novelraw Chapter 161
Chapter 161
Ch.161 I Support Hans
Early morning.
Scarlet climbed the capital’s wall to observe the enemy.
“Any unusual movement today?”
The undead army had remained stationary for months.
But today—something was different.
They were packing up tents.
Stowing weapons.
“This…?”
An odd action.
They came here to crush the capital.
So why were they preparing to leave?
‘They’re up to something.’
Watching the soldiers ready to depart, Scarlet turned to a nearby soldier.
“Report to the palace—enemy forces are withdrawing. Immediately. Now!”
Her face hardened.
She glanced at the rider galloping toward the palace—then returned her gaze to the front.
‘What’s their scheme?’
Moments later, Leah and Cecilia arrived on the wall.
“Scarlet! Is it true? They’re leaving?”
“Look there.”
Scarlet pointed. Leah and Cecilia followed her gaze.
“The tents… they’ve shrunk.”
Compared to yesterday, the number of tents had visibly decreased.
“Are they really retreating?”
“Maybe.”
Scarlet stared at them, lost in thought.
Normally, attacking retreating forces is basic military doctrine.
But these weren’t humans.
They didn’t tire. Didn’t feel fear.
Human tactics might not work on them.
“Hm… I’ll inform Master Hans.”
Leah pulled a notebook from her spatial bag and began writing.
Soon, commanders gathered.
“Oh? They’re really withdrawing?”
“This wasn’t anticipated, was it?”
The commanders, having observed the enemy for so long, began voicing opinions.
“Could it be an ambush?”
“Or perhaps they’re targeting something else?”
“I think it’s an ambush. They’ve held this position because they knew if they left, the Empire would regain full control of the capital. That’s why they stayed.”
“Possibly. But if they’re targeting something else, and we fail to stop them, we risk unknown dangers. Consider this—what if they plan to attack nearby cities?”
The undead army—composed of liches and death knights.
If they chose to strike, those cities would fall easily.
What if they began capturing one city after another—growing their numbers with each slaughter?
Nothing more horrific could happen.
“Lady Scarlet, have you informed Baron Hans of this situation?”
“Yes. Leah sent the message.”
“They’re going to attack nearby cities! We must act before casualties mount. Even if we can’t annihilate them, we must inflict heavy losses—or destroy their siege equipment.”
“And if it’s an ambush? To fully launch a siege on Metropolis, we need a massive army.”
The capital’s wall stretched for miles.
To defend it day and night required tens of thousands of troops.
Add reserves, and the number exceeded a hundred thousand.
But if we fell for their ambush and suffered losses?
If the losses were small—fine.
But these enemies numbered in the tens of thousands—and each possessed superhuman strength.
To counter them, we’d need to deploy massive forces.
And if their ambush was real? The casualties would be catastrophic.
A hundred thousand troops—barely enough for the Empire.
This was no gamble we could afford.
“Hm… This is a complicated situation.”
An elderly man with white hair studied the battlefield.
“It seems everyone’s uncertain. What did humans say again?”
“We haven’t received orders yet.”
Auros fell into thought.
“Then the first priority is to know what the human leader thinks.”
Soon, an emergency council convened in the palace.
***
“The undead army is retreating…”
What is Roy planning?
One of the game-over conditions: the fall of the capital.
In the game, no matter what, the undead army endlessly poured forces into the capital until it fell.
I’ve never seen, in any gameplay or forum post, the undead withdraw like this.
Games follow fixed rules.
This… is a deviation.
Because this isn’t a game.
It’s another reality.
Logically, if I were Roy, I’d have attacked long ago.
Surrounding the capital and doing nothing? That’s idiotic.
“Are they targeting nearby cities? That’d be a nightmare…”
Around the capital were massive cities.
Populous ones.
Lose just one—and Roy gains tens of thousands of fresh soldiers.
Creating soldiers is hard for humans.
You need populations to produce food, weapons, and supplies.
In fact, including logistics personnel, it took dozens of civilians to support one soldier.
Here, with primitive technology and low production capacity, increasing manpower was nearly impossible.
“Should I surrender a city?”
The capital’s wall was absolute.
No magic could break it.
