“What is this…!”
Crash!
The legion soldiers appeared beyond the crumbling wall.
At this, the guards tensed and surrounded Empress Sister.
“What is this nonsense! Drop your weapons and retreat!”
“Captain! Those bastards, their eyes are strange!”
Despite the harsh warning, the legion soldiers didn’t drop their weapons; they advanced even closer.
Indeed, there was no trace of reasoning in their eyes, and their movements were unnatural, as if they were being controlled by someone.
‘They’ve been brainwashed by magic.’
Most likely, the cause was the traditional elf alcohol.
The soldiers must have been consistently drinking it for five years, brainwashing them over time.
Does this mean the soldiers won’t surrender, and they’ll continue charging, even risking death?
The situation was escalating much more severely than I had anticipated.
“Count! It’s dangerous!”
“…!?”
At that moment, one of the legion soldiers bypassed the defense line formed by the guards and lunged at them.
Yuri blocked them in front.
With swift movements, Yuri disarmed the soldier, twisted their arm to make them kneel, and was about to strike down with her sword aimed at the soldier’s neck.
“Sylvia… Ugh!!!”
Just as I was about to call out Sylvia’s name in surprise.
Without needing to be told, Sylvia, as if she knew exactly what I was about to command, pulled the sword from my mouth and dashed towards Yuri.
Just as Yuri’s blade was about to sever the soldier’s neck, Sylvia barely managed to extend her blade and block it.
Then, she struck the soldier’s hilt, knocking them out cold.
“W-why?”
“Look carefully. Do those soldiers seem like they’re moving of their own will?”
“Ah…!?”
Yuri’s gaze shifted toward the legion soldiers.
Then, as if realizing something, Yuri’s mouth slowly opened.
If Yuri had struck down the soldier, realizing that they weren’t moving of their own will but were being controlled, she would have been overwhelmed with guilt and suffered a huge mental blow.
It was obvious she would regret it later, so I couldn’t let it happen.
I picked up the sword that had dropped from Yuri’s hands, still in shock, and spoke to the captain of the guards, who was facing off with the legion soldiers.
“Captain. From now on, I will take command of the guards.”
“W-what!? Count, are you out of your mind?”
“Follow the words of Count Vermont, Captain. This is the secret guard that I mentioned before.”
“Y-Yes…!?”
“You and your men haven’t drunk that alcohol, have you?”
“Y-Yes. We didn’t even touch it.”
After a brief moment of confusion, the captain quickly switched to formal speech.
It seemed that, as expected of the guards, they hadn’t partaken in the alcohol even in the festive atmosphere.
That was a relief. If I had to face the entire 4th Legion turning against us and the guards as well, there would have been no hope.
‘They’ve tampered with the alcohol.’
Before long, the noblemen who had drunk it were quietly closing their eyes and collapsing, asleep.
They had only drunk a few cups, but it was enough to make them fall unconscious.
Just then, Reinhardt drew his sword and stepped forward.
“These bastards! How dare you aim swords at my sister!? Surrender at once!”
“…”
“Goddamn it! Sister! Take cover! I’ll hold them off!”
“As General Reinhardt said, we should retreat for now, Your Majesty.”
“But how could we possibly hold out against so many soldiers…!”
Compared to the legion charging in, the guards and Reinhardt looked pitiful.
Just as Empress Sister was about to step forward with her sword drawn, the ground shook, and skeleton soldiers began to emerge from the underground.
“An undead legion too!?”
“Ah, that’s our army, Your Majesty.”
“What…?”
“Grandpa skeletons! Please stop those people with swords! Try not to let anyone get hurt!”
“Clack!”
[The Evil God ‘Kali’ sheds tears, moved by our necromancer’s pure heart.]
In response to Julia’s command, the skeleton soldiers lined up next to the guards and Reinhardt.
While their numbers couldn’t compare to the legion, at least they were enough to block the path completely.
That was enough. No matter how many undead soldiers were defeated, they would keep regenerating, holding the enemy’s legs.
“Your Majesty, is there a safe place?”
“I do have a panic room in my bedroom…”
“We’ll head there immediately. Sylvia! Yuri! Provide cover!”
“W-wait! We can’t just leave them behind…! Ugh!”
As Empress Sister staggered forward, her face contorting in pain.
Was she being affected by the magic from the alcohol she had drunk earlier?
Even when she tried to walk, her legs seemed to give way and wouldn’t cooperate.
I decided to have Sylvia carry Empress Sister and immediately head toward the bedroom.
“Hahaha! I’ll subdue them without a scratch!”
“Eh!? That’s impossible!”
“Captain! I’m not asking you to not kill them, but I just can’t bring myself to kill my own subordinates!”
“Ah, this isn’t… Captain… and I can’t just leave Reinhardt behind…”
Empress Sister muttered with a heavy voice as she struggled to lift her eyelids.
For now, I had to trust the undead legion and protect Empress Sister first.
If anything happened to her, not only would I be in danger, but the Empire would fall into chaos with no successor.
