As the carriage swayed on the road to the Imperial Capital, I considered how to bring up Manon’s matter to everyone.
This is troubling. If we accept, what can we do against Lizardmen? Should we fight head-on? Lizardmen likely have elders, women, and children too, so massacring them might be a bad idea.
Perhaps I should have Orietta create a BC Weapon to save us some trouble. But I can’t very well use chemical weapons on the Imperial Capital’s water source. It would be indiscriminate murder.
Maybe we could hunt them down guerrilla-style, a few at a time. It would take time, but it might be easier and result in fewer injuries.
However, accepting the job comes first. The Lizardmen’s combat strength is the issue. Are they so tough that even a Short Sword wouldn’t cut them? If their physical abilities are on par with Pushirira in her Lycanthrope form, I’d want to run.
Sophia could slice them in half with a Platinum Laser. But that’s only effective if they form ranks, and I wonder how many times she can fire it.
Should I just refuse? If I get framed for embezzling from Hasuhanto, it’ll be game over, so I guess I have to accept. But still…
No matter how much I think, the carriage keeps moving, and I can’t find an answer. No matter how hard I think, my imagination doesn’t run wild, and Manon doesn’t take off her clothes.
Because the other members aren’t here, Alana is seizing the opportunity to press her healthy chest against me with her arms crossed, which makes it impossible for me to sort out my thoughts. I’ve returned to the Imperial Capital with my homework. …That’s it! A situation where I can help with homework…
“What do you mean Rufina hasn’t returned?”
The words were cut out before I could even speak of my exploits with the Black Flame Dragon, sounding like a matter I’d prefer to leave unresolved.
“Isn’t she just engrossed in making Zombies or Undead again?”
“No, that’s not it. Rufina went to her master’s place and hasn’t come back.”
“Did you go to this master’s place?”
“Many times! The last time, they told me not to come.”
“Did the master say that?”
“No, the gatekeeper said it without letting me get inside.”
“Gatekeeper!? Was it that big of a mansion? Who is this master?”
“Marquis Vincent Rutland, the Empire’s Court Mage.”
Whoa. Rufina’s master is nobility? And a Court Mage is a super-elite, isn’t he? I thought Necromancers were often shunned.
“So, you’re certain she went to Marquis Rutland’s place?”
“Absolutely. Rufina-chan told me all about it.”
“…And knowing all that, what are you doing now?”
“What do you mean, ‘what am I doing’? I was waiting for you captains. Didn’t you tell me to behave myself?”
I did say that. Such a trivial thing.
“That reminds me, what happened with everyone’s Dresses? Did you manage to buy them?”
“Wh-What are you talking about now? That’s not important!”
It is important to me, though.
“You idiot captain! We have them for everyone, damn it!”
That’s great. Rufina needs to wear one too.
“White Lily Corps! Assemble in the carriage, fully armed, to retrieve Rufina!”
“Hmph, are you an idiot, Captain? We didn’t do anything not just because we were waiting for you. The other party is an Imperial Marquis. Are you going to fight a Court Mage Necromancer? And if you pull a stunt like that in the Imperial Capital, you’ll be hunted to death.”
Pushirira’s words are exactly right. If you asked a hundred people, a hundred would say the same thing.
“That’s… What is it? Even if it means turning the Imperial Capital to ash, we’ll retrieve Rufina. That’s all.”
“Are you an idiot?! The Royal Knights will come out too!”
“We won’t hold back against anyone who gets in our way. Besides, if we finish this before they show up, we’ll be fine.”
“You’re the biggest idiot here. …But you’re the best kind of idiot! Did you hear that? Assemble in the carriage, fully armed. The last one will skip guard duty once!”
Hearing “guard duty,” everyone rushed out of the room. Only Pushirira and I remained.
“…Are you really going to do it?”
“That’s unlike you, Pushirira. What’s wrong?”
“…I’m from the Imperial Capital, you know. The Empire doesn’t show mercy to those who defy it.”
“I feel the same way. Perhaps I’m even more lenient.”
Pushirira shrugged as if exasperated and walked towards the door.
“Pushirira.”
I called out softly, and she stopped without turning around.
“The last one skips guard duty once.”
The door slammed shut with a loud bang.
The mansion was built amidst the residences of nobles, but as expected of a Marquis, it was larger than the surrounding buildings. The White Lily Corps hadn’t been idle either; they had investigated various things.
Marquis Vincent Rutland. A Marquis without a territory, yet he had climbed the ranks to Marquis as a Court Mage, a self-made super-elite.
There are many Court Mages, but he is the only one holding the rank of Marquis. He must be exceptionally skilled in both politics and magic.
Necromancers are useful in war. They can easily reanimate fallen soldiers and send them back to the front lines. If they can reanimate enemy casualties, it’s a massive boost to their forces. I truly realize that Mages can do anything.
As I listened to the information about Marquis Vincent Rutland, we arrived in front of the mansion. As expected of a Marquis, it had a grand gate. The iron bars were adorned with peculiar reliefs.
“Go! Homerun Batter, break down the gate!”
“Roger, coming right up!”
Contrary to Orietta’s lackluster reply, the heavy gate flew all the way to the entrance.
“A-Attack!”
I wonder if he even finished saying it. Four gatekeepers collapsed, pierced through the heart by Christine. They fell to their knees without a sound.
“Did you kill them?”
“…They collapsed before they could die. …How pathetic for someone who is supposed to be a Knight. …Is it okay to let them explode like this?”
