“Nina!”
“Laura!”
The woman who seemed to be her partner arrived at the place where Ur had managed to rescue the hostage.
Seeing Shizuku accompanying her, it seemed the rescue had been successful. Her appearance was quite rough, but she didn’t seem to be injured.
“Can you move!?”
“Y, yes. I was saved. And the healing potion……!”
“Sir Ur, you were reckless.”
It seemed they had witnessed him jumping off the rooftop.
Ur scratched his head apologetically.
“Well, I’m glad it worked out. ……And what about over there?”
“It went well.”
Shizuku nodded. Judging by her expression, she hadn’t expended much energy.
In other words, the operation was a success. The undead soldiers and the thieves. The overwhelmingly outnumbered opponents had been defeated almost without a fight. Ur accepted this fact not with joy, but with astonishment.
“Preparation is crucial, huh…”
Putting aside the rooftop hostage rescue, everything else was a result of thorough prior planning, considering every possible scenario, and devising a strategy based on a clear understanding of the space on the ground.
It was a battle that taught us how to formulate strategies that could even overcome numerical disadvantages, as long as we prepared well and anticipated the situation.
“Now, if only those two can pull it off…”
As Ur’s thoughts drifted to Akane and Diz, that’s when it happened.
[──Kakakaka, isn’t it just hilarious?]
A clattering sound echoed, followed by a voice.
“What…!?”
Startled, Ur turned to the side. Out of nowhere, a new Death Soldier had appeared right beside them.
[You’re so slow to notice, aren’t you!]
“Guh!?”
Ur blocked the incoming blade with the Dragon Fang Spear and leaped backward. Shizuku, along with the two rescued adventurers, also stepped back, bracing themselves.
Standing in front of everyone was yet another soldier made of bones, but this one was clearly anything but ordinary.
It was clad in what looked like knight armor, but the armor itself was also made of bones. The cursed greatsword on its back was no different.
Its skull appeared no different from the other Death Soldiers, but whether it was the aura it exuded or the fact that it could speak human language unlike the others, it felt strangely expressive.
“Who… are you?”
[【Death Knight】, or so I’m called. Kakakaka.]
Death Knight. The knowledge implanted by Glenn came to mind. It was an advanced form of a pure Death Soldier, not moving monotonously or mechanically, but mimicking the movements engraved in its soul from its past life. Its rank varied, but even at its lowest, it was said to possess power comparable to a Gem Doll. It was in a completely different league from the other miscellaneous Death Soldiers.
In short, it was a threat. Unlike the ones used by the bandits, this was undoubtedly a direct creation of a Necromancer. Its presence here meant one thing:
“Our plan must be working…”
The diversion, their strategy, was succeeding.
Now, all they had to do was hold off the Death Knight.
The only problem was that, even from that brief exchange, it was clear that its skill far surpassed theirs──
[No, unfortunately, it seems that’s not the case.]
“…What do you mean?”
That was when it happened.
The command tower, where Diz and Akane had headed, believing it to be the enemy leader’s location, exploded.
“This is bad.”
“…Yeah, it seems so.”
Shizuku’s blunt words made Ur feel faint.
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Canaan Fortress, Command Tower
A short while before Ur and the others defeated the bandits.
The command tower stood in a position overlooking the four watchtowers that connected the fortress walls. Originally built as a guardian tower to deter foreign threats and protect their own nation, it had now been transformed into a sinister laboratory filled with suspicious magic circles and alchemical substances.
It was undoubtedly the laboratory of the Necromancer, the mastermind behind the attack on the mobile fortress and the one controlling the Death Soldiers.
The Necromancer, the master of this room, stood in front of the central magic circle. A pale-skinned man with hollow eyes, he looked so frail that a mere push might knock him over.
Yet, the countless corpses piled on the magic circle were undoubtedly the result of his atrocities.
“……”
Beside him was a beast girl, a Gaul. She was the girl kidnapped from the mobile fortress, Island Devouring Turtle.
Fortunately, she had not yet fallen victim to the evil sorcerer and was unharmed. But of course, she herself could not feel at ease.