“Damn it… I should be joining in too…”
“What are you talking about with that body? Stop talking nonsense and worry about your own safety.”
“Ah, Aslan! Soldiers behind you!”
At Julia’s urgent voice, I turned my head.
Through the opposite corridor, I could see more legion soldiers charging in.
This is madness.
They’re pouring in without end.
Just as I wondered how I was going to block them.
With a loud crash, a huge shape, colored like mud, broke through the wall and flew toward us.
“Dirt-Dirt! You came!”
[Kyaaah! Came? You forced me here! Damn brat! If you keep doing this, I’ll never come again!!!]
“Please stop those soldiers from getting to us! I’ll bake you a cake if you do…!”
[Kyaaah! Do you think I’m that easy? You drag me here and think I’ll work for a cake?!]
“I’ll make you a chocolate cake!”
[It’s been a while, should I finally show some strength!!!]
The moment Charlotte mentioned a chocolate cake and barged in, Dirt-Dirt suddenly changed, blocking the corridor.
In an instant, the wide hallway was filled with the large, brown form of Dirt-Dirt, leaving no gaps in sight.
How reassuring, Dirt-Dirt!
“There… Press your hand against the door behind that wardrobe…”
Upon reaching the bedroom, Empress Sister weakly pointed to the wardrobe.
I hurriedly opened it and began pulling out the clothes stuffed inside.
Light, fluttering garments flew everywhere.
Apparently, when she’s alone in her bedroom, she wears such cute clothes unexpectedly.
Once all the clothes were pulled out, a thick iron door appeared.
Empress Sister extended her hand, and as she lightly touched the door, a barrier responded, glowing brightly.
“It’s open!”
Finally, the iron door creaked open. I quickly ushered Empress Sister inside.
Just as I thought we were safe, I noticed that she was gasping for breath, and something didn’t seem right.
“Ugh! Hahhh…”
“Your Majesty, are you alright?”
“Goddamn it. It doesn’t feel like poison, but this is… strange.”
“It’s likely magic. The alcohol you just drank is being used as a medium to distort and control your internal mana.”
“My mana…? Then, does this mean it could kill me!? Damn it! I need to extract this corrupted mana right now!”
“Y-Your Majesty!”
Suddenly, Empress Sister drew a dagger and was about to stab herself.
In a panic, I grabbed her hand and took the dagger from her.
When my weak strength subdued her, Empress Sister made an expression as if annoyed.
“What if I end up dying because of this…?”
“I have a way to dispel the magic. If it doesn’t work, then it wouldn’t be too late to stab yourself and physically extract the mana.”
“Alright… Whatever it is, just try it…”
Looking defeated, Empress Sister slumped against me.
Though I spoke confidently about having a solution, I myself wasn’t certain.
It was a method using my skill, which hadn’t been fully verified yet.
‘Due to the influence of Neomium embedded in my body, I can push mana out of the surrounding area. If I use this…’
The skill, “Touch of Death,” pushes mana away.
And after researching with Julia, I learned that I can control the intensity and point of activation of “Touch of Death”.
So, what would happen if I activated this skill at maximum output inside a person’s body?
Theoretically, I could expel all the mana inside a person’s body.
If that maximum output is strong enough to push the mana through the skin and make it escape, then I could expel all the mana, including the corrupted mana, from Empress Sister’s body.
“Your Majesty, I beg your pardon.”
“Ugh…”
The only area I could select as the point of activation for the skill was very close to my own body.
So, I unbuttoned Empress Sister’s clothes and placed my hand on her chest, which was damp with sweat.
For a moment, I thought it was her back, but I quickly realized that I had indeed placed my hand on her chest.
‘Focus. If I fail this, Empress Sister’s beautiful body will be scarred.’
The point of activation was near Empress Sister’s heart.
And the output was set far beyond what I had previously tested, aiming for a level that far surpassed the highest output I had tried during my research.
There was no room for hesitation now.
The moment I activated “Touch of Death”, black flashes erupted from my body, and the area around me quickly became a mana vacuum.
Just then, an opaque window appeared before me.
[You have greatly expanded the understanding and application of the skill “Touch of Death.”]
[“Touch of Death” is evolving.]
As the skill evolved, I felt my senses sharpening rapidly.
What I had once only approximated, I now could precisely target the heart.
Moreover, the output skyrocketed to the point where it could easily overwhelm even Dirt-Dirt, a lower spirit, if necessary.
“Is it done?”
I quickly stopped the skill and withdrew my hand.
By now, Empress Sister had closed her eyes and was breathing heavily, in a typical mana exhaustion state. There was no sign of pain like before.
I had succeeded in expelling all the corrupted mana caused by the magic.
‘Skill window.’
[Skill Window]
[Touch of Death -> Black Magic]
[Active Skill]
[Pushes away mana that serves as the source of magic. Allows for precise control with a delicate touch.]
[The Evil God ‘Kali’ praises you for awakening Black Magic!]
Black Magic.
The very power Aslan Vermont had longed for in the original story.
It was now in my hands.
