Chapter 156
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 160
Chapter Title: Variable?
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It didn't take long for the empty wasteland to fill up completely with undead.
I had no idea where they'd been stockpiling so many of them, crammed together like that, but the undead pouring out from the Glorious Hoof tribe's village like filthy sludge covered the wasteland so densely that not a speck of sand was visible.
"Squeee... squeee...!"
"Keeeek!"
"Grraaaahhh..."
And they weren't all humanoid forms, either.
Beasts and monsters were mixed in among them, creating a horrifying undulation and optical illusion like a sea of rotting filth churning and rippling.
Their eyes gleamed fiercely even as their decayed flesh staggered along.
And the stench wafting from them was so vile it made bile rise involuntarily in your throat.
"They're reacting like this the moment they spot us..."
"Looks like there's no room for talk or negotiation."
Seeing the group immediately shift into battle formation, I slowly raised my hand to draw their attention.
"Just so you know, I have no intention of using the ring for a while. Keep that in mind as we fight."
Right now, a curse tattoo like a gaping black hole was etched across my chest.
In this state, anything I killed would count as 'hunted,' absorbing its power and abilities.
It was impossible to change or remove a tattoo once it was applied, so to get the most out of it, I needed to hunt something worthwhile instead of these low-grade undead.
I hadn't decided on a target yet... but if I was going to do it, I wanted something powerful.
"Understood."
"Without the ring's power... that might be a bit tricky."
"Umm... then, Master, stay back as much as possible. Don't jump in unnecessarily."
"We'll need to assign some rear guard personnel separately."
The moment I said I wouldn't use the ring, I could practically see Murel, Rebecca, Kachiora, Nemes, and the others' minds spinning at full speed.
Whenever there had been a battle so far, I'd always taken the lead and inflicted damage first, so maybe they'd grown reliant on that convenience and strength.
"Ring? What's that?"
Even though she'd experienced it once before, Charhella—who had no idea it was the power of the 'Absolute Ring Set'—tilted her head.
I smirked and shrugged slyly.
"Something like that."
"What? Already keeping secrets from your wife?"
"......"
I ignored the worthless retort and turned away, and Charhella's lips puffed out in a pout.
Sslash!
In the meantime, the group up front had begun the fight.
Every time an aura blade left a clear trail in the air, the sluggish undead horde approaching would split apart entirely and collapse.
"...Pathetically weak."
Compared to the special undead from Cambello—the high-ranking demon who'd nearly destroyed the ducal castle—these were so inferior it was embarrassing to call them the same thing.
Sluggish movements, entirely predictable attack patterns, low intelligence, low defense... Aside from their numbers, even I could handle them without breaking a sweat.
"Hmm..."
I narrowed my eyes at the undead scattering like falling leaves.
I couldn't tell if the enemy wasn't a high-ranking demon, lacked knowledge of dark magic, or if this was just a simple probe... but either way, I was certain Kubel—who'd even issued a divine oracle—wouldn't settle for something this minor.
A trap? Or...
"Uahaha! It's finally our turn! Warriors! Charge through them!"
"Wooooaaahhh!!"
"Spatter blood and flesh! Burn your lives to prove your strength!!"
"God Kubel! Remember the names of your warriors!!"
At that moment, the barbarian warriors who'd followed behind charged through the undead horde with unstoppable momentum.
And then.
Boom boom boom! Kaboombaboombam!
The suicide undead mixed among them began exploding spectacularly everywhere.
There was no searing heat or flames, but with contaminated bone and blood spraying everywhere, it might be far more dangerous.
It was a futile trick against master-class fighters anyway, but still, I supposed I should be grateful they'd taken the hits instead.
"...Hey, Charhella. You okay with that?"
"Huh? Oh~ Yeah, probably fine. That kind of explosion won't even scratch our skin... and we're pretty much immune to contamination or disease anyway."
"......"
Well, if the chieftain said it was fine, then it was.
I watched the barbarian warriors' cavalry charge with half-lidded eyes.
The undead were being utterly decimated without a chance to fight back.
Crushed under heavy weight and toppled, trampled into paste by hooves, sliced to pieces by axes and swords... At this point, it felt less like battle and more like some kind of game.
"Grraaaahhh...!"
"Keeeek! KeeEEK!"
The undead that had filled the wasteland were being erased like rubbing out pencil marks.
It was a cathartic sight.
From above, it probably looked like a pitch-black canvas turning pure white.
"They fight so refreshingly..."
"Heh. Right? Like it? You could be like that too if you became a barbarian warrior."
"Eh, not really."
"Why!? What's wrong with being a barbarian warrior? Isn't it cool!?"
"It's satisfying to watch, but I don't see myself like that."
I had no intention of training that hard in the first place.
Why would I bother tempering 'Starnassila Alzen's' body?
