That night, at the royal castle.
“…What did you just say?”
Hilbert asked back with an astonished expression, hearing the words of the messenger who had rushed into his office.
“Wesala has been destroyed!”
“The knights and peasant soldiers under the Duke’s banner, who had gathered to subjugate the undead, have all turned into undead and are attacking the citizens!”
“The citizens who were killed have also turned into undead and started attacking the town, and the town has finally been destroyed. Currently, refugees are flowing into the surrounding villages and towns!”
The messenger reporting seemed to be half in disbelief, or rather, he looked like he couldn’t believe it, and didn’t want to believe it.
To say that an entire knighthood had turned into undead was an understatement of a nightmare.
Undead.
Hilbert naturally connected this situation to a certain named monster.
Someone who was once Hilbert’s niece. Someone who must hate, hate, and hate everything about this country.
“Rose of Hell”… Renée “Rosy like a Rose” Luvia Ciel-Terra.
As Hilbert was speechless, Lawrence, who had just arrived at the scene for a business report, changed his expression, put his hand on his chest, and roared bravely.
“My King! Grant us permission to sortie! I will lead the First Knight Order to subjugate them.”
Lawrence seemed to have the same idea as Hilbert, and he was more in the mood to go and subdue the “Rose of Hell” rather than the undead knights.
“I have a report!”
Before Hilbert could say anything, another messenger jumped into the room.
“What is it this time!”
“To the east of the royal capital, near Temina in the territory of Marquis Edelfelt, we have confirmed an army of undead flying the red rose banner! The total number is about 4000!”
“…What!?”
The post town of Temina has a typical structure for a post town, with inns and other buildings lining both sides of the highway.
In winter, there are few customers, but there are a few travelers, adventurers who move around regardless of winter, and merchants who come to buy jewels and snow roses.
Right in the middle of such a post town, a large army of undead was passing through.
In the afterglow, moving corpses and skeletons march in an orderly fashion, albeit at a slightly faster pace. The sight of armed, orderly undead was truly an army, a military force.
The procession of undead, spread out across the road, continued for so long that it was ridiculous to count them. Skeletons were riding on zombified hippogriffs, and zombified horses were pulling carts with some kind of load.
Among the ranks, one that stood out was a palanquin.
A palanquin with a canopy containing a throne, carried by about 10 skeletons, and surrounded by ghouls in knight armor (only one of them was dressed in a kimono).
The blinds were down, but the front was open, and if anyone had the courage to observe the ranks, they could see the person sitting in the palanquin.
Sitting on the throne, cross-legged and with her cheek resting on her hand, was a skeleton with beautiful silver hair, wearing a white dress dyed with red roses. Her size was about that of a child. Silvery light resided in her hollow eye sockets.
Although it was somewhat against her will, Renée chose this ghastly appearance, conscious of being seen.
The military flags held up by the undead around the palanquin were made of tattered cloth that looked like torn sacks, dyed with a bright red rose. The flags, which looked like they were drawn with human blood, had a decadent and blasphemous beauty, as well as an ominousness.
The rose is also a part of the Ciel-Terra national emblem, but it is a white rose.
The snow rose, a specialty of Ciel-Terra, is a white rose that blooms in the snow. It is also prized as an ornamental plant, and its sparklingly beautiful petals are also used as ingredients for potions.
The name of Renée “Rosy like a Rose” Luvia Ciel-Terra (and hence the name of the named monster “Rose of Hell”) was also given to her because her silver hair and silver eyes resembled a white rose.
But now, she is holding up a blood-red rose as her military flag.
As if to show those who had stained the white rose princess with blood their sins.
Or perhaps, as if to say that this red is the proof of the blood that should be shed as atonement.
Those who happened to be in the post town were huddled together in several groups, holding still and enduring. As if they would be killed if they made a single sound, even the sound of breathing.
“Remember this,”
Renée muttered on top of the palanquin.
Not to anyone in particular.
