Chapter 20. Patriot (39)
* * * * *
Summer is already over.
It’s still hot, but the crazy heat has subsided. Before, the surroundings were bright until 8 p.M., But now it is dark.
That’s the only thing that has changed.
The city is still dead and neglected. The windows are broken and collecting dust, the signs that were once carefully cared for are crumbling from the wind and rain, and the flowers that were put out to attract the attention of customers are ugly, with only the dried stems remaining.
The only thing that is cleaned up cleanly is the body.
If we only look at the central district, the number of humanoid zombies has definitely decreased. It was inevitable since they were at the bottom of the zombies’ food pyramid.
Instead, those who survived learned their own methods of survival.
Humanoid zombies no longer walk alone. Even if they fight among themselves, if a beast-type zombie appears, they attack that animal first. The military police zombies are still good at fighting. After the guys who seemed to copy and imitate his fighting style joined in, his momentum increased even more.
“Have zombies developed the ability to learn, or do only those with the ability to learn survive?”
It was a question like whether the chicken or the egg came first, but there was no easy answer. What was certain was that animal zombies had s*x, but humanoid zombies did not.
“What is the reason?”
Leticia frowned as she watched the monkey zombies fighting with each other. It seemed like two males were claiming one female as theirs. The act of reproduction is an instinct of living things. But why don’t only human zombies do such things?
“Once upon a time, I heard that zombies were monsters of desire.”
“Hmm? “John, what does that mean?”
Camilla and Cassandra looked at me. Although I was a little embarrassed to receive unexpected attention, I slowly traced my memory of her.
“They say that a person’s greatest needs are sleep, appetite, and s*x drive, right? Zombies sleep for a very long time and wake up, so their need for sleep has been resolved. After that, eat as much as you want to satisfy your appetite. “If you’ve slept a lot and eaten plenty, you’ll want to make love, right?”
“I guess it makes sense? “It’s the same with other animals.”
Leticia chimed in with her. I nodded.
“Yes. That’s why zombies are considered ugly. What humans find most repulsive is something that resembles a human. Zombies are a grotesque exaggeration of humans’ own desires, so they are instinctively repulsed. “It seems like it makes sense.”
“… “Human zombies.”
Camilla, who was quietly listening, spoke softly. We all waited for the next words. Camilla seemed a little embarrassed, but she finished her sentence in a trembling voice.
“Are the humanoid zombies still hungry?”
“… There is a possibility. The people most affected by the Limos virus are humans. Although other species are also significantly affected.”
Cassandra answered. I had an eerie feeling. The Limos virus is mainly active in non-human protected areas. That is, in human protected areas, Limos virus concentrations are low or almost non-existent.
There, humanoid zombies may also be able to produce offspring.
“Well, that seems kind of terrible.”
A pathetic scream was heard. In the end, one monkey defeated the other monkey. Parts of the victor’s body grew significantly. The female zombie monkey got scared and tried to run away, but the winner didn’t seem to care.
Somehow, I think it might be better not to see that kind of future. If zombies had s*xual desires as much as they sleep and eat now, that might be another version of hell.
“It will truly become a world where only love remains.”
I was talking to myself, but Camilla looked at me and smiled.
“Okay. Just like you said to those fanatics. “Love each other.”
Fanatics. I was pretty busy avoiding those guys for a while.
Nearly naked men and women appeared on the outskirts of the central district, shouting my name. At first, I thought it was something like a test of courage. That is, before being eaten as a meal by the gathered zombies.
After about three similar incidents, the friends also changed their ways. Instead of shouting my name, write it on a flag and wave it. It was hard to make out what was written because they were waving the flag so passionately, but the only thing I could make out was, “Oh, John!” “Where on earth are you?” It was written.
“How does it feel to be the idol of fanatics, Johan? “Why did you write down the name Hut so well but give me the name Johan?”
“Leticia. If the first name was a lie, the second name could be a lie too, right? In a world like this, lies are also weapons. Even things that seem stupid are all my…. Ah! Camilla! Ear! “Don’t pull my ears!”
