“Teacher Faust!”
As I stepped out of the tent, a cheerful voice called out to me. It was none other than Lishe.
“Hero.”
“Is it true that you’re the master of Teacher Gothberg?”
“Indeed.”
“Both Alchemy and Medicine?”
I almost opened my mouth thoughtlessly but nodded slowly instead. I should speak less. I need to look as lonely as possible.
I want to reveal my identity to Lishe, but for now, I want to see how it would affect the situation.
“I’ll leave your back to you.”
“Do you really trust someone you just met that easily?”
With an unwavering expression, Lishe nodded.
“Teacher Gothberg sent us, after all. There’s no room for doubt.”
At that moment, her demeanor reflected the Hero I knew all too well.
Charles.
She might be a bit younger than her, but she exuded a more vibrant, polished aura. Without a hint of anxiety, just watching her sparked a confidence that we would win.
Thinking back, Lishe has always been like this.
“I won’t let you down.”
Before Lishe could react to my reply, a scout rushed towards us, reporting.
“The enemy’s movements aren’t normal.”
“Let’s go right away.”
With her Holy Sword unsheathed, Lishe strode forward confidently. Tanya, Acella, Valen, and Ambrosia followed closely behind.
Peeking from behind the barricades, I spotted the massive undead army, and indeed, their formation was gradually shifting. Their numbers surely reached into the hundreds of thousands—perhaps even exceeding a million.
The frontlines had been blocked by skeletons and Death Knights, obscuring our view of the rear forces.
The eerie howls combining with strange sounds echoed like a mourning song.
“What’s going on?”
Tanya narrowed her eyes in caution. They scurried about as if something terrified them, almost clearing a path.
_Thud, thud, thud._
I felt the faint vibrations from beneath the ground.
“I realized what that is.”
“Do you?”
I pointed into the distance.
“Look over there.”
_Kuuuuung!!_
The giant footsteps resonated throughout the land.
A massive spider-like monster charged forward, weaving magic as it trampled the skeleton soldiers that couldn’t flee in time.
“It’s the Spider Lord!!”
The scout yelled in a panic. News reached the main army.
The Spider Lord, when classified by disaster levels, approached a catastrophic grade, akin to the enormous skeleton that nearly wiped out the Duke’s territory.
Three such beasts were rapidly advancing towards us. An energized undead army followed in their wake. Today was undoubtedly a day for battle.
“That’s the final evolution of the Arachne! Do you think we can defeat that?!”
Ambrosia panicked. Lishe quickly turned to assess the situation.
“It’ll be disadvantageous on the plains. We should abandon the second defensive line and preserve our troops to enter a siege. Let’s retreat to the castle walls of the final defense.”
“The reinforcement of the castle walls is still pending. I’m not sure if we can hold them back even if we retreat. If the final line is breached, they’ll invade the human realm.”
General Darren of the kingdom spoke, commanding the kingdom’s forces from the front lines.
“Don’t worry.”
Lishe confidently replied.
“We’ll definitely stop them.”
The general made a swift decision. He immediately swung his sword and shouted, “All forces! Abandon the defensive line and retreat! Move the troops to the castle!”
The allied forces, receiving the order, began moving frantically. Confusion grew as the enemy drew nearer.
_Screeeech!_
At that moment, a deafening roar filled the sky as a dragon flew over, casting a black shadow on the ground.
“It’s a dr- dragon!”
A few soldiers looked up and gasped in shock.
To be precise, it wasn’t a true dragon. It was an undead dragon with tattered wings and only bones remaining.
It soared across the battlefield.
Above it, black magic circles began to form. Without a moment to catch our breath, magical cannonballs shot down towards the ground.
“Faust! Protective spell!”
“Let’s cooperate.”
Ambrosia shook my arm and fussed before quickly opening her holy book, enveloping herself in divine power.
“O mighty goddess, protect us with your eternal light!”
I too channeled divine power to enhance Ambrosia’s spell. A dome-shaped glass-like shield manifest above the Hero party and nearby soldiers.
_Paaang!!_
The shield cracked as it collided with the magical projectiles, light and darkness swirling and mingling like cream poured over a cup of coffee before vanishing into the air.
“Whoa, completely neutralized a fifth-tier magic bullet! Quite impressive!”
Ambrosia tapped my thigh.
In turn, I ruffled her hair roughly.
“Ugh, what are you doing?!”
Ambrosia bounced around, preparing her next spell.
Hmm, if it were Lars Gothberg, he would never have been able to do this—but Dr. Faust? Carrying Ambrosia and traveling around the world wouldn’t be out of the question.
“Three minutes until enemy contact!”
“Retreat! Retreat!”
As the allied forces began to bolting in a frenzy, the Hero party stood firm at the front, now positioned at the rear to buy them time.
