Daskar's subordinates frowned at the sight of the corpse that emerged from Rei's Misty Ring.
They had seen the corpse at Marina's house too, but at that time, the spirits' influence had prompted Rei to stow it away immediately.
Compared to that, now that they were examining the corpse carefully and at length, they likely had their own thoughts on the matter.
Even among Daskar's subordinates, if these had been people like knights or soldiers, they would have been accustomed to seeing corpses.
However, those who had accompanied Daskar today were not used to such sights—so-called civil officials.
That was likely why they looked disgusted upon seeing the corpse.
Still, the fact that they didn't vomit from the unpleasantness suggested they possessed at least a certain degree of nerve.
No, it's not just nerve, is it? This is the corpse of someone who died by ingesting defilement. In other words, there are no external wounds, so it probably isn't that troubling to look at yet.
With corpses produced in battle, a crushed head or internal organs spilling from the abdomen were not uncommon.
Compared to that, this corpse had no particular external wounds and was remarkably clean.
What set it apart from a normal corpse, however, was that the fingertips, feet, and head were each moving on their own—which alone was sufficiently eerie.
Good thing I only took out one corpse... right? If something happens, having fewer to deal with is easier.
The sole purpose this time was to confirm the nature of the defilement-corrupted corpse.
There was no need to bring out multiple, so Rei had produced only one.
"So this is a corpse corrupted by defilement... Looking at it like this, it's clearly abnormal. It's moving to begin with—but is it truly a corpse?"
Unlike at Marina's house, producing the defilement-corrupted corpse caused no particular abnormalities in the surroundings.
Because of that, the others, including Daskar, were able to observe it carefully.
"There's no doubt it's truly a corpse. I confirmed the death myself. But since the cause of death was defilement, that defilement appears to be encroaching on the body like this. According to the Chief—"
Rei paused and glanced at Daskar's subordinates.
He expected them to be showing questioning expressions—the Chief?—but they didn't seem particularly bothered.
Do they know about the Chief... or rather, about fairies? These are subordinates Daskar brought to a place where we're discussing defilement-corrupted corpses, so it wouldn't be strange for them to know about fairies.
When discussing defilement, it was inevitably necessary to discuss fairies as well.
After all, it was the Chief of the Fairy Dwelling who had taught them about defilement in the first place.
Additionally, the Chief was the only one who could clearly grasp the current situation regarding defilement.
Since these were subordinates Daskar had brought along after deciding he needed to meet Rei regarding a matter related to defilement, it wouldn't be strange for them to have heard about fairies.
Thinking this, Rei continued.
"According to the Chief, it would likely become a monster similar to an Undead. I stress similar to an Undead—apparently it's not precisely an Undead."
"I see. Undead, yet not quite Undead... In that case, it also lacks a magic stone or anything of the sort—the hallmark of monsters?"
"I don't know. This is the first time I've seen someone actually transform like this. But from the way the Chief described it, she seemed to think there probably isn't one."
"If only it had a magic stone, we could at least treat it as a monster."
Rei nodded in agreement.
If it had a magic stone, Beast Magic might be able to acquire a new skill or enhance an existing one.
But even as the thought crossed his mind, he immediately dismissed it.
Beast Magic is fundamentally designed for use against ordinary monsters, after all. Even if defilement turned it into a monster with a magic stone, whether Beast Magic would even work on something like that is... well, then again, Beast Magic has already been used on monsters from another world and on Labyrinth cores, so it's hard to say.
Alternatively, precisely because it was Beast Magic created by the Zephyle Clan, it might activate even against targets that fell outside its original intended use.
"Rei, look."
Rei, who had been pondering Beast Magic, was suddenly called by name. He turned to look in the direction Elena was pointing—toward the corpse.
There, the corpse that had merely been twitching its hands and feet moments ago had entered what appeared to be the next stage.
Specifically, the fingertips had turned black—and not just ordinary black, but a color more aptly described as pitch-black.
Only the fingertips were visible, so that was all he could confirm, but it wouldn't be surprising if the feet inside the boots were turning black as well.
Since the moving hands had turned black, the moving feet would presumably follow.
"Does this mean... the monsterification has progressed further? Lord Daskar, what shall we do?"
Since Daskar was the one in charge here, Rei asked how they should handle the corpse.
However, this was also Daskar's first time seeing a defilement-corrupted corpse, so he had no idea how to respond.
"Rei, if something happens, can you dispose of this corpse immediately?"
"If you're asking whether I can burn it, then yes, I can burn it without issue. But... given that this corpse is corrupted by defilement, I can't say what will happen after it's burned."
If this were an ordinary corpse—say, that of some random monster—burning it would pose no particular problem for Rei.
But this was no ordinary corpse; it was corrupted by defilement.
More precisely, it was an existence in which a corpse of someone who died by ingesting defilement was attempting to become something akin to an Undead through the defilement within its body.
What's more, today was the first time he'd ever faced such an existence, so when asked if he could burn the corpse, he couldn't immediately say it would be no problem.
"That's a difficult one. But... we've come all the way out here after leaving Gilm. Having done so, I want to properly confirm what happens to this corpse under the defilement's influence. Even the slightest information about defilement is essential."
The more information about defilement they could convey to the Royal Castle, the better.
The problem was whether the recipients would actually believe it—but on that particular issue, there was nothing Daskar could do.
