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The building was already in the midst of chaos when the party “Bell of Dawn” visited the guardhouse.
“Hey there, mister. I thought you might be missing my face.”
“Oh, Eladio! Welcome!!”
When the Fighter, Eladio, called out to him, Manfred, the captain of the guards, greeted the four adventurers gratefully, almost leaping into the air with all his might.
“Bell of Dawn” was an Adept Level Adventurer Party, based in the royal city of Ciel-Terra, Terra Ruale. The party was led by Eladio, a fighter, and consisted of a thief, a priest, and a magician, an all-too-typical, and conversely rare, configuration. Although it was ideal to have both a priest and a magician, it is very difficult to have both, because it is very difficult to find people who can use magic at a level that is sufficient to work as an adventurer.
“Bell of Dawn” was not only a skilled party, but also a reliable and trustworthy one.
They were often asked to assist in criminal investigations by the guards, and they sometimes took down criminals that the guards would be unable to stop.
“I heard something about an Undead attack.”
“Yes, that’s right. I heard that one of the executed became an Undead.”
“Undead can vary widely, can’t they? What came out? I even heard some stupid rumor that Dullahan appeared.”
Pierre said with a disgusted look on his face.
Pierre, the Thief, was the youngest at just over 20 years old. He behaved like a child, even with his superiors and elders, but he was a skilled thief and listened to Eladio’s advice.
“I don’t know. The information is still confusing…”
“That’s not very helpful.”
Manfred looked apologetic to Pierre, who sighed, but he was the one who wanted to sigh.
“There was probably at least a knight on the scene. Couldn’t they at least take out one of the Undead?”
“It should be, but … there’s no word on whether he escaped.”
“A knight is a knight, after all. There’s no Undead strong enough to take those guys…”
Crossing his arms, Eladio pondered.
“What do you think, old man?”
“Well, well…”
An old man with a long staff and a white beard wearing a hat nodded with his head.
Magician. Real name unknown. Commonly known as Old Man. Not even Eladio knew his name. He gave the impression of being a friendly, good-natured old man, but he was somewhat mysterious. However, he had been a friend of Eladio’s for 10 years, and was an important colleague.
“It is hard to imagine that such powerful Undead could spontaneously emerge from an executed corpse…, but it is possible if a curse had been placed on the corpse beforehand. It’s the fault of the Knights for executing them without noticing.”
The old man’s tone was unusually condescending and harsh.
“I understand. So it could have happened, right?”
“Hmmm, but Dullahan is adept level at best, and we can probably handle it.”
“Well…, let’s just assume a Dullahan is out there and act accordingly. Okay?”
“Mm-hmm.”
“Of course.”
The last to respond was Visa, a priest. He was a priest serving the God of Hearth and Fire, a serious-looking priest with piercing eyes.
Although he wore vestments, he had the physique of a fighter, and his mace-like tin staff was also a blunt weapon. He was especially effective against the Undead, and with Visa’s power, he could destroy two dozen skeletons without magic.
“Poor thing, who has died and still does not rest in the lap of God. It must be destroyed as soon as possible so that it will not suffer any more.”
Visa said with the same seriousness he displayed on the outside.
The Undead are often thought of as objects to be hated and destroyed (even by the clergy), but to someone like Visa, who knew better, they were something to be pitied.
“Whatever it is, the problem is that there is panic. People running away are falling over one another, and even if monster does nothing, there’s casualties.”
Manfred looked weak.
No matter how much the guards tried to stop them, the panicked crowd would not understand. The threat of the monsters alone is unbearable, but to have people die at their own fault is unbearable.
“Hmmm. It’s impossible to call on everyone in town, but if I come across a random person, I’ll cast ≪Calm≫ on them.”
“Please do that, old man.”
As Eladio said that, a lone guard rushed into the office.
“We’ve got a location! West Main Street!”
“All right! I’ll lead the elite out. Eladio, as usual, I’m afraid I’m going to have to pay for this later…”
“Don’t worry about it. But if it’s Dullahan, you better start throwing money at me!”
“Of course.”
Manfred left in a hurry to call his men.
“… Execution, huh. What do you think of it today?”
Once Manfred had left the room, the old man blurted out.
