CH 21

“Henry-dono, please raise your head.”

I’m sorry Sirius, but I really can’t accept that request. The necromancer who attacked this village is my brother, and even though he is my half-brother, that horrible blood of the Boesheit flows through me as well. The blame lies with me as well.

How many people did you kill, brother? I won’t complain if they kill me here as retribution.

“Henry! Listen!”

I finally raise my head in response to the shouting.

“You said his name was Ace? That necromancer is…… What do you know about him?”

“…… Ace is the eighth prince and my brother. He has the natural characteristics of a necromancer. With his inherent skills, he can summon the undeads for as long as his magic lasts, and he can probably build an army all by himself.”

An indestructible army where the concept of logistics, morale, and fatigue are irrelevant. That’s the horror of Ace. I don’t know how big the army he can build is, but it’s still terrifying.

Furthermore, as a necromancer, he should be able to use corpses to summon more undeads. If one of us dies, there will be one more enemy. We can’t fight him in a straightforward way.

“The royal family is…… but he’s only ever sent small groups of undeads. It’s possible that he’s only been doing reconnaissance so far.”

“My brother is cunning and brutal. I’m sure he is. But he will definitely try to attack and destroy this village to get hold of some corpses.”

It is easier to summon undeads using corpses than using magic power. Ace said proudly at the royal palace. He got the corpse of a maid who just broke a plate.

“I’m going to go and get rid of my brother — or Ace by myself. If anything goes wrong, could you please watch after everyone in this village? I also have some people left in my territory, and I want you to pick them up after.”

This is the only thing I can do now.

“Henry, you’re jumping to conclusions. This is not only your problem, but ours as well.”

“But!”

“The Silver Crow clan will gladly accept any fight that is given to us. And the pride of our clan will not allow us to leave that Ace person to you alone!”

Sirius grips his hands in front of his chest.

“And you don’t even know where Ace is, do you? He takes over dungeons and makes them his strongholds, and sometimes he comes out and attacks villages. Oh, I won’t tell you where though. I don’t want you to go off on your own.”

“A dungeon… is it the dungeon of the ancients, the people of Aepha?”

Is there that dungeon outside of the territory? Or is it just a normal dungeon that has nothing to do with them? If it’s the former, it’s possible that Ace had obtained special powers.

“I’ve never heard of the people of Aepha. It was originally a cave created by underground water and became a dungeon where monsters settled in it. Nowadays, only the undeads of Ace are left.”

I stroke my chest.

Sirius looks at me with serious eyes and opens his mouth

“The dungeon is likely to be Ace’s domain. Then let’s intercept them when they attack this village and kill them when they are weak.”

It’s indeed a strategy with high chances of success. Since ancient times, defensive battles have been considered more advantageous than siege battles. We don’t have enough cards to invade their stronghold.

But there will be damage to the villagers. And then there’s Thor and the others. We need to protect their safety.

“Are you sure about this? I’m afraid there will be damage to the village. After all, I’m the one…”

“Don’t say anything else, Henry. Devotion is a virtue, but too much of it is unpleasant. Take a good look at the faces of the girls beside you.”

Thor and Sheila look as if they’re about to start crying. Well, if I die, their lives aren’t guaranteed either. They must be anxious.

“Onii-san… are you going to fight?”

“Ah…… I’m sorry, but I may not have time to let you escape to the territory.”

Besides, if you anger Ace, even if they escape back to the territory, the girls will be killed on their own. Golemus is strong enough, but it can’t withstand a wave of undead attacks.

“Noooo…!”

“What…”

What’s wrong? I don’t know what Sheila is trying to say.

“I’ll stay in the village! I’m the one who knows the most about healing potions, so I’ll treat the injured!”

“Right, right. Also, I don’t know if it’s safe to run away. I don’t want to get caught by the slave dealer like before. I’ll stay here and help Sheila.”

“…… Thor, Sheila, I’m sorry. Thank you.”

I lower my head lightly and Gabriel rubs up against me. The soft fur touches my face and eases my mind a little.

“Protect them too, Gabriel. I’ll do my best as well.”

I stroke Gabriel’s back. Gabriel’s head rests on my shoulder, and then she squeals in a thin voice.

“I’ll leave it to you two to heal the wounded. The healing potion can also be applied on weapons, so dilute the potion as needed to save money. I’ll leave the adjustment to Sheila.”

“Leave it to me! Please, don’t you die, onii-san. My sister will miss you.”

“What are you talking about, Sheila!? I told you that was a misunderstanding!”

Sheila holds her mouth and giggles. She’s become stronger that she can tell jokes even at times like this.

Sirius taps me on the shoulder while the two of us are talking to each other.

“Henry, I think we’ve had our talk. And from now on, you can just call me Sirius. We’ll be fighting side by side, no need to hold back.”

“Oh, nice to meet you again, Sirius. I think I can be useful. At least I’m stronger than Fayne!”

We shake hands for the second time. Sirius smiles wryly, and I smile back.

His grip on my hand is strong. I think I can count on him.