Chapter : 58

“Move the dead bodies quickly-! We need to burn all the corpses-!”

“Don’t stop, dig the pits first. There’s no time to slack off. If we delay, we’ll all die-!”

The mercenary captains and knights shouted, veins popping on their necks.

They couldn't feel at ease at all because of the strange things they had experienced since entering this godforsaken forest.

A path that suddenly disappeared.

Undead that suddenly appeared.

And even the corpses of their subordinates who had suddenly resurrected as the dead.

The experience in this godforsaken forest was truly terrible. Thanks to that, the mercenary captains who had set out to subdue the bandits with Count Bozen were all regretting it.

‘Damn it. I should have just stayed at the banquet and drank. What is this….’

He had jumped to the forefront to make a good impression, only to be struck by a bolt from the blue.

He should have followed the industry's adage that you should never take the lead in a job you're not getting paid for....

“This is really sickening.”

“Are we even sure we can get out of this forest? What is Count Bozen doing?”

“Shh, shh. Be quiet. A slip of the tongue and your head will fly.”

“Aish…. Was it our fault? Damn it.”

With the situation like this, it was only natural for morale to plummet.

On top of that, Count Bozen was in a rage, without a single thought for his own fault.

“It would be easier if we just died. Dammit.”

“I know. What kind of monster is this that doesn’t die? We have to burn it to even have a chance of catching it.”

But the most terrifying thing was the undead themselves.

A monster of the dead that wouldn't die no matter how many times you cut it.

And were there a few of them?

The undying things just kept pushing forward, driving them mad. It was a good thing this was a forest with plenty of branches to burn. If not for that….

“Ugh, damn it.”

The mercenary captains squeezed their eyes shut as if they had imagined something truly terrible.

And the knights, including Count Bozen, were well aware of this situation.

“What in the world are we supposed to do?”

“……”

“Is there a way? To get out of this forest.”

“I apologize, My Lord.”

“This is driving me crazy! All you can say is you’re sorry.”

Count Bozen snapped in frustration, but the knights were just as frustrated. No matter how much they thought, they couldn't see a way.

The paths in the forest changed from moment to moment.

A path that had been open just a moment ago would disappear if you looked away for a second. It was enough to make a ghost wail, but what could they do?

This is why they should have listened to the serfs who had warned them not to follow the bandits when they fled here.

But they had already entered the cursed forest, and it was too late for regrets.

“Alright, alright. Then let’s try to solve the problem right in front of us first.”

Count Bozen said, taking a deep breath after a long sigh.

“That, the monster that caused us so much damage.”

“You mean the ‘Death Knight’.”

“Yes, that ‘Death Knight’. Is there a way to deal with that thing?”

A moment of silence fell at Count Bozen's words.

The ‘Death Knight’ who had single-handedly led the charge and slaughtered the mercenaries when the undead attacked.

A few of his knights had stepped up to defeat it, but they had been defeated, suffering serious injuries instead.

It was impossible to stop it as it protected its entire body with sturdy armor and wielded a sword overflowing with sinister black energy.

And even when they managed to jam a sword through a gap in its armor and sever its limbs, it would, as an undead, immediately get back up and continue its slaughter.

It was a truly terrifying being that they never wanted to face again.

“I-I’ve heard that if you have a consecrated weapon, you can defeat it.”

“Or a weapon with the mystery of magic, as well, My Lord.”

“Then doesn't that mean there's no way right now?”

Who would carry such a precious weapon around? It wasn’t even an important battle. Count Bozen let out a sigh.

Then a knight quickly offered an opinion.

“My Lord. Still, those wicked things can be purified by fire. Let’s bring it down, capture it, and purify it with fire.”

“By what means do you plan to bring it down?”

“You have us, do you not? The five of us knights will face it. We will bring it down one way or another, so you just need to finish it with fire.”

“Umm…. Then the honor….”

Everyone looked sour at the knight's proposal. No matter that it was a monster, for knights to attack it together without honor.

And it wasn't even a monster like an ogre or a troll; the ‘Death Knight’ looked more like a human knight, so the shame was even greater.

“Hmph. Our lives are at stake, is honor that important now? Besides, isn’t that thing a monster? An undead.”

“That’s true, but….”

“It’s more of a disgrace to come out to subdue bandits only to die a dog’s death. Let’s think about surviving first.”

Only then did the Count and knights, realizing why they were going through this ordeal, blush.

To have come out to catch bandits and be in this situation was a truly shameful thing.

“Fine.”

In the end, Count Bozen had no choice but to accept the knight's proposal.

It was better than a dog's death.

That's why he shouted with more determination than ever before.

“I will take full responsibility for this. If any dishonor arises from this, it will be my responsibility alone.”

“Ooh-! My Lord.”

And as they were strengthening their resolve.

“My Lord! An army is coming-!”

A messenger came running like an arrow from behind.

