kscans

Chapter 26 - Kingdom War-Force Knights

"The number of knights has been thinned out quite a bit. Shall we proceed as planned and send the Undead to wipe out one of the armies?"

"Yes. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, this should annihilate one side’s forces. The victor will then be targeted by their own allies for being a wicked person who commands Undead. Even if they were to accept the power of the Undead, the person in question has no such power, so with some negotiation, they should become a fine puppet for us."

Adolnel described the impending catastrophe with a beaming smile. She really has no expectations or affection for humans. Not that she has any reason to.

However, at that moment, something happened that was not in our plans. Doooom, doooom! The ceiling suddenly began to shake violently.

"Huh? What’s going on?"

"Is this a large-scale magic attack? Did they sense their disadvantage and decide to go for a decisive blow?"

"—!"

Suddenly, Undead messengers burst in from every direction, frantically making gestures. At the same time, the feeling I got from them was one of ‘being attacked.’

"Attacked? Us?"

The Undead, as if remembering, thrust a bundle of papers at us.

"Let’s see… The Animal Undead on the surface have been almost completely wiped out. The hidden locations of our surveillance Undead are under attack… and they’ve found us—?!"

Wh-wh-what’s going on—?!

"How did they find the Undead who were peeking through tiny cracks in the rocks at night?!"

No, this is no time to be thinking about that. The enemy is already inside the dungeon.

"But this place is just a warehouse to hide the Undead from the sun. We haven’t set up any proper traps or anything…"

What do I do? Run? The enemy managed to detect and infiltrate a place that should have been impossible to find. They’re probably not your average opponents. It would be better to flee than to fight them recklessly. Besides, there are still plenty of knights outside. If they all come rushing in, there’s no way we can handle them.

"Alright, we’ll…"

Just as I was about to say, "retreat," a spectacular DOGAAN sound echoed through the chamber, and a group of Undead went flying.

"Whaaa?! What was that?!"

From beyond the cloud of dust, I could hear the clank, clank of metal.

"There they are. So these are the ones pulling the strings."

Four knights emerged from the dust cloud. However, their armor was different from that of the knights fighting on the surface; it was a design that seemed to prioritize appearance over practicality.

"A girl in all white…? She’s no ordinary human. Who in the world is she?"

They looked at us, their gazes fierce. Wow, they’re really raring to go from the start!

"…Heh, shouldn’t you introduce yourselves before asking a lady for her name?"

I put on my best bravado, trying to buy time while I figured out how to handle this.

"Ah, my apologies. We are the Kingdom War-Force Knights. I am Calmwell, captain of the 5th unit. These are my subordinates, Domrock, Bartran, and Ramsay."

Surprisingly, he played along with my delaying tactic. Wait, what are the War-Force Knights?

"The Kingdom War-Force Knights?!"

But it was Adolnel who cried out in shock upon hearing their name.

"You know them, Adolnel?"

"…It’s no wonder you haven’t heard of them, Sister. They are considered the kingdom’s ultimate trump card. They normally don’t even appear in wars against other nations. The only time they take the stage is when the very survival of the kingdom is at stake. However, their strength is so immense that their deeds are recorded in the kingdom’s history. They are so shrouded in mystery that some nobles even doubt their existence, believing the War-Force Knights to be nothing more than battlefield rumors."

Whoa, so they’re a big deal.

"Hahaha, to be known even by such a young lady is an honor. You are correct. Normally, we would never involve ourselves in a petty squabble between lords."

"So why are you here now?"

"Because this conflict was far too unnatural. A simple territorial dispute between regional lords escalated at an abnormal rate, drawing in nobles from across the country, as if its purpose was to gather them all in this one place. A situation this bizarre does not occur naturally."

Uh, actually, it did. In fact, it seems like your own high-ranking nobles are the reason it happened.

"We searched the battlefield carefully. The lingering blood and Miasma in Fenesia Town made it clear that Undead were hiding somewhere. However, there were no Undead in the surrounding area, and Carolmana Town should not have had any underground facilities large enough to hide them… or so we thought."

The knight named Calmwell paused here and looked around.

"To think you had constructed such a vast underground space. Or perhaps it was the lord of Fenesia who built it."

