Chapter 56
So more zombies were appearing? But we had just eliminated so many! We had wiped out almost every bird in the forest! And more were coming?
“How can you be so sure?”
The young master seemed to share my disbelief. It was hard to believe that a new wave of zombies was coming. Lady Irang looked back and forth between us and asked curtly,
“Do you need a detailed explanation? I’ll tell you if you want, but I don’t mind if you don’t. I just need your help.”
My answer was obvious.
“I want to hear the details!”
“Don’t talk to her. I’m dizzy and want to sleep.”
The young master was the opposite of me. I shook my head in protest.
“I want to hear it!”
“I’m dizzy. I want to sleep.”
“Then go to sleep! I’ll listen!”
I sat down next to Lady Irang. Irang… wasn’t that a familiar name? I had a hunch about her identity. I wasn’t sure, but she was definitely connected to Castor.
I had heard the name when we parted ways with him at the magic library. And she had been sitting in the wyvern carriage, wearing a suspicious-looking cloak.
I couldn’t not be curious. The young master could deal with his motion sickness. I was fine.
“I don’t want to hear you talking… Fine, whatever. Go ahead. I’ll listen.”
He reluctantly gave me permission. Excited, I pulled him closer. He practically lay down on the seat, resting his head and shoulder against me. I wrapped my arms around his shoulders and patted his collarbone.
“Don’t stop. I feel better when you’re near me.”
“Of course. I’ll pat you until my arm breaks.”
“Stop if it’s about to break…”
Lady Irang looked at us, sighed deeply, and then, glancing at the young master, began to speak.
“Human, you seem to be a noble. And from a human perspective, I might seem like one too. I am Irang, protector of Dragonuska. Currently, I’m acting as a representative for the Dragonuska family, which lacks a successor.”
“So you’re talking about that Castor brat.”
“Yes. I heard that a wyvern was summoned from Dragon’s Waist, so I secretly came to check on Sir Castor. But he probably won’t recognize me.”
“You haven’t actually met, have you?”
He was making conversation now, after saying he didn’t want to hear us talk. He was full of contradictions.
“I only saw Sir Castor when he was a baby, and I was very young myself. We were separated because of the Elder Council, who were plotting against his life. The previous head of the Dragonuska family took me in, nominally to serve Sir Castor. Now I’m dedicated to protecting the continent.”
“What do you mean by protecting the continent? Do you arrest criminals like the police? Or do you pick up trash on the streets? Do you do both? Or do you do something else entirely?”
Being a protector of the continent sounded impressive. Lady Irang lowered her gaze and sighed, looking out the window.
“Protecting people from danger. That’s my duty. It’s embarrassing to admit, but Dragon’s Waist has been in turmoil due to political strife. And the recent zombie outbreak is making things worse.”
“So zombies are the problem…”
“Zombified animals from outside the continent keep entering and attacking people. We’re quarantining and observing those who have been attacked, but there haven’t been any serious incidents yet. However, we can’t let our guard down.”
The young master, who had been silent, glanced at us. He then said quietly, his voice strained from suppressing his nausea,
“If you’re acting as protector, the Elder Council must be giving you a hard time.”
Lady Irang sighed deeply and nodded.
“You’re right. They’re insisting that all this is happening because Castor Nova is away. They’re obsessed with gaining power. I won’t stand for it.”
“Are the members of the Elder Council bad people?”
I asked out of genuine curiosity. The young master said, as if teaching me a lesson,
“There’s no good or evil when it comes to power.”
Lady Irang interjected,
“They’re planning to assassinate Sir Castor. They tried to kill him when he was a baby, so we entrusted him to Baba, the witch of the magic library.”
The young master and I exchanged glances.
“That power seems pretty evil to me.”
“There are always exceptions.”
Anyway, I understood that Castor was an important person. Then, naturally, I became curious about his relationship with Lady Irang.
Was she his secret fiancée or something? That would be so exciting! Castor liked Miss Baba… was this a love triangle? I shouldn’t get too invested in other people’s love triangles.
I tugged at the young master’s sleeve, trying to calm myself down. I asked, trying to sound as casual as possible,
“Do you like Castor?”
“Estella.”
“Oops, that came out wrong.”
