Come and Cry at My Funeral - Chapter 73
Monster attack
‘Monsters? In this season?’
Freesia hurriedly put a pillow against her head and wrapped them together with a shawl, twisting her pillow around it. The aim was to prevent her hair from reflecting light and attracting the monsters’ attention.
Along with Thea, Van hurriedly flung open the carriage door.
“Madam!”
To his urgent call, Freesia did not hesitate to grab his hand.
Staying inside the carriage meant being sitting ducks, vulnerable to the monsters that might start breaking through the windows.
While the knights subdued the beasts, those unarmed had to flee as far as possible.
The campfire, dimmed to its lowest to avoid drawing attention in the deep night, now burned in a dangerously bright scarlet.
A few knights, including Van, circled around Freesia, Thea, and the rest of the party as if to protect them.
However, in this darkness, one figure was noticeably absent.
A sudden fear gripped Freesia, and she whispered to Van.
“Sir, where is the Duke?”
“He’s handling the situation at the forefront.”
Van drew his sword, vigilantly scanning the surroundings as he replied calmly.
Fifteen monsters had appeared suddenly. They were mature and fierce, but not beyond the capabilities of those from Arcturus to handle.
The caution was merely due to the presence of unarmed individuals.
“Don’t worry, it will be over soon.”
Not wanting to stir the servants’ anxiety, Freesia merely nodded silently to his words.
Yet, it was hard to calm down amid the stench of blood, shouts, and screams tearing through the eardrums.
More so, as she realized how increasingly odd this situation was.
‘This didn’t happen in my past life.’
She vividly remembered the journey marked by her husband’s indifference and Lady Electra’s harshness, where she barely scraped by.
Had they encountered monsters on that path, she would have found some plausible reason to dissuade Izar.
‘The route hasn’t changed, nor the date. But more importantly…’
Why are monsters appearing at this time? Freesia too lived on land where monster eradication was a primordial duty.
Thus, she naturally knew a thing or two.
For instance, like normal wild animals, monsters are most active in spring after hibernation.
Therefore, the villagers are most cautious in spring, gradually expanding their range of movement as seasons pass.
And now it was summer, when people felt safest to travel.
‘It’s not the season for monsters.’
Why has this variable occurred?
But before she could ponder further, a chilling scream that seemed to split the eardrums in two echoed above.
A sound only a being capable of merging a beast’s howl with the screeching of nails on a wall could produce.
Everyone clamped their hands over their ears.
Some even clasped their hands together, as if praying to Adamant.
Freesia too broke out in a cold sweat. Even the stoutest of men would succumb to primal fear at such a sound.
‘The monster is near.’
One the knights missed was lurking around.
She had to hold her breath and endure this moment.
Just a few seconds of enduring this nerve-wracking howl, and the near-panic fear would soon pass.
However, from behind Freesia, someone abruptly stood up.
“Eek…!”
A young servant, unable to overcome the terror, began to bolt towards the back.
‘No!’
Before Freesia or anyone else could seize the servant, a sharp scream and the sound of flesh being crushed filled the air.
Yellow eyes flickered all around in an instant.
And then, in a flash, pale beasts surged from the darkness.
“Ugh!”
“Madam!”
Before Van could shield Freesia with his body, someone fleeing bumped into her shoulder, causing Freesia to roll backwards.
“Ugh!”
And then, someone stepped on her thigh as they passed, forcing a stifled groan from her.
But in the darkness, it was hard to grasp the situation as she tumbled, even getting dirt in her mouth, briefly blocking her breath.
However, amidst the disorientation, a voice urgently calling her was heard.
“Madam, are you alright?”
“Cough, Thea?”
Freesia clutched the hand hoisting her up, regaining her senses. She was sore all over, but thankfully nothing was broken.
“Cough, Thea, the others, where are we?”
“Everyone is retreating, and Sir Dike is currently blocking—”
But Thea’s words abruptly stopped.
Through the dense bushes, eyes that had gone unseen before flickered. Six glowing orbs shone menacingly like a grim moon in the darkness.
The silvery-white wolf monster exuded a fear so intense it could make one’s legs give way.
Thea, clutching Freesia, trembled with terror.
“Ma, Madam…!”
Gaasp—
This was only the second time Freesia had seen a monster this close.
Though she nearly relived a terrifying memory from the past, she silently scraped her feet on the ground, trying to think.
‘What do I do, there’s nothing to grab and throw.’
Stoning… would only work against Albireo Deneb’s forehead. No unsanctified stone could be expected to have killing power.
If only she had the staff she used when herding sheep.
Then she could jab an eye or stuff it into the beast’s mouth, using the moment of surprise to flee…
But the monster had already stepped closer.
