I Got Reincarnated as a Zombie Girl-Chapter 386 - 382 – Return to the Garden

Noir flapping his massive wings once more, leaving the central valley now silent again after the brief battle. The fusion rift cracks had been tightly sealed by Sylvia’s black chains; the valley floor was covered in bloodstains and shattered crystals, but no monster growls remained. The air still felt heavy with a lingering death aura and the red energy that had exploded from the gray-robed man’s crystal, but the mountain wind slowly carried it away, bringing fresh scents of damp earth and wild pine.

Sylvia sat upright on Noir’s back, her black coat fluttering gently in the wind. Sofia hugged her waist tightly from behind, chin resting on the queen’s shoulder, golden hair whipping wildly but her face calm despite her slightly ragged breathing after the fight. Celes sat at the very back, still wearing her usual gentle smile, though her amethyst eyes were full of calculation.

No one spoke for the first few minutes. Only the steady beat of Noir’s wings, the cold rush of mountain wind, and their gradually normalizing breaths filled the silence. The valley below shrank into a thin line between rocky hills, then disappeared entirely as Noir climbed higher to avoid the strong winds in the mountain pass.

Sofia finally broke the quiet, her voice soft but clear against the wind. "That man... he said there’s a bigger party behind this. They want Nocturne to fall. They want the mythril. And now they know about me... about this spear."

She touched the golden spear handle slung across her back Lucifer’s Spear.

Sylvia didn’t turn, but her hand reached back to grasp the one Sofia had wrapped around her waist, holding it tightly. A cold yet warm touch, as always. "They’ve known each other for a long time. But now they have direct proof. That makes a big difference."

Celes floated closer, her voice gentle but firm, like an older sister giving advice. "I’ve recorded the pattern of that red crystal energy. It’s not ordinary, it’s a blend of ancient Nordic runes and minor god blood. They have connections to the northern territory ruled by the minor ice-coast gods. Their base is there, among the fjords and eternal glaciers. Their followers are fanatics, and they’ve long targeted Nocturne’s mythril for their grand ritual."

Sylvia gave a small nod. "We head home first. Report to Alicia and Stacia."

Noir let out a soft growl of agreement, his wings beating more firmly. They flew swiftly north, leaving the now-quiet central valley behind. No one knew no one saw that moments after they departed, shadows stirred again from the trees at the valley’s edge.

Three figures in jet-black robes emerged slowly from the darkness. One was a thin man with his hood pulled low, eyes red like dried blood. He knelt beside the already-cold body of the gray-robed man, touching his neck briefly to confirm no breath remained. Then he nodded to his two companions.

"Take the body. And record everything he saw."

One of them, a woman with short silver hair and glowing green eyes, took a small black crystal from her robe pocket. It glowed faintly as she touched it to the corpse, capturing the man’s final memories: the battle in the valley, Noir’s full-sized appearance, Sylvia’s black chains sealing the fusion rifts, and most importantly, Sofia’s golden spear hanging on her back during the fight. The faint but unmistakable aura of Lucifer.

The thin man gave a thin smile. "Lucifer’s Spear... and the Queen of Death protecting her. This information is more than enough. The minor gods will be pleased. They’ve long wanted that power returned to the right hands."

The silver-haired woman nodded. "They will join. With that spear, the ritual can continue. Nocturne will fall."

They lifted the man’s body quickly and silently, then vanished back into the shadows of the trees. No trace remained except dried blood on the ground and scattered broken crystals, evidence soon to be swallowed by mist and mountain wind.

Noir landed gently in the castle garden of Nocturne as the sun was nearly set. The wide courtyard, surrounded by thickly blooming black roses, welcomed them with a heavy, sweet fragrance. Thin black mist drifted low, making the flowers appear to live within a dark dream. Several lycanthrope guards nodded respectfully from a distance, their yellow eyes glowing with unwavering loyalty.

Sylvia dismounted first, her black coat sweeping across the damp grass. Sofia followed, stretching her stiff body after the long flight. Celes descended gracefully, her crystalline body shimmering faintly in the deep red sunset light.

"I’ll report directly to Alicia and Stacia," Celes said softly. "The trace of that red crystal energy needs immediate analysis. You two rest first."

Sylvia gave a small nod. "Thank you, Celes."

