Chapter 16: Chaos in the Royal Capital – Part 14
A strange incantation escaped the lips of the priest, and a suspicious magic circle began to spread across the ground around his body.
Mariane quickly intensified her restraints, while Lord Harsivil swiftly delivered a blow to the priest.
“Guah!?”
The priest’s body crumbled to the ground, but the magic circle did not vanish; instead, it intensified its glow.
“What the hell!?” “Aaaah!?”
Cries erupted from the crowd. It seemed that the magic circle had appeared surrounding the outskirts of the plaza. Unfortunately, it appeared that the activation could not be stopped.
Looking at the magic circle, I realized it resembled the one used to summon the Lich Legion at the Mecalinan Royal Castle. While I had anticipated something like this, it seemed that the priest was indeed connected to the “Candlestick of the Netherworld.” Although he didn’t seem to be the “Isunani” from that time, that was not something to ponder right now.
His Majesty the King turned to me and shouted.
“Soushi, what is happening here!?”
“I believe an Undead is being summoned. We need to respond immediately!”
“Understood. Knights, protect the citizens! Everyone, stay where you are! The knights will surely safeguard you!”
As the King issued his orders, those on the outskirts of the crowd simultaneously drew daggers from their pockets and took up defensive stances. Knights disguised as civilians… former adventurers.
“Freinir, prepare ‘Ascension.’ After that, be ready to cast ‘Divine Halo’ just in case. I would prefer not to use ‘Divine Light’ here if possible…”
“No, if necessary, we shall use it, Soushi. It seems a very powerful Undead is about to appear.”
“You’re right. Iām counting on your magic, Freinir.”
“Yes, leave it to me.”
In the distance, Larni, Shizuna, and Karma had also taken positions to protect the crowd. Shizuna had already summoned a Spirit. They should be fine over there.
I noticed Mariane had come close to me.
“Mariane, please guard Frei. I will take down the strong ones.”
“Understood. Do you think the Lich Legion that appeared at Mecalinan will show up here?”
“Who knows? The magic circles seem smaller than the ones from that time, so they might be coming in greater numbers rather than strength.”
I pulled a mace from my Item Box and headed towards the nearest magic circle.
At that moment, the magic circles suddenly intensified their light.
What emerged was a staggering number of skeletal warriors known as Skeletons, along with noble-looking spectral monsters called Baron Phantom.
Since they appeared surrounding the crowd, I couldn’t determine their exact number, but there were likely around 500 in total.
While the Skeletons were one thing, the Baron Phantom, which could use area attack magic, posed a serious threat. Even with knights present, the crowd could suffer casualties.
Screams erupted from the audience, but thanks to the King’s earlier words, panic had not yet fully set in.
The Skeletons began to close in, while the Baron Phantom started to concentrate its mental energy.
Some knights had begun to attack the Skeletons, likely realizing the danger posed by the Baron Phantom. However, at this rate, they wouldn’t be able to handle it in time.
“Frei!”
“Yes! I’m casting ‘Ascension’ now!”
Freinir raised the Saint’s Prayer and activated True Holy Magic. A veil of intense light enveloped the entire plaza, far stronger than what Lady Mirannera had conjured earlier.
“Shigyaaaaaa!!”
Hundreds of Undead screamed in unison.
The Skeletons lost their strength and crumbled, while the Baron Phantom wore a look of agony before vanishing. The army of Undead that had appeared was annihilated in an instant.
Gasps of astonishment spread through the venue. The knights, who had been ready to fight just moments ago, were particularly bewildered. It was shocking for them to see the horde of monsters suddenly disappear.
While it was hard to grasp while operating within a Dungeon, Freinir’s ability to exterminate Undead was astonishing. She might very well be the strongest in the country.
“Wait, what was that magic just now!? There’s no way Freinir could wield such power!”
Amidst the chaos, a shrill voice rang out from behind. It was Lady Mirannera, a candidate for Saint. I turned to see her approaching with wide eyes.
“Oh, I see! It must be the power of that staff! There’s no way someone like Freinir could possess such strength! If I had that staff, I could do the same!”
Lady Mirannera reached out, attempting to snatch the Saint’s Prayer from Freinir’s hands.
However, Freinir quickly turned away and created distance. Mariane stepped in between them, glaring fiercely.
“This staff was given to me by Soushi. I will never hand it over, no matter what!”
“You little! How dare you, Freinir! Garsonia, stop dawdling and help me take that staff!”
Lady Mirannera resorted to crude demands. But the boy Garsonia, who had been pointed at, merely looked confused and flustered. His demeanor had been anything but normal since I first laid eyes on him in this venue; he appeared perpetually frightened.
What on earth had happened to him? Just as I was about to ponder this, Harsivil, who had been restraining the priest, called out.
“The priest is melting… it seems another spell has been activated! Everyone, be cautious!”
I looked over to see the priest’s body dissolving into a gooey mass, spreading across the ground. Nearby, people screamed, but this was the second time I had witnessed such a phenomenon. The first time was at the Mecalinan Royal Castle, when Isunani, connected to the Candlestick of the Netherworld, had similarly vanished. This meant that the priest had likely been a puppet as well.
The problem was that magic circles had once again appeared on the outskirts of the venue. Three locations in total, and the size of the circles was comparable to those from the Lich Legion. There was no doubt that something significant was about to emerge.
“Your Majesty, it seems Undead of equal strength to the Lich Legion will appear. We will handle two of the locations, so please take care of the one over there.”
As I spoke, His Majesty commanded, “Gandrois and Meldoza, deal with it!” The massive Royal Guard Knight and the witch-like demon beauty rushed toward the magic circle.
“Freinir, I need you to cast ‘Divine Halo’ after all. After that, provide support with ‘Holy Light’ if necessary.”
“Understood. Please be careful, Soushi.”
Having given my orders, I dashed toward the magic circle. In the distance, Larni, Karma, and Shizuna were surrounding another magic circle. Sfenia was also positioned in a tree, ready to provide support, so that should be fine.
As I approached, monsters began to emerge from the magic circle.
What appeared was a knight in silver armor riding a horse. However, it had no head; instead, a helmet was tucked under its left arm. In its right hand, it held a spear that was as red as blood.
“A Dullahan!? Be careful, it’s A-Rank!”
A nearby knight shouted.
Indeed, it was a notorious Undead monster.
The headless knight, emanating a sinister red-black aura, pointed its horse’s head and spear toward me.