CH 212

Attack of the Undead

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While I was watching Zae and the others filling up the pond at the planned construction site of my house, Basten, who was scouting the Calvine Territory, came back.

[ Kent-sama, may I have a moment. ]

"Havre is finally back, is he?"

[ No, it's the opposite, Havre hasn't gone back. ]

"Ehh, what's going on?"

Enough time had passed since Havre Calvine escaped from the royal castle prison that he should have returned to his mansion.

However, Basten reported that he hadn't returned to his residence in the Calvine Territory.

"It's just that he hasn't returned to the mansion, but isn't he back in his territory?"

[ I thought so too, and tried to follow housekeeper Hegel and his aide Todd, but it seemed that they were using birds to communicate with the outside of the territory. ]

When the Idiot Princes of Resenburg were still alive, Havre was able to obtain information from faraway places through his own information network.

Even if the Lord was absent, the information network would still be alive, and would be responsible for contacting Havre outside the territory.

[ Kent-sama, there is one more thing that worries me. It seems that a swarm of Undead attacked a village in Resenburg. ]

"A swarm of Undead?"

[ Yes, it is a group of Zombies and Skeletons, and although they are not individually strong, they are durable enough not to fall down until the magic stone is destroyed, so it is difficult for women and children to defeat them. ]

"Are there are lot of casualties?"

[ It seems that the damage to people was minor, and the damage was mainly to the buildings of the village and the grain that was stored. ]

"Ehh, aren't the Undead attacking villages to eat people?"

[ Yes, it seems to be different. ]

Basically, monsters attack villages and towns to eat humans, but like the swarm of Nibble Rats the other day, there are times when they are chased by other large monsters and rush to towns to escape and hide.

However, in this case, buildings and crops were damaged, so I felt that it was different from either case.

[ So, it's a little hard to say, but rumors are spreading in the Calvine Territory and nearby lands that the Undead attacks are the work of Maou Kent Kokubu. ]

"I wonder if someone is using the Undead to attack the village to make people think it's my work?"

[ It's probably the work of Havre's protégé, a dark-attribute mage ... ]

It was said that the number of people with the dark attribute was extremely small, and as far as I knew, only Master Reese had the dark attribute, but it wasn't like there weren't any others.

Summoning the Undead, it wouldn't be strange if there were wizards who did evil deeds.

I have Reinhardt and other Skeletons as my genus, and their appearances have been seen.

It may be unavoidable to think that the one who manipulates the undead = Maou Kent Kokubu.

"Hmm ... Maa, I don't mind if my reputation falls, but if you think about the impact on others, it's no good, isn't it?"

[ I agree. It is known that Kent-sama and Princess Camilla are already fighting together. If Kent-sama's reputation declines, Princess Camilla's reputation will inevitably decline as well. ]

"That's right ... I guess that's what Havre is aiming for, but, Undead attacking buildings and crops without attacking people, considering how unnatural that is, you'll know right away who's pulling the strings."

[ Kent-sama. The public consciousness is more prone to easy-to-understand false explanations than truths that require back reading. ]

"Then, as long as they continue with this method, I wonder if things will go according to Havre's plan."

[ That possibility is high. ]

When Havre escaped, I thought it would be troublesome, but it seemed that it had caused more trouble than I expected.

"Reinhardt, how should I deal with this?"

[ Let's see, the only real solution is to hunt down Havre Calvine. ]

"Even so, it's difficult if I don't know where he is, right?"

[ Therefore, the dark-attribute magician should come first. ]

"But, how are we going to find them?"

[ The most basic method is to predict which villages are likely to be attacked next, based on the locations of the villages that have been attacked so far. ]

"Basten, do you know the villages that have been attacked so far?"

[ Yes, three places, Lutos, Serati, and Burghini. ]

"Even if you say that, I don't know the places ... Let's go to Lastock."

When I thought I needed a map, the first thing that came to my mind was the commander's room at Lastock garrison.

Camilla was looking down in front of the big map on the wall.

I dived into the shadows and moved to Lastock with Basten and the others.

In the commander's office, Camilla's younger brother Diethelm seemed to be having a meeting with the staff officer Torvil and the royal guard Jürgen.