Celes offered a faint, proud older-sister smile, then floated away toward the main castle tower, her crystalline form vanishing into the mist.

Sylvia and Sofia walked slowly toward the queen’s study. The cold obsidian corridors welcomed them with familiar silence. Elf and lycanthrope guards bowed respectfully at every intersection, but no one spoke. Everyone knew the queen had just returned from battle, and everyone knew something larger was approaching.

In the study, Sylvia sat in the large obsidian chair behind the desk. Sofia settled on the soft sofa in the corner, letting out a long sigh as she removed her golden spear and placed it beside her. Noir leaped from Sylvia’s shoulder onto the desk, curling up small and letting out a soft growl as if complaining about being tired.

They handled the reports quickly but thoroughly. Sylvia wrote new orders for Alicia: increase spirit guards on the southern perimeter, reinforce Celes’s spatial rifts with additional death runes, and tighten mythril vault access even further; only senior dwarves allowed entry, under 24-hour lycanthrope supervision. Sofia helped compile notes on the red crystal energy Celes had observed a mixture of ancient Nordic runes and minor god blood, a sign that the force behind the scenes was no ordinary artifact-hunting group.

When they finished, the sun had fully set. Thick black mist blanketed Nocturne; purple crystal lamps in the castle towers lit one by one, bathing the city in beautiful cold light.

Sylvia stood. "Enough for today."

Sofia nodded, giving a tired smile. "Let’s go to the garden. I need fresh air."

They walked out of the castle toward the rear garden, Sofia’s favorite place since long ago. The garden was vast, enclosed by low obsidian walls overgrown with wild black roses. In the center stood a large treant, an ancient tree that had once been small, now towering like a living spire. Its branches were full of black-silver leaves that shimmered faintly under the purple crystal light. Its roots spread wide across the ground but never damaged anything; the treant had known the queen and her companion for a very long time.

As Sylvia and Sofia approached, the treant moved slowly. Its branches swayed gently in greeting. Then one small branch detached itself; it fell to the ground with a soft plop, then another plop as it rolled toward Sylvia’s feet. The little branch acted like an excited child: plop-plop-plop repeatedly, its tiny leaves quivering as if laughing.

Sofia laughed softly, knelt, and picked it up. "Hello again, little one! Missed your queen, huh?"

The branch plopped once more, then wriggled gently in Sofia’s hand like it was hugging her. Noir leaped from Sylvia’s shoulder, approached the branch, and sniffed it curiously with his small nose. The branch plopped softly toward Noir, as if inviting him to play.

Sylvia sat on a large stone beneath the great treant, her black coat spreading across the damp grass. Sofia sat beside her, the small branch now in her lap, plop-plop-plop softly like it was singing. Noir lay on the grass in front of them, his small body curled warmly, red eyes half-closed but still watchful.

Sofia took a small thermos from her waist pouch hot herbal tea she had brought from the castle kitchen. She poured two cups and handed one to Sylvia.

"Drink first. It’s cold tonight."

Sylvia accepted the cup, blowing gently on the steam. The scent of dried mountain leaves and wild honey immediately spread, warm and soothing. They drank in comfortable silence, accompanied only by the soft plop-plop of the treant branch and the night wind carrying the fragrance of black roses.

After a while, Sofia leaned against Sylvia’s shoulder. "Today was heavy, huh... but we made it. Again."

Sylvia gave a small nod. "Again."

Sofia looked up at the great treant above them. "This tree has grown so big now. Back when we first came to this garden, it was tiny. Now... it’s like the garden’s guardian."

The small branch in her lap plopped once more, as if agreeing. Noir let out a satisfied soft growl, shifting closer to Sylvia’s feet.

Sylvia looked upward at the gently swaying black-silver leaves. "It’s become part of Nocturne. Like you."

Sofia smiled, pressing her head closer. "And you too. Part of me."

Sylvia didn’t reply with words. She simply reached out, gently touching Sofia’s golden hair, a soft, cold touch full of unspoken meaning. They sat for a long time in that garden, accompanied by the small plop-plop of the treant branch, Noir’s quiet purring, and the night wind carrying the scent of black roses.

Far to the south, shadows still moved. The bigger party was gathering strength, making plans, waiting for the right moment. But in the Nocturne castle garden tonight, there was only temporary peace, the peace they fought for, the peace they protected together.