a faint sense of unease creeping in…
[Demonized (Gray/Inferior)]: A rare cursed mutation that can occur when low-magic animals co into contact with high-level magical beasts.
High-level magical beasts!
That's right—if [Demonized Rabbits] existed, then there had to be a high-level magical beast sowhere.
But they had spent so long hunting rabbits, practically turning the entire forest upside down, yet they hadn't encountered a single proper monster.
Not even the slightest trace of a high-level creature's presence.
"Frieren, are you sure there aren't any [Demonized Rabbits] or other monsters left in this forest?"
Shane frowned, unable to hide the doubt in his voice. There was even a hint of vigilance mixed in.
Having enemies wasn't scary. Not being able to detect them—that was terrifying.
Hearing his question, Frieren imdiately activated tracking magic, carefully checking again for any rabbits that might have slipped through.
Fern also consciously activated magic detection, doing her best to sense whether any demonic presence lingered in the forest.
After a mont, the two mages spoke in unison:
"No."
That made it even stranger.
Shane's brows knit tightly. "If there's no high-level monster here, then where did the curse on these [Demonized Rabbits] co from? It couldn't have just appeared out of nowhere, right?"
The mont his words fell, a heavy set of footsteps suddenly echoed from behind a nearby rock.
Clack—crunch—
The steps were slow and clumsy. Each one landed with a dull thud, accompanied by the scraping sound of tal armor. In the dim night, it sounded especially eerie.
Without hesitation, Shane reacted faster than he could think. The Goddess's Barrier unfolded instantly, shielding the three of them.
Since neither Frieren nor Fern had sensed the presence earlier, there was no need to overthink it—hide first.
The footsteps continued to approach.
Clack—clack—
Each step felt like it was pressing directly on their nerves. The air itself seed to grow heavy.
All three of them raised their weapons, aiming toward the direction of the sound.
Just as they braced themselves, the owner of the footsteps suddenly stopped within the shadow of a tree not far away. The sound of movent ceased, leaving only the faint scraping of armor.
After a short pause, the footsteps resud—but this ti, they didn't co closer. Instead, they gradually faded, clearly moving away.
"?"
Shane looked confused. What the hell was that?
It ca… and then left? Just to act mysterious?
Beside him, Frieren stroked her chin, thinking. "No demonic presence, and no killing intent either. Could it be so villager wandering at night?"
What kind of villager would wander around in the middle of the night wearing heavy armor?
And in the mountains, no less?
Shane lowered the barrier, preparing to quietly follow and see what was going on.
But the mont the barrier disappeared, the retreating footsteps stopped instantly.
Then, as if reacting to it, the heavy steps turned around and began heading back toward them.
Clack—clack—
The sound approached again, carrying an inexplicable sense of pressure.
?
Even Frieren looked puzzled this ti.
Shane exchanged a glance with her. Since that was the case, the three of them simply stayed where they were, waiting for it to co to them.
Rustle—
A mont later, the figure pushed through the bushes and fully revealed itself.
It was a person clad in full armor.
The armor was covered in scratches, with spots of rust along the edges, clearly showing its age. The tall figure stood silently, radiating a cold, lifeless aura.
The mont Frieren saw it clearly, she let out a small sigh and casually pressed down Fern's staff.
"It's fine. It's just a wandering [Undead]."
A wandering undead?
Shane and Fern both frowned.
Seeing that they didn't understand, Frieren continued, "You know how demons like to create puppets, right?"
"The corpses they control with magic are called [Undead]. The one in front of us should be one of them."
A corpse?
Fern frowned slightly at the word.
Shane, however, caught onto sothing else. "You an there's a demon controlling it?"
As he spoke, he scanned the surroundings warily.
"More like… there used to be."
With that, Frieren stepped forward, stopping right in front of the armored figure.
She stood less than a step away—an extrely dangerous distance for a mage—but the armor simply stood there, making no move to attack her.
"So warriors with strong willpower can break free from a demon's control even after being turned into one. That's how wandering [Undead] co to be."
Frieren's explanation imdiately made Shane think of Aura the Guillotine.
She loved creating puppets, and to prevent them from breaking free, she would decapitate them all—hence her title.
Shane looked at the armored puppet in front of him, feeling a twinge of emotion.
To break free from a demon's control… the person who once wore that armor must have been an incredible warrior.
Knock, knock, knock.
At that mont, Frieren circled around the armor, tapping on it a few tis before pressing her ear against it to listen.
Shane saw her eyes suddenly light up, and alarm bells imdiately rang in his head.
"Co on, Shane. Help take it apart."
"!!"
Shane was stunned.
"Don't worry. Even though it's called [Undead], they're already dead. At most, there's just a skeleton left inside the armor."
"..."
Shane silently took a step back.
If you hadn't explained, I might have hesitated. Now that you did, there's not even a chance.
Seeing that Shane refused to cooperate, Frieren turned her gaze toward Fern.
Fern retreated even faster, instantly putting a hundred ters between them.
(≡ᆺ≡)
Well then.
Since both of them were so unwilling—
Frieren had no choice but to roll up her sleeves and start dismantling the armor herself with a grunt.
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