The way he said it, without asking anyone, was directed at all of them.
“It’s barbaric. I doubt it was necessary to go this far.”
Visa condemned it once and for all. He was a believer in goodness and justice, and this was something that should not have happened.
“Is that so? If the question is if it’s cruel or not, I’d say it’s cruel. Everyone had their own opinions about the Federation and the pro-Federation king. It’s only natural that the queen and her daughter ended up like this, isn’t it?”
Visa and Eladio were drifters, and the old man’s origins were unknown, but Pierre was born in the country.
Pierre laughed sarcastically with his hands folded behind his head.
“You two aren’t even soldiers.”
“Same old, same old. What about all those people who have been tragically picked off by the Federation? How many people have died? Meanwhile, those two people who were living comfortably on the country’s money…”
“You talk as if you really knew that…”
“Stop, old man. That’s enough, Pierre.”
Eladio warned the old man. Today the old man seemed to be more emotional than ever.
“Rather than worrying about today’s affairs, I’m more concerned about whether or not we can continue working. For example, I’d be worried if they cut off Manfred’s head because he’s an official from the previous king’s time.”
” That’s true, but that’s not going to happen.”
Eladio carefully avoided giving his opinion on the execution.
When there were differences of opinion among the members, it was not desirable for the leader to take sides.
Just then Manfred returned, much to Eladio’s relief.
“Sorry to keep you waiting. I’m counting on you…”
“Yeah.”
After exchanging a short word, the two men fist-bumped each other.
＊ ＊ ＊
The “Bell of Dawn” ran through the city with the elite of the guards, as the screams of the people flew.
“There it is!”
A guard ahead of them shouted out.
Many people were lying on the ground at the intersection ahead of them. Some were mangled, others were charred to a crisp.
In the center of them stood a girl.
No, could it even be called a girl?
Beautiful silver hair, silver eyes. Her skin was like the petals of a white rose, a local special flower found in Ciel-Terra.
Her body was wrapped in a rag resembling a cloak, on which was engraved a rose emblem that seemed to have been drawn with human blood.
With her right hand she held a bright red sword, seemingly made of solidified blood, and with her left hand she held her own head.
“Oi, seriously, a Dullahan…!”
“Oh…!”
Pierre cursed, and the old man sounded impressed.
“≪Consecration≫!”
Visa casted a holy spell. Light radiated from his staff, and everyone’s equipment began to glow with a pale light.
“All right guys! You’re safe now! The blessed swords will defeat any Undead, and the shields and armor will hold off any attacks! Do not be afraid! Don’t show your back, it’s dangerous! Worst case scenario, hold on until the Knights are mobilized!”
“””Ayeee!!”””
Eladio shouted in encouragement, and the guards around him responded.
They had already drawn their swords and attacked the undead girl.
“Take the lead!”
Manfred led the way.
He was a captain of the Royal Guard, and if he had been an adventurer, he would have been an adept. He usually did desk work and simple criminal investigations, but when it came to rough stuff, he was as good as a seasoned adventurer.
However.
“Eh…?”
Eladio could not believe what was happening before his eyes.
The instant the girl swung the crimson blade with a dancing motion.
Like a bundle of straw used for sword practice, Manfred was sliced clean through.
Manfred’s sword, shield, armor, and body were all cut to pieces without any resistance.
The next two or three men were also dismembered, and the surviving guards kept their distance.
“Visa! Is ≪Consecration≫ really applied!?”
“It’s there! But then… why!?”
Visa shouted back in confusion.
≪Consecration≫ is a holy magic spell that grants blessings to the targeted item or person.
As Eladio had said, the blessed armor would be highly effective against the Undead.
It was supposed to make the Undead’s attacks ineffective, and make it easier to penetrate even the toughest of opponents.
Of course, anyone with a high enough level could easily penetrate that defense with a single strike, but…
–But wait a minute! He wasn’t a countryside vigilante, even without the ≪Consecration≫, he had the proper equipment! What kind of weapon can pierce through that!?
“…≪Holy Arrow≫!”
Visa released a holy magic attack.
An arrow of light was conjured from the staff and rushed toward the undead girl, branching out into many arrows.
A very easy-to-use magic attack. It was effective against monsters and even more so against the undead.
