Episode 28

At some point, Dennis had drawn closer, listening to their conversation. Uncharacteristically, he offered words of comfort, a sign of just how unstable Noah seemed at that moment.

“Look, he’s a quick-witted guy. He’s probably hiding somewhere safe.”

But Noah, lost in his thoughts, didn’t seem to hear him. He stared blankly at Cedric, looking utterly vacant. Watching him with concern, Jason spoke carefully.

“Let’s split up and search.”

“There are still areas we haven’t checked.”

The moment Jason finished speaking, Noah moved, wasting no time in searching for Jacob. Calyps, worried about his condition, quickly followed.

“Jacob!”

“Jacob!”

They searched until dusk, combing every possible hiding place, but Jacob was nowhere to be found. One by one, the others gave up and gathered back at the initial meeting point, except for Calyps and Noah.

“Where are Lord Calyps and Lord Noah?”

Jason’s question was met with silent head shakes from the rest of the group. Then, suddenly, a sharp voice cut through the air.

“Let go of me!”

Heads snapped toward the sound. They turned in shock to see Noah being dragged toward them by Calyps, who had a firm grip on his arm. Alarmed, they rushed toward the two.

“Let me go!”

“Lord Calyps! Lord Noah!”

“Young Master!”

“What the hell is going on—?”

As soon as Calyps stopped walking, Noah’s legs gave out, and he collapsed onto the ground. Cedric and Derek hurried over, startled, immediately checking his condition.

“So, we didn’t find Jacob after all.”

Calyps stated it bluntly, and the others nodded in silent agreement, sneaking glances at Noah, who was now sitting on the ground, exhausted.

Noah let out a heavy breath, cursing inwardly.

“Lord Noah, are you alright?”

Even at Cedric’s concerned question, Noah simply stared at the ground, his breathing ragged.

“It’s late. Let’s stop here for today and get some rest.”

“Yes, that sounds best.”

Hearing Calyps’s words, Noah slowly lifted his head.

His fingers raked through his hair in frustration, his eyes flashing dangerously as he turned his gaze on Calyps. But before he could say anything, his eyes drifted past him—toward the pile of rotting corpses in the distance.

“Ah.”

A barely audible gasp escaped his lips.

His empty eyes remained fixed on the heap of bodies. Slowly, he pushed himself up to his feet.

His expression was hollow.

“Lord Noah?”

Ignoring Cedric, who had stepped in front of him with concern, Noah started walking toward the pile of corpses.

For a moment, the others hesitated in shock. Then, realizing where he was headed, they quickly moved to follow.

Noah kept walking—until he suddenly stopped, just short of the bodies.

His feet wouldn’t move any further.

Cedric, noticing his hesitation, walked up beside him and gently patted his shoulder.

“Let’s keep searching, Young Master. Like Dennis said, Jacob is a clever kid. He’s probably hiding somewhere safe.”

“That’s right, Lord Noah. If we rest and continue searching tomorrow, we’ll find him.”

Noah turned slowly, meeting Cedric and Derek’s eyes.

The moment their gazes locked, a shiver ran down their spines.

His eyes were lifeless.

Without a word, Noah turned back toward the corpses and began walking again.

With each step, the overwhelming stench of decay grew stronger.

But Noah didn’t flinch.

He didn’t bother covering his nose. He barely even furrowed his brow.

The corpses mutilated by the mutant zombie were beyond recognition.

More gruesome than anything he had seen before.

Even as he tried to keep his composure, his body instinctively rejected the sight before him.

“Ugh!”

He gagged, his steps faltering, but he didn’t stop searching.

Unable to watch any longer, Calyps strode toward him, his expression hardened.

“Enough.”

Noah pressed a hand over his mouth, forcing himself to keep the nausea at bay as he scanned the corpses. But the moment his eyes landed on a half-decayed body, its exposed organs crawling with maggots, he could no longer hold it in.

“Ugh—!”

Noah doubled over and vomited.

“Noah!”

Calyps caught him just as he lurched forward, keeping him from collapsing onto the pile of bodies. However, despite being held back, Noah twisted violently, trying to shake off Calyps’s grip.

Seeing Noah struggle, Calyps’s expression darkened.

“Let go—hngh! Let go of me!”

“Enough. Get out of there.”

His voice was low, carrying an unmistakable warning. But instead of calming down, Noah fought harder.

Finally breaking free from Calyps’s grasp, Noah staggered forward again toward the corpses—only to be caught once more.

“Let go of me!”

Noah shoved Calyps away with his free hand.

“Kgh—!”

