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Zombie, Minced Meat, and Gatling
The explosion that occurred at Captis not only obliterated Fidelis’ mansion but also swept through the surrounding buildings. Even in distant areas, windows shattered, and the night streets erupted into sudden chaos.
A few minutes later, Marquis Fidelis, the man who had set the stage for this “battle,” sat on a sofa in a separate mansion, his face pale and filled with shock.
“I had heard they would use a bomb, but I never imagined it would be to this extent
 What are we going to do about the aftermath?”
The dubious man standing beside Fidelis, pushing up his sunglasses, replied in an equally suspicious tone, “An arcana user won’t go down easily. We had to resort to such methods to secure her demise.”
“And besides, I believe Duke Slaver has given his consent, hasn’t he?” the man added.
“Yes, in fact, he commended me when I informed him about dealing with Mary. However
” Fidelis trailed off, his doubts lingering.
“In that case, there’s no need to fear. With the Duke’s approval, a brilliant future awaits you!” the man proclaimed, extending his arms in a gesture of blessing. But Fidelis couldn’t find any joy in the situation. He couldn’t bring himself to trust the man by his side, most likely the “Magician” sent by Dugan. His appearance alone was untrustworthy. And where did they even find an Arcana user?
Fidelis’s close relationship with Dugan made him question this whole situation.
Lost in thought, a knock came at the door, and a servant appeared. “Lord Fidelis, it seems the hired mercenary has arrived.”
“A mercenary?”
“She goes by the name of Calaria. She claims to have brought Princess Mary’s body.”
Fidelis stared silently at the man, who seemed equally surprised by the news. “W-What? Wasn’t she supposed to be dead?”
“She’s a top-notch mercenary. We must assume she had a means of survival. That’s the only explanation,” the man explained.
“But if she knows that you planted the bomb, won’t I be implicated as well?”
“Please rest assured. That’s precisely why I’m here. And besides
 look.”
As the man gestured, four robed figures emerged from the corner of the room. They had been concealed until now.
“T-They are
?!”
“It’s not just me; your guards are here too.”
“Oh, with a magic evaluation of 5000
 These are first-class mages, including you five! Now I can feel relieved,” Fidelis exclaimed.
“I hope so.”
“Hey, maid over there, bring Calaria here. Tell her to come on her own feet!”
“Understood.”
The servant left to call Calaria, and before long, the door opened without a knock. Of course, it was Calaria who appeared. In her broken left hand, she held a Gatling gun, hooked onto it. And in her right hand, she gripped Mary, her body charred and mangled.
Calaria carelessly tossed Mary’s body near Fidelis, who exclaimed, “Whoa?!”
“Here’s your requested item. Take it.”
“Hey, I never said to bring a freaking corpse!” Fidelis protested.
“Well, how else are you gonna be sure she’s dead without checking the body, especially when it’s an Arcana user?”
“Ugh
”
“You never mentioned that the target was an Arcana user, Fidelis. That doubles the fee.”
“The extra amount will be charged to His Grace.
“I don’t feel like bothering with that. And by the way, it’s your fault for not telling me. Pay up!” Calaria insisted.
“Ugh
 Fine, fine, I’ll pay. But seriously, get this
 ugh, putrid body outta here! It’s making me sick!”
“Is that included in the payment?”
“Just get rid of it! I’m a Marquis, for crying out loud!”
“Well then, ask your servant to handle it.”
“Arrgh
 Hey, Magician, make sure that thing is stashed somewhere I can’t see!”
“Understood.”
With a wave of his hand, Mary’s body levitated through magic and was moved behind the sofa, disappearing from Fidelis’s view. He let out a relieved sigh.
“Phew! What a savage mercenary
 Damn it, now the room’s gonna reek of corpse!” Fidelis complained, placing his hand on the table.
It seemed like some kind of terminal connected to a network. Fidelis tapped the screen to complete the transaction, and a hefty sum was transferred to Calaria’s account.
“Here you go, just like you asked. I hope you’re happy now. Now get lost!” Fidelis said.
“
”
Calaria remained silent, and Fidelis grew impatient. “Hey, why are you being so quiet? I can’t stand filthy mercenaries like you. If you’re planning to stick around, the Magician here won’t hesitate to take you out.”
“
Ah, my bad. I was waiting for the recovery,” Calaria finally spoke up.
“Recovery? What do you mean?”
“She’s focusing on regenerating internally first, so the external injuries aren’t as bad as they look
 but it seems that regenerating from such extensive damage takes time. Well, I guess she was bluffing when she said she could handle it. Dammit, why should I even be worried about it?”
“I don’t get it
” Fidelis tilted his head.
Behind the sofa where he was sitting, Mary rose up like a ghost, her skin partially regenerated from the burns. She had somehow managed to put on a dress, and both her hands gripped a massive scythe.
She had a twisted smile on her face as she swung the scythe overhead

“Damn it! Kill that girl!” ordered the sunglasses-wearing man who had noticed first, and the mages waiting in the room sprang into action.
