I Got Reincarnated as a Zombie Girl-Chapter 385 - 381 – Shadows Behind the Scheme

The morning after the execution felt heavier than usual in Nocture. Thin black mist still drifted low across the castle courtyard, the scent of black roses that had bloomed overnight mingling with the faint smell of dried blood from the now-cleaned obsidian pillar. The city’s residents moved slowly; the clang of dwarf hammers from the iron district sounded softer than normal, the howls of lycanthropes in the training arena more restrained. Everyone knew: the queen had purged the traitors, but the shadow had never truly vanished.

Sylvia sat in her private study, the large obsidian desk before her covered in parchment reports: southern farmland yields up 30% after the long rains, western livestock beginning to stabilize now that the animals were tame again, mythril mines locked down tightly with doubled lycanthrope guards. But her mind wasn’t there. She stared at the Chain of Abyss coiled around her right wrist. The chain was silent now, yet the tremor it had given last night in Ironvale still felt like a small thorn in her chest.

Sofia entered without knocking, carrying two steaming cups of fragrant herbal tea scented with dried mountain leaves and wild honey she had taken from the castle kitchen. She placed one cup in front of Sylvia, then sat on the soft sofa in the corner of the room.

"You look tired again," Sofia said gently, blowing on her own cup. "Yesterday’s execution... it was heavy, wasn’t it?"

Sylvia gave a small nod, picking up the cup but not drinking yet. "It’s not the execution that’s heavy. What’s heavy is knowing someone got away."

Sofia frowned. "Got away? You mean the hunter group?"

"Not just them. Someone sent them. Someone wants Nocture’s pure mythril. And they won’t stop just because a few people died or fled."

Sofia was silent for a moment, then nodded slowly. "We need to find out who’s behind it."

Sylvia looked toward the tall window overlooking the city. "We already are. Alicia is digging deeper into Veyr. Stacia is reading through all the latest trade reports. Celes is reinforcing the spatial rifts. But I don’t want to wait in the castle."

Sofia gave a faint smile. "Going to take action yourself again?"

"Yes. A caravan carrying large energy crystals from several places was attacked last night in the central valley. They said remnant monsters, but the reports mention human traces, iron boot prints, broken crystal arrows. Not ordinary monsters."

Sofia set her cup down. "I’m coming with you."

Sylvia looked at her sharply. "It’s dangerous."

"I know. But I don’t want you going alone again. Besides... I already promised to join your adventures."

Sylvia was silent for a moment, then gave a small nod. "Fine. Small team: you, me, Noir. Celes and Alicia come along; Stacia stays to guard the castle."

They moved quickly. By midday, Noir had grown back into his massive jet-black form, tattered wings spread wide. Celes, as usual, with her silver hair and amethyst eyes, wore a gentle smile like an older sister. Sofia climbed onto Noir’s back, hugging Sylvia’s waist as always, her short spear slung across her own back.

Noir flew south, following the attacked caravan route. The central valley lay about half a day’s flight from Nocture, a narrow pass between two rocky hills, the main trade route connecting Nocture to Ironvale and the southern cities. When they arrived, the sun was already tilting west, faint red light filtering through the gray clouds.

The scene below was grim: a caravan of five large wooden wagons lay in ruins. Wheels broken, canvas covers torn, crates of energy crystals scattered across blood-soaked ground. Several merchant corpses lay sprawled, crystal arrow wounds in their chests, throats neatly slit. But there were no signs of large remnant monsters, only iron boot prints in the wet soil, and several broken arrows with tips still faintly glowing icy blue, a rare weapon. There had to be significant backing behind them.

Sylvia landed Noir in the middle of the wreckage. She dismounted, her black coat sweeping across the bloodied ground. The Chain of Abyss vibrated strongly now a cold, angry tremor. She knelt, touching one of the broken arrows. The icy blue crystal at its tip still glowed faintly.

"Mythril again," she murmured. "And Nocture’s energy crystals. They took most of the valuable cargo."

Sofia dismounted from Noir’s back, her golden eyes narrowing at the corpses. "They didn’t take everything. Only the most valuable. This isn’t an ordinary robbery. This... is a message."

Sylvia stood. "A message for me."

Celes floated closer. "There’s a stronger energy trace farther north in the valley. Someone is still there, perhaps a survivor of the attack, or maybe the provocateur who deliberately stayed to watch your reaction."