“Useless fools. Maybe I should have turned them into bones sooner.”
The sorcerer who had kidnapped her had been scowling for a while now. He had been preparing for a magical ritual, but the repeated sounds of explosions outside had been grating on his nerves.
Of course, Rose had no idea what was happening outside. But she knew it was too early for the knights to have arrived.
“Knight, go and kill the intruders.”
Still irritated, the sorcerer issued the command. But of course, it wasn’t directed at Rose.
[Kakkakka, are you sure about that?]
The Death Soldier who had kidnapped Rose from the Island Devouring Turtle, standing silently in the corner of the room, quipped in response to his master’s words.
“Are you talking back to me?”
[I’m your guard, aren’t I? Just making sure it’s alright for me to leave your side, right?]
It turned its gaze toward Rose (though it had no eyes) and shrugged. Somehow, it didn’t feel like a mere slave of the undead.
The sorcerer frowned, clearly annoyed, but the Death Soldier paid no heed.
With a light step, it moved toward the open window.
[If it’s the master’s command, then I have no choice. I’ll be off now.]
With that, the Death Soldier left. Finally, the room was just Rose and the evil sorcerer.
Still, Rose remained calm. Even after losing her parents, she had managed to run a shop, proving her capabilities. Even though she had been kidnapped by a dangerous sorcerer, her composure remained intact.
And it was precisely because of that composure that she realized something.
“Lord Yogg’s ritual must not be interfered with.”
The ritual in front of her had to be stopped, no matter what.
Rose was the owner of Lucky Bird Store, a shop that dealt with magical tools. She had some understanding of magic. That’s why she knew the man in front of her was attempting something incredibly dangerous.
Mass death.
Maidens.
And the vast amount of magic stones stolen from the Island Devouring Turtle, the Core Magic Stones.
Rose didn’t know of any ritual that required such things. Lucky Bird was a legitimate magic tool store. She knew nothing of dark magic. But even so, she could sense the overwhelming, choking aura of evil emanating from it. And she knew it was about to be completed.
But the knights hadn’t arrived yet. As the defenders of the nation, they couldn’t easily leave the city-state. So, it was up to her to buy time.
These people had attacked the mobile fortress.
It was an act of folly that defied the laws of the Grand Alliance, and they had done so knowingly.
The sorcerer in front of her was no mere bandit. He was someone who would spit on the Sun God Zeuradia without hesitation. She couldn’t let the ritual he was about to perform go unchecked.
What drove her was the sense of morality instilled in her by her late parents.
“……”
Bound as she was, she twisted her body slightly, turning her hands toward the ground.
The intricate magic circle was drawn there. By manipulating the spell with her magic-infused claws, she might be able to delay the ritual, even if just a little──
“Don’t move. You’re the sacrifice.”
“Kh!?”
But the next moment, the Necromancer, who had previously paid no attention to her, moved with terrifying speed and grabbed her neck. Despite his sickly appearance, the strength in his hand was immense.
“Why do you resist? You should be honored to become the foundation of the great god.”
“To be… a sacrifice to an evil god…! What… honor is there… guh!?”
Her impulsive retort was a mistake. The grip on her neck tightened noticeably.
“You’re quite mouthy for a sacrifice. The bandits should have been more considerate. They should have cut out your tongue.”
“……ga……kh……”
“The one true god, Zeuradia… Ah, as expected, nothing but ignorant fools.”
As her consciousness began to fade, Rose noticed a pendant hanging from the Necromancer’s robe. At its center was the emblem of the Sun God Zeuradia, but it was being devoured by a pitch-black snake, as if swallowing an egg.
Her mind filled with nothing but ominous images as she teetered on the edge of unconsciousness.
“Just as my master said, there’s no saving you. You’ll never understand.”
From the sickly man’s appearance, an unimaginable intensity of emotion overflowed.
His clouded eyes filled with a fiery, destructive light.
“The nation, the temple, that accursed god’s tower… They must be overturned, destroyed, ruined! Yes, for that──”
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