episode_0147

After parting ways with Adela, Violet’s team advanced.

After navigating twisted paths, passing in front of a strangely glowing hotel, and walking past three fountains of various sizes, they entered a residential alley surrounded by three-story houses.

Irene, who was examining the map at the head of the procession, asked.

“This is the way to the abandoned factory district, right?”

“Of course! I told you earlier. The path we’re taking has already been scouted by the search party.”

Violet is a rational girl who always prioritizes safety, except when she’s self-destructing.

She never recklessly brings her team members into dungeon streets teeming with demonic beasts or dangers.

Thus, Violet’s unit always operates a search party. The more Violets that die beyond the map, the more the safety of the main force and team members is secured.

The search party faithfully carries out their mission as mobile wards and teleport markers.

“Hurry! Demonic beasts are everywhere here. It’s stifling to hide.”

“Lots of magic power! Generate us if it’s urgent.”

While the search party on the factory roof was hidden in a corner under a camouflage net, the main force entered the factory district.

“Enemies!”

As soon as they exited the alley, they were greeted by shambling humanoid enemies. Ghouls. Judging by their numbers, they were about twice their size.

“Hide!”

The Violets and team members hid behind a nearby old car and boxes. Unusually, barbed wire fences were sparsely placed throughout the roadside here.

They cautiously peeked a camera out from behind the boxes to observe the enemies on screen.

Upon closer inspection, these ghouls were dressed in old military uniforms. Some held rusted guns in their hands, and others had chains wrapped around their arms.

In the center, there was also a ghoul in ornate attire, appearing to be an officer, holding a flag in one hand and a saber in the other.

“They’re soldiers. But a bit old?”

As I muttered, Irene explained.

“They’re soldiers from the First Interdimensional War. I’ve heard they appear sometimes, but this is my first time seeing them directly.”

It must be because the war happened a long time ago. Unit 652 looked back.

‘Should we retreat? Or break through?’

After turning on the laser communicator, I carefully whispered and observed each team member’s face. Everyone unanimously decided to proceed.

“Oh! Scout Team 2 will report to headquarters. What you see isn’t everything! It’s quite teeming around here, so you’d better be careful.”

“This is Scout Team 3. We see it too!”

The two scout teams positioned on the flanks shared their vision. Enemies not visible from the main force’s side became apparent. The ghouls were lying or crouching among clumsily piled obstacles.

“Fire!”

Violet’s squad emerged from their cover and unleashed a barrage of fire. Muffled gunshots, suppressed by silencers, echoed as they blew off the ghouls’ heads.

Recognizing the attack, the ghouls shambled towards them.

“Vi-Violet! That mo-mustache!”

Levi, who was deploying a ballista on top of a small building behind them, called out to Violet over the radio in an anxious tone.

I looked in the direction Levi was pointing.

The officer ghoul holding the flag let out a shriek and pointed at them with the saber in its other hand. The thick chain wrapped around its arm clanked.

“Graa… graaaaagh!”

“What the hell is that guy?”

Lucian swore. The next moment, something astonishing happened.

A crackling sound was heard, and then luminous bullets began to fly from that direction.

The ghouls were firing guns!

The firing power was beyond imagination. I was terrified seeing holes being riddled through the car and wall they were using for cover.

“Kyaaah! I can’t hear!”

“Be careful! The power is beyond imagination!”

Unit 268, who had been firing, recoiled in shock and ducked behind a shield. Her left ear was gone.

Daphne quickly healed her ear and deployed a protective barrier. A relentless rain of bullets, like falling hail, continuously struck the barrier.

Those ghouls moved like living soldiers, firing guns and taking cover. Did they also know that their bullets were threatening?

“Report from Scout Team 2, they’re about to use grenades!”

The scout team observing from the factory roof reported urgently.

I couldn’t help but be terrified once again.

The ghouls were observed shambling, pulling out stick grenades, and removing their safety pins.

“Get down!”

“Gah! The corpses are using grenades!”

Daphne quickly deployed a spherical protective barrier. The ghoul grenades, shimmering with strange light, flew and exploded in the air and on the ground. The barrier blocked the fragments and flames.

