The black-metal equipment we had gathered still lay near the foot of the tomb stairs.

There was too much of it to carry without a cart, and I had no intention of leaving those valuable items in the hands of Barrowford’s residents.

‘Keep away from the civilians.’

The Skeleton troops moved to the outer edge of the cemetery and stopped among the old gravestones. The guards followed their movements with the tips of their spears, but no one attacked.

The Burrow Matriarch stood at the rear. Her massive body hunched beneath the low-hanging branches, while the purple heart behind her ribs pulsed soundlessly.

I turned toward Alden.

‘Ask for two carts. One for Calvar and another for the equipment below.’

Alden relayed my request to one of the guards.

The man glanced toward the entrance to the tomb, then at the injured people scattered among the gravestones. After several seconds, he called over two residents and ordered them to find any carts that were still usable.

I walked toward Calvar.

The priest was conscious, although his face remained pale and his breathing shallow. His right hand was wrapped in wet cloth. The skin visible between the folds had turned dark red and was beginning to blister.

The cracked silver emblem had been placed on his chest.

I opened my Inventory.

The Corrupted Evolution Core appeared above my palm.

The dark-red crystal was still warm. Black veins filled its interior, spreading from the center toward the surface like roots growing through flesh.

Its pulse was faint, but it never truly stopped.

Calvar frowned.

“Where did you get that?”

I sent my answer through the relay.

“From the Orc Warlord who attacked Stonewatch,” Alden said.

Calvar’s gaze lifted from the core.

“Stonewatch was attacked?”

Tension appeared on his face. He tried to raise himself, but the pain forced him to lean back down.

“What condition is the city in?”

“The Warlord is dead,” Alden replied. “Stonewatch still stands, though many were wounded or killed.”

Calvar closed his eyes for a moment. His jaw tightened, but he asked no further questions.

This was not the time to explain everything that had happened.

His attention returned to the core in my hand. He examined it without touching, following the black veins spreading through the crystal.

Several seconds passed before he drew a breath.

“The corruption appears to have reached the interior.” His voice was hoarse. “I can try to cleanse it, but the core must be kept intact during the process.”

‘What do you need?’

Alden passed on my question.

“An alchemist.”

Mirae.

No further explanation was necessary.

I returned the core to my Inventory.

‘We’re returning to Stonewatch.’

Two carts were brought to the cemetery not long afterward.

The first was small and pulled by a single horse. Straw and several coats had been laid across its bed so the jolts from the road would not strike Calvar’s body directly.

The second cart was wider, with thick wooden boards normally used to carry stone or harvested crops.

‘Load all the black metal.’

Several Skeletons descended the tomb stairs again.

Before long, the sound of heavy metal came from below. Weapons, shields, and pieces of armor were carried up one by one. Some blades were too long to be placed across the cart, while the largest breastplate had to be lifted by two Skeletons to keep it from catching against the stairwell walls.

All the equipment was piled onto the second cart. The weight bent its wooden boards and pressed the wheels deeper into the ground, but the cart still held.

After the last item had been removed, I turned toward Alden.

‘Tell them the tomb is still unsafe. No one is to go down there after we leave.’

Alden rubbed his throat before delivering my warning.

“The passages beneath the tomb are still dangerous. No one should enter.”

A Barrowford guard stared at the dark gap beneath the sarcophagus. Dried blood covered one side of his face, while his hand trembled from exhaustion.

“What is still down there?”

“There are many ghoul tunnels beneath the tomb,” Alden answered. “If any of them remain, they could emerge at any time.”

The guard’s gaze shifted toward me, then toward the Matriarch.

He asked nothing else.

I raised my left hand.

‘Seal the entrance.’

Several Skeletons pushed stones, fragments of foundation, and pieces of broken gravestones down the stairs.

The rocks fell, bounced across the steps, then settled into a rough pile below.

Once the opening was almost blocked, the Matriarch Skeleton stepped forward.

The guards immediately retreated. One of them raised his spear before another grabbed the shaft and stopped him.

The Matriarch did not look at them.

Both of her front claws pressed against the side of the massive sarcophagus.

GRRRAK!

The great stone shifted.

The vibration traveled through the cemetery ground. Dust fell from the base, while several conscious victims flinched and tried to rise before their injuries forced them back down.

The carved knight atop the sarcophagus slowly moved across the entrance to the Ossuary.

The stone structure stopped with a heavy sound.

It did not return to its exact original position. Scrape marks remained clearly visible along the base, and anyone with enough ropes and manpower could still move it.

However, those marks also made it clear that the passage below had been deliberately sealed again.

The barrier would not stop anyone truly determined to open it, but it would be enough to keep residents from descending without preparation.

Two men then carefully lifted Calvar into the first cart. The priest clenched his jaw as his shoulders and back were moved, but the breath leaving his mouth became a short hiss.

He was more injured than he wanted to show.

Once Calvar had been laid on the straw, Alden took the reins.

Two Orc Warriors stood in front of the cart loaded with black metal. They lifted the wooden pulling bar and began dragging it without the need for an animal.

I jumped onto the front edge of Calvar’s cart, then ordered all my Vassals and Skeletons to follow.

The guards cleared a path without being asked. Several residents who were still able to stand bowed their heads as Calvar’s cart passed, while the others kept their distance from the Skeletons.

No one asked us to stay.

Relief and fear mingled on their faces as the Matriarch left the cemetery.

We left Barrowford with two carts.

The wooden wheels moved slowly across the muddy road. Every time one struck a stone, Calvar’s body shifted and his breathing caught.

Alden did not urge the horse forward.

The smoke of Barrowford gradually disappeared behind the trees. The town bells could no longer be heard, but the scent of blood and freshly disturbed earth still clung to our procession.

Behind the cart, the Vassals moved in a loose formation. The Skeleton troops followed with no sound except the clatter of bone, metal, and weapons swaying against their bodies.

The people we encountered on the road moved aside before we approached.

A merchant abandoned his cart with half of it lodged in a ditch. Two hunters lowered their bows and stood among the bushes with pale faces. A child riding a donkey began to cry when the Matriarch’s skull emerged between the trees.

They did not see the saviors of Barrowford.

They saw a small monster leading a horde of monsters and an army of Skeletons.

I could not blame them.

Several days ago, I could still hide behind a human’s legs and be mistaken for a lost pet.

Now, the heavy sound of the Matriarch’s bone claws followed me with every step she took.