“The only reason I’m not killing you here is because I don’t have time. After I take the royal capital, I’ll be back.”
To proceed west on the highway towards the royal capital means to pass through the towns along the way. To crush them all would take too much time. So, she decided to pass through villages and post towns, and to detour around cities with city walls.
Not only that, but Renée had sent a unit skilled in covert operations ahead of time to destroy the communication bureaus in the towns along the way, delaying the discovery of the situation. Fortunately, the only major city that had a detection and defense system that would not allow undead to enter was Wesala, which was destroyed first.
Furthermore, she had the advance unit secure strong people like adventurers and priests who could use magic, and added them to the ranks.
She had gained enough numbers of foot soldiers in Wesala, so she wanted to use Renée’s limited magical power for elite soldiers.
Excellent warriors can easily defeat 10 or 100 foot soldiers. This was even more true if they were undead.
The grotesque army, which required no rest or sleep, headed west almost without stopping.
Straight towards the royal capital.
“The undead army passed through Temina about 4 hours ago, in the evening…
After the army passed through, a knight under the command of Marquis Edelfelt, who holds Temina as his territory, sent a messenger, and the situation was discovered when Marquis Edelfelt made a direct emergency communication –”
“There should have been towns and post towns between Wesala and Temina? Any word from them?”
“We have not received any information in particular…”
The worst possible scenario crossed Hilbert’s mind.
The image of a horde of corpses marching forward, slaughtering every town along the way, every living thing.
“Damn it… Try to contact the communication bureaus of each town around Temina, and anyone you can contact! I want to hear from Marquis Edelfelt as well. Contact him from the communication room and tell him to come to the communication bureau as soon as possible.”
“Understood!”
The messenger who had arrived later hurriedly left the office.
First of all, we must strive to grasp the situation.
I hope that the report of 4000 undead is just a mistake in the numbers, but the reporter is a knight, and the lord who received the report. Since it is certain that a large number of monsters are approaching, we must send out scouts to grasp the enemy’s strength. We must call for evacuation and vigilance in the towns and villages along the way…
As he thought about this, Hilbert realized that something was strange.
“…Hey, you. Did you hear when Wesala was destroyed?”
“Well… It is not clear at what point the massacre ended, but the first undead appeared around 10 am today. After that, I’m not sure exactly, but it seems that the massacre continued until at least noon.”
“And they’re already this close!?”
Marching is generally time-consuming. The larger the scale of the army, the more time it takes.
Depending on the condition of the road and the weather, it would normally take a full day for an army of 4000 to travel from Wesala to Temina. Even if they left Wesala at noon, it’s too fast to be in Temina.
“…If they’re all undead, then the marching speed of humans is not a reference. The undead have no concept of fatigue. There is no need for consensus.
And undead have good night vision. Probably… They are still marching…”
Lawrence said, with a face that looked like he was grinding his back teeth.
Hilbert drew a map of the country in his mind and calculated the speed of the undead army.
He immediately came up with a desperate calculation.
“At this rate… They’ll reach the royal capital by tomorrow morning!?”
Hilbert stood up from his chair as if an invisible sword had been thrust at him.
He couldn’t possibly just pass by the royal capital. Given the situation, their target is undoubtedly the royal capital.
The “Rose of Hell” is coming to kill Hilbert… To destroy the Ciel-Terra Kingdom.
Battles usually start with a gradual progression of events, like rain melting snow.
In the meantime, there is a grace period to deal with it… And to prepare mentally.
The ridiculous situation of an army of 4000 suddenly appearing and attacking tomorrow was beyond comprehension.
In a half-overturned voice, Hilbert shouted.
“Gather the soldiers! Get the neighboring lords to send as many soldiers as possible! I don’t care if they’re sleeping, wake up the whole country and bring them here!
Contact the temple and have them send out the temple knights and priests! Contact the adventurers’ guild too. If the opponent is a monster, they won’t have any complaints. I don’t care how much money it costs, just bring all the adventurers you can…!?”
