Agreas let out a deep sigh, as if to express her annoyance. She furrowed her brow at the sight of Lionel and his companions advancing from across the Arena, their weapons glinting in the light and their numbers overwhelming.
“…I see, so they’ve chosen to attack with sheer numbers. No matter how many puny weapons they gather, they are no match for me. Still, they are quite bothersome. Perhaps it would be best to eliminate the root cause first.”
As she muttered this, her gaze shifted to a peculiar carriage racing through the Arena. With a snap of her fingers, Agreas’s lower body began to dissolve, merging seamlessly with the nearby Undead Slime.
“…Hii…”
A nobleman, who had only moments ago been captivated by the allure of Eternal Youth and Immortality, let out a strained voice filled with fear. Agreas smirked, a look of incredulity on her face.
“Isn’t it magnificent? This is just one of my strategies.”
With a sense of pride, she snapped her fingers again, and the gooey mass of the Undead Slime that intertwined with her transformed into a beast with four legs. The bizarre transformation left the king, the prime minister, and the nobles speechless.
The Undead Slime swelled ominously, causing the VIP Seating to tremble violently. Amidst the screams erupting from all around, Agreas charged forward as if traversing a path laid with carpets.
Inside the small cabin of the carriage, Gilbert was anxiously scanning his surroundings.
He considered getting out to lighten the load if it was to be pulled by human strength, but he had been told that the carriage, specially crafted by the blacksmith’s village, was enchanted, and its weight would not change. Moreover, he had been instructed to keep their secret weapon hidden. With everyone else capable of fighting engaged, he felt isolated and restless.
Flora, peering through the skylight, and Chelsea, who was also staring out the window, wore anxious expressions. Seeing their worry only heightened his own unease, prompting him to stand and pace back and forth. Barbara chuckled at him, seemingly amused.
The skylight where Flora was situated was located above the upper bunk of the two-tiered bed. He leaned his Battle Axe against the bed frame and moved over to sit beside her, gently aligning their shoulders. When Flora turned to him, she smiled, albeit a bit awkwardly. The thought that it was her ex-husband causing her discomfort stirred a mix of jealousy, anger, and guilt within him, leading to a wave of self-loathing.
── It was I who promised to come to her rescue with great flair.
Reminding himself of this, Gilbert placed a hand over his leather armor’s chest. Inside the pocket of his shirt, he still held a gift for Flora that he had yet to present. He wondered if it would be cowardly to give it to her now, and thus he remained unable to do so.
In truth, he was also swallowing words he couldn’t voice in this situation. Taking a deep breath, he tried to shift his focus, but his gaze was filled with the sight of the iron-eating Undead Slime.
── First, I must do what I can.
Looking up, he noticed the rare clear sky for this rainy season, an incongruous backdrop to the hellish scene unfolding before him.
── It doesn’t seem like lightning will strike down like last time…
As he pondered while gazing at the sky, he sensed Flora beside him take a sharp breath. Turning to see what she was looking at, he spotted several knights, seemingly holding their ground against the wave of slime, backed against the wall.
Just as he reached for the Battle Axe leaning against the bed’s edge, the carriage suddenly lurched violently.
Instinctively, he shielded Flora, but the carriage tipped over, throwing both of them out through the skylight and onto the ground. He barely managed to break their fall by cradling her in his arms.
“W-What the…!?”
As he shouted and assessed the situation, he found himself facing a mound of dark red Undead Slime, rising before him like an unexpected wall.
“Gilbert! Are you alright!?”
Turning at the sound of a mercenary’s voice, he saw Dolf and the others, who had also been thrown from the Coachman’s Seat, looking around with grim expressions. They were slightly distanced due to being ejected from the carriage.
“I’m uninjured! What about you!?”
“We’re fine too, but… hey, Gilbert! Behind you!”
The mercenary shouted again, and Gilbert turned to see several men dressed as Knights of Jiemeld, swords drawn, closing in on them. Their expressions were blank, their eyes vacant, yet they clearly bore hostility.
