In the heart of the town, residents gathered various vessels to transport spring water, while the Clergy offered prayers of purification, seeking the blessings that would transform the water into Holy Water. Nearby, members of the private militia, mercenaries, and even those who had finished treating their injuries were collecting weapons from all over the town to cleanse them with the Holy Water.
Gilbert, too, soaked a cloth in Holy Water and meticulously applied it to the crescent-shaped blade of his Battle Axe.
“Gilbert, soak this in Holy Water as well. The blessings might prove useful in some way,” Dolf said, placing beside him a braided cord that Flora had made in the carriage, connected to chains brought from the village.
The Battle Axe featured a crescent blade with a hooked claw extending downwards, forming a shape that allowed for the threading of cords and chains. The axe head was adorned with rings that served as decorative elements, also providing places to thread cords. Dolf had prepared and modified it beforehand to address the issue of Gilbert’s dominant arm.
Dolf crouched down to meet Gilbert’s gaze, his expression turning serious. “You know, as we discussed in the village, your Battle Axe isn’t suited for fighting magical beasts or Undead Beasts, given your arm’s condition. It might still deliver sufficient power against larger foes using your core and centrifugal force, but it will be a disadvantage against smaller, more agile opponents.”
As a craftsman and an old acquaintance, Dolf spoke with a tone of concern, prompting Gilbert to smile reassuringly and nod. “I understand. I won’t push myself too hard. I’ll just do what I can.”
However, Dolf chuckled mockingly. “I can’t say I trust you on that front…”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Gilbert replied, a hint of confusion in his voice.
Just then, the outside world erupted into chaos.
“There’s another Undead Beast appearing in the northeastern settlement! It’s small, but there are a lot of them!” A man burst into the town, panting heavily as he delivered the news. The lord and everyone around him immediately wore grim expressions upon hearing the report.
“Sir Lionel has gone to contain it in the opposite direction. This is bad… Those who can move, head out!”
At the lord’s command, the private militia and mercenaries rushed out, armed with the purified weapons. The Clergy followed suit, heading in the same direction. Dolf furrowed his brow and turned to Gilbert.
“What will you do? Are you going to wait here for Lionel?”
“No way. If I do that, I won’t have the face to meet him again,” Gilbert replied, rising with his Battle Axe in hand. Dolf grinned knowingly, then called out into the distance.
“Barbara! Flora-chan! Prepare the carriage!”
“…Huh? Wait, are you really planning to come with us?” Gilbert exclaimed, eyes wide in disbelief.
Dolf nodded with a smug expression. “Of course. Didn’t I say I need to know what you’re up against?”
“Well, that’s true, but… you promised to stay in a safe place…”
Without answering immediately, Dolf gave Gilbert a gentle nudge on the waist, urging him to move. Together, they dashed from the spot. Ahead, they could see Barbara and Flora waving as they prepared the carriage.
“That carriage is imbued with the blessings of all the craftsmen and Sorcerers from our village. It’s the safest place you can be,” Dolf assured.
“Is that really true…?” Gilbert replied, still somewhat skeptical, but he managed a troubled smile as he climbed onto the Coachman’s Seat.
“The Clergy have also boarded. And, um, even in times like this!” Flora called out, turning to reveal a bagel stuffed with cheese and meat. Gilbert relaxed slightly, smiling.
“Thank you, this helps a lot. We need to eat now more than ever. We can’t fight on an empty stomach.”
Taking a bite of the bagel Flora handed him, Gilbert urged the horse forward.
As they passed through the town’s fortifications, they crossed over fields of wheat spreading to the southwest, and after traversing through four forests, they finally reached their destination.
From a distance, everything seemed normal, but as they approached from a high vantage point, the grotesque sight became clear. About a third of the northern side of the settlement was covered in a dark, bubbling mass that resembled red-black foam.
Children and the elderly, likely fleeing from the chaos, walked toward the town with fearful glances cast around them.
Upon reaching the settlement, it became evident that what had appeared to be foam from afar was actually a multitude of frog-like Undead Beasts. They varied in size from adult waist height to knee height for children, but all were uniformly covered in putrid, decaying flesh.
“This is bad; there are too many of them,” one of the private militia members grimaced.
“Fortunately, they’re low in lethality, but no matter how many we take down, their numbers don’t seem to decrease,” another added, washing their weapons in Holy Water as they grimaced.
“Is it possible to contain them with a Barrier?”
“No… The Clergy capable of casting a Wide-Area Barrier are with Lord Lionel. It would be difficult for us to cover the settlement…”
“I see…”
One of the militia members asked the Clergy, only to lower his shoulders in disappointment. Just then, Gilbert and the others joined the conversation.
“Shouldn’t we prioritize evacuating the residents before exterminating them? We have the carriage ready,” Gilbert suggested.
“Unfortunately, the magical beasts that are the source of these Undead Beasts are troublesome. They originate from a swamp much farther north, and they track by scent. If the residents flee all at once, they’ll likely follow them,” one of the militia members explained.
Understanding why the children hadn’t been running away, Gilbert frowned.
“In that case, for example… Undead Beasts don’t die without the protection of Holy Water, but if their bodies are significantly damaged, it should take them some time to recover.”
The militia members and mercenaries perked up at Gilbert’s words.
“In other words, if we can lure them away and crush them, we might buy enough time for the residents to escape to the town?”
“That’s a rather muscle-headed idea,” one of the mercenaries chuckled.
“However, to be honest, it’s about all we can think of at this point,” another added.
The tough-looking mercenaries laughed heartily, agreeing with Gilbert. The private militia and Clergy exchanged wry smiles and nodded in agreement.
“Well, the real issue is how we’ll escape after we’ve evacuated the residents…” Gilbert muttered, prompting one of the burly mercenaries to clap him on the shoulder with a laugh.
“We’ll think about that later. For now, let’s prioritize the safe evacuation of the residents.”
It seemed the plan was set. Entrusting the evacuation of the residents to Dolf and the others, Gilbert, the private militia, and the mercenaries armed themselves and walked toward the settlement.
Left behind, Dolf let out a long sigh from the Coachman’s Seat and called out to Flora and Barbara, who were peering out from the carriage with worried expressions.
“Gilbert’s lost sight of his own safety. We need to finish evacuating the residents as quickly as possible before they get seriously hurt.”
At his words, Flora and Barbara nodded with unusually serious expressions.