“Is... is this really okay?”

  The question echoed in Elsa’s mind, but she didn’t know the answer. She couldn't, because she was completely overheating; her mind had gone entirely blank.

  Pandora’s idea of “changing positions” wasn’t what Elsa expected. Instead of sitting across from her, Pandora shifted—realigning herself until they were both lying in the same direction.

  The tub was small to begin with. Add in Elsa’s frame—which was considerably larger than Pandora’s—and the result was an intimate, suffocating lack of space. Elsa’s body became a makeshift human pillow, implying a closeness that made her brain shudder.

  “M-My... Lady?”

  Too soft. Too warm. Too close.

  Elsa’s mind short-circuited. The sudden, intimate contact sent her blood boiling, rushing to her face in a scalding wave.

  Elsa’s entire body locked up; she didn’t dare move a muscle.

  A long time passed before the surging heat slowly pulled back, calmed somewhere inside her by some internal force, and she gradually came back from that total shock and happiness.

  “M-my… Lady?”

  Elsa called out softly, her voice so quiet probably only she could hear it.

  The person in front of her gave no answer.

  Only then did Elsa realize Pandora had already fallen asleep from extreme tiredness, blood loss, and this sudden, complete relaxation…

  And judging by her call not waking her, she was out cold.

  But Pandora rarely snored in her sleep, so when Elsa’s mind had been a blank earlier, she hadn’t noticed…

  “My Lady…”

  Elsa didn’t know how to describe what she felt now.

  She’d originally thought her Lady’s blood was the most wonderful thing in the world.

  Yet. She suddenly felt even that most wonderful, most intoxicating blood was, at best, just sensory stimulation, a physical… basic pleasure.

  But now.

  Her Lady, feeling completely relaxed and totally safe because of her presence… sleeping in her arms.

  This was probably the real…

  The happiest thing.

  If only time could freeze right here…

  Elsa sighed with feeling.

  “But… can’t.”

  Elsa let out a soft sigh, then forced down the urge to stay a moment longer.

  Only when she felt she couldn’t wait anymore did she, filled with regret, lift Pandora from the water with the gentlest moves…

  A bath was nice, but you shouldn’t soak too long; not good for the body.

  Even if… it felt so good, she had to put her Lady’s health first.

  Splish, splash.

  Clear, warm trickles ran down between the two smooth bodies.

  Meanwhile,

  those enjoying this hard-won, fleeting warmth and quiet might not have been just the two of them. The two sisters not far off were likely also sunk in the comfort of full relaxation after their mental strain…

  ………………

  At the same time Pandora sank into warm, comfortable sleep, at another end of the Ruined City, someone else had just finished a tense, bloody fight.

  Her attire resembled the heavy plating of a medieval knight, though refined with sleek, modern lines. The plating protecting her vitals was sleek rather than cumbersome, but the material, shining with a cold, hard gleam, was actually a high-strength alloy procured through The Corpse Hall’s internal channels. It kept things simple but packed real combat power.

  She was Aurora.

  Her spot now wasn’t too far from Tsukimidaira.

  Actually, this was an area she’d picked on purpose—a pretty central zone between Tsukimidaira, Kamiyama Front, and Sakura Road—Tanuki Path.

  Looking at the headless zombie corpse she’d cleanly taken down and the few infected, mutated Tanukis her precise sword work had shredded nearby, Aurora finally let out a breath.

  Having lost her Lady’s trail, she didn’t know which area Pandora would end up in.

  To stay closer, she’d just picked this “Tanuki Path” in the center of the three zones.

  Now, after nearly a full day of rushing and clearing, she’d finally wiped out the most obvious, threatening zombies near this temporary place.

  As for the many more still hidden deeper in street corners, alleys, and building insides, she’d have to clear them slowly over time.

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  After getting back a bit of stamina on the spot, Aurora turned and walked into a pretty narrow apartment building not far off.

  The building gave an overall feel of being eaten by time and dust; its structure was clearly not great. It wasn’t hard to imagine the inside state of the apartments wasn’t much better either.

  However, for Aurora, this place had one perfect, irreplaceable plus: it was quiet with few disturbances. That was enough for her to like it here.

  Entering one of the rooms on the second floor, Aurora first went into the cramped washroom and used the ice-cold river water she’d painstakingly fetched from a distant canal to give herself a quick rinse.

  Unlike Pandora, currently enjoying a hot bath, Aurora had no hot water.

  Fuel, for her situation, was still a pretty precious resource not to waste on comforts.

  Same for clean drinking water; every drop had to be carefully saved.

  Luckily, she’d already implanted the “Plague Seed” in her body. After three hard months of adjustment in the academy, her body no longer feared the viruses in ordinary zombie fluids.

  Even if the water or other daily stuff wasn’t strictly sterilized, it didn’t matter much.

  After changing into clean, prepared spare clothes, Aurora, her body full of weariness, dropped onto the narrow, hard single bed.

  An intense sense of fatigue, like an invisible tide, washed over her instantly, making her sleepy.

  But, “No, can’t sleep just like this.”

  Aurora forced herself alert, stubbornly fighting the sleep urge, and sat up from the bed.

  She reached out a hand trembling slightly from the fight and picked up from the old wooden table by the bed the black-red syringe she always kept treasured in a hard case.

  The liquid in the vial showed an ominous, congealed-blood color under the moonlight.

  She stared hard at the syringe a long moment, like making final mental prep.

  Finally, Aurora gritted her teeth and forced the syringe’s entire contents into her body through her arm!

