Skeleton Knight, in Volume 5 - Ch 20

Translator: Silver Editor: Namorax

Encounter

Excluding my party, the one hundred and fifty mbers of the tiger tribesn subjugation force were heading towards the human city of Tajiento.

Wherever I looked, it looked like the entire peninsula had been converted into farmland under the hands of humanity, leaving

genuinely amazed at the achievent.

Occasionally we would pass by an oddity Ive yet to see in this world, small villages that had no defensive walls around them.

Since the major wall had been built at the peninsulas neck, there was no need to worry about monster attacks.

However, the quiet countryside was now wrought with tension.

A huge swath of destruction had been left behind in the fields as if soone had drawn lines across the growing fields that were all heading towards the sa spot.

There was no doubt that the giants had been through here.

Now and then we would co across so maintained roads between the individual fields. and we also saw that the entire breadth of these roads were filled with human families that were burdened with luggage or nothing except the clothes on their backs.

When they caught sight of the large group of tiger tribesn on dragon mounts, the humans would hide inside the fields, hold their breath and wait for us to pass by.

The fact that they didnt start a commotion at the sight of a large group of beastn, and considering the direction they were fleeing towards, suggested that the giants had already invaded Tajiento.

It was only sensible to run away from walking disasters.

The tiger tribesn warriors, even Hou, snorted at the sight of the fleeing people and we continued our advance.

The humans behind the wall are all weaklings. Without their wall, theyd have been easy to deal with.

The surrounding warriors began to laugh at the fleeing people behind us.

Be that as it may, but these humans had been the ones to build the wall that stopped us from entering these lands.

After Hou turned around to reprimand them for their jokes, the warriors fell silent again.

When the sky turned a dark shade of red, we finally reached a location from where we could see Tajiento.

What we found was a city engulfed in flas.

Screams and the roar of the flas were overshadowed by strange bellows from throughout the city.

A giant would occasionally appear on the roof of a brick building before disappearing again.

The city wall wasnt as impressive as the one we had passed and it was roughly the sa height as the giants. Multiple sections of the wall had collapsed and I could actually see inside the city.

Among those escaping through the holes in the wall were a few beastn.

When Hou saw what was happening, he imdiately began instructing the rescue team thatd been set up beforehand.

This is good! Dont bother starting unnecessary fights with the humans! Devote your attention to rescuing our brethren and kill only those who oppose you!! Dont forget your warriors pride!! Go!!

At Hous command, the warriors split into their groups and entered the city.

The city itself was quite large and the streets were spacious. While the dragon mounts couldnt enter the alleyways, the warriors could dismount and search those areas and buildings on foot.

The unit under Hous direct command stayed outside the city and would act as a line of defense for the escaping beastn.

I had expected Hou to be the type to lead from the front, considering the way the tiger tribesn usually acted. His cool head under pressure may explain why his clan was the largest within the plains.

After bowing my head to Hou I turned towards the battlefield below.

Ariane, Chio, and I would enter the city on foot and support the rescue units by eliminating any opposition we found.

This wasnt sothing Hou had ordered, rather we volunteered to do so basically, it was no different from our usual pattern of killing any enemy we t.

You ready to go Ariane-dono, Chio-dono?

I looked my companions in the eyes and asked them that question.

Its basically the sa as the raid we helped Chio-chan with before, right?

Ariane grasped the Sword of the Lion Kingand focused her golden eyes on the city below.

Hmm.

When Ariane turned towards Chio she let out a large sigh before nodding and replying.

I wont say that Im all right, but Ill do the best I can.

Kyun!

Ponta let out a spirited cry from atop my head in response to Chios reply.

Sorry, everyone. When I asked about the devil nails back in Plymouth, I never thought it would lead to this.

Chio shook her head when she heard my comnt.

No, had it not been for Arc-dono I never would have found the friend who had gone missing.

This was a good thing.

Seeing her obvious attempt to put a positive spin on this situation I could only offer a weak reply.

I see.

The person who had been close to Chio and who led the giants here was sowhere in the city. Chio was probably aware of that.

There was nothing any of us could do for an undead, so if we ca across him wed have to fight him.

Well then,lets go! Were going to do this the usual way!

The two of them grabbed my shoulders when I said that and I evoked the spell that Ive beco the most familiar with.

Dinsional Step

We were instantaneously transferred right outside the collapsed wall.

