BLOODY LOVE'S
Episode 177's

Jose remembers being eleven years old when he was first taken to Argent's fief village. Without giving him any explanation, Marco gave him a wooden stick and a shield pillow, then told him to play matrak with the nangui and goat herding village children.

It was the first time he went to a fief and got to know the area outside Bjork, the first time he played matrak, and the first time he was beaten to the ground.

Somehow those memories were coming to Jose's mind at the moment, as he slashed the rotten neck of the creature that lunged towards him. He still remembered how the wounds on his body changed color every day. From dark blue to dark purple, then the bruises swell red and then deflate. When all of his bruises turned yellow, Marco took him back to the middle of the village and threw him in the same spot, telling him to go back to playing matrak.

It was only then that Jose realised that what he was doing was not a game. It is being assessed. Winning or losing is not important, what matters is how he can still behave like a master in front of everyone. Kalem, not carried away by emotions, not daunted, not whining.

What he is facing right now is not the dirty village children who scoff at his style of speech or his neat clothes, but the undead who are half rotten but still able to move. But Jose felt the same sensation as twelve years ago when playing matrak for the second time, he felt he could win.

Unlike when he first saw Gladys, Jose now feels so calm and can think more clearly. Perhaps, he thought as he stuck his boots onto the back of the undead, who were still thrashing and making crackling sounds like clashing bones. Maybe because I've seen something much more sinister.

Again, the psychic hum strengthened in his head until it felt painful. Jose frowned. His vision was fleetingly blurred, his balance faltering. As he blinked and things became clearer, Jose heard Maria's voice shouting her name.

He understood the reason when he saw his feet were now only tracking wet grass.

The undead had crept away, now thrusting with all their might towards Mary.

***

“Jose lost?” Marco frowned when he received Rolan's report. George, who gave word, was still waiting for the next order from behind the tightly shut library door.

“Definitely to home Garnet,” grumbled Rolan. “Why can't he calm down in this situation, anyway?”

Marco sighing. “If he could calm down, his name would definitely not be Jose. Have Gerald and Hans go South.”

“Not home Garnet?”

“He must have been to that forest.” Marco pursed the base of his nose, driving away the dizzy. “Like moths that fly into fire, Jose also always comes directly to places of danger.”

“Wah, really exactly with someone I know!” satir Rolan in the lowest voice possible so as not to be heard by either Mr. Stuart or Dave who is still in the room. “I know a stubborn person going back and forth to and fro even though I have asked to stay in the room for his own health.”

“This mystery will not solve by itself, right?” marco's mouth is calm. “And I am among the parties involved.”

“Tumbals involved,” muttered Rolan while upholding and exiting the room to forward the order to George.

Marco returned his gaze to Dave. “How are you doing now?”

“It's been much better, my lord.”

“And your neck?” Marco asked right when Rolan came back. “Doctor Rolan said there was a scar on your neck. Scars are suspicious. Right, Doctor?”

Rolan nodded, returning to his original place across from Dave. Then he began to tell briefly about the discovery of several dry bodies and traces found on Gladys, Sir William's servant who turned into an undead and attacked Jose.

"There's one trail in common with some of the dried bodies we found" he explained." And that trace is on your neck.” He smiled curtly seeing Dave frantically touching and touching his own neck, looking for the imprint in question. “The trail was like a meaningless wound, but I suspect it had something to do with the dry bodies that were coming in as well as what happened with Gladys. I suspect it has something to do with Sir William. What really happened to those people, you probably know the answer. Either way, you have the same trail."

"You suspect I'm an undead?"

Rolan. "You're a guest here. How dare I suspect you," he said. "I know it may be difficult for you, but I'm asking you to try to recall what happened when Sir William came to visit you. What's he doing? He touched you? She bit you?"

"He didn't bite—“

"Yes?" Rolan turned his head when Dave stopped. The man's face shriveled, like he was remembering. "He didn't bite, but he must have done something? What threat did he pose? What did he say?"

Mr. Stuart cleared his throat, reminding Rolan that they were not interrogating Dave. "Whatever you remember," he said, taking over in a soft voice, "will be of great help to us. The undead that Master Jose encountered was a creature that had no sense nor mind, truly a human that was dead but could move. You're alive, your heart's still beating, Dr. Rolan knows best about it because he's the one who's taking care of you. No one suspects you as the undead here."

Dave nodded slowly, looking more relieved. "That part of the threat . I don't think I need to tell it. It was just an undeserved heinous remark. But I remember one thing ..." He rubbed his neck back. "That time he stretched out his hand to me. I forgot whether it was his left hand or his right hand, but maybe .. I don't know, maybe that's what made this wound? I feel there's sharp pain, but I don't consider it a meaningful thing."

Dave spoke slowly and sometimes stopped for so long, it was still difficult for him to express what he considered a disgrace. "I mean, at that time I was in a state of shame, resting in front of him ..." He grits his nose. "And my whole body feels paralyzed, so I'm also not sure where the pain is coming from, whether it's physically there or. Well, that's it .... Then he said ... I should be .. uh, he sent me to the forest .. well, I think maybe because that's also my thinking there, other than because of the flower. Because it affected him, maybe. He said, I had to try to cross the river .. I don't know what it means, I also forgot the rest of his words, then he pulled his own hand and disappeared. Completely gone."

Marco frowned. "He sent you into the sacred forest?"

"And wasn't that body in Bjork Forest?" Mr. Stuart reminded.

Rolan rubbed his own chin. "He wants to go there" he said slowly. "But he can't go there, because it's a sacred place. That's why he keeps the slaves from living, controls them. Perhaps just as Scholomance made golems with a mission, Sir William also made the undead with a mission. He left before successfully completing his goal—whatever he wanted to do it to you milord, so you are not too affected, and when it finally really affected to go to that forest, it was, there is nothing you do but pacing there because the mission given is not complete."

"But I went there of my own accord," Dave denied, beginning to be confused.

"Maybe you feel that it's your wish?" reply Rolan. "Maybe you just don't realize that your mind is already being influenced?"

Marco agreed. "I remember that most of the dried bodies were found in the river. But a dried corpse, not a living corpse."

"Maybe they're experimental creatures?" Rolan made another accusation. "Maybe he was experimenting which one would be able to cross ..."

"Well, that would explain why the third body went missing." Marco stared fixedly at Rolan. His eyes shone brightly, like finding the last piece of the puzzle. "You remember there's a dried-up corpse missing, right?"

"The blonde one." Rolan nodded slowly. "The condition does not fuse the other. Uh, does that mean he's probably in the Bjork forest, too?"

Marco rubbed his face and irritated, understanding what was the subject of Rolan's concern. "Send more workers catch up with Jose. Bring oil and lighters. Don't turn it on from home, we don't want to make Bjork more restless than now."

***

Perdikan: territory/village/feudal land.

Matrak: fighting game with one sword/stick and one shield. I am from Turkey.

Nangui: b a b i. Want to write b a b i teenyata censored the same MT so **** , so use nangui. 😂