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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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He had been ordered by the royal family to cooperate with us, and the two individuals before him were a Master and a warlock.
While he was apprehensive, with his own territory so close, he couldn’t do anything but voice his concerns.
As expected, when I calmly informed him that this was merely a notification, not a request for his input, he nodded resignedly.
‘Was I a bit too harsh?’
Perhaps I was still irritated from my encounter with the troublesome noble earlier. However, explaining myself seemed pointless.
I carried a royal decree, making me his superior, in a sense.
Moreover, I wasn’t requesting troops, so there was nothing he could do as the commander on the ground.
After resting until nightfall, Kayla and I quietly moved along the border of the duchy.
However, it wasn’t easy.
“They’re thorough, even at night.”
Patrols.
Despite the lull in fighting, the ducal soldiers were diligently patrolling the area.
House Priogaha was indeed a powerful house.
Unlike most noble houses that relied on mercenaries, their patrols were uniformly dressed.
“Regular soldiers…”
“They seem well-trained.”
While killing them wasn’t difficult, our intrusion would soon be discovered.
They seemed well-prepared.
It didn’t matter. I intended to overwhelm them with brute force anyway.
I just needed to avoid detection until we reached the other side of the territory.
I observed them and noticed there were no mana users among them.
‘This makes it easy.’
I silently cast a spell, shrouding us in darkness.
While they might have heard us otherwise, the Phantom Steeds hovered slightly above the ground, making them silent.
We weren’t moving in large numbers, there were no mana users among them, and we hadn’t approached the patrol directly, so we were able to reach the other side undetected.
Thanks to our cautious movements, we reached our destination just before sunrise.
“Kayla.”
“Yes.”
“Your target is Master Luces.”
“Yes.”
“He’s been a Master for over ten years.”
“…….”
While Kayla was exceptional, she was likely to be at a disadvantage.
Despite having only recently become a Master, she had shown remarkable adaptability, already able to manifest a stable Aura Blade.
However, she couldn’t overcome ten years of experience overnight.
“Therefore, you’re likely to be pushed back.”
“I understand.”
“I’ll provide support. Focus on defense if you feel overwhelmed.”
“Yes.”
Luces wouldn’t be able to easily defeat Kayla if she focused on defense.
She had the Armor of Vitality and the Earth Shield.
Even an Aura Blade wouldn’t easily break through them.
Especially since the user was another Master…
“Don’t engage until Luces appears.”
Kayla nodded, as if she already knew.
I summoned Entin and the undead knight order from the dimensional fragment.
Over one hundred and forty Skeleton Knights, all equipped with Skeletal Steeds and individual gear, a force rivaling that of a grand duke.
Moreover, they didn’t tire.
-We greet you, Master.
All the knights knelt before me, bowing their heads.
I gestured for them to rise, and Entin, as if waiting for my command, his blue eyes glowing, asked,
-Is it our turn?
“Yes.”
I said calmly,
“Conquest. Kill anyone who resists.”
I would kill as many as possible and raise them as undead.
Regular soldiers, mercenaries, or even civilians, it didn’t matter.
Even those who didn’t resist weren’t guaranteed survival.
That depended on Viscount Präfan.
Entin let out a chilling roar.
He mounted his Skeletal Steed and raised his lance, and over one hundred and forty Skeleton Knights followed suit.
With Entin leading the charge, they surged forward, as if unleashing pent-up energy.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
The Skeletal Steeds, tireless, charged at full speed.
Each knight had bound their steed to themselves, achieving perfect unity between rider and mount, and the undead knight order galloped across the land at terrifying speed.
“W-what?!”
“Attack! We’re under attack!”
“How… from this direction…? Could it be… betrayal…!”
The nearby scouts were momentarily stunned, but they quickly fired signal flares.
“U-undead!”
“We’re doomed! Flee! Back to the main castle!”
The scouts were all light cavalry.
Lightly equipped and agile. Therefore, fast.
Having alerted others with the signal flares, their only objective was to escape with their lives.
However, the undead knight order was even faster.
The distance between them closed rapidly.
“W-what’s with that speed…!”
While they were undoubtedly fast, the undead knight order was faster.
Each Skeletal Steed was magically enhanced.
Moreover, the knights’ horsemanship, having achieved perfect unity with their mounts, was superior to the scouts’.
Entin, at the vanguard, caught up to the rear of the scouts and raised his lance.
Aaargh!
Human screams echoed through the dawn sky.
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While we had eliminated the scouts, our intrusion had been discovered.
However, since none had survived, they were unaware of our numbers or the fact that we were undead.
Therefore, I intended to eliminate anyone who came to investigate.
