Chapter 24. Mask (2)
“That day, would you believe it, there was a huge beast’s bite mark on my arm! So I asked him, ‘Did you perhaps fight with a beastman?’ And do you know what he said?”
“I don’t know.”
“He said he got bitten by Todd’s dog! Puhahaha! To think, a so-called paladin got beaten up by a neighborhood mutt!”
It struck anew, but there were more people in this world who laughed with a hearty “Hahaha” than I’d expected.
Perhaps it was because they were all sword-wielding types, living by the blade.
To put it nicely, you could call it a bold laugh.
To put it less kindly…
‘My ears are ringing.’
“Hm? Captain Ash, you don’t look well. Did I make you uncomfortable?”
“…No, it’s just that sothing I ate this morning isn’t sitting right.”
“Oh, co here. Let offer a healing prayer. In an environnt where battle could break out at any mont, even minor discomforts shouldn’t be ignored.”
The paladin pulled close and began chanting a prayer.
[I activated [Warrior’s Insight].]
[Skill acquired.]
[Miracle: Lesser Healing (Level 2)]
My stomach, which wasn’t even that upset, felt remarkably at ease after a single prayer.
As a bonus, the ringing in my ears and the throbbing in my head cald down considerably.
What was this?
So kind of religious version of causing a problem and then fixing it?
“Thank you.”
“No need to thank . It’s only natural between comrades.”
In any case, seeing how he was a paladin skilled in healing spells, he was definitely at least a mid-tier paladin.
His na was Andarin, if I recalled correctly.
He ca from the church branch in Hornberg, a neighboring city of Burken, and was the leader of the paladin group accompanying us.
“I heard about what happened in Burken. It’s a tragic affair. No matter how much power the church holds, it’s why we must reflect daily to ensure we haven’t strayed from Luark’s will.”
His abilities, faith, and reputation among the paladins all seed quite solid.
More notably, he lacked the sense of chosen superiority that many paladins carried.
Instead, he even showed a casual openness, bordering on taboo, by making another paladin the butt of a joke.
Was it because rank was everything?
Or perhaps because he had worked in the sa branch as that guy for years?
The one who had been stalking Alina couldn’t even make a peep and just followed along.
His na was Tem… sothing.
I felt like I’d just heard it.
“Tambourine?”
“Hm?”
“No, never mind.”
Anyway, we had companions for this mission—paladins from the church.
They were brought in because the scouting range had expanded too much for our rcenary band to handle alone.
“Pepe, that’s .”
“Gallivan.”
Including our Tambourine—er, I an, Alina’s stalker—and their leader Andarin, there were four paladins.
With their squires, the total ca to fourteen.
Adding them to our group, we had eighteen in all.
“By the way, Captain Ash, I hear you’re quite famous among the imperial soldiers. They say you’re a mage and an exceptional commander.”
“You flatter .”
“Hahaha! And humble to boot!”
By simple headcount, they were less than a quarter of our rcenary band.
But in terms of combat power, they were equal to or even surpassed us.
Paladins were superhuman, especially those wielding miracles that were highly effective against undead.
Even so, having paladins as companions wasn’t exactly sothing I welcod.
Getting close naturally led to mutual curiosity, and the attention of paladins or priests was a significant threat to right now.
The number of spells I’d mastered leaned more toward necromancy than wizardry, after all.
Still, since I was formally hired for this war, I couldn’t demand special treatnt in this regard.
The silver lining was that we wouldn’t be with the paladins for the entire mission.
Up to the previous scouting range—a two-day trip one way—we would travel together.
After that, we’d split the new scouting area in half, each group scouting for about a day before regrouping and returning.
“Captain, southeast, four hundred ters. Undead.”
Of course, looking at it another way, this could be an opportunity to build my alibi.
Human nature tends to suspect strangers more than familiar faces, after all.
At Karen’s report, I imdiately halted the rcenary band.
Her hearing was practically as good as a scouting spell within a five-hundred-ter radius.
“There’s a decent number of them. About a hundred fifty? Two hundred? Half zombies, half skeleton soldiers.”
