Fighting through the pain, Aurora struggled to sit up. “My Lady, I… I can sleep outside! There’s a straw mat. It’s fine!”

  “I can take the night watch with Lady Elsa, too!” Betty piped up, raising her hand, her little face a mask of seriousness.

  Pandora looked at the two of them, a helpless smile touching her lips.

  “Sit down. Both of you.”

  “It’s just one night,” she said, her tone light as she scanned the room. “It's just sleep, why all the fuss? We’ll squeeze in. The sun will be up before we know it. Aurora needs to rest quietly, Betty needs to stay with her, and I…” She added with a wry smile, "...and I need a pce where I won't be jolted awake by some critter in the middle of the night." It’s settled.”

  Since Pandora had made the decision, the others had no further objections.

  Soon, the pile of hay was smoothed out as much as possible, and a retively clean sheet was id over it.

  Aurora and Betty were settled in the innermost spot, against the wall.

  Pandora slept between them and the door.

  Elsa remained perfectly still in the shadows by the door, a silent, unmoving guardian with her greatsword at the ready, her gaze fixed on the crack, standing guard over the boundless darkness outside.

  Inside, it soon grew quiet. The only sound was the occasional soft crackle from the fire pit in the corner.

  Betty was asleep almost the moment her head hit the pillow, her breathing light and even, occasionally accompanied by a soft smack of her lips.

  Lying beside Pandora, Aurora’s nose was filled with the other's familiar, reassuring scent.

  The pain had lessened, but the dizziness from her fever remained stubborn. She should have been exhausted, but she couldn’t sleep.

  Pandora’s steady, warm breathing was right beside her ear. The rise and fall of every breath had a strange rhythm, as if it could soothe all her anxiety, yet it also made her body feel strangely hot.

  The image of Pandora’s focused profile as she bandaged her wound earlier, her gentle movements, her lowered shes… fshed through Aurora’s mind again and again.

  The world had been turned upside down overnight, littered with corpses, its rules broken.

  But the person beside her, this connection, was clearer and more precious than ever before.

  Aurora’s eyelids grew heavier and heavier. That sense of security was like the softest embrace, enveloping her, pressing down all her fear, pain, and confusion.

  “My Lady…” she murmured, just as her consciousness sank into darkness, the corner of her mouth carrying a hint of a satisfied curve she herself didn’t notice.

  Pandora, sleeping in the middle, only after Aurora’s breathing became long and steady, did her tense nerves finally, completely, rex.

  She could feel the heat coming from Aurora’s body and knew she still had a fever. But as long as she could sleep soundly, it was the best medicine.

  In her ears, she heard Betty’s soft snores, a reassuring white noise. Beside her, the steady breathing of the loyal knightess. Outside the door, Elsa’s silent watch.

  In the darkness, Pandora slowly closed her eyes.

  The exhaustion from the night’s travel, the killing, the pnning, the rewards… it all washed over her like a tide, pulling her into a silent abyss.

  Finally, she sank into a deep, dreamless peace.

  ………………

  The night passed without incident.

  The next morning, gentle sunlight penetrated the thin mist in the woods, spilling onto the clearing in front of the hunter’s cabin.

  The embers of the campfire were still warm, and the air was filled with the mixed aroma of grease and toasted bread—Betty’s “masterpiece.” It was a little burnt, but it was hot, filling, and definitely not poisoned.

  After breakfast, Pandora cpped her hands. The crisp sound broke the quiet.

  “Ham, Lucien.”

  Her gaze fell on the two young knights.

  “You’re returning to the manor. Take my message. Tell the people left behind to reinforce the fences, take stock of the food stores, and make sure the water source is safe. Tell them… I’ll be back soon. If any zombies are left, help clear them out.”

  “Is that clear?”

  The two immediately straightened their backs, responding in unison, “Yes, My Lady!”

  Aurora watched them pack, her brow furrowed slightly. She should have been going with them. Her wound had scabbed over, the fever was gone. Riding back… if she gritted her teeth, she could endure it. It would avoid being a burden to the Lady.

  But… she subconsciously gnced at Ham and Lucien. These two, Arthur’s men just yesterday, felt like a pebble in her shoe on a long journey, a constant, grating irritation.

  Besides, the wound truly shouldn’t be jostled too much.

  Betty, on the other hand, didn’t mind at all. She clutched her small cloth bag, trotting at Aurora's heels, her little face full of the serious expression of ‘I can definitely take care of a patient.’

  “My Lady,” Aurora finally spoke up, but Pandora cut her off, giving her a direct order:

  “Aurora, you and Betty will stay with me.”

  It was Pandora’s style, gentle yet unyielding.

  Aurora was taken aback. She stammered for a moment, but in the end, she said nothing.

  “Yes, My Lady!”

  Pandora gave a slight nod, satisfied.

  The reasons were simple: the “prior hostile retionship” between Aurora and the two boys, the fact that Aurora and Betty were a package deal, and, well, Betty’s cooking was still useful.

  The two young knights rode away, the sound of their hooves quickly vanishing.

  In the clearing, only Pandora, Elsa, Aurora, and Betty remained.

  Pandora had already decided on today’s pn. Last night, during the ride back, she had thought a lot.

  It wasn’t about Arthur, the so-called “New King” who hardly mattered.

  What truly consumed her thoughts, what sent a thrill of excitement through her, wasn't Arthur... It was what she had absorbed from the 'scribe' zombie after its death—the Corpse-Red Mist!

  That feeling of power, that nourishment for the spirit, that subtle strengthening of her muscles… so real, so direct.

  She wanted her own power. And the Corpse-Red Mist could give it to her.

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