CH 151

Chapter 151 – We Went Ahead!

“The most important thing then, is where we charge in.”

It was still early in the morning, where the sky flowed red. And I was on top of the walls in the palace district and gazing at the temple in the distance.

Today, we would carry out our plan to infiltrate the temple by using a ropeway.

The palace soldiers would help to create a diversion, so it should be a good surprise attack.

However, jumping into the center of the enemy base was an incredibly dangerous operation.

Of course, I would have Ymir steer the boat so that it was as close to the shore near the temple as possible, but it was best to assume that a retreat would not be possible.

According to Ylis, there was also a subterranean sewer on the other side, so we could escape from there if necessary.

I put down my telescope and muttered.

“In any case, I will have to go alone first. So that we can connect the sides with the rope.”

Indeed, I had to make this ropeway now.

And that meant going to the point that would be where the ropeway ended.

Iria opened her mouth next to me.

“Sir Joshua. It is too dangerous for you to go alone. I should go…”

“Iria…”

If I used Hide, then I could conceal my presence. Not just my own, but I could conceal the person next to me as well.

I also intended to summon Ronea the demon if needed.

“Indeed… I would feel better if there was someone I could rely on in an emergency. However, we cannot go in a large group either.”

Then Melk said,

“Melk and the others will stay. Iria will handle it.”

Mette and Asuha nodded in agreement.

“Everyone. I promise to protect Sir Joshua. Leave it to me. However, Sir Joshua. Where is our destination?”

Iria asked. And so I pointed to the bell tower near the temple.

“The small hill with the tower. The skeletons won’t be able to see us well from there, and it is close to the temple. And so we should go there first.”

“Very well. I shall protect you with my life, Sir Joshua.”

“No. If something happens, you should leave me and run away… Of course, we will have to prevent such a thing from happening. As it will mean the failure of this mission. We must stay on our guard.”

And so we decided to head for the bell tower near the temple.

I had already made weapons that would be used for the charge as well as the diversionary attack. And the carrier for the ropeway as well.

The biggest problem was the rope. But I would move towards the bell tower while slowly pulling it out of the magic workshop.

As I had taken rope from the palace and braided them together, it would be too heavy for a normal human to carry it.

Because of this, that meant I would be defenseless. So I was grateful that Iria would be there to defend me.

Iria rowed the boat as we headed to the other side of the river.

And I slowly let out more of the rope.

“It seems like they haven’t noticed us yet.”

“Aye. Hide is quite effective.”

None of the skeletons on the riverbanks had taken any notice of us.

And so I continued to release the rope as we landed on the other side with the temple.

“We are so close now… And they still don’t see us.”

Iria was speaking in a clear voice, but the skeletons that were a few steps ahead did not notice.

And a short distance away, some of the rope that I could not conceal was also visible, but they didn’t seem to notice that either. Perhaps it was difficult for them to detect anything that was not a living creature.

“In any case, this is good for us. Let’s go on to the bell tower then. Please continue to stay on your guard, Iria.”

“Yes!”

We walked down the path, up stairs and slopes and made our way to the tower.

However, I then noticed that a pillar of smoke was rising up ahead.

“That smoke… Are there people living there?”

Either someone was cooking or a house was burning. In any case, smoke had been quite common in the royal capital recently.

“It is possible. If there are still people here, then the plan will have to be changed… Wait, what is that sound?”

As we approached, I started to hear the high-pitched sounds of striking metal. It was coming from the direction of the smoke.

“Let’s go and take a look.”

The place we came out into…was covered in a little too much soot to seem like an ordinary alley.

“Perhaps it is the craftsman district.”

Normally, it would not be strange to see smoke and hear the sounds of metal here.

However, the place was currently overrun by skeletons. There should not be any humans here.

And so with a feeling of dread, I peered into one of the workshops.

And there, to my shock, I was a skeleton swinging a hammer

“They can do such things…”

Iria was stunned.

I felt the same. I had never heard of skeletons being able to do such things.

But this meant that even if there were no workers in this district that they took, they could still make weapons and armor. The undead could make them.

…Not only was the enemy able to create so many skeleton soldiers, but they could make them do this as well. It had to be the work of an incredibly powerful necromancer.

That being said, the quality of the weapons left much to be desired… Perhaps they were too heavy, as some of the skeletons fell over while trying to carry them.

“Even if they are of bad quality, a weapon is still a weapon. If such a thing is happening in other cities and countries as well…”

“It will be a great disaster. Let us hurry.”

And so Iria and I started walking towards the bell tower once again.

Nothing intercepted us on the way, and we eventually arrived at the tower.