Chapter 28 “The Guiding of Faith” – (2)
(I)
Although it was a small city with a population of less than 10,000, Rielli was a proper territory. It was equipped with all the basic infrastructure, including a teleportation hub, as well as an adventurers’ guild and various shops.
The city walls protecting the territory were equally formidable. Rielli’s walls were not just simple wooden fences surrounding a village. They were constructed of rough, thick stone, and the gates were made of the finest steel imported from the dwarven city.
It would take siege weapons, fire mages, and a large-scale monster attack to even attempt a breach.
“….”
However, down below, the maid zombie was walking towards the gates on its own. With the greatsword resting on its shoulder, it seemed relaxed.
“Er…?”
Chris’s expression froze as he watched her. Clearly, the zombie did not possess any siege weapons or a staff for magic. The only thing it held was a greatsword that seemed questionable as to whether it could even scratch the dwarven steel.
Yet, an overwhelming sense of unease washed over him. Despite the absence of any weapon that could break their gates, Chris’s instincts screamed that they could not let her approach the gates.
“Stop! Don’t let her get close to the gates!”
Regaining his senses, Chris commanded the archers on the walls. The archers quickly nocked arrows once more and aimed at the zombie maid.
Thwang.
With the sound of the bowstring snapping, dozens of arrows flew toward the zombie. It was an unavoidable hell of arrows.
“Fire! Keep shooting!”
This time, to ensure that there was no chance to escape or be neutralized, a barrage of arrows followed immediately, slicing through the air.
It seemed like hundreds of sharp arrowheads were flying toward the zombie maid.
“….”
Then, the girl zombie, this time without even looking at the arrows, lethargically swung her sword into the air. As the massive blade sliced through the sky, an immense wind surged forth once more.
No matter how many arrows were fired, they were just arrows, and they were scattered by the pressure created by the maid zombie.
“Ugh…!!”
The wind reached Chris atop the walls, forcing him to clutch the railing tightly to maintain his balance.
“I can’t believe this….”
As the harsh wind dissipated, Chris’s view was filled with the still unscathed maid zombie. Seeing her without a single scratch made his face go pale.
Despite not putting forth her full strength, the undead had neutralized their arrows twice as if they were mere child’s play.
Feeling a chill run down his arm, Chris grappled with the unfathomable strength of the creature.
‘But still, it should take time to break through the gates, so in the meantime, I’ll launch the rocks…’
Ultimately, the maid zombie had reached the gates. Although anxiety gripped Chris’s entire body, he thought it would take a considerable amount of time to break through the gates with just a greatsword.
He planned to launch stones before she could break through.
“…Thick.”
Contrary to Chris’s thoughts, the maid zombie raised her right hand, not the greatsword, and placed it against the gates. She then applied pressure to her hand and pushed hard.
With a loud bang, astonishingly, the firmly locked gates made of dwarven steel began to twist grotesquely and open.
Before the soldiers could prepare the catapults, the gates had been breached.
Without siege weapons, without fire magic.
With nothing but her bare hands.
“What am I seeing…?”
Chris muttered in a daze at the sight. The gates of Rielli, which could take dozens of men wielding siege weapons hours to break down, were now being forced open by the zombie as if she were simply opening an ordinary door.
The once-secure locks rattled, and the gates’ hinges began to crumble.
It was an absurd, unbelievable display of strength.
‘This can’t be…’
For a moment, Chris was lost in thought, but upon seeing the maid zombie stepping into his territory, he snapped back to reality.
With the ability to deflect arrows and open the gates with a single hand, if she entered the territory, it would undoubtedly lead to a catastrophe.
“Stop her! Don’t let her enter the territory!”
Recalling the devastation caused by orcs burning the territory twenty years ago, Chris cried out in despair.
—Stop the monsters!
—Drive them away! We must protect the territory!
Hearing his shout, soldiers, including Edmund, hurriedly stood in the maid zombie’s path. They aimed their long spears at the creature, gradually encircling her as they had trained.
— “Damn monster, get back immediately!”
— “This is no place for you!”
— “If you value your life, hurry and leave!”
Realizing that the zombie could speak human language, the soldiers shouted fiercely at the creature. Among them, Chris noticed that some soldiers held uniquely shaped necklaces.
‘That’s…!’
His eyes widened at the familiar sight.
Yes, he had temporarily forgotten.
They had a decisive weapon against monsters as well.
“The Binding Necklace…”
…The “Binding Necklace,” developed and exported by the religious nation of Serion. Anyone who believed in the goddess of sky and earth, Astira, could use this artifact, and when activated, it would unleash powerful holy magic accompanied by chains that would ensnare the targeted monster like a cocoon.
