Gilbert, Lionel, and the mercenaries slowly approached the mountain of crimson-black Immortal Mud.
“If it originated from Viscous Magic Fungus, it should move slowly… but there’s a possibility it has mutated. Stay alert.”
As they cautiously measured their distance, their first target was an area where part of a suit of armor was exposed. As they drew closer, they could see that the Immortal Slime was mixed with the crumbling bodies of several other magical beasts.
“Did it cannibalize among the failed ones…? Or has it merged with the Undead Beast…?”
The mercenary muttered his doubts as he closed the distance, keeping a wary eye on their surroundings.
Even when they got close, there was no sign of an attack; at first glance, it merely looked like a mass of muddy water. For now, they aimed to rescue the humans trapped within, directing their blades at the mud.
“It seems the parts we cut are disappearing, but I wonder how long the blessing will last.”
As he slashed through the mud, Lionel cast a glance at his sword. Meanwhile, Gilbert’s battle axe had a much wider area of effect for annihilation. However, considering the impact on the trapped humans, he was cutting away at the Immortal Slime from a distance, slightly separated from Lionel and the others.
Once they pulled a knight’s body free, they created some distance and dragged him back to the clergy waiting behind. They confirmed that several others were trapped within sight and repeated the process.
“He’s still breathing! Can you carry him to the carriage?”
The clergy performed a simple healing spell, and the young knights of Jiemeld worked in tandem to lift the rescued knight and carry him away. The young knight wore a mixed expression of relief and confusion.
Keeping their distance from Gilbert and the others, Dolf and his team prepared the carriage to be ready to flee at any moment while also ensuring the safety of the rescued knight.
“If we determine it’s bad, we’ll immediately retrieve Gilbert and escape. Always keep an eye on our retreat route. Also, Barbara, Flora-chan, get out the spare cloaks; we’ll use them to protect the survivors.”
Dolf issued orders with a stern expression, glancing at Gilbert and the others in the distance.
“I’ve placed another Wide-Area Barrier as close as possible. It’s a simple one, but if we can reach it, we should have a moment’s reprieve.”
Priest Sidney informed Dolf, then grimaced as he looked at the elderly knight who was prostrated nearby. Old Knight Clark trembled, bowing his head to the ground. Eventually, he raised his face, his gaze fixed on Gilbert, who was fighting far away.
“I’m sorry… We… we are… for the sake of a great cause…”
His voice trembled, occasionally breaking, resonating with fear, anxiety, and regret. Priest Sidney stood beside the old knight, his expression grave.
“Many of the knights of Jiemeld have sworn loyalty not to this country or its people, but to the ancient royal lineage of Jiemeld. There is no reason to condemn their pride, but do you truly see what you desire ahead of that conviction?”
Sidney’s voice was laced with quiet anger.
“…No more… no more… I can’t…”
The old knight muttered, trembling, before unsheathing his sword from its scabbard. He placed it before him, the hilt facing the opposite direction of his dominant hand, a gesture of surrender from an ancient knight.
The anomaly occurred around the time they had rescued several knights. While they were digging through the mass of mud, one of the buried individuals regained consciousness. His armor appeared to be of higher quality than that of the other knights, suggesting he was of a captain class, but most of his body remained buried in the Immortal Slime.
The blessings on Lionel and the others’ weapons had already worn off, and they were taking time just to dig through the mud.
“…What are you… the operation has failed… run… watch your feet… we… made a mistake…”
After trailing off with fragmented words, the man lost consciousness.
“Watch your feet…?”
The mention of feet caught Lionel’s attention, and he looked down at the ground. In his line of sight, he noticed the earth bulging in a distorted manner.
“…This is bad! We need a Barrier underground!!”
Lionel shouted toward the clergy. The clergy immediately cast a Barrier at their feet. From beyond the Barrier, a massive Undead Beast resembling a giant worm or snake burst forth from the ground.
Noticing the anomaly surrounding Lionel and the others, Priest Sidney also cast a Barrier underground, but it was a moment too late; the ground near Dolf’s carriage had bulged significantly. What emerged was smaller compared to the others, but still child-sized.
It immediately lunged toward Barbara, who was retrieving cloaks at the carriage entrance.
“…! Ms. Barbara!!”
Flora instinctively grabbed a pot from inside the carriage and slammed the bottom of it against the worm-like Undead Beast with all her might.
With a dull thud, the creature that was about to attack Barbara crumpled back, and from the spot where it was struck, countless small lights flickered before it crumbled away into nothingness.
“Ms. Flora…!?”
As Gilbert dealt with the Undead Beast emerging from the ground, he instinctively glanced toward Flora and the others, his eyes widening at the scene that had just unfolded. His arms still swung his battle axe, but his mouth hung open in disbelief.
“…Ms. Flora, you’re quite impressive…!”
“Oh, I was making Holy Water in that pot… so it should have absorbed quite a bit of the blessing…”
Lionel, the mercenaries, and the clergy were all taken aback, adjusting their stances to retreat.
Gilbert couldn’t help but let out a laugh despite the dire situation.
“…Ms. Flora is surprisingly composed, isn’t she…?”
He then surveyed the surroundings, glaring at the mound of Immortal Slime before him.
—Strangely enough, I don’t feel like we can lose as long as I’m with Ms. Flora. I know recklessness is forbidden, but…
His mind raced ahead, contemplating what lay beyond this situation. Even if they retreated now, the clergy’s Barrier had its limits. They didn’t have the luxury of time to devise a strategy. There were still civilians remaining in the capital. That’s why he wanted to minimize the casualties as much as possible.
“Gilbert! Get inside the Barrier and retreat for now!”
Lionel’s voice rang out.
“…!! Gilbert!!”
Once more, Lionel’s voice echoed, tinged with urgency. The ground around Gilbert began to bulge in multiple directions, as massive worm-like Undead Beasts and clumps of Immortal Slime surged toward him.
Gilbert raised his battle axe.
From the sky, shrouded in dark clouds, a vertical pillar of slicing light descended toward the earth. Almost simultaneously, a thunderous roar echoed, shaking the ground.
Lightning struck directly onto Gilbert’s raised battle axe, and it appeared as if he slammed the axe’s blade into the ground along with the lightning. His vision was engulfed in a blinding flash of white light.
When his vision returned from the dazzling brilliance, all the Undead Beasts and Immortal Slime that had surrounded Gilbert had vanished. The rain had stopped, and where the mountain of crimson-black Immortal Mud once stood, only a few clumps of dirt remained.
“Was this… within the realm of expectation?”
Priest Sidney muttered, glancing at Dolf.
“…No. I’m desperately trying to come up with a plausible excuse for that. If you have any good ideas, let me know.”
Dolf chuckled, pondering what to do.
He spotted Gilbert, who was anxiously looking around, and saw Lionel and Flora, who had dashed out from the carriage, rushing toward him. Gilbert’s battle axe still crackled with lightning, and the blade bore the Ivy Relief, which had been engraved without him noticing.