Chapter 89
Chapter 89
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 89
Chapter Title: Those Who Worship Death (6)
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One week.
It was woefully insufficient time to prepare and march an army of ten thousand strong, but they had pulled it off anyway.
The credit went largely to charismatic commanders and the convenient tools invented with the aid of magic.
"What are you lot doing? Hurry up and get ready!"
"They're working hard at it, aren't they?"
"But Your Highness... er, Crown Prince!"
However, the real reason was that Morgana, who held the rank of princess, had been relentlessly urging them on day after day.
Royalty was like the heavens themselves. Having been raised on that belief since childhood, they had no choice but to scramble and prepare in haste...
Crown Prince Siegfried had tried to rein her in somewhat, but it was also true that her status had sped things along.
"This is...?"
"It looks like the vanguard cut down trees to blaze a trail."
"I see. Then we just follow this path."
Thanks to the road carved by chopping down trees during the advance, it wasn't too hard for the main force to catch up to the vanguard.
No sooner had Morgana arrived with the main body than she immediately checked Cain over for injuries.
Even for a princess, groping a man from another house didn't look good, so the crown prince cleared his throat.
"Ahem! It's good to check on him, but shouldn't we get straight to business?"
"S-Sorry, Your Highness."
"You've done splendid work up to now, Sir Blackguard. The imperial family holds your achievements in the highest regard."
These weren't empty words but sincere praise. He'd located the necromancer's stronghold in the imperial mausoleum and even crushed the enemy in open battle.
Even if the situation was urgent, it was only proper for royalty to formally acknowledge such feats.
After a brief commendation, Crown Prince Siegfried moved right along to discuss future plans.
"What's the situation?"
"We've taken down 180 Death Knights so far and culled hundreds of undead."
"Heavens, to think they had that much force... How in the world?"
Death Knights.
They'd fallen easily to Cain, but in truth, Death Knights were the ultimate undead from legends and fairy tales.
You needed knight-level prowess to face one, and even then, only with superior numbers could you hope to bring them down.
That was why Death Knights were said to be exceedingly rare. Yet 180 of them? Did that even make sense?
"The necromancer's been holed up in the demon realm for decades, hasn't he? If he's been gathering corpses all that time, it's no surprise."
Even that was based on imperial records; going further back made it far longer.
If he'd been steadily collecting them from centuries ago up to now, it'd be weirder if he had fewer.
Realizing the gravity of the situation, the crown prince joined Morgana and Anna in redoubling efforts to wipe out the necromancer.
"Can our ten thousand hold their own?"
"As long as we watch for what I mentioned earlier, it shouldn't be hard."
"That's a relief, then."
Cain nodded. It seemed necromancers had a limit to how many undead they could control at once.
If he could command that horde all at once... he'd have deployed them as his main force long ago.
Losing 180 Death Knights alone was an irreparable blow.
That's what he'd thought. Until a sudden roar shook the forest...
"Wh-What's this all of a sudden?!"
"Protect Her Highness the Princess and His Highness the Crown Prince! Something's happening!"
"...!!!"
Unlike the knights focused on guarding the royals, Cain couldn't tear his eyes from the source of the tremors.
The faint aura of death he'd sensed since first setting foot here was now surging violently.
It felt just like that black sky he'd witnessed that day. Weaker, sure, but...
"L-Look over there... Look!"
A colossal rumble accompanied the slow rise of a crumbling, fissure-ridden ancient temple.
Or temple? No, tomb was more like it. Cain let out a deep sigh.
This was the imperial mausoleum Melisto had spoken of... the prison of the dead, stockpiled with the corpses of countless heroes and monsters over centuries.
And now it was emerging amid the stench of rotting flesh.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Imperial Mausoleum.
No records of it existed in the empire. Sure, the palace archives might have something...
But for now, it was as good as nonexistent.
The mausoleum, surfacing after centuries, exuded tremendous dignity and grandeur despite being buried in earth.
If only the maggot-ridden remnants hadn't come crawling out,
everyone might've just gawked in awe. The first to snap out of it was Cain.
"What are you waiting for?! Purge those undead now! Mages and archers up front!!"
His thunderous command finally spurred the troops into action, barely holding the line.
The fireballs that had scorched Cain dozens, hundreds of times now incinerated the corpses like plague victims.
But the acrid stench of burning rotten flesh and bones was unavoidable—even Cain's face hardened.
"...Did you see that?"
"Yes, I did."
"Those things... They were trying to ignore us and head straight for the territory."
"...."
Morgana nodded gravely. A little later, and they'd have raided the territory.
Were the troops here enough for Death Knights? Or did they have superior numbers waiting?
"So we have no choice but to go in there after all..."
"I can't let that stand."
"?? Scadi?"
Just as they floundered before the mausoleum, lustrous golden hair swept forward in a sharp arc.
Scadi von Leonhart.
Unable to stand it any longer, she'd stepped up herself. Soon, a ferocious red aura blade cloaked her sword.
"If you want to fight, then fight. Otherwise, get out of my sight, you trash not even worth the maggots eating these corpses."
Her aura blade, raised to the heavens, swelled voraciously on savagery and mana alike.
The problem? It grew too big. A giant's blade reaching for the sky.
Then Scadi swung it down like an axe. At the same instant, the mausoleum split cleanly in two.
Even more astonishing, it cleaved silently without a sound.
The transcendent sight left most frozen only briefly—then the halved mausoleum boiled with maggots.
Centuries' worth. Corpses from wars and plagues piled up over time. They began rising one by one.
"How in the world?! Even a necromancer has limits on corpses he can control at once!"
"That's only when I command them 'alone,' Blackguard."
"...You bastard...!"
"First time meeting in the flesh, I take it? Pleased to make your acquaintance. I am Melisto, master of this mausoleum."
His formal bow ill suited him, but it had a noble air.
Except... he had no flesh left. Still, Scadi reacted first.
Fuming from their canceled spar, she'd aimed to end it swiftly at full power.
"...!!!"
It would've worked, if not for the Death Knight lunging in a split-second ambush.
Scadi parried the perfect strike effortlessly. Her title of Sword Ghost proved no empty rumor.
But inwardly, she was shocked. A mere corpse with a swing like that?
"This isn't some ordinary Death Knight. You got your hands on a master-class corpse through sneaky, disgusting means, didn't you?"
"He came to me on his own two feet. Even that vaunted master... feared his own death above all."
"Hmph. Think turning trash like that into a Death Knight lets you beat me?"
"Not alone..."
But Melisto couldn't finish. Cain had ambushed him instead.
Cain had already relayed all he knew to Morgana and handed over command.
What he could do now? Slay the enemy leader and claim victory. Nothing more.
"Jumping into the enemy ranks? I admire the bravery, but who's commanding in your absence?"
"I've passed on everything vital. So now, I have just one job."
Kill you. That's something only I can do.