Undead rose from the ground before I could even reply. They looked like they were wearing tattered clothes, but in addition to the dirt, they were all wearing Plate Mail as knights.
If not for their characteristic pallid faces of the undead, they would look like fine knights. Furthermore, those reanimated as undead can wield power exceeding their former selves through magic and medicine.
Was such a swift response to the gate being breached common, or were they ambushed?
“Sophia, please.”
Sophia, stepping one pace ahead of everyone else, raised her hands and crossed them in front of her face.
“■■■■, Platinum Laser!”
As she chanted, a silver laser shot from her fingertips, which she brought down like crossing her arms, slicing through all the undead knights like scraps of paper. They were mere refuse before the epithet “Sophia of Platinum.”
“That was anticlimactic. Is this the end, super-elite!”
I shouted towards the entrance, not caring who heard me.
“Sophia, fall back. Christine, cover. Pushirira, the right flank. Alana and Orietta, the left flank.”
“I bet that was the end of it. Easy win.”
The sliced undead knights were absorbed into the ground. Just as I thought they were all gone, more undead rose.
“Could this be an endless free-for-all!?”
I felt a dark aura emanating from those around me. Turning, I saw Sophia’s smile was so malevolent that it could make you wet yourself if you saw it at night.
“It’s a free-for-all! Kill them!”
There was never a more fitting phrase than “outnumbered,” yet the White Lily advanced, and the enemy retreated.
Alana wielded something like tonfas, with gauntlets slightly surpassing her elbows, newly made and with swords attached, extending her arms.
Holding these in both hands, she was like a whirlwind passing through. I, the main character, am also dual-wielding, causing overlap.
Orietta’s great hammer sent knights flying into the air, two at a time. Swing to the right, and they flew right; swing to the left, and they disappeared. I wonder if Orietta isn’t even thinking about defending herself.
Our Pushirira, if you took Alana’s speed, added Orietta’s power, doubled it, and sprinkled in a dash of mature charm, you’d get her. To stop Pushirira, you’d need about fifty Golems.
I fight silently. I stick to the basics, parrying with my shield, and striking vital points when my opponent’s force is diverted. Though not many in number, I strike them down surely. This is to conserve my strength.
If Rufina were here, there would be something to keep her here. If she were with a Court Mage, they would be a formidable enemy. If her master were here, they would gladly burn us all to ashes, Undead and all.
“Sophia, that laser from before. Can you fire it again?”
“It’s impossible. Even if I could, it would only be about twenty meters, at most about the length of one finger.”
That much is enough. But where is the Court Mage, the master of this place, Marquis Vincent Rutland? I thought he’d reveal himself like crushing trash, but is he cautious, or does he look down on us?
When the second wave of Undead was half-returned to soil, the entrance door opened, and Cerberus, the hellhound, emerged.
It was about two sizes larger than Pushirira in her Lycanthrope form. It was a three-headed dog, but it stood on two legs. If it’s a guard dog, it should walk on four legs.
…But, I found him.
“Pushirira. Could you handle that?”
“I don’t want to deal with anything other than handsome men.”
Indeed, when it comes to handsome men, the undead have more among them. Am I fighting them every guard duty because I’m even more handsome?
“I’ll give you a bonus later, so please.”
“Don’t forget that promise!”
With a war cry, Pushirira transformed into her Lycanthrope form. However, her clothes didn’t stretch, and the armor on her shoulders and chest wasn’t removed.
“It’s armor made by Orietta. Its defense power is incomparable to standard armor.”
Hmm, a shame. Increased defense is good, but the clothes shredding during transformation were flashy and good. When she reverts to human form, she’s naked.
“Leave it to me. Alana, Orietta, I’ll be out for a bit, so you two are in charge. Sophia, burn the enemies up to the entrance.”
“Roger that!”
“Yes, coming right up!”
“■■■■, Platinum Laser.”
Though a shadow of its initial power, it’s sufficient to carve through the Undead. It’s enough to reach the entrance! The Undead, unable to catch me, a Godspeed user, could only watch me leave.
Approaching the entrance, I slowly opened the door. Such a sturdy and large door; only Orietta could break it down.
Opening the door, I found myself in a large hall. The magic circle that had summoned Cerberus, visible earlier through the door’s gap, was fading.
In front of me was a wide, grand staircase. Two knights stood at either end, preventing anyone from ascending, and at the top, there he was.
He wore an obsidian robe, his face visible, and from the gaps in the robe, he emanated a black, misty aura.
Without needing an introduction, I knew. It was Vincent Rutland, the Empire’s greatest Necromancer. Rufina’s master, who controlled so many Undead and achieved great feats in wartime.
“You’ve finally arrived. Then I shall introduce myself. My name is Vincent Rutland, the world’s greatest Necromancer and an Imperial Marquis.”
“A pleasure to meet you. White Lily Corps, Captain, Mikael Sin. Captain of the world’s strongest mercenary group.”
Since he introduced himself with such grandeur, I decided to do the same. If it weren’t for that robe and black aura, he’d look like an ordinary man. I’d imagined him older, but he appeared to be in his early thirties.
“Rufina should be here. I would like her back.”
“If you have a request, come here and state it.”
The Marquis pointed to the top of the stairs, his own footing, and said so. The two knights at the bottom of the stairs began to move, emitting black auras.
He tells me to come here, yet he has no intention of letting me up. Well, I didn’t expect it to be easy.
But he’s here. Vincent Rutland is right before my eyes.
