It really was okay.

  The skeletons and zombies put on an overcoat with robe to mask their appearances and safely entered the city without a hitch.

  They told me that they used the same method to infiltrate the magic academy during the previous incident.

  Thus, I enter the city with undeads forming a long line behind me.

  「Pops, give me three meat skewers!」


  We arrived at the plaza in front of coliseum that’s totally filled with street vendors.

  And then, there’s a gathering of suspicious people wearing robes in front of a street vendor who sells skewered meat.

  「It’s coming! You’ve become thinner huh, lad. You should eat more, you know. Here, another one on the house! 」


  「Really!? Thankssh! 」


  Become thinner, seriously? It’s a skeleton, though….

  Despite our attempt to hide our appearances, did he notice it? Or rather, can a skeleton even eat meat? Even though there’s no meat on their body?

  When I think how he’s going to eat those meat skewers even when he doesn’t have a stomach, the meat vanished into the darkness of his mouth. Monsters are amazing.

  Later, we watched a match in the coliseum.

  Just right in time for Jackrosa’s match.

  It seems he became even more powerful by utilizing the magic lance that he learned in the magic academy. Added to the fact that he already has high enough defense, this provides him to exhibit high offensive power and long distance attack.

  This might be the true power of number one in this arena.

  「Ah, that seems to hurt!」


  「HYIII!」


  But, the zombies watching the match beside me shrugged their bodies when they saw a clean hit during the match.

  ……


  Thus, we left the arena.

  After we visited various places, we visit the magic academy. Though I see that these zombies are volunteering, I wonder what kind of work are they planning to do, anyway.

  Though the staff was suspicious when extremely suspicious guys suddenly came, his attitude had a sudden change upon seeing me. Since it was my intention to do a clean up activity of the city around this area, I was truly grateful for being able to do voluntary activity along with these undead. We cleaned up the academy together.

  It’s their atonement for causing trouble back then… Or so I wanted to say, but if we were talking about the real situation, the punishment might be similar to this one.

  For some reason, they feel more humane than a real human being like me who’s complaining deep in my heart while helping with voluntary work.

  Thus, after we were done with touring the city, we continued sweating out by doing voluntary works until dusk.

  What a healthy life this is.

  I’m supposed to become their guide for this one day, but it seems these undead already know the city like their own backyard.

  Let’s try to look at what they’re doing right now.

  While thinking so, Suu, Jackrosa, and I divide the treasures that we obtained from our previous adventure. Since each one of us have different classes and positions, it became a blessing in disguise since none of us want the same thing.

  Well, I don’t think that the three of us will be bickering over such things even if all of us were swordsmen or adventurers.

  We’re not greedy, including me.

  After spending such a day, I left my room in the middle of night to feel the night wind.

  「Eh, Epi?」


  I saw Epi leaving the inn.

  I follow her since, for some reason, I’m feeling anxious about it. Naturally, I follow her while using my stealth skill.

  I am tailing Epi who’s walking toward the downtown under the moonlight.

  Though it’s bustling during the day, it’s deserted during night with just a few drunkards along the way, and Epi continues to walk till she reached the outskirts of the city.

  She then enters the small forest outside the city—— And met the undead.

  It seems they’re discussing about something.

  What should I do right now?

  Since no one’s around, should I barge in and disturb their meeting?

  Well, going back after coming this far and pretending that I didn’t see anything feels wrong, too.

  「Good evening」


  Though it’s a rather sensitive situation, I decided to greet them for the time being.

  Those undead are looking at me with surprised expressions.

  Scary. The night is scary.

  「Eiji. I really didn’t notice at all. Since when were you here? 」


  「Just now. I just noticed you left the inn when I was strolling outside due to the hot air」


  I won’t say that I was tailing her.

  She might mistake me as her stalker.

  「Really~? 」


  Epi is staring at my eyes with a suspicious look on her face.

  I dodge her eyes and then divert the topic toward the previous conversation.

  「Anyway, what are you guys doing in this place at this kind of time?」


  「Whatever the reason is, we’re undead. Though we can be active during the days, we are still nocturnal by nature. We were active during daytime because the shops are closed by nightfall」


  Come to think of it, she’s right.

  I’m completely forgot about that since I’m too used with them moving during the daytime.

  「Well, there’s a reason for us to be here」


  One zombie comes forward.

  I still couldn’t easily distinguish the zombies using their facial features, but I’m sure that this zombie is the one who talked to me first.

  「Uhm, so, In short―― Uhm, how should I explain this? 」


  Oy.

