Chapter 659
On the second day in the North, Simon rode alongside the Grand Duke, accompanying her into battle.
Their mission was to intercept the incoming undead forces targeting Bilkenos. It wasn’t long before an army of undead—zombies made from northern monsters—revealed itself.
—This is your mission.
Right before the battle, the Grand Duke, clad head-to-toe in pitch-black full plate armor, spoke.
—Win the battle using only one type of undead. If you cannot even manage that, you have no qualification.
Simon responded firmly.
—I’ll show you.
And so, the battle began.
Simon chose the Corpse Spiders unit, which he hadn’t commanded in a long time. Neither Erzebet nor Simon himself was to fight directly, he had to annihilate the enemy forces solely through command.
At first, it felt strange.
Until now, he had always assigned the command of each division to his Ancient Undead, while he himself, clad in Feer, charged at the front, wielding the Greatsword of Destruction.
But now, staying in the rear and commanding the army…
‘Alright, advance bit by bit!’
Things that had been invisible before started to come into view.
How the undead interpreted his orders. How far his commands could reach. How efficiently they could maneuver.
It wasn’t just about shouting “Fight!” and smashing armies together.
It had to be more efficient. More tactical.
Simon’s choice of Corpse Spiders was influenced by the terrain.
The surrounding forest gave him the advantage of using trees. He sent the larger spiders to the frontlines to physically block the zombies’ advance, while the rest climbed trees and dropped down from above.
Each time the Corpse Spiders descended like pendulums on their webs, ambushing the zombies from above, the enemy ranks thinned dramatically.
‘Keep pressing from both flanks!’
If any undead slipped through here, it would mean casualties for the northerners. Not a single one could be allowed to escape.
He deployed his reserves to block the sides and had them fire their web techniques to seal off gaps.
Gradually, his tactics improved.
Zombies could not advance if their own kind blocked the path, they couldn’t kill or pass through their fellow undead. So Simon ordered webs to bind the zombies, creating walls, and then gradually shrank their territory.
But—
‘Urgh!’
When one of his own undead was destroyed and the link of will was forcibly severed, the mental shock was still unbearable.
On top of the immense fatigue of issuing commands, the strain of each destroyed unit piled onto him until his mind grew hazy.
‘I have to save those ones in front!’
Not only was his spirit fraying, but the number of Corpse Spiders he had brought north was finite. He wanted to preserve as many as possible for the larger battles to come.
Simon focused on micromanaging the spiders at the front.
‘Shoot webs at their legs to block them—yes! Now climb the trees and dodge as much as possible…’
Thwack!
Suddenly, a blow struck the back of his head, sending him sprawling face-first into the ground. His concentration shattered, his mind went blank.
Simon turned around.
It wasn’t the enemy.
The Grand Duke sat astride her horse, holding a sword sheath, her eyes glowing cold and sharp beneath her helm.
[Get a hold of yourself, you fool.]
“Grand Duke! What are you—?!”
[Look at your right wing.]
Simon’s gaze darted right. The northern zombies were bursting through a loosened section of his encirclement, flooding out in droves.
[In trying to save a handful of your minions, you lost the greater strategy.]
She spoke coldly.
[Living too peacefully at school has made you sloppy. Who told you to fight like some ordinary necromancer?]
“!”
Simon felt a shiver run down his spine.
[Fiddling with a small number of undead, trying to maximize them—that’s the tactic of a mere necromancer. We are legion commanders!]
The Grand Duke raised her sword and gave orders. Her Phantom Dullahans galloped forth, cutting down the zombies that had broken through, covering Simon’s mistake.
[A commander of legion must always read the grand flow of battle. If you fixate on the few, the many will suffer. Think bigger! If they’re bound to die, let them die. Instead, think about what damage their sacrifice can inflict on the enemy!]
Simon’s eyes hardened with resolve as he got back up.
‘She’s right.’
He refocused.
Letting the frontlines be pushed back was inevitable—the difference in size between spiders and zombies couldn’t be helped.
Instead—
‘Lure them in deep and encircle them!’
The spiders allowed the zombies to advance, only to surround and annihilate them with coordinated webs.
Corpse Spiders had the advantage of their silk. Using it to immobilize zombies in a stasis effect, they created bottlenecks.
The zombies stagnated, while the spiders swung freely on their webs, attacking from the air.
Offense was the best defense. Soon, even the faltering frontlines stabilized.
[You dolt. Do you always need to make a mistake before you understand?]
Even as she grumbled, the harsh tone in the Grand Duke’s voice had softened.
Time passed.
“Haaah…”
At last, Simon succeeded in annihilating the enemy army using nothing but the Corpse Spiders. The moment the battle ended, he collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath.
‘I… I did it.’
It felt completely different from the lessons at school. Most of all, when commanding legion before, he had always worried about human eyes watching.
But here in the North, it was different.
The Grand Duke could mobilize undead across the entire region. Even if people saw, she could simply claim the undead were hers.
On this vast, snow-covered battlefield, Simon could command his legions freely.
Thud.
Simon turned his head. A canteen had been tossed beside him.
[Barely a pass. Replenish your water.]
“Thank you!”
Simon unscrewed the cap and gulped greedily.
