After several minutes, Edgar and his undead companion reached the foot of the mountain, and in front of them stretched a river. The water was crystal clear, and it was immediately noticeable that there was no contamination from factories or any other chemicals in the river.
"Excellent, just what I was looking for. You are a good guide" He said as he stroked his assistant's head.
It was a somewhat bizarre scene despite being caressing the remains of a corpse, Edgar did not feel any kind of disgust or repulsion. Perhaps because not only his body, but also his mind had changed. Or at least, his mental fortitude had been strengthened.
After drinking the fresh water, he decided to give himself a moment of relaxation.
"Go get some animal for lunch, I'm going to be swimming for a while"
With only that order, his companion went into the forest to hunt some prey while Edgar began to swim freely in the river.
"God this feels good. There's nothing like bathing in a pool when it starts to get hot"
The freshness covered his whole naked body, and he was slowly carried away by the current of the river as he floated on the surface. This gave him a moment to think.
When was the last time I went to a pool? It was probably when I was still in school, on one of those excursions that went somewhere. Memories began to emerge in his mind from when he was younger...
"Don't you see that you're bothering her" "You took it from her backpack" "Eww he's so weird"
He opened his eyes. A bad memory made him return to reality.
"They always reproach you. They don't even care what the intention was" He said to himself loudly. "They just invent a lie that they tell each other, ignoring the truth"
At least I don't have to follow their silly games anymore. Now I have the power to do what I want without having to do things your way. As he thought about what to do with his new freedom, he heard something.
"Sniff Uh, oh, sniff"
Someone is crying. He paused for a moment to listen carefully. The sob came from a woman a little further into the woods.
Not knowing why, he got out of the river and started walking towards the crying. He just walked a few steps ahead and saw her. A young woman sitting on a log in a yellow dress, her long blonde hair covering her face, her hands trying to wipe away the tears that flowed from her blue eyes.
She was very cute. Edgar could do nothing but stand dumbfounded in front of the scene. He felt as if time had stopped. Just looking at the woman for what seemed to be an eternity.
Until the blue eyes fell directly on him. Even when they were making eye contact, he was still petrified.
"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH" The young woman screamed as she fell backwards. Her tears ran out and instead her face blushed. Awkwardly trying to cover her eyes and looking away.
It took Edgar a moment to realize that her reaction was because he was completely naked. Shame began to emerge on his face, and he quickly plucked the leaf from a nearby plant to cover its noble parts.
If someone calls me an exhibitionist, I can no longer say it's a lie.
"Mhmm... Sorry, I didn't want to scare you. I just heard the cry and decided to investigate"
"Wh-Where are your clothes?" Asked the young woman, still covering her face.
"I was taking a bath in the river, so I... leave them upstream?" A lie so bad that anyone who saw it would notice.
"Th-Then, you can open my bag. There are some pants and a shirt that you can put on" She pointed with one of her hands to a bag that was next to the trunk, all this while she was still red as a tomato.
Edgar quickly followed the instructions so as not to cause further discomfort. He stood behind a tree, and when he came out, he was wearing thin pants and a shirt that appeared to be a mixture of silk and cotton. They were a bit long for his body, but that only lasted a moment. The clothes immediately began to adjust to his body until they fit perfectly. Is this also magic? Incredible.
The young woman finally stopped covering her face and looked at the mysterious man. She couldn't help but be surprised by his appearance, his skin was white like that of a doll. His eyes were yellow and sharp, as if he were a demi human, but he had no other animal characteristics.
Although she had doubts, the first thing of all was...
"A pleasure to meet you. My name is Lia Comtes Hildir" She said as she bowed formally.
It was such an elegant presentation that Edgar was dumbfounded watching it. Although her eyes were still red from tears, she was very pretty. So much so that he couldn't help but blush as he answered.
"M-My name is Edgar. Delighted to meet you" He said, as he looked to the side. This could have been seen as disrespectful, but the young woman did not give it any importance.
Seeing the young man's red face, she couldn't help but feel worried. Maybe he's a little sick?
"In any case, why were you crying?" Edgar replied, trying to change the subject.
"Ah- Well. The truth is embarrassing"
"What thing?"
"Well I. My older brother was supposed to come for his birthday, and I bought him a new set of clothes as his gift. But it turned out in the end that he could not come, although he had promised that he would come a week in advance"
"When I heard that, I felt very sad, so I came to the forest to be alone for a while, and without realizing it, I started crying" She began to touch her fingertips as if making an apology sign.
"So- Just because your brother couldn't come, you were crying so much?" Asked Edgar.
When she heard those words, tears began to form in Lia's eyes.
"Of-Of course not. Who would cry just because her brother, who promised to come and see her, has lied. I didn't. An upper-class lady would never do something so shameful" More tears began to form in her eyes.