There wasnt anyone in the buildings near the wall since theyd already fled the city shortly after the giants destroyed the wall. Large fires and the sound of scorching materials were all around us.

Mixed in within the flas were the sounds of terrified screams.

I moved down a nearby street with Dinsional Step. Because the debris from the destroyed buildings blocked the way, there was no way a dragon mount could directly follow the giants.

Because of the citys large scale, it would be difficult to free all the enslaved beastn like Hou wanted.

However, by allowing the giants to remain mostly unopposed during their slaughter, the rescue team would have more ti to take advantage of the confusion.

My group, however, would kill any giant we ca across. There should have been at least twenty of them roaming about.

How is it, Chio-dono?

She shook her head at my simple question.

Chio had been scanning the areas we passed for signs of life with the sensory abilities she developed as a ninja, but it didnt seem to be going well

Back in Rhoden Kingdoms capital, the Blade Heart Clan had already been prepared for their raid, thus they had a nearly complete understanding of the citys layout.

However, we had virtually no prep ti for this spontaneous raid and the layout of Tajiento was unknown to us.

We needed to gain our bearing before anything else.

After a couple more transfers we stood in a city square. A stone fountain had been built in the center of the square.

Fires had engulfed the majority of the surrounding buildings and a few people had run to the fountain for safety.

Soldiers in lightweight armor were defending the area with swords and shields, from knights in dark-grey armor.

Huh? Whats going on? I thought the giants were attacking this city?

Ariane shook her head in confusion when I unconsciously asked the questions that crossed my mind.

I looked back at the strange situation just in ti to see one of the lightly armored soldiers use his spear to send an armored knights helt flying

The helt gave off a dull thud as it hit the ground.

However, the knight continued fighting as if it hadnt been affected at all and continued to cross blades with the soldier.

Everyones breath caught when they saw what was beneath the knights helt.

The head of the knight didnt belong to a human, it was skeletal just like mine currently was.

Ariane-dono, its like ! Is it possible that all the knights are like that?

I dont think so! If they were all like Arc this city would have fallen long before we arrived, right?

Ariane replied to my anxious shout with a calm tone.

Those knights are obviously undead. Just what is going on here?

Chio narrowed her eyes and her small nose twitched a bit as she observed the knights.

Unfortunately, that was about all we could assess from the situation.

Why was this town overrun with undeads in knight armor? Moreover, why was said armor clearly made by human hands?

If one or two deceased knights had turned undead, then it would simply be the attire theyd been buried in, but there were at least ten knights wearing the sa armor here.

There were also more of them climbing over the rubble and gradually moving towards the square.

No point in worrying about it now, well ask the soldiers after we save them!

And just like that I whipped out the Holy Thunder Sword and ran towards the approaching undead knights. However, when the human soldiers noticed my appearance, they thought that another armored knight had appeared and raised their swords and shields in response.

There wasnt enough ti to explain, so I didnt even try to.

I took a detour around the soldiers and confronted the approaching undead knights.

There was a shower of bones and tal pieces as I swung my sword with enough force to cut tal like paper.

While they were covered in full-body armor, it wasnt that thick or strong. A common sword or spear probably wouldnt be able to get through it, but faced with the mythical Sword of Holy Thunder it might as well be made from cardboard.

I intended to hunt giants, but to battle those like myself

My sword wavered a bit as I contemplated that fact. Every ti I attacked an undead knight, they produced a shattering sound as they were reduced to heaps of junk.

Faster than it took to make instant ran, more than a dozen undead knights had been reduced to dust.

This is quite sothing Anyway, there is sothing I would like to ask you people?

I rested my sword on my shoulder as I looked at the dumbfounded expressions of the civilians and soldiers behind . It was clear that they couldnt grasp what had just happened.

When I took a step towards them unrestrained fear appeared on the soldiers faces.

Arc, behind you!!

Ariane drew her sword and ran after sothing that appeared at the edge of my vision. Realizing what was happening, I grabbed my shield with my left hand and blocked the dagger that had been thrown at .

A tallic sound rang as the assailant imdiately started kicking the air to close the distance between us. When I leaped back to avoid the attack, he shifted his focus towards the human soldiers and created a sea of blood in a matter of seconds.

Sasuke-oniisan!!

Utter horror could be heard in Chios voice as she witnessed Sasukes actions.

He seed to react to her calling his na, as he turned to her like an expressionless ghost.

Before anyone could do anything, a loud roar was heard overhead before a large figure fell to the pavent.

