Zombie Apocalypse 4 Illustration
Zombie Apocalypse 4 Illustration
> >
Eugene was currently stationed in the Apen Mountains, which ran the length of the southern continent's Apen Peninsula.
Since the surrounding area was mostly forest and mountainous terrain, cavalry operations were heavily constrained. Thus, the reorganized army was centered on infantry.
"Leave the scouting to the big sisters and keep a good watch on the camp."
The horse archer tribal warriors returned, and as if passing a baton, the female warriors under Cassandra's command joined them.
Their disciplined bodies were evident even over their clothing, and every face brimmed with confidence. Their bearing left no doubt that the forest and mountains were their domain.
Alongside them were the Hammer Brotherhood dwarves and some light cavalry serving as scouts.
Eugene pointed out the nearby villages marked on the map and set the route for the army.
"The tribesmen who lost contact won't have gone far. They'd know I'd be coming here with the castle."
"Even if they're in a crisis, they'll be hiding somewhere with their fighting strength intact. They're the sort who can at least protect their own lives even in the harshest of circumstances."
Rex trusted the tribal warriors.
Their way of fighting always placed more weight on minimizing casualties than on glorious, overwhelming victories. If the children of the forest wished to survive in the forest, they could indeed be as tenacious as weeds.
"We make camp here tonight. We will enter the second village tomorrow, so make every preparation for battle."
As soon as Eugene's order was given, the sounds of hammering and chopping began to ring out from all around.
A mixed unit of dwarves, the people of the earth, and dark elf female warriors specialized in guerilla warfare. Thanks to this unusual combination, even the sight of setting up camp was unlike anything else.
With the sound of axes echoing from every direction, Eugene felt as though he had come to a land of woodpeckers.
"I've never seen such a bustling camp construction before."
"It is a bit noisy. But it does guarantee one thing: safety."
Rampage grinned and looked up at the watchtower, whose foundation was already complete.
Dwarves were short in stature, so they could not stand on bare ground and keep proper watch as humans did. If the undergrowth grew even a little high, half their field of vision would be obscured.
That was why, even if they were only camping for a single day, they built something they could climb up and stand on.
And the dwarven race lived by the motto, "If we're going to build it, let's build it right!"
The completed temporary watchtower became a makeshift fortress, providing a higher vantage point than an ordinary human mercenary would have.
However, just as there is always a bigger fish, there were some young ladies in this camp who would scoff even at the watchtowers the dwarves took such pride in.
"You bearded little runts. Why not stop overworking yourselves and leave the forest watch to us, hm?"
The sound of giggling laughter drifted down from above the heads of the dwarves, who were entering the final stages of their work.
The dark elf female warriors were perched on the tree branches, idly swinging their legs.
Having cast aside mounted combat, they were specialists in mountain warfare. Even Rex's cavalry company conceded their superiority in forests and mountains.
"Do you truly intend to sleep up in the trees?"
"Of course. Not coming down from the trees at night is our field doctrine."
Cassandra, holding a hand axe, smiled brightly.
The skin tones of dark elves varied. The shadow bloodline to which Cassandra belonged was praised for a complexion that seemed to hold the moonlight. Even Eugene could not help but acknowledge her graceful appearance.
While the dwarves had been working construction on the ground, the tribal female warriors had been trimming the branches in the trees. Clearing away anything that obstructed their watch was their way of preparing camp.
That was the reason why the noise of hammering and chopping had clamored from both above and below.
"In the forest or mountains, whoever commands the treetops commands the battlefield. No matter how fiercely you glare from the ground, how could it compare to looking down from up here?"
"That much is true, I suppose."
"...Tch."
Unlike Eugene, who nodded in agreement, Rampage clicked his tongue. She wasn't wrong, but did she have to say it right beside their employer? His pride was bound to be wounded.
"Even if the watch is as you say, resting and sleeping would be more uncomfortable up there than on the ground."
"You needn't worry about that, as we can rest as comfortably as on a bed. If we couldn't manage that, we would not be able to become one of our number."
By the time the branch trimming was finished and the female warriors were settling into their spots one by one to lie down, Eugene's interest was piqued.
"Would it be alright if I came up as well? I'm curious what it feels like to watch over the surroundings from up there."
"Of course. There's no need to seek permission for every little thing like that."
