I Accidentally Resurrected My Dead Husband - Chapter 40

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 40
Udith gave the horse a thumbs up. Perhaps concerned about its owners, the horse entered the Mansion when Udith opened its front door that morning, patrolling the interior as if making its rounds.
Normally it never came inside, even when the Mansion’s doors stood wide open.
“You know what, Ern? Every time an Ancient God appeared, it would whinny and warn us?”
Being a beast, the horse sensed the presence of Ancient Gods and whinnied or stamped its hooves, alerting Udith and Ern. Unfortunately, neither of them understood the warning.
“We can’t just leave such a clever horse without a name.”
“Is this real?”
Udith seized the moment while Ern was still disoriented, attempting to bite his finger that pressed against the tip of her nose, but Ern dodged swiftly.
“Guess it’s not a dream.”
“I didn’t even bite you.”
“Still, I know. So what are we naming the horse?”
“We should give it the best name.”
Udith smiled beautifully as she looked at the horse.
“Gold.”
“What?”
“Gold—the best thing.”
…Yes, that’s certainly the best thing to you.
Ern gazed at the loyal horse with innocent eyes. A horse that, by any measure, didn’t look anything like gold. Still, at least it wasn’t money or frankincense. Ern consoled himself inwardly.
“Next question. Who is Udith? Why did you tell him your name was Udith?”
An hour earlier, Henry—who had woken before Udith—had told Ern everything that had happened. As Ern read the book containing the Ancient God Subjugation Method, he became certain: that voice claiming his name was Udith belonged to Udith.
“That’s…”
As he’d suspected. Udith bit down on the soft flesh inside her mouth. When she’d first conceived this plan, she’d anticipated that Henry might hear her voice. She hadn’t expected Ern to hear it. In any case, she’d prepared an excuse. After all, she couldn’t reveal the possession.
“It’s a name from childhood. Udith Herrington. I changed it later.”
“Udith? Your name used to be Udith?”
“Yes.”
A faint crease appeared between Ern’s brows. Would he swallow it? Even if he didn’t, she’d stubbornly insist that had been her name. If he said it was an odd name, she’d just say that’s why she’d changed it.
“That’s usually a man’s name.”
Udith let out a silent breath of relief.
“That’s exactly why I changed it. Everyone said it was a man’s name.”
“I see.”
“Yes, since I couldn’t help with my twin, I made use of having two names.”
Fortunately, Ern didn’t probe any further.
“Next question, then.”
“There’s another question?”
“You could have died doing something that reckless. Why did you do it?”
Obviously to save Ern. Udith had even boasted earlier, telling him he should be grateful since she’d saved his life. But when Ern asked seriously, answering felt somehow mortifying.
I risked my own life to save you. Such embarrassing words—ones she’d never spoken nor heard in her entire life. Her lips wouldn’t open easily.
“What would have happened if you’d died?”
When Udith didn’t answer, Ern tapped her nostril with his finger. Saved or not, it’s always trouble with you.
“Well, I—I had confidence, so I did it. Oh, right.”
As Udith circled around her answer, she suddenly remembered something crucially important that she’d completely forgotten. She grabbed Ern’s forearm—still pressing against her nose—and pulled it down entirely.
“I found a way to locate the Red Wine Medium.”
“What?”
“The book on Ancient Gods—I obtained it from a Medium named Ceres. You remember, don’t you? That Medium who sold the cursed ring to Lady Brix.”
Udith relayed to Ern exactly what Ceres had told her.
“I don’t know whether the Red Wine Medium is one of Ceres’ Followers or simply engaged in a transactional relationship. Either way, couldn’t we use that person to approach the Red Wine Medium?”
Marquis Mosley was searching the Capital as thoroughly as combing through ash, yet remained unable to capture the Red Wine Medium. Some members of the Third Knight Order who’d fled Loam and Cheohyung had been traveling with that Medium, so they were likely hiding in the same place.
If they used Ceres well, they could catch all of them at once.
“We’ll have to go question him.”
The moment Followers were mentioned, Ern discarded all other concerns, exactly as Udith had intended.
“Do you know where he is?”
Udith released a secret breath of relief.
* * *
White cloth stiffened by salt from sitting in brine, ox blood, a large brush, and a single sheet of paper densely covered in small script.
