Chapter 684
As planned with Simon, the Grand Duke led Hate and the Phantom Dullahans and was the first to emerge from the Abyss.
“The Grand Duke has returned!”
The northern warriors who had been fighting outside the Abyss surged toward her like a gathering storm. Grand General Ganiro, whose one arm had turned pitch-black, also approached and spoke.
“Grand Duke! It is a relief that you are safe!”
[Indeed.]
“What of the North Star! What happened to the North Star?”
“Did you defeat him?”
The warriors were already prepared to throw their arms into the air and cheer.
Seeing her subordinates like this, the Grand Duke’s heart ached. She was thankful that her helmet concealed her expression.
[The North Star was not in the Abyss.]
The warriors’ expressions instantly hardened.
[We have fallen into a trap. This expedition ends here. Retreat.]
She turned her horse’s head. Her crimson cape flared wide in the wind before falling back down in silence.
The soldiers’ eyes said they could not believe this reality.
“Wh… what do you mean.”
Ganiro’s lips trembled.
“What do you mean the North Star isn’t there! Then who is controlling those Undead? He definitely exists! We must find him! Even if we freeze to death scouring the Frost Field…!”
[The Fourth is attacking Bilkenos.]
At those words, both Ganiro and the excited warriors froze.
[The people are in danger. Hate and I will hurry there, so do not be overly concerned, Grand General Ganiro.]
“…Yes, Grand Duke.”
[You are to take responsibility, gather the troops, and return to Bilkenos.]
She tugged at her horse’s reins and set off first. Hate and the 2nd Legion’s Phantom Dullahans followed in unison.
[There must be no further sacrifices. Ensure the safe return of all forces. The North Star will surely send troops to strike our backs as we retreat, so steel yourselves.]
With a grim face, Ganiro bowed his head low. All around, warriors thrust their weapons into the ground and slumped down. Screams and roars, like desperate wails, erupted from every corner.
Defeat.
Once again, they had failed to capture the North Star. Failed to take revenge. Failed to end this in their generation. Failed to give their children a peaceful world.
Everyone’s grief resounded like an echo.
Clench—
Riding swiftly toward Bilkenos, the Grand Duke pressed her helmet down low.
‘I am sorry.’
She could not tell her despairing subordinates that Simon and the 7th Legion were preparing to plunge a dagger into the North Star’s heart.
To deceive the enemy, one must first deceive one’s allies.
The North Star had to believe the northern army admitted defeat and was retreating. Only then would he think he had seized victory and dispatch troops to pursue the retreating warriors.
Only this way could she buy Simon the time he needed.
[I entrust this to you, son of Yona, no.]
She pulled back her bowstring.
[Simon.]
She pierced the Cores of the North Star’s undead wandering at the front as she charged forward.
To Bilkenos, she had to ride swiftly.
* * *
That night.
The heart of the north, Bilkenos.
Chirr— chirr—
The sound of crickets rang out in the night.
The attack of the “Fourth”, which had thrown the entire city into terror, ceased as night fell. Seeing no sign of the Fourth around the walls, it seemed he had left temporarily to replenish his Darkness.
Both warriors and civilians collapsed, exhausted, by dawn.
‘No one’s here, right?’
A middle-aged man, a bundle slung over his shoulder, stealthily glanced around from atop the wall.
“There’s no guard here. Hurry!”
He was a merchant who traded hides between the north and the south. He had brought his children, his wife, and even his acquaintances who had begged to be taken along.
Taking advantage of the guards’ blind spot, he lowered a rope over the wall, cradled a child in one arm, and carefully descended.
“Slowly, come down slowly! No need to rush!”
The others followed one by one down the rope. Watching from behind, the man smacked his lips.
‘Fight together in Bilkenos? What, die like dogs?’
The power the “Fourth” had shown earlier that day was terrifying.
Meanwhile, the only one who could resist him, the Grand Duke, was in the Frost Field battling the North Star.
With the forces remaining in Bilkenos, defeating the Fourth was impossible. Even if the Frost Field resounded with victory, Bilkenos would be annihilated. It was a simple calculation.
‘Luckily, the Fourth’s attack ended at night. Whether he went to sleep or not, fortune smiles.’
Everyone who had come to escape made it down from the wall. The man gestured to them and led the way.
‘I’ve no obligation to die with them! Farewell.’
What pride, what honor?
Until now, to do business in the north, he had mouthed words of pride, acted like a northerner in every way. But his true nature was, after all, a merchant.
The man led the people at a run.
‘Just a little further and there’s a village. From there we can take a carriage south…’
—Kyaaaaah!
A shriek.
