Skeleton Knight - Volume 07 - United Front Read online

  At first glance, it seemed as if a town girl had snuck onto the battlefield, but she was in fact the Princess of Nozan Kingdom, Lille Nozan Soulia.

  She was also the one who requested that I serve as reinforcements to the soldiers in the capital.

  A good distance behind the defenseless little girl, her two personal knights and over a hundred cavalrymen gradually lead their horses through the battlefield, each of them keeping a cautious eye on me personally.

  “Princess Lille, please wait!”

  The female knight called out to the girl…… It was rather obvious from her expression, that Nina was being vigilant of me.

  However, Lille continued forward as if she hadn’t heard the warning, her small body didn’t stop moving until she right at my feet, looking straight up at me with her large grey eyes.

  “Th-That was amazing, Arc-dono! Elves really do make strong warriors!”

  Lille’s reaction was one suitable for her age, but the tension behind her eyes brought what Ariane had said to mind.

  Despite her small stature, Lille still carried the responsibilities of a royal, and she was attempting to greet me in a friendly manner.

  I slowly sheathed my sword so as not to surprise her, placed my hand on my chest, and kneeled down on the spot.

  “It’s an honor to receive such praise. As promised, those that impeded Your Highness’s way have been removed. I humbly ask you to forgive me, it appears I got carried away……”

  “Kyun!”

  It was a slightly theatrical performance, finished off with Ponta tightening her hold on my head and crying out.

  Lille’s gray eyes nearly popped out when she saw my behavior, but then a small grin appeared on her face and she corrected her posture.

  “Arc-dono, there’s no need for such formality! It’s rather tedious!”

  There was no longer any shadow of tension in her eyes as she looked at me.

  However, the princess’s two escorts, Nina and Zahar, finally caught up with her. The fear and worry in their eyes were greater than the princess’s had been.

  “Princess Lille! This place is dangerous, please don’t wander too far from us!”

  The female knight, Nina, reprimanded the princess for wandering onto the battlefield.

  She was clearly referring to me when she said “dangerous”.

  Her reaction was to be expected, all things considered…… besides, there were those showing a more animate reaction. The cavalry’s movement slowed to a halt as they approached Lille and her two escorts…… the were hesitating to get any closer to me.

  Even if you took the numerous pieces of damaged armor that littered the battlefield into consideration, their sunken faces and reluctance made it easy to deduce their feelings.

  Nevertheless, they were troops dispatched to fulfill Lille’s request and they managed to lead their horse here, so they could be near her if need be.

  After looking back at her escorts and the cavalry, Lille picked up on the atmosphere and began speaking with authority in her response.

  “Everyone, there’s nothing to fear! Arc-dono has expelled most of the enemies! We’ll postpone the elimination of those that linger on the highway, enter the city and meet with my father!”

  Her two escorts were bewildered by her declaration but quickly regained their composure as they tried to comprehend the princess’s commands.

  Nina was the first to speak up.

  “Princess, do you tend to let those people into the capital? If such a power were unleashed, the damage would be unimaginable! That person is too……”

  Before Nina could finish her next sentence Zahar, who’d been silent up till now, held up his hand and cut her off.

  “Arc-dono, you’ve saved the capit…… no, the Kingdom from this crisis. However, will you swear not to unleash that power within the city? Your strength is simply beyond comprehension.”

  Zahar’s voice was rather tense as he and Nina glanced back and forth between Lille and me.

  Ariane seemed like she had something to say, but she only shrugged and sighed as she shook her head.

  Even if I promised to comply with Zahar’s request, whatever I said ran the risk of coming off as a threat to those aware of the overwhelming power their enemy possessed.

  However, refusing to do so would only ostracize me further.

  …… I needed to choose my words carefully.

  After giving it some thought and taking note of the bad atmosphere, I cleared my throat.

  The cavalrymen all held their breath because of that slight action on my part.

  “We will keep the promise we exchanged with Princess Lille. For our own reasons, we wouldn’t benefit from having Soulia conquered or destroyed. In addition, that technique is not something that I can use recklessly……”

  I let out a large sigh and shrugged while I spoke.

  It wasn’t a lie per se. The Heavenly Knight skill 【Blazing Seraphim of Judgement: Executioner Michael】 had a massive cooldown-time, and to be honest I would rather not use it all that often.

  The mental strain of fusing with the massive existence that was a descending angel was immense, since I was consciously aware of my own existence being overridden. To be frank, the pain which I experienced was equivalent to my first time using spring water at the Dragon King’s Tree.

  In hindsight, having the main source of pain being tied to the use of a skill made continued use of it rather self-destructive.

  I pondered over such thing would watching Zahar’s and Nina’s reaction.

  They seemed to struggle with making a decision on whether or not they should accept the opposition’s condition, so I pushed them to hurry along their choose.

  “In this really all right? While I certainly destroyed most of the undead this side of the wall, thousands of them still made it inside the city.”

  The two escorts, the cavalryman, and Lille all stopped with they’d been doing and looked towards the capital behind me.

