66 - Surprise Attack, and Another Surprise Attack
Still in the dimness of the mountains, the First Mobile Unit was advancing, weaving through the towering trees. It had been about two hours since they departed from the garrison. Their destination was still far off.
Advancing through the rugged mountain terrain, the knights and soldiers were already beginning to wonder when they would ever arrive. A two-hour march would not normally be a burden for them. However, continuing to walk while gripped by the fear of not knowing when the Demon King's army might attack would wear down one's spirit. And a weakened spirit leads to physical fatigue.
"...What is that?"
A mage belonging to the unit sensed something and spoke up.
"What's wrong? Did something happen?"
"I thought I felt the presence of magic."
"What?"
"Ah, there's no mistake! It's detection magic!"
At the mage's voice, the nearby knights and soldiers reacted all at once. If the detection magic wasn't cast by an ally, it was the enemy. The possibility of an ambush flashed through their minds.
"Form ranks! Hurry!"
The commander shouted orders. He wanted to avoid being attacked while the column was in disorder. Melee combat was where the Demon Race excelled. The members of the First Mobile Unit reacted quickly to the commander's orders, gathering around him.
"This is...?"
The mage sensed something again and looked bewildered.
"What is it?"
"Detection magic is—"
A different presence. The mage couldn't finish his sentence. What caught his eye were flames erupting simultaneously from all around them.
"...A fire attack?"
A tactic—not so underhanded as to be uncharacteristic of the Demon Race, but a tactic nonetheless. The commander was surprised.
"The fire is spreading!"
The flames grew in intensity, encircling the mobile unit. It was clear that such a convenient movement of fire could not be accidental; it was undoubtedly the enemy's plan. Regardless of whether it was a plan or not, they had to do something about the situation.
"Put out the fire! Quickly!"
"Don't get surrounded! Break through!"
"This way! The fire hasn't reached here yet!"
Amidst the shouting, a voice reached their ears, pointing out a way to escape the situation.
"Hurry! If we don't move now, the fire will cut us off!"
As the voice said, while they were surrounded by flames, there was one spot that had not yet closed. Upon realizing this, the people rushed toward it.
"Don't panic! It could be a trap!"
The commander's warning came a bit too late. Those who passed through the gap in the flames were greeted by a volley of arrows. Though not a vast number, the arrows were fired in a concentrated burst aimed at the narrow gap, piercing the clustered soldiers of the Laurel Kingdom army one after another.
"Enemyyyyy! The enemy is—"
A soldier tried to warn his comrades of the enemy's appearance. He too was struck by an arrow and collapsed on the spot.
"S-Skeletons? They're undead!"
Still, another soldier managed to announce the identity of the enemy to his allies.
"Undead? N-no, there must be someone commanding them somewhere."
The commander momentarily wondered if undead could come up with such a plan, but that was impossible. Someone controlling the undead soldiers had to be nearby.
"Mage! Can you defeat the undead!?"
Even so, they first had to deal with the enemy blocking the exit. The commander asked the unit's mage if he could use anti-undead magic.
"I can!"
"Then go! Deal with the enemy blocking our escape!"
"Yes, sir!"
The mage rushed toward the exit to defeat the undead soldiers with magic. However, he never reached his destination. A man stood in his way, and that man's sword sliced through the mage's neck.
"...W-what are you doing!?"
"Mages are in the way."
"Y-you... you betrayed us!?"
The one who killed the mage was a foot soldier from the Second Mobile Unit—or so he was supposed to be.
"When was that the case? If you're talking about betrayal, I betrayed you a long time ago. Right from the start."
That Ray had been deceiving the Laurel Kingdom from the very beginning was something the commander could never have known.
"Attack... kill him!"
The knights responded to the commander's order and moved to strike Ray. However, Ray had already taken the initiative. A magic tool flew toward the knights. Before it reached them, it erupted in flames. The knights were engulfed in fire. That wasn't the only magic tool launched. Ray pulled several more magic tools from his clothes and scattered them around.
Flames spread not only from the outside but from the inside as well.
"Y-you..."
"Well then, let's leave it at this for now."
Ray ran toward the flames encircling them. Without hesitation, he dove straight into the fire. It was an escape attempt made with the expectation of severe burns. Meanwhile, dried branches were thrown in from the other side of the flames. The purpose was obvious: throw in flammable materials to further intensify the fire.
"...Break through! Be prepared for some casualties! All personnel, charge!"
If they waited, they would only be burned alive. In that case, it was better to break through the only exit where skeleton soldiers waited, regardless of the cost. The commander made his decision. Following the commander's orders, the soldiers rushed toward the exit. However, breaking through was not easy. Arrows were not the only things attacking them.
