Chapter 145

The orderly retreating monsters stopped at a certain distance and silently glared at us.

It was far enough that arrows couldn’t reach… but close enough that if we made any moves like repairing the walls or preparing a counterattack, they would react immediately and charge.

The sight of blue lights shining through the rotten bones was quite unpleasant.

I stood on the wall, glaring at them.

There were so many.

Even in the last battle, we must have taken down hundreds, but they’re still swarming.

“Should I throw a spear? I think I could pierce about ten in a row.”

“Stop that. What good would it do to take out ten more of those things? Just wait for now. If they really come that close… it might be quite useful.”

Marquis Ludwig shook his head.

Well, once I throw a spear, they’ll start responding with their own, so it wouldn’t be much use after that.

“Useful, huh? Sounds like you have some plan in mind.”

“I was just about to discuss that. Come down and let’s head to the command headquarters.”

I followed Marquis Ludwig down from the wall.

Inside the castle was quite busy.

Soldiers were moving the corpses of Grave Devourers to the corners.

Knights were taking off their helmets and sitting down to rest.

Injured soldiers were groaning in one spot, and priests were scraping together their holy power to heal them.

On the other side, a cremation was taking place.

They were throwing the dead bodies into a pit filled with firewood and setting it ablaze.

As several priests prayed over the pit, the flames mixed with a white light and burned fiercely.

The warmth reached even here.

“Is it okay to burn them so casually?”

“That’s the best we can do. We don’t have the time or manpower to give each one a proper cremation. The fire has been blessed by Elpinel’s priests, so the dead should be satisfied.”

Well, we won’t know until we meet them in the afterlife.

“How many have died so far? I didn’t get a detailed explanation earlier.”

“About 3,000 soldiers and a hundred or so knights. Most were lost during the first battle and when the walls collapsed.”

Damn, that’s a lot.

The world must be getting more twisted with each death.

I don’t know how it will manifest, but given the number of monsters already here…

“The prince’s gamble was a complete failure. Why did he do something so reckless? He had plenty of time to build his position step by step.”

“He didn’t have enough time.”

Huh?

Ludwig shook his head firmly.

His serious eyes were mixed with an inexplicable frustration.

“This is top secret… but the Emperor has fallen. He’s still alive, but his condition is critical. He probably won’t last more than twenty days.”

“He seemed sick when I last saw him, but I didn’t think he was on the verge of death. Did he drink poison or something?”

The Emperor was always frail, but I don’t remember him being close to death at this point.

My memory is a bit hazy, so I can’t be sure.

“Strictly speaking, it’s different, but you could call it poison…”

Marquis Ludwig let out a long sigh.

“What brought the Emperor down was a woman’s body and an aging heart.”

…Did I hear that wrong?

I stopped in my tracks at the absurd statement.

“What are you saying? The Emperor almost died from overexertion?”

“Ahem, ahem…! You could say that… It’s not something to be discussed openly…”

Marquis Ludwig glanced around and leaned closer to my ear.

“Isabella brought a girl as a maid, and the Emperor took her to his bedroom. Shortly after, he clutched his chest and collapsed. He hasn’t woken up since.”

That’s something to keep quiet about. The Emperor of the Empire, not the Empress, but a maid, and he almost died from overexertion.

What a disgrace.

Wait a minute.

The new maid, could it be…?

“…That maid, is she by any chance the girl from the Bernstein family?”

The girl Isabella brought in, Kenneth Bernstein’s sister.

I heard she was fifteen or fourteen, but surely not.

“That’s the one…”

Marquis Ludwig closed his eyes tightly and muttered.

What a mess.

The Emperor is a scumbag, and the Empire is in this state.

“Isn’t this divine punishment?”

“Don’t say that out loud… Both the royal family and the Church would take issue with it.”

He didn’t deny it was divine punishment.

Well, even as a Marquis, it must be embarrassing.

Your lord, a man old enough to be her grandfather, nearly died from overexertion with a girl.

—

Inside the command building, eight men and women were waiting.

Prince Leopold and Lacey.

The five strongmen who fought the Grave Devourers and a female paladin who seemed to be Lacey’s escort.

“Marquis of Randenburg, Lady Hasharl, you’ve arrived.”

Nigel saluted us.

The man with twin swords next to her also saluted Marquis Ludwig.

“My seventh sword, Sir Hayden.”

Ludwig introduced the man.

Hayden, as he was called, laughed casually.

If he’s the seventh, he must be stronger than Nigel.

I nodded lightly.

“Long time no see. I knew you’d come.”

Lacey smiled at me as if welcoming me.

“Is that so?”

“This must also be Elpinel’s guidance.”

Hmm. Maybe.

I don’t know. I came here of my own will.

If even that is according to the gods’ will, then I have nothing to say.

“Now that everyone is here, let’s begin the strategy meeting.”

Leopold, seated, looked around and began speaking.

Everyone sat down and started discussing the situation.

I listened silently to their conversation.

—

The meeting lasted about two hours.

The situation of Leopold’s army was dire.

A third of the knights and 36% of the troops were exhausted.

