Renée and her attendant liches were lurking in an alley.
Above them, a battle raged between the undead air force and the air cavalry. Flashes of holy magic lit up the sky intermittently, but thanks to the prioritized distribution of protective talismans to the irreplaceable flying undead, they were holding out for the time being.
“The numbers should be sufficient soon. Any reports from the unit commanders?”
“As expected, the holy magic users are hardly on the front lines. Aside from those riding with the air cavalry, they seem to be fortifying the rear and focusing on ≪Consecration≫ and healing. It seems the damage our assassination squads inflicted was effective.”
Alistair’s voice came from the Caller, reporting from the main camp.
He had been gathering reports from the ghouls commanding the front lines to ascertain the Knight Order’s formation.
“So the mages are handling buffs and healing on the front lines, then?”
“Yes. That doesn’t change the fact that we must remain cautious of them, but their threat level is likely much lower. What’s the situation inside the walls?”
“It’s disappointingly quiet. They seem to be gathered and waiting in a few locations. There look to be quite a few in the castle, but approaching stealthily is impossible. We’d probably be detected. …Let’s attack from the top of the walls as planned. Since they’ve grouped e-ve-ry-one to-ward the south, we’ll take the South Gate. It’s close to the castle gate, too. Have the air cavalry group keep the holy men in the sky too busy to look down at the ground.”
“Understood.”
“I don’t mind if we’re discovered, but… I’d rather not be noticed until we’ve breached the gate. If any of the First Order’s mages are in a position to notice us, I don’t care if you have to sacrifice a former Knight. Kill them.”
“Yes, ma’am!”
Folding the now-silent Caller, Renée handed it to an accompanying lich and smirked.
“Now… it’s showtime.”
No matter how numerous the attackers, only a limited number of soldiers could scale the wall at any one time. Behind the undead soldiers clinging to the wall, a massive horde of undead lay in wait. They maintained a position just out of range of the trebuchets, intermittently launching assaults in small squads.
But then, almost all of those reserve undead suddenly began moving in unison toward the South Gate.
“W-what is it?! What are they planning?!” a knight on the wall shouted. It was as if a black, muddy torrent was flowing across the ground. Even the undead positioned on the north side had started moving toward the South Gate, a fact noticed by anyone who had a moment to spare a glance below the wall.
“Dammit! They’re concentrating on a single point to break through!”
However, only the rear guard was on the move. The undead currently scaling the walls were still there. Just because they had noticed the shift didn’t mean there was anything they could do about it.
Amidst this, figures of knights began to run along the top of the city wall. Knights from the Second Knight Order, who had been protecting their comrades with shields in both hands. From the southeastern side, one out of every few defenders. Simultaneously, in multiple locations, like teeth falling from a comb, they abandoned their posts and began running along the wall toward the South Gate.
“Hey! Where are you going!?”
“To help the South Gate!”
With those words, they sprinted across the wall, which was a chaotic mix of knights and undead.
The area around the city gate was a gatehouse tower, a structure like a fortress built as an extension of the wall. The gate itself was a heavy, alloy portcullis that dropped into a groove, not something easily broken. However, the gatehouse tower contained the winding mechanism to raise the portcullis, and if this area was taken, the gate could be opened.
The battle for the South Gate, like a fire fed with kindling, grew fiercer by the moment. Ladders were thrown up one after another, and arrows from the flanking towers shot down the undead that tried to climb them. Even so, the number of undead on top of the wall gradually increased, and the pressure on the gatehouse mounted.
Into the heart of the melee, the knights who had left their posts arrived.
“We’ve come to help!”
Seeing the members of the Second Knight Order arrive, pushing their way through the throng of undead, the knights stationed in the gatehouse tower showed looks of relief. It was only natural to feel reassured when allies arrived, having anticipated the enemy’s move.
“Thank you!”
“Are you all from the Second? Good, get to the front and form a wall!”
“Block the entrance!”
To reach the room with the winding mechanism, one had to go up a narrow staircase from the top of the city wall. If the Second Knight Order blocked that path, preventing entry would be simple.
But the members of the Second Knight Order who had rushed over did not move as they were told.
“Wait! Something’s wrong with them…”
A mage from the First Knight Order tried to shout something as he pointed his staff, but he was cut down mid-sentence. By one of the newly arrived Second Knight Order members.
“What—!”
By the time those around them tried to draw their swords, it was too late. With perfectly synchronized coordination, the gatehouse’s defense force was cut down one after another, or else wrestled to the ground and restrained.
The knights of the Second Knight Order who had appeared in the gatehouse tower. They were no longer among the living. In the heat of battle, Renée had killed them, so subtly that not even those around them noticed, and turned them into revenants. Afterward, they continued to act as knights with an innocent facade… until just moments ago, when upon Renée’s command, they had begun their operation as undead.