A sharp, pained grunt escaped from Calyps’s lips.

Noah froze, his face paling as his gaze dropped to Calyps’s left arm.

The wound had reopened, fresh blood seeping through the bandages.

The sight instantly doused the frantic energy in Noah’s eyes.

“…I’m sorry.”

Seeing Noah finally regain his composure, Calyps exhaled a quiet sigh and grasped his wrist—this time, Noah didn’t resist.

Silently, he followed Calyps away from the corpses and back toward the others.

Just as they neared the group, a familiar voice rang out.

“Young Master!”

Was he hearing things?

For a moment, Noah wondered if he had finally started hallucinating.

Then came the unmistakable sound of excited murmurs from the others.

“J-Jacob!”

“You little—!”

“I’m so glad everyone’s safe!”

Jacob ran toward them with a bright, carefree smile.

The moment Noah saw him, all the tension drained from his body.

His legs nearly gave out, but Calyps was quicker—he grabbed Noah’s arm, steadying him.

“Noah. Stay with me.”

The low voice, close to his ear, jolted Noah back to reality.

His breath caught as he turned, eyes widening at the sight of Calyps’s face just inches from his own.

The concern in those silver-gray eyes made his heart pound violently in his chest.

Noah, momentarily lost in Calyps’s gaze, suddenly snapped back to his senses at the sound of Jacob’s voice.

Startled, he instinctively pushed Calyps away.

“Ugh—”

A small grunt escaped Calyps as the sudden movement sent a fresh wave of pain through his injured arm.

But Noah, too shaken to notice, took a quick step back.

Watching Noah naturally distance himself, an inexplicable emotion flickered across Calyps’s face. His brows furrowed slightly, but before he could say anything, Derek rushed over to examine his reopened wound.

While Calyps was being treated, Dennis rounded on Jacob, demanding answers.

“Where the hell have you been?”

“We searched the entire fortress—how were you nowhere to be found?”

For someone they had been desperately looking for, Jacob had appeared out of nowhere, almost mockingly.

His appearance was disheveled and thinner than before, but aside from a few minor scratches, he seemed largely unharmed.

“Ah, well…”

Jacob scratched his head sheepishly before launching into his explanation.

When the mutant zombie first appeared, he had panicked and stumbled backward—accidentally triggering a hidden mechanism in the wall. Before he knew it, he was pulled into a secret passageway.

“And the next thing I knew, I was trapped in some weird tunnel.”

“Wait… Are you saying you found a secret passage?”

“Seems like it.”

It wasn’t uncommon for noble families to have escape tunnels built into their estates. And somehow, by sheer luck, Jacob had managed to find one—and survive.

“I had no idea how to get out, so I was stuck for a while. But when I finally did, this was what I came back to! You have no idea how terrified I was!”

Jacob dramatically recounted how he had screamed for help, only to realize no one could hear him. And when he finally emerged, he was met with a battlefield of rotting corpses and panicked survivors.

As he clung to Jason, lamenting his misfortune, Dennis let out an incredulous scoff.

“I’ve said this before, but you have the weirdest luck.”

Jacob had somehow avoided disaster twice now—the first time when they encountered the mutant zombie, and now with his accidental discovery of the secret tunnel.

“Me? Lucky?”

“No… More like, you only have luck when it comes to survival.”

Dennis shook his head at Jacob’s filthy appearance.

As Jacob excitedly retold his story, Noah, who had been watching quietly, finally began to relax.

The unbearable tension that had coiled in his chest for days slowly unwound.

And the moment that tension released—his vision blurred.

A sudden wave of dizziness swept over him.

Before he could react, his body gave out.

While the others were still focused on Jacob, Calyps—who had been watching Noah closely—moved instantly.

Catching him just as he collapsed, Calyps wrapped his good arm around Noah’s waist.

“Young Master!”

Gasps of alarm echoed around them as everyone turned to look.

Derek quickly approached, his face filled with concern.

“Is he alright?”

Calyp’s eyes briefly flickered with something unreadable before he answered.

“He just lost consciousness. He’s exhausted.”

It wasn’t surprising.

Since the mutant zombie’s attack, Noah had been running on sheer anxiety, barely getting any rest.

He hadn’t slept properly for nearly three days.

Of course, the others had been exhausted too—but Noah’s unease had been clear from the very beginning, ever since their time in the abandoned cabin.

“I’ll carry him.”

Derek stepped forward, holding out his arms.

Even with his strength, Calyps couldn’t carry Noah back in his current state.

Calmly, he handed Noah over.

Noah, completely unconscious, didn’t stir once on the way back to the fortress.