novelraw Chapter 100 : Chapter 100
Chapter 100 : Chapter 100
Chapter 100. Battle (1)
"The Principality of Polotsk was attacked by an undead army?"
I was momentarily at a loss for words, unable to believe what Iris had just said.
My mind went blank.
To think that such a large-scale attack would suddenly occur in the eastern region, which had been peaceful just a few days ago.
"It's an undeniable fact. I confirmed it myself."
Iris continued in a calm tone.
Her eyes were unwavering.
But something was strange.
No, to be precise, it was awkward.
She never once looked me straight in the eye.
'What's wrong with her?'
A different gaze than before.
I tried to pretend I didn't notice, but I couldn't ignore that subtle sense of distance.
Perhaps the incident with Isabel had affected her.
But now was not the time to be questioning that.
'The Principality of Polotsk.'
I searched my memory.
A region that was hardly ever covered in the game.
It wasn't a place users couldn't visit, but even if they did, there were no useful items, and the monster levels were low.
However, it was a place Noemi had visited just a short while ago.
It was one of the regions Noemi had visited while bringing the representatives of various countries here and taking them back.
I immediately went to find Noemi.
"Noemi, could you possibly use transition magic to the Principality of Polotsk?"
She nodded, but replied with a worried expression.
"It's possible. It hasn't been long since I went there. But..."
Noemi hesitated for a moment, then added.
"Transition magic isn't omnipotent. If that place is currently under attack, we could land on debris or corpses. In a severe case, we might even merge with an undead."
Cough.
Just imagining it gave me the creeps.
The possibility of becoming one with an undead and living the rest of my life as a chimera.
I shook my head from side to side and asked.
"Then, what about the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, right next to the Principality of Polotsk?"
Noemi immediately nodded her head.
"That place should be fine. There haven't been any reports of it being attacked yet."
"Good. Then we'll go there. Before that, it would be best to inform everyone of this fact."
It would be nice if every country had a magic crystal ball, but unfortunately, countries with one were extremely rare.
So, for the places that had them, we used the magic crystal ball.
For the places that didn't, we sent a message informing them of the emergency situation through Noemi.
Blinking here, blinking there.
Seeing Noemi move around frantically made me feel sorry for her, but it couldn't be helped.
'The world might be destroyed. There's no reason to conserve our strength here.'
Noemi busily moved about on her own, and I continued to communicate with the representatives of the countries that possessed magic crystal balls.
"An undead army, is that really true?"
"There has been no information whatsoever up to this point..."
"No matter what, there's no way the Principality of Polotsk would fall in an instant, is there?"
Voices mixed with confusion and doubt.
I spoke strongly.
"We are now facing an enemy that does not use normal methods. The undead army is an infectious weapon created to maintain military force even after the Demon Tribe's death. This invasion is not a simple local skirmish. It may be proof that Primus is on the move."
At those words, everyone's face hardened.
After the formation of the Continental Alliance, I had also informed them of Primus's existence.
Because this was no longer just my problem, but a matter directly related to the survival of this entire world.
"I will investigate myself. I plan to go to the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and assess the situation in Polotsk. For the time being, please keep a close watch on the situation and report immediately if you see anything suspicious."
A moment of silence passed.
The representatives of each country nodded their heads one by one.
After cutting off communication, I looked at Iris once more.
She still didn't meet my gaze.
"Iris."
When I called her name, she slightly turned her head and looked at my mouth, not my eyes.
It seemed she really didn't want to make eye contact with me.
"What is it?"
"You can sit this operation out. It could be dangerous."
She replied firmly.
"No. I will go with you. I am the leader of the Unseen Ones."
A cold tone.
I could even feel a chill from Iris's gaze.
I said no more.
I had no choice but to put all emotions aside.
Because now,
'It could be the beginning of a prelude where the world might collapse.'
My fists clenched on their own.
***
The next morning.
The transition magic circle glowed with a bright light and swallowed us.
My vision went white for a moment, and when it cleared again, we were already standing in the center of the capital of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.
Soon, a dumbfounded voice was heard.
"I-is this everyone?"
The Grand Duke of Lithuania was looking at us with a dumbfounded expression.
Standing with his back to the royal palace, his face was flustered, as if we were playing a prank.
I slowly nodded my head.
"Yes. This is everyone."
Me, Adel, Iris, Noemi.
And Number 1 and Number 3.
Finally, Alvarez as well.
A total of seven people.
The Grand Duke scanned us one more time with an anxious face.
"I-isn't the number too small? You're not unaware of what's happened to Polotsk, are you?"
I shook my head briefly.
"I am well aware. That's why this is the composition."
Seeing that his face was still full of doubt, I added firmly.
"We are each a match for a hundred. And the enemy is not one to be fought with numbers."
The Grand Duke's eyes wavered slightly.
I silently shifted my gaze to the sky.
The northeastern sky where the fog had not yet lifted.
Polotsk was in that direction.
"The Lich King is on the move himself. He revives the dead, and turns the revived into warriors again. If we were to charge in, relying only on our military strength..."
I paused for a moment and looked straight into the Grand Duke's eyes.
"The moment we die, we will turn into the enemy. In a huge battlefield, the damage will grow uncontrollably. So, the number is small, but it is composed of the most elite, who can be definitively controlled."