Flames, ice, rocks, wind – various magical attacks closed in on Mary, but her slashing strike was slightly faster.
With a swift sidestep, her intent to kill cut through the magic.
Calaria timed it perfectly and crouched down.
The Magician, unable to take defensive actions, muttered, “Idiot
”
A faint red line appeared around their necks. Immediately, their bodies slid off, detached from their torsos and heads.
Thud.
Five severed heads hit the floor. Blood gently surfaced along the clean-cut edges, then steadily welled up, flowing like spring water, staining the collars of their robes.
With their bodies devoid of strength, they collapsed to the floor, guided by gravity.
Silence filled the room.
Fidelis screamed, his eyes meeting the lifeless heads of himself and the man with sunglasses.
“U-Uhehe, Uhyaa, Igyaaaahhhh!”
“That’s quite a messy scream,” Calaria remarked.
Fidelis, crawling away from Mary while wetting himself, tried to put some distance between them.
“W-Why
 Why
 W-Why
!?”
“Do you think a god of death would die so easily?”
“With that explosion, anyone would die! That’s normal!”
“That’s because we’re not normal.”
“Guh
 Calaria, Cal, Calariaaa! You
 betrayed meeee!”
“You were the one who set the trap with that bomb
 You betrayed me first. Well, I’ve received money from you, so I’ll generously forgive you.”
“I’ll make good use of the money I received as funding to kill Duke Slaver.”
“This
 This monster!”
As Fidelis insulted them, the two of them, in response, aimed the barrels of their Gatling guns at him.
“I have only one thing to say to you.”
“I don’t need to hear it from you.”
A rain of bullets poured down on Fidelis from both sides.
Excessive and overkill, they continued to fire bullets until it became unclear at whom they were directed, venting their pent-up frustration.
The two of them ceased firing almost simultaneously.
Mary, while devouring the corpses in the room with the beast’s head emerging from her chest, asked Calaria, “Is this suspicious man supposed to be The Magician?”
“His magical evaluation is around 5000, too low. Besides, according to my research, The Magician’s abilities extend beyond the Infinite Corridor. I don’t think they would die so easily without revealing their trump cards. They’re probably somewhere, laughing at us while watching.”
“Arcana users can be troublesome, huh?”
“And you’re saying that?”
Mary chuckled playfully.
“Don’t laugh, it’s not cute in your current state.”
“Is it that bad?”
“You look like a zombie.”
“Ugh
 Is that so?”
Seeing her dejected, Calaria spoke, “Thank you.”
“Huh?”
“It could have been a curse for generations if I had failed, but you protected me and survived. I feel a little relieved.”
“Hehe, it was worth sacrificing my body.”
“Is it still painful?”
“I have normal pain sensations. It hurts, it’s hot, I never want to experience it again.”
As Mary said that, pouting her lips, Calaria relaxed her cheeks and smiled.
◇◇◇
Some time later, Platy visited Dugan’s hideout.
“Your Grace, something terrible has happened! There was a massive explosion accident in Captis, and afterwards, Marquis Fidelis went missing–“
She reported to Dugan, who was elegantly flipping through the pages of a book. But Platy’s gaze quickly turned to a mysterious figure standing nearby, as if seeking refuge.
A petite figure concealed in robes, wearing a beast-like mask—likely a young girl.
This unfamiliar presence stood near the Duke, as if they were close friends.
“
Your Grace, who is that person?”
“Don’t mind her.”
“B-But
”
“I told you not to worry about it, right? It’s the duty of a servant not to be concerned. Ah, well
”
The girl approached the table in front of Dugan, picked up a fruit placed there, and put it in her mouth from under the mask.
It was an intolerably insolent attitude, but since Dugan permitted it, Platy couldn’t say anything.
“Your Grace, regarding Marquis Fidelis
”
“It’s unfortunate.”
“Yes. It is likely the work of Mary Pulcherrima.”
“Dugan already knows that. And apparently, Calaria survived too.”
“Calaria
? Who is that?”
“Don’t know? Oh, right, I guess you wouldn’t. Well, it can’t be helped. Looks like that trash woman raised her as an alpha-type. As for me, I wanted her dead. She’s unnecessarily resilient, that maid cosplayer.”
“Stop saying nonsensical things!”
“Oh no, scary~ Are you jealous because your master was taken away? I mean, you came here despite defying Dugan’s orders, right? Sorry~ But it’s not my fault.”
“You
!”
Platy glared at the girl with clear hatred. But the girl simply enjoyed it and laughed heartily.
Then, Dugan intervened to reprimand her, “Platy, she is a guest. Treat her with courtesy.”
“
Understood.”
“Aww, getting scolded~”
“Ugh
”
“Scary. Sorry, sorry, I went too far. We’re comrades, after all. Let’s get along.”
“In that case, would it be fine for you to tell me your name?” Platy asked with a firm tone, and the girl gladly responded, “Sure. I’m Dizzy. An Arcana user. The Magician
 and Mary’s blood-related sister.”
She stated clearly, without any hint of joking or teasing.