Magic on the Dead Chapter 78

“Why?”

Even at his question, Eden just stared outside without a word. Taking the candle from Hajin, he walked, step by step, to the shoe rack.

Swaaaaa— The rain was gradually getting heavier. Surely the zombies wouldn’t be roaming around, so could it be the soldiers? Belatedly feeling a sense of crisis, Hajin picked up a kitchen knife lying on the floor and shot to his feet.

As soon as he got behind Eden, a low question could be heard.

“Do you like animals?”

At the random words, Hajin’s gaze turned to the glass door.

Whine… whiiine….

Something pitch-black was obscured by the inky darkness. Soon, Hajin’s eyes widened as he recognized the unidentified being.

When Eden brought the candle closer to the glass door, the whining sound grew louder. Hajin’s mouth slowly fell open as he saw the medium-sized dog sitting under the eaves of the entrance, barely avoiding the rain. It was the military dog he had seen at Misan Ranch.

The Doberman Pinscher’s ears were drooping. The way it lifted its front paw and scratched at the glass door made it look quite dejected, a stark contrast to the way it had barked fiercely, “Woof woof!” at the other side of the ranch fence.

At its behavior, which seemed like it was testing the waters, a look of pity crossed Hajin’s face.

“I think it’s shivering. I wonder if it’s from the rain, or if it’s hurt….”

Hajin, who had already crouched down in front of the glass door, looked back at Eden and asked.

“It doesn’t look like a zombie, does it?”

“It doesn’t seem so. If it were bitten, there’s no way it would be this calm.”

“Huh? Wait a minute, do you see that at its feet?”

Hajin pointed to a silvery object that was shining brilliantly. Part of it was covered by its front paw, so it wasn’t clearly visible, but it wasn’t hard to recognize that it was his brooch.

As he brought his face right up to the glass door in surprise, the dog moved its front paw as if it had been waiting. Soon, the silver brooch engraved with the initials ‘H/J’ revealed its presence. The military dog immediately lowered its snout and picked up the brooch in its mouth.

The way it panted and wagged its tail looked just like a child hoping for praise.

No way. He felt like the sleep that had been caked on his eyelids was instantly gone. In place of the speechless Hajin, Eden opened his mouth.

“It seems its arrival here was no coincidence. It must not have been easy to track us with the rain, so this one is quite a capable friend. How about we let it inside?”

“Are you sure it came alone?”

Eden wore a slight smile at the corners of his mouth, as if he was proud of Hajin for asking a surprisingly sharp question.

“Your suspicion has grown a lot. That’s good progress.”

He patted Hajin’s shoulder and stood up.

“I was planning on doing a quick patrol to check if anything was out of the ordinary anyway. You keep an eye on things, Mr. Do Hajin.”

“Oh, you’ll get wet, so take an umbrella.”

Hajin picked up an umbrella that was stuck in a corner of the shoe rack and handed it to Eden, who was about to set off immediately. After confirming that he had disappeared into the dark, he turned his head back.

The dog still hadn’t let go of the brooch in its mouth. Hajin tilted his head as he quietly watched the panting military dog.

“Where are all your friends? Did you, by any chance, survive all alone?”

As he whispered softly, the dog’s ears, which drooped near its cheeks, twitched. Perk. He let out a slow sigh toward the listening creature.

“Why did you come all the way here…? You’ll only go through a lot of hardship.”

Although destroying the ranch was close to an act of justice, the dog before him had lost its home in an instant, caught up in the humans’ fight.

Hajin washed his face with his dry hands with an agonized expression and swallowed a groan, “Keu-eung.” Not long after, Eden, who returned with the scent of rain on him, asked.

“There are no other signs of people. Shall we stop punishing it and open the door?”

“Yes, thank you for your hard work.”

At last, the glass door opened. The Doberman, which he thought would come in right away, sat in its spot with shining eyes, as if waiting for a command. As soon as Hajin said, “Come in,” it shot up, wagged its tail, and entered the restaurant.

“This little guy is really smart, isn’t he?”

For some reason, Hajin’s voice was quite excited. While he took the saliva-covered brooch and wiped it on his short-sleeved shirt, Eden, with a practiced hand, swept his palm down the dog’s gallant back.

“Doberman Pinschers are an intelligent breed by nature. They’re easy to train and tend to enjoy their duties. There was an identical one in the unit I was in.”

Its resilient tail wagged like a propeller, as if it was in a good mood.

“Sit.”

When he gave the command, the dog promptly folded its hind legs and sat.

Eden, who was usually strict about everything, was wearing a rather generous expression. Before long, the light of dawn fell upon his face.

