0.
The relentless attacks of the undead.
Whenever things seed quiet, they would invade and launch their assaults.
The remaining mbers of the Third Division alone were insufficient to fend them off.
That was why Noirtein’s return, after reporting to the royal capital, was desperately needed.
The sa went for reinforcents.
However, the atmosphere in the royal capital was not one where reinforcents could easily be dispatched.
All the division commanders of the assassination unit had been urgently summoned to the royal capital.
And overseeing them, glaring down with a deeply furrowed brow, was the absolute ruler of Basilica—the king—who flicked his tongue in displeasure, making his dissatisfaction blatantly clear.
It was understandable.
Just as they were preparing for war against Ninyaru, disaster struck.
Not only was there a significant loss in manpower, but even securing supplies had beco a challenge.
Those responsible for supply lines outside had been unable to return due to the undead threat.
Nothing was going according to plan.
Even the once-impenetrable fortress walls had been torn apart after repeated assaults from the undead.
It was impossible to remain calm in such circumstances.
“……”
“……”
The black-scaled serpent beastkin king remained silent.
And so, no one in the hall dared to make a sound.
Tension hung in the air, drawn tight like a bowstring.
Then, with a slight tilt of his head, the king gestured for soone to speak.
At the end of his gaze, Noirtein bowed his head.
Summoned directly.
“……Yes. Currently, a vast army of undead is swarming the fortress walls and attacking. While our division has been defending the walls, we do not have sufficient numbers to hold them back. I believe reinforcents are necessary.”
Noirtein’s report omitted one crucial detail—that they had pulled back their forces upon arrival.
Unfortunately, the only ones aware of that fact in this room were Noirtein and Shivren.
No one else knew.
“Undead.”
The king’s voice, tinged with irritation, caused a ripple through the room.
The commander of the First Assassination Division—a spider beastkin covered in thick, violet poison-laced fur—muttered under his breath.
“Hmm… Could this be Ninyaru’s doing?”
His question was clearly aid at Shivren, who had recently returned from Ninyaru.
But Shivren did not respond.
As if he had seen nothing there.
Seeing this, the king nodded as well.
That ant they had no way of identifying the culprit.
However—
“The timing is suspicious.”
The king indirectly suggested the presence of a spy.
One might have expected Shivren to tense at such a suggestion.
But he remained utterly composed.
The king narrowed his eyes as he observed Shivren.
Shivren had been ticulously raised as an assassin, his emotions entirely stripped away.
If anyone was going to be betrayed, it would be the other side—not Shivren.
Betrayal required emotions—fear of death, greed, or so other sentint.
But Shivren had no such emotions.
The thought of him betraying Basilica was absurd.
And because of that, the king was blind to many things.
But he was unaware of that fact.
“The war against Ninyaru will be postponed.”
“But, Your Majesty—”
“Whoever these arrogant scoundrels are, whether it’s one or many, they are undoubtedly wicked beings seeking to encroach upon my domain. Even if you lack the strength to match , you should still be capable of handling re undead wretches.”
This was not a case of naturally occurring undead.
And they never once considered that the enemy might be an outsider.
To create undead of this magnitude and repeatedly launch attacks?
It had to be the work of a nefarious dark mage or a lich.
A fissure in the labyrinth.
It wasn’t unusual for soone to slip in.
The king himself wanted to act.
However, if he moved—
“That sloth will move as well.”
The Black Serpent King.
If he took action, then Ninyaru’s own slothful ruler would inevitably respond.
They had made a pact long ago.
Neither would extend their power beyond their respective cities.
If either one broke the agreent, it would be taken as a declaration of war.
An ancient agreent, yet one still upheld to this day for a simple reason.
“He’s still afraid of that bastard.”
The Black Serpent King still feared the White Lion.
The White Lion was older and far stronger than himself.
If the White Lion moved, this war would beco aningless.
This war was never ant to be a direct confrontation.
It was ant to eliminate the rchants of the upper labyrinth district.
If they succeeded in that,
Even if only for a brief mont,
He could surpass the White Lion.
That was why this war had begun.
But to have everything unravel from the very beginning like this…
Failure was not an option.
This war was about wiping out the rchants of the labyrinth district.
Not a single mistake was allowed.
Thus—
“If we don’t stop these undead now, the entirety of Basilica will beco infested with filth. Once we have eliminated them, then we can proceed with the war against Ninyaru.”
At the king’s words, all the division commanders bowed their heads.
Then, he turned his gaze to one side and asked—
“Shivren.”
“Yes.”
“What was Ninyaru’s state?”
“They identified my involvent but failed to capture . However, I eliminated all the rchant overseers. They will be preoccupied for so ti trying to fill the gap.”
“Then the war will be postponed. Those foolish and sluggish fools in Ninyaru will never catch on and make a preemptive strike.”
He would never realize that the real fool was himself.
His eyes and ears were sealed.
He had no way of seeing the truth.
And so, the Black Serpent King declared—
“Remove those filthy undead from my sight.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“As you command.”
“We shall obey.”
The three division commanders responded in unison.
Shivren and Noirtein exchanged glances, their teal-hued eyes gleaming.
It seed that the operation would comnce soon.
1.
Seong had just finished briefing Silberion on the current situation in Basilica and the orders issued by the king.
“……So, that’s how things turned out.”
“?????????”
Silberion blinked rapidly, staring at Seong with an expression that scread utter disbelief.
As if to ask—Is this real? Are you even hearing yourself?