"Thrustyyyy! Once more! Thrustyyyy!"
Following Sansei's command, the skeleton soldiers, their ranks perfectly aligned, thrust their spears forward.
"This is impossible..."
Their movements were perfectly synchronized. The soldiers of the Laurel Kingdom army were shocked by movements that resembled a highly trained army. The Demon King's army had never shown such collective coordination.
"Are these really undead soldiers?"
Those with knowledge of undead soldiers were surprised for a different reason. Undead soldiers did not move like this. They weren't supposed to be able to.
"Break through! Assault! Do whatever it takes to break their line!"
Several knights charged into the skeleton soldiers' ranks, prepared to throw away their lives. If they could disrupt the line even slightly, it would create an opening for their allies to break through. That was their intent, but there was a formidable enemy who would not allow it.
"Vampio race..."
Men appeared with characteristics that made them instantly recognizable as the Vampio race. There were only three of them, but their individual strength was beyond what the knights of the Laurel Kingdom army could resist. The charging knights were cut down one after another. If they tried to push forward in numbers, the skeleton soldiers' arrows and spears rained down on them. Thus, the First Mobile Unit of the Laurel Kingdom army was decimated, losing its ability to fight.
――The flames continued to burn the vegetation. However, the clamor of battle was no longer audible. The combat had ended. With the result of the total annihilation of the Laurel Kingdom army.
"It burned quite a bit,"
Sansei muttered, looking over the aftermath of the battle.
"Is it impossible to turn them into undead if they're burned?"
"Fire has the power of purification. Unless they died with an extreme amount of lingering attachment, it's impossible."
Kill the enemy and increase the allies. That was the way of the Undead Legion. They had slain eight hundred enemies this time, but it seemed the number of corpses that could be turned into allies would be limited.
"Can't be helped. We couldn't increase our numbers, but we can increase our supplies."
"Supplies? Most of the supplies are burned, aren't they?"
"Not those. They left a considerable amount of supplies at the garrison. We'll take those."
To hasten their march, the First Mobile Unit had departed the garrison with minimal luggage. Ray knew this.
"You really are..."
Whether to call him petty or shrewd, Sansei was simply appalled.
"What?"
"Nothing. Ah, then the garrison is ours too."
"Exactly. Well, calling it a garrison is a stretch; it's just a bit of leveled ground."
"For you, maybe. I'm just so happy that I won't have to be afraid of beasts from now on."
There were dangerous beasts and magic beasts in the mountains. Camping in the open had been painful for Sansei.
"...You won't die even if you're bitten, right?"
He wouldn't die even if his throat were ripped out. There should be no reason for Sansei to fear beasts.
"It's a matter of feeling. Unlike you, I'm delicate."
"...Delicate... that word doesn't suit you at all."
"Shut up!"
"Ah, that's right. Since we'll have a base, should I try making a bath?"
"A bath?"
"Yeah. I think I can probably make one. You want to take a bath, right?"
Ray wanted one more than anything. That desire had led him to think of making a bath while he was living in the Forest of Bewilderment.
"...I'm fine without one."
"Eh? You don't want to feel refreshed?"
"...Wiping my body is enough."
"How is that 'delicate'?"
"Shut up. I don't have a habit of taking baths."
In this world, baths were a luxury. Some people lived their entire lives without ever taking one. What Sansei said was not uncommon.
"It's a waste not to know the pleasure of a bath. I'll make one, so you should try it."
"...If I feel like it."
"I think it'll feel great, though."
Taking a bath while gazing at the night sky in the quiet mountains. Just imagining it made Ray happy.
"That talk comes later. If we don't hurry with the ritual, our potential allies will decrease even more."
"Ah, right. That first."
Ray and Sansei began the ritual to turn the corpses into undead. Although the number of allies would not be many, it would certainly increase. The Undead Legion would gain more power through this.
"...It's an army."
The three members of the Vampio race watched Ray and the others perform the ritual, recalling the battle.
"Yeah. Those were the movements of a human army."
"If their numbers keep increasing like this..."
The Undead Legion's numbers were still small. But if they continued such battles and increased their numbers, what would happen? Rather than reliability, they felt a sense of future dread.
"...Undead have many weaknesses. There should be a limit to the number one can control."
They wouldn't just keep getting stronger forever. Some thought this way.
"That's true, but..."
The movements of the skeleton soldiers shown in this battle were already beyond common sense. They wondered if there was any point in thinking based on previous common sense.
