“Terra Ruale was also very fragile. What a cunning thing to target an opportunity when I’m not around…”
Looking up at the city walls of the royal capital, Erminio Drolet muttered to himself.
Erminio was 27 years old. As a vanguard adventurer, he was at his peak in terms of physical ability and experience.
He had blonde hair that seemed well set for an adventurer in the middle of a quest, and a dashing face. He wore a golden circlet on his head, not a helmet, but a magical circlet of protection.
He wore a white and silver-colored holy armor, and his leisurely demeanor gave him the air of a nobleman.
Following Erminio were two knights in full body armor with the holy symbol engraved on them. A bearded Thief with the appearance of a ruffian. Then there was a female magician wearing a grotesque corset and lace miniskirt, and holding a staff.
The party led by Erminio, “Decisive Drolette”, was said to be the second strongest party in Ciel-Terra.
If one were to candidly state the general reputation of the party members among other adventurers…
Erminio, the leader of the party, was a bonbon Fighter who adventures with the support of his father, an important minister and cardinal of the Holy Kingdom, who bought all kinds of expensive magic items that weren’t appropriate for his abilities. He had the personality of a vain, proud child who threw a tantrum when he didn’t get his way. However, he was not without talent and was rated as a 5th class Adept.
He was accompanied by two priests, Etre and Alfonso, who had been sent by his parents to accompany him. They were what was commonly referred to as “Paladins” who wear heavy armor and could also play the role of vanguard. In fact, both were officially temple knights of the Holy Kingdom, and although they were not registered as adventurers, they were regarded as 6th class Elites, and they were practically the heart of the party, willing to do whatever Erminio wanted them to do.
Edgar, a Thief who followed Erminio for money. He was a 6th class Elite. He did everything from assisting in the exploration to doing miscellaneous work. He was made to work like a rag, but he was given an allowance that was worth it, and he had a lot of luxurious equipment and often went on lavish outings.
A female magician wizard, Loretta, who didn’t even try to hide the fact that she was aiming to marry a rich man. Her grade was 4th class Guard. She was a bit inferior to the others in the party, at a grade of 4.5, but she was never left out of the party because she had taken advantage of Erminio using her charms. She always wore the powerful and well-designed armor that Erminio had bought for her.
They often used money to solve problems in daily life and in commissioned quests, and their party’s income and expenditure were out of balance, and they were not only unable to save money, but if they did poorly, they could even go into the red. But there was no problem. If they ran out of money, Erminio would just go to his parents’ house and ask for some.
They were not adventurers for a living, but half for Erminio’s own pleasure and half as a pretext for him to make a name for himself and return home triumphantly.
With three valuable magic users in the party, and two of them being 6th class Elite priests who could even perform vanguard work, it was inevitable that they would rise to a position where they would be considered the second best.
However, compared to the “Sub-Zero Crystal Spear”, which was said to be the best in the country (mainly because of Erminio and Loretta), the party as a whole was a bit inferior, and Erminio’s laxity and behavior were considered more problematic, making him second in the party.
More than …
The arrogant attitude of Erminio was also a contributing factor, and his reputation among others was not good. In reality, Erminio was a complement to the “Sub-Zero Crystal Spear”, a model adventurer who was achieving great results in battle.
“But it’s eerie, isn’t it? Even though I’m this close, not a single arrow is flying at me.”
Edgar looked up at the castle wall and wondered.
“There is no sign of the undead around.”
“As expected of the undead, their heads must be rotten. It would be convenient to sneak in.”
“Erminio, there’s no need to sneak in, is there? The gate is open, isn’t it?”
Loretta pointed to the city gate as she leaned on Erminio. Her chest pressed against his arm.
Loretta was right, the city gate was open.
It was open, as though it were welcoming the five of them.
But Edgar frowned when he saw it.
“It’s a trap, isn’t it? The gates of a fortress city are full of traps to kill the invaders in the first place.”
“But there are no undead to move those, right?”
” Yeah…, let’s climb the wall after all. There might be some kind of automatic mechanism. Edgar, go ahead and get up there and drop a rope from the top.”
“How much?”
Edgar replied as usual.
Seeing that, Erminio flipped a silver coin with a disdainful smile.
＊ ＊ ＊
The streets of Terra Ruale were quiet.
There were surprisingly few traces of destruction, and there was no stench of death in the air.
There were no undead roaming the streets, just people seemingly vanished.
“Mister, something over there… Oh, a stray dog.”
“Hmm? Doggy hasn’t been turned into a zombie.”
