Episode 257
EPISODE.129
…That’s right. … hang on.
A night when even the moonlight that fell proudly disappeared. There was a group of people moving between the canyons taking advantage of that midnight hour.
…Grrrrrrr.
No, not ordinary people.
It sounded more like that of a beast than a human, and even approaching it gave off the same smell that would make your nose rot.
It was a smell that could never be emitted by an ordinary human being even after rolling around in a field of corpses.
A gust of wind pushed the clouds away, and a ray of moonlight fell through them.
The scene inside the gorge revealed in an instant was truly terrifying.
A skeleton with rotting flesh sticking to its old bones like rags.
A ghoul with the appearance of a hyena or wild dog mixed with a human.
Only the spiritual body in the shape of a legless woman remained, including the screaming Banshee…
All kinds of undead were walking between the canyons.
The number is about 3,000.
More than 90% of the undead are classified as low class. The individual’s strength itself was not as good as that of an adult, but the problem was their immortality.
Until its head is destroyed or crushed to the point where it can no longer move, it moves blindly only to carry out the orders and purposes given to it.
Cursed monsters.
Because that was the undead.
Not only that, but the spirit-type undead, such as Banshees and Specters, which were occasionally mixed in, were something that could not be dealt with unless they were wizards or knights who could handle Auras.
And there was this one who was watching the march of the undead with deeply sunken eyes.
‘It’s jingle jingle.’
Red eyes that do not lose their intelligence even in the dark.
It was Russell.
‘Is it already the sixth in this area?’
Russell sighed and moved his hand lightly.
At that moment, a huge flame rose from the inside of his grip and poured down the canyon.
The 6th circle magic, Massive Fire.
Literally a huge ball of fire, this magic was suitable for attacking enemies in a small area like now.
Besides, what Russell unleashed was no ordinary massive fire.
Some of Hellfire’s magic was contained in it.
‘Burn and kill. The flames of hell.’
Roaring!
────────Kyaaaaaaaaa!
Banshee and Specters scream to die as the flames quickly grow in size and the interior of the canyon heats up like a pot of boiling oil.
It wasn’t the cries that disturbed the soul and stimulated fear, which was unique to the spirit-type undead, but the screams that they spewed out because they were really scared and felt pain!
It must be because the energy of hell contained in the flames was directly eating their spiritual bodies!
“A raid!”
“Where are you!”
At that moment, the cultists who led the undead uttered embarrassed voices as the flames rose as they drove away the darkness.
Puff-!
With a sharp creaking sound, a hole the size of a coin appeared on the forehead.
At the same time, their bodies slowly disintegrated backwards.
Even when he died, his eyes were wide open, and he didn’t even notice his own death.
Gimlet Of Gale.
The moment they snapped their fingers, a gale of gale shot through their heads in an instant.
Even though they are cultists, they are in the 4th circle. Russell, who had dealt with such strong people at once, stood up without a big deal.
…that’s it.
─────Kyaaaaaaa.
I turned around, confirming that the rising flames were consuming the army of the dead.
Shuk-.
.
.
It was about thirty minutes later that Russell returned to the camp where the main base was located.
The 8th circle wizard ran at a fairly fast pace and it took 30 minutes, so the gorge where the undead hordes passed was quite far from the military camp.
Russell, who came back without being caught by the soldiers who stood in the middle of the night, entered the back of his barracks.
At that moment, a voice came from inside the barracks.
“Have you been? Your Highness the Grand Duke.”
It was the voice of Baron Donovan.
Of course, unlike last time, there was no reason to be hot.
Not only did I notice his existence through his presence early on, but he also told me in advance that I was going to do ‘something’ in the middle of the morning.
‘Even so, I thought you’d have been waiting for me to come back.’
It is also quite late. Looking at Russell, who smiled bitterly at that thought, Baron Donovan asked instead.
“Is it already the sixth?”
“yes. I guess that’s how it happened.”
As he said, while moving to join the main force, Russell went out alone every night to deal with the army of the dead and returned six times already.
Every time I go out, the number of the dead that I deal with and return is as small as a thousand…
“How many were there this time?”
“Three thousand. It seemed like the most I’ve seen so far.”
up to three thousand.
The number of undead that fell at the hands of one person, Russell, reached a whopping 10,000.
It must have been that the undead created by cultists were hidden deep in canyons or caves.
“Three thousand…”
said Baron Donovan, after a short mumble.
“Are you really better than that? He goes out almost twice every three days, so taking a break at least a little…”
Russell laughed at his worried voice. In my heart, I want to ask, ‘Is that what you worry about me, Baron?’
He would be like that, too, because he was a superman who had reached the level of the 8th circle, while the other person had learned swordsmanship and trained his Aura to the level of a normal knight.
Considering his age, it wouldn’t have been so easy to stay up all night waiting for him every night.
As if to prove that fact, there were long dark circles along the bottom of Baron Donovan’s eyes.
“Why don’t you worry about your own body rather than me?”
