Deja Vu
Whether Rain entertained such thoughts or not, the rest period was coming to an end.
"Haa, finally done." Arke, Rain's friend, sat on a rock inside the cave with a weary expression. "You okay?"
"Haha, I should've trained my stamina along with holy arts. I didn't expect it to be this bad."
Arke was exhausted because, as a priestess capable of healing allies—a rarer and more valuable role than a mage—she had been busy tending to the wounded and had only now found a moment to rest. Rain asked after her with concern, and Arke forced a smile to keep him from worrying.
Just as the two were exchanging worried glances, a voice cut through the moment.
"Hey, save the flirting for when you get home. This is a battlefield—bandits could show up any second."
Kane, the red-haired boy who had a talent for ruining the mood, appeared beside them.
"He's right. What do they think they're doing…?"
"This is a fight where lives are on the line."
Kane's two lackeys—the skinny one and the chubby one—chimed in with their usual flattery. Their words weren't wrong, but unlike Robin's lighthearted jabs, their tone dripped with mockery. Rain said nothing, but his mood soured.
"Everyone, rest time is over! Resume the advance while staying on guard!"
Before Kane could continue his irritating remarks, Marienne's commanding voice rang out. Rain helped Arke to her feet, gently holding her hand. He wanted to carry her, but too many others were exhausted, so he settled for slowing his pace so she could keep up.
"Something's wrong…"
As they advanced deeper into the cave, Rain felt a growing sense of unease. They had been marching for a long time, yet the bandits had launched no attacks. The shield unit was positioned at the front to guard against ranged assaults, but not a single arrow or spell had come their way.
"Tch, still looking for that Elsid guy or whatever his name is?"
Kane snapped at him, clearly still annoyed from earlier.
"That's not it."
Rain wasn't thinking about that at all. And he wasn't the only one feeling the strangeness.
"My lord, something is amiss."
"I agree. It's strange that we've advanced this far without a single attack."
Tbon, the chief knight, voiced his concern, and Marienne nodded in agreement. Both were sharp observers in their respective fields, so their shared sense of wrongness was only natural.
"Let's halt the march and check if we've overlooked anything."
"A wise decision. If we move a little farther and find a suitable spot, we'll rest while I consult with the other knights."
Tbon bowed and followed her orders. A short while later, he returned.
"My lord, we've found an open clearing ahead where everyone can rest comfortably."
"Well done, Tbon."
They advanced a little farther and, just as Tbon had said, came upon a spacious clearing. Everyone was looking forward to the rest when Marienne suddenly issued a new command.
"Throwing unit, light the fuses on the prepared bombs and throw them into that clearing."
"Yes, ma'am!"
Ten soldiers ignited the fuses and hurled the bombs forward.
Boom! Bang! Kaboom!
"Graaah!"
"Graaah!"
"Graaah!"
Screams erupted from the clearing the moment the bombs detonated.
"Wait, those are…?"
The low-yield bombs created a flash of light, revealing the figures hidden within. They were nothing but bones—eyeless, toothless skeletons—yet they moved.
"Skeletons…"
Another type of undead, often compared to zombies.
"I threw bombs with reduced gunpowder expecting a bandit ambush, but I never imagined we'd encounter something this ominous."
Marienne frowned at the sight of hundreds of skeletons rising from the ground. She wasn't the only one.
"Hey, Arke! You're a priestess—the natural enemy of the undead! Do something!"
"Ah, right. This is a holy art I haven't practiced much, but…"
Kane shouted with a scowl as countless skeletons emerged from the earth. Arke, despite her exhaustion, immediately began chanting.
"Merciful Lord! I send these souls tainted by evil to their rest. Turn Undead!"
The moment she finished, the skeletons crumbled into fine white ash and vanished.
"Turn Undead!"
"Turn Undead!"
"Turn Undead!"
Arke wasn't the only priestess present. Though few in number, the others quickly followed suit, reducing two, three, or even five skeletons each to dust.
"All mages, regardless of rank, cast fire or lightning magic at the undead! Everyone else capable of fighting, focus on crushing weapons like warhammers and maces!"
Anticipating the chaos that would follow the skeletons' destruction, Marienne barked rapid orders. Mages unleashed their strongest fire and lightning spells, while others supported with lower-tier elemental magic. Adventurers and mercenaries without magic formed groups around those wielding blunt weapons and charged in.
Without warning, the bandit subjugation mission had turned into a battle against an army of undead.
Arke, having just finished casting Turn Undead, stood on trembling legs, looking even more exhausted than before.
"Rest for a bit, Arke."
Rain guided her to the relatively safe rear before charging forward.
"Hah!"
With a battle cry, he swung his greatsword vertically, cleanly bisecting a skeleton blocking his path. The full-powered strike, enhanced by aura, sliced through bone as easily as soft tofu.
"Take this!"
He followed up by separating another skeleton's upper and lower halves. Even as the upper body continued to twitch, Rain crushed its skull beneath his armored boot. Only then did it stop moving.
"Hraaaah!"
Each swing of his increasingly heavy greatsword felled another skeleton as he pressed onward.
'This time, I can do it.'
But in his excitement, Rain overlooked one crucial detail.
Whoosh.
He had been using aura recklessly, and now it was completely spent. His enhanced physical abilities faded, making the greatsword feel unbearably heavy. Strength drained from his arms.
The skeletons didn't miss the opening. One lunged at him, a morning star with vicious spikes clutched in its bony hand.
'That's gonna hurt like hell.'
His heavy armor would prevent a fatal blow, but the pain would be excruciating. Bracing for impact, Rain closed his eyes.
Clang!
Instead of a dull thud, he heard the clash of steel on steel. When no impact came, he cautiously opened his eyes.
"Excuse me, but would you happen to know where we are?"
Standing before him was a man who hadn't been there moments ago—El sid. Rain felt an overwhelming sense of déjà vu. Just like when the orc had nearly split him in two, Elsid had blocked the attack with his swords and asked for directions. The only differences were that the enemy was a skeleton instead of an orc, and he spoke casually instead of politely.
And this time, he held two swords crossed in an X, halting dozens of skeletons in their tracks.
"Ah, but first, I should probably deal with these noisy bones."
"Yes, that would be greatly appreciated."
Watching the scene unfold, Rain smiled and nodded. It really was exactly the same as before.