Just a skinny stray dog, not breathing fire or having three heads, showed its head and ran away, looking frightened.
Up to this point, the five had entered without any hindrance. No monsters had been placed on the city walls, and no traps had been set.
It was deceptively peaceful.
Edgar opened the doors of the houses and stores lined up one by one to check inside.
Erminio walked proudly by his side, with Loretta wrapped around his arm.
Etre and Alfonso followed Erminio quietly, like security golems.
“Anything?”
“Everywhere there are signs that the houses have been searched. It seems that all the money and supplies have been taken.”
“Hmpf, then I guess they’re being herded into the castle. Are the undead holed up in the castle too?”
“Come on…”
It still seemed appropriate, considering how quiet the town was.
Erminio looked at the partially collapsed royal castle.
The castle walls were covered with red rose banners that looked as if they had been painted on rags and struck with human blood.
“Nothing seems to be happening even if we continue to check around the castle. Shall we go up to the castle?”
“Hey, Erminio, isn’t there any treasure left behind by the kingdom here? If there are any jewels, I’d like to have them.”
Loretta said in a honeyed voice.
Loretta, with her long peach-colored hair, had a face and body that would be attractive to men, unless they had very twisted tastes. She even had a talent for magic. It made Erminio very proud to enjoy the pampering and dependence of such a talented and beautiful woman.
“Hahaha, if you want jewelry, I’ll even buy it for you. …Hmmm, but it is a shame that the treasures of an extinct nation should remain in the hands of the undead. It should be protected by those who know its value. Even though it is the royal court of a small, sullen country, there must be at least one treasure that should be displayed in the treasury of the Drolet family. Ah, yes. I heard that the Commander of the First Order used a national treasure magic sword of some sort. That would be a suitable one for me to use. Okay, it’s decided! Let’s head for the castle.”
“Yes!”
“Understood.”
Edgar and Loretta replied, and Etre and Alfonso followed silently.
But their steps soon came to a halt.
“An evil presence…”
“It’s the smell of blood.”
Etre and Edgar said almost simultaneously.
The five of them approached the royal castle, hiding behind the surrounding buildings, and discovered something strange in the square in front of the castle.
It was an execution platform.
There was a crucifixion stand set up as if they were going to execute the victims by burning or crucifixion.
There was no one there, …but the area around was covered with organic stains that reeked of decay, and the stains seemed to have been drawn with a paintbrush toward the gate of the castle.
“What is this?”
“This is … blood and flesh. It looks as if a large number of corpses or something on the execution platform were dragged into the castle… Moreover, it was probably just a few minutes ago. It’s still fresh.”
“Why was it on the executioner’s platform, and why did they drag it there now?”
“Well…, didn’t they turn the pile of corpses into zombies or something?”
Then, they heard a clanking sound like the clanking of armor, and the five of them turned their attention to the top of the castle wall.
Beyond the moat, a number of figures appeared on the walls surrounding the royal castle.
Not a single one of them looked like a normal human being. Some were crumbling corpses, others were nothing more than bones in armor.
Unusual-looking soldiers, holding bows and swords in their hands, looked down on the “Decisive Drolette”.
“Here you are.”
More skeletons in armor and helmets appeared as they made their way around the castle walls. They seemed to have come out from behind the castle.
On the chest of their splendid armor, the emblem of the Order of Knights was engraved.
“Don’t go too close to the walls, little boy. There are skeleton archers and liches up there. “
“I know. Give me ≪Consecration≫.”
Alfonso chanted the spell as Erminio drew his sword. The blade was enveloped in a white, pure radiance.
≪Consecration≫ was a holy magic spell that granted divine blessings to equipment and other items.
If it was applied to a weapon, it could inflict special damage against the undead, and if it was applied to armor, it could push back the power of the undead.
Moreover, since this magic had lasting effects, once it was cast, the magician did not need to maintain it, and could attack, heal, or use other magic.
If there was a priest in the party, it would be the first magic to be used when fighting the undead.
“The result of the knights killed by the “Rose Princess of Hellrage”. Loretta, how strong are they?”
“Well~, from the looks of it, some kind of skeleton warrior?”
“In short, it’s a cripple.”
Erminio smiled wryly.
4th class Guard monsters were no match for the “Decisive Drolette”, even if they outnumbered them.
“I was getting bored because of the lack of response. Why don’t you at least try to put up some resistance?”
Erminio said in an attempt to be provocative.
…Ten minutes until Erminio’s death.
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