“Just corpses! Lucian. Blow them away!”

“I was already preparing, even without you telling me!”

As soon as the barrier lifted, Lucian’s barrage of magic arrows sliced through the air.

The controlled blue arrows plunged steeply from high altitude like birds of prey targeting their prey.

Ghouls firing from behind cover were shattered.

“Eat this!”

Grenades fired by the Violets also struck the ghouls. The corpses mimicking humans were blasted into pieces.

“Report from Scout Team 3! They’re still swarming from the front. We’ll provide sniper support!”

“But where’s that mustache guy? I can’t see him!”

The Violet scout team, hidden on the roof of a nearby factory, pulled out their assault rifles.

The heads of the shambling ghoul unit exploded one by one.

Recognizing the sniping, the soldier ghouls unnaturally twisted their necks, surveyed their surroundings, and retaliated with gunfire.

The bullets flying towards the roof made me shudder.

“Report from Headquarters! Their heads are pretty smart. Prepare for close combat. Let’s push through in one go!”

Golden magic power enveloped the Violets. The assault team, armed with shields, spears, and swords, advanced under covering fire.

A flurry of small bolts rained down overhead. It was Levi’s flechette shot.

With a thud, a ghoul squad approaching in a horizontal line was annihilated.

“Die!”

The moment I charged alongside Irene, I witnessed something strange. The officer ghoul, previously unseen, reappeared. The mustache ghoul vigorously waved its flag.

“What? That guy?”

A white light spread from the flag, enveloping the surrounding ghouls. Then, something terrible happened.

“Graaaaaagh!”

“Kwooh!”

The ghouls charged at high speed as if on fast-forward. Old rifles with bayonets and entrenching tools clashed against spears and shields.

“Ugh-yah!”

Unit 115, who had blocked the chain swung by the officer ghoul, almost fell. A protective barrier quickly unfolded, blocking the second attack, and Irene promptly stepped forward.

“Swordsmanship? A ghoul?”

The usually calm Irene seemed a little flustered. Sparks flew as the spear and saber clashed.

Amazingly, the mustache ghoul was wielding swordsmanship!

Kalia also joined in, but the ghoul skillfully used three things—its saber, the flag, and the chain wrapped around its arm—as weapons, managing a 2-on-1 fight.

A swordmaster ghoul, this is crazy!

Each time the flag fluttered, vitality surged through the surrounding ghouls, and the chain wrapped around its arm comically deflected spears and swords imbued with sword energy. It even swung it like a whip.

“It’s, it’s even using bayonet skills?”

The surrounding soldier ghouls also shrieked, stabbing with bayonets and swinging rifle butts.

“Ugh, ugh! Violet. Help me!”

Granite, terrified by the fierce attack, stumbled back helplessly.

The shield and sword that stepped forward fiercely clashed with their rifles.

The problem was speed; the ghouls’ speed suddenly increased. It felt as if they were on some kind of drug. Why?

The Violets quickly reviewed the situation. They activated the Violet network.

“Simulation activated!”

After a five-second marathon simulation, I reached a conclusion.

The ghouls were like that because of that mustache officer. Its flag was definitely a relic.

“Both of you, fall back!”

The rooftop scout team quickly switched weapons. As Irene and Kalia, who had been continuing their dazzling duel, leaped back, an anti-materiel rifle spat fire.

-Clank!

Light flared from the ghoul’s neck, and then an autocannon shell bounced off. Only after being shot three times in a row did the protective barrier lose its light.

“It’s a relic!”

My mind snapped to attention. My goodness, that ghoul was a treasure trove. They had to capture it intact, no matter what.

“Everyone else, intercept the ones swarming from the rear! We’ll handle the mustache guy!”

Hearing my words, Irene and Kalia nodded and leaped over the ghouls. While the ghouls were bewildered, the shield wall charged forward.

“Crush them!”

Lucian’s guided magic arrows made them falter, and Daphne’s simple binding magic shackled their feet. They immediately collided head-on with the ghoul unit.

The officer ghoul, rampaging with its sword and flag, fell. Just as it tried to get up, a light green planar protective barrier appeared over its body. It looked as if it was pinned beneath the barrier.

