Am I going to die?
The lit campfire could not dispel the chill in his body. Zoe hugged his younger brother tightly to his chest. Hunger had robbed him of most of his physical strength, but right now he still shielded his ten-year-old brother beneath him, closing his eyes as he waited for the agony of being torn apart.
Perhaps death is a release, Zoe thought to himself, feeling his young brother shivering uncontrollably.
He tried to comfort his brother, but did not know what to say. He could only murmur, "We'll get to see mom and dad right away!..."
The expected pain did not arrive. A sharp screech came from the dark, followed by a thud as something hit the ground.
Huh?
A slender figure appeared in the dark. He frowned, glanced briefly at the ghoul killed by a single arrow ahead, and then cast a look at Zoe, calling out toward the rear, "Captain! There are still two living people here!"
We're saved.
Zoe opened his eyes in pleasant surprise, his expression a mix of lingering despair and wild elation. He turned around and saw a corpse.
It was an exceptionally ugly ghoul that had once been his companion, a former stableman from Southwind County named Sinov. The ghoul's limbs were extremely slender, and the skin of its head was sunken inward, making it look as though it had been in a state of prolonged starvation before death. The only unusual thing about it was its belly. This ghoul's stomach was bloated high, looking as though rocks had been shoved inside it. Such a trait also appeared on Zoe and his young brother; without exception, their bellies were somewhat swollen because what was stored in their stomachs was not food, but tree bark, grass roots, leather, and even