“haha. I am okay. If I die anyway, I have to use my body like this, which will rot.”
Russell shrugged his shoulders at him who let out a big laugh as he said something he couldn’t tell if it was a bluff or not.
“Me too.”
He then lightly tapped Baron Donovan’s shoulder with his fingertips.
Anger-.
Magic that temporarily relieves fatigue and boosts energy. This would have been quite helpful.
“Right now, a little less sleep is not a big deal for me, and if I reduce their number even just a little bit, it will be of some help to my allies.”
“Um…”
That was then.
─────────Greuk!
Pepper’s cries flowed through the psyche.
Apparently, they found a bunch of undead again.
‘It’s two this time…’
Movements found in two places.
Likewise, Russell, who entrusted the handling of one place to Pepper through his psyche, picked up the half-laid coat again.
“Are you leaving again?”
“yes.”
Russell nodded.
“It looks like tonight will be a busier night than usual.”
I never thought I’d find as many as three undead troops in one night.
‘Maybe it’s because the location of the giant match is getting closer.’
Baron Donovan caught Russell as he put on his coat again and left the barracks.
“The sun will rise in a few hours, so how about taking this with you? Your Highness the Grand Duke.”
“This…?”
Something wrapped in food wrapping paper. It cooled down a bit, but it wasn’t too difficult to figure out its identity just by touch.
“It’s a sandwich.”
“Did the baron make it himself?”
“Nothing. It’s not possible to wake up the sleeping cooks with this, right? I just rented a place and tried my best, though it was not enough.”
After putting the sandwich in Russell’s hand, he added with an embarrassed expression.
“My son liked it quite a bit, heh heh. I’m not sure if it will suit Your Highness’ taste.”
‘If it’s the son of Baron Donovan…’
I’ve heard that his son died in the war with the Empire in the past.
Even the fact that his son was in his mid-twenties at the time, similar to his age.
‘Why do you care so much about me…’
Russell took the sandwich in his arms with a wry smile.
“thank you for this food.”
This won’t bring his dead son back to life, but if it puts his mind at ease, that’s fine.
Thinking so, Russell, wearing a coat, stepped out of the barracks and moved his gaze.
‘West….’
Checking the direction given to me by Pepper, I flung my body.
Parbat-.
.
.
Roaring-!
The fire demon rose magnificently, pushing away the cold air of dawn.
It was a fire enough to push away the brightness of the rising morning sun.
The number of undead who turned to ashes in the flames and disappeared was about eight hundred, less than a thousand.
‘It’s morning.’
As Baron Donovan said, the sun appears to be rising.
‘Shall we eat?’
Taking in the scenery with his eyes, Russell sat down on a rock as a chair.
I took out Baron Donovan’s sandwich that I had tucked away in my chest.
It was a sandwich lightly sprinkled with vinegar made by fermenting olive oil and mustard wine with pickles, green peppers, onions, and ham.
The sandwich has already cooled down, but why is it that I can feel its own warmth?
Before eating the sandwich, Russell raised his head.
He looked up at the sky and said.
“If you’re watching, why don’t we come down and eat together?”
Of course, no answer came.
“I have something to ask you, but even if you have no intention of eating, why don’t you come?”
Actually, this wasn’t the first time Russell had called Gillian. I’ve been calling for days already, but he just didn’t answer.
‘Is there no reaction this time, too?’
A dragon who does not obey because he is not perfect as a solvent.
Right after that, a voice came from behind.
“You must be well aware that dragons don’t need to eat, right?”
“Still, there must be something called favorite food.”
Shrug your shoulders, take out a piece of meat from subspace and throw it into the air.
Gyareuk!
As if waiting, Pepper descended and snatched it up. Russell then woke up Shabet, who was in the shape of a bracelet as if he was used to it. I put down a fist-sized block of ice in front of the guy who
was
stretching with drowsy eyes.
hit!
Sherbet rushed towards the ice block as if she had been sleeping, and Jillian’s eyes trembled.
A contemptuous gaze, as if to say, ‘Those two do the dragon’s disgrace’.
Russell split the sandwich in half and threw it at him.
“eat.”
“joy.”
Gillian snorted and accepted it, but didn’t bring it to her mouth.
‘It’s said to be corrupted, but it’s the image most consistent with the dragon in the story.’
Lofty yet arrogant…
At that time, the guy holding the sandwich with one hand asked in an indifferent tone.
“So what on earth do you want to ask?”
“hmm.”
It took a while to chew and swallow the bite of the sandwich that was in my mouth while salivating.
Russell’s face as he asked the question was serious and serious at the same time.
If the first question was the first thought that came to mind when I first heard Jillian’s warning, the second is—.
“Are the cultists only referring to those crouching in the depths of the Empire you mentioned?”
—It is a new question that has arisen in the past few days.
“And among those cults, is the one who corrupted you also?”
Gillian pursed her lips at Russell’s question.
“That’s…”
The wizard who swallowed the dragon
