Since the original owner of this body had already handled the social niceties, Field might as well benefit from it in the future.
Kao laughed awkwardly.
"Ha… well, Baron Bull and his son are quite famous. Ah—sorry, I spoke out of turn."
He immediately shut his mouth.
Speaking ill of one noble in front of another was practically asking to die—even if the noble standing before him was famous for being timid and weak.
Kao had learned that lesson the hard way.
Years ago, he had accidentally discovered a nobleman having an affair. Because he couldn't keep his mouth shut, he lost his entire career and was eventually exiled to the Northern Province.
Field was about to ask more questions when his expression suddenly changed.
On the small map in his mind, a cluster of red skull icons appeared out of nowhere.
And they were moving straight toward him.
Fast.
Field sucked in a quiet breath.
"Hmm. Could it be someone coming to welcome us?"
That was what he said out loud.
But Field wasn't stupid.
Skull icons on a system map definitely didn't represent anything friendly.
He immediately ordered a servant.
"Go call Knight Connor."
The servant hurried off and soon returned with the knight.
Connor listened to the servant's slightly anxious report and burst into loud laughter.
"Baron, with all due respect, you're being paranoid."
His tone carried obvious mockery.
"This is behind the walls of Kasha Fortress—the strongest section of the Empire's northern defense line. If something dangerous appeared here…"
He smirked arrogantly.
"…then I'll personally eat every pile of horse manure my warhorse produces."
In Connor's eyes, Field was nothing more than a desperate man grasping at straws.
He added coldly,
"Tell your Baron that traveling to Nightfall Territory is supervised by both imperial law and his own family. Backing out halfway isn't an option."
"It would hardly befit the dignity of a noble."
The servant, intimidated by Connor's aggressive tone, suddenly lost his confidence and hurried back to report.
Field only responded with a simple:
"Oh."
Then he calmly ordered the slave caravan to slow down.
As a result, Connor—who was riding on horseback—was forced to move ahead of the group.
Connor snorted quietly.
"Coward."
He muttered under his breath.
"I have no idea how the Count managed to produce such a spineless son."
But soon…
His face turned extremely ugly.
Because Field had just encountered the locals who had come to give them a very enthusiastic welcome.
"ROOOAR!"
A strange, twisted howl echoed across the road.
Field chuckled softly.
"So they're here."
He glanced toward Connor's direction.
"Looks like someone's dinner tonight will be horse manure after all."
Amid the rising cries of alarm, Field pushed past the frightened slaves blocking his view.
In the distance—
Pairs of ashen-white eyes stared back.
Dozens of corpses wearing torn farmer clothes were sprinting wildly toward them.
Their movements were unnaturally fast.
In front of the horde, around a dozen normal humans were running for their lives.
Even from a hundred meters away, the air carried a wave of cold malice and rotting stench.
These monsters…
Were the infamous product of the Northern Province.
Rot Corpses.
"What the hell is going on?!"
Connor spat on the ground and cursed.
"We're not even inside the Northern Province yet—why are there monsters here?!"
He had been hoping to finish his escort mission smoothly.
Instead, trouble appeared right at the end.
Worse still…
He had mocked Field just moments ago.
That made him even more irritated.
Connor raised his lance and shouted reluctantly.
"Mount up! Knights—prepare for combat!"
Even if he hated it, he couldn't back down.
Failing to fulfill his duty would destroy any future he had within noble society.
Twenty cavalrymen immediately formed a straight line.
They spurred their horses up a nearby slope on the right side of the road.
Then—
Using the downhill momentum, they charged straight toward the corpse horde.
Meanwhile, Field took a slow breath.
"Relying on others is never reliable."
He stared at the approaching Rot Corpses and shouted to the slaves behind him.
"Link the wooden carts together!"
"Any man with courage—grab a farm tool and fight with me!"
"I will reward those who perform well!"
The slaves didn't move.
Not a single one.
They simply hid behind the carts, trembling in fear.
Some even began praying desperately for miracles.
"Don't count on those useless fools!"
The steward's legs were shaking so violently it looked like someone had installed a motor inside them.
Kao was so scared he was about to wet himself.
He grabbed Field's robe and begged in a trembling voice,
"My lord, we should run! I mean—strategically withdraw!"
"There's no need to protect these peasants. If they die, we can just buy more!"
Field pushed his hand away and frowned.
"If this much scares you, perhaps you shouldn't go to the Northern Province at all."
Kao's face turned red.
You think I want to go?!
The Count personally ordered me to accompany you!
The steward felt like he might faint on the spot.
"Ah? Are there enemies?"
Ashina suddenly jumped down from the carriage.
After days of proper food and rest, she no longer looked malnourished.
The places that should gain weight had filled out nicely.
Her skin had become pale and soft.
If not for the slave mark on her body and the maid outfit she wore, she could easily pass for a noble lady.
"My lord…"
"I—I'll protect you!"
Ashina raised her tiny fists and stood in front of Field.
But she was trembling like a kitten caught in a winter storm.
Even her wolf ears had flattened into airplane mode from nervousness.
"That won't be necessary."
Field couldn't help but laugh.
Still, he felt a little touched.
At least the meat and bread he fed her hadn't gone to waste.
Unlike certain ungrateful people who ate his food and still hated him.
"Help! Help us!"
The farmers running in front spotted the convoy like drowning men spotting land.
They rushed toward Field's group while screaming desperately.
Unfortunately…
The corpse horde followed right behind them.
"For glory!"
Once they reached the proper distance, Connor's cavalry launched their charge.
They shouted battle cries as they lowered their three-meter-long lances.
The tips pointed straight at the incoming Rot Corpses.
THRACK! THRACK!
A series of sickening impacts echoed across the field.
Seven or eight corpses were instantly impaled and flung into the air like broken sacks.
Dark purple blood—thick and rotten—splattered everywhere.
The ground quickly turned sticky with decayed flesh and gore.
But that was only the appetizer.
After the initial lance charge, the cavalry turned their horses and rushed back into the horde.
This time they wielded chain maces and sabers.
Blades flashed.
Blood sprayed.
Rot Corpses collapsed one after another like wheat being harvested.
Some were knocked down by the charging warhorses, only to have their chests crushed under iron hooves.
It looked less like a battle…
And more like a slaughter.
The few corpses that slipped through the cavalry charge slammed directly into the wagon barricade Field had organized.
The Rot Corpses' brains had long since become decorative objects.
They had no tactics.
No intelligence.
They simply clawed and bit at the wooden carts.
"AAAAH!"
The slaves panicked and shoved each other desperately.
But the carts surrounded them.
They were packed so tightly together that nobody could escape.
The steward wasn't doing any better.
His "faucet" had completely lost control.
His trousers were already soaked.
Field sighed.
"Damn it… a bunch of cowards."
Although he was nervous too, Field wasn't nearly as terrified.
Maybe it was because he had read too many apocalypse novels and zombie movies before transmigrating.
"Well… looks like I have to handle this myself."
He didn't even have a single soldier under his command.
The Rot Corpses were fast and fearless, but their movements were clumsy and stupid.
They weren't impossible to deal with.
This body had at least received some basic combat training.
Field let out a low shout.
Seizing the moment when a Rot Corpse was pushing against the cart, he thrust his sword forward.
The blade pierced straight into the monster's neck.
Then he twisted violently.
The corpse's head drooped forward like a branch struck by lightning.
"Ugh—!"
The stench of rot mixed with fermented filth rushed into his nose.
Field almost threw up.
But strangely…
A hint of excitement stirred deep within him.
Somewhere in his soul,
Field felt the blood of a warrior beginning to boil.