Well, the daughter of the lord of Fenesia built it, so you’re about half right on both counts.

"But even so, aren’t you a little late to the party? I think there’s been quite a bit of damage already. If you guys are such incredible knights, you could have crushed our operation before any harm was done."

"Oh, to be held in such high regard by a lady, even one who is our enemy, is the highest honor."

Ugh, this guy is so overly dramatic. He’s laying it on way too thick. Maybe because the War-Force Knights are a secret organization, he’s developed a warped need for validation?

"The reason is simple. We did it to save face for those fighting above. Had we forcefully taken command, it would have been easy to find and eliminate the true enemy. But doing so would have invited backlash from the nobles, as it would have been an admission of their incompetence."

Ah, I get it. It’s like when someone from corporate headquarters suddenly shows up and tries to take over a project being led by a branch office. Of course people would push back. So they waited until things went south and the nobles were in no position to object before making their move. That’s pretty ruthless in its own way, especially considering the casualties. Not that I’m one to talk, being the cause of it all.

"Now then, young lady, would you be so kind as to tell us your name?"

Oh, he’s properly asking for my name. This might be my chance. If I drop my father’s name, it might shock them enough to create an opening for us to escape.

I really don’t want to fight these guys without a plan, not when they were able to find this place. Most importantly, Adolnel is here. If she, a mere human, gets caught up in the fighting and gets hurt… I mean, her delicious blood would go to waste.

"Fine, I’ll tell you. My name is Merlille Chromshell."

"…Chromshell?! Are you related to the Great Duke of the Cursed Sea?!"

The knights reacted in a way I’d seen before. Father’s name really carries some serious weight.

This might just work, I thought, but the knights only grew more vigilant, offering no openings. Drat. So close.

"Oh my, so you know of my father."

"To call him ‘father’ means you are at least a third-tier Vampire. I see. That would explain how you could orchestrate an incident large enough to engulf an entire nation."

No, you guys are the ones who dragged your own people into this. I’m innocent on that count. Seriously.

"So? Knowing that, do you still intend to fight me? If you run away now, I might just let you go."

Actually, please run away. I’m the one who wants to run. I mean, they’re the kingdom’s ultimate trump card. They have to be insanely dangerous.

"I’m afraid that’s not possible. Not only have you caused a disaster of this magnitude, but you also incapacitated hundreds of knights in a single night with poison. You are, without a doubt, a threat. Miss Merlille Chromshell—no, given your quiet, snake-like methods, perhaps I should call you the White Serpent Duchess."

Did he just give me a super chuuni nickname? The fact that he came up with it on the spot is pretty impressive. Between that and his overly dramatic reactions, I’m starting to wonder if he’s a real-life chuunibyou… Now he seems dangerous in a whole different way.

"Enough with the chatter, Captain."

Suddenly, an unfamiliar man’s voice came from behind me.

"—?!"

I whirled around to see a new man… standing right behind Adolnel.

"Adolnel?!"

"Sister!"

"Whoa there, don’t move. Unless you want something to happen to this little lady."

The man pressed a sword, glowing with a faint light, against Adolnel’s neck. Damn it, there was another one acting separately from Calmwell’s group! That means Calmwell’s exaggerated reactions were just an act to draw my attention.

"Even a Vampire won’t get away unscathed if her head is cut off with a magic sword."

"Stop! She’s human!"

"What?"

The man’s eyes widened at my words, and he placed his fingers on Adolnel’s neck.

"She’s right. This one’s got a pulse, Captain."

"Hmm. However, she does not cry out to us for help, which suggests she has been enthralled by the Vampire. Yet there are no signs of magical charming. If she follows of her own free will, then she is an enemy of humanity. As a human, she is useless as a hostage."

"So that means I can kill her!"

"What—?!"

The man pulled the sword from Adolnel’s neck and aimed the tip at her heart.

"Traitors die!"

"Stop!"

Clang!

Just as I thought the sword would pierce Adolnel’s heart, another blade appeared from the side and deflected the man’s weapon.

"…"

From the shadows, a figure emerged, holding a single sword…

"Ichigo-kun!"

Seriously! Could your entrance be any more dashing!