If I abandoned that advantage and charged out, only to be crushed?
And what if Roy had another motive?
Roy was far from the capital.
He couldn’t use teleportation as freely as before.
But what if he planned something else?
Like turning Auros into an undead?
If Auros became undead, the capital would fall that day.
“Surrender a city…?”
It wouldn’t cause immediate disaster.
But…
“Thousands of humans would die. Damn it…”
If this were a game, playing pragmatically wouldn’t be hard.
But it’s not.
And that’s the problem.
So many lives depend on my choice.
I hate this.
If I were coldly logical:
Kill Roy. His army vanishes.
Ten thousand? A million? It doesn’t matter.
But the dead don’t come back.
“F***… This wasn’t what I signed up for…”
How nice it would be if this followed a fixed story.
Roy’s regression ability.
The army’s unpredictable movements.
Everything confused me.
“For now… tell them to stay on the wall.”
I issued a reckless order:
Do not move the troops.
***
The royal court.
The Emperor had urgently summoned his ministers, defense commanders, and the Hero Party.
“What’s the situation?”
Scarlet stepped forward.
“They’ve dismantled all tents. They’re preparing to withdraw.”
The Emperor pressed his forehead.
His mind was a storm.
These weren’t humans.
They didn’t eat. Didn’t feel emotion.
Didn’t tire.
And now—they were preparing to leave?
A nightmare for any ruler.
“What do you think?”
The ministers had no answer.
No one had expected this.
Silence filled the hall.
The Emperor’s face darkened.
“What are you all doing here? If you can’t even guess why they’re leaving, why are you sitting?”
The ministers, chastised, spoke cautiously.
“We suspect they’re targeting another city. They couldn’t breach the capital’s wall—but other cities are vulnerable.”
Hans had previously assured them the undead would only attack the capital.
So each city was left with minimal supplies—and even fewer troops.
“If so, they’ll capture a city, replenish their forces, and return. We must strike their siege equipment now.”
“No. They’re baiting us. I’ve heard their leader, the King of the Dead, can command troops from afar. If we attack their equipment, they’ll ambush our army.”
Human thinking was predictable.
They all thought the same.
Limited information.
Limited guesses.
“So what do we do? If we do nothing, they’ll capture a city and swell to hundreds of thousands!”
“The capital’s wall is thick! Even a million soldiers couldn’t break it!”
“A million?! Do you think a million deaths are acceptable?!”
Chaos erupted.
The Emperor’s head pounded.
“Do you want the capital to fall? Didn’t Baron Hans say—if the capital falls, humanity ends?!”
“Your Majesty! Even if many die, humanity won’t perish! But Hans says—if the capital falls, all is lost! Think!”
The Emperor sat, silent. No solution came.
“Dragon Lord… will you remain neutral again?”
Auros shrugged.
“I’m waiting for Hans’s decision.”
He always favored Hans’s judgment.
“Hah… even now?”
“Precisely because of this situation. I follow the word of the god who chose him.”
The Emperor disliked this.
If Auros continued to side with Hans after Roy’s defeat…
It would be a burden on his throne.
Auros sensed his thoughts—and smiled faintly.
—Don’t worry. What you fear will not happen. When all ends, I return to the Rare and sleep.
The Emperor felt it—the voice.
The legendary Dragon Speech.
‘Thank you.’
He looked at the Hero Party.
“What does Hans say?”
“He… said not to chase them. To focus entirely on defending the capital.”
The Emperor and ministers scowled. Some shouted.
“Hah! Does Hans know how many people live in the nearby cities?! What does he think?!”
“Your Majesty! If we follow Hans’s orders, disaster will come!”
“We must reject his command!”
“Your Majesty! Thousands will die! History may label you a tyrant! You cannot do this!”
The Emperor raised his hand.
“Silence.”
The hall fell still.
He turned to Auros.
“What do you say?”
“I support Hans.”
The Emperor fell silent. Then, slowly, spoke:
“If this is a ruse, we cannot defend the capital.
But if Baron Hans defeats the King of the Dead… we win. Humanity wins.
Therefore—I command all generals:
Defend the capital. With absolute strength.”
He made his decision.
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