“Mixed together… Are you sure?”
“Yes, it doesn’t seem like a typical wandering horde.”
Wandering undead usually stuck to their own kind—zombies with zombies, skeletons with skeletons.
If different types were mixed, it ant a necromancer or a commanding entity was present.
“Prepare for battle.”
It felt like it had been a while since we’d faced a proper fight.
***
Land tainted by the mana of necromancy had a few distinct characteristics:
Crops wouldn’t grow properly.
Corpses left unattended would rise as undead.
Food and drink would accumulate faint toxins.
And…
“Grave Knights!”
Commanding entities would appear among the wandering undead.
“Don’t falter!”
[I activated [Lord’s Unyielding Mind].]
The murmurs of unease spreading among the group ceased instantly.
This was the result of repeated training and combat experience.
The fact that Grave Knights didn’t have the overwhelming presence of a Necro Ogre likely helped too.
“The enemy consists of six Grave Knights, and about two hundred zombies and skeletons. Grave Knights aren’t necromancers, so you don’t need to worry about spells.”
Black Guard.
Grave Knight.
They went by many nas.
The common thread was that they wore black armor, housing decayed flesh, muscle, and brittle bones within.
While they couldn’t cast necromantic spells, they could command lesser undead.
“Get into battle formation!”
“For Luark!”
The paladins and their squires took their positions.
The rcenary band ford the center, with the paladins and squires split into two groups on our left and right flanks.
For a mont, I couldn’t help but think how helpful it would’ve been to have them during the defense of Burken.
Unfortunately, Andarin was from a neighboring territory, and the other two lower-ranking paladins had been holed up in the lord’s castle by Baron Burken for his own safety.
What a cowardly pig.
“Three hundred ters!”
I shook off the stray thoughts.
This was the maximum range for our crossbown.
“Fire!”
[The crossbown activated [Volley].]
Shweeee!
A rain of arrows pelted the enemy ranks.
Thanks to standardized equipnt and extensive training, the efficiency of our shots had improved significantly.
Zombies with arrows lodged in their skulls and skeletons with pierced eye sockets fell one after another.
But these weren’t the typical wandering undead we’d faced before.
They had a commander.
Keeeyaaa!
A grating screech, like a stylus scraping a chalkboard, rang out.
The lead Grave Knight let out a howl, and the advancing undead raised their shields overhead.
Those without shields lifted swords, weapons, or even their arms.
It was a shoddy defense, but it worked.
Arrows ant to pierce skulls lost montum after hitting arms, or trajectories aid at eye sockets were deflected by shattered arm bones.
“Free fire! Don’t stop!”
[The crossbown activated [Free Fire].]
It was widely believed that Grave Knights were the result of reanimating the corpses of knights or knight-equivalent commanders.
This wasn’t officially confird, just a theory among imperial scholars.
Even as soone who had played the Vampire Archduchy faction, I didn’t have precise knowledge.
After all, the originators of necromancy weren’t them—they were rely successors who mimicked ancient knowledge and claid it as their own.
The enemy closed to within a hundred ters.
I pulled the crossbown back.
From here, it was ti for formation combat.
“Spears up!”
[I activated [Lord’s Unyielding Mind].]
[I activated [Commander’s Roar].]
[The spearn activated [Spear Wall].]
[The swordsn activated [Shield Wall].]
No need for grandiose speeches to boost morale.
Just like during the first battle of Burken’s defense, I stood at the forefront, the heart of the formation.
In my left hand, a mana [Shield].
In my right, a spear.
The enemy was right in front of us.
“Hold!”
[I activated [Imperial Spearman Doctrine].]
A wave of bone and flesh crashed into us.
Unlike the dramatic collisions described in books, the clash of two formations wasn’t a single, resounding bang.
tal, leather, spears, swords, and skulls—tough, solid things breaking and tangling together—produced a noise impossible to capture in words.
If I had to compare it, it was like a scream, the kind that cos from bones and muscles.
“Hold! Hold!”
The ground beneath my feet churned into furrows.
The stench of rot and blood filled my nostrils.