But reality was undeniable. And along with that, Silberion ca to another realization—just how absurdly overwhelming Seong’s abilities were.
How was sothing like this even possible?
Eliminating the enemy’s leadership and turning them into spies.
Then eliminating another key figure and converting them as well?
Does this even make sense?
Under normal circumstances, absolutely not.
Even Seong hadn’t expected it to work.
It was a strategy he had devised on the spot.
But as a consequence, the enemy’s vigilance had reached its peak.
While it might have worked on others—
“The First Assassination Division’s commander, the spider beastkin Raktila, is soone we won’t be able to handle alone.”
“……Of course……not.”
Silberion, who had initially spoken informally, now switched to formal speech.
Considering everything Seong had done so far and the sheer power he had displayed, it was only natural.
Seong didn’t pay it much mind and instead focused on forming a plan.
Should they wait for the main force to arrive?
The enemy was on high alert.
What strategy would be the best counterasure?
Countless thoughts ran through his mind.
“……Honestly, you’re handling everything so well that I don’t even have anything to contribute.”
At this point, Silberion wasn’t even embarrassed.
Even though Seong had his subordinates fighting with him, those subordinates were his power.
He was a necromancer, after all.
In other words, Seong alone had turned the fortress into its current disastrous state.
Silberion found himself at a complete loss.
Be it in strength or strategy—
Seong surpassed him in everything.
That was why—
“If you issue an order, I will carry it out.”
He had fully acknowledged Seong as the commander of the special assault force.
After making that declaration, Seong fell into thought, looking toward the fortress walls in the distance.
More soldiers were gathering.
Among them, he spotted Raktila, the First Assassination Division’s commander, radiating an overwhelming presence.
Even if he summoned an undead army, they’d be wiped out in no ti.
Explosive build?
No.
That was too much of a one-ti strategy.
If he used it now, it would only raise enemy vigilance.
And if they prepared counterasures for the next ti, the strategy would lose most of its effectiveness.
That was sothing he had to avoid.
He needed to save the explosive build for when the main force arrived.
To break through the walls and carve open a path.
As Seong solidified that thought, he suddenly looked up at the fortress walls again.
“Oh.”
Why didn’t I think of this sooner?
His face reflected the realization.
Helena, intrigued, tilted her head and asked,
“Aha, did you co up with another fun idea, Seong? What is it?”
Silberion, equally curious, perked up, waiting for the command he would undoubtedly receive.
With both of them staring expectantly, Seong finally spoke.
“Hmm, actually, I just thought of sothing for Captain Silberion to do. Well, for all of us, really.”
Oh?
Everyone’s anticipation grew as they waited for his next words.
And what Seong said next was utterly unexpected.
“Let’s take a break.”
“Excuse ??????”
Silberion repeated the words in complete bewildernt.
Seeing her reaction, Helena instantly grasped Seong’s intent and let out a delighted exclamation.
“Oooh?! As expected of Seong! You’re so smart!”
What the hell is going on?
Was she the only one who didn’t understand?
Feeling restless, Silberion fidgeted, trying to piece it together.
Then, Helena flashed her a teasing, seductive smile and explained,
“The best way to lure a turtle out of its shell is to wait.”
“……Ah?!”
At last, Silberion understood.
Seong and Helena exchanged satisfied nods.
It was a solid strategy.
2.
The division commanders, having been stripped of their emotions, remained unaffected.
However, the soldiers had begun to crack.
“Those fucking bastards…!!!”
“Filthy undead sons of bitches!!!”
“Goddamn it, this war is a shitshow.”
Eventually, the frustration boiled over.
And who could bla them?
Those words were inevitable.
It had been three days.
Had the undead been launching relentless attacks the entire ti?
No.
It was the opposite.
“They only show up precisely when the supply convoys arrive, launch an attack, and then vanish before reaching the walls! Shouldn’t we go out and fight them?!”
“……”
At those words, the First Assassination Division commander, Raktila, remained silent.
He rely narrowed all eight of his eyes, scanning the wasteland near the fortress.
There was nothing.
Nothing visible, at least.
Which made it all the more unsettling.
How in the world were the undead receiving such accurate intelligence?
It was incomprehensible.
Should we go out there?
No, that wasn’t an option.
If they left the fortress, they would lose the advantage of defense and have to fight a massive undead horde head-on.
That would be the sa as giving up the war.
As frustrating as it was, staying put was the better option.
If only their supplies weren’t running dry, that would have been the obvious answer.
We’re running out of resources.
Not just war supplies.
To maintain control of the labyrinth and eliminate those who entered it, they needed materials from its depths.
But if those materials ran out, their grip on the labyrinth would slip.
anwhile, the enemy required no supplies at all—
The undead had no need for food, water, or rest.
Raktila pondered the situation, trying to determine the best course of action.
So, he turned to those whose minds worked better than his.
“Should we just stay put?”
Though his emotions had been stripped away, he was not without logic.
And at this rate, things could beco critical.
At his question, two individuals responded.
“Abandoning the advantage of defense is exactly what they want.”
“If we just wait, they’ll eventually get impatient and attack.”
At their words, Raktila nodded.
Their thoughts aligned with his own.
And given their reputations for intelligence, their judgnt was trustworthy.
So, Raktila expressed his gratitude to Shivren and Noirtein.
“Thank you. We’ll hold our ground.”
To which they responded—
“No, it’s us who should be grateful that you listened.”
“Exactly.”
Shivren and Noirtein exchanged knowing glances.
Reviews
All reviews (0)