Spare None
The undead slowly approached from that direction. Watching them, Crassus began backing away, gripped by fear. “Ugh… ugh…”
He could not win. Such a thing was impossible. The enemies were countless, and the mere presence of the scythe-wielding undead floating in the air was enough to instill terror. Even at the height of his active years, they had been an insurmountable force. Now, after more than a decade away from battle, there was simply no answer.
‘Is… is this death? Am I going to die?… Here… me… Lord Crassus, ending so meaninglessly?…’
The despairing reality sank in with perfect clarity. Feeling his resolve crumble, Crassus dropped his weapon and collapsed to the floor.
At that moment—
“Krr…?” “Krrgh…” “?!”
The undead suddenly halted their advance. Following a gesture from the scythe-wielding undead, they began to retreat, clearing a path like disciplined soldiers.
Crassus felt a flicker of doubt, and with it, a fragile hope that he might not be killed on the spot after all.
Then a figure came into view. Bandages covered the face, and the being wore the familiar garb of a high-ranking hunter. The body was completely concealed, making it impossible to tell whether it was undead or not. Yet one thing was unmistakable: the aura of power radiating from it, on an entirely different level. Through that presence alone, Crassus understood this being was fundamentally unlike the other undead here.
“Are you the leader of this place?”
Unlike the twisted undead, the voice was perfectly clear. It might still be magic, but at least Crassus could recognize that the speaker possessed sharp intelligence.
‘That means… if I handle this well, there might still be a path to survival…’
Anything was better than being torn apart by mindless undead. Hope and crushing tension warred within him as Crassus forced his mind to stay sharp. He pressed his forehead to the ground and shouted.
“Y-Yes, that’s correct! I am the leader here!”
He had once been told to hide his identity if possible, but the opponent was the merciless leader of the undead. In this situation, trying clever tricks would only get him killed faster. Appealing to his own usefulness was the only way to survive, Crassus decided.
“I-If there’s anything you wish to know, I’ll tell you everything! N-No, from this moment on I swear absolute loyalty to the great one! So please… please spare my life!”
Whether the being before him was undead or something else, it had destroyed the fortress and slaughtered his subordinates. None of that mattered to Crassus now. Only survival mattered. For that alone, he poured every ounce of his being into begging.
“E-Even like this, I’m a highly capable human! I’ll offer all my connections and wealth! They will surely be of great use, so please… please grant me the chance to serve the great one!”
“…Hmm.”
The figure appeared to consider his words. Head still bowed, Crassus’s eyes brightened slightly. He knew that in moments like this, silence could be more effective than further flattery. Interrupting the other’s thoughts might ruin the delicate balance he had created.
Seconds stretched like years in the suffocating silence. Finally, the figure spoke in a quiet voice.
“Understood. Then I shall give you a chance.”
“T-Thank you! I-I will devote every ounce of my strength to loyalty from now on!”
Crassus bowed repeatedly, shouting as though he would offer his very liver. Of course, it was only a performance to survive the crisis. In truth, he had not the slightest intention of serving the monster before him. The moment the danger passed, he planned to flee and return to his homeland as quickly as possible.
‘As soon as I reach home, I’ll report everything about you to Master. No matter how powerful a monster you are, once the hero party moves…’
With his master’s connections, he could mobilize the hero and the hero party. Those who had even slain the Demon King would dispose of this creature in an instant.
Clinging to the thought that he would repay this humiliation later, Crassus forced the most joyful expression he could muster onto his face.
Yet—
“Huh?”
The next moment, the figure placed a hand on Crassus’s head. A thread of bewilderment bloomed in his chest at the incomprehensible gesture.
“U-Um… M-Master? What is this…”
“Did I not say? I am giving you a chance.”
“Y-Yes?”
With those words, black mana bloomed. Hot yet freezing cold, the energy sent a chill racing down Crassus’s spine.
“You may lack the combat power of a priest… but prove your worth somewhere.”
“W-What do you mean…!!! Aaaaargh!!!!”
Black mana suddenly coiled around his body. The overwhelming agony made Crassus realize, far too late, that something had gone terribly wrong. His flesh began to rot. His mind twisted. The rebelliousness he had hidden transformed into genuine loyalty, and the vast greed he once possessed became a fanatical desire to die for his master alone.
When the brief transformation ended, Crassus pressed his forehead to the ground once more and spoke with heartfelt sincerity to the being before him.
—“Give your command, my eternal lord.”
*
At the exit leading outside the fortress, a commotion was unfolding.
“Move, you bastards! Faster!”
“Want to die? Then keep dawdling!”
“Get up! Anyone who lags behind gets executed on the spot!”
Human hunters shouted urgently while brandishing weapons. Around them walked a group of demons with bound hands—mostly children, with a few young women among them. Every one of them bore wounds of varying sizes, and their complexions were deathly pale from starvation.
Driven forward by the terror of death, their pace was painfully slow.
Then—
“Ah!”
A female demon tripped and fell. The already frustrated hunters immediately approached.
“What are you doing? Get up!”
“I-I’m sorry. I’ll… get up right away… ugh!”
Despite the hunters’ urging, she could not rise easily; her ankle appeared badly injured. Annoyed, the hunter raised his sword.
And then—
Thwack!
“Guh… ah…”
The blade slashed across her chest. Leaving the woman bleeding out on the ground, the hunter lifted his bloodied sword and shouted at the other terrified demons.
“From now on, anyone who slows us down ends up like this! If you don’t want to die here by our hands, move!”
The threat hung in the suddenly frigid air. The demons, seized by fear, quickened their steps.
“H-Hey. Are we really leaving her like that? If we lose any more, we won’t even break even…”
“It’s better this way. The undead are right behind us! Better than all of us dying here.”
The hunter spoke firmly to his concerned colleague, then urged the procession forward once more.
But then—
“Waaah! Mom!!…”
A child’s cry rang out. Beside the dying female demon, a young demon—clearly her child—clung to her and sobbed.
“Tch…”
Frowning, the hunter gripped his sword and strode toward the child, his expression one of pure irritation, as though disposing of trash. He raised the blade without hesitation.
“! A… aa…”
The young demon, paralyzed by terror, could only watch the sword descend. Still weeping, the child squeezed his eyes shut.
Clang!!!!
“!!”
“…?”
A sharp metallic ring echoed. At the sound of steel meeting steel, the terrified child cautiously opened his eyes.
“…Huh?”
What he saw was a beautiful female demon who had blocked the descending sword with a dagger.