Chapter 32
Chapter 32 - At the End of Self-Reproach
"Hundred Sword Pierce!"
The original skill that I had copied with flame.
It was the incantation of a formidable skill that unleashes a hundred magical swords.
Margrave thrust his sword straight in.
"Return to dust!!"
Ping ping ping! The magical swords flew simultaneously toward the ghost knights. It looked like watching a meteor shower. Blue magical blades pierced through them, struck the ground, and exploded in the air leaving sparks.
―Kyaaak!
―Guaaak!
Two ghost knights perished on the spot, becoming like honeycombs. The remaining three were in tatters but somehow managed to hold on, deflecting the magical blades with their cursed magic swords.
But they shouldn't forget about me.
I immediately gripped Bestak in reverse and thrust it hard into the ground.
"Tremour!"
Kugugugu!
The ground split from the sword point and danced wildly. Like ripples spreading out, the ground heaved so much that the ghost knights couldn't stand properly and finally lost their balance.
Margrave wouldn't miss this opening.
He unleashed all the scattered magical swords at once into that gap.
Pabababak! Amid the overlapping chaos, they couldn't block it. The magical swords mercilessly pierced their armor.
―Ku, uuuu...!
―... Must... protect... Halcenberg....
They fell to the ground one after another.
One knight, seeming to regain consciousness just before falling, muttered a strange dying breath.
Margrave's eyes widened for a moment, but the knight's soul had long since dispersed into black energy in the air.
"... That just now...."
Margrave stared blankly at the knight's empty armor for a long while.
I'm not tactless enough to interrupt now. I stood behind quietly, just scratching the split ground with Bestak.
"......"
"......"
After wallowing for some time, Margrave approached me first.
He held out his fist to me with a warm smile.
"That was excellent judgment to shake the ground in that situation. I'm now completely confident in leaving my back to you. Truly remarkable progress."
"... Haha. I just did what you taught me."
It might sound like false modesty but it's true.
This earthquake combination technique is something Margrave taught me, a technique he often used to save me when I was in mortal danger. The situation has just reversed now.
When I awkwardly smiled and bumped fists, Margrave nodded with satisfaction. Then he turned to look around.
I also turned my gaze along with him.
"By the way... this is a bit strange."
Suddenly Margrave muttered that. I looked at him with round eyes.
"Pardon? What is?"
"Hmm? Ah, no. It's nothing."
Margrave, suddenly coming to his senses, quickly brushed it off. Then he nodded and hurriedly turned away.
"There don't seem to be any more remnants. We can rest easy about this area for now."
"... Well, I suppose so. You worked hard, Lord Margrave."
"You worked hard too, Lord Jeong-yong. Let's head back now."
"Yes."
I returned to the castle with Margrave, leaving behind the ruined plains.
Over the past 2 weeks, we had advanced repeatedly and finally annihilated the vanguard of the undead legion.
The leaders of the vanguard were the ghost knights we just dealt with, so according to Margrave's explanation, this would buy us some time until the vanguard resurrects.
"However, it won't last long. Since the main force of the vanguard consists of weak undead, they'll resurrect quickly."
"Is that so?"
"The small fry take three days at most. Even the ghost knights will resurrect without issue in a week by possessing other corrupted souls."
"A week... that's fast. We must have killed thousands..."
"... Yes. That's why we ultimately couldn't withstand their offensive."
It made sense. The resurrection speed was faster than expected.
While the monster-like strength of Halcenberg's Margrave might not be affected, other soldiers naturally get injured and tired after battles.
Before that fatigue and those wounds can heal, the enemy returns to full strength. To make matters worse, when our own troops die, they turn into enemies, so the situation could only worsen day by day.
"Though I tried my best to be thorough in every battle... I might have underestimated them after all."
Margrave reproached himself.
If he had issued evacuation orders sooner.
If he had trained the soldiers more rigorously.
If he had dealt with the undead residents more decisively.