I used Dinsional Step to fall back when I noticed the danger.

The six-ter tall giant had brought down its weapon were I had standing monts ago, pulverizing that section of the stone street.

That was dangerous, I had almost been almost trampled like a flower.

The giant roared again and swung its stone axe towards Sasuke. However, Sasuke managed to dodge the attack with ease and kicked the air until he reached a nearby roof and disappeared.

Wait! Sasuke-oniisan!!

Chio ran into a nearby alleyway and jumped onto the roof before heading in the sa direction Sasuke went.

Ariane anxiously watched as Chio disappeared, but shifted her gaze between her, the giant and .

Ariane-dono follow her! Im more than enough to deal with this guy!

Ariane nodded her head at

before she disappeared in the sa alleyway that Chio had gone into.

The only combatants left were the giant and .

The giant brandished its weapon and looked down at . Since it didnt have a neck, its large black eyes shifted to down to look at , making

feel a little uncomfortable.

I carefully watched the giant as it raised its axe and tightened my hold on my sword.

As I prepared to activate a certain skill, it began to release light.

Sword of Judgnt!

In an instant, a magic formation appeared beneath the giants feet just before a sword composed of light impaled the giant from the bottom up.

The sword of light was sticking out of the giants gaping mouth before it shattered like glass and dissipated. The giants body trembled trendously as the light fragnts scattered.

Hmm, while the fur is rather tough, the backside is still a weakness.

I started to the leave the square as the giant fell behind

without anything to support it. However, I caught sight of a little boy watching from behind a collapsed building.

After sheathing my sword as I slowly approached the boy who fearfully held onto a wooden plank in an attempt to fend

off.

There was a woman lying behind the boy who not only had a bleeding head injury, but her foot was trapped under a piece of rubble as well.

Listen to , you have to escape even if its by yourself.

The woman, probably the boys mother, was feebly pleading with him. However, the boy only tightened his grip on the wooden plank and adamantly refused to leave with tears in his eyes.

I cant leave you behind, mother! I refuse to leave unless its with you!

In the minds of the boy and his mother, I sohow beca the villain in this situation. Apparently the boy seed to consider

the sa thing as those undead knights from a while ago.

Kyun! Kyun!

Ponta uncoiled herself from around my neck, and while that would normally be enough to earn

so degree of trust, it didnt happen here.

Therefore I had to rely on the secret tool I had tied to my waist. Turning away from the two, I began drinking so water from my canteen. Imdiately after my first swallow, my vision blurred for a mont and I was hit with a sudden headache.

I suppressed it as best as I could and let out a large sigh. Those physical effects were probably caused by the release of my accumulated emotions that accompanied the return of my flesh and blood body.

The continuous battles with the giants must have made the backlash stronger than normal.

With another sigh, I faced the boy again and revealed my face.

Oji-san are you human?

The boy beca confused as he stared at my long ears.

Im an elf. Do you know what that is? Elves are good a magic, and I can use it to heal people.

A joyous expression appeared on the boys face as I put my helt back on.

Can you heal my mother!?

I approached the mother and silently nodded at the boys question. When I used recover magic on the mothers head the bleeding stopped, and then I moved the rubble from atop her foot.

The foot had been broken and required stronger magic to heal.

Oji-san, are you really an elf? I was taught that elves were schers who stole their skills from god.

When I heard the boys words, I was completely taken aback.

He mostly likely learned that from the Hiruku religions teachings.

Hmm, well then boy, do you know any humans that could be considered shifty by others?

When I asked that, the boy frowned and shook his head as he tried to rember sothing.

I wonder if anybody would recognize what I said.

If one human steals sothing, would that an all humans are thieves? If a mother stole sothing, would her son also be a thief? Is there a saying like that?

My mother didnt steal anything and neither did I!

The boy raised his voice in objection to my statent.

I finished casting recovery magic on the mothers foot and nodded at the results. Everything would be alright.

S-Sorry. Thank you very much.

I shook my head at the mothers display of gratitude and stood up.

Its relatively safe outside the city wall. You should be fine so long as you hide in the shadows and move slowly.

The mother stood up unsteadily and lowered her head to . The boy anxiously looked up at his mother as I cast recovery magic on him as a precaution.

Protect your mother, little boy.

The boy was amazed as he watched the lights created by the recovery magic and nodded at my words before walking his mother out of the square and disappeared.

Since this took longer than expected, I headed up on the rooftops to investigate.