Chapter 136

=====[Western Einfeld]=====

Einfeld.

One of the earldoms located in the southwestern part of the Empire.

The vast plains stretching to the west of the territory were once the site of bloody battles with other races, and even today, undead monsters often appear.

However, it was the first time such a large number had appeared simultaneously.

“There are so many…”

As the legion of undead began to appear beyond the horizon, Leopold muttered absentmindedly.

Monsters the size of humans, at least a thousand of them. They were slowly advancing, oozing dark energy.

Watching them stagger forward in unison, it felt like a black wave was crashing in.

Most of the monsters in the legion were “rotten patients.”

Monsters with human bones and organs covered in decaying flesh.

These were not naturally occurring creatures.

They were human corpses resurrected by the power of a medium-sized undead, the “Whisperer.”

That was the true nature of the rotten patients.

Their strength and speed weren’t much different from ordinary soldiers, but due to the nature of undead, it took several times the number of troops to defeat just one.

Unless attacked with holy power, they would regenerate as if they had never been injured. Even if the attack contained holy power, they would simply ignore ordinary wounds.

To neutralize an undead, you had to sever their limbs to disable their combat ability or inflict enough damage to completely destroy them.

In group battles, they were the most dangerous monsters.

But it wasn’t just small monsters that had appeared.

Among the ranks, massive figures loomed.

From relatively small ones, about twice the size of a human, to medium-sized ones that seemed dozens of times larger.

Mixed remains, the Whisperer, Grave Devourers, Flesh Golems, and Bone Serpents.

Each one was a powerful monster that even knights would struggle to face.

Prince Leopold had personally led his troops to exterminate them, but the soldiers’ morale wasn’t particularly high.

After all, there were only eight thousand soldiers—less than half the size of a single legion.

Moreover, due to Isabella’s meddling, they weren’t from the elite 1st or 2nd Legions but from the inexperienced 3rd Legion.

If it weren’t for the saint candidate and the holy legion dispatched by the Elpinel Church Order, they wouldn’t have dared to fight at all.

“Marquis Ludwig, may I ask for your tactical advice?”

Leopold turned his head to look at Marquis Ludwig, who stood a step behind him.

He had set aside any arrogant delusions of having military talent.

Looking back at the Empire’s history, there were more than a few who had left legendary infamy due to such delusions.

Fools who, without any war experience, overestimated themselves and pushed reckless strategies with brute force.

They usually ended up leading entire armies to their deaths and becoming cautionary tales in the Empire’s history books.

Leopold had no intention of suffering such disgrace.

“After all, I don’t need to personally agonize over military strategy.”

The era when military talent was highly valued in a ruler had long since ended.

Ernst had flaunted his military prowess, but in Leopold’s view, what a ruler truly needed wasn’t exceptional military skill.

There were plenty of proven individuals here, so he didn’t need to step forward.

The Shield of the Empire, Ludwig von Landenburg.

The chosen of Elpinel, Lacey Elmain Staldorf.

The knight commander of the holy legion she led, Paladin Richard.

Any one of the three was likely more strategically competent than Leopold himself.

“I believe the Church Order’s advice would be more accurate. I have little experience fighting monsters… so it’s difficult for me to say anything definitive yet.”

Although Ludwig held more actual power, he respectfully deferred to Leopold.

Having decided to support Leopold, there was no reason to undermine his authority.

—-

“First, a defensive battle is meaningless.”

Richard, summoned by Leopold, climbed the castle walls and declared while looking out over the plains.

His blunt statement fundamentally negated the Empire’s tactical approach.

Leopold found it puzzling.

“Wouldn’t it be advantageous to fight with the castle walls? I doubt the rotten patients could climb over them…”

“With the Bone Serpent present, it’s impossible.”

Richard pointed to the massive monster visible in the distance.

Thousands of vertebrae twisted into a spiral, resembling a white-scaled serpent from afar.