Suddenly, a tearing scream rang out from behind. Turning back, he saw a woman thrashing in midair.
It was as if she were seized by the darkness itself.
‘What the!’
From the shadows, the form of a giant slowly emerged.
An abnormally large face, a short and plump body.
It was the very “Fourth” that had thrown Bilkenos into terror. Darkness seeped from his lips, forming a magic circle.
[Es… cape… is death.]
“U, uwaaaaaah!”
People screamed and scattered. The Fourth crushed a person between his fingers as if it were nothing, then spread a black magic circle in the sky.
Grotesque projectiles began to rain down, killing people one after another. Horrifying screams echoed outside the walls.
“Ku, kuugh!”
The man writhed on the ground, clutching his leg with a pained expression. A shard of black magic had lodged itself into his leg.
Hee-juk—
The Fourth, who had been scanning the corpses around him, swung his arm and spread a magic circle over them. The dead bodies twitched and began to change.
‘No way.’
The man staggered back in retreat.
A woman, her body drenched in blood, suddenly sprang to her feet. The thing, now a zombie, began to lumber toward him.
“W-wait! Honey! It’s me! Me! Can’t you hear me?”
Though trembling, the man forced a smile.
“R-remember, we promised to visit Blue Harbor when we got back to the south? Remember? We earned plenty of money, so now we can finally…!”
Crunch!
The female zombie bit into the man’s neck.
Crunch, crunch.
* * *
Slurp. Slurp.
Godrick, gnawing on a plump chicken drumstick, placed the bone onto his plate and dabbed at his mouth with a handkerchief.
His cheeks had hollowed from recent hardship.
Fwoo—
This was the conference chamber of Bilkenos Castle.
Godrick exhaled a long sigh and drank down cold water.
“My apologies, this is the best we can offer our honored guest.”
“N-no! It’s fine!”
At the center of the round table sat a vampire girl with light violet hair, Kamibarez. Smiling awkwardly, she spoke.
“But, is it really okay for me… to sit here?”
The seat she occupied was the one at the head of the table.
It had originally been reserved for the Grand Duke or Ganiro, but it was given to the guest. Quite a different atmosphere from when she had first arrived in the north and been scolded, “Another outsider?”
“It is treatment most deserved.”
Godrick spoke as he wiped his mouth.
“Though you are an outsider, Lady Kamibarez, you declared boldly that you would stand against the enemy and fight alongside us.”
—If they continue harming people, then I too will fight, for the north and for Simon!
“From those words, we felt your firm spirit and pride. And in truth, you have accomplished greater feats than any warrior here, and saved many lives.”
Godrick bowed respectfully.
“As the one responsible for Bilkenos’ defense, I offer you my deepest respect.”
The warriors responded with a booming “Ooooh!” Their bearded faces split into grins, looking comically goofy as they chuckled.
“Th-thank you.”
Kamibarez bowed her head timidly. They might be rough and fiery in nature, but she felt they were not bad people.
“B-but… aren’t you all going to eat more?”
Their meal had consisted of just a piece of bread and a bland bowl of soup. And that, devoured in under ten seconds upon arrival.
The only real dish at the table was the chicken on her plate. Even the highest-ranking Godrick had only plucked off one drumstick from it.
The rest was all hers.
“Hahaha! We all ate before coming to the chamber!”
“Think nothing of it, just eat up!”
“Watching a young one eat fills us up just fine.”
The warriors laughed heartily. Kamibarez fiddled with her fork, then quickly carved off a small bite, ate it, and hurriedly said,
“Oh, it was so delicious! I’m full now.”
Patting her stomach, she pushed the plate toward the warriors.
“I left a little, if you don’t mind, would you like to finish it?”
She could feel their eyes inevitably being drawn to the plate.
“Ahem! Well, if it is leftovers you offer…”
“Can’t let scraps go to waste. I’ll just take a wing…”
“You rascals!”
Godrick shot to his feet, horrified.
“Have you no shame! To take food meant for our honored guest!”
But—
The chicken Kamibarez had left behind shot into the air. Like ravenous piranhas, the warriors leapt upon it, tearing it into dozens of pieces in an instant, leaving not a trace.
Only a few white bones clattered to the floor.
“Tsk, tsk.”
Godrick clicked his tongue and sat back down, helpless. Kamibarez smiled brightly.
“Apologies for the unsightly scene. Now then, let us resume the defense meeting of Bilkenos.”
Godrick’s expression turned stern as he surveyed the chamber.
