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Three skeletons wearing ragged adventurer clothing dragged their feet along the road, heading towards the entrance to Anfang. A few people froze and stared at them as they trudged by, the horses hooked up to the carriages shying away. “T-that symbol. Aren’t those the B-ranked Happy Frogs of Anfang?”
Bright green frogs were painted on the tattered capes they wore, and their guild member identification cards hung around their necks like dog tags. The skeletons continued their march, ignoring the words of the travelers, keeping their gazes glued to the ground. One of the skeletons whispered, “Why don’t we use an illusion to infiltrate the town?”
Mr. Skelly didn’t react while speaking. His jaw bones barely moved. “Sympathy, remember? We’re garnering sympathy. No one wants to be forced into a religion. Now keep your mouth shut.”
Heavy footsteps rang out as an armored woman approached the skeletons. “Excuse me, are you three the Happy Frogs?” She sucked in her breath when Mr. Skelly raised his head and met her gaze.
“Yes.”
“You… are you sane? Do you recognize me, Richard…?” The woman bit her lower lip and clenched her fists. One of them was on the hilt of her sword which was still sheathed at her waist.
“I’m sorry. I don’t remember much,” Mr. Skelly said and hung his head. “I just want to return to Anfang.” He collapsed to his knees and covered his face with his hands. “I just want to be buried next to my parents.” Wails filled the air as Mr. Skelly sobbed, fat tear droplets leaking from his eye sockets. “I don’t want to hurt anyone!”
“Richard…” The woman pursed her lips and knelt beside Mr. Skelly, placing her hand on his shoulder. “You helped me once when I was still a complete beginner. The least I can do is grant your final wish.” She gently wrapped her arms around the skeleton’s shoulders and stood up, bringing him to his feet. “I’ll bring you to Anfang in my wagon.” She glanced at the two skeletons behind her. “Jessica, Norman. You two come as well.”
“M-miss, are you sure this is a good idea?” The wagon driver’s face paled as the skeletons approached his vehicle. He patted his horse’s rump, calming the creature down. “They’re skeletons.”
“You think I can’t see that?” the woman asked and furrowed her brow. “These people saved my life before. I won’t repay a debt by attacking them even if they’ve turned into undead. Besides, look at them: They’re not hostile. They’re not armed. They just want to go home to rest peacefully besides their ancestors. Can’t we give them that?”
The wagon driver hesitated, keeping his hands on his whip. Mr. Skelly stared at him with a neutral expression. “I understand your concern. We’re dead. We shouldn’t associate with the living.” The skeleton’s head trembled as he brought his gaze to the floor. “We shouldn’t trouble you, miss. We can walk.”
“No.” The woman shook her head. She glanced at the crowd of curious travelers that had gathered around. “How many of you have been to Anfang? Raise your hands.”
The majority of the crowd raised their hands.
“You all know how peaceful it is there. But have you ever thought of why?” The woman made eye contact with the surrounding people before continuing. “It’s because of men like these. They risk their lives every day to eliminate danger, hunt for food, scout new lands. Don’t we have a duty to, at the very least, fulfill their final wish? Shouldn’t the people of Anfang be buried in Anfang? How would you feel if your husband, your wife, your daughter or son died to make your life more peaceful? Wouldn’t you want to see them one last time? Wouldn’t you want them to be buried beside you?” She clenched her armored hand against her sword’s hilt, creating a clanging noise. “Or do you not care if their remains are eaten by wild animals!?”
“Let them ride!” one of the crowd members shouted. “If you don’t want to take them, I will! The Happy Frogs have always made Anfang a brighter place. We can’t abandon them here or, even worse, turn our blades against them.”
Voices of agreement rang out, and the wagon driver sighed. “I’m sorry for my earlier behavior,” he said to the skeletons. “Please, get on. If you remain peaceful and sane, I’ll vouch for you and help you enter Anfang.”
“We’ll all vouch for them!” the same crowd member shouted.
“That’s right!”
“The Happy Frogs are one of us.”
“Once an Anfanger, always an Anfanger.”
The armor woman nodded as she helped the skeletons into her wagon. As the driver ordered the horse forward, she leaned closer to Mr. Skelly and asked, “How was our acting?”
Mr. Skelly grinned as he high-fived the fairy that materialized in the air beside the woman. “I couldn’t have done it better myself.”
The wagon rumbled on as the sun continued to travel across the sky. The fields of golden wheat swayed in time with the wind while birds chirped in the few bushes and trees. The walls of Anfang came into view as the sun began to set. By the time the procession reached the town walls, it had nearly doubled in size as more and more travelers heard about the Happy Frogs’ plight. Surprisingly, there hadn’t been a single person who was against bringing the skeletons into Anfang.
“Anfang,” Mr. Skelly said as he stepped out of the carriage and stared at the town walls. Two guards at the gate stiffened when they saw his skeletal face illuminated by the moonlight. “I’ve finally returned.”
“Uh, is that a mask?” one of the guards asked. He glanced at the crowd of people who were queueing up to enter the town. None of them acted strangely as if having a skeleton around was a daily occurrence.
“No, you see…” Some merchants stepped forward and explained the situation to the guards. Mr. Skelly scratched his head as the guards nodded at him, expressions of pity on their faces. The gate swung open and the guards gestured for the three skeletons to go through.
“We definitely chose the right people to impersonate,” Mr. Skelly muttered to himself with a nod. And it seemed like knowledge of undead was extremely scarce on this continent. Perhaps it had something to do with the holy dragons purging them all eons ago.