“Hand over my relics!”

While the shield wall slaughtered the surrounding ghouls one by one, Squad Leader Violet Unit 312 severed both wrists of the officer ghoul pinned under the barrier.

As the barrier lifted, the Violets rushed at the ghoul’s remaining limbs one by one.

“One, two, three!”

As they diligently cut and pulled with their daggers, with a crunch, the ghoul’s head and some limbs were torn off.

The light vanished from the flag the ghoul had been holding.

“Killed it!”

Simultaneously, the ghouls that had been moving as nimbly as living people suddenly slumped. We seized the opportunity to annihilate all of them.

“We won!”

I cheered and kicked the ghoul’s head.

**

While cleaning up the battlefield, I checked the relics the mustache officer ghoul had been holding.

[Last Regiment Flag ☆☆☆☆]

The military flag of an unnamed regiment that fluttered during the fall of Vittorio City.

Soldiers remained until the very end to fight against demonic beasts for the evacuation of citizens.

Their names and affiliation are forgotten, but their spirit and fighting will remain in the flag.

*When magic power is infused into the flag and vigorously waved, its unique effect is activated. Abilities within its range do not stack.

So, it was a 4-star relic.

I could also check the headless officer’s other relic.

[Chain of Will ☆☆☆☆]

A weapon used in close combat by soldiers and officers when ammunition was scarce.

It is long and does not break easily.

On that day, the soldiers’ regiment was as tough and strong as a chain.

[Unnamed Officer’s Locket ☆☆☆☆]

A locket containing an officer’s memories.

Within it lie faded memories and hopes.

Intense memories and hopes created a miracle.

*Once every 24 hours, it can defend against up to three fatal ranged attacks.

Unfortunately, the officer ghoul’s saber was just an ordinary sword.

The guns and grenades held by the soldier ghouls were also just old junk.

“How strange, they could pierce through rocks and iron when they fired.”

Upon the user’s death, it lost its power. The world of relics is truly mysterious.

By the way, I’m wondering who I should give these relics to.

The military flag was perfect for them, but the chain and locket were awkward to use.

“Let’s just give the locket to Daphne!”

While Violet’s squad rummaged through the soldier ghouls’ corpses and cut them open to find relics, the team members helped me clear the bodies or kept watch.

“Uh… uh… that’s a, a human…”

“We didn’t, we didn’t attack humans, did we?”

The siege weapon couple looked gloomy. It seemed killing the ghouls weighed heavily on their minds.

“Oh no! Now that I think about it, I only instilled fighting will against demonic beasts!”

Ghouls look like humans at first glance. Of course, it couldn’t help but feel unsettling.

Lucian, unable to watch any longer, said a word to the two.

“Hey, why are you so bothered? Look closely. Does that look like a human?”

“…”

“Those bastards aren’t humans. They’re demonic beasts. So there’s no need to feel uncomfortable.”

The two reluctantly nodded.

While the two were working, I approached Daphne and handed her the locket.

“What is this?”

“It’s a gift! I found out it’s a relic with great power.”

I vaguely glossed over how I knew about the relic’s abilities.

“Thank you!”

Daphne smiled brightly and took the locket. She carefully examined the relic.

“It’s a locket. They usually put photos inside these, I hear.”

She fiddled with the locket. As her thin, white fingers touched the locket’s hinge, the lid clicked open.

“This…?”

When the locket opened, a faded black-and-white photograph was inside. A man with a mustache was smiling with a woman.

“It looks like family.”

“Or lovers?”

Their gaze turned towards the officer ghoul’s corpse.

I could feel compassion in Daphne’s blue eyes as she looked at the rolling ghoul’s head.

After finishing the cleanup, I talked with Irene before moving.

“Those ghouls, weren’t they low-ranking demonic beasts? They weren’t as difficult as high-ranking ones, but they were quite troublesome earlier.”

The ghouls I had encountered before were just slow, idiotic targets that simply wandered around.

But those ghouls moved like human soldiers. Explaining their behavior solely with the flag’s power felt insufficient.

“I agree. It’s the first time I’ve seen ghouls fight so well. Their brains are melted, so they shouldn’t be able to perform such complex actions. Why…”

Irene also seemed unable to understand.