Having said all that, Hilbert remembered another desperate fact.
Adventurers are more powerful than soldiers in fighting monsters.
If the opponent is an army of undead, the adventurers will be a great help. A high-ranking party might be able to mow down 100 or 200 of them.
But the most reliable party in the country, the strongest party, is now…
“When will ‘Sub-Zero Crystal Spear’ return?”
They are currently heading south to eliminate a group of undead that has appeared.
Recommended by Duke Gerald, Hilbert himself had issued the request quest.
“Could it be… Those undead were a diversion?”
“Skeleton Champions, High Ghouls, Skeleton Vanguards, Skeleton Assassins… It’s not a lukewarm force that can be called a diversion… No, if you can prepare a main force of 4000, then that level is not a loss to use as a diversionary pawn.”
Lawrence spat out in disgust.
Skeleton Champions are considered to be a threat equivalent to a sixth-rank elite. This does not mean that they are equivalent to a single sixth-rank elite adventurer, but rather that it is appropriate to have a party that includes a sixth-rank elite adventurer to subjugate them. This is a standard that overestimates the danger, placing the safety of adventurers first, but there is no doubt that they are dangerous enemies.
Furthermore, if the “Rose of Hell” is involved behind the scenes, sending mediocre adventurers would be a waste of life. It is necessary to use a party that can solve the sudden situation, or at least bring back information. The decision to send “Sub-Zero Crystal Spear” was appropriate.
–…It was appropriate! If only this situation hadn’t happened!
“Can’t we send the Sky Cavalry to pick up ‘Sub-Zero Crystal Spear’?”
“My King, all of our Sky Cavalry are on hippogriffs! Hippogriffs are all night-blind. Even if they are given night vision with magic, they instinctively avoid flying at night. In the current situation where we have not trained them for night flight, I must say that it is difficult. If we wait until morning, we can go pick them up, but…”
“…Impossible! Then the enemy will be here! A defensive battle without the Sky Cavalry is…!”
Hilbert put his head in his hands.
“…It can’t be helped, I’ll ask Noacurio for reinforcements. If it’s just the Sky Cavalry, they’ll be here by tomorrow. There will only be a few that can be sent out immediately, but…”
In a desperate tone, Hilbert muttered.
Even if we survive this, it’s certain that we’ll be made into a forward base for Noacurio. But at this point, we can’t afford to think about the trouble ahead.
No matter how much we owe and to whom, we must use all the cards we can and survive.
“We’ll use the city walls as a shield and hold the castle. If Noacurio’s reinforcements arrive…”
“No, my King.”
Lawrence took the Taylor-Ayul he wore at his waist, still in its sheath, and presented it to Hilbert.
“If we just kill ‘her’, everything will be solved.
The daughter of the foolish king who sold the country to the Federation. A traitor who still bears a grudge against her homeland even after death. Every second she exists on this earth is a blasphemy to your reign!
Now that she has reappeared, it is her end. I, Lawrence, will definitely kill her!!”
His tone was powerful.
Undead cannot continue their activities without a supply of magical power. If there is a caster who created the undead (and that would certainly be the “Rose of Hell”), then even an army of 4000 can be completely neutralized by defeating the caster.
If Lawrence defeats the “Rose of Hell”… We can win the battle.
But Hilbert was not one to blindly cling to one possibility. Hilbert was a cautious and thoughtful man, who thought before he acted.
“If you can defeat her, then do it. That’s the best… But I doubt she’ll come out in front of you. She might just keep sending out the undead army.”
“…I understand. The undead are an army that requires no supplies. Furthermore, they have the ridiculous trait of increasing in number as they create corpses. It is quite possible that she will resort to a war of attrition.
But… If I have the opportunity, I will definitely…”
“Yes. In that case… I’ll rely on you.”
“Yes!!”
Encouraged by Lawrence’s brave salute, Hilbert was able to think, just a little, that ‘maybe things will work out’.