But compared to before, I could endure it—both individually, with my increased stamina and skill, and as a unit, hardened by training and combat experience.
“Spears! Thrust!”
The solid formation broke the enemy’s front line.
“Arcing shots! Fire in arcs!”
The crossbown at the rear steadily piled on the damage.
The Grave Knights, as expected, didn’t join the initial clash.
Perhaps they saw themselves as commanders or special forces, despite being corpses.
But now, they were starting to move forward, preparing to join the formation battle.
Holding off enemies with the skill, strength, and agility of mid-tier knights with just a few soldiers would be impossible.
But they weren’t the only ones with knights.
“Olif!”
“Yes!”
Waiting at the rear, he shot forward like lightning.
Breaking free from the formation, he carved a wide arc around the colliding forces, targeting the enemy’s flank.
A high-tier knight like him could temporarily reach near-horse-like speed by infusing mana into his legs.
If we were the anvil, he was the hamr.
And today’s hamr wasn’t alone.
“For Luark—Flanking formation!”
“In Luark’s na!”
The paladins guarding the flanks sprang into action.
Like a bird spreading its wings, the paladins and their squires extended from the formation, enveloping and striking the enemy’s sides.
The effect was imdiate.
The enemy formation, locked in a struggle, began to falter.
“Maintain formation! Advance!”
“Advance!”
[The spearn activated [Spear Wall: Advance].]
[The swordsn activated [Shield Wall: Advance].]
We pressed from three sides, shaking their montum.
Olif and the paladins focused on marking the Grave Knights.
Keeeyaaa!
One ca for .
I dropped my spear and drew my sword.
[I activated [Imperial Knight Swordsmanship].]
Clang!
A single clash.
The enemy had the edge in strength and was slightly faster.
But…
Crack!
I overwheld it with technique.
Using my [Shield] to deflect its blade, I blocked with the poml and shield, tilting my sword to strike its helm.
I hooked its leg, struck with the edge of my [Shield], disrupted its balance, shoved with my shoulder, smashed its arm with the poml’s weight, and slashed its neck with the lower part of my blade.
If it were human, it would’ve died several tis over from those critical hits.
But as an armored undead, it kept moving.
Its once-pristine black plate armor was now torn, exposing rotting flesh.
Perhaps sensing the unfavorable tide, it leapt back, trying to use other undead as shields.
No matter.
I dispelled my [Shield] and extended my staff.
[I activated [Explosion].]
My second magic ntor, Tribus, the second Vampire Archduke, had taught this spell.
BOOM!
Skeleton soldiers collapsed in droves.
[I activated [Lightning Brand].]
A guided bolt of lightning blew off its torn helm.
[I activated [Fireball].]
Its left arm, along with its shield, was blasted away.
[I activated [Lightning Arrow].]
Its right arm stiffened briefly from the shock.
Kee…!
I severed its arm and then its neck.
I stomped on the fallen head with all my might.
The crushed skull released murky wisps of malevolent energy.
Its body collapsed like a puppet with cut strings.
“The Captain took down a Grave Knight!”
“Woooah!”
The remaining Grave Knights were purified one by one by the paladins.
With morale surging, our soldiers relentlessly pressed the remaining enemy forces.
An undead formation that had lost its commanders and been flanked by paladins faced only one fate: annihilation.
“We won!”
“Glory to Luark!”
The battle ended swiftly.
Six wounded.
No deaths.
[I activated [Warrior’s Binding].]
[Bound defeated enemies.]
[Grave Knight (1), Zombie (3), Skeleton Spearman (2)]
And I gained a commander to lead my undead forces.
***
[Warrior’s Binding]
[Low chance to bind enemies defeated in combat.]
[Bound enemies can be summoned as minions.]
[First defeat of a unit type applies a 100% chance modifier.]
[Cannot be used on hero characters.]
[Only applies when defeated with direct subordinates.]
[Bound units: Grave Knight (1), Necro Ogre (1), Skeleton Spearman (5), Skeleton Swordsman (4), Skeleton Archer (2), Zombie (8)]
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