Chapter 281
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 281
Chapter Title: Lich (1)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
A black sky descended.
The world learned that the lich's resurrection was imminent, and at the same time, a black mist enveloped the entirety of Merdein.
"It's starting."
The anticipated resurrection of the lich.
Even those who had come for contribution points or future success couldn't hide their tension.
"W-Wait a sec..."
"The real one's actually resurrecting...?"
"Damn it, everyone grab your weapons!"
"Sun Church! Where do we move?!"
It hadn't even been long—just three days since they'd joined.
Aiden gave a wry smile as he gazed at the castle interior, noisier than even the chaotic marketplace below.
"Quite the commotion, huh."
"Can we trust swords like those?"
"Haha! Still, they've got strong faith. No one's running even though things have kicked off."
"Strong faith? Looks more like they're blinded by money to me."
"I focus on results over process, you see! Won't they naturally turn to their god when facing the lich?"
"Oh, that's pretty persuasive, ya know."
"Is that really what faith is...?"
The chatter among his comrades.
Just then, the saintess appeared and began her speech, drawing the party's natural attention to her.
The saintess launched into a grand oration with a voice brimming with fervor.
Soon enough, Maya yawned out of boredom and glanced at Eleanor.
"Somethin' bad happen or somethin', ya think?"
"Huh? No... nothing like that."
Normally, she'd have jumped into that conversation, but strangely, Eleanor had been quiet since morning.
It wasn't like her at all.
"Then maybe the leader visited Eleanor's room last night or somethin'?"
"Wha—?"
Eleanor visibly panicked. When she shot Maya a look like how do you know that?, Maya pointed to her own eyes.
"Ain't just watchin' Eleanor. These eyes of mine see what others can't, ya see."
"No..."
When else would they see Eleanor this flustered?
It had been quite a while since Maya had ventured out into the world. She'd picked up some social savvy, or so she claimed.
"Didja, though?"
"What?"
Of course, not reading the room was also one of Maya's specialties.
The embarrassment in Eleanor's voice suddenly sharpened with force.
"That. Didja do it?"
"What the hell are you talking about?!"
Her voice spiked abruptly.
The other three turned their gazes toward them.
"What's going on?"
"We can't fight right now... The lich is right in front of us. Please calm down, both of you."
"Hahaha! They say kids grow through fights. Still, the timing's not great."
"It's not like that. Everyone, mind your own business."
Eleanor barely managed to redirect her comrades' attention, then glared at Maya with narrowed eyes.
"Glare all ya want. Black bandages cover 'em, so I can't see, ya know."
"You startled me with your nonsense out of nowhere."
"I know ya didn't do it. Can't see souls overlappin' for two people who ain't done nothin'."
"Haa..."
She was right. Though he'd come over saying they should just drink, Jun had sipped his liquor alone last night, left behind an old notebook, and vanished.
And after reading it, Eleanor was in this state.
Why, of all times—with the lich's resurrection right around the corner—had Jun handed her that notebook?
"Just... the boss muttering something about his head being a mess. He left something behind. That's all that's got me thinking."
"Leader said that, huh. Hm."
Maya glanced subtly in the direction where Jun was.
By now, the group had lost interest in the saintess's long speech and were chatting among themselves.
Aiden was deep in conversation with someone, and Bern nearby nodded in agreement.
"Well, the leader's still hidin' a lot from us, ya know."
He'd shared his own story relatively recently. But that tale hadn't explained where Jun's bizarre knowledge came from.
There was clearly more he wasn't telling them.
"And especially, the boss's knowledge always ties back to us somehow."
The God of Death, their entanglements with the Heavenly Church—he knew those eerily well.
Aiden's, Maya's, and Eleanor's growth had all stemmed from Jun in large part.
"A leader like that wouldn't do somethin' weird to Eleanor without reason."
"I-I know that, but..."
"Then why not just accept it for now?"
"Accept it?"
"Ain't Eleanor or the leader, so can't read yer hearts right off. But followin' the leader's never bit us in the ass. That's what I know."
"Urgh..."
"Yeah, that's it. That's all I got for ya."
"Thanks... Sorry for yelling earlier."
"No sweat. We're comrades, ain't we?"
Eleanor chuckled faintly at that and looked down at her staff.
At the same time, she recalled the old diary she'd read yesterday.
The one that probably held the secret of her birth.
* * *
With the lich's resurrection, all forces began to mobilize, centered around the Sun Church.
Undead already wailing in droves from the resurrection.
In a city stained with the blood of the long-dead, they wandered the corpse-ridden earth in search of the living.
"That's an insane number."
"Damn. Can we even survive this?"
"The Sun Church is here, so it'll work out somehow."
"Let's go, go!"
"We don't even know how long we'd have to stay in this damn place anyway!"
