Chapter 7 Encounter: The Empire's Strongest Defense is Empty

"Killing the rotten corpses isn't so difficult," Field said with newfound confidence, casually flicking the foul blood from his sword.

"Lord, be careful!" Asheena shouted. A half-bodied corpse had crawled up during the pause and was about to bite Field's ankle. In the nick of time, Asheena grabbed a dung fork from the wooden cart and thrust it into the zombie's spine, pinning it to the ground.

"Phew! Well done!" Field exclaimed, his heart pounding as he took several steps back. He had narrowly avoided being bitten. While corpse poison could be cured by the church's clergy, the cost was exorbitant—at least a hundred gold coins for treatment.

Field struggled to calm his racing heart. He let out a long breath and patted Asheena's head. "For saving my life, I'll reward you with a gold coin, Asheena!" he said.

Asheena's eyes sparkled with excitement. She had never seen so much money in her life. "Really? But it's what I should do," she replied modestly.

Rotten corpses, unlike zombies in horror movies, could be harmed by weapons. More of them swarmed toward the cart walls, clawing and attacking. Seeing that the corpses couldn't attack them through the wooden barriers, many of the men grabbed farm tools and joined the fight outside the cart wall.

Field wasn't idle either. He raised his sword and continued to slay enemies. Blood splattered as numerous corpses fell to the combined assault of the farmers' tools and Field's sword.

"Ugh!" Suddenly, a scream echoed. One of Connor's soldiers, caught off guard by a zombie dressed as a village woman, was pulled down by his cloak and fell hard. The back of his head hit the ground with a sickening crack, leaving him motionless.

"Damn it! Useless idiot!" Connor cursed in frustration. What angered him more was that Field, instead of cowering, was calmly directing the slaves.

"Decapitate each corpse and burn the heads in a pile," Field ordered. He had learned that these corrupted humans' bodies posed a significant environmental threat if left unattended, quickly becoming new sources of pollution. Field frowned, gazing at the gray fog on the horizon. "We haven't even reached Nightfall Domain, and we've already encountered so many zombies. This is a bad sign."

Field understood that his family wanted him gone, but sending him into a horde of corpses was excessively cruel.

"Thank you for your help, my lord." The fleeing refugees, seeing Field as their savior, crawled forward and kissed his boots. "May the God of War light your path!"

Field accepted their gratitude and asked, "Where do you come from? Why are there so many corpses? Shouldn't the Kasan Fortress's tall walls keep out the corrupted creatures?"

"It's the death mist! The gray fog from the north seeped through the fortress walls and engulfed Oak Village. Most of the villagers were asleep and turned into zombies. Only a few of us escaped," a villager explained, trembling with fear as he recalled the horrific event.

Death mist, or gray fog, was believed to be the root of corruption. It mixed with the air, and once inhaled by plants and animals, it quickly killed the host and turned them into corrupted creatures. Only those with lord abilities or the Chosen could resist it. Otherwise, one had to buy a costly church purgation lamp to disperse the fog. Field had spent fifty gold coins on two lamps, taking advantage of his noble status.

Listening to their account, Field frowned and asked, "Where is your lord? Every border fortress should have a Chosen to prevent the mist from seeping in."

"The baron and the Chosen went to investigate cult activity. Only the baron's son is at the castle."

"Let's meet the lord of this place." Once everyone was ready, Field mounted his horse. To reach Nightfall Domain, he needed the local baron's permission.

Arriving at Kasan Fortress, Field was awestruck by the towering stronghold. The extensive stone walls and round towers formed a formidable defense system with the mountains, equipped with catapults, ballistae, and cauldrons of boiling oil. The fortress, adorned with the gryphon banners, spoke of the old empire's grandeur.

But there was a significant problem.

"Where is everyone?" Field was dumbfounded. The entire outer wall was deserted, not a soul in sight.

Connor turned pale. "Could the orcs have launched a surprise attack? If they breached Kasan Fortress, the entire province would fall."

"I doubt it. It would be much noisier," Field replied. As they advanced, they saw torches burning on the inner wall.

"Don't come any closer! Who are you?" a voice shouted from the wall. Under the torchlight, Field saw a crowd, indicating that the fortress was well-manned.

Why did they abandon the outer defenses? Field wondered.

"I'm Baron Field of the Ross family, heading to Nightfall Domain. Open the gate of Kasan Fortress to let us through."

The officer on the wall seemed hesitant and called for a young man, Bull Baron's son.

"No! My father isn't here. No one can open the gate. Leave, or we'll shoot."

Hearing the firm refusal, Field gritted his teeth. He suspected the young man was scared witless by the corpses. "It's me, Field. I donated money here, remember? I'm not your enemy."

"Just a few coins? The entire empire funds the border. Who do you think you are? Get lost, you outsider!" the young man sneered.

"Damn it! No good nobles indeed," Field muttered, realizing his previous generosity was wasted. If only he had soldiers, he would storm the fortress. But he tried to stay calm. "These villagers are refugees I saved. You..."

Before Field could finish, the young man interrupted with curses.

"Damn it, you think we have extra food? Who told you to save those fools? Meddling idiot, if you come any closer, we'll shoot."

Riding beside Field, Connor wrinkled his nose and waved a hand to dispel the foul air, but it was futile—the stench penetrated deep into his nostrils.