“That thing can burrow into the ground and destroy the castle’s foundation. If it rampages, this small wall will collapse in an instant. The troops around the wall would be annihilated, and morale would plummet. It’s a guaranteed defeat.”

“So you’re saying we must engage in open battle on the plains… but the casualties would be severe.”

“I see….”

Leopold let out a thoughtful hum.

He had thought that with this force, they could somehow manage a defensive battle, but the situation where the walls became useless was beyond his expectations.

Moreover, the surrounding area was a vast plain, making it impossible to ambush the knights for a surprise attack.

The only option left was to face them head-on in a battle of strength.

A full-scale battle—a strategy where the casualties among the soldiers couldn’t even be estimated.

“In other words, if we just take down that bone serpent, we can still hold a defensive battle without any issues, right?”

Marquis Ludwig, who had been listening to Richard’s words, calmly offered his advice.

“But how do we deal with that thing in the middle of the monster army?”

“Hmm…”

Marquis Ludwig stroked his beard.

‘A cavalry charge… would be impossible.’

The empire’s warhorses and knights were always brave.

Under normal circumstances, they would charge fearlessly even into a forest of spears, their natural enemy.

However, even they had their limits.

The warhorses, charging through dense spear formations with their armor, couldn’t withstand the miasma emitted by the monsters.

And unlike humans, they couldn’t receive a priest’s blessing.

Moreover, the enemies were different from humans.

They wouldn’t die from being pierced by lances or trampled by warhorses, nor would their morale break and cause them to flee. They would stubbornly cling to the cavalry’s legs.

It was clear that instead of breaking through, the cavalry would get bogged down halfway and collapse.

‘Then we’ll have to use a decoy.’

If we can’t reach them, we’ll have to make them come to us.

“Form the elite knights into a reserve force and station them in the rear. Use the heavily armored holy legion to firmly block the front. If the monsters are digging through the ground, they’ll try to burrow underground and attack from the rear.”

This would place a heavy burden on the holy legion, but it was the best option.

They were the only unit capable of holding out against the monster army.

With the miracles of the barrier protecting their bodies and the miracles of healing restoring their wounds, even those monsters wouldn’t be able to break through for a while.

‘They’re armed with religious fervor, so they’d rather die than retreat.’

For the holy legion, dying in battle against monsters was akin to martyrdom.

A death promised to be welcomed into Elpinel’s paradise—they would likely welcome it.

On the other hand, if the low-morale soldiers of the 3rd Legion were placed on the front lines, they would either die en masse or flee without holding out for long.

Marquis Ludwig continued his explanation.

“The moment the enemy emerges in our rear, we’ll deploy the reserve force to eliminate them. There’s also a chance they could emerge from the center of our formation, but if they do, they’ll be surrounded immediately. So, it’s more likely they’ll target the rear.”

“What do you think, Sir Richard? Does Marquis Ludwig’s plan seem feasible?”

To Leopold, Ludwig’s explanation sounded quite plausible.

However, matters like these couldn’t be confirmed without consulting an expert.

Fortunately, there was an expert in monster extermination—Richard—so it was only natural for Leopold to seek his judgment.

Richard pondered for a moment before nodding.

“Hmm… considering the behavior of those creatures, the chances of success seem quite high. The issue lies in how quickly we can exterminate the bone serpent.”

“On my side, the available forces are thirty knights and two masters. With the blessings of the empire’s knights and priests, do you think it’s possible?”

For a prince-elector, the forces were modest, but his territory, Landenburg, was far to the east.

Since this extermination battle was an unforeseen conflict, the only forces he could muster were the small escort troops he had brought with him to the capital.

“With two masters… and Lady Elmain Stardolf present, I think it’s possible.”

Fortunately, Richard nodded in agreement.

“Good. Then after exterminating the bone serpent, we can slowly retreat into the fortress and hold a defensive battle.”

Ludwig smiled lightly.

His sharp eyes were still keenly observing the monsters’ positions, but his expression suggested that at least one hurdle had been cleared.