Although one had to believe in the Astiran faith, even if it was just for this, they could afford to believe in it a hundred times over to confront powerful monsters.
“Right, with that, surely…!”
Hope surged in Chris’s eyes.
There were cases where even S-rank monsters had been successfully sealed, so if they had those necklaces, capturing that maid zombie was not impossible.
He held his breath and watched the situation at the gates.
— “Get lost!”
— “Do you want to be an eternal corpse, zombie?!”
— “Hmph, come at me!”
“…Hooh.”
Surrounded by soldiers, the maid zombie did not seem intimidated; instead, she looked at them with apparent interest. There was no sign of fear or terror in her expression.
Once again, human language flowed from her lips.
“…Human, can you stand by those words?”
Her voice was chilling, sending a shiver down everyone’s spine. The lethal intent contained within, along with the bizarre reality of a monster speaking human words, made the bodies of those around the gates tremble.
-“Ugh…”
-“Gah…”
Faced with the crazed smile of the monster, the confident soldiers began to slowly retreat, losing their bravado.
They all knew deep down.
With the ability to deflect all arrows and open the gates with one hand, could they really stand a chance against her?
Determined to protect their territory and relying solely on their numbers, they had forced themselves to face the zombie, but with just one simple provocation from her, their resolve began to crack.
…At this rate, they would be too frightened to engage properly.
-“What are you doing?! Don’t be scared! Throw the Binding Necklaces!”
“…!!”
In that situation, the only one who remained calm and shouted was none other than the captain of the guard, Edmund. He quickly ordered his subordinates to activate Serion’s holy artifact.
-“Gah…!!”
-“Take this! I will show the pride of Rielli!”
-“Be bound forever, monster!”
Snapping back to reality with Edmund’s shout, the soldiers simultaneously threw the Binding Necklaces they held towards the zombie. In an instant, a dozen necklaces piled up at her feet.
“Hmm?”
The maid zombie tilted her head, curiously observing the necklaces. The moment she picked them up to examine them more closely, a tremendous flash erupted.
“Oh….”
The maid merely continued to look at them with interest. Even though it was clear they posed a threat to her, she did not throw them away or try to evade; she just stood there, staring blankly.
“….”
Soon, silver chains burst forth from the necklaces like plant roots taking hold. The powerful holy magic sensed the monster’s presence and immediately began to wrap around the maid zombie.
…The silver chains snaked from her feet to her head, constricting her like a serpent coiling tightly. Yet, she still showed no signs of resistance, allowing the chains to envelop her body.
Although the maid zombie exhibited an oddly subdued response, the soldiers could only hold their breath and watch.
-“Ugh….”
-“Please….”
In that moment, they all prayed as devout believers of the Astiran faith, hoping for the goddess’s power to successfully seal that extraordinary monster.
…And perhaps their prayers and faith reached her, for the chains rising from the Binding Necklaces successfully enveloped the maid zombie without much struggle.
“….”
The maid’s form was completely covered by the chains, disappearing from sight. A smile began to spread among the soldiers watching.
-“Did we… did we defeat her?!”
-“It’s a success!”
The powerful zombie had not even attempted to resist or utter a single word. The cocoon of chains that bound her showed no signs of movement.
…The Binding Necklace had perfectly worked.
‘So, after all…!!’
Chris, who had been observing from atop the walls, clenched his fist.
Yes, indeed, there was no monster that could overcome holy magic. This fact also applied to the unknown zombie, no matter where she came from or what she was.
Their strong faith and trust in their goddess radiated light.
It was a great decision to invest heavily in acquiring those sealing artifacts.
Now that zombie would be bound and sealed forever within those chains.
“Serves that zombie right.”
Chris Evergrit, the lord of Rielli, smirked.
Before the gates, a grand cocoon made of chains stood proudly. He thought the monster inside would never see the light of day again.
All that remained was to sink the cocoon in a lake or seal it deep within a cave.
Though he had been momentarily taken aback by the unexpected strength of the zombie, in the end, the victor was humanity, the strongest race on the surface.
…Yes.
That was what he believed.
“Ah.”
—…?!
—What, what is that?! A voice?!
…Not even a minute had passed since the chains had ensnared the zombie, when a sharp voice echoed from within.
“What, what is that?!”
“It came from inside the seal!”
All the soldiers, who had relaxed, suddenly looked up in alarm. They quickly grabbed their dropped weapons again.
-“A sound?”
-“Is she… alive? Isn’t it supposed to lose all senses and consciousness once sealed?”
At the sound coming from the cocoon of chains, the soldiers sharpened their senses like cats. They aimed their weapons at the chains that bound the maid, forming a defensive formation once more.
Thud.
The cocoon shook. Like a butterfly preparing to emerge from its chrysalis, the one infused with holy magic began to writhe and tremble.
