Chapter 14: Demon’s Lair – Part 20
After handing Count Meltone over to the Marquis’s soldiers, I made my way to the Marquis on horseback to relay the information I had just acquired.
“Are you saying that the Undead will be unleashed upon the Royal Capital? King Giselfa cannot be so foolish…”
As the Marquis had stated, the plan that Count Meltone had described regarding the King was nothing short of reckless and utterly foolish. If the Marquis’s forces were to breach the first fortress wall and enter the city, they would then unleash the Undead at the opportune moment. Once the Marquis’s forces suffered losses, they would then emerge from within the second fortress wall. It seemed that was the plan they had in mind.
“We must urgently request assistance from the Adventurers’ Guild,” General Durack, who had been listening beside me, said. The Marquis then called one of his guards and issued instructions.
“As previously decided, hurry to the Adventurers’ Guild and make an emergency request. The location for the Undead’s appearance is around the second fortress wall.”
“Yes, sir!”
Three of the guards mounted their horses and galloped away. While I was concerned about the situation at the Guild, there were more pressing matters at hand.
“Marquis, I will head out first.”
“Your earlier performance was remarkable. I ask for your strength just a little longer.”
“Understood.”
I bowed to the Marquis and set off down the main street toward the central part of the Royal Capital, heading for the second fortress wall.
The second fortress wall was designed to protect the central district where the nobility, including the royal castle, resided. Although it was called a wall, it was not as high as the first fortress wall; rather, it primarily served to separate the central district from the rest of the city. Numerous guards were stationed atop it, but that posed no obstacle for me.
The real issue was when King Giselfa’s side would summon the Undead. It seemed that Summoning Stones had already been placed outside the second fortress wall. If only I could destroy them beforehand… but that was not going to happen.
Because, right before my eyes, Skeletons and Terror Knights began to emerge from the ground with a series of dull thuds. The absence of Zombies was a slight relief, but it was still troubling.
Ahead, I spotted the adventurer squad of the Marquis’s forces. They were beginning to ready their weapons, having noticed the appearance of the Undead.
“I’ll take the front! Everyone else, split to the sides and deal with any stragglers!”
As I shouted, a young man I had spoken to earlier turned back and replied.
“Got it! Everyone, follow Souji’s lead!”
With that, the young man called out, and everyone responded with a resounding “Yeah!” as they split to the sides. It was a bit concerning how naturally they seemed to follow my orders, but I decided to set that aside for now.
I continued to run forward. The second fortress wall was now only about 200 meters away.
A horde of Undead, numbering in the thousands, was shambling down the street toward us.
Some of them were trying to enter nearby buildings, and if this continued, they would soon start attacking the citizens indiscriminately. I activated my “Provoke” skill to draw the Undead’s attention.
The massive horde of Undead entered the range of my “Shockwave” skill. Naturally, they fell prey to it one after another.
The Undead, moving in formation along the street, were nothing more than targets. Like a bowling ball knocking down a row of pins, I advanced while exterminating the Undead.
“What the hell is this? I’ve never heard of so many Undead appearing in the city!”
“Could it be that the King is behind this!?”
I could hear the voices of new adventurers arriving from behind. It seemed reinforcements from the Guild had finally arrived.
Though they numbered around thirty, they quickly split into parties and vanished into the alleys. I was handling the Undead on the main street, but it seemed many had already spread throughout the city. I would have to leave that to the other adventurers and the regular soldiers.
I pressed onward, finally reaching the gates of the second fortress wall. Upon closer inspection, I could see dozens of Summoning Stones scattered across the ground. However, they appeared to have already lost their power.
Looking up at the towering wall, which stood about ten meters high, I noticed a few regular soldiers remaining, their faces pale as they watched me. Initially, many had been poised with bows, but as I approached, they began to disappear. To be honest, the arrows they shot would barely sting, and their numbers posed no threat to me.
The gate was a heavy metal structure, securely bolted shut. However, when I pushed against it with all my strength, a loud shattering sound echoed, and the door swung open effortlessly.
“Hey, wait! Did he just open that so easily?!”
“Was the bolt not secured properly?!”
“No, the latch just broke. What kind of weapon is he wielding?!”
Inside the gate stood about fifty Special Duty Soldiers, weapons at the ready. I wondered just how many adventurer rejects King Giselfa had gathered.
“Strength alone won’t win this. Speed and numbers will prevail!”
“True enough. Even if they’re high rank, in the end, the side with more numbers will win.”
They were saying such things, but even this level of opposition would likely be no match for Anatoria the Crimson or young Harsivil.
As I carelessly stepped forward, the Special Duty Soldiers surrounded me and launched their attacks. Some sent slashes my way, while others attempted to cast spells, but they were all blown away by my “Shockwave.” A few landed in the gardens of nearby noble estates, but I hoped they could overlook that.
