[Vol. 8] Chapter 25: A Biohazard in Another World?
This meant some kind of strange and powerful force, beyond normal rules and logic, must have been involved. And since Raymond was the highest-ranking military officer in the Iron Ridge region, he was no doubt the one who knew the most about what had really happened.
Sure enough, after a short pause, the man who had lived through that bloody battle closed his eyes and shook his head with a bitter look.
“Your Holiness, please forgive me if I sound a bit proud… but I, Raymond, have led troops for over ten years. If it had been a real battle, face-to-face with weapons and armor, even against your Holy Empire’s holy knights in equal numbers, I wouldn’t have been afraid at all.”
“But what happened inside the fortress wasn’t a real fight. Those savage tribes… they used some kind of terrible and poisonous power.”
“Poisonous power?”
The Saintess frowned. She seemed a bit sensitive to that kind of description, but gave a small nod.
“Don’t worry, go on.”
“Yes. Actually, a few days ago, our scouts reported large numbers of savage tribes moving deep within the western buffer zone. Those tribes have long-standing hatred toward us and are always looking for a chance to strike. Our Empire has always kept a close eye on them.”
“So when we got the report, I immediately sent messengers to inform the governor of Valandia Province and asked him to pass the message to the Empire’s top leaders, hoping they would send reinforcements just in case.”
“As Your Holiness may know, since two of your Holy Empire’s 10,000-strong holy knight legions recently entered the western part of the buffer zone to help countries like Vakan Kingdom, our Empire also moved two of our strongest armies, Lion’s Fang and Lion’s Roar, toward the border.”
“Especially the Lion’s Fang Legion under General Ferdinando. They were already close to Valandia Province. Although a sudden riot in the Sainz city forced them to turn back halfway and help put down the chaos in the Sainz, they quickly resumed their march to the border once the situation was handled.”
“Based on what I know, General Ferdinando should be able to arrive within a week at most. With such strong reinforcements on the way, and considering that the buffer zone tribes haven’t attacked our border for over a hundred years, I didn’t think they were a real threat. But who would’ve thought…”
A look of fear and anger crossed Raymond’s still-young face, so deep that even the dirt on his skin couldn’t hide it. He clenched his teeth and continued in a voice filled with disbelief.
“Starting yesterday morning, on the third day after we noticed the strange movements from the savage tribes, our scouts and outposts in the buffer zone began losing contact one after another. I couldn’t get any reports back. I had no idea where the enemy’s main force was going. So I sent out more scouting teams to investigate… but none of them returned either. Not a single one.”
“Realizing something was very wrong, I quickly ordered more urgent messages to be sent to the rear command, asking the Lion’s Fang troops to hurry, and raised the alert level at Iron Ridge, preparing for anything strange.”
“But just after the messengers left, by that very afternoon, less than one day later, the main army of the sixteen tribes, over 100,000 soldiers, suddenly appeared right outside Iron Ridge!”
“What did you say…? One day?”
Everyone looked at each other in shock. Miss Frederica’s frown deepened, her face full of disbelief.
That was simply impossible.
The buffer zone may not be as big as the two great empires, but it’s still the size of several regular provinces put together. For the main forces of the sixteen tribes to travel from their central region to the Austre Empire’s border, even fast cavalry would normally need at least a week.
And between those tribes and the Austre Empire’s border, there are more than ten smaller countries that serve the Austre Empire. Even if they couldn’t stop the savage tribes, they should have at least been able to send a warning after being attacked.
So how could everything have been silent?
Seeing the confused looks on everyone's faces, Raymond gave a bitter smile.
“I know this sounds like something out of a fantasy story, but it’s true. If this couldn’t completely break common sense, then my army of over ten thousand soldiers wouldn’t have been wiped out so quickly.”
“That huge army suddenly appeared right outside Iron Ridge without any warning or negotiation. They immediately launched a full attack. With the help of a terrifying Behemoth, likely a creature from ancient myths, our defenses became a joke. They broke through the gates and stormed into the fortress in no time.”
“I originally planned to use the advantage of knowing the fortress layout and fight a street battle inside. After all, losing the outer wall didn’t mean we’d completely lost. As long as we could hold on for a few days, the Lion’s Fang army would arrive.”
“But not long after the battle began, something even more terrifying happened.”
The young Imperial officer suddenly shivered, as if he was still deeply afraid. He looked toward the ruined shadow of Iron Ridge in the west, like it was a monster hiding in the dark, ready to strike again.
After a moment, he sighed and turned back.
“Your Holiness, as a top figure in the Holy Empire and the Goddess Church, you should know what a [Corpse Transformation] is, right?”
“[Corpse Transformation]!?”
The blonde girl’s eyes widened in shock, and her voice rose without her meaning to.
“You’re saying… a [Corpse Transformation] happened in the fortress?! How large was it? How many were infected? What about containing the spread? With your current situation, you couldn’t possibly handle something like that! Oh Goddess above… how could this kind of disaster break out in the middle of a war? Wait, could it be the savage tribes…”
“Um… Sister… what’s a [Corpse Transformation]? Is it like dead bodies coming back to life?”
As the Saintess and Raymond stared at each other, Miss Rene, who clearly didn’t know much about this kind of thing, asked curiously. She looked to Leila, who gave a serious nod and explained quietly.
“[Corpse Transformation] doesn’t mean the dead turn into undead. It’s when living beings are changed into zombie-like monsters by something like a disease. And worse, this change can spread again and again with no limit.”
“The first known case happened more than 300 years ago in the eastern part of the Holy Empire. That terrible outbreak spread to several nearby cities in just a few days. Over a million people were infected and died. It was one of the worst disasters in Holy Empire history.”
“Unlike the plague spread by the Demon Lord of Defilement, the [Corpse Transformation] spreads through bites and scratches. The time before symptoms show can vary, from several days to just a few minutes depending on the person’s health. Among regular people and soldiers, it spreads super fast. Even a small cut can cause infection. If even one infected person hides among civilians before turning… then by the next morning…”
“During that outbreak 300 years ago, the Holy Empire sent several holy knight legions and took months to bring it under control. But most of the infected were already so decayed they were like walking corpses. In the end, the only way to stop it was to burn everything. Just like how they cleanse [Defilement]’s plague.”
“According to historical records, smaller outbreaks of [Corpse Transformation] have happened a few more times in the past 300 years. Thanks to past experience, they were quickly dealt with. But no one knows the true source of the [Corpse Transformation]. Every time it appears, it causes panic across the whole country.”
Although the two angel girls spoke quietly, most of the people present were strong and sharp enough to hear clearly. Frederica gave a slight nod, her face serious, and added,
“That’s right. Our country’s scholars have risked their lives to study this. They’ve confirmed that [Corpse Transformation] is actually a kind of undead curse. It spreads through body fluids and can copy itself endlessly. While top-level warriors and holy magic priests can resist it, ordinary people almost always get infected the moment they come into contact. There is no cure.”