The Villainous Son Loves His Mother - Chapter 69

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The wind blowing through the forest carried a chilling, ominous presence. Though dawn should still be hours away, the darkness weaving through the branches felt unnaturally dark. Cloud cover obscured the starlight, making it difficult to even see their feet.

“Damn it… Why are there so many of them?!”

The man gasped, already having discarded his armor. Though it was a high-grade armor treated with advanced anti-magic enchantments, his life was worth far more.
Close behind him ran a slightly slender woman, a short sword swaying at her hip with each hurried step.

“Harvey… wait up!”

She called, her voice strained, but she didn’t slow down, desperately trying to keep pace.
Both of them were Adventurers.
From hunting Demon Beasts to exploring ancient ruins, Adventurers make their living by undertaking dangerous jobs and earning rewards.
The Adventurer’s Guild is deeply rooted throughout this world, serving as an intermediary for various commissions brought in by clients.
From lightly equipped youths to seasoned veterans, Adventurers come in all shapes and sizes, but each is assigned a rank based on their skill level.

The man’s name was Harvey, and the woman was Bell.
Both were Silver Rank Adventurers, considered mid-tier within the Duchy of Yggdra.
Their achievements and combat abilities were reasonably well-regarded, and they possessed enough skill to make a decent living, provided they weren’t too picky about their assignments.
So why were these two desperately fleeing through the dimly lit forest?
The answer was simple: the forest had fallen into an abnormal state.

“What the hell are all these Undead doing here…? It’s like some ancient ruin just burst open…”

Harvey spat out the words, his voice trembling, and planted his foot firmly.
The black soil was thick and muddy, threatening to trip him with every step, but he knew that if he fell, the abominable creatures closing in from behind would swarm him instantly.
Bell, her auburn hair flying wildly, barely managed to keep pace with the man.

“…This… this wasn’t supposed to happen… It was just supposed to be a simple monster hunt in the swamp…!”

Her voice dripped more with fury than fear.
The moment they entered the depths of the forest and caught the stench of rotting corpses, a bad premonition struck them.
But they never imagined it would be a horde of Undead.
Normally, Undead only appeared in specific ruins or cursed mausoleums—relatively confined locations.
It defied common sense that they were appearing across such a vast area of the forest.

“…Harvey, we have to find a way to report this to the Guild… This is dangerous…”

“I know… If we don’t, it’ll be a disaster… Don’t those things ever run out of stamina? They’ve been chasing us relentlessly…”

Before he could finish speaking, an unsettling rustling sound came from the bushes behind them.
It was a repulsive noise, like dry bones grinding together or damp flesh being torn apart.

“Eep…”

Bell’s face paled, and she instinctively gripped her dagger.
But when she saw what stood before her, she froze, unable to utter a sound.
A skeleton clad in decayed leather armor stood motionless, its hollow eye sockets glaring as if staring right at them.

“Damn it…”

Harvey gritted his teeth.
He was certain he’d shaken off that undead creature—the one that looked like a skeleton soldier—when he’d raced down the slope earlier. Yet here it stood before him…

“…It… circled around?”

Before Harvey could shout, the skeleton soldier’s jaw creaked open and closed, and it thrust forward with a rusty single-edged sword clutched in its bony hand.
Harvey instinctively drew his own sword.
A sharp clang of metal echoed through the forest as their blades met.
But Harvey’s strike only grazed the skeleton soldier’s arm, failing to penetrate deeply.
As Harvey gasped, another eerie sound escaped the skeleton’s mouth.
It wasn’t quite a sound—more like a fragmented curse or a broken groan—and it carried the bitter stench of bl00d that stung Harvey’s nostrils.

“Y-you monster…!”

Harvey tried to press his attack, but figures began to emerge from the shadows of the surrounding trees.
There was no need to look closely; each one reeked of decay—undead.
Bell stumbled backward, desperately brandishing her dagger.

“This is… this is too much… so many…”

They weren’t just Skeleton Soldiers.
Zombies draped in rotting white flesh, Golem-like corpses with half-peeled skulls—all moved in unison, encircling them.

“Damn… we’re surrounded!”

The moment he said it, Bell noticed something and paled even further.

“Wait… look… ahead!”

Harvey whirled around.
Beyond the dark thicket, a knight clad in jet-black armor materialized.
But it had no head.
Where its head should have been was empty, a vortex of negative Magical Power spewing black miasma.

“Dullahan…”

Harvey’s lips trembled.
A high-ranking undead knight, the Dullahan was shrouded in a dense curse of death, relentlessly pursuing any living creature it found.
Moreover, despite lacking a head and presumably having a narrow field of vision, the Dullahan slaughtered its opponents with terrifying swordsmanship.
This was no enemy that Silver Rank Adventurers could handle.
As if feeding on human fear, the Dullahan raised its sword, its black armor creaking ominously.
The other Undead surged forward, their momentum increasing as they gradually closed the distance between themselves and the pair.
There was no escape.
At the edge of her vision, Bell shook her head slightly.

“…No… not like this…”

Suddenly, memories flashed through her mind: the peaceful Guild counter, laughing with her companions in the tavern.
Now, those memories were being swallowed by the darkness of the forest.
Soon, the sound of rotting flesh trampling the ground grew louder as the Undead took another step closer.
Then, a scream.

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The Duchy of Yggdra, a small nation nestled in the western part of the Serendia Continent, was surrounded by forests and lakes.
It was what one might call a religious state.
The Heavenly Teachings, a doctrine that worships God Arne, who despises chaos and preaches order and salvation, deeply influenced the nation’s politics and culture.
Legend has it that a vast empire called the Holy Aldra Empire once existed in this land, but it collapsed after a great war with the Demo.
The vast western territories of the empire lost their leadership, plunging into an era of turmoil where warlords vied for power.
Amidst this chaos, the Duke Yggdrasil House, a noble family from the Holy Aldra Empire, rose to prominence.

