"Whoaaa… there are so many monsters."
The mountains were rocky and barren, covered in loose stones — likely the result of the land's original desolation.
We could only keep moving thanks to the mountain path leading to the eastern country.
About thirty minutes after we began the ascent.
Filo muttered while kicking monsters out of the way.
Our current inventory consisted of Recovery Medicine, Healing Potion just in case, and Antidote since we'd been told the air was laced with poison.
Incidentally, before setting out, I'd tried to leave the carriage behind.
"No way! This carriage is filled with so many of Filo's memories!"
The little brat threw a massive tantrum insisting she'd absolutely pull it along, so we ended up letting her.
Born barely a month ago and already lecturing about life.
Well, for Filo the carriage represented nearly nine-tenths of her entire existence, so I could understand the attachment…
The enemies were mostly poison-type monsters — Poison Trees, Poison Frogs, and the like.
After defeating them, I had the beans absorb them into my shields.
*Poison Tree Shield condition unlocked.*
*Poison Frog Shield condition unlocked.*
*Poison Bee Shield condition unlocked.*
*Poison Fly Shield condition unlocked.*
They all replaced poison-resistance bonuses and became equipment bonus shields that boosted stats.
The sole exception was the shield that dropped from disassembling a Poison Bee.
Bee Needle Shield II
Condition locked… Equipment Bonus: Attack Power +1
Unique Effect: Needle Shield (Small) — Bee Venom (Poison)
Its defense was nearly identical to the Bee Needle Shield; essentially the same performance with paralysis swapped out for poison.
But enough about that — enemy encounters were relentless.
They just kept spawning no matter how many we cut down.
Sure enough, this place was rife with poisonous wind and toxin mist, and a miasma that seemed to seep up from the ground itself. For an ordinary adventurer, this would be brutal.
"There's no end to them! Filo, charge through!"
Raphtalia and I climbed into the carriage, and I gave Filo the order.
"Okay!"
Filo hauled the carriage at full speed, bursting through.
Just from that, enemies went flying left and right, earning us a trickle of experience along the way.
Along the path, we encountered a sludge-like monster, but Filo knocked it away before I had a chance to absorb it into my shield.
After a while longer…
"Finally… the destination."
The source of the toxic miasma and the stench of decay came into view — the dragon's corpse.
It was just under ten meters long, the kind of classic Western-style dragon you'd see in a picture book… or it had been, once. Now there was no trace of that elegance left.
What color dragon it had been was impossible to tell; the decay had progressed so far that only the blackened skin was even recognizable.
The fatal wound must have been the blow to its abdomen — a massive gash in its belly, with its organs exposed and reeking of putrefaction.
Poison Flies swarmed over the rotting flesh, making the whole scene even more repulsive.
"I'm hungry…"
"You're seriously telling me you've got an appetite after seeing *that*?"
Filo started crunching on the crops we'd stowed in the carriage, and I couldn't help but retort.
"Raphtalia, are you alright?"
"Y-yes."
Raphtalia had weak respiratory system, and I was worried the foul air here might make her ill, but she insisted she was fine.
"If it gets too tough, take a break right away."
"Okay."
We cut down Poison Flies as we advanced toward the dragon's corpse.
Stripped bare by smiths and other adventurers, probably. The major parts — claws, horns, scales, skin, wings — were almost entirely gone. Even the tongue had been removed.
Calling it nothing but bones and flesh wouldn't be an exaggeration.
All but a small patch of skin had been taken.
A stench so foul it could bend your nose wafted through the area. This was genuinely rough.
I could handle it thanks to my poison resistance, but it might be tough on Raphtalia. Filo — no idea.
"Filo, handle the Poison Flies. Raphtalia, you're with me on dismembering the corpse. It's too big to absorb into my shield."
Rather than burying it haphazardly, absorbing it into my shields to make it vanish was the surer option. There was also the risk of contaminating the earth.
"Mm-hmm."
Filo nodded, having finished her meal with her belly now distended and round.
"I'm feeling a little queasy…"
"That's what you get for eating too much."
We approached the dragon's corpse to begin dismembering it, just as planned.
Rustle…
"…Did I imagine that?"
"Um…"
For a moment, it looked like the dragon's corpse had twitched.
Well, with all the Poison Flies swarming over it, it was probably just an illusion.
Rumble…
…No. That wasn't my imagination.
The dragon's corpse was moving. It rose onto all fours, taking a combat stance.
"GYAAAAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
The dragon's toothless, hornless head lifted high and let out a roar.
"How the hell is it moving after that!?"
"Sir Naofumi, please calm down!"
I was screaming at the sight of the dragon corpse — the Dragon Zombie — coming back to life.
Come on. Seriously? This thing was way beyond what any of us could handle right now.
Its required level was unknown, but in games, Dragon Zombies typically had stats higher than when they'd been alive, right?
How did that translate to this world!?
