The Dead at the End

"Tiadam—Tiadam—" From the corpse of the enormous dead creature came an unceasing, soul-demanding chant. "Tiadam—Tiadam—why didn't you come save us—"

The bodies of Canfor residents swallowed into the undead monster gradually transformed into undead themselves. From their mouths still came the hymns taught to them by the church priests, but the melody and tone had changed.

"Tiadam—you are the incarnation of the Holy Son—yet the Holy Son abandoned us—"

"Tiadam—you are the incarnation of the Holy Father—yet the Holy Father never heard our lamentations—"

"Death is not the end—nor is life the beginning—beneath so-called holiness lies endless filth—"

"Lord Bishop—Lord Bishop—"

Numerous lower-ranking clergy gathered before the Salat Church cardinal's private confessional, begging the bishop to enlighten them and pray for the arrival of the higher god. Those devout believers pounded on the bishop's confessional door.

"Lord Labrador—" the congregation cried in unison. "Lord Labrador, the people of Canfor need your wisdom and the higher god's wisdom—Canfor needs your wisdom and the higher god's wisdom. The monsters—the monsters have returned—"

No matter how they pleaded, the confessional door remained shut. Out of reverence for Lord Labrador, they attempted to use the wooden beam of the bronze bell to force open his door.

"No—no—" A nun stepped out from the crowd. She was Bishop Labrador's most loyal subordinate and the higher god's most devout believer. "The bishop is exhausted. He ordered that no one disturb his rest..."

"But Canfor needs his wisdom now. Every minute, an innocent resident becomes a monster. We need the bishop's help, Mother—do you wish to see those innocent people suffer? You also believe in the higher god. The higher god taught you compassion, so how can you watch the people suffer? Move aside. The bishop and the higher god will forgive what we do."

Seeing that the bishop gave no response, out of responsibility toward the people of Canfor, faith in the higher god's mercy, and respect for life, they pushed the Mother aside and smashed open Lord Labrador's confessional with the wooden beam.

Boom—boom—

Boom—boom— Beyond the opened door was an empty confessional.

Inside the modest confessional stood a bookshelf and a wide desk. The gold-cast six-winged angel, silver-cast four-winged angel, bronze-cast two-winged angel, ruby-inlaid quill... and the chest of Kralimaya Gold Coins placed in the center of the room had all disappeared.

"My... God..." A lower-ranking cleric could not help but burst into tears. No one knew why she was crying. Perhaps she mourned because the many higher god scriptures on the bookshelf had not been taken by the bishop. Perhaps she wept in fury because that chest of Kralimaya Gold Coins had vanished. Or perhaps she cried in fear of her own approaching death.

"My lord—" Ivena knelt on one knee before Yetara. "The teleportation formation has been set up. We can leave at any time."

"Oh—" Yetara answered simply. "I want to look at this city one last time... Wait a little longer... just a little longer..."

Every witch shop in Canfoer City lit up, their magic formations and barriers shutting Canfor's residents outside their own doors.

"Damn witches—" A woman picked up a stone from the ground and threw it at the nearest witch shop. "When this city was prosperous, who knew where things like you crawled out from, sharing in the benefits this city brought? Now that the city is suffering, you're preparing to flee one by one. Shameless—bastards—"

"This is called skill, understand? You pathetic country bumpkins—" A witch poked her head out of her shop. "You workshop trash deserve to die with this city. I won't be buried alongside useless people like you—"

"Witches—witches—"

More and more people picked up stones and hurled them at the witches and mages fleeing at the crucial moment. More and more witches activated their formations and left the decaying, grief-stricken city of Canfor.

"Oyana, the teleportation formation is ready. When are we leaving?" Lufa asked from within the flames.

"Just... just wait a little longer..." Oyana drew on her hookah and looked toward Labi Village. Buildings and city walls blocked her view, while an unpleasant feeling rose in her heart. "Anyway... we can leave anytime... I want to stay a little longer..."

"Oh..." Lufa replied.

"By the way~ Has Yalila... woken up?" Oyana's voice was unusually gentle.

"Yalila is still recuperating inside the barrier. She hasn't woken up yet."

"Then... we'll wait until she wakes up before leaving..." Oyana exhaled the hookah smoke, which turned into a cloud-like haze.