  The flames and smoke still rose across the battlefield and the sounds of battle could be heard from here.

  Lille looked back at her escorts shortly after hearing that.

  “Now is not the time to cast doubt over Arc-dono! Zahar, Nina, we must enter the city and reach my father! There’s no time to waste!”

  There was no room for argument in her voice as she turned her small body around and began walking towards the capital.

  Nina quickly chased after the Lille before she got too far away.

  “Princess Lille, wait! The city is still dangerous! Please, at least remain with the soldiers until we meet your father!”

  Contrary to Nina’s anxious response, Zahar silently sent a signal the cavalrymen behind him before he started speaking.

  “We will precede Lille’s entrance into the city! Do not falter! Arc-dono, can I entrust you with Princess Lille?”

  Although I could feel Nina’s heated glare, I nodded in response to Zahar’s question.

  “Leave it to me. I shall take responsibility for Lille-dono’s well-being. Shiden!”

  I called for Shiden, who’d been waiting a good distance away.

  With a mighty roar, Shiden’s massive body began running across the battlefield.

  A six-legged, four meters long giant hammered his feet against the ground. Reddish scales covered his entire body, two white horns extended from his head and a white mane stretched down his back.

  Watching the dragon mount paying no heed to the scattered pieces of armor it trampled, made him seem more like a living tank than anything else.

  “Kyun! Kyun!”

  “Giyuriiiiin!”

  Shiden began to slow down after passing the cavalrymen and stopped directly in front of me to have an exchange with Ponta.

  “Chiome-dono, can you ride with Lille? Ariane-dono and I will walk alongside you.”

  Chiome nodded at my suggestion before picking up Lille and leaping onto Shiden’s back and grabbing hold of his reins.

  After
taking position at the head of the cavalry, Zahar started whispering something into Nina’s ear.

  She nodded at whatever he said and lead her horse over to Shiden.

  It appeared she’d be acting as our watchdog.

  “Many undead still roam the city! Don’t be careless!”

  The cavalrymen shouted a passionate battle cry when they heard Zahar’s words.

  Nina, Lille and my group were once again at the rear of the formation.

  ……It was in this manner that we finally entered the capital.

  Chapter 02: Capital City Soulia

  Near Soulia’s destroyed southern gate.

  Due to the destructive impact of my final attack, the hundred and fifty cavalrymen had enough room to maneuver their way inside.

  Just how much would it cost to repair such an enormous gate?

  For the time being, if we have to enter negotiations with the king I’d like to avoid having to pay for the destroyed gate and consider it collateral damage during the destruction of the undead horde……

  With Zahar at the head, the cavalry ventured into the city. The scattered remnants of the destroyed gate made it difficult to steer the horse inside the city.

  There were several undead soldiers in the open space beyond the gate, but they were immediately swept away by Zahar’s forces.

  There were no signs of any living around, bringing the image of a ghost town to mind.

  “With a major gate breached, the defense force probably retreated behind the inner wall! We’ll take the shortest path there!”

  Once the square was secured Zahar directed his horse towards the main street as he issued his orders and set off.

  In the meantime, Ariane and I had moved next to Shiden and were now following behind them.

  Undead soldiers would crop up from time to time, but they were quickly dispatched by the cavalrymen.

  Their numbers were few, but the occasional spider chimera would attack us.

  The two-headed and four-armed mixture of a human figure that sprung from the lower body of an enormous spider where strange, to say the least.

  While their strength exceeded that of a normal human, trapped within the confines of an urban setting, they proved to be no match for Ariane’s and my power.

  “【Flying Dragon Slash】!”

  I attacked the spider-chimeras as they appeared.

  An arc of light was sent flying towards the chimera whenever I swung my sword in their direction, they raised its shield to defend themselves or had their legs severed.

  'ーInfernal Flame, reduce all that you consume to ashesー'

  Once they were immobilized Ariane would deliver the finishing blow from a distance.

  The pale flames that enveloped her sword would spring out and attack the chimera like a whip.

  Even though the chimera had a large field of vision, after the first attack distracted them Ariane’s flames easily slipped into their blind spot. Once the wound was dealt their bodies were devoured by the fire.

  Even if the enemy tried to launch a surprise attack from above, atop of Shiden, Chiome unitized her superior senses to locate them before they struck.

  “'Water Style: Water Kunai' Arc-dono, the roof on the right.”

  Chiome detected an enemy and attacked it, all without releasing Shiden’s reins.

  Our position at the rear allowed me to use transfer magic with little fear of the others seeing it.

  “Got it! 【Dimensional Step】! 【Shield Bash】!!”

  When I materialized in front of the spider chimera on top of the roof, the creature was clearly startled by it, but I used my shield to knock it to the ground below without much though.

  「Yoouuuuu, whou ari you!?」

  While it’s multiple sets of eyes were blown wide open, it was completely unaware of Ariane’s waiting sword.

  It reserved a vicious slash on top of the fall damage. Then the cavalry took their swing at it.

  Once the spider chimera died its body began breaking down on the spot, leaving only a black stain on the street.