“What? An army? Is it an undead army!”

“We must prepare for battle.”

“Yes, let's do our best.”

Then the messenger said with a flustered expression.

“No. It is a friendly army.”

“A friendly army?”

“Yes-! His Excellency, Margrave Bellua, has come here leading an army. We are saved-! Your Excellency.”

“????????????”

* * *

“Thank you.... for your help, Margrave Bellua.”

“Not at all, my lord. It is only natural for brothers in the same faith to help each other. Are you hurt anywhere?”

“Ahem, thanks to your help.”

Count Bozen, having some sense of shame, was not so stiff-necked in front of me.

“By the way, the damage seems to have been greater than I thought. I suppose it's to be expected since the undead attacked.”

I said, looking around.

There were wounded soldiers everywhere. To the point where there wasn't a single person who was whole.

Everyone had at least one small wound. That must mean the undead of the forest had attacked fiercely.

“What? Does that mean Your Excellency, the Margrave, also encountered the undead?”

“?”

As I was thinking that, the knights next to me asked in surprise.

“Is that something to be so surprised about? Of course we did.”

“Th-then how do you look so unharmed.... Ah, no, I don't mean to wish you harm.”

The knight, realizing he had misspoken, hastily made an excuse. I chuckled at the knight and replied.

“You don't have to make excuses. You mean that we seem to have no damage despite being attacked by the undead, right?”

“Th-that's right.”

“Do I not have the great sage of the forest with me?”

“Ah-!”

Only then did Count Bozen and the knights let out a sigh of understanding.

If they had a magician like that, they certainly could have defeated them without much damage.

Nevertheless, there was a lingering question.

The ‘Death Knight’.

That was not something that could be easily defeated, even with a great sage. Could it be that they hadn't encountered it?

But the faces of Count Bozen and the knights, who heard my answer, were filled with astonishment.

“The Death Knight? Ah, you mean the undead knight that was emitting that black energy?”

“Th-that's right. You met him, then, Margrave-!”

“I did. We ran into him right after we first entered.”

“No, did you defeat him, by any chance?”

“Hmm?”

“Well, of course we defeated him, otherwise how would we have come to you?”

“You defeated him?”

Why are these people making such a fuss? I couldn't understand and tilted my head.

“May I ask how you defeated him? Did the great sage there help you?”

“The great sage? No. He was far away at the time, so I fought him alone. I just grabbed my sword like this and swung it hard, and he died with a thud.”

“????????????????????”

Then, at my words, everyone's jaw dropped in astonishment. Just like Magician Agpiel a little while ago.

“He didn't seem as tough as his reputation. Huh? What's wrong?”

It was a truly incomprehensible matter.

* * *

Anyway, despite the twists and turns, Count Bozen's army and I were able to safely escape the cursed forest.

The soldiers had suffered so much in the forest that for a moment, they were all busy praising God and making the sign of the cross.

Of course, the command, with their complicated adult affairs, had other thoughts.

Wasn't it a dishonorable thing to become a noble who was foolishly beaten in a cursed forest while chasing after mere bandits?

Thanks to that, we began to appropriately package this adventure(?) into a plausible achievement.

Count Bozen, who had ignored the warnings and entered the cursed forest, was a faithful lord and knight who had invaded upon hearing rumors of undead there, and the mercenary captains were honorable men who had willingly rushed towards danger.

To those who knew the truth, this situation would have been a huge laughingstock, but in fact, I couldn't escape this packaging either.

“Meeeeeeh-! Praise the Lord-nimu-! He is the Excellency who defeated the Death Knight by performing a miracle of exorcism-! Meeeeeeh!”

“Ooooh-! The knight of faith, indeed!”

“A true performer of miracles.”

“Oh God, why did you show me such a saint so late in my life.”

Upon returning to the banquet hall with Count Bozen, everyone was shouting such things and cheering.

No matter how many times I said it wasn't true, the rumor had already spread so firmly that it was useless.

And the special envoy from the Holy See was even misinterpreting my words as a humble expression.

“Why in the world….”

All of a sudden, I had become a saint who had suddenly received a miracle and purified the ‘Death Knight’.

In this absurd mess, I felt my mind go blank with a sigh.

“This is better, so just stay quiet.”

“Pardon?”

“Isn't it better to say you shattered the ‘Death Knight’ with a miracle than to say you defeated it with brute force?”

“Isn't that a lie, Magician Agpiel.”

Then Magician Agpiel shrugged.

“A lie? Strictly speaking, doesn't your strength also come from a god's blessing? Even if it is a heretic goddess. Hahaha.”

“Ugh.... Never mind. Aish….”

Truly, better to die than to suffer.

My head was throbbing.

But what could I do? The deed was already done.

‘I’ll have to pray that there are no problems at the Holy See.’

In the end, I had no choice but to accept it, thinking this.