The Grand Duke removed her helmet after the battle. Her long, bundled hair cascaded like a waterfall, as striking as ever.
[Pathetic wretch, drinking like a pig. How long do you plan to sprawl there? The next battle awaits.]
The canteen slipped from Simon’s hand.
“N-no, you must be joking?”
She smirked.
[I’m serious. Did I not tell you? I’ll grind you down to the bone.]
* * *
Afterward, Simon fought two more battles before returning.
The second battle was won with only zombie units. The third, with only Skullwings.
Simon already knew the traits of each undead, but applying them in real battle was another matter entirely. Thanks to this, he was able to firmly engrave the various tendencies of undead into his mind.
[You fool! Can’t you see the undead are slipping through?!]
Each time Simon made a mistake, the Grand Duke showed no mercy.
She struck him with her sword sheath, tripped him, knocked him down.
With the merciless, brutal training typical of northerners, anyone else might have shrunk back.
“Hhhk!”
But each time, Simon brushed himself off without a sign of complaint, eyes glinting with sharp concentration. Beaten down, yet rising again, focused every time.
[Hmph. The boy’s slow-witted, but I do like the look in his eyes.]
Even the Grand Duke, who turned into a devil during training, couldn’t help but acknowledge Simon’s resolve.
By the time the sky darkened into pitch-black night, all battles were finally over.
“Haaah.”
Slumped with exhaustion, Simon sat astride his horse on the way back. The Grand Duke, helmet removed, clicked her tongue.
“What’s a brat like you whining about fatigue for? Even in victory, one must preserve appearances. Sit up straight.”
Yet despite her words, she smiled playfully, circling around him. Simon slowly straightened his back.
“You’re still busy as ever.”
Even while sparing attention for Simon, the Grand Duke continued to move her scattered undead units across the North, firing arrows in response to riders’ requests for support.
She had worked as hard as Simon, yet showed no trace of fatigue. Her monstrous stamina, her astonishing mental strength—
‘So this is what it means to be a hero of mankind.’
It was no exaggeration to say that this vast North was held together solely by her presence.
“In the mood.”
The Grand Duke suddenly spoke.
“Is there anything else you’d like to learn?”
“Hmm.”
Though his body and mind were weary, Simon’s eyes gleamed at the word “learn”. After a moment’s thought, he asked:
“Do you happen to know the Fifth Legion Commander, Magnus Alban?”
She gave a crooked grin.
“Of course. That ill-mannered brat.”
* * *
Simon recalled the time he had faced Magnus.
It was during the aftermath of the Pentamonium incident, at a hostage negotiation.
Simon had brought the zombie butler he had captured from Pentamonium. Magnus had brought Akemius, whom he had seized. The purpose was to exchange the two Ancient Undead.
Back then, Magnus had said:
—Want me to tell you something, as your direct senior? The true way to use an Ancient Undead.
Magnus did “something” to the zombie butler. He didn’t lay a hand on it, nor did he show any sign of casting black magic. Yet, the webs and cursed talismans binding the butler tore apart, freeing it. Its body swelled, growing gigantic.
The strengthening of an Ancient Undead.
But that wasn’t all. The zombie butler spewed a white liquid from its mouth, from which it summoned elite soldiers—White Ghosts. That clearly wasn’t the butler’s original ability.
“That’s it.”
The Grand Duke, who had been listening to Simon’s recount, nodded.
“It’s called Geheim, a technique that can be used when a legion commander and their Ancient Undead synchronize. Think of it as a secret trump card unique to each commander’s Ancient Undead.”
The fact such a technique existed made Simon’s eyes sparkle.
“Then, Grand Duke, you also…!”
“Of course. My Ancient Undead can use it as well.”
“Th-then… could you teach me?”
She frowned, clicking her tongue.
“Very well. Starting tomorrow, bring one of your Ancient Undead to me each day.”
“Yes!”
Simon clenched his fist in excitement.
“But since your thick skull may misunderstand, let me be clear. I cannot teach you Geheim from beginning to end. What I can provide is analysis and consultation based on experience.”
Simon tilted his head.
“Because the nature of each Ancient Undead is different?”
“At last, your dull head starts turning. Not only that—if the legion commander changes, the Ancient Undead’s Geheim also changes. It is a skill belonging solely to you and your Ancient Undead. An outsider like me cannot intrude.”
This meant that even among the Seven Legion Commanders, Simon’s Geheim would differ from Richard’s.
The Grand Duke smirked.
“First and foremost, you need to get to know each other. Looks like you’ll be very busy during your stay in the North.”
‘Getting to know each other…’
It was a phrase that left Simon with a ticklish, hard-to-define feeling. After thinking for a while, he looked up.
“Couldn’t you at least give me a hint?”
“I told you to bring them tomorrow. So impatient. Hmph, fine.”
She stretched her stiff shoulders, lost in thought, before speaking.
“Think about why your Ancient Undead follow you. That’s where it begins.”
Simon fell into deep thought.
‘Why do my Ancient Undead follow me?’
And then he remembered—tonight, he was supposed to share a glass of wine with Erzebet.
He decided to start with her.
Superb.
When are we getting more free chapters?
Thanks for the new chapters