-“…!!”
-“What the…?”
The expressions of the Rielli soldiers hardened at that sight.
They felt something was wrong.
A sense of unease gripped their hearts, making them question whether they had misjudged the situation.
Bang!
Finally, after just two shakes, with a thunderous noise, all the chains snapped weakly apart.
The aftermath sent clouds of dust swirling around.
And amidst that, the very zombie maid they had just sealed stood there, raising her great sword high.
…With her red eyes burning with light, she glared fiercely at the soldiers of Rielli.
“…That was boring, human.”
As if feeling displeased, the murderous intent in her voice intensified. The hands of the soldiers aiming their weapons trembled with tension.
‘W-What’s happening? Why is she still unharmed?!’
The expression of Lord Chris Evergrit also stiffened.
This was supposed to be Serion’s “Sealing Necklace,” which could seal even S-class monsters in theory. Why had it broken?
Was it defective?
Or had their faith been insufficient?
If not, could it be…?
-“An S-class or higher monster…?”
Could that monster possess strength beyond S-class?
“…”
Chris was left speechless. His thoughts came to a halt. It was overwhelming to even understand or keep up with the current situation.
An S-class or higher monster? Where did such a creature come from?
There were only A-class monsters inhabiting this area. Where could it have rolled in from? What business could it have in this small city?
C-Could it be related to the ‘Ancient Vampire’?
“Damn….”
Chris furrowed his brow.
He tried to consider various possibilities, but nothing made sense. A throbbing headache began to spread through his mind from the flood of thoughts.
…And in that moment, the zombie maid made a move.
“Pathetic magical tools.”
She scoffed, briefly kicking the chains that had bound her.
No, judging by her derisive demeanor, it seemed more accurate to say she had been ‘given’ the seal rather than being sealed against her will.
The zombie maid then aimed her great sword at the Rielli soldiers with a crazed smile.
She spoke to them once more in human language.
“…Humans, you let me be hit by arrows twice and a magical tool once. You took turns attacking me three times without resistance.”
Her sharp voice pierced everyone’s ears.
“…Now it’s my turn. Are you ready?”
The beautiful twilight light reflected in her eyes.
Her maid outfit fluttered as it cut through the wind,
and then her fearsome great sword danced through the air.
-“Ah, ah….”
It took less than ten seconds for everyone’s heads to be severed.
(II)
“Thank goodness…”
It was a situation that could only be described as ‘lucky.’
Just before the teleportation hubs ceased operations due to the attack of the ‘Ancient Vampire,’ the great magician Derin miraculously boarded the hub as the last guest.
“Finally….”
Before her, as she stepped off the hub, stood a massive seven-layered castle wall. Gazing at the impenetrable height of the sturdy wall, tears welled up in Derin’s eyes.
“Finally, finally, I’m safe….”
She had faced attacks from the Ancient Vampire in both the Undying Labyrinth and Ermaile. She had witnessed the scene of a massacre, with countless splatters of blood. In the midst of so many deaths that were too numerous to count, Derin had barely managed to survive on her own both times.
“…I’ll never, ever get entangled in that again.”
Twice, she had felt the chilling terror of death and the helplessness of being powerless in the face of true strength.
Each time, the guilt of being the cause of it all had tightened its grip on her heart.
She no longer wanted to feel those emotions or experience such events again.
…That was why she had come to this place, the fortress city of ‘Nevirthol,’ boasting seven layers of walls.
Located at the northernmost point of the kingdom, close to the demon race’s habitat, the Ancient Vampire had no reason to come here, and even if it did, she didn’t believe it could breach those massive seven-layered walls.
She firmly believed there was no safer place on the continent than here.
“Really, really relieved….”
Seeing the sturdy walls surrounding her, Derin felt as if she were in her father’s embrace. The anxiety and tension that had built up until now began to dissipate all at once.
She let out a sigh of relief several times.
“…First, I need to find a place to stay.”
She planned to remain here until the kingdom dealt with the Ancient Vampire, so finding accommodations was a top priority.
Having lived as an S-class adventurer for quite some time, she fortunately had enough money saved up.
Thinking about enjoying a warm soup and soaking in hot water to relieve her fatigue, she stepped with a more relaxed heart toward the street lined with inns.
“Huh?”
As she walked, a booming voice reached her ears.
— “The great Prime minister of the Avillia Kingdom! Lillianel Greenfield has arrived! Please welcome her with joyful hearts!”
“The Prime minister…?”
The voice announcing that ‘Lillianel Greenfield,’ the Prime minister of the Avillia Kingdom, had come to Nevirthol.
“W-What…?”
An inexplicable sense of unease brushed over Derin’s body.
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