Chapter 11: The Mobile Safe House

Eve let out a prolonged “Oh—.” After a brief moment of contemplation, she turned to Alice and inquired, “Then, the choice of a profession must be quite important, wouldn’t you agree?”

Alice, however, looked puzzled. “Choice? Eve-chan, what are you thinking? Professions are bestowed by the gods; we don’t have the luxury of choosing.”

“Ah?”

“There’s such a thing?”

Alice’s words left Eve utterly bewildered. Her own God Summoning Game System had, just moments ago, presented her with three distinct professions to choose from for a class change.

Could this ‘system’ truly be more powerful than the very gods of this world?

Eve dared not dwell on such thoughts, for the more she considered it, the more unsettling the implications became.

Alice then proposed, “Eve-chan, you likely haven’t met the requirements for advancement yet, have you? Why don’t I accompany you to complete that first? There are hardly any undead left anyway, so we can clear them out at our leisure.”

Indeed, throughout their journey and conversation, not a single wandering undead had been spotted nearby, save for the one that had abruptly ambushed them earlier.

But…

It was precisely this realization that now gave her a throbbing headache!

Eve recalled her desired profession, the Undead Standard-Bearer. It was clearly a leader class, one that demanded careful cultivation of power, stealthy development, and the strategic use of overwhelming numbers to secure victory.

Yet, as things stood, Alice had effectively purged the entire graveyard of its undead inhabitants. Eve wasn’t even sure if she could scrounge up two undead creatures to complete her advancement quest.

Even if she somehow managed to locate two undead, complete the quest, and successfully change professions, there was no guarantee Alice wouldn’t immediately “kill the donkey after it grinds the mill,” dispatching her two new undead subordinates.

At that point, she would effectively become a commander with no army to command!

She couldn’t possibly just wield a tattered flag to strike down foes after her class change, could she?

With no stats to back her and no unique abilities to rely on.

What, then, would be the true purpose of choosing such a profession?

The problem was stark: among her three available profession choices, one was utterly useless even if she managed to change into it, while another presented a class change quest that was a death sentence.

The only remaining glimmer of hope lay with the Undead Warrior class change. However, as a self-proclaimed ‘lazy dog,’ Eve felt she would never complete the rigorous self-discipline training required for that quest.

‘Very well, then, no need for a class change,’ she thought. ‘I’ll just remain as I am, a humble undead creature content to be taken care of by the esteemed Saintess.’

Eve mused internally.

Finally, Eve shook her head at Alice, offering a carefree smile. “There’s no need. Whether I grow stronger or not has become entirely irrelevant.”

Alice was momentarily stunned by her words. “Why?”

“I no longer harbor those mundane desires.”

“…Why do I feel, Eve-chan, that your expression right now is akin to a Great Sage deep in meditation?”

Alice couldn’t help but tease, then her expression turned serious. “Regardless of your thoughts, Eve-chan, or whether you choose to advance, as long as I am here, no one will ever be able to harm you.”

Eve returned her smile. “Mm, I believe you, Alice.”

Afterward, the two women continued to circle the central plaza within the graveyard, sweeping away the few scattered undead they encountered along the way. Having meandered back to Eve’s tombstone, they prepared to depart.

Eve suddenly posed a question. “What if some undead have slipped through our grasp and attack ordinary people who visit the graveyard tomorrow morning?”

“Rest assured, Eve-chan,” Alice declared, proudly puffing out her impressive chest. “Upon discovering the presence of undead here, I brought an entire troop of elite cavalry with me. They have already sealed off all entrances and exits to the graveyard and will take over the task of clearing the undead. During this period, they will not allow any undead to escape, nor will they permit passing residents to enter, until the graveyard is confirmed to be entirely safe.”

After delivering her assurance, Alice secretly added a thought to herself.

‘Failing that, once Eve-chan departs, I’ll simply charge and unleash an ultra-large-scale Holy Light spell to blanket the entire graveyard. Then, no matter what manner of undead they are, they will utterly cease to exist.’

“Oh, that’s good then…”

Eve nodded, then finally, with a soft drag, she replaced the coffin lid back to its original position.

Watching Eve’s movements, Alice finally couldn’t help but ask, “Eve-chan, are you truly going to take this coffin with you?”

Mm.

Eve nodded once more.

Earlier, she had made a curious discovery: her coffin was no longer in the exact spot where she had initially left it, bearing clear signs of having been moved.

As for who had moved it, the culprit was obvious: no one but the necromancer who had already “received his bento” could have been responsible.

After all, he was the only one who had attacked the coffin.

Of course, that wasn’t the crucial detail. The true revelation was that this implied her ‘starting village’ was, in fact, this very coffin, capable of changing its location with external movement, rather than being fixed to a single spot!

What did this mean?

She possessed a mobile safe house!

When danger arose, she could retreat into it like a turtle into its shell. Coupled with the undead race’s inherent lack of need for food, drink, or even basic bodily functions, it would be an absolute pipe dream for any enemy to try and starve her out of that coffin, as long as Eve chose to remain inside.

Thus, carrying her coffin with her, no matter the destination, was an absolute necessity!

Eve sprawled across the coffin lid, embracing the sturdy box beneath her, and looked at Alice with utmost seriousness. “No one shall ever separate me from my safe house!”

Witnessing this, Alice’s face softened into a doting smile, one that seemed to convey, ‘As long as you’re happy, Eve-chan.’

“But, on that note, Eve-chan, how exactly do you intend to transport it?”

Eve slid off the coffin, then, flexing her rather soft and unimpressive biceps for Alice, declared confidently, “Why, I’ll simply carry it back on my back!”

With that, she rubbed her small hands together, squatted down to grip the coffin’s sides, then took a deep breath, channeling her energy to her lower abdomen…

Now!

In Alice’s eyes, Eve executed her preparatory movements with dramatic flair. Then, with a loud shout, she abruptly jutted out her rear, and in the process, Alice distinctly heard the crisp sound of bones dislocating.

Following that, Eve remained utterly motionless, frozen in that awkward posture.

Meanwhile, the thick, heavy coffin lay undisturbed on the ground, as unyielding as a bedrock.

Eve: …

Alice: …

After a brief, awkward silence, Eve released her grip on the coffin’s sides. One hand went to her aching back, the other gently patted the coffin as she looked at Alice, a perfectly relaxed expression on her face. “Alice, could you possibly lend a hand? This coffin is just a *tiny* bit heavy; moving it by myself might be a *slight* inconvenience.”

“That doesn’t look like ‘a slight inconvenience’ at all, does it?!” Alice exclaimed. “And Eve-chan, are you absolutely certain your waist is alright??”

“I’m an undead, you know! A mere minor injury is absolutely nothing for me!”

“But you’re practically melting onto the coffin like a puddle of mud!”

Alice paid no mind to Eve’s continued boasts. Rushing forward, she quickly assessed the situation, then, as if by magic, produced a bottle of green potion from her robes. “Thankfully, it’s just a dislocated bone. This is a healing potion, Eve-chan; simply drink it, and you’ll be fine.”

Eve, however, hesitated.

‘Can undead truly consume healing potions?’ she wondered. ‘What if it has an adverse effect and I suddenly drop dead?’