"The truth is that I have a splinter in my finger. Yes, that's why I cried so much" She began to observe her hand, which was obviously fine.
"Just because of a splinter, did you cry so much?" He kept asking without showing any mercy to the poor woman.
"No, it was two giant splinters, this big" She made a gesture of appearing large, but tears were already beginning to run down her face again.
"I understand, I understand. If they were giant splinters, then it is normal to cry" At this point, Edgar could do nothing but try to calm her down. The feeling of guilt ate away at him inside. Hell, now I can't say that I've never made a woman cry either.
"Well, I'm glad you understand." She said, already wiping away tears. "By the way, what are you doing alone in the forest?"
"I was..." Before he could make up a story, someone else joined the conversation.
"AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH WHAT IS THAT?" Lia's cry of fear was clear.
The wolf he'd sent to hunt for lunch had returned, carrying something in his muzzle that appeared to be a weasel.
"He's my partner?" His tone of voice was not at all convincing.
"Par-Partner, the poor thing is burned; his legs have been completely destroyed. It must hurt a lot. We have to take him to a caretaker" She really felt sorry for the poor animal, so much so that she was about to cry again.
How am I supposed to explain this? I should tell her that he was dead, and that I revived him. But Zek said he was a villain. Necromancy is probably not well seen in this world. Should I kill her? She hasn´t done anything wrong. Should I knock her unconscious and run into the woods? But what would happen if she was attacked by a wild animal? Ah, this is terrible. Why do I worry about someone I just met? If she dies, it's not my fault, it's nature. She was the one who ran into the forest for a silly birthday. His plan was terminated prematurely, as at that moment, both Edgar and the wolf detected someone approaching.
No, it was already here. A dagger pounced on Edgar, trying to cut his neck. He quickly reacted and blocked with his left arm. Blood gushed from the wound in spurts. He immediately threw a punch with his right hand, but it only hit the air. He had been there a moment ago, but one leap away and he managed to dodge the blow. The figure of a thin man.
"OH. I'm surprised, you managed to block my surprise attack. Not bad"
It was a man in a black hood. His hair was blonde, with brown eyes. He was wearing a kind of leather armor that covered his entire body. He was a little smaller than Edgar, but his movements were not those of a normal person.
"Who the fuck are you?" Demanded to know Edgar.
"Ed-Edgar, is your arm okay?" Lia exclaimed, evidently worried about him.
"This, pff, is nothing more than a mere scratch. Now answer my question, bastard. Who are you?"
"Edgar. Hahaha you think I'm going to accept that you have such a simple name. You are not a normal aristocrat, those eyes, your skin color, and the way you reacted. If you hide your real name, I also have my reasons for doing the same. Call me Sebastian, and the reason for my presence is to take that young woman with me"
"What? Why me?"
"No no no. I can't reveal the information from the job to the target. So, come without resistance"
Lia was shocked. She was about to be kidnapped. Probably for a sum of money or something equivalent. But if he wasn't going to hurt Edgar any more, then...
"I understand. I'll go with-"
"She's not going anywhere with you, bastard!" He cracked his knuckles and claws grew from his nails. "You're going to die right here"
"Do you really believe that? Then try it" He took another dagger in his hand and assumed an attack pose. Both daggers were pointed toward his opponent. The tension was felt in the air until they both jumped towards the other.
Sebastian reached the highest speed and, with both daggers, threw a cut to Edgar's chest. He did not stay behind and, with his claws, deflected the cuts. He immediately kicked his rival's trunk. The killer gave a pirouette in the air and dodged without problem, at the same time launching his counterattack by cutting off the extended leg.
The high-quality suit was torn as blood came out of the leg. Edgar endured the pain and, with his left hand, threw his claws at the head of the rival. The killer quickly crouched down and dodged the blow without problems. The daggers were attacking Edgar's chest once more...
"Now"
The wolf quickly jumped towards the killer with his fangs. Sebastian tried to back off, but the animal was faster and bit his left arm. The fangs tore through the armor, reaching up to the flesh. Edgar took advantage and, with his claws, he ripped the chest of his opponent.
"You are really good" With a smile, the murderer praised Edgar. "But not good enough"
Edgar followed with his other hand, the sharp claws pointed at the heart of the murderer. This was the final blow. However, something happened.
"[Dodge]" Those were the only words the assassin uttered.
Suddenly, his arm that was being bitten and the claws that were about to pierce his heart slipped. The fangs could no longer hold the flesh, and the claws slid down the chest instead of piercing it.
Magic, or some kind of skill... That was the last thing Edgar thought before the dagger pierced his neck and cut off his head. The last thing he could see as he fell to the ground was Lia's tears.
Why, we only met a while ago. Why do you cry for me?
Edgar Rossi died a second time.