After sweeping through the Special Duty Soldiers, I heard faint screams from the regular soldiers watching from a distance. I felt completely treated like a monster, but for now, that worked to my advantage.
“If you value your lives, drop your weapons and kneel! Neither Lord Ryusha nor Marquis would favor unnecessary conflict! I, however, do not share that sentiment!”
As I proclaimed this, the soldiers turned pale and began to drop their weapons one after another, raising their hands in surrender.
Suddenly, someone in the back began to shout. It was a thin, young man who looked like a noble. His nervous face twisted in anger as he screeched.
“What are you all doing?! Take care of that brigand at once! Do you intend to defy the King’s orders?!”
He seemed to be the noble leading these regular soldiers. As I approached, the soldiers parted to make way for me, and I felt like some sort of prophet.
“W-Wait! Aren’t you supposed to protect me?! Why are you opening the way?! Hii!”
I walked over and grabbed the noble by the scruff of his neck, lifting him and carrying him toward the gate.
The main force, including Marquis Lagantz and young Ryusha, had already arrived near the gate. After handing the noble over to Earthlin, the Marquis called out from his horse.
“Isn’t that Viscount Gazet? To be entrusted with guarding the inner gate is quite an achievement, but did you perhaps unleash the Undead upon the city?”
“I merely followed the King’s orders!” he retorted. “I have no obligation to listen to a vixen from Lagantz!”
“Oh, is that so? So, King Giselfa has indeed devised a plan that endangers the citizens. In that case, we must stop this foolishness. That is the duty of a vassal.”
“You are merely trying to usurp the throne! You are nothing but a harlot who ingratiated herself with the late King to inherit the title of Marquis! How disgraceful!”
“I believe I am somewhat better than a noble who disregards the people and cannot even command his soldiers.”
“Shut up! You think you can act so arrogantly with that monster by your side? Before the majesty of His Majesty the King, you are no more than dust! A fool who does not know his place will perish!”
The noble—Viscount Gazet—continued to froth at the mouth and shout, but he was taken away by the soldiers under the Marquis’s orders.
After watching him go, the Marquis turned his gaze to me.
“We’re almost there. I believe the royal castle is guarded by the royal guards. Will that be a problem?”
“Are the royal guards former adventurers?”
“Indeed. I have heard that skilled individuals among the rejects were made royal guards.”
“That would be quite convenient if I don’t need to hold back.”
“Hehe, I suppose that is all it means to you.”
“Yes. Now, I shall proceed to the royal castle.”
I bowed to the Marquis, who was smiling with narrowed eyes, and set my feet toward the royal castle.
As I walked through the deserted streets, passing in front of several noble estates, the mansions were eerily silent, as if they were holding their breath. Most of the nobles residing in the Royal Capital were supporters of the current King, but the inhabitants inside were likely already resigned to their fate. By the time the Marquis’s army had reached this point, the outcome had already been decided.
The gates of the royal castle were firmly shut. Since all the soldiers outside had surrendered, there was no one to challenge me as I stood before the castle gate.
The massive doors appeared to open outward. Intricate reliefs were carved into them, and as I placed my fingers upon them, my “Grasp” skill activated. Pulling the door open produced a loud shattering sound, and the door swung open effortlessly.
Almost simultaneously, arrows and magic flew toward me, but I deflected them with the Immovable Fortress Wall as I stepped inside the castle.
What lay before me was a spacious entrance hall. About thirty soldiers clad in black armor surrounded me in a semicircle. Their weapons were a hodgepodge, giving off the impression of adventurer rejects, but they were likely the royal guards.
“Those weapons and shields… Are you high-rank adventurers?”
“That shield is made of orichalcum, right? If so, they must be A-Rank. Be careful.”
The royal guards, unlike the Special Duty Soldiers outside, hesitated to charge at me right away, instead observing my movements. They seemed to be better trained than the soldiers outside.
“The outside is completely surrounded. The plan to use the Undead has been thwarted. You have no chance of victory left. Why not surrender?”
I could have unleashed a “Shockwave” without hesitation, but since they were merely observing, I decided to make a proposal.
To my surprise, the leader among them responded.
“We have no place to live outside this country. If we are captured, we face forced labor at best, and execution at worst. We have done enough to deserve that.”
“I see. Then it cannot be helped.”
“Yeah, it cannot be helped.”
As soon as he finished speaking, the leader charged at me, and the other soldiers followed suit.
I swung my mace horizontally—and with that, the battle was over.
“Damn it, I shouldn’t have tried to talk.”
Adventurers face harsher penalties for crimes than ordinary people. If a reject wants to survive, they inevitably have no choice but to become a brigand. Perhaps King Giselfa, who gathered such rejects and employed them as soldiers, was a savior to them.
I shook my head to dispel the unpleasant aftertaste and moved through the entrance hall into the corridor.