Even then, with so many injured, only about half could fight properly.

If the holy legion hadn’t held firm, the casualties would have been double.

The masters could still fight, but the priests were reaching their limits.

They had to bless the soldiers with holy light, so this would be the last time they could heal the wounded.

“Lacey, you’re the same.”

“Impossible? There’s nothing impossible… but I plan to focus my blessings on the masters. That would be more efficient, right?”

Not a wrong statement.

“Floheta, how much mana do you have left?”

“If it’s just combat, I can manage until tomorrow… but I can only use high-level magic once at most. The consumption was several times faster than recovery.”

The sorceress, sitting slouched, shrugged her shoulders. She seemed quite relaxed, as if she had done her part.

Well, a high-level sorceress could always fly away to escape.

“The most urgent issue is the reinforcements that the Whisperer will bring. Unless we take him down, it’ll just be an endless war of attrition.”

“But how do we deal with someone who just sends reinforcements from the rear and then disappears?”

“I have an idea.”

Marquis Ludwig spoke up.

After his explanation, everyone turned to look at me, as if questioning whether it was really possible.

“Princess Ai-shan Gi-or, is it possible?”

“…It should be possible. Whether it’ll kill him is another matter… but if Asha helps, who knows?”

I nodded. It was a plan worth trying.

—

After disbanding, I went to Lacey and spoke to her.

“You want to reduce your killing intent?”

“Yes. Being treated like a monster by people is one thing, but if this continues, it’ll be a problem. Do you know of any miracles that could help?”

“Hmm… Building more achievements would be the fundamental solution… but if you’re in a hurry, I can lend you this.”

After a moment of thought, Lacey handed me a ring. A strange ring with two golden threads intertwined like a chain, forming a circle. A faint holy energy flowed from it, suggesting it was something Lacey had personally blessed.

“A ring? What’s this?”

“The Ring of Faith. I made it during my time as a novice priest. Wearing it will make people who meet you for the first time feel a bit of trust and relief. It’s not a huge effect, though.”

I could guess why she had to make such a thing during her novice days… Shouldn’t it be renamed the Ring of Persuasion or something?

“Um… thanks anyway. I’ll return it later, right?”

“Yes. It’s not something I need now, but I can’t just hand it over to anyone.”

Lacey nodded. It would be troublesome if it fell into the wrong hands.

—

There was another attack in the middle of the night.

Just like yesterday, everyone expected it, so there wasn’t much trouble. Their assault wasn’t strong, and the Whisperer didn’t show up, so we fought normally at the defense line.

By the time I had slain about twenty of them, they retreated.

“What? They didn’t even come at us properly.”

“They’ll be back in an hour or two. They’re trying to keep us from getting a good night’s sleep.”

A paladin next to me, grinding his teeth, answered. He was right. They attacked four more times before morning. Persistent bastards.

Everyone took turns resting, but no one could sleep deeply. With so many enemy forces still out there, they could suddenly launch a full-scale attack at any moment.

—

Seven hours after the first night raid.

The long, exhausting night ended, and the rising morning sun cast deep shadows. With the sun at their backs, the monsters began to approach again.

“All holy knights, prepare for defense! Elpinel is with us!”

“Soldiers of the Empire! Prepare for battle! Today is the day we strike back!”

Unlike a few hours ago, the monsters surged forward with a menacing force, as if they were going all out. The holy knights and the Imperial Army began another fierce battle.

I climbed onto the wall and watched the sunrise while observing the enemy forces.

Would the plan work as intended? As I had heard yesterday, I could see the reinforcements joining from afar.

Two Grave Devourers, one Flesh Golem, and about seven hundred rotting soldiers.

I have no idea where they gather so many monsters from… but it was going according to plan. At the head of the reinforcements, I could see the small figure of a monster cloaked in black.

The distance was about 700 meters. There were no obstacles in between.

“How about it? Is it possible?”

Lacey, standing behind me, asked quietly. I nodded.

“That’s a relief. Let’s start right away.”

“Wait, Asha! The performance is reliable, right?”

“Just hit the target, and it’ll work for sure!”

Asha, watching from the other side of Lacey, nodded.

Alright. Let’s do this.

I raised the weapon in my right hand over my shoulder. Clenching my teeth, I poured all the strength in my body into my right arm.

Muscles bulged visibly, and my right arm, filled with power beyond its limit, trembled.

I closed my eyes and awakened all my achievements. A vivid red light spiraled around my arm, and the accumulated achievements added strength to my body.

“Lacey!”

“Elpinel!”

Finally, Lacey’s blessing was added.

Elpinel’s grace. A pure white holy light enveloped my body, granting me power beyond my limits. The spear I held shone blindingly bright.

A spear.

Yes. It wasn’t Durandal. In my right hand was Asha’s lance.

The conversation with Ludwig flashed through my mind.

*’How far can you throw the noblewoman’s javelin?’*

*’Hmm? If I go all out, I think it can go over 600 meters.’*

I aimed the glowing spear at the enemy.

Taking a deep breath to the limit.

And then.

“Kaaaaaaah!”

The blinding white flash I launched pierced through the sound barrier.