  Originally, Zahar’s cavalry seemed to be fearful of the spider-chimera’s seemingly overwhelming might and their role as leader of the other undead, but their fear gradually diminished thanks to our presence.

  However, I felt one pair of eyes piercing me on the very spot I stood, the source of the gaze was non-other than a surprised Nina.

  …… I forgot that she was accompanying Lille.

  I’d been so concentrated on dealing with the enemy I unconsciously used transfer magic in front of Nina.

  My eyes darted over the rest of the troops, searching for any other witnesses, but they were all cautiously scanning the area ahead of them.

  Lille was clinging to Chiome and looking straight at the cavalry ahead of her.

  Ariane glanced side to side before letting out a deep sigh and urging Shiden and the others forward.

  Even though the other troops hadn’t seen the magic, now wasn’t the time to be relieved. Nina would most likely tell Zahar, who’d then inform the princess of it, meaning the magic’s existence would likely reach the King’s ears before our meeting with him.

  “H〜mm, I guess I should prepare for Ariane-dono’s scolding after this……”

  After I said that, Ponta started pounding on my helmet with her forepaw as she cried out and vigorously wagged her tail.

  “Kyun!”

  “For now, let’s focus on reaching our destination.”

  While replying to Ponta, I swung my sword at the spider chimera that showed up on a roof across the street.

  The instant I launched the 【Flying Dragon Slash】 I transferred to the opposite side of the street and delivered the finishing blow.

  The human upper body let out a scream before falling off the roof to the ground below, while the spider half simply dropped at my feet.

  After glancing at it for a moment I glanced in the direction the cavalry was heading.

  “Hm, so that’s the inner wall……”

  Looking over the rooftops of Soulia…… I laid my eyes upon the high walls that separated the inner city from the rest.

  I looked back at the southern gate we entered from, trying to triangulate our current position.

  “We’re about halfway there.”

  “Kyun.”

  At Ponta’s cry, I transferred to the back of the group and quietly returned to my place by Shiden’s side.

  Nina gave me another surprised look, but she remained silent and returned to scanning the area, apparently deciding not to bring it up now.

  Eventually, the troops arrived in the open square in front of the inner wall. The closed gate in front of us was smaller than the southern gate. Its large, wooden doors were covered by an iron grate you’d expect to see on a fortress’s last line of defense.

  Above the gate was a stone rampart, probably used for surveillance, where I could see the figures of multiple soldiers moving about.

  The cavalry was greeted with cheers from atop the city wall, as our trek through the undead overwhelmed streets was already known of.

  Those among them had been shocked when they caught sight of Shiden bringing up the rear, however, they resumed their cheers when they saw Lille waving at them from atop the mount, the heavy atmosphere around us since we entered the city had vanished.

  Hearing the cheers of the other soldiers raised the morale of the cavalryman.

  Zahar divided the cavalry into three units and ordered them to clear the square of the undead while he approached the gate himself.

  I thought about joining in to help them, but before I could raise my sword a sudden noise near the gate drew my attention.

  The source of the noise was at the center of the wall rampart…… a figure dressed unlike any of the soldiers had appeared.

  The middle-aged man dressed in the clothes of a noble was causing quite a stir amongst the soldiers.

  Given that the soldiers seemed to be frightened of this man, and that there were pe
ople chasing after him, the man must have been apart of the higher nobility.

  I didn’t recognize the person, but Nina and Zahar immediately straightened their postures once they saw him and Lille joyful expression made it rather easy to figure out who he was.

  “Father! Lille Nozan Soulia has returned!”

  Atop the inner wall, the middle-aged man… No, Lille’s father and the king was shouting orders at the surrounding soldiers, who were quick to fulfill them.

  “Open the gate! Open the gate!”

  Shortly after the order was given the heavy iron gates began to rise and the wooden doors began to slowly open.

  “Lille-sama, this way! All soldiers, remain cautious as we pass through the gate!”

  Zahar prompted Chiome, who held Shiden’s reins and sat in front of the princess, to move forward and also instructed the troops to quickly make their way inside the inner wall.

  Chiome gave him a small nod and directed Shiden inside.

  Ariane and I were the last ones to pass through the gate and were greeted by the troops receiving a warm welcome from the citizen and soldiers gathered in the area.

  “So many people……”

  “Yeah. Looks like they don’t have any room to spare.”

  Ariane chimed in when she heard my comment about the area inside the inner wall.

  Since the outer wall had been breached, the other side of this gate had turned into a battlefield. The number of people gathering so close to the front lines was indicative of how crowded this place was.

  If they’d been forced to remain under siege, it’s doubtful of how long they could’ve held out.

  Even with our rushed march, we only made it at the very last minute.

  My thoughts on the subject were interrupted when I caught sight of Lille’s father descending the rampart and heading towards Shiden.

  Lille, who saw him as well, leaped out of the saddle and ran towards him.

  “Lille!”

  “Father!”

  The two of them seemed to beam with joy as they embraced one another.

  Lille’s father, the King, must have thought the world of her, because he craned head and sent a prayer towards the heavens after kissing her cheeks.