“The South Gate of the city wall has been breached!”
“What did you say!?”
The Caller in the strategy command room shrieked, and both Hilbert and Lawrence shot up from their seats.
The strategy of using the Second Knight Order as a shield had been, unbelievably, working. Even the battering ram attacks had ceased. It had been working. Until just a few minutes ago.
They had received intelligence that the undead army was moving toward the South Gate. But even if the gate were to fall, it shouldn’t have been breached so quickly.
“What’s the situation!”
“It appears knights from the Second Knight Order appeared and seized the gatehouse tower! The gate was raised, and the undead soldiers that were massing at the South Gate are now pouring into the city! The barricades inside the gate… they’re useless! They were scattered!!”
“That bastard Bertil…!!”
Lawrence slammed his fist on the desk, shattering it. The row of Callers was sent flying. From among them, Lawrence grabbed only those connecting to the First Knight Order’s unit commanders, activated them all at once, and roared.
“The enemy has breached the South Gate! All First Knight Order units on standby in the city, engage the invading enemy! However, be wary of the Second Knight Order! There may be traitors among them! Use them only as shields at the front!”
Having anticipated the enemy’s move, they had already concentrated the forces within the city toward the South Gate. The number of enemies that could pour through the narrow gate at once was limited. If they could surround and attack them, there was still a chance to push them back… or so there should have been.
“Falcon Squad, move to retake the gatehouse tower! You don’t need my instructions, I leave the details to you! Is Bertil still at his post? …Gomez Squad, head to the flanking tower of the East Gate! Detain the commander of the Second Knight Order and bring him here! If he resists, I don’t care if you have to tear his arm off!!”
“Yes, sir!” “Understood!” “Understood!” “Acknowledged!”
“…Hah… hah…”
Even after cutting the connection, Lawrence’s excitement had not faded; he was breathing heavily, his fists clenched. The other knights present began gathering the scattered Callers.
Hilbert frowned, rubbing his fingers together.
“If we cannot hold them here, then the city… must we abandon it?”
The people’s eyes are harsh on a king who cannot protect his country. A king, before being a statesman, is the “General” who commands all the nation’s armies. To allow the capital to be overrun by an enemy army, and the army of an evil god, of all things was an indelible dishonor for a king.
Lawrence was frustrated. Frustrated with himself for being unable, as the one in charge of the First Knight Order, to prevent the invasion. Lawrence was filled with hatred. Hatred for the Second Knight Order and Bertil, who had likely created the opening for the enemy’s entry. And above all, hatred for the filthy invader, Renée.
“Did Bertil betray us?”
“I do not know. It’s possible individual knights betrayed us, or are being controlled by magic, but… even if that were the case, Bertil is the one who gave them the opportunity. It was foolish to think one could reason with a creature like that.”
Lawrence said, spitting out the words.
“In a situation where we don’t know who is a traitor, the First Knight Order alone will defend the castle walls.”
“Lawrence. If you say that, then we cannot be certain of individual knights in the First Knight Order either. And what of the Second Knight Order’s forces? Are you abandoning them entirely?”
Hilbert’s words held a tone of partial rebuke, but Lawrence had not made the choice to cut off the Second Knight Order based on personal feelings alone. His mind raced, considering the current enemy and friendly forces, the conditions for victory, and piecing together the necessary course of action like a puzzle.
“…If we start doubting, we could doubt everyone. But given the circumstances, the Second Knight Order poses a greater risk. Key defensive positions should be assigned to the First Knight Order first.”
“That is most reasonable.”
“After this… if we fall into a disadvantageous position, we will conduct delaying actions while retreating to the castle walls. At that time, we will have the members of the Second Knight Order go to the temple and undergo ≪Consecration≫. Not on their equipment, but on their bodies.”
“And what will that do?”
Lawrence hesitated for a moment before answering. But he judged it necessary and spoke.
“It will make it difficult to turn them into undead, even if they die. We will have them fight on, and have the Second Knight Order reduce the number of undead, even if by just one.”
Understanding the meaning behind Lawrence’s words, Hilbert looked up to the heavens (or rather, the ceiling) and let out a great sigh.
“So we will be ordering them to throw their lives away.”
“This is a crisis of national survival. Besides, at this point, it is as if everyone is already laying down their lives in a desperate struggle. There is no need to think of it as anything particularly special.”
“…It can’t be helped, I suppose.”
Hilbert made his decision. However, it was not because he thought the lives of the Second Knight Order members were worthless. Lawrence could sense the resolve of a king who stands upon the corpses of his fallen men in Hilbert’s solemn words, and his reverence for him deepened.