"In any case, the one who thought of the strategy was Lord Ray. Annihilating an enemy four times their size. It would be normal for the Demon King's army, but achieving it while leading skeleton soldiers is a different story."
"True."
The ability Ray showed this time was not inhuman. It was something a soldier excellent in strategic planning and command would naturally possess. However, that was limited to human armies; in reality, there were few such talents among the Demon Race. Most of the Demon Race, who fought with individual strength, did not prioritize tactics.
"...Besides, he's definitely not an ordinary human."
Furthermore, Ray showed another ability. Ray, who should have suffered severe burns after jumping into the flames, was now moving in front of them as if nothing had happened. That was impossible for a human. The reason King Dracul cared about Ray—they felt they finally understood it. Though it might just be their imagination.
"Because Ray is a hero."
Kai suddenly interrupted the conversation.
"Hero?"
But the others did not understand the meaning of Kai's words.
"He taught me that when we played. A person who helps when you're in trouble. When we played, I was the hero and Ray was the bad guy, but in reality, Ray is definitely a hero."
"Someone who helps when you're in trouble... is that so."
They didn't know in what sense Kai was calling Ray a hero. It might just be an extension of their play. Still, Kai's words strangely resonated in their hearts. A person who helps when you're in trouble. When that act is not for an individual, but for something larger—for example, saving the entire Demon Race—the Demon Race of this world does not call such a person a hero, but this: a 'Savior'.
◇◇◇
The main camp of the Laurel Kingdom army had moved to a position quite close to the Demon King's fortress. That said, it was called the main camp before the reinforcements arrived. After the reinforcements arrived, the original forces were called the vanguard and the reinforcements the rear guard; the rear guard's camp became the main camp, and the original main camp was called the vanguard camp. It was positioned as a frontline base. Leading the vanguard was, as always, Alfred, one of the Three Pillar Knights. Alfred was wearing a smile in front of a rare visitor.
"What's wrong? Did you miss the battle so much you couldn't wait?"
"Don't be stupid. I don't like fighting. I like winning."
The visitor to the vanguard camp was Geel. He was also one of the Three Pillar Knights. The two were reasonably close.
"That's what I mean, isn't it? This is a battle we will win."
"I wonder about that."
"Hey. I'd like you to stop talking like that."
Alfred was confident in the victory of this battle. He showed a dissatisfied expression at Geel's words, which seemed to question that confidence.
"I just have a bad feeling. That's why I went out of my way to come here, but..."
There was nothing particularly unusual about the vanguard camp. Even so, Geel was not one to ignore his intuition.
"A bad feeling, huh..."
Alfred held the title of Martial Sage and was praised for his intelligence, but he couldn't bring himself to ignore Geel's words as mere imagination.
"Well, it's been like that ever since we left the royal capital. It's not even about the frontline."
"That's a problem, isn't it? To hate the very idea of coming to this battlefield, you... that's..."
He didn't feel like putting it into words. Alfred also believed in omens. He didn't want to utter ominous words.
"I think I know the reason. But still."
The bad premonition was because of Ray. Geel knew that too. However, he also thought it was impossible that Ray's existence alone could make this battle itself feel ominous.
"If there's something on your mind, tell me."
"...I'd rather ask you. Has anything unusual happened with the Demon King's army?"
"Unusual? I don't think so."
With the arrival of the reinforcements imminent, they hadn't fought any major battles recently. Even when asked if anything unusual had happened, Alfred had no ideas. That was the problem.
"I see... Ah, no. It seems something unusual is about to happen."
"What?"
"Looks like something happened."
As Geel said this, he pointed toward five riders who had left the camp and were heading forward. While Alfred watched to see what had happened, another rider approached with a slow gait further ahead.
"What is it?"
A single rider approaching. Even if it were an ally, it was an abnormal situation. Alfred glared at the rider to discern who it was. The knight riding the horse slowly collapsed and tumbled off.
"Were they fighting up ahead?"
"No, today... No way, is that it?"
No combat had taken place today. Alfred was about to answer Geel's question, but he realized the possibility that combat had occurred elsewhere.
"What do you mean, 'is that it'?"
"They were trying to clear a path through the eastern mountains."
"Hah? Through the mountains surrounding Nordende?"
Geel knew the ruggedness of the mountains surrounding Nordende. It was common knowledge for any soldier.
"It doesn't have to be successful. As long as they can lure the demons."
"A decoy... that's a pretty harsh strategy."
"Even if we fight head-on, there will be casualties. When fighting demons, the idea of trying to minimize casualties is unnecessary."