"Headmistress—Headmistress—" Chi hurried over from Ellina's Home courtyard. Even the Forest Elves, who rarely left their home, had realized that Canfor was in serious trouble.

"This is bad—Headmistress—the monsters... the monsters have..." Chi tripped in front of the headmistress's office door.

"Chi... why are you in such a panic?" Archmage Dilanna said as she sipped freshly picked black tea. "If you keep rushing about like this, you'll get hurt..."

"Oh... oh... understood... Headmistress..." Thanks to Dilanna's levitation spell, Chi did not fall to the floor.

The pure Forest Elf slowly returned to her posture from before she stumbled. Blinking her blue eyes, she said, "Headmistress Dilanna, a huge undead monster has appeared in the southern part of Canfor. Should we set up a teleportation formation and leave...?"

"The monster is in the south, while Lady Dilanna's Ellina's Home is in the north, so... please stay here without worry..." Beside Lady Dilanna sat a gorgeously dressed man who looked like a merchant.

"May I ask who you are?" Chi asked.

"This is Mr. Eliyi..." Dilanna introduced Eliyi. "He is a merchant and an old friend of mine. We used to chat and drink tea together often."

"An old friend... You look so young..." Chi said.

"That's normal... Gods do not age so easily, you know~" Eliyi said with a smile.

"A god?!"

"That's right. This Mr. Eliyi is one of the avatars of Modraki, the God of Wealth—the Auctioneer." Dilanna spoke somewhat solemnly.

"Then... then should I kneel?!" Chi straightened her appearance, saying excitedly, "It's my first time seeing a god!"

"I don't think you need to kneel," Eliyi said. "If you kneel when you see me today, then you won't need to stand for the rest of your life."

"What does that mean... I don't really understand..." Chi asked blankly.

"Because Mr. Eliyi has permitted you to join the hero's mission to defeat the Demon King," Dilanna answered. "You will encounter more gods throughout the rest of your life..."

"The hero's... party!" Light shone from Chi's eyes. "I can actually go defeat the Demon King with the hero—when do we leave!"

"Don't rush... We'll talk after this performance is over." Eliyi replied with a smile.

"I never understood why that fellow Elandor sacrificed himself to protect those boring people..." Tiadam tucked his polished dagger into his clothes and picked up the warhammer he had been tricked into buying by a goblin blacksmith.

"Though I usually use a sword, using a hammer now and then makes for a nice change..." Tiadam strode out of the inn where he had been staying. The entire street was filled with kneeling people. Some cried, some shouted, some worried, some grieved, but the instant they saw Tiadam emerge, hope for life ignited within them all.

"Incarnation of the Holy Father—incarnation of the Holy Father—" Canfor's residents shouted in unison. "Tiadam—Tiadam—you are the hero..."

The hymns the priests had taught them finally found a place to display their valor.

"Hero—"

"Hero—"

"Hero—"

The people's chant reached its peak, their voices carrying their hope for life with them. "The hero shall triumph!!!"

"I have to... admit..." Tiadam said, looking up. "No wonder that guy Elandor... abandoned his wife and child and squandered his fortune to resist the monsters. Being revered by thousands really is... intoxicating..."

"But... can I really bear their hopes?"

Amid the people's cheers, a slight wavering arose in Tiadam's heart. Because he had nothing, he could calmly face death. Because no one expected anything of him, he could give it everything he had. That was how Tiadam had lived for nearly ten years. But now that he carried hope, could he truly bear it?

"Am I really... a hero...? And is their reverence truly heartfelt...?" His determination to face death alone began to crack apart in the red-haired man's heart.

"Tiadam—wait—wait for me—"

Though the crowd's cries were loud, they could not drown out that person's voice. Tiadam lowered his warhammer and caught the hurried Denolan.

"Wait... wait for me..." Denolan said, panting heavily. "I want... I want to go with you... and drive back the monsters!"

"You bastard—" Tiadam lightly hooked an arm around Denolan's neck. "I told you to leave, but you wouldn't. Now I'm definitely dragging you along to your death—"

"Ow, ow, ow—you're choking me—I can't breathe—" Denolan said.

"You... idiot..." The crack in Tiadam's heart seemed to have been filled by something...