Chapter 664
The greatest barrier guarding the North Star.
The named undead known as the Living Terror.
Commonly referred to as the “Three Brothers.”
The moment the Three Brothers’ locations were roughly identified, the North moved busily.
— We shall move as soon as preparations are complete.
War was being prepared in silence. The warriors gave up alcohol, inspected their weapons, and made sure to fall into deep sleep for the entire night to be fully rested. Supplies were quietly transported in carts disguised as merchant wagons.
Only the Grand Duke continued to fire her arrows without pause. Though she was the strongest among them and the one who should conserve her power the most, it was essential to prevent the North Star from sensing anything amiss.
After all, the foundation of this war was “ambush”.
The clever North Star was already wary of the Grand Duke’s arrows, and if he judged her actions to be unusual, he might detect their scheme.
Simon also poured himself into training as a Legion Commander.
— Foolish boy. Focus more on the will!
The Grand Duke’s training intensity only increased before battle. Simon learned how to sense more wills from her and how to concentrate on controlling more undead.
Indeed, commanding a legion was completely different from handling ordinary summoned undead.
“Even the way of contacting their wills is different.”
The Legion’s undeads moved by Simon’s Darkness, and their Cores were also built upon his Darkness. In a sense, they felt as close as one body.
That innate unease that arose when a living being reached out to the dead, there was none of it here.
It required little effort, and it hardly drained his mental strength.
— Don’t obsess over each individual unit. Think of it as moving a massive swarm!
Her lessons were difficult, but strangely enough, they always proved true in real battle. The moment he applied them, they became his own.
‘There’s no other way but to train and grow used to it.’
Time passed as they pushed forward with their training.
And finally, the day of war arrived.
Frrrrrrt!
In the early dawn, while the townsfolk of Bilkenos still slept, the sound of horse hooves echoed through the inner walls. This time, no trumpet call announced their departure.
“May you return safely, Milord Grand Duke.”
“Who is worrying about whom?”
The North was divided into two armies.
The regular forces of warriors, led by Grand General Ganiro.
And the undead of the 2nd Legion, commanded by the Grand Duke.
At present, the warriors were scattered across the North under various missions. When morale rose and Ganiro pushed northward, the scattered forces would converge one by one, forming a great army.
The Grand Duke’s Legion was the same. The moment she began her march, every undead belonging to the 2nd Legion within reach of her will would gather.
“Then—”
The Grand Duke turned back.
“I leave Bilkenos in your care.”
Simon placed a hand on his chest.
“Leave it to me! I’ll protect this place no matter what, so please, don’t worry and focus only on the battle.”
“Good.”
She nodded once and donned her helmet. In an instant, her atmosphere changed, and a deadly gleam flashed from her eyes.
With a rough chorus of neighs, the 2nd Legion advanced.
‘Alright, then I should move as well.’
* * *
The Grand General would take the first.
The Grand Duke the second.
The problem was the third.
It was an undeniable fact: if the entirety of the North’s might launched war upon Frost Field, the “Third” would invade the empty northern fiefdoms.
The duty of every Grand Duke of the North throughout history was not to “slay the North Star” but to “defend the North”.
The North Star knew this as well, and would send the Third toward Bilkenos, forcing the Grand Duke to return. The Third’s advance was more of a show of force than an assault.
But this time, the Grand Duke would not turn back. Hidden within the North remained Simon and the secret force of the 7th Legion.
[Commander! We’ve arrived at the destination.]
“Thanks for the guide, Erze.”
Instead of waiting in Bilkenos, Simon moved outside.
He headed to a secret encampment. It had once been a village, but the war had left it in ruins.
Here, Simon pitched tents and scattered Legion-type undead throughout the area.
[I’ll be back!]
Erzebet departed with her Corpse Spiders, weaving barriers and webs.
[Young master, I’ve brought them.]
Akemius flapped down into the camp, with the named undead Simon had acquired in the North trailing behind him.
Most notable were the Gourmet and the One-Eye. They were far too large to store even in his largest subspace, so he kept them stationed in the northern mountains.
“Hello, everyone.”