“You should have pulled the snout, Camilla.”
“Oh, that’s right.”
After a while, I had to stroke my swollen lips and earlobes. Meanwhile, Cassandra held out her cell phone connected to her RV helicopter camera. Those guys appeared again in the outskirts. Fortunately, those guys were probably infected with our version of the Cro virus, so the zombies came.
“Why on earth are they doing that? “What do you want the church to teach?”
If I had just picked up a gun and shot, I wouldn’t be so anxious. They worship by shaking their almost bare bodies frantically.
Leticia seemed to be thinking the same thing, crossing her arms and sighing.
“Hmm. Those fanatics believe that the goddess will eventually ‘save’ Erza. You already know that goddess beliefs are not commonly believed in Römer or Minsk, right? Those two countries have been powerful countries for generations, so something like the goddess of hunger doesn’t appeal well. In other words, believing in the Goddess of Hunger means thinking about and loving Erza that much. “Should we call it an identity that distinguishes us from them?”
Camilla quietly nodded her head.
“That’s right. Even in her grandfather’s generation, worshiping the Goddess was an important part of the daily routine. One day, when Elsa wakes up on her own, she won’t have to suffer being caught between those two countries. I asked her grandmother once. “Wouldn’t it be better to become a citizen of Minsk or Römer?”
“Isn’t grandma angry?”
“It wasn’t like that. Because I was young too. ‘Camilla. I don’t know now because you are young, but even if you change your nationality, your roots as an Elsa person will not disappear.’ Well, even in the Liberation Corps, faith in the goddess was considered important. Because it was also related to something ideological. Didn’t she do that in the National Military Police too?”
Unexpectedly, Leticia agreed to Camilla’s words.
“There were many people who were loyal to Erza, Römer’s satellite government, but also believed in the goddess. She almost did that, right? Because it wasn’t about betraying Erza. Maybe it was some kind of reactionary psychology to relieve the fact that Roemer was doing good things.
But, I’m not sure. When I told Elsa I was a person, the only thing that came flying at my house was stones. What about Roemer instead? They also gave me and her brother a scholarship and living expenses. “Isn’t it natural to lick Römer’s shoes?”
Leticia was quite provocative, but she did not fall for Camilla, who otherwise would have been upset. Maybe it was because she and Leticia had become a little closer, or maybe it was because she had gone through a lot of trouble to pay for her tuition, so she felt a kind of kinship.
“Well, anyway, when asked, ‘Are you from Römer, Minsk, or Elsa?’ It was best to answer, ‘I am a follower of the Goddess.’ “Because it meant the same thing as being a patriot.”
Leticia also laughed at Camilla’s words.
“I guess the Liberation Corps was no different.”
“It was the Liberation Corps, the National Military Police, and the Elsa people.”
“That’s right. So, do you, our smart doctor, believe in Goddess?”
Leticia probably expected an answer like ‘Cassandra is an atheist.’ But Cassandra’s answer was completely unexpected.
“What does patriotism have to do with believing in the goddess of hunger? “The goddess isn’t even Erza herself.”
Leticia, Camilla, and I fell into deep thought.
“Anyway, I’m saying I’m from Elsa.”
In the end, Camilla came up with a reasonable answer, but Cassandra still tilted her head as if she didn’t understand. Camilla added her explanation, but she seemed unsure.
“I don’t know. Before, I thought that patriotism meant Erza’s independence. She felt it was right for her to fight for it. But now… I do not know.”
“Hey, why are you talking so complicated? Our grandparents all thought that way! If you believe in the goddess, you are called Erza. This is not a question of understanding, but a question of whether or not you accept that everyone in the world thinks the same way, Cassandra. “It doesn’t matter as long as you understand.”
Leticia waved her hand as if she was annoyed. Cassandra’s eyes sparkled.
“Interesting. So, you’re vaguely doing something without even knowing what it is, right?”