Only then did the Grand Duke nod as if he was convinced.
"Then where is that dragon? The ruler of the paradise of dragons."
"She did not come this time."
The Grand Duke's eyebrows twitched.
"I-is there a reason? In a situation like this, even one more skilled person..."
"In case the enemy uses a feint operation, we need someone to protect our headquarters."
That place was like a symbol of the alliance.
If it were to be raided, the alliance itself might collapse.
Also, someone was needed to give blood to Noctavira.
Rather, this was an opportunity.
'An opportunity to test how far we can go with just our own strength, without Anonymous.'
In the end, the Grand Duke let out a small sigh and guided us into the castle.
Lithuania was small in size, but as the country that had first stood against the Demon Tribe in the east, their preparations were thorough.
With fully armed soldiers everywhere, the atmosphere was extremely stern.
We immediately moved to the royal conference room, where we received the Grand Duke's utmost hospitality.
Tea, fruit, and warm meals were brought in one after another, but perhaps because everyone was tense, no one even touched them.
Instead of a meal, a battlefield map was spread out, and a tense meeting began.
The first person to speak was Iris.
She pointed at the map with her fingertips and quietly opened her mouth.
"The undead's movement path up to here is almost certain."
Her tone was full of conviction.
As expected of Iris, the leader of the Unseen Ones and the pinnacle of the information network.
The information coming from her mouth could be called the most trusted weapon on the continent.
"The first invasion began in the north of Polotsk. They came down through the eastern forest area, and the nearby guards were all annihilated. Since then, the undead army has been advancing to the southwest. The next target is..."
Iris raised her head and looked at the center of the conference room.
"Here, the capital of Lithuania."
A heavy silence filled the conference room.
The tense Grand Duke swallowed his breath, and Alvarez quietly gripped the hilt of his sword.
I took a deep breath.
'They'll be here soon.'
More ominous and sinister than any prelude, the curtain of the stage slowly began to rise.
***
Iris slowly pointed at the map with her finger.
The red line she pointed to signified the front line that would soon collapse.
"The Principality of Polotsk. A small country located in the far northeast of the continent. The population is about three hundred thousand. Near the capital, there are large-scale armories and garrisons for the standing army. Moreover, the entire principality is made up of wide plains, making it the worst condition for building a defensive line."
A calm explanation.
While everyone was focused on her words, Noemi threw in a comment.
"Can't we just go there and set off one magic spell? This is too complicated."
The air in the conference room froze for a moment.
Everyone stared at Noemi with dumbfounded faces.
Iris raised her head and looked at her immature younger sister.
"I know very well how strong you are as an individual. But this is war. It's not something that can be finished with simple strength alone."
Noemi shrugged and replied.
"Simple is best. Isn't simple the best? There's no need to make it complicated, is there?"
As soon as those words ended.
Frank quietly opened his mouth.
"Iris is right. It's true that we are composed of elites, but jumping right into the middle of the enemy camp is tantamount to a suicide mission. Especially since the enemy's leader is the Lich King. If even one of us were to die, we would immediately become a member of the enemy."
At those words, Noemi flinched.
She then scratched her head and took a step back.
"Umm... that would be a bit of a problem."
But Iris's expression didn't loosen one bit.
Without giving a single glance to Frank who had supported her, she turned her head slightly and muttered to herself.
'A useless act.'
He was always like this.
He only pretended to help her at important moments.
Without even knowing how much she wanted to prove herself.
Iris ignored him and continued with the operation briefing.
"Anyway, our goal right now is not to annihilate the enemy, but to stop their advance. The most certain way is."
Iris turned her gaze towards Noemi.
"To destroy their formation with powerful flame magic. Just like how Anonymous burned them with her breath before. Noemi, the key to this operation is you."
Noemi's two eyes sparkled.
"Really? I'm the main character?"
"That's right. Only you can stop them quickly and decisively. So, you must show your best firepower this time."
Noemi made a small flame appear on her palm and grinned.
"Alright! I'll really go all out this time!"
Then, Adel raised her hand.
"Then, what should I do?"
"You and the rest are all on standby."
"Standby?"
"Yes. Among us, only Noemi has encountered the enemy. That means she's the only one who has grasped their combat patterns. So for now, we'll focus on suppressing them with Noemi's magic. If that's not enough, I'll give separate orders to each of you then."
Adel looked slightly disappointed, but she soon nodded her head.
"Alright. I'll be watching from the rear, so call me when you need me."
Was it because he didn't want to be a bystander in his own country?
The Grand Duke of Lithuania also spoke up.
"Our Lithuanian soldiers are also ready to fight at any time. Please don't forget that."
"Yes. But it would be better for the Lithuanian soldiers to focus more on protecting their own country. As I said before, it's important to prevent the number of enemies from increasing as much as possible."
Watching the scene, Frank once again praised Iris.
"That's a good plan. It would be good for Iris to become the commander this time and lead everyone. It will also be a chance to gain practical experience, which will be a great help in the future."
But Iris still didn't even glance at Frank.
Without any reaction to his words, she quietly looked only at the red line on the map.
'You don't have to help me so obviously like that.'
She bit her lip and continued to mutter to herself.
'I'll show you my abilities clearly this time.'
Iris's eyes, standing in the center of the conference room, were shining quietly.
But firmly.