The Gourmet and the One-Eye approached. Despite their monstrous appearances, they lowered their heads and fawned before their Legion Commander.
In the North, it was convenient—such giant undead were ordered not to attack humans, left roaming freely until needed, and then deployed in war.
The camp quickly swarmed with undead of all kinds. The Ancient Undead in charge of discipline busily moved to keep order.
‘All of this is my force….’
Simon gazed around with fresh emotion.
No matter how strong the named undead of the North Star might be, with this power, he felt confident he could win.
[Hey, kid.]
Prince, returning from handling zombies, slouched toward him.
[Is this North Star, the one who controls Frost Field, really that great?]
“Of course. He’s a legend to the point that he’s become an idiom.”
[Then, when he gets caught, who gets him?]
Simon scratched the side of his head and laughed.
“Well, according to the pact, the one who catches him first….”
[Lack of resolve, boy!]
Suddenly, Feer, who had been listening silently, cut in.
[The North Star must be ours! Even though we’re cooperating with the 2nd Legion now, remember—they’ll be our rivals later!]
Boom!
He drove his Greatsword of Destruction into the ground and laughed ominously.
[From Deathland to Frost Field! The 7th Legion will claim them all!]
“…Haha.”
Simon shrugged.
“It feels a little premature to be talking about that already.”
There was no need to speak of who would claim the North Star when they hadn’t even won yet.
The Three Brothers remained. All that mattered now was doing his best in the battles directly ahead.
[Commander!]
Erzebet listened to her Corpse Spiders and reported back.
[A group of undead troops is approaching.]
“It’s not the Third, is it?”
[No, the usual skirmish.]
Simon turned his head.
“Volunteers?”
Prince, Akemius, and even the languid Staff of Herseba quickly raised their hands—or in Herseba’s case, a hand of sand.
“Erze. What kind of monsters?”
[Zombies. Mostly corpses of Snow Goblins. There seems to be one named-class among them.]
Snow Goblins were small monsters, not large.
They had no means of attacking the skies.
Simon approached Akemius.
“It’d be best to strike swiftly with aerial forces and return. Akemius, come with me.”
[It’s an honor, young master!]
Prince clicked his tongue, and Herseba’s sand body dissolved away.
The moment Simon leapt into Akemius’ great arms, black wings spread wide and soared into the skies.
Flap flap flap!
At the same time, every Skullwing in the camp took flight. The sky blackened, feathers fluttering down like snow.
“Let’s go!”
* * *
Quite some time had passed since Simon had settled in the camp.
He continued to dispatch units to block undead rushing into the villages, while conserving his forces as much as possible.
Then, suddenly, the enemy’s attacks ceased entirely.
This could mean only one thing.
[Khhuhuhu! The battle must’ve begun up there! The North Star will be plenty distracted!]
Now was the crucial moment.
Simon asked Erzebet to devote even more of her Corpse Spiders to reconnaissance. It wasn’t long before—
[Commander! The Third is advancing here with a massive army!]
Just as expected.
Simon ordered Feer to mobilize the troops, while he and Akemius prepared to head out for reconnaissance themselves.
Directly, he wanted to see the enemy’s movements with his own eyes.
[We depart, young master!]
Akemius carried Simon and flew low across the land.
After passing several villages, the snowy mountains came into view.
And there—
Krrrrrrrk!
Kiiiiiiiiiii!
A mass of pitch-black undead surged in formation. Their types were diverse, and quite a few Named-class undead were among them.
And then—
[Young master.]
“Yes, I see it too.”
Thud—! Thud—! Thud—!
Simon spotted the Third of the Three Brothers.
Though he had never seen it before, he knew at once: this was the Third.
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
A giant, striding on two legs.
It ran with its elbows clamped tight to its ribs, legs awkwardly wobbling. Its gums were bared, ears jutted upward, and its undead body bore hollow dents all over.
It resembled a human—specifically, a beastman.
‘Ugh.’
Revulsion, and an unnameable disgust crawled up Simon’s spine.
The giant carelessly trampled its own allies as it skipped about. Like someone desperately holding back a trip to the toilet, it waddled with thighs pressed together, then smashed through trees with loud stomps.