He kept going back over his mistakes endlessly.
After listening for a while, I said:
"To be frank, I think the outcome was inevitable against such an undead army, no matter how desperately you tried."
"... Yes. You're right. As you say. I showed an unsightly side. I apologize."
"No need to apologize, just keep your spirits up."
"Thank you, Lord Jeong-yong."
Margrave walked ahead with a weak smile, and I quietly followed carrying his belongings.
We returned to the castle in silence. The sun was setting, and Halcenberg Castle, frozen in the cold wave, was dyed red. Given the castle's atmosphere, blood red was the first thing that came to mind.
"....."
After passing through the fallen gate and heading to the center of the castle, an audience hall filled with piled corpses appeared.
The Margrave didn't return to his room, but sat down in his chair at the highest point of the audience hall.
"Lord Margrave?"
I called out, but the Margrave didn't answer. He just silently stared at the Margravine beside him.
The Margravine was quiet like a corpse. No, she is a corpse indeed. It seemed she hadn't come back to life yet as it was before sunset and the curse was weak.
The Margrave watched his wife's appearance with a sad face for a moment, then glanced at me and said.
"I'll collect myself for a moment. Go ahead first."
"....."
It seemed that the words the Ghost Knight muttered before dying had touched something in the Margrave.
I nodded and turned to leave, but suddenly stopped my steps.
Come to think of it, there might not be another chance but now.
When else would the Margrave seriously listen to such an absurd story?
'...Yes. If I'm going to talk, it has to be now.'
After contemplating for a moment, I made up my mind.
I turned back around. The Margrave was sitting quietly with his eyes closed, but opened them when he sensed my presence.
"What is it? If it's not urgent, let's do it later. Right now..."
"It is urgent. Perhaps more urgent for you than for me, Lord Margrave."
At my bold statement, the wrinkles on the Margrave's forehead twitched. He began to look at me with slight interest.
I took a deep breath for a moment and looked straight at the Margrave.
This conversation is the beginning.
The beginning of the hard work towards a happy ending.
* * *
"Well then, go ahead and tell me. What is it?"
The Margrave nodded and began to face me.
He doesn't seem to want a long conversation. Okay, received. I immediately got to the point.
"Lord Margrave. Can't the Eldritch also die?"
"...What do you mean by that?"
"Exactly what I said. I'm asking if there's absolutely no way to kill it, like the immortal Demon King I mentioned before."
At my words, the Margrave had a blank expression for a moment, then shook his head.
He shook it horizontally. I internally rejoiced.
There is a way. The enemy leader, the Eldritch, is not immortal.
"That's not the case. All Liches, who are the core of necromancy, are the same. They have something called a lifeforce vessel."
"Life what? What is that?"
"Lifeforce vessel. It's a container where they transfer and store the life force needed to live as undead. You could say it's the source of a Lich's life force. I've heard they usually take the form of jewels or runes. Anyway, if you destroy that, the Eldritch will completely disappear."
I raised my eyebrows once more at that.
"Runes? What are runes?"
"They're stones containing ancient will. They have ancient patterns engraved on them, and each character possesses special powers. Not much is known about them, but they're often used as magical materials."
"Well, would you look at that?"
"Haha. From my perspective, I find it more strange that you don't know about them."
It seems that these runes are common knowledge in this world.
I should really take some time later to learn about various things properly with Mimir's Eye. I can't have proper conversations with anyone being this ignorant.
Anyway, thanks to the kind Margrave's explanation, I understood now, so I immediately nodded.
"I see. So you're saying that if we destroy this vessel, the Eldritch will go down with one spear thrust, right?"
"...Spear thrust? Well, it would die, but... why are you asking about this?"
Why would I ask about how to kill it? It's obvious.
I stared straight at the Margrave, who was looking at me suspiciously, and grinned.
"Because I'm making plans to kill the Eldritch , of course."
At that moment, the Margrave's eyes widened more than I'd ever seen before.