The Dragon Zombie regenerated its various body parts one by one, bit by bit, as it turned its gaze toward us.
Wings first, then the tail. Whether it needed more time to regenerate claws and fangs was unclear.
The decayed flesh seemed to liquefy and transform into those appendages. The same process reached the organs — the wound that had been the fatal blow was now sealed shut.
There was no way I could deal with this thing.
"We're running!"
"But Filo already—"
Raphtalia pointed toward the Dragon Zombie.
"Take this!"
At that exact moment, Filo launched herself at the Dragon Zombie and landed a kick to its head.
THWACK — a satisfying sound rang out as the Dragon Zombie lurched backward.
"Maybe… we can actually fight it?"
Part of that was Filo's high attack power, but this Dragon Zombie was missing its primary weapons — claws and fangs.
Maybe we could win after all… except the enemy likely had no concept of stamina.
But if we retreated here, the Dragon Zombie could head toward the village.
Of course, it might claim this area as its territory just as it had in life, and since it was still regenerating, we should take it down now — or the next person who fought it would be in deep trouble.
"Don't do anything reckless!"
"Okay!"
"Right — we hold the line here!"
"Yes!"
We fired ourselves up and fought on.
I'll give myself credit for switching to the Chimera Viper Shield — the one with the highest defense — and managing to tank the Dragon Zombie's attacks. That part went well.
But then—
"GYAAAAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
Something surged up from the Dragon Zombie's abdomen, and it spat a cloud of purple gas from its mouth right at us.
Raphtalia and Filo, following our plan, ducked behind me to use me as a shield.
I raised my own shield to brace for the breath attack… but—
"What… what is this!?"
"Cough, cough!"
The breath turned out to be highly concentrated poison gas.
Even with my poison resistance, I felt a dizzying shortness of breath. Raphtalia, behind me, was coughing so hard she could barely breathe.
Filo paid the poison gas no mind — or perhaps she'd simply held her breath — and exploited the opening to land another kick on the dragon as it exhaled.
"R-Raphtalia, are you okay!?"
"Cough, cough, cough—"
Through tears, Raphtalia tried to tell me she was fine, but the coughing wouldn't stop.
…This was getting bad.
Filo and I could fight, but Raphtalia couldn't hold on much longer.
"Raphtalia, pull back from the front line now! There's Antidote in the carriage — drink it and rest!"
"Cough, cough!"
Raphtalia desperately pointed toward the Dragon Zombie.
I followed her finger and went speechless.
The Dragon Zombie had just spread its massive maw wide, and Filo was mid-leap, descending toward it — the beast was about to catch her in its jaws.
"Oh—"
BOOM!
A thunderous sound echoed, and crimson liquid dripped from the Dragon Zombie's mouth.
"FILOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
Whether it was me or Raphtalia who screamed, I couldn't tell — my mind went white, unable to process what had happened.
She was a mischievous bird barely a month old… who'd latched onto me the moment she hatched and always wanted to stay by my side. A spoiled little clinger.
Memories of Filo flashed through my mind like a revolving lantern.
What just happened?
What…
The Dragon Zombie chewed on its captured prey several times,
Then—
Gulp.
With a massive swallowing sound, it gulped her down.
"Cough!"
Raphtalia snapped me out of my daze by slamming her palm hard against my cheek.
Tears were streaming down her face.
She was telling me that staring blankly would only make things worse.
But… the fury of having lost a precious companion right before my eyes consumed my heart.
*—Do you want power?*
I thought I heard a voice like that coming from my shield.
Almost unconsciously, I turned my gaze to it and listened.
*—Do you desire vengeance for everything?*
My heartbeat throbbed louder.
I felt darkness pouring forth from the shield.
This was… the same thing that had happened when I fought Motoyasu…
The shield's skill tree materialized before my eyes.
Then the screen flipped, revealing another tree — one set against a background that was neither black nor red but something deeply unsettling.
Curse Series.
The phrase flashed through my mind.
A single shield glowed brightly on the tree.
Curse Series
Shield of Wrath
Ability locked… Equipment Bonus — Skills: "Change Shield (Attack)," "Iron Maiden"
Unique Effect: Self Curse Burning — Increased Strength
*When the heart weeps, the Shield of Wrath is born…*
This shield, which even had its own special description text… whether it was conscious choice or something deeper… I reached out toward it, driven purely by emotion, and thought:
Shield of Wrath.
A torrent of intense emotion surged from the shield, and it transformed in a flash of red-black light.
There it stood — a crimson shield adorned with sinister, flame-like ornamentation.
Throb… throb…
My consciousness was being swallowed by rage.
In that moment, I had hated everything in the world with every fiber of my being.
Everything that existed had turned black — I could see nothing but shadows mocking me.
That emotion consumed me.
"GYAAAAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
The great black shadow roared and extended its arms toward me.
"GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"