"Good evening, I'm going to bother you for a while."

"Maou-sama! Thank you very much for the other day."

Immediately getting up from their seats, following Diethelm, who was kneeling in front of me, Torvil and Jürgen also knelt and bowed their heads.

"You don't need to be so formal. I have something I want to discuss with you, so could you sit down?"

"Haa, umm ... Maou-sama, your hair color has changed ..."

"Yup, when I got all the attributes, it became like this."

"When you say all attributes, do you mean all six attributes?"

"That's right. Even though I say that, I can't use it at all."

Diethelm and the others, after exchanging looks and nodding, sat down.

On the sofa in the commander's office, Diethelm was sitting next to me, Torvil in front, and Jürgen next to him.

"First of all, can you tell me what happened with the Nibble Rats the other day?"

"Yes, Torvil, please explain to Maou-sama ..."

"As you wish. Fortunately, the damage to the residents was limited in regards to the maximum outbreak of Nibble Rats, and although there were some injuries, there were no fatalities."

According to Torvil, thanks to the timely evacuation guidance, there was little damage to people, but the damage to buildings and household goods was large, and it seemed that it was taking time to rebuild the lives of the residents.

"Fortunately, support from the royal capital and the Gleisner Territory have begun to arrive, so it looks like we will be able to welcome the new year without starving the residents."

Until now, even if a request for support was sent from Lastock, it would have been crushed by the hands of the Prime Minister, and the neighboring Gleisner Territory was a different faction, so support itself could not be expected.

Thanks to the death of the Foolish King and the Idiot Princes, the atmosphere in Resenburg had finally improved.

"This is all thanks to Maou-sama. The future of Resenburg is bright."

"Diethelm ..."

"Yes, what is it, Maou-sama."

Diethelm, sitting next to me, had a radiant smile on his face, and if he had grown a tail, it would have been shaken to pieces.

"You're too relaxed."

"Huh? Maou-sama ...?"

"You've heard that Havre Calvine escaped from the royal castle, haven't you?"

"Yes, but it's only a matter of time before he's caught ..."

"What about the attack using the Undead?"

"No, I haven't heard that."

Not only Diethelm, but Torvil and Jürgen's expressions were also tense.

Given this situation, Camilla may have withheld the information in order to prioritize reconstruction.

Diethelm stood up indignantly when I told him what I had heard from Basten.

"What an impudent person. Impersonating Maou-sama to torment the people is worthy of death. Why is my sister leaving this situation alone!"

"Your Highness, please calm down."

"What are you saying, Jürgen. How can I be calm about this!"

"Your Highness, if you get too excited, you'll just be taken advantage of by Havre."

"But ..."

"Fixing the turmoil in Lastock and rebuilding the lives of the residents is nothing less than the greatest counterattack against Havre. Camilla-sama should already have taken countermeasures. As for us, we should focus on what we have to do."

"I see ... That's right ..."

Admonished by Jürgen, Diethelm sat down.

"I'm also planning to start taking countermeasures against the attack using the Undead. For the purpose, I've come to borrow the map for a bit. Basten, tell me where the attack took place."

[ Understood. It was here, Lutos, that was attacked first. ]

Basten emerged from the shadows and used the large map on the wall to point out the locations of the villages that had been attacked by the Undead.

"Lutos, Serati, Burghini ... They seem to be heading south along the northeastern mountains."

Basten nodded at Jürgen's words.

Then, Torvil raised his hand and asked me if he could speak.

"Maou-sama, is it alright?"

"Please let me know if you notice anything."

"Yes, Lutos was attacked first, then Serati four days later, and Burghini four days later, but I don't think it would take much time to move between the villages."

It was true that the three villages didn't look very far apart.

"How far is it between these villages?"

"Let's see. If you're traveling on horseback, you can get there in the evening if you leave in the morning."

"Are they taking time to preview for the raid?"

"That is also possible, but if this is an action to lower the reputation of Maou-sama, it would be more effective to do it in a wider area, so there must be some reason why it can't be done."