They distinguished themselves in the war against the Demon, consolidated neighboring territories during the confusion, and declared their independence as a duchy.
Though hardly a major power, their cohesive governance centered on religious unity has proven remarkably successful.
Deep within the mountains lies a land steeped in mystery.
The massive cathedral, the headquarters of the Heavenly Teachings, stands at its heart, and the sight of pilgrims visiting has become an integral part of daily life.
Meanwhile, the Adventurer’s Guild was actively preparing for the threat of Demon Beasts.
Since the Holy Authority and nobles had limited resources to deploy troops directly, the Guild acted as an intermediary, dispatching Adventurers to handle problems across the land.
However, recent anomalies had been occurring in various regions surrounding the Duchy of Yggdra.
Monster populations were increasing, causing widespread damage to villages and roads.
Reports even indicated the appearance of Undead, prompting the Pope to commission a large-scale investigation by the Guild, deeming the situation too serious to ignore. Yet the underlying cause remained elusive.

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The headquarters of the Adventurer’s Guild stood in the capital of the Duchy of Yggdra.
The stone building, with its slender, pointed spires, boasted a sturdier construction that set it apart from the surrounding residences.
Inside, a vast hall branched into countless rooms: warehouses for storing monster materials and pharmaceuticals, offices for managing mission requests, and even a private study for the Guild Master.
In that room—a study with a heavy, closed door—stood Webster, the “Heavenly Knight.”
Webster was an elderly man nearing sixty, with neatly styled silver hair and a refined face framed by a monocle. Though he appeared frail at first glance, he was a top-tier adventurer known by a prestigious title.
Several high-ranking adventurers and Guild staff members had gathered in the study. The atmosphere was tense.
Hand-drawn maps covered the desk, each crammed with unsettling reports.

“…I’ve heard the situation, but it far exceeds my imagination,”

Webster said in a low voice, causing a murmur among the surrounding adventurers.

“Yes, Guild Master. Undead have been sighted in multiple forests and swamps within the Duchy of Yggdra. Their numbers are so overwhelming that traditional small-scale extermination parties can’t keep up.”

“We’ve confirmed over fifty zombies and skeletons… and there’s even talk of a Dullahan appearing.”

“A Dullahan… that’s a high-ranking undead. If one’s running wild, sending in troops unprepared would be like throwing them to the wolves.”

Reports poured in, and Webster nodded quietly.

“History shows that after the fall of the Holy Aldra Empire, remnants of the Demon stirred in various regions. In the east, there were the remnants of the Dragon King, and here, the Former Demon Lord’s Army’s infamous ‘Undead Battalion’…”

Webster trailed off, and the room fell silent.
The Former Demon Lord’s Army had once been led by a general known as the Undead King, who commanded a vast legion of undead soldiers that ravaged the Aldra Empire’s lands.
But after the Demon King was slain by the hero, the Undead King also vanished.
Since then, it had been believed that the power to organize such massive armies had been lost.
If they’re truly resurfacing, this is more than just a typical undead outbreak.

“Just in case… there’s a possibility the Undead King is plotting a resurgence. Even without the Demon King, it’s entirely conceivable he could independently expand his power.”

As Webster spoke, the man standing nearby shuddered.

“T-that’s a scenario I don’t even want to imagine… but precisely why the Holy Authority is so eager to act swiftly. What do you propose, Guild Master?”

Webster removed his reading glasses and lightly pressed the corners of his eyes with the back of his hand.
Addressing the senior adventurers, he took a moment to compose himself and choose his words carefully.

“We need to pinpoint the source of these undead. The Guild will have no choice but to organize a large-scale extermination force. Naturally, we should also seek assistance from the national army, but they likely can’t mobilize without direct orders from the Holy Authority.”

“It’s true that the Duchy of Yggdra entrusts much of its defense to the Holy Authority. How the Duke and the Pope will react…”

“But while we hesitate, the damage could spread. The Adventurer’s Guild has no choice but to take the initiative.”

Webster stared at the map on his desk, his fingertip fixed on a specific area.

“Here. A dense jungle region about three days north of the capital. This area has the highest number of sightings. Their main base is likely nearby.”

“I see. Then we should send an extermination squad there, or a large-scale reconnaissance team…”

One of the executives leaned over the map, suggesting cautiously.

“We need to prepare for the worst…”

Webster’s murmur caused everyone in the room to swallow hard.
It was only a matter of time before the Holy Authority took this situation seriously.
Before that happened, what should the Guild do?
Webster stood up straight, straightening his posture.

“I’ll send a request for assistance to the Holy Authority along with the report we just received. However, we’ll also assemble our own expeditionary force and dispatch an advance scouting party. I’ll personally join the support team. To be honest, I’m not thrilled about an old man like me going to the front lines, but we can’t afford to be complacent.”

Webster’s hand, which hadn’t held a sword in years, trembled slightly.
Yet his pride as a Heavenly Knight remained undiminished.
The Guild members, though visibly anxious, quietly nodded, overwhelmed by Webster’s resolve.

“Understood. We’ll begin recruiting volunteers immediately.”

“Good. We’ll mobilize every Adventurer along the roads to reinforce our forces.”

Everyone sprang into action.
Some hurried out to the outer offices with documents in hand.
Others pored over maps, drafting rosters for the expeditionary force.
Webster stood alone, his stern gaze fixed on the distant horizon through a small window.
Heavy clouds drifted across the sky, like a dark omen for the Duchy’s future. Webster clicked his tongue in frustration.