Likewise, the blue light of dawn touched the Doberman’s glossy black skin. Hajin watched the creature sitting in its elegant posture with wonder, before finally lowering his gaze.

Oh… he’s a boy.

As he just stood there staring blankly for a long time, unable to touch it, Eden asked teasingly.

“Is this the first time you’ve seen a dog?”

“What? No, that’s not it. It’s my first time seeing a Doberman this up close….”

Other than his experience training doves and rabbits for magic, he never had much of a chance to be very friendly with animals.

Hajin awkwardly raised his hand and petted the dog’s back. The firm skin, where he could feel the muscles, coiled under his palm. It was a strange feeling. While he stroked the addictive skin, Eden also sat down next to him.

He gently scratched under the creature’s chin with his index finger and carefully examined its body all over.

“Fortunately, I don’t see any injuries.”

“I know. There must have been so many zombies, how did it get down here without a single scratch?”

“Come to think of it, I’ve never seen an animal bitten by a zombie so far.”

His words implied that, setting aside zoonotic diseases, zombies might not react to animals at all. As if it were a virus intentionally designed by someone to annihilate only humanity.

Eden let out a hollow laugh, as if he found it absurd. Hajin, who seemed to be thinking the same thing, also scratched his forehead with a bewildered expression.

“It’s a relief, I suppose, but it feels a bit… strange. If humans go extinct, does that mean only animals will be left on Earth?”

“Who knows. It’s possible that the existing human race has been replaced by a new human race called zombies.”

“No way. How can that be the form of a new human race.”

Eden, who was about to reply to the horrified Hajin, closed his mouth. It seemed better to refrain from making speculative remarks that the zombies seemed to be evolving. Now was the time to focus on survival. There was no need to make Do Hajin anxious.

Before he knew it, the day was breaking. Hajin tried touching his nose to the military dog’s damp nose, and shook the brooch to show his gratitude, before catching up on his sleep. When he woke up again, the clear morning sunlight was streaming in at his feet.

Hajin glanced at the Doberman, which had its nose in a wide bowl, licking up porridge, and asked.

“Are you really thinking of taking him with us?”

“Its sense of smell is developed, so there’s a high probability it will notice the presence of zombies before we do. It’s a well-trained friend, so it’ll be convenient to have it with us.”

“What about food? What if we take it with us and end up starving the poor thing?”

“It’s a stray anyway, so it’ll starve whether we take it or not. If that’s the case, it’s better to struggle together.”

Hmm… Hajin leaned his upper body toward Eden with a meaningful smile.

“You said you wouldn’t take on any more companions, Mr. Jung Taegeon. I’ve been feeling this since yesterday… have you had some kind of change of heart?”

He furrowed his eyebrows as if the idea was absurd.

“Do I need a change of heart to take a dog with me, when it’s not even a human?”

Pfft…! Hajin, who burst out laughing without resistance, shook his head. Eden looked at him chuckling and asked back.

“And you, Mr. Do Hajin, do you not want to get attached this time either? If you don’t want to take him, say so now.”

“My goodness, why think about things like that when we’re just taking a dog. And besides, I’m already attached, you know?”

While they exchanged trivial conversation, Hajin packed their survival supplies into a golden-colored wrapping cloth. The cloth quickly bulged as he packed two folding umbrellas, food, and a pair of ownerless hiking boots.

His gaze, after changing into his dried clothes, landed on the duck t-shirt he had tossed on the floor. Should I take it or not? Noticing his hesitation, Eden scolded him.

“This is not the time to be picky about designs. It’s a spare, so pack it.”

…Is he my mom or something? Hajin, who was pouting, obediently picked up the t-shirt.

🃏

A rose-patterned wrapping cloth was also on the Doberman’s back. The backs of Eden, Hajin, and the Doberman, with the cloth’s straps tied across its chest as they set off, looked strikingly and familiarly alike.

They headed once again toward the Insan-Nogwang Expressway. The expressway was quite a distance from Jeongmang Mountain, so they had to move their feet diligently.

After arriving and calculating the remaining distance, it would take about four days to Hwajeong City, and about ten days from Hwajeong City to the Yongun Tollgate. They had to endure for two weeks to meet up with their party again.

Eden silently gazed at Hajin’s hand, which was fiddling with the brooch. The wrist that had been tied with rope was glistening with freshly applied ointment. The wound might heal, but the scar would not disappear so easily. It was a nasty wound that did not suit his fair skin at all.

Should I have peeled off First Lieutenant So’s face after all?

Even though he wasn’t the one who was hurt, he clicked his tongue in regret for some reason and slowly felt the diminished tube of ointment in his pocket.