They couldn't win with individual strength. The only reason humans were pushing forward was by utilizing the power of numbers. Even if ten allies died to kill one demon, if they repeated that, the humans would ultimately win.
"So that decoy was taken out."
The knight who fell from the horse was being helped up by the knights who had left the camp. Whether it was injury or fatigue, he was certainly alive. And he seemed to have the strength to mount his horse again.
"Reporting! The First Mobile Unit was attacked by the enemy and suffered devastating losses!"
One of the knights who had left the camp returned and reported.
"...What are the details?"
"That person knows."
That 'person' was mounted on a horse and slowly approaching.
"In other words, a knight from the First Mobile Unit?"
"No, he says he is a foot soldier."
"Even so, he belongs to the First Mobile Unit, right?"
"Ah, yes."
"I see. I'll hear the rest from that foot soldier."
"Yes, sir."
The knight finished his report and stepped back. It would take a little more time for the foot soldier to arrive.
"The enemy took the bait. What's next?"
"I'd like to confirm the situation of the other mobile units, but... that time is precious. We attack the fortress."
He didn't know how many enemies had been lured to the eastern mountains. But the time to confirm that was precious. He could just attack and find out.
"We'll need rear support."
"Yeah. I'll ask Sieg."
"Understood. I'll tell him."
The attack on the fortress was finally beginning. Once that happened, the rear guard that had arrived would also join the fight. Geel had to return to the main camp, deliver Alfred's message, and prepare for battle himself. With that thought, Geel began to walk away.
"Is it true that the First Mobile Unit was attacked?"
The foot soldier seemed to have arrived, and Alfred immediately asked about the situation.
"...What's wrong? I can't tell if you're silent. Is the attack a fact?"
"...I-it is a fact."
A barely audible, small voice. For Geel, that was enough.
"Alfred! Get away from him!"
At Geel's shout, Alfred reacted immediately without asking why. As a result, that was the correct move. A sword passed in front of Alfred, who had jumped back.
"An intruder!"
Alfred didn't stop at just dodging. He drew his sword, closed the distance, and swung at the opponent. This time, the opponent jumped back and dodged.
"Step back, Alfred! I'll do this!"
Geel told him to switch, but Alfred did not obey. There was no time to switch. The enemy dodged the sword Alfred swung. Still, Alfred did not loosen his attack. He continued to press the attack so as not to give the opponent a chance to counter. Under that fierce onslaught, the opponent was gradually cornered. The enemy only retreated. The knights blocked the path behind him. Now, he couldn't even retreat. The opponent reacted by trying to block Alfred's raised sword with his own, but he couldn't withstand the momentum of the sharp attack, and his sword flew into the air.
"If you don't want to die, don't resist!"
Responding to Alfred's warning, the opponent raised both hands to show he had no intention of resisting—or so Alfred thought in his carelessness.
"...Bind."
A small whisper. And immediately after.
"...Wh... i-impossible."
A sword tip was protruding from the back of Alfred, who had been standing in front of the opponent. A black-glinting sword, from where it had appeared unknown, had pierced Alfred's body.
"A-Alfred-sama!?"
The surrounding people were shocked by the unexpected turn of events. Amidst them, only Geel had moved. Jumping over Alfred's slowly collapsing body, he swung his sword at the opponent ahead. The opponent dodged by jumping far back, leaping over the knights standing there.
"You brat!"
Geel shouted at Ray, who tried to escape just like that.
"I can't afford to die here! Well then, see you... no! I hope we never meet again!"
"Don't mess with me! You bastard! Wait right there!"
"I don't think you'll be able to catch me! It'll be a long time before you can fight my master! Farewell!"
After saying this last, Ray ran away. Naturally, the surrounding knights and other knights and soldiers in the camp tried to pursue him, but Ray's running speed was beyond common sense. He grew distant in the blink of an eye.
"Horses! Pursue him on horseback!"
By the time such shouts were heard, his back was already far ahead. Still, having had their commander killed, they couldn't simply give up. Riders leaped out from the camp.
"Hey! Don't pursue too deep!"
Geel issued a warning just in case, but he knew it was useless.
"To think I couldn't even grasp the brat's strength... I guess it can't be helped since he's just a brat."
Ray hadn't just run away. He had cut down most of the knights and soldiers who stood in his path with a single stroke.
"Still personal revenge, or... well, my premonition was spot on."
Only Ray had appeared. But that didn't necessarily mean Ray was acting alone. Geel believed otherwise. The fact that he hadn't interfered with the battlefield of the Demon King's army, and that his first target was Alfred, indicated that.