Cassandra moved to offer him her hand, but Eugene politely declined and kicked off from the ground.
He delivered a triangle kick to the tree trunk, allowing him to grab hold of a branch. He launched his body upward using the strength of his wrists and arms, and in an instant, he was standing on the branch.
The surrounding female warriors, who knew of his monstrous strength and great combat skill but had not expected him to possess such agile movements, opened their eyes wide in surprise.
"You can see everything, can't you?"
Eugene, for his part, was marveling at the wide-open view. He could see far into the distance, incomparable to standing watch on the ground.
"I might have to consider entrusting the watch entirely to you all for real."
"Heh heh. Isn't that so?"
Cassandra hopped lightly across several branches and came to stand beside Eugene.
"When climbing trees, it's best to take your shoes off whenever possible. Otherwise, you might slip and fall."
"I'll keep that in mind."
The female warriors, including Cassandra, were all moving about the branches barefoot.
If one looked closely, they were consciously gripping the branches with the soles of their feet, almost as if wrapping around them. It might have looked like nothing, but it was surely a footwork technique perfected through considerable training.
"Then shall we take over the watch duties entirely?"
"No. That won't do after all."
Seeing Rampage looking up with eyes unusually plaintive for his appearance, Eugene could not bring himself to give such an order.
"There must be some types of danger that can only be sensed from the ground. Subtle vibrations, for instance. Or scents."
"I think you may be overestimating them, though?"
Cassandra, balancing on one leg, stretched out her other and casually pointed it toward the dwarves working on the construction below. Her pedicure, dyed the same violet shade as her eyes, sparkled in the evening glow.
"...Cassandra. Withdraw that foot. We will be comrades in arms throughout this operation, so show a little more respect."
"I shall follow your command."
Perhaps because she had already vented everything she wanted to say, Cassandra bowed her head with a look of relief.
"Besides, we can't ignore the dwarves' beards, now can we?"
"That is true."
Even the mighty Cassandra acknowledged the sensory hairs of the dwarves. They granted warriors who knew no magic intuition comparable to that of a wizard.
"Why not sleep up here tonight before you go?"
"I appreciate the offer, but if I slept in a tree, I'd toss and turn until I fell straight to the ground."
"Ahaha. Naturally, we don't expect the Castle Lord to meet our standards."
Cassandra pointed, and there in the tree was a hammock-like net bed, already installed.
"When did you set that up?"
"When suggesting something to a superior, isn't it only proper to have the setup completely finished before broaching the subject? Regardless of whether they accept or refuse, that is."
"Next time. This is a search operation for our lost comrades, after all, so I want to be at my best."
"A pity."
As if she had not held out great expectations from the start, Cassandra quietly withdrew.
"Captain. I've brought what you ordered."
A middle-aged female warrior who had leaped over from the opposite tree held out freshly picked, vibrant herbs.
Cassandra deftly twisted them into something resembling straw rope, placed them in a small censer, and handed it to Eugene.
"Herbs for repelling insects and aiding deep sleep, I take it?"
"You certainly know your stuff, as expected."
"These aren't easy herbs to find. Thank you. I'll make good use of them."
Unlike when he climbed up, he readily accepted help on the way down.
Clench.
Cassandra held Eugene with one arm and lowered him to a suitable height for jumping down. She was unmistakably a fully fledged warrior in her own right.
* * *
The second village they arrived at had likewise suffered a terrible calamity. Monstrous beings were shuffling about everywhere in the village, emitting ghastly noises.
"Even in that state, I still don't sense the aura of death from them."
Eugene, his body concealed in the underbrush, had his eyes on one of the monsters staring blankly at the sky.
The flesh of its face had largely vanished, leaving it in a half-skeletal state. In between the tattered clothes, even more ruggedly overgrown mycelium covered it.
Rather than rotting, it felt as though its flesh had been surrendered and used as nutrients to cultivate the fungi.
The problem was that, unlike wights, the loss of flesh did not make them slower or weaker. The unidentified mycelium was taking on the role of armor or muscle.
Even if they could not bite like wights, they could still swing weapons, so their offensive power was not an issue. In that respect, they were even superior to wights.
"Do you see that? Their weapons and hands are fused together."
The half-plantized monster's hand and the helve of its axe were melded into one. Some monsters had mycelium hardened like adhesive between their hands and weapons, fastening them together.