  「Oy, did you forget it already?」


  The one who retorted in my place was the skeleton by his side. By the way, since everyone has taken off their robe right now, he really is just a complete skeleton.

  The zombie then turned his face toward the skeleton.

  「Hehehe, I’m not that confident with my memories lately」


  The skeleton is shaking its head while shrugging shoulders.

  「Isn’t that because you were a dimwit right from the beginning? Well, it might be because of your rotten brain」


  「What did you say? Aren’t you one without a brain, too! 」


  「HAH」


  The skeleton twists his body due to the shock instilled by the response.

  「AIN’T MUCH DIFFERENT!」


  GUH! Wahahaha! The zombie and the skeleton are laughing at the same time.

  Eh, what the hell are they laughing about?

  Are they actually joking around?

  Is this an undead-style joke?

  「Oioi, why are you making that boring face, niichan?」


  When I was bewildered by such a scene, another laughing skeleton tapped on my shoulder.

  I wanted to say that you guys are responsible for this expression, but I’m an adult, so there’s no way I’ll say that right in front of them.

  The skeleton is rubbing on my shoulder.

  「How about you train to become as muscular as me, brother?」


  「Aren’t you just bare bones!?」


  「AIN’T MUCH DIFFERENT! 」


  GUH! Wahahahaha! The zombie and the skeleton start laughing at the same time, again.

  The skeleton who tapped on my shoulder is giving a thumbs up to me.

  ――Could it be that I unintentionally joined their skit!?

  「Well, that’s all there’s to it, lad. For once, you should enjoy your life with a smile. Just like us」


  When that skeleton said as such to me, a zombie tapped on the skeleton’s shoulder.

  「But you’re dead already, ain’t cha? 」


  「AIN’T MUCH DIFFERENT! 」


  Do you guys keep repeating such a gag?

  Aren’t you undead guys the weird one here! Heck, are you actually trying to make your skit more popular?

  Let me tell you, it definitely won’t become popular at all.

  …. Fuh, this Patrache is tired, you know. [TL : Name of a certain dog]

  Or rather, why the hell have you guys even come to this place? What was the thing you forgot about after you came here?

  ……


  ……


  ……


  「In short, after you failed to steal the relic from the academy, you want to search for its replacement. Am I wrong? 」


  After such skits with the undeads, I recalled the reason why I’m here, so I asked for explanation from Epi.

  According to what I heard in the dungeon before, they seem to be looking for a permanent way to stay outside the dungeon without losing their power.

  I can only go as far as lending mine, and it seems the other zombies also want that, too.

  But, from this meeting, it seems such mean are yet to be available.

  Well, few possible ones are popping out, in fact.

  「I see. Well, that’s quite a problem, isn’t it? But, if you only need demonic elements, can’t you just use magic tools as replacement? It doesn’t have relic-level power or capabilities, but it’s sold everywhere」


  「That’s sounds like a proper argument but… There’s a catch in that method」


  「What? Do tell me the problem」


  「We need a lot of normal magic tools to preserve our strength, thus we end up sapping the power of the magic tool away at a fierce rate」


  Ah, that’s certainly quite a problem.

  And, speaking of high quality magic tools, it’s limited in number.

  Continuing to buy that will caused a lot of problems later on.

  「Come to think of it, you’re right. Well, since you guys will stay here for a while, I’ll lend my magic tools for you and you can continue searching for a replacement for the time being」


  「Ooh, thank you very much, Eiji-aniki」


  The skeleton is conveying its gratitude.

  You’re welcome.

  「Epi-neesan, I think it’s okay to tell this guy, right? 」


  「Yeah! Isn’t he the one who defeated Epi-neesan? Don’t you think that we can find a solution as long as we have Eiji-aniki cooperating with us? 」


  「A solution? What are you talking about? Come to think of it… You are yet to tell me why you have left the dungeon, your hometown? Please tell me」


  Though she continued pondering for a while with a gloomy face, Epi suddenly stared at me with a gloomy expression as if her vermillion pupils would drill through my eyes.

  「Eiji, you said that you wanted me to become your guide when you enter the dungeo— I mean to Unholywoods again, didn’t you?」


  「Yeah. It’ll save a lot of time if we explore with someone who’s familiar with the dungeon」


  「Nice Epi-sama, please become his guide. Use it to express our gratitude」


  What’s with this sudden mood swing?

  When I internally ask myself while looking around, the zombies and skeletons are nodding in agreement.

  Does that mean there’s something happening inside Unholywoods?

  I might be able to explore the labyrinth while investigating the root cause, it’s killing two birds with one stone.

  Let’s aim to conquer Unholywoods along with Epi.