According to Torvil, the three villages seemed to be clustered together in a narrow area spanning two fiefdoms, and it was certainly more efficient to spread the notoriety over a larger area.

"If they're moving at the same pace as before, where is the next likely target village?"

"Probably Shiron, or Kuujo, thereabouts ..."

It seemed that the villages that had been attacked so far were connected by a line, and the villages at the end of the line were Shiron on the mountain side and Kuujo near the base of the mountain.

After looking at the map and predicting the next attack point, Torvil continued.

"Maou-sama, this sounds like a desperate move by Havre Calvine."

"A desperate move?"

"Yes. As I said earlier, the scope of the raid is too narrow for an attack to damage the reputation of Maou-sama. Besides, the people of Resenburg have already begun to hear about Maou-sama's actions. So, they won't think this level of attack is the work of Maou-sama ..."

Protecting Lastock from the Orc attack, stopping Barshania's invasion, beating up Havre Calvine in the royal castle ... It seemed the things I've done in Resenburg have become rumors among the citizens.

Especially in Lastock, it seemed that after the Orc attack, the story of continuing treatment until I collapsed was so widespread that there was no one who didn't know it.

"Since we're in Lastock, we haven't been able to grasp the situation around the royal capital, but the scale of Maou-sama's actions so far and the current raid are too different. Why would it be necessary for a person who can walk around the royal castle to attack a frontier village. Even if some people believed the rumors, I don't think even the Lords of the Forst or Maltritz Families will believe them."

"I see ... But, if the people's voices get louder, won't even the Lords be unable to suppress them?"

"That possibility cannot be denied, but if it was around the time when the First Prince faction and the Second Prince faction were at odds with each other, now that the order of succession to the throne has almost been decided, Maou-sama and Camilla-sama, or Havre Calvine, noone should have a hard time choosing between them."

In other words, the stage of gambling with your life as a chip was over.

"Then, in regards to this matter, is it better for me not to move openly?"

"It depends on the extent of the response, but I think it would be better if Camilla-sama resolved it herself."

"Alright. This matter will be dealt with after meeting with Camilla, so you should give priority to the work here."

"Haa, as you wish."

After confirming that all three of the bowed their heads, I left my seat, but there were still things to do.

"That's right, Diethelm."

"What is is, Maou-sama."

"I want you to punish a knight."

"Huh? Wh, what did you just say?"

"You know that I was summoned from another world with my classmates, right?"

"Yes, I heard that my sister used a summoning ceremony that is a secret of the royal family."

"I was rejected and exiled, and my classmates were detained in this garrison, but one girl was sexually assaulted by a knight."

"What did you say! Is this true?"

When I talked about Watanuki-san's incident, Diethelm and the others all frowned.

"Since such a despicable act cannot be forgiven, find the knight who assaulted her and punish them."

"Haa, as you wish."

"I'm counting on you. Among the knights of Resenburg, there are no such unscrupulous people ... I don't want to hear such a stupid report, and if I only get such a reply, I might become Resenburg's enemy."

Hearing my words, Diethelm's body shook and he lowered his head.

"I will certainly find out the imprudent fellow and punish them."

When I turned my gaze, both Torvil and Jürgen had changed their posture and bowed their heads.

I called Nort from the Kobold Corps to act as a liaison with Diethelm, and moved to Camilla's room in the royal castle.

Camilla was in the middle of a meeting with Count Gleisner and Knight Commander Berdets in the royal castle's office.

"Good evening, it's been a while, Count Gleisner."

"If it isn't Maou-dono, I'm the one who should apologize for the long absence. I've been indebted to you this whole time, and I haven't been able to repay you in any way."

"That can be taken care of later."

"Ohh, I ask you to be gentle, because if Maou-dono collects, not even the the royal castle can escape. Anyway, what happened to your hair?"

"Ahh, this is ..."

Count Gleisner looked at Camilla and the Knight Commander with a surprised expression when I told him that I had obtained all the attributes.

"Maou-sama, thank you for saving me from the dangerous situation the other day."

"Camilla, are you feeling alright?"

"Yes, thanks to you, I am having a trouble-free time."

"You know what I'm here for, don't you?"

"Yes, it's about the attack using the Undead."

