Grandson of the Holy Emperor is a Deadbeat

"Kidnapped by zombies?"

With a dumbfounded face, Allen looked through the monastery's window and into the thunderstorm. Rain pelted down onto the ground masking sound and even the scent of decay, it gave over an gloomy and eerie feeling.

'This is obviously the work of an intelligent being, but why did it kidnap the woman. Was it after any human and they just so happen to kidnap her for some sacrifice, or was she the target all along?'

"Did you say it was just one person? Was she anyone special?"

Gril nodded his head. He continued on with a deeply flustered face.

"Yes, just one! It's a young lady who moved into the neighboring village around four months ago. She's… You know… that person you tried to score with…" Gril said as he turned his head downward.

"I tried to do what now?" This was Allen's first time hearing about this story.

Gril snuck glances at our surroundings before whispering in my ear,

"Well… she's such a looker after all, especially if you consider our small villages. I'm not sure if you can remember what happened, but after you got rejected by her, well... You hanged yourself…"

"..…" Allen was completely flabbergasted by the reveal of what Gril said.

'The dude killed himself not because he felt despair at his doomed fate of a banished Prince, but because some village girl rejected him?!' Allen could help but groan in embarrassment at this bodies original owner did.

Reeling in his emotions, Allen tried to remain stoic as the darkness of the night hit the slight blush on his face.

"Okay, so how did she get dragged away? I doubt they snuck into the barricade while nobody was watching."

"The young lady is very kind-hearted you see. Her personality won't let her forsake any injured people around, and this was why she said that she'd go and procure some medicinal herbs along with a few others and…" even as Gril said this, he felt like it was a stupid idea.

Simple wounds wouldn't pose any threat whatsoever with a sip of holy water. And yet, this woman personally went out into the storm to 'procure' medicinal herbs?

Gril continued on, "That's why the villagers wish to form a search party."

"Let me get this straight...You wish to search for someone who pointlessly risked their life to look for useless herbs in the middle of a thunderstorm in a dark forest infested with the Undead?"

"She was the village's herb gatherer and many people were saved due to her hard work, you see. Many of us are indebted, and… She's one of the most beautiful women in the village too.. and also single, your highness." Meaning… all the love-struck men wanted to rescue her.

'This is utterly stupid, but it could lead us to whatever intelligent creature started this... If we kill this creature, then the hordes of undead and villagers can leave me and my Monastery Alone!' Allen didn't fear the undead as his Miracles were literally their kryptonite, so he decided it was safer to do this with others.

There was also the fact that he truly didnt know if his handler Knights even cared about his safety to even check, for all he knew it could take a month before someone frol the outside world arrived.

'It could also be a trap to lure us away from the monastery, leaving all of these people less defended.'

"Wake up the resting men, have them stay on all alert during the search for the woman. Now how do you plan on tracking her."

"We have an experienced hunter named Hans with us. If it's him, then it should be possible."

"I see...Form the small search party, we need to do this as quick as possible."

"W-we? Your highness?"

"Of course i'm coming too."

***

"It's this way! Over here…!" While wearing a pair of worn-out leather shoes and a wet robe, Allen made his way across the raining, soggy forest on foot.

The location the five man search party arrived at was a cave located pretty far away from the monastery, it took them an hour of the hunter tracking her.

The hunter named Hans nodded his head as he looked at the bits of rotting flesh and blood left on the grass, as well as the muddy footsteps on the ground. "It must be here."

'He sure located it rather quickly. Is he some amazing Hunting expert or were we lured here with obvious tracks?'

The cave had a pretty deep Negative Field where the outside light couldn't reach, Allen could smell the powerful Demonic Energy just radiating out of it alongside the smell of rotten flesh.

Without a doubt, they discovered the den of the zombies! And judging by the smell, something with incredibly Demonic energy resided inside!

"This place is definitely it." Allen said as his hand tightened in his shovel.

'The origin of the plague must be in here too!'

Never mind just zombie, there was a pretty good chance that zombiefied animals could be found inside. Them stepping inside would would be akin to suicide without the proper precautions.

"This cave slopes downward, let's go back to the monastery and get oil and wood. I'll bless the oil so we can smoke and burn whatever dwells within out." Allen said like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

However, his plan brought about a nervous question from the villagers.

"Your highness, what would happen to Morgana in that case?"

"Morgana?"

When I mouthed the unfamiliar name, Gril next to Allen bumped his shoulder and whispered, "That's the name of the kidnapped lady."

"The undead don't take prisoners! And even if she's alive, it'll cost many of you your lives retrieving her. The life of one isn't worth the lives of many!" Allen appeared cold hearted but it was for their safety.

"Even you guys should be able to sense the negativite energy because of how power it is! Don't you know the undead get buffed around powerful Negative Zone?"

"…Buffs?"

The men tilted their heads. They were puzzled by such a strange term.

"…It means the undead have become stronger! Let alone us, I doubt the paladin would dare enter this place unprepared!"

This drew the attention of all of the villagers and drove home the point of how dangerous their place was.

"Listen, we bring the oil and wood to burn whatevers inside and that should atleasy weaken them enough to by time for the Paladins to arrive. We arent equiped to deal wit-" an overwhelming stench suddenly assaulted Allen's nose, the rain had masked the smell but it suddenly cut through the rain as a stunning chill enveloped his being.

Turning his head at breakneck speed, a black shadow pounced on him and nearly ripped his throat out! Him turning just in time saved his life as the creature only bit into his shoulder!

Sharp fangs dug in, piercing through his multiple layers of robes and even the Blessed robe to tear into his flesh! Soft skin was pierced through and muscles were severed instantly, the electrifying and all consuming pain of his shoulder bone being crushed was causing the boy brain to go blank for a second.

He let out an earpiercing shriek that sounded more like a yelp as his vision suddenly rotated 180°. Something was forcibly dragging him into the cave while biting down into his shoulder!