"Because those poor wretches no longer have any need of personal happiness. They don't need to embrace their families or mend their clothes. They need only swing their weapons at the enemy as the spirit commands, and that is all."
Varda wore a complicated expression.
She was one who wished to face both the beautiful and ugly sides of the forest and love them alike. Yet the element of parasite and host was something she simply could not grow accustomed to.
She understood that this, too, was a vast part of what constituted nature, but its manner was far too cruel.
"What could be the reason the Forest Spirit is committing such acts?"
"There is nothing more meaningless than trying to understand a spirit. It could be hunger, or simply a hatred of humans, a desire to reign as a ruler, or perhaps it was seized by the urge to propagate. The possibilities are so numerous it is difficult to single one out."
"What is certain is that it is a target to be subjugated."
Eugene gestured to the troops waiting in the rear. It was a hand signal ordering them to prepare for battle.
The Hammer Brotherhood, their faces itching for a fight, clenched their weapons as if they had been waiting. Half of them raised shields the size of their own bodies to form the front line, while the other half hefted two-handed blunt weapons.
Cassandra's warrior women scattered in every direction. Some stayed on the ground, others took positions atop rocks, and many climbed onto tree branches.
"Go! Grant rest to those poor wretches!"
As the dwarf warriors, having shed their concealment, surged into the village like a tidal wave, it felt as though a living fortress was striding forward.
The monstrous beings wandering or crouching throughout the village all whipped their heads around in unison. Shrieking a deafening roar, they charged violently at the intruders.
Thud!
Thoom!
Yet they were all blocked by the shield wall erected by the dwarves at the front line.
Compared to the mounted shields of human heavy cavalry, these were infantry tower shields that were utterly overwhelming in every aspect. And they were wielded by dwarf warriors of matchless sturdiness, no less.
"Present your heads!"
The shield-bearers at the front were armed with military picks. It was the weapon that exhibited the most powerful destructive force among one-handed blunt instruments.
"You wretch! How dare a creature of your size look down upon me?"
Perhaps because of the teasing they had suffered from the tribe's warrior women the previous night, the dwarf warriors had grown sensitive about the difference in height.
A dwarf warrior deflected a particularly large specimen among the monsters with a shield bash and then brought a military pick down upon its knee.
Crack!
The kneecap shattered instantly, and the monster crumbled on the spot. Then, the pick was driven once more into the forehead thus exposed.
The pick, which had pierced through the fairly thick mycelial covering and the skull, churned into the brain, and all movement ceased.
Thump.
In just two blows, a monster of considerable bulk had been disposed of.
When the dwarf warriors wielding two-handed blunt weapons joined the fray, the enemy began to be swept away in an instant.
"I was uneasy about even seasoned warriors fighting without shields, but it was needless worry."
"Castle Lord. Battle is not waged with height, but with one's center of gravity."
Rampage gazed proudly upon his subordinates as they performed a one-sided slaughter.
A difficulty akin to what humans feel when facing wolves. This was what the monsters were experiencing against the dwarves.
"Screeeech!"
The weapons swung by the monsters more often than not sliced through empty air. This was because it was incredibly difficult for them to hit dwarves, who moved nimbly at barely half their height.
Moreover, since all the dwarves were clad in heavy armor of dwarven make, even the attacks that occasionally landed dealt almost no damage.
Clang!
Even a dwarf warrior whose helmet was struck directly by a club swung by a monster did not budge.
"Is it thanks to the shoulder armor?"
"You are quick to recognize it."
Because they were prone to being attacked on the shoulders or head, they had prepared for it. The helmets and shoulder armor of the dwarves were designed so that, from any angle, they would interlock to a certain degree.
Even if an overhead strike struck the head, the impact would travel down the shoulders and disperse across the upper body. Not to mention, the thickness itself was out of the ordinary.
Conversely, the blunt weapons wielded by the dwarf warriors were smashing whatever they struck in a single blow.
A two-handed hammer slammed into the face of a monster covered in mycelium.
Crunch!
Amidst the shattered fragments of mushroom, dozens of broken teeth scattered as the monster toppled backward.
"Screeeech!"
A monster charging from the side was struck in the abdomen by the thrust of a decurion wielding a pole hammer.