But the girl glanced at it and accepted it… completely defenseless.
The light burst out.
Holes appeared in the cloak-like rag, making it even more tattered.
Beneath it, the girl’s skin, resembling flower petals, was scorched.
But it regenerated itself like time had turned back.
“Impossible!”
“This amount of damage is no problem, huh…”
The girl patted her body as if to confirm something.
It was not so unusual for the Undead to have the ability to regenerate. But how could it be that one could take a direct hit from holy magic and remain unperturbed?
–What the…! What level of Undead is this!
The girl pointed her sword at the astonished Eladio, or rather at Eladio and the others, and chanted something.
“≪Pain Whip≫”
Several streaks of dark-colored lightning gushed from the girl’s arm.
Ah, he thought, and then the dark-colored lightning hit Visa.
Pierre avoided the magic barrage that flew toward him, but the dark-colored lightning made a sharp turn in mid-air and pierced his back.
Only Eladio, who had been delayed because of his heavy armor, and the old man, who had fallen backward, were out of range and safe.
“Aaaghgghhhhhh!!”
“Ughhhhh!?”
After having their whole bodies stirred in agony, they both collapsed.
With expressions of anguish plastered on their faces and the whites of their eyes peeling back, they were dead.
At the same time, several screams went up.
The lightning that had branched off in the air had struck and killed the guards as well.
“Hmmm, this can still kill. I guess there is a way to fight while saving energy with low-grade magic.”
The girl’s carefree evaluation of her own actions was frightening to Eladio.
≪”Pain Whip”≫.
Eladio knew about this magic. A magic that caused extreme pain through the power of a curse. The pain caused even Eladio to cry out, and it ranked high on his personal list of magic that he never wanted to experience again.
However, its main purpose was to limit the actions of the victim due to the pain. How much magic power would it take to inflict pain to the point of shock and instantaneous death?
–Damn…! Pierre! Visa…!
A Dullahan with such high magical power and control of magic.
Eladio had never heard of such a thing.
“Old man… do you have any idea what kind of Dullahan uses magic? A higher species or something?”
Eladio asked, holding his sword at the ready so as not to take his eyes off the girl who was approaching him step by step.
He never received an answer.
“… Old man?”
“You are the spitting image of your mother. You have become so beautiful. The old man cannot help feeling sorry for you.”
The old man stepped forward with his cane at the ready. The girl’s steps never stopped.
“… Lady René. May you rest in peace! ≪Cleansing Fire≫!”
The old man’s cane erupted with flames.
≪Cleansing Fire≫. A high-level fire attribute magic spell that is highly effective against the undead and other unholy creatures, and can even damage spirits.
The huge flames that seem to have been created with all of the magic power that one could possibly devote to it filled up the view and rushed toward the undead girl.
However.
“≪Blizzard≫”
“Gyaaaaa!!”
“Old man!”
The flames were easily consumed and blown away by the storm of freezing icicles.
The ice magic was directed at the old man with such force that it tore apart his body and turned him into icy minced meat.
“I see, magic of opposite attribute can offset each other and can kill while defending… Eh, but, wind and earth are also opposite attributes, aren’t they? Earth attribute magic often seems to be physical in nature, so I wonder if wind could really cancel out earth magic. There is even a sandstorm spell, I wonder how that works in theory…”
The girl was analyzing her battle, mumbling to herself.
It seemed too leisurely for the battlefield, but, then again, this is just the attitude of a powerful individual.
“Well, this guy is a little better equipped. Can I cut him properly?”
“Hi!”
The girl looked at Eladio, who was finally alone.
Holding her own head in one hand and a bloody sword in the other, she came toward him.
Eladio shivered, just as he had when he first encountered goblins in his early days as an adventurer.
“Don’t show your back, it’s dangerous … Don’t show your back…”
Eladio repeated his own words as though they were a spell.
A scarlet flash.
“Don’t…show…your…”
“Oh, yes, perfect.”
Blood foam spilled from Eladio’s mouth. In just a moment, the girl had stepped into a position close to Eladio and thrust her sword deep into him.
The girl skewered Eladio’s stomach through the orichalcum armor and swung the red sword directly upward without any resistance, cutting Eladio in half.