The effort itself was distasteful, and it felt gross—like I was doing something good just for him.
"Hmph! Once you're my husband, you'll have to train your body with me!? Better brace yourself!"
"Heh..."
I shook my head with a wry smile at her now-familiar tone.
At that moment, Sisilia—who'd been fidgeting and glancing around nervously—approached with quick steps and tugged at my sleeve repeatedly.
"What's up?"
"Um... Sir Alzen. Wouldn't it be better if I stepped in?"
"...Ah. The undead making you itchy?"
"Y-your wording is a bit off, but... yes. I want to purify those unholy things and soothe the souls of the unjustly dead. Can I?"
Sisilia's eyes sparkled like stars as she asked, her breathing ragged, cheeks flushed bright red.
As if she couldn't wait to use her holy power.
It felt slightly off.
Of course, with that many undead clumped together, wanting to use holy power wasn't incomprehensible... but still, something felt strange...
"You look like a killer licking her lips."
"Wha!? How can you say that!? I meant it purely!"
"Kek. Anyway, you want to fight too?"
"Yes...!"
"Hmm..."
I stroked Sisilia's head while surveying the battlefield.
Our side still had an overwhelming advantage.
"Doesn't seem like you need to step in."
"B-but..."
"And purifying that many undead would consume a ton of holy power, right?"
"I-it's fine! Turning low-grade undead back to corpses doesn't take much holy power!"
"Hm..."
Indeed, a high-level saintess would handle trash like this as easily as a post-meal stroll.
The problem was that Sisilia wasn't quite at that level yet.
"Sir Alzen... can't I?"
"...Yeah, sure, it'll be okay."
Even so, it probably wouldn't exhaust her.
She'd use some holy power... but with our party's current strength, we could handle even a demon lord-level threat.
The subtle unease still nagged at me, but that's exactly why I permitted it.
It felt like that's what I had to do.
"Really!?"
"Don't overdo it and burn out your holy power."
"Got it! Leave it to me!"
Sisilia, beaming with confidence, stepped forward, gripped her necklace—the legendary relic 'Holiness of the Early Dawn'—and took a short breath.
"Goddess, grant rest to these unholy ones."
A brief prayer.
But its aftermath filled the wasteland with blinding light.
"Grraaah...?"
"Kyaaak...!"
The undead exposed to that holy light crumbled to ash without even a death cry.
"Whoa..."
Even though they were corpses, seeing things that moved and held form disintegrate into powder so instantly felt unreal, even right before my eyes.
"Uh, wha...?"
While I watched the scene calmly, a sudden flustered voice made me turn.
"Sisilia?"
"Ah, Sir Alzen... s-something's wrong... Ngh!?"
Fwaaaah!!
The holy power pouring from her body intensified even further.
But from Sisilia's expression, it didn't seem intentional.
"Grraaaahhh...!"
"Kyahaak!"
Thanks to that, the undead numbers dwindled even faster, but that wasn't what mattered to me now.
"Sisilia. What's happening."
I pushed through the dazzling light as calmly as possible and gripped her shoulder.
"Ngh...! Sir Alzen...! S-some kind of unknown force is pulling my holy power!"
"What? What does that mean?"
"Th-this is... holiness? Over there, in the village, holiness...!?"
"Sisilia. Calm down. Can you explain? What's going on?"
"Ah, aah... holiness, such high-level holiness... Goddess..."
As if she'd realized something, Sisilia trembled and muttered, then her body stiffened and went limp.
I swiftly caught her collapsing form, frowning at the intense heat radiating from her body.
"What the hell..."
─Awooooooooohhh─!!
Right then, a wolf's howl suddenly reverberated, shaking the wasteland with a rumble.
It was no ordinary beast's cry.
Not just the soul-crushing resonance on mind and body, but the majestic divinity, lofty presence, and sinister, chilling demonic energy made my instincts quiver.
Even the spirited barbarian warriors were thrown from their mounts or turned pale as death.
"...Tch!!"
I wiped the blood trickling from my eyes and nose and clicked my tongue.
I'd heard that howl before.
It was very similar to the wolf's howl from when we raided Hegelina Krenkel's lab.
Just far more ominous and dark.
"Lord Alzen. Are you alright?"
"Ah, Murel. Yeah. Still fine for now. Whew... more than that, looks like an unexpected variable."
"Yes. Seems that way."
"Probably a high-ranking demon or something even higher... Sisilia's words bother me. Holiness..."
I bared my teeth at the bizarre sight of the many barbarian warriors now pouring from the distant Glorious Hoof tribe village.
This might be Kubel's true intention all along.
"Let's go check it out ourselves. See what it is."
I raised my hand, and my party's attention snapped to me instantly.
"Battle formation."
The atmosphere, tinged with bewilderment, shifted completely at my firm, low voice.