As it was a thrust with a blunt hammerhead, it did not penetrate, but it delivered a colossal impact. The monster's breath was driven out in a rush, and its waist folded ninety degrees.
Above the back of its head, thus deliciously exposed, the pole hammer fell.
Crack!
The back of the head was virtually without the protection of the mycelium. The skull shattered outright like an egg, and the corpse pitched forward to the ground.
When the door of a village warehouse burst open and five or six monsters swarmed out, the dwarves met them head-on with dignity.
"Charge!"
As the dwarf warriors rushed forward and all threw their bodies into a collective tackle, the monsters toppled like rotten sheaves of straw.
Though they were foes who had stubbornly endured against humans of similar height and center of gravity, the fight against dwarves was far too disadvantageous for them.
Enemies heavier and harder than themselves, aided by their low center of gravity, collided into their knees and thighs, and they had no means to withstand it.
"Look here. You were so full of bluster yesterday—what are you doing now? At this rate, we'll be the ones to finish them all off."
"I'll gladly concede."
To the triumphant Rampage, Cassandra shrugged her shoulders.
This was unexpected for Eugene. Usually, when embarking on such operations, it was his subordinates' nature to fight recklessly in order to distinguish themselves.
"I took a look at the map. A larger battlefield awaits, so there is no need to spend our strength here unnecessarily."
The second stronghold was a village, but the third stronghold was the manor where the local lord resided. Though it was a small foothold composed of a large mansion and the serfs' hamlet, it was still the lord's dwelling.
If even that place had become a monster den, then the problem had grown serious. For it would essentially mean the annihilation of all the nearby powerless villages.
"We don't know for certain that place was hit too, do we?"
"I understand your concern, Castle Lord, but I doubt it was spared."
"How can you tell?"
"It is a woman's intuition, a gamekeeper's intuition, and at the same time, a witch's intuition."
They were all based on nothing more than intuition, yet each one was not easily dismissed.
"I didn't know you had also taken lessons in witchcraft."
The Cassandra Eugene had seen was a young lady thoroughly forged as a warrior.
"My ambition is great, you see."
"I know that. I heard the very reason you left the royal castle was to become chieftain of the Black Hand Tribe."
"I had to possess at least one thing special compared to others. And warriors tend to yearn more for a leader who divines the future and is cloaked in mystic power, rather than one who is merely skilled with a sword."
"So that's why you took lessons in witchcraft as well?"
"Being a wizard is a field that thoroughly requires talent, but being a witch is not. If one makes a relentless effort, anyone can achieve results."
As Cassandra lifted the hem of her top around her abdomen, beautifully chiseled, sculpted abdominal muscles were revealed.
"Just like physical training or swordsmanship. And that is what I like. To strive and to enjoy the rewards."
Her index finger moved along those grooves. Her fingernails, dyed purple like her toenails, traced over her immaculate skin.
"You speak true. The sight of effort is always beautiful."
Eugene was also aware that Cassandra was a young lady overflowing with ambition.
Though it was true that her fixation had sometimes felt unsettling, he honestly thought her present demeanor, speaking so earnestly of hard work, was admirable.
"I wish to become a monarch. From the earliest days I can remember as a child, I have always yearned for that."
Around that time, the battle had ended. The monsters had been utterly crushed, as if a storm of tumbling boulders had swept through them.
"Does the Castle Lord also have something he earnestly desires? Since the day I met you, that is what I have always wondered."
Cassandra's expression was infinitely earnest. It was not mere curiosity, but also an investigation into the target upon whom she would place the wager of a lifetime.
"Something I earnestly desire..."
It was a harsh world where merely keeping oneself alive was a struggle.
To retrieve his mother's keepsakes from the monastery of the Main God Order, which restricted residence until one reached adulthood.
To protect the precious Homi, who followed him with eyes only for him, and to gift her a stable life.
To stand firm as a single knight so as not to bring disgrace upon his master's honor.
His life up to the present had been one spent running, achieving such small goals one at a time.
"If it is not impertinent, I dare to ask the Castle Lord's true desire."
But the beautiful lady before him wanted more than that.
Was it because no one had ever asked such a thing until now? Or was it because of Cassandra's attitude, so earnest about dreams and effort?
Eugene did not dislike such audacious curiosity. In a way, he felt it was even refreshingly bracing.
{@PIC:766274}
> >