Overlord (LN)

The hand holding his mouth let go, supporting him from behind so he would not slump to the ground. After verifying that the man had been thoroughly exsanguinated, his assailant pulled out the Vampire Blade, the weapon which had killed him.

The being holding the man upright was a figure in black. Its entire body was obscured in jet black clothing save its eyes. Said clothing was made of cloth, with gauntlets and other pieces of armor to improve defensive ability. A metal plate covered its chest, but it bulged visibly, giving it the shape of a pair of feminine breasts.

Another similarly-dressed figure emerged from behind the other man’s back. Much like her partner, she wore a metal breastplate. The first looked to the second, and nodded.

She scanned her surroundings after verifying the silent death of her victim. It would seem nobody had noticed this.

Somewhere in the corner of her heart, she breathed a sigh of relief.

The lanterns illuminated them, but the observers from the platform above should not be able to see them, given that they were pressed tightly against the two men. All they had to worry about was that they might be spotted in the instant of their [Shadow Step] — a short-ranged teleportation from one shadow to another — but that worry was a thing of the past now.

She paid no attention to the dagger, whose bright red hue had become even more vibrant after draining blood, and propped up the man’s body before it could collapse.

From the observation platform above, it looked like the two patrolling men had stopped in their tracks. However, if they kept the two men standing still or let them slump to the ground, someone would be suspicious.

Something had to be done right away. However, that was not their job.

Suddenly, the woman felt the man’s limp body lurch under her hands, as though someone had driven a stake into it. In the next moment, she knew she had not been mistaken; the man lurched into stiff motion.

The man was still moving despite being clearly dead, but the woman was not alarmed. Everything was proceeding as planned.

She let go and at the same time activated a skill. This was a ninja technique she had learned, called [Shadow Meld]. With this ability, she could fuse seamlessly with any shadow and become invisible to the naked eye.

The two of them blended into the men’s shadows, and the men stepped forward, like they had been suddenly unshackled. The pause and then the way they walked their original patrol route looked like they had suddenly remembered what they had to do. However, they moved slowly and clumsily. Their wounds had not been healed, but they did not leak blood either. That was because said blood had been completely drained from their bodies.

The two men had become Zombies, obediently following the will of their creator. There was no other explanation for how they could still move in that state.

The women were not the Zombies’ creator.

To an average observer, there were only two men here. Even if one saw through the women’s camouflage, there would only appear to be four people here. However, there was a fifth person present. This fifth person was the creator of the zombies.

Their eyes could not see anything, but one of the ninja skills they had learned allowed them to detect the presence of those who were concealed by magic or some other skills, and one such entity stood before them.

“The preparations here are complete.”

“Perfect.”

She spoke quietly and received a similarly hushed reply.

“Mm, got it, I saw it all. I’ll be heading to the next location. I need to catch someone who’s sufficiently important.”

Another female voice. However, hers was higher-pitched, giving the impression of a tender maiden.

“We’re going to begin our assault too. How about the other two?”

“Are they slacking off because they can’t contribute?”

“As if. They’re hiding near the village and they’ve set themselves up. In an emergency, they’ll launch a frontal assault coordinated with you for a pincer attack. Alright, I’ll be heading towards Priority One. Stick to the plan, you two.”

Their concealed companion floated gracefully — at least, they got that impression — into the sky. It seemed consistent with the movement granted by the [Fly] spell.

The presence drew further away, until she vanished into the building she had designated as Priority One. This was one of the structures within the village, and a key point which had to be taken.