“Be careful! Those must be the Undead Knights from Jiemeld!”
It seemed that Priest Sidney had also been thrown from the Coachman’s Seat, as he rushed over to them.
“…This is bad. We’re unarmed…”
Having been thrown from the skylight, Gilbert found himself without his Battle Axe. The only weapon he could find was a small knife he usually carried for woodworking. Gripping it tightly, he stood up, pulling Flora close to protect her. However, a knight had already positioned himself between them and the carriage.
Sidney leaned against them, casting a Barrier to encircle Gilbert and Flora.
“…Gilbert, it’s possible that my Barrier won’t work on these creatures…”
Gilbert frowned at Sidney’s whispered words.
“What do you mean…?”
“Do you remember the battle in Jiemeld? The duke and knights we rescued then were already turning Undead from within, right? But we didn’t realize it until we returned to the capital. They passed through the Wide-Area Barrier I had set up back then without any issue.”
Understanding what Sidney was implying, Gilbert let out a small sigh.
“So, you’re saying they’re incomplete Undead…?”
“Indeed. Unlike magical beasts, humans who are only partially turned Undead are akin to wounded soldiers. My Barrier does not exclude such beings. There’s a possibility that this very technique is backfiring on us now…”
Before Sidney could finish, the sound of clashing metal echoed from behind. A quick glance revealed the mercenaries fighting to defend the carriage.
“Damn it, who are these guys…? Are they the missing officers from Jiemeld…?”
The mercenary’s strained voice reached Gilbert’s ears. They were at a disadvantage in close combat against seasoned knights.
Gilbert gritted his teeth and scanned the area once more. The enemy knights were approaching slowly, almost menacingly. He could feel Flora trembling slightly in his embrace.
── I need to find a way to evade the knight behind us and get back to the carriage for my Battle Axe… Can I make it!?
As he contemplated this, one of the enemy knights lunged at him. He instinctively parried the strike with his small knife. Despite his old injury preventing him from wielding a sword, his arm had regained considerable strength thanks to Flora’s cooking and his daily rehabilitation. Still, it was barely enough to fend off multiple knights with just a single knife.
“Those guys aren’t after us. They’re targeting the carriage…!”
Suddenly, the mercenary’s voice rang out. Dolf shouted right after.
“What!? Everyone, protect the old lady and Flora-chan! Their target is the Sorcerer!”
Upon hearing this, Gilbert immediately tried to shield Flora with his body. The knight raised his sword again, and Gilbert deflected the blow with his knife, but a lock of Flora’s hair was severed and fell to the ground.
── Damn it, at this rate, I won’t be able to save the Holy Knight… No, I can’t let anything happen to Miss Flora!
Clenching his jaw, he glared at the knight in front of him when the ground suddenly shook violently.
The wooden boards of the Arena floor creaked ominously beneath him. The impact was so strong that Gilbert and the others lost their balance.
As if timed perfectly, the enemy knight aimed his sword once more at Flora.
“Miss Flora…!!”
Gilbert shouted, ready to leap in front of her as he kicked off the ground. He intended to embrace Flora and take the blow on his shoulder. But instead of the expected impact, he felt a strange, ticklish sensation as his body was enveloped by something.
“G-Gilbert-san…!”
When he looked up at Flora’s surprised voice, he found his vision filled with a vibrant green hue. Upon closer inspection, it was nothing but the lush Ivy Thicket surrounding them.
“Eh…?”
“The brooch Mr. Gilbert gave me seems to have protected me… and perhaps the hairpin as well…!”
As Flora spoke, I loosened my arm around her. From her chest and the back of her head, Ivy’s vines had flourished like intricate decorations, even small flowers blooming among them.
Looking around further, I noticed an enemy knight, frozen in a stance with his sword raised, completely ensnared by the twisting vines of Ivy.