Though, we couldn’t hide it for long.
And I intended to inflict as much damage as possible in the meantime.
Thanks to the element of surprise, we were able to quickly advance through the duchy.
We swiftly crushed a village that had tried to resist, and eliminated the scouts who came to investigate after the initial patrol failed to report back.
I raised the slain as undead, quickly amassing an army.
“Our numbers grow with every battle. It would be truly terrifying if you were the enemy.”
“They’re just a large number, though.”
“But with your strengthening, Master, they’re stronger than most mercenaries or soldiers.”
“Indeed. And I can maintain them indefinitely, within a certain limit.”
I was far more dangerous than a necromancer of the same level.
While I couldn’t fight forever, my mental fortitude being finite, I could engage in prolonged battles that would exhaust any human.
However, it was difficult to control them individually, so without Commander-type undead, they could only charge blindly.
But undead knew no fear.
Therefore, it compensated for their shortcomings.
As Kayla said, I would be a terrifying enemy.
The best strategy against me would be for a small group of powerful individuals to target me directly…
‘But I’m prepared for that.’
I had Kayla, and I could instantly establish a temporary base and defend myself.
I had also prepared basic defensive magic.
I summoned Boledi, the Lich, and assigned him to Entin, saying,
“Capture a castle as quickly as possible.”
-We’ll have to clear a path.
“You and the knight order will lead the vanguard. I’ll follow with the main force. When you find a castle, don’t attack it directly. Sweep the surrounding villages first.”
While they were likely empty, there might be stragglers.
Unfortunately, I needed to be ruthless until we captured the first castle.
-As you command.
Entin led his knight order and Boledi, galloping through the territory.
I followed with the main force.
‘I wonder if they’ve realized yet.’
They would likely know by now that they were facing a necromancer’s undead army, not ordinary soldiers or a betrayal.
Though, the news probably hadn’t reached the ducal castle yet.
A messenger would be on his way.
I intended to conquer as many castles as possible in the meantime.
‘There were eleven castles, right?’
It was a scale comparable to a small kingdom, not just a duchy.
It showed the extent of House Priogaha’s power.
‘At least two, three if possible.’
If we captured that many, they would be forced to mobilize their full force against us.
‘A direct confrontation…’
It wouldn’t be easy, but it wasn’t impossible.
I transformed the piles of corpses left by Entin into Skeletons and Zombies, and combined multiple corpses to create several Draugr and Bone Golems.
I focused on maximizing their size and strength.
We reached the first castle before the day was over.
As soon as we arrived, a man, presumably the castellan, shouted from the castle walls, looking down at our army,
“Who goes there! What brazen fool dares attack the great House Priogaha?!”
My undead army numbered over two thousand.
They radiated an ominous aura, amplified by Aura of Death, and the massive Bone Golems and Draugr added to their intimidating presence, yet the man remained defiant.
‘He must be relying on the priests.’
I sensed a large number of humans with divine power within the castle.
It was a castle, after all. And House Priogaha, allied with the Goddess Religion, had rebelled, so naturally, every castle would have a temple.
“Answer me! Is it the royal family? Has the royal family finally joined forces with those filthy warlocks…?”
I had no interest in conversing with a soon-to-be corpse.
I ordered the undead to approach the gate, and the castellan, seeing them approach, ordered his archers and mages to attack.
Whoosh! Bang! Boom!
Dozens of undead fell, but they quickly rose and continued their advance.
The castellan’s face contorted. Arrows were deadly to humans, but meaningless against undead. Magic was effective, but they quickly regenerated, rendering it useless as well.
Moreover, there were surprisingly few archers and mages.
‘The mages seem incompetent as well.’
Only two or three spells were being cast, and they were weak.
“Keep attacking! A necromancer’s magic isn’t unlimited! Priests, bestow as many blessings as you can! Focus on the large golem and the zombies!”
While there was a moat, it was meaningless.
A horizontal wall, creating a bridge.
Entin seemed eager to join the fray, but it wasn’t his turn yet.
The priests’ divine magic targeted the Bone Golems and Draugr.
Having focused on size and strength, their durability was lower, requiring protection.
Darkness enveloped their massive bodies.
The divine magic struck the curtain, but it didn’t budge.
The priests’ faces hardened.
They would have realized I wasn’t an ordinary necromancer, considering the size of my army, but they likely hadn’t anticipated me casually negating their divine magic.
Ignoring their continued attacks, the undead reached the gate, and the strength-enhanced Bone Golems and Draugr began to batter it down.
While the gate itself was sturdy, it couldn’t withstand the relentless assault of the massive, strength-enhanced undead.
Crack!
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Thanks for the chappie!