“Sir Lionel, is that the reason you became the Black Knight?”
Count Kelvim asked with a somber expression.
“Indeed. I thought that even if I had to forsake my position and honor, it would be acceptable if everything turned out to be mere worries without consequence. I wanted to confirm it with my own eyes. However, now that I am here…”
Lionel exhaled deeply, pausing for a moment.
“I apologize. Rather than raising unfounded hopes, I thought it best to share the unsettling news first. There are limits to what I can do alone, but I intend to spare no effort.”
Even though they had already steeled themselves upon seeing the defaced shield, the reason behind it only deepened the sense of despair on Count Kelvim’s and the mercenaries’ faces.
“Well, it’s a blessing that a renowned former knight commander is here with us. Moreover, thanks to you, Sir Lionel, my brother and the elders have come as well, right?”
A mercenary chuckled, attempting to lighten the atmosphere. This brought a faint smile back to everyone’s faces.
“True enough. For now, let’s focus on the matters at hand.”
As Count Kelvim raised his head, everyone in the room followed suit, nodding in agreement.
“What about the messenger to the Royal Capital?”
“I dispatched one immediately after this morning’s attack. If the weather holds, it should arrive in four or five days. The problem is whether His Majesty will send troops for aid. Regardless, even if they were to mobilize immediately, it would take at least ten days to half a month for them to arrive here.”
The speed of horse and rider had its limits. Depending on the scale of the deployment, the transport of supplies could further delay their progress. The truth of the king’s intentions remained uncertain, and without any guarantee of swift action, relying on aid from the Royal Capital seemed a dubious choice.
“How long can the containment barrier hold?”
Lionel turned to the elderly Clergy member who had been quietly listening in the corner.
“It will last a maximum of seven days. Since they are confined within the barrier, they shouldn’t increase in number beyond that.”
“There shouldn’t be any oversights.”
A younger Clergy member added. They were from the Western Grand Church, particularly skilled in barrier magic. After confirming this, a mercenary raised his hand to provide additional information.
“This morning’s large Undead Beast was nearly fully grown, but it hadn’t fully matured yet. Thanks to that, we were able to deal with it quickly. It must have turned into an Undead Beast shortly after the knight order retreated. Therefore, there should only be that one in the vicinity.”
Lionel nodded with a serious expression. Fortunately, a large Undead Beast could be detected early by the Clergy’s scouting. Moreover, due to their high lethality, it was difficult for surrounding magical beasts to turn into Undead Beasts.
“The problem lies with the mutated smaller Undead Beasts…”
“About that… I noticed something while fighting during the day.”
The mercenary raised his hand.
“Though I thought it was pointless, I purified my club with Holy Water. As a result, I managed to take down a few of the smaller ones while the blessing lasted.”
“Now that you mention it, I did manage to take down a few with my sword as well.”
The mercenaries nodded in unison.
Large and medium-sized Undead Beasts could be stopped from regenerating their severed limbs by striking them with a sword purified with Holy Water. By separating the head from the body, the flesh would crumble and return to the earth. However, that was why blunt weapons and arrows had proven ineffective until now. By the time one was defeated, the blessing of the Holy Water would typically have faded.
“If that’s the case, we might have a glimmer of hope if we overwhelm them with numbers.”
As Lionel nodded, smiles returned to everyone’s faces.
In the corner of the room, Gilbert, who had been silently listening, hesitated to speak about the events in the village earlier and tried to stand up. However, Dolf restrained him by the shoulder.
“About what happened earlier, it seems my secret weapon happened to work well, but it’s still uncertain. I can’t raise false hopes with vague information.”
Hearing this, Gilbert blinked in surprise. He noticed that the mercenaries and soldiers who had fought alongside him in the village were averting their gazes, but for now, he accepted it.
—After all, it’s that old man… He must have set up some strange contraption.
While pondering this internally, Gilbert muttered something else that came to mind.
“…If we were to completely annihilate all the Undead Beasts, then those upper-ups’ strange schemes would be for naught, right?”
His voice coincidentally echoed through the room’s silence. Suddenly, all eyes turned to Gilbert with an intensity that felt almost palpable. The mercenaries and soldiers who had just been avoiding his gaze now wore vacant smiles. Though unspoken, their thoughts were clear.
—My bad. I said something that sounded like it came from a muscle-bound brain…
Gilbert deeply regretted his words and silently apologized, but out of the corner of his eye, he saw Lionel in the center of the room shaking with laughter. Thinking he had angered him, Gilbert looked up only to find Lionel unexpectedly smiling.
“Well, while reckless actions are troublesome, it’s good to have that kind of determination.”
Lionel said in a surprisingly cheerful tone, prompting Count Kelvim, the mercenaries, and the soldiers to nod with broad smiles. Even the elderly Clergy member sitting close to Gilbert couldn’t contain his laughter.
“Excellent! Truly excellent. While the barrier holds, let’s prepare as much Holy Water as we can.”
He said, playfully patting Gilbert on the shoulder. The surrounding Clergy members nodded in agreement.
“…And there’s the ‘Guide Mage’ who rarely shows themselves in this town. This is an extraordinary stroke of luck. It might just work out better than we expect.”
The elderly Clergy member—a renowned priest from the Western Grand Church—murmured this last thought. By that time, the room was buzzing with excitement, and only Gilbert and Dolf seemed to catch his words.
—”Guide Mage”? Is it Ms. Barbara? Is she famous…?
As he pondered this, those in the room began to rise one after another.
“Then, while monitoring the barrier, let’s spend the next five days preparing to annihilate the Undead Beasts and keeping watch around us. We shall commence the hunt six days from now.”
Lionel announced, and everyone echoed their agreement in unison.
As Gilbert and the others exited the mansion, a delicious aroma wafted through the air, tantalizing their hunger, illuminated by the setting sun. In the distance, he could see Flora waving her hands joyfully.