  The moment the injection hit her system, the liquid holding The Corpse Hall’s specially made enhancement virus took effect right away!

  The injection would temporarily, powerfully shut down her immune system, clearing a path for the virus to spread. Only after the viruses multiplied enough and started changing her body would the suppression lift.

  This process would, once again, boost her physical stats and mature the “Plague Seed” inside her, seriously speeding up her climb to the next rank.

  But there was a price.

  The special injection worked violently. Without exceptional talent and rock-solid will, enduring it was impossible.

  And even for those who could, the whole process came with…

  excruciating pain…

  “Ah!!!”

  Right on cue.

  Agony hit without warning.

  Aurora could already feel a fiery, searing pain at the injection site. And the pain was spreading fast in all directions!

  A feeling like her bones were being crushed inch by inch, piece by piece, erupted from her limbs, her whole body, from deep in her spine!

  Aurora fought against the tearing pain. Cold sweat broke out on her forehead instantly; her breathing turned fast and ragged.

  The extreme pain even started to blur her mind.

  Uncontrollably, she curled up on the bed.

  At some point, she instinctively grabbed the soft pillow beside her, using her last bit of strength to clutch it tight against her chest.

  That soft, small feeling,

  for some reason, right now, made a strange, calming power, steadying her nerves—stretched so tight by pain they might snap any second.

  Her mouth muttered brokenly, driven by instinct,

  muttering the name of the only one she needed to serve, the only will she obeyed…

  “My Lady…”

  “Lady Pandora…”

  With each whisper, she hugged the pillow tighter, like she wanted to merge it completely into her body, her soul,

  as the one comfort against this endless hell of suffering.

  Finally,

  after what felt like forever in that hellish pain,

  the searing agony that felt like it could burn even her soul slowly faded.

  Aurora, her stamina totally spent, felt her breathing shift from short, frantic gasps to long, even pulls.

  She’d dropped into a dream.

  She dreamt a long, very real dream.

  In the dream, the world hadn’t changed. She was still in that familiar medieval world, still in the bittersweet, memory-filled Douglas Manor.

  She dreamt she’d finally put on the coveted suit of pure white knight’s armor. Under the manor’s highest spire, with all the nobles and attendants watching, she knelt on one knee, swearing eternal loyalty to the one worthy of her lifelong service: Viscountess Pandora.

  Then, as a newly appointed knight, she expanded territories for her Viscountess, handling countless internal and external disputes, accidents, and enemies.

  Her sword swung for Pandora;

  her shield stood for Pandora.

  Finally, on the day of decisive victory in the war, at the big celebration feast held at Douglas Manor…

  She saw her Viscountess.

  Lady Pandora was dressed in full formal wear.

  The gown was made of extremely rare, expensive, magnificent crimson velvet.

  The dress’s top fit her petite frame perfectly, the waist cinched tight. A wide belt dotted with tiny gems secured it, highlighting the slender waist while showing the upright, unbending posture fit for a superior.

  The long skirt flowed like running blood down to the floor, with a slight train, making every step elegant, captivating.

  The most unique part was her shoulders.

  They didn’t have the usual puffy sleeve pads of court dress,

  but two small silver pauldrons polished mirror-bright.

  The pauldrons were shaped with elegant, classic lines, engraved intricately with the Douglas family crest of woven thorns and roses, glittering under candlelight.

  They were both fine decoration and quiet authority.

  At the feast, people mingled, glasses clinked.

  Viscountess Pandora moved through the crowd and came right to her,

  giving her alone a smile bright enough to dim the moonlight.

  She gave Aurora a goblet of wine as deep as night, matching her gown’s color.

  As Aurora grew a little dizzy from honor and drink,

  the Viscountess unexpectedly leaned close to her ear.

  Warm breath brushed her neck, making her shiver.

  In a voice soft as a feather, just for them and holding a hint of mischief, she said she had a special reward for her.

  Then…

  She took her hand. The touch of skin was warm and smooth, leading her step by step away from the noisy banquet hall, toward the deep, quiet corridor to the second-floor bedroom…

  Then…

  Then…

  The dream ended.

  Aurora blinked her eyes, still a bit dazed and confused.

  She slowly sat up and glanced down at the already not-so-soft bedding under her.

  The sheets and mattress beneath were soaked through.

  Probably…

  wet from sweat from the injection, right?

  For some reason,

  Aurora remembered the suddenly cut-off last scene from her dream just now.

  Why… had she dreamt something like that?

  That kind of dream was way too… blasphemous!!! The thought alone made the bloodless paleness of her pain-stricken face flush with a soft pink.

  A long while later,

  she finally shook off that unspeakable shame and daze.

  A faint trace of regret for a beautiful dream interrupted flickered in Aurora’s eyes.

  Beautiful dreams were always like this,

  always cutting off at the most thrilling moment…

  What a shame.

  But,

  Aurora suddenly clenched her fist.

  A sense of huge, explosive power surged from her tightened grip. To her secret delight, the enhancement effects this time were even better than she’d hoped!

  Too bad this injection, powerful enough to bring real change, couldn’t be used often. The next time would be at least three months later.

  But, with two more,

  at most two more, she should be able to…

  Aurora quickly calculated her progress in her head. To her delight, she found,

  if she could get two more enhancements like this—

  she’d be almost ready to break through to the second rank!

  “By then…”

  “This second-rank self won’t be just a burden to my Lady anymore…”

  Aurora’s eyes shone with a new, determined light of excitement.