All he could do right now was gather as much detailed information as possible and report it.
"Rei, I agree with Lord Daskar as well. Given how little information we have on defilement, we need to gather as much as we can right now."
Elena also endorsed Daskar's opinion.
Given that they were going to such unconventional lengths, she likely wanted as much information about defilement as she could get.
With both of them saying as much, Rei couldn't object.
Besides, with this many people present, he was confident they could respond immediately if anything went wrong.
"Then let's observe a bit longer. But... Ara, please escort Lord Daskar's subordinates. To a more distant location."
"Lord Rei!?"
To Ara, she was strictly Elena's escort.
Being told to guard someone other than Elena, there was no way she would comply without protest.
"Ara, I'm asking you too. In this situation, you're the only one who can protect Lord Daskar's subordinates."
In truth, Seto and Ielo were also options.
However, Seto was expected—like Rei and Elena—to serve as immediate-response combat power in case something happened to the defilement-corrupted corpse.
And while Daskar undoubtedly possessed strength befitting his appearance, he wanted to observe the corpse himself.
In an emergency, Rei and Elena would likely be the ones protecting Daskar.
As for Ielo... despite its adorable appearance, it possessed high defense as the Child of the Black Dragon. But given its small size, it wouldn't be surprising if it were deemed unreliable for protecting Daskar's subordinates.
Considering all of these factors, having Ara protect Daskar's subordinates was undeniably the best option.
"Lady Elena... I understand. But please, be careful."
When Elena was the one asking, Ara found it difficult to refuse.
The fact that Elena was stronger than Ara, despite Ara being her escort, was likely also a significant factor in this case.
And so, reluctantly—truly reluctantly, though it was—Ara accepted the escort duty.
Once Ara nodded, everyone immediately made their preparations.
Daskar's subordinates, along with Ara and Ielo as a precaution, moved to a distant location, while Rei, Elena, Daskar, and Seto stayed to confirm what would happen to the defilement-corrupted corpse.
Naturally, so they could respond immediately no matter what occurred, Rei held Death Scythe and the Twilight Spear, Elena held the whip-sword Mirage, and Daskar, as a precaution, carried a longsword.
Seto, who wielded no weapons, also readied himself so that he would be prepared no matter what happened... and then they observed the defilement's progress.
Just as the hands had been dyed black, the feet were likely undergoing the same transformation.
Though the boots and trousers made it hard to confirm, as they continued watching... eventually, the black crept up to the neck.
The head, the last remaining part, also gradually turned black.
Even as the body was consumed by black, the corpse continued to twitch.
If someone who knew nothing of the situation were to see it, they would never think it was dead.
...Though if one touched the chest, the heart wasn't beating, and if one felt the wrist or the neck, the absence of a pulse was unmistakable.
Whether anyone would actually attempt such a thing, however, was another matter entirely.
"The entire body has been dyed black. We don't know what's coming, so stay alert."
At Daskar's words, Rei, Elena, and Seto each readied themselves for whatever might occur.
As all eyes remained fixed on the corpse... finally, everything—including the head—was completely consumed by black.
In that instant, the body crumbled and collapsed.
Yes—crumbled and collapsed.
As if the entire body were made of dry dust, with an appearance just like that.
"Eh?"
Who exactly uttered that single word?
It certainly wasn't Seto, but whether it was Elena, Daskar, or perhaps Rei himself letting out the sound without realizing it was unclear.
However, such a reaction was hardly unwarranted.
Based on the Chief's words, they had assumed the corpse would become an Undead or something similar through the defilement.
They had also heard her say that those who died by ingesting defilement would effectively never have died at all.
That was why they had predicted it would become an Undead... but for it to crumble and collapse like black dust was entirely unexpected.
"This is—"
What exactly is going on?
Rei was about to voice the thought, but before he could finish, the situation shifted.
The full plate armor, the clothes, and the body—flesh, skin, bones, hair, eyeballs, internal organs, everything—had turned to black dust and fallen to the ground. But then, that black dust suddenly rose.
The dust rose.
Rei understood that such a description was technically incorrect.
Nevertheless, based on his senses, saying the black dust had risen was the most accurate way to put it.
"!"
The moment the black dust rose, Rei leapt backward—and so did Elena and Seto.
A beat behind Rei's group, Daskar also jumped back.
Fortunately, although the black dust had risen, it simply stood there without doing anything in particular.
While standing there, the black dust gradually coalesced into a single form... taking on the shape of a person.
"What in the world... is going on here?"
Even as he cried out sharply, Rei kept his weapons at the ready, prepared to respond instantly if the enemy attacked.
"I don't know. I don't know, but... leaving it as is would be dangerous. Rei, we're taking it down! Lord Daskar, you agree!?"
Elena was seeking Daskar's consent for form's sake, but the force behind her words made it clear she intended to attack regardless of whether Daskar objected.
Daskar understood this as well, and he had no particular issue with it.
Even from Daskar's perspective, he could tell that the humanoid existence formed from the gathered black dust was a dangerous opponent.
While he wanted as much information about defilement as possible, he had no intention of leaving an existence that his instincts screamed was dangerous to roam free.
"I don't mind—take it down!"
Daskar issued the command without a moment's delay.
Hearing his voice, Rei unleashed a strike with Death Scythe and the Twilight Spear, Elena unleashed a strike with Mirage in its whip form, and Seto fired fifty Ice Arrows.