"Gonna beat that lich bastard and turn my luck around! Contribution points'll let me live easy forever!"
All or nothing.
Driven to the brink by the recent crisis in Merdein, they just wanted this endless battle to end.
And among them, none yearned for it more fiercely than the Sun Church itself.
"Escort the Saintess!"
"All glory to the Sun God!"
"We won't stop until we die and reach His side!"
At the center of it all.
The saintess, a small sun halo floating above her head, strode ahead into the undead-infested front lines.
The lesser undead burst into flames as if unworthy to stand before that sun, and even the mid-tier ghouls that managed to approach were soon shredded by mercenaries, adventurers, and holy knights, spilling their rotten blood across the ground.
Of course, powerful specimens appeared sporadically.
Mid-to-high-tier undead rare even in the Blackout.
Corpse giants stitched from chunks of rotted human flesh and skin.
And the parasites infesting those corpse giants: blood parasites.
Giant skeletons forged from the bones of dozens.
Banshee superiors that unleashed wails laced with curses: banshides.
Undead that should have moved on instinct now charged en masse toward Gurtaren Castle.
Steps devoid of will now carried clear killing intent. They clearly recognized this side as enemies.
And at the same moment, holy flames erupted from the saintess's sun.
The temperature, chilled by the laments of the dead, soared once more—hot enough to make one sweat.
Roarrr!
Pure white flames bloomed on the bodies of the undead bathed in that light, incinerating them.
As if that were the signal, thousands of humans surged forward.
The undead, weakened to the utmost by the holy flames, crumpled helplessly under weapons, magic, and arrows.
The saintess's holy power even reduced fallen zombies to handfuls of ash.
The clamor of fierce battles echoed from all directions.
And Jun floated alone in the air, surveying the overall battlefield.
"Ow, that's bright."
The saintess's sun blazed madly, hindering his vision somewhat, but grasping the big picture was no issue.
"Still early stages, so the undead can't properly resist the holy power."
Thanks to that, the advance was proceeding smoothly.
But that situation wouldn't last forever.
"Once the lich steps in, things'll change."
It would empower corpses with souls of the dead, emit powerful auras to counter holy power.
From then on, it'd be a true clash of brute force.
The light from the saintess would only weaken the strengthening dark magic on the corpses, nothing more.
That's why liches are scary.
About half a day of marching passed, and the undead assault began to wane, affording a brief respite.
"What? It's not as bad as they said."
"Easier than I thought."
"Must be the holy power. Not us."
"So when do we actually see the lich bastard?"
"At least a week, minimum."
Innumerable undead swarming.
Merdein's estimated population at its fall was tens of millions. Everyone knew this was just the beginning.
And at that moment.
Jun, separated from his party, headed to the Sun Church's command tent.
Under the luxurious fabric canopy.
Representatives from various groups had gathered.
Mercenaries hired by nobles.
Adventurer parties backed by wealthy merchants.
Or leaders of their own organizations.
All eyes turned to Jun, who arrived last.
"That's..."
"White Whale Mercenary Corps?"
"First time seeing him in person."
"A mage, huh... Didn't see any magic earlier, though."
"Early stages, probably."
No one doubted the White Whale Mercenary Corps' prowess anymore.
They just wondered why they were here.
Normally, contribution points alone would make them hard to view favorably, but this was a lich battle.
A skilled mage was someone you'd grovel to recruit. And here he was, coming of his own accord.
"Alright, let's start the briefing right away. As everyone knows, our current position is northeast of Merdein."
"The precise target is still the southern center, correct?"
"Yes. Melren Ducal Castle, near the south coast."
Melren Ducal Castle had once been Merdein's capital, seat of Duke Melren who ruled the south like a king.
And now, the lich had resurrected and taken root there.
"We have to go way down south."
"Exactly. The march won't be easy, but don't worry. The Sun Church has made ample preparations too."
"The supplies from Gilenoi Merchant Guild, you mean?"
"Yes. Everyone's received them already, right?"
Mid-grade recovery potions amassed by fully leveraging the Gilenoi Merchant Guild for this crisis.
Not top-tier, but mid-grade ones could even reattach severed limbs.
The sheer volume was staggering, and enchant scrolls to imbue weapons with elemental magic were beyond counting.
Silver arrows for archers filled entire wagons. Supplies were no concern at all.
"The Sun Church's holy knights will clear the path, and priests will treat the wounded directly. No need to worry."
"Then what's our role?"
"Most of you will punch through the front with the holy knights. And follow the occasional directives."
"Directives?"
"Small-scale operations centered on the White Whale Mercenary Corps."
A few frowned at that.
A mage's help was undoubtedly needed, but serving under them was another matter.
Indeed, one raised a hand to voice dissent.
"What are we supposed to trust to follow them?"