“Now then. Come here.”
In response to Yuri’s orders, the doors of the log house opened, and something huge stepped out.
“Kehhhh!”
A lone cry rang out. It was a strange sound that one might expect of a strangled chicken.
When they realized who had cried out, terror filled the hearts of everyone present, not just Jircniv.
Indeed, it felt like they had been plunged into a waking dream.
The one who had made that uncharacteristic sound was the high court wizard of the Empire, the
“Triple Magic Caster”, Fluder Paradyne. He was a man who was said to be able to rival the Thirteen Heroes. A man like that now stood with eyes wide with terror, his gaze fixed on the things emerging from the log house.
Shortly after that, several screams filled the air, all of them from Fluder’s disciples.
“How could this be?! That is―!!!”
“Un-unbelievable! This is impossible!”
“Danger! An attack is coming! Defensive magic! Please allow us to use defensive magic!”
Fluder glared at his disciples, all of whom were in full battle readiness.
“Silence!! Calm yourselves, all of you!!”
The being emerging from the log house was worthy of their caution and dread. The eyes of everyone from the entire Imperial contingent were inescapably drawn to a single point.
There was no doubt at all that it was a monster. It was a monster sheathed in black plate armor.
Its body was excessively large, and its silhouette was filled with evil. It was as though a god had drawn forth the essence of violence and brutality from all humanity, concentrated it, and given it physical form. Its rotted face had no expression, yet they could all sense a brilliant, shining hatred burning in its empty eye sockets.
And there were five of them.
The vast body of the one at their head was carrying a large stone table. The ones behind were holding various utensils and many chairs.
None of them had any hostile intent. In contrast, the vigilance and panic of Fluder’s disciples seemed almost laughable.
There was a sound of something falling to the ground.
One of Fluder’s acolytes had collapsed to the ground like a puppet whose strings had been cut. Or rather, out of the four acolytes he had brought along, almost all of them had ended up that way.
Their pale faces were frozen in shock as they began hyperventilating.
“Impossible. How could this… no, no, it can’t be. Are those Death Knights? Are they being controlled? And in those numbers?”
Something flashed through Jircniv’s mind. He couldn’t help but forget himself and shout angrily.
He no longer had the luxury of preserving his dignity.
“Death Knights? What do they mean by Death Knights?! Gramps! Answer me! I’ve heard that name before, does it have anything to do with that undead creature that’s rumored to be locked up under the Ministry of Magic?!”
Indeed. It was a Death Knight. That was the name of a monster that could plunge the Empire into dire straits just by itself.
Yet, Jircniv did not receive a reply.
Fluder was staring with eyes wide open. Jircniv realized that talking to him was a waste of time and instead stormed forward with hurried, worried steps, before taking one of the acolytes by the lapels and lifting him up from the ground.
“What are these ‘Death Knights’?! Answer me!!”
“Aieeee! Your, Your Majesty! As you said, that legendary undead monster sealed within the nether reaches of the Ministry of Magic is, indeed, a Death Knight! They are creatures that even Master cannot control!”
All Jircniv could do was laugh. The reserve that he had clung to as the Emperor of the Baharuth Empire was no more. It had crumbled to ash and blown away on the wind.
“…hu, huhu. Huhuhu. What do you mean, legendary undead?! There’s five of them right there in front of us! Or are you saying that Death Knights come in groups and five of them count as one entity? Huh?! Are you kidding me?!!”
“N-no! Nothing like that!”
He sensed someone standing beside him. When he glanced over, he saw that it was one of the Empire’s strongest warriors, Baziwood. The man’s face was pale, and Jircniv could see a nervous tic starting to form.
“Er, ah, Your Majesty. Please listen to this with a calm heart. The situation now is very bad. That creature is of a level that we, even in formed ranks and with full magical support, might not be able to overcome. Perhaps it would be a good idea to sound a retreat. This is bad. Really bad. Look at how my hand trembles.”
As Jircniv looked over to Baziwood’s hand, it began to shake. After looking at his twitching face, the reason for that unwarrior-like movement became abundantly clear.
“Is that what they mean by ‘unfathomable’… do you think it could be stronger than Stronoff-san?”
The other member of the Four Knights was further behind than when she had started out, and she was still continuing her slow retreat. The only reason why she had not broken into an all-out sprint was because she did not want to attract the Death Knight’s attention and thus, its hostility.
This whole thing felt like a nightmare come to life.
And then, before them…
The way the Death Knights were calmly arranging the furniture and utensils on the grassy plains was the very picture of the loyal manservant. There was nothing in their actions which suggested that they were legendary undead which could destroy a country.
However, it was a fact that they were undead which even Jircniv’s strongest magic caster, Fluder Paradyne, could not command. Anyone could tell that by looking at the reactions of everyone present.
This implied that there might be more than five of these monsters, whose fighting ability was far in excess of Fluder’s own.
In contrast, Fluder Paradyne himself was a magic caster that might well have the combat power of the entire Imperial Army. Of course, he did not have infinite mana, and in a straight fight, the Army should be able to take him out. However, if he used his teleportation or flight magic, he might well be able to exterminate the entire Imperial Army by himself. That was Fluder’s true power.
That would mean that the five Death Knights here represented five times the fighting strength of the entire Imperial Army.
Impossible.
It could not be allowed to happen.
This was far too much power for a single man to possess. Even a country would be hard-pressed to contain this much might. This was the sort of power which only a few famous nations or republics of legend could command. Could the master of a meager little tomb really possess such puissance?
When the two dark elves emerged, he forced his mind away from that topic and focused on what was before him.
“Ainz Ooal Gown… a monster we can’t do anything to, no, that we can’t even touch…”
Jircniv’s heart was like a tiny boat tossed around in a raging storm.
In the end, however, he wrestled his emotions down and regained his calm with his iron will.