Ceres surveyed the items laid out on the table, then nodded with satisfaction. After carefully placing the items in a bag, Ceres opened a jewel box. From within, he withdrew a long bracelet made of obsidian, black as pitch.
“Why does it have to be specifically ox blood, never cattle? Such a nuisance.”
He grumbled, but it was only the methods of handling ancient things that were passed down through the generations; the reasons behind them were never explained. It seemed that as time went on, only the essential information barely survived.
“In any case, this time I’m very fortunate.”
“Fortunate?”
“Indeed, such days are rare—who are you?”
Ceres, answering without much thought, flinched when he saw who was pushing roughly through the tent flap.
His body moved on instinct, retreating backward—a decision that proved sound. A longsword drove into the earth precisely where he’d been standing. Had he remained there, his foot would have been skewered clean through.
“Lucky bastard,” Ern muttered.
“What the—this is insane.”
“God, he’s insane.”
Is this man completely out of his mind? Udith watched Ern pluck the sword from the ground and slam it down again, her shoulders trembling. Insane, truly. When they’d set out to find Ceres, the plan was to talk first—to probe whether he was a Follower. But this? This is how you probe? No wonder they called him the Empire’s Mad Dog, even after saving the nation.
She bit her tongue silently. You never deliberately provoked someone holding a blade.
Ceres’s Adam’s apple bobbed hard. His eyes darted wildly.
“W-who are you?”
Ern smiled with a low chuckle, as if to say: Go ahead and try to run—if you can manage it on that cart outside.
“You’re not thinking of fleeing, are you?”
“Wait—weren’t you the one who came with Lady Brix that time?”
Ceres’s roving eyes found Udith. They’d gleamed for a moment like he’d grasped a lifeline—then narrowed sharply with suspicion.
“Are you also… Followers?”
“What?”
What did he mean by “Followers”?
“Aren’t you?”
Growing frustrated at their confusion, Ceres looked between Ern’s furrowed brow and Udith’s tilted head and shouted: “Then what exactly are you?”
* * *
“Followers.”
That was how they addressed one another among themselves. For him to know even that term meant he wasn’t a mere business contact.
“Why did you think we were one of them?”
Ern asked, clearly displeased.
“It’s because this lady purchased a book about Mummies not long ago.”
And Ceres had been on his way to spirit away a Mummy that had become a liability after he’d disposed of its owner—when suddenly the very woman who’d inquired about Mummies arrived with a sword-wielding man at his heels. He’d assumed they were Followers sent to kill him for his theft.
“So that Mummy was created by Followers too?”
Ern had retrieved his longsword but kept his dagger drawn, its tip now aimed at Ceres.
Ceres’s shoulder twitched. He shook his head.
“No—the Followers don’t create them. They own them.”
“Then why did they put it up for auction? For money?”
“No. They keep it, and when they need chaos, they release it. You may not realize it, but that Mummy is no ordinary object.”
We know. All too well. Both Ern and Udith exhaled together.
“Your story doesn’t quite hold together. You claim you’re not a Follower, yet you seem to know exactly how they use Mummies.”
“I’m not. We simply trade with them. But when a business relationship lasts long enough, you learn things you never wanted to know.”
Ceres dealt with the Followers—or more precisely, with the Red Wine Medium.
“The Followers operate like a cell network. The Red Wine Medium isn’t just a nickname. Their organization is called Red Wine.”
Red Wine was the organization’s name, and the Red Wine Medium was its leader or someone of comparable rank. The organization comprised not only Mediums but also skilled warriors, sharp minds, beautiful faces—all manner of useful people.
“That’s why I only know the Red Wine Medium personally. The other Followers? I don’t know them. Never seen their faces. That’s why I mistook the two of you for Followers.”
Ceres hadn’t lied when he’d told Laila and Udith he was a merchant. From the Red Wine Medium, he’d received Amulets—items as precious as talismans in this world—for free. The weeping ring that Laila had purchased was also an Amulet of their making. The curse Amulets the Followers crafted far surpassed anything Ceres himself could produce.
“At first, I built my reputation by selling them.”
As his fame spread, nobles naturally sought him out. Then the Red Wine Medium made a request—phrased as an offer, but really a command.
“Whenever someone wealthy or powerful calls on me, I’m to provide items with… special properties.”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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