Free Web Novel"We need to figure out a solution for dealing with the zombies, Paqina, and that's where I'll need your help."
"Me?"
Paqina swallowed hard. She had only just started coming to terms with things, and now Loren was asking her to help with research.
But since it was Loren's request, Paqina had no choice but to push through, encouraging herself internally.
"No need to rush. We can look into it after we get back. The priority right now is finding a place with people, otherwise we'll be sleeping on the streets tonight."
Hearing about sleeping on the streets, aside from a few witches who had homes, the others didn't really care. After all, before they met Loren, resting out in the wild was practically routine for them.
Movila especially had barely lived as a human for any significant length of time.
"Let's follow the railroad for now. At least it'll guarantee we reach the next city, and the road is relatively flat.
"Movila, check the situation ahead and see how far we are from the next city."
"Yes..."
Just as Movila responded, a violent explosion roared in the distance. Loren could even faintly make out flames in the sky.
Keep in mind, the train had already traveled a considerable distance.
"If we had been just a little later getting off... would we have been done for..."
Laila stared into the distance, a chill of fear running through her.
"This was expected. There's no way they could leave so many zombies as evidence. In the end, they had to dispose of them, and bombs are a great way to do it.
"Besides, to give the necromancer left on the train time to document things, the bomb's detonation wouldn't be too fast. That's why we had time to get off slowly."
While everyone else was still shaken, Loren remained his usual unhurried self.
"Besides, if it had gone off early, my Intuition would have given me a warning. I'd have had enough time to shield us with magic."
Loren's composed demeanor filled Paqina with an immense sense of security, to the point where even her fear of corpses had dulled considerably.
"Alright, let's keep moving. It's probably almost dawn anyway."
"Okay."
The group began advancing into the distance. Suddenly, the roar of wild beasts echoed from afar, startling Scarlett, who shrank closer to Loren:
"Master, what if a wild beast attacks us?"
Loren honestly hadn't expected that question from Scarlett. He cupped her face, trying to convey the answer with his eyes, but she clearly didn't get it. So he had to explain:
"Are you underestimating our strength? Forget wild beasts, even if Magical Beasts showed up, they'd just be extra food on our plate."
Loren wasn't wrong. With their power, even walking into a horror movie would drain all the horror out of it.
"If some Magical Beasts do show up, that'd be a good thing. Maybe we could get them to carry us for a while."
Loren himself could run faster and had more stamina than a Magical Beast, but the problem was he couldn't easily transport so many people.
His flying ability wasn't much better than a bird's either. Carrying two was fine, but any more, and he couldn't stay airborne.
"If you're tired, I can carry you for a while."
After walking for some time, Lilith's pace slowed down more and more. Loren simply picked her up.
"Thank you..."
Lilith wrapped her arms around Loren's neck without any resistance.
Her constitution really wasn't great. Despite being a vampire, she had the physique of your average shut-in girl. Her body was soft to the touch, with no muscle tone at all.
So Loren had long since accepted that Lilith had no combat capability. But her contributions to him were significant enough.
"Master... I want a hug too..."
Seeing Loren carrying Lilith, Scarlett shuffled over. She had been walking for so long and was tired too.
"You're too big, it's not convenient to carry."
"Boo... If I'd known, I would have learned from Anna..."
Anna had frozen her age at being a child. But even if Scarlett regretted it now, it was too late. There was no going back to being little.
That said, Loren was actually thinking of a solution. Lilith was weak, but Scarlett was pitifully weak too. If it came down to a real fight, she might not even beat Lilith. Lilith could probably win just by pulling her hair.
"Howl..."
A wolf's howl echoed from the distance. A flash of inspiration struck Loren, and he quickly put Lilith down:
"I've got an idea. Wait here for me."
With that, Loren leaped into the air and flew toward the direction of the howl.
By now, after seeing Loren fly so many times, Paqina had grown used to it.
When Loren returned, a pack of wolves followed behind him. These wolves were entirely black, with a strange ring of mane around their necks. The mane swayed even when there was no wind, completely ignoring gravity.
The wolves were quite large, with thick fur, and their build resembled that of Alaskan Malamutes.
"These are Shadow Mane Wolves. They can turn invisible when hiding in the shadows and are known for their stamina. I've already negotiated with them, and they've agreed to help us pull a carriage."
Loren's [Everything Has a Spirit] talent had come in handy once again. He had been prepared to fight, but surprisingly, the negotiation actually worked.
The terms were simple. Loren would provide food, and they would pull the carriage. Their intelligence wasn't high enough for direct communication with Loren, but they could understand what he said.
"But we have something to pull the carriage, but we don't actually have a carriage..."
Paqina voiced her doubt. Out here in the wilderness, a carriage wasn't exactly easy to find.
"Good question. Scarlett, bring out a carriage."
"Oh, right, okay."
Scarlett was especially eager, since she wouldn't have to walk anymore.
She walked over to an open space, made a motion of reaching into the void with her hand, and suddenly a luxurious carriage appeared before everyone.
"This..."
Paqina could understand when Scarlett had summoned Orianna before, but this was beyond her comprehension.
"What are you standing there for? Get on the carriage."
Loren's shout snapped Paqina back to reality. By now, Scarlett had pulled out a pile of meat from who knows where, and the Shadow Mane Wolves were eating. Loren took the opportunity to fasten the reins onto them.
Everyone else had already boarded. Only Paqina was left.
"Oh, right, coming..."
Paqina quickly made sense of it. After all, Loren had so many tricks up his sleeve. It wasn't that hard to believe he had space magic.
After the Shadow Mane Wolves finished their meal, everyone was on board. With Loren driving, the carriage began moving along the train tracks.
These wolves pulled the carriage much faster than horses. Even magical beast horses couldn't compare. And they were even steadier.
Soon, Loren spotted the wreckage of the train. The carriages had been blown to pieces by the violent explosion, making it impossible to tell what they had originally looked like.
At the same time, the zombies had been cleared away by the blast, all evidence gone. If Loren hadn't been here, everything that happened would have been buried.
Who knows how many times this kind of thing had happened before.
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