Lady Irang, not understanding my question, tilted her head. She looked so young and cute that I wanted to hug her and ask, “Why are you so cute? You speak so formally, but you look so cute! Is that your charm point?” But I held back. The young master would scold me.
The cute and serious Lady Irang seemed to be trying to answer my strange question seriously. She moved her head back and forth, then finally nodded.
“She said yes!”
“Of course she likes him. He’s her brother.”
“Oh…”
I slumped back down, deflated.
“Our family relationship is… rather complicated.”
Romance was out of the picture, but a birth secret remained! I sat up straight again, my eyes sparkling. Lady Irang subtly moved away from me and continued,
“I am Irang Nova, born to serve the Dragonuska family. I didn’t inherit the Dragonuska name. Not until I was five. After Sir Castor was born, the Elder Council immediately attempted to assassinate him. And then, tragedy struck.”
She seemed to struggle to continue. Should I tell her she didn’t have to tell me? As I was thinking about it, the young master gently touched my wrist and shook his head, signaling me not to interrupt.
“The horrific incident orchestrated by the Elder Council claimed the lives of the three Dragonuska siblings and their mother. We asked the magic library for help, to protect Sir Castor. The previous head of the Dragonuska family adopted me at the same time. That’s how I became the protector.”
“So you and Castor are siblings, but not by blood?”
“You could say that.”
I recalled the large painting in the workshop. The family that looked so much alike. Thinking about Castor, left alone without his family, made my heart ache. I also looked more closely at Lady Irang, and the more I observed her features, the more puzzled I became.
If they weren’t blood-related, why did they look so much alike?
Castor and Lady Irang looked like siblings. Their hair color, gender, and names were different, but there was a clear resemblance, especially in their eyes. Large, clear eyes and thick eyebrows. A playful yet serious gaze… they looked identical to me.
Were they really not related? Or…
“I’m waiting for the day I can pass on the title of protector to Sir Castor. But he seems to like the magic library. I’m not sure what the right thing to do is.”
I was about to comfort the dejected Lady Irang when I noticed the bracelet on my wrist. That’s right! Castor had asked me to give this to her!
“Lady Irang! I have something Castor gave me. Here.”
I took off the bracelet and handed it to her. Her expression changed subtly.
“This bracelet is a family heirloom that can be used as a symbol of leadership when he returns to Dragonuska. To think he entrusted it to you…”
I nodded.
“He told me to give it to you.”
“This is troubling. It seems like Sir Castor has implicitly relinquished his claim to leadership.”
“That’s probably the case. He’s head over heels in love.”
I continued, seeing her curiosity about Castor,
“He’s completely smitten with Miss Baba. He might not have even kissed her yet, since he’s still young, but she’s probably in his dreams every night. He’s incredibly jealous, worried that she might date someone else, and he hates it when other people visit the magic library. He’ll probably stay cooped up in the library, following her around like a chick, until they get married.”
“Wait, Estella. Stop.”
“Just a moment, Young Master. And he eats very strange food, but he seems to enjoy it. He eats the food the goblins make, and I’ve never seen anything like it.”
“Estella, Estella, look at her expression. Look at her…”
The young master tugged on my sleeve. I finally looked at Lady Irang. She was pale and had lowered her head, like a defeated deer.
“So… who will protect Dragonuska now? Who…”
Seeing her dejected state, the young master pressed his hand against his forehead.
“I’m dizzy.”
“Are you feeling sick?”
“Yes. Because of you. You, you, you.”
Was Castor finding love that disheartening? Dragonuska already had Lady Irang as its protector, so what was the problem?
I thought for a moment, then stood up abruptly. I heard the young master sigh.
“Then I’ll help you!”
“I should have sealed her mouth with wax.”
“We’re actually zombie investigators appointed by the Imperial Palace! We’ll resolve the zombie situation in Dragon’s Waist! Then you can focus on your power struggle!”
Lady Irang twitched her nose, then pulled her hood back over her head.
“I have so much to say, but I don’t know where to begin.”
“One step at a time. One step at a time.”
“First…”
She took a deep breath and asked, looking at me,
“How are you planning to solve the problem?”
I declared confidently,
“By bashing all the zombies!”