From the sky, Simon swallowed hard.
‘This battle might be harder than I thought….’
[Young master.]
Akemius pointed ahead.
[I see humans there.]
“!”
It was true.
On a slope far ahead, several northern warriors were running down excitedly.
“It’s the Third! That’s gotta be the Third, right?”
“Definitely! No doubt it’s heading for Bilkenos!”
One of them seemed to be a Rider, waving the Northern banner. Simon’s expression turned ashen.
“What are they doing! The Grand Duke gave strict orders to remain on standby throughout the North!”
He wanted to rush in and stop them, but they were too far. Worse, the Third had already noticed them and thundered forward.
“Just plant the banner on its head!”
The standard-bearer raised the flag.
“Then the Grand Duke will finish it, and we’ll be the heroes who saved Bilkenos!”
“Go!”
This invasion was a strict secret. The warriors who hadn’t been called into the expedition didn’t even know the Grand Duke had entered Frost Field.
As Simon was about to move to save them—
Kiiiiiiing!
The Third was faster. Its jaw gaped, and violet Darkness erupted upward, twisting the air.
Simon shouted desperately,
“Dodge it!”
Kwaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!
A black-violet beam shot from its mouth, sweeping the mountainside. Rock and earth split apart, dust exploding skyward.
“Ghhhk!”
“Urgh!”
More than half the warriors vanished without a trace in that single blast.
The surviving rider drove the flag into the ground and struggled to lift his body.
“What in the hell… ah!”
From the dust, a massive head loomed.
Krrrriiiiiing!
Snap!
The giant pinched the Rider’s legs between forefinger and middle finger. His body soared dozens of stories high in an instant.
“Damn it! Let me go!”
He kicked and thrashed, swinging the banner wildly. The Third, cheeks flushed with glee, yanked up a tree from the ground and planted it upright.
Then—
Whuuung!
It slammed the rider against the trunk.
Splat!
Flesh and blood burst outward.
Splat! Thud! Thump!
With sprays of blood, the rider’s body was reduced to a grotesque mess. The Third lifted the blood-soaked tree and, smiling proudly, slid the broken corpse down between its matted hair like a decoration.
Krrriiiiiiiiiing!
It howled in satisfaction. The sight robbed the northern warriors of their will; one after another, they collapsed in despair.
“S-spare me…!”
Splat!
Simon rushed in on Akemius to save them, but he was too late.
The Third, despite its size, moved with shocking agility, toying with the warriors before slaughtering them. It chewed their scalps, tore away limbs, and adorned itself with their flesh.
[Young master!]
Flap!
Akemius halted mid-flight and landed on a mountaintop.
[You must stay focused!]
“Y-yes.”
Simon pressed a trembling hand to his brow. Then, with a long exhale, he steadied himself.
“If something like that reaches Bilkenos, it will be catastrophic.”
[What shall we do?]
“We move to the point and set up an ambush.”
Simon’s face hardened.
“We can’t let even a single undead slip past—not the Third, not any of them.”
Kiiiiiiiing—!
Then Simon’s gaze snapped forward.
The Third was mumbling with its mouth open. Violet Darkness spilled out, forming letters in the air.
It was unmistakable—
‘Runes!’
The undead was inscribing a black magic circle in Rune script. Could it truly understand magical systems?
Simon tensed, staring intently.
Roll—
A massive eyeball rotated 180 degrees and fixed squarely on Simon’s position.
‘!’
Chills surged across his body.
Like a serpent crawling down his spine.
[It’s dangerous! Young master!]
Akemius wrapped around him just as a deafening blast rang out.
“Tch!”
His ears rang, a high-pitched whine echoing. Thankfully, Akemius had shielded him with his body.
“Are you okay, Akemius?!”
[Yes, I am unharmed.]
Beyond, the Third let out a clattering, eerie laugh.
Simon’s lips twisted grimly.
‘So, you want to play it that way?’
Superb.
When are we getting more free chapters?
Thanks for the new chapters
Very good story and translation but half the chapter aren't for free and it is wayyyy too expensive will it stat like tjis foreve or will it get free after some time