“What is attacking Bilkenos is undoubtedly an undead entity of the Three Brothers class. Whether the North Star originally commanded up to the Fourth, or hastily created this one after losing the others, we cannot know. What matters is the reality, while the Grand Duke and the northern army are in the Frost Field, a Brother is attacking Bilkenos.”
Godrick pounded the round table with his fist.
“Until the Grand Duke returns, we must endure, by any means necessary.”
The warriors nodded solemnly. Kamibarez fluttered her wings in agreement.
“I will also fight with all my strength until Simon returns!”
At her small declaration, the warriors’ hardened expressions eased.
With just one young girl present, the usually grim atmosphere had lightened.
“Truly, we are grateful! Now, let us discuss the specifics.”
Among the warriors, various opinions arose. Some even shared rather detailed observations of the Fourth.
“At least it seems fortunate the Fourth’s physical abilities are extremely poor. He could not scale Bilkenos’ walls. It appears he cannot even jump properly.”
“Never heard of a Brother that flinches at arrows!”
“In my opinion, he might be capable of climbing the wall.”
A young rider smirked and turned his head.
“But it seems the real issue is fear. He’s too wary of someone inside the castle.”
Everyone’s gaze turned to Kamibarez. She tilted her head, fluttering her small wings.
The vampire girl, whom even the Fourth was wary of.
Especially when her eyes turned blood-red, the power she unleashed was so overwhelming that even warriors who had lived their entire lives steeped in war felt chills run down their spines.
She was not called Keyzen’s necromancer for nothing.
“The Fourth will remain cautious, and move carefully.”
Godrick rose from his seat and spoke.
“Though its physical abilities are lacking, it wields powerful black magic. From the safety of beyond the walls, it bombards Bilkenos with that magic.”
He looked out the window.
Just from a single day’s battle, one-third of vast Bilkenos lay in ruins. It would not hold much longer.
When resistance weakened, the Fourth would eventually set foot in Bilkenos, and assault the Grand Duke’s inner fortress at the center.
That would be the end.
“Fortunately, the creature is timid. We must press it with all our might, and prevent it from crossing the walls.”
“Agreed!”
“Let’s give it a try!”
The warriors raised their weapons, lifting the mood.
“Yes!”
Kamibarez also clenched her hands together and shouted in a clear, ringing voice.
Grrrrowl—
Then, all words ceased.
The sound of a stomach.
The warriors’ eyes shifted to one side.
“Ah… that…!”
It was Kamibarez’s stomach. Her face was turning red.
“You ungrateful fools!”
Finally, Godrick exploded with pent-up anger, leaping up.
“After stealing Lady Kamibarez’s meal, you leave her hungry! Behave like adults! Adults!”
The warriors began bowing their heads as if they had committed a mortal sin. Flustered, Kamibarez flailed her arms.
“N-no, it’s not that! It’s not hunger, it’s…”
“?”
“T-that is to say… um…”
Her face grew redder as she nervously pressed her fingers together.
“I shall order the cook to prepare a new dish at once!”
“N-no! That’s not it!”
“You hopeless men!”
Bang!!
Suddenly the chamber doors burst open, and a group of women appeared.
The warriors gawked, startled.
“Honey!”
“Why are you here!”
“I didn’t do anything wrong today!”
As the warriors blurted out excuses, the women looked at them with exasperated eyes. Godrick turned to them.
“Wh-what brings you here…”
“You thick-headed men, didn’t you hear what that student said earlier?”
The women pushed in a cart.
Kamibarez’s eyes widened.
“Blood…!”
It was a vessel filled with blood.
“She is a vampire, isn’t she? People in the shelters have been giving small amounts of blood, little by little, and we gathered it.”
The woman wheeled the cart before Kamibarez.
“We too are northerners. We have pride. Protecting the north doesn’t only mean wielding weapons like those men.”
Women, children, elders, even the wounded.
Each spoke.
“Thank you, for saving our son.”
“Stay strong! Necromancer!”
Kamibarez’s eyes grew round, and soon filled with tears of emotion.
Being a half-vampire had always been a secret she wished to hide.
Being different had always been painful.
But never before had everyone come together to draw their blood, just for her sake.
As Kamibarez trembled with emotion, the people smiled warmly.
“Thank you. Truly, thank you.”
She wiped at her eyes with her uniform sleeve, then beamed brightly like sunlight.
“I, I’ll drink this blood, and fight even harder!”
“We’re counting on you!”
“Let’s go! We can do it!”
The atmosphere reached its peak.
According to the North Star’s plan, the power of the “Fourth” should have driven the northerners into despair, splitting them apart from within.
But with Kamibarez, who had come to the north by chance, at the center, Bilkenos was more united than ever before.
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