“Come to think of it, something comes to mind.”

“What is it?”

“I heard this a long time ago: sometimes ghouls retain some memories and habits from their former lives. That’s why they show a wide variety of behaviors. The ghouls we faced…”

I examined the street where they had engaged in combat.

I hadn’t noticed during the fight, but now, the arrangement of stacked obstacles, boxes, and cars looked peculiar.

I thought they were haphazardly strewn about, but they clearly had a purpose. Even the barbed wire showed a distinct intention.

“That must be a barricade, right?”

“Seems so.”

The text from the relic flag’s status window came to mind.

The story of soldiers who fought until the city fell.

They imagined.

The Violet simulation gradually recreated what had happened in the factory district.

An army of demonic beasts covering the sky and land swarms into the city. Citizens flee in terror.

A brave officer Violet with a mustache encourages his soldiers.

“Men, we must hold out until all citizens have evacuated. Our regiment will defend this place!”

“Yes, sir! Understood!”

While the citizens evacuated the city, the soldiers used nearby objects and barbed wire to set up barricades on the roadside and confronted the demonic beasts.

“Do not retreat! The lives of the citizens depend on us!”

The soldier Violets confronted the wave of demonic beasts with old bolt-action rifles, grenades, entrenching tools, and bayonets.

When weapons ran scarce, some even pulled out chains, wrapped them around themselves, and fought.

“We die standing! Kuaaang!”

“Mom!”

As the soldiers fell one by one, the officer Violet held the military flag and wielded his sword, holding out until the very end.

Suddenly, the city sky turns dark. The soldiers and the officer are swallowed into the interdimensional space.

“Graaaagh!”

When the imagining ended, I had a slightly bitter taste in my mouth.

“Perhaps those ghouls thought we were demonic beasts, in their own way?”

“Ghouls can’t think! Their brains are fried by Aether.”

Those who tried to protect people from monsters ended up becoming monsters themselves.

How pitiful. To be unable to die properly, trapped in a dungeon, fighting an unending war.

Before departing, I spoke to my team members.

“Everyone. Could you wait a moment?”

When I explained what I was going to do to my team members, their expressions darkened slightly, but they understood my actions.

I gathered the ghoul corpses and stacked them neatly. I also didn’t forget to collect the kicked-off head and limbs to reassemble the officer’s body.

Once ready, I lit a fire. The ghouls’ bodies blazed. The Violets fired a short salute.

“Rest in peace…”

Daphne looked at the blazing flames with a pitiful expression. After a brief moment of silence, they turned their backs to the fire and moved forward.

“Let’s kill demonic beasts more diligently!”

Carrying the relics left by the unnamed soldiers, they headed down the next path.

**

While searching the factory district and then moving, they incidentally encountered lost Aegis Academy students.

“Found them! Just like in the picture Adela gave us!”

The problem was that the students’ situation was not good.

“D-don’t shoot!”

“We’re students!”

While wandering the streets, Violet’s squad headed towards a source of strange noise. There, a group of frightened students were being harassed by a gang of wicked ruffians.

The reason the students were terrified was simple. Bad people with guns were picking fights with them.

“…It’s the Federal Army.”

Kalia, who had followed, spoke. Kalia’s face was filled with contempt. Naturally.

“We’re Aegis Academy students. We’re lost. Please let us go!”

“You scoundrels. Where do you think you’re coming from with lies?”

The Federal soldiers were making the pitiful students kneel and intimidating them. Their weapons—swords, spears, bows, and crossbows—were strewn on the ground, indicating they had been disarmed.

At the very front, a man who appeared to be an officer rambled on while pointing a large gun.

“Listen closely. We are the Federal Army. We are currently conducting special military operations within the Vittorio Dungeon. So it would be best for you to cooperate with us. Where are you from! Speak!”

“We’re Aegis Academy students. Here’s our student ID. It’s real!”

“Shut up! Aren’t you going to answer honestly?”

I sighed. To see soldiers like demonic beasts right after seeing soldiers who had become demonic beasts.

“It’s Adela’s request.”

“We should help them, right?”