Sylvia nodded. "We go there."

They moved carefully along the valley. Mist began rising again from the damp earth, wrapping the low trees around them. Noir walked ahead in horse-sized form, nose sniffing the air, red eyes glowing alert. Sofia walked beside Sylvia, short spear already in hand.

It didn’t take long to find the energy source: a small cave on the side of a rocky hill. At the cave mouth, a man in a dark gray robe sat leaning against the stone, breathing raggedly. His robe was torn, his left arm bleeding heavily from a crystal arrow wound identical to those found at the caravan. In front of him, a small open chest: inside lay several Nocture energy crystals and a pure mythril sword still stained with blood.

The man lifted his head when he saw them. His face was pale, but his eyes remained sharp. "Queen of Death... you finally came."

Sylvia stopped a few steps away. Noir growled low, his body beginning to tremble, ready to grow larger.

"You stayed behind," Sylvia said coldly. "You’re the one provoking."

The man laughed softly, coughing blood. "I didn’t start it. But I’ll finish it. That mythril... it’s too valuable to be left in the hands of undead like you. There’s a bigger party that wants it. They want Nocture to fall. And you... you’re just a pawn that’s too strong to ignore." 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

Sylvia didn’t move. The Chain of Abyss vibrated intensely; jet-black chains began coiling in the air. "Who are they?"

The man gave a crooked smile. "You’ll find out... when they come. And they will come. Because you executed their people. Because you made them afraid. But fear... only makes them hungrier."

He raised his trembling right hand. In his palm glowed a small blood-red crystal pulsing darkly. "And this... a parting gift."

The crystal exploded softly. Not a massive blast, but a spreading wave of red energy that touched the valley floor. The ground shook violently. From below, black cracks appeared unstable fusion rifts, places where remnant monsters could emerge at any moment.

The man laughed one last time before his breath stopped. His body slumped forward, the red crystal crumbling to dust.

Sylvia raised her hand. The Chain of Abyss coiled swiftly, sealing the cracks one by one with black chains glowing dark purple. But the energy wave had already spread wide; the valley trembled harder, growls of monsters beginning to echo from underground.

Celes cried out softly. "Dimensional rifts! So many!"

Sofia gripped her spear tighter. "Sylvia... what do we do?"

Sylvia looked at the cracking valley. Her red eyes burned coldly. "We seal them. And we find out who this ’bigger party’ is."

Noir roared once a ground-shaking rumble that echoed through the valley. He grew again to full giant size, tattered wings spread wide, ready to protect his master.

Sylvia raised both hands. The Chain of Abyss erupted from her body; hundreds of jet-black chains emerged, burrowing into the ground cracks, sealing the dimensional rifts one by one with blazing death runes. Sofia and Celes moved into action Sofia speared emerging monsters with her spear, Celes slashed them with her sword and spatial elements.

The battle was short but fierce. The remnants that emerged weren’t particularly strong crystal wolves, venomous earth serpents, carrion birds with iron wings but there were many. Noir slaughtered them with tail and claws, his cold breath freezing entire small groups at once. Sylvia barely moved; her chains were enough to seal and crush anything that came through the rifts.

After an hour, the valley fell silent again. The cracks were closed, the remnants destroyed or vanished. The valley floor was covered in bloodstains and broken crystals, but it was safe.

Sylvia lowered her hands. The Chain of Abyss coiled back around her wrist. She looked at the dead man in the gray robe, then at the small chest containing energy crystals and the mythril sword.

"This isn’t the end," she said quietly. "This is just the beginning."

Sofia approached, breathing heavily but her eyes still strong. "Whoever is behind this... they want Nocture to fall. They want the mythril. And they know you won’t stay silent."

Sylvia gave a small nod. "They’re wrong if they think I’ll stay silent."

Noir growled in agreement, his giant body shrinking back to cat size and leaping onto Sylvia’s shoulder.

Celes floated closer. "I’ve recorded the trace of that red crystal energy. It can be tracked south toward the territory controlled by minor Nordic gods. They have bases and followers there."

Sylvia looked south. Her red eyes burned coldly. "We go home first. Report to Alicia and Stacia. Tomorrow... we head south."

Sofia took Sylvia’s hand. "Together."

Sylvia squeezed back a cold but warm touch. "Together."