"Yup, I'm thinking of taking countermeasures myself, but first of all, could you tell me about your countermeasures?"

"As you wish. Berdets ..."

When Camilla gave him a look, the Knight Commander spread out a map on the table.

There were three X marks and two O marks on the map.

Lutos, Serati, Burghini, as well as Shiron and Kuujo.

"I know that Maou-sama has already heard about it, but these three marks are the villages that have been attacked so far, and these two marks are the villages where the next attack is expected to occur. We have already dispatched knights to both villages."

"How many personnel do you have?"

"Yes, the number of Undead witnessed in the raids so far is said to be between 100 and 200. 200 knights have been sent to each village, a total of 400 people."

"Knight Commander, is it possible to subdue that number of them without any problems?"

"Haa, all of them are well-trained knights, so if it's an Undead, they can deal with about five Undead each."

It was a simple calculation, but it was safe to assume that they had more than five times the strength of the Undead.

[ Reinhardt, is it okay? ]

[ There is no problem in combat. After that, it just depends on how much they can handle irregular situations. ]

"Camilla, what if other settlements than those two are attacked?"

"Yes, I have arranged to dispatch soldiers of the Forst Family, and the Maltritz Family to the villages other than Shiron and Kuujo, as well."

"Okay, then, I wonder if it's my turn this time ..."

"Maou-sama, it is very difficult to say, but Maou-sama's name has been misrepresented as the mastermind behind this raid. I realize you would like to take care of this on your own, but could you leave it to us this time."

"That's fine. However, I'm going to keep an eye on it regardless of how it ends ..."

Camilla's Undead countermeasures, because they were something about which I had no complaints for the time being, I decided to keep an eye on it from above.

"Even so, will they attack as expected?"

"It depends on the other magician, but I don't think it will exceed our expectations."

"Is there any basis for that?"

"Yes, the dark-attribute mage who carried out this attack is probably using a booster."

Considering the rarity of dark-attribute mages, it seemed that only one person was responsible for the attack, but it seemed that there were too many Undead to be summoned by a single magician.

It seemed that there was a blank period of three days between attacks.

"Maou-sama, didn't you use a booster during the commotion the other day?"

"Ahh, I see, you saw me use it, so you thought about that."

"Yes, you are right."

"But, if the other magician is using boosters, wouldn't it be better to increase the number of personnel?"

"Even if a magician's magical power doesn't run out, there is a limit to the number of Undead that can be summoned."

"Is that so, can't they replenish the Skeletons and Zombies?"

"Yes, this is just a guess, but if they don't use boosters, the number of Undead that the magician can handle should be about one-fifth."

Assuming that Camilla's prediction was correct, the opponent magician would be able to use about 20 to 40 undead even in normal times.

My genus were 45 in total.

I thought it was better to think of them as a fairly formidable opponent.

[ Nope, Kent-sama, us genus and the Undead being used are probably different things. ]

[ Is that so? ]

[ Perhaps they are not able to think independently like us, they just follow simple orders. ]

From Reinhardt's words, I felt something like pride as a family member.

"Camilla, we talked about the same thing earlier at Lastock, but Torvil guessed that Havre was acting out of desperation, but what do you think?"

"Yes, we must be vigilant, but we also believe that Havre is in a stalemate. We plan to resolve the Undead attack in three days, when the next one is expected, and proceed with the capture of Havre."

"Alright. I'll leave this matter to Camilla, but I'm interested in the other dark-attribute magician, so I might move to capture them, but that is okay, right."

"Yes, I think it would be difficult for us to capture a magician who is hiding in the shadows. It would be helpful if we could get the help of Maou-sama."

The Resenburg knights would be in charge of annihilating the Undead, and I would be the one to capture the magician.

Before returning to Volzard, I told Camilla about Watanuki-san's case, and strictly told her to punish any of the knights accompanying her who participated in the assault.

"How disgraceful ... I will keep in touch with Diethelm, and I will definitely identify and punish those who are imprudent."

"Yup, can you contact me through Hart?"

"I respectfully obey."

Camilla promised to deal with him immediately and clean up the order of the knights.