A wave of anger rushed through Emil as Hadwin continued to laugh from underneath his bindings. Frustrated, he ripped off the gag and once again uncovered the cleric’s mouth. The older man continued to chuckle, a smile on his face even despite his busted-up lip. Hadwin stopped his laughter and licked his lips.

“Flumdea protects my soul, even your dark sorcery cannot pierce through her protection. Go ahead and torture me, or just kill me. No matter what you do with my body, I will die in peace knowing that my spirit will remain with my goddess. And that when I go to Flumdea, I may personally ask her to avenge my death and bring down her holy wrath. So do what you will with me! As you said yourself, further spoken words are a waste. So I will simply sit here in silence and focus on my prayers,” Hadwin declared, before shutting his eyes.

Emil stared down at the cleric, his eyebrows furrowed with frustration. As he put the gag back into place, his mind began to consider what could be done next. He knew that he couldn’t end his life yet. If what Hadwin claimed was true, then that would mean that he’d simply doing him a favor. So a quick death would be too good of a fate for this serial killer. However, even if the older man presented himself as having an indomitable will, that could be put to the test.

“Fine then,” Emil muttered. “The promise I made can still be done, even if I can’t directly interact with your soul. Mr. Mayor, please go ahead and do as I will.” He didn’t say it out loud, but Emil sent the specific command through their new connection as undead and master.

The zombie nodded, and went to cut off the cleric’s breathing. There was a momentary struggle from the older man, but soon enough, the lack of air made him fall unconscious. Hadwin slumped forward in his seat. Now, he would be unaware of what was about to happen next. Emil peered out the window, the storm was still raging on as fiercely outside.

“People are eventually going to ask questions, once they noticed that Hadwin disappeared overnight. And when they do, it won’t be long until they all find out that I was asking around about his house’s location and would have been the last one to see him. Then as for the mayor…” Emil looked over his shoulder. The undead was standing still, awaiting his next order.

“He is a walking corpse now, without a personality anymore. Even if I were to order him to keep acting as the mayor and do his normal duties, it won’t be long until suspicions start to get raised. Actually, that brings up a good question. Will the death energy help preserve the body through its magical properties, or will his body eventually start to rot away? When it was just Theo in his original tiny body, I never even thought about it. But if the mayor starts to decompose, it’ll be obvious in the smell before anything else. Well, for now, better get moving while the rain and night are keeping everyone indoors.”

Emil then ordered the zombie mayor to undo the cleric’s bindings connected to the chair. His promise had been to bring the killer of the murdered children to the cemetery, and have him beg for forgiveness. Even if Hadwin could keep a defiant face in front of him, how would he fair when stared down by the ghosts of those kids? It was one thing to defend your actions to the living and act justified. It was time to see if he could still do the same while facing the ones he slew.

“Alright, Theo.” The insectoid stepped out from the shadows, where Emil had told it to hide while the cleric was awake. “You go ahead of us and scout things out. If there are any guards or anyone between here and the cemetery, come back. If not, then stay there and wait for me.” He went over to the front door, and opened it to let Theo out. Once that was done, he closed it again and returned to the living room.

“Okay then. Mr. Duran, I want you to go through the cleric’s things and look for any kind of heavy coats or such suited for rain. Oh, and at the same time, get one for yourself as well and put it on. Ideally, something with a heavy hoodie so nobody can easily see your face. Now while you’re doing that, I’ll tie a rope around his legs and will also keep his arms tied together. I don’t imagine that he will wake up between here and the graveyard, but you never know. If Theo isn’t back by the time we’re done, we’ll immediately head out. Now, let’s get this done.”

Emil redid the cleric’s bindings, making it so that his legs and arms would be tied up. That way, on the off chance that Hadin did become conscious, he wouldn’t be able to attempt an escape. The mayor came back with the clothes that he had asked for. It took a little work, but Emil was able to get it worn by the cleric. That way, if there was anybody outside, the bindings will at least be hidden from sight. When it was all finished, Theo had indeed not yet returned.

“Mr. Mayor, help me carry Hadwin to the graveyard. While we’re walking, I want you to keep a cloth over his mouth. Don’t suffocate him, though. Just hold it against his face so that if he does wake up, he can’t immediately begin yelling for help. Now just in case we are spotted along the way, how we react will depend on the scenario. If someone inside their home opens their door or window and asks what we’re doing, then just let me do the talking. However, if we’re directly approached by anyone, especially if it’s a guard, then I’ll need you to cover your own mouth instead so they can't see the Mana threads.”

The two of them picked up the cleric’s body and put his arms around their shoulders. The mayor then did as he instructed, and held a cloth firmly against Hadwin’s face. With that now settled, they began to carry him towards the front door and out of the building. Emil hoped that they wouldn’t be spotted at all, and that they could smoothly reach the cemetery. For him, that would be the best-case scenario. But if need be, he was prepared to make up whatever lie or excuse he needed to get past any interruptions that arose.

Emil and undead mayor carried the cleric through the town, his shoes dragging against the mud. Since the mayor knew the town and directions to take, Emil had him guide them to the cemetery. The storm had only seemed to have grown worse over time, as they had to push through the intense gusts of wind. The dark clouds covered whatever moon was in the sky. And at this point, the thick sheets of rain were so heavy, that even the lamps along the street did little to provide any actual light.

Navigating through the darkness wouldn’t be an issue for him though, and if anything, it was a good thing. With how dark it was, even if someone were to look out their window right at that moment, there was a good possibility they wouldn’t even be able to see them. And there were was no way any sane guards were actively patrolling the streets in such awful weather.

And luckily enough, those ideas were proven right. They eventually left the main part of the town, and Emil was able to breathe a sigh of relief as they did. But he didn’t let himself relax, not quite yet. They still needed to reach the cemetery, and so that he could do what needed to be done. Soon, after some more walking, the gates to the graveyard were in sight.