“Let’s move with the main force!”
“If we’re isolated, we’re done for. Hurry!”
Just as Lishe and Tanya began to move, a figure remained stationary.
“That must be the one who cast magic earlier.”
A golden mage stood atop the disturbed earth from the soldiers’ footsteps.
“How dare you stand over my head!”
Acella brandished her wand and created a magic circle.
Overlapping layers formed a dimension of five.
“You don’t know your place.”
From Acella’s magic circle, a colossal ice spear capable of shattering gates emerged, soaring towards the sky.
_Paaak!!_
It tore through the wings of the undead dragon and turned to golden mana as it disintegrated.
_Kaaaarrrk!!_
Kuuuuung!! The dragon plummeted to the ground, causing a sudden storm of dust.
“Your Highness! We need to go!”
Lishe shouted at Acella, whose golden hair fluttered proudly. As she said, if we didn’t leave now, we’d soon be crushed by the Spider Lords and the skeletal army.
“We have to take it down here. That undead army was all summoned by this creature!”
A magic circle emerged amid the dust.
The magical projectiles were fired. The distance was several hundred meters, but they barreled towards us like bullets.
“Hmph.”
Acella created an equal number of magic circles to respond with ice spears.
_Clang!_
The magic projectiles and ice spears collided in mid-air and vanished.
As the dust settled, he revealed himself.
A human skeleton donned in splendid ancient magical attire.
From his eyes flowed dark, ominous energy, like a black hole, yet softly emitting pale blue magic.
The final of the Four Heavenly Kings, the Lich.
“Quite the skilled magician you are.”
His voice echoed hollowly.
“I have no need for the recognition of the demon race.”
Snap, Acella twirled her wand and gripped it firmly.
“I’ll send you back to your grave.”
The Lich tapped the ground with his wand.
“No, you need to earn my recognition. Golden Magician. Your magical ability is clearly superior to mine.”
“What’s your game? After summoning such monsters and an undead army, you dare to praise my magic?”
Glint—the Lich’s eyes shone bright blue.
“I take pleasure in killing stronger magicians and making them my subordinates.”
Upon hearing his response, Acella’s lips curled up in a sharp grin.
She looked furious, clearly intending to inflict painful tortures on him.
“Your Highness!”
The main force had already moved quite far from us. The Hero party was also on the move. Even when Tanya shouted, Acella stood her ground.
“I’ll take care of this first. I’ll handle it quickly and come right after… what the?!”
There was no time to wait. The Spider Lord was nearly upon us.
I approached Acella and jabbed a syringe into her side.
“Ugh… What are you—!”
“A paralysis poison, one minute long.”
With Acella’s movements halted, I shouldered her up.
‘Strength enhancement… Only at level two.’
I adjusted it to prevent side effects.
“Hey!”
Ignoring Acella’s cries, I began running, chasing after the allied forces towards the castle walls.
“Let me down! How dare you lay your hands on me!”
“Are you still going on about status at a time like this?”
“I am the princess of the empire! Even touching my body without the attending physician’s permission is punishable by extreme consequences!”
“You’ll die if you keep squabbling there. That’s a patient. Doctors can always touch their patients.”
“Hah, who would’ve thought such a thing would come from your master…! I need to take down that Lich. I have to…!”
“That’s the Hero’s job.”
“It’s also my job!”
From my shoulder, Acella shouted defiantly.
What the heck is she talking about?
Acella’s role is to act like a princess, not to risk her life in a fight.
She should know better; she’s getting worked up over cheap provocations.
“Come on! Come on!”
As we ran, we were nearing the castle walls.
The castle walls of the Count’s territory was fortified by a thick, twenty-meter-wide river, leading to a drawbridge across the passage.
The main force entered inside as they began to release the drawbridge.
“Whoosh!”
Ambrosia leapt onto the drawbridge just as it began rising, the last of the Hero party making it over to the Count’s territory. Only Acella and I remained.
“Hurry, hurry!”
Ambrosia waved urgently before sliding down the slanting drawbridge.
Behind us, the undead army was racing forward.
“Wait a moment. Can we cross that river?”
“Easily.”
I answered Acella shortly and opened my item box. I threw a bunch of explosive potions over my shoulder.
_Kaboom!_
With one dropped skeleton, I grabbed a syringe.
“Instant agility boost.”
I placed it on my Achilles tendon and took a three-step running start.
Kukoom! The ground cracked beneath my feet. I leaped and cleared the twenty-meter-wide river in one bound.
“Whoa! I didn’t expect that from the sky!”
As I landed on the other side, Ambrosia’s mouth hung open in astonishment.
“Everyone’s safe. After a quick healing, let’s move into the siege.”
I walked with Acella over my shoulder towards the castle gate.
