episode_0181

“The Jinsoo Ceremony is about to begin. Those who have not yet entered, please hurry and take your seats.”

“Has the command of the 2nd Fleet already been completed? It feels like a new beginning.”

“I heard there were many errors in the design of this airship…”

“It’s inevitable with the first ship applying new technology. We’ll have to address those issues in the follow-up ships.”

Amidst the orchestra’s music playing, the cloth that surrounded them for protection was removed, revealing the massive hull.

The 10th airship of the Alliance.

It was the flagship that would lead the 2nd Fleet.

The Blood Queen, Transylvania, sat in the audience seats, sucking on a blood pack, watching the scene with a bored expression.

“Tastes bland.”

All because of that brat, Eugene.

After tasting his blood, any other blood was just the same.

Having his taste buds trained by that brat’s blood was quite unpleasant.

“Who will be the commander of the 2nd Fleet?”

“It’s said that Yulia Pentenburg will take charge. The captain of the flagship is still undecided.”

“The Witch of Pentenburg…? Hm. It’s still hard to accept that Pentenburg is the backbone of the Alliance…”

Watching the old men with their arms crossed and shaking their heads, Transylvania clicked her tongue.

Seems like they think Pentenburg’s influence is limited to a small city-state.

In reality, with their immense wealth, they were the ones who, in collaboration with Tei’s workshop, laid down a global communication network.

The close command structure of the Alliance was all thanks to Pentenburg’s communication network.

But these old fogies seemed oblivious to that.

“Well, if they don’t understand, what can you do.”

The Alliance, launched with the core of the Holy Empire, Pentenburg, and Palana.

After Eugene’s death, the Alliance established a joint military command.

Palana, effectively ruling the entire north, and Pentenburg, holding the world’s finances in their hands.

With their immense capital, the Alliance already possessed an immense air force with 10 airships.

Centered around the Holy Maiden, they had an excellent command structure.

Even the ground forces of the Alliance were approaching nearly 100,000.

While other countries that joined the Alliance mocked it as a money grab, no one really paid attention to their complaints.

The day of reckoning was approaching.

Any unprepared nation would not escape destruction.

The flying battleships were the only weapons capable of facing the formidable enemy that covered the world.

“This is ridiculous…”

“What’s going on?”

“It’s an emergency call from the Ice Lord. Take a look around and get lost. The contribution you made for this ship’s construction was practically useless anyway.”

“What, what…! This crazy Blood Queen! We treated her like a human and she crawls-”

“Be quiet.”

Ignoring the riffraff who only intervened out of fear of being overshadowed by the major powers, Transylvania quickly left the bustling station where the ceremony was in full swing.

It was because of the Ice Lord’s communication.

The message was ‘Undead Legion remnants have resumed activity. Support requested.’

“Undead remnants still not eradicated to this extent…”

Tick, tock.

At the Alliance military headquarters located in Pentenburg.

There, the Holy Maiden, Jill Diner, paced anxiously, biting her nails.

That day.

With Eugene’s sacrifice, they managed to control Luna and neutralize the Transcendent being.

Most of the undead legion frozen in the cold of the magic collapsed under the crumbling ceiling, but some survived, digging tunnels and escaping.

The ones who fled were only about a dozen or so.

Their forces were nothing remarkable, but the undead legion always managed to be a thorn in the side of the coalition forces.

If they were just mindless and powerful, there wouldn’t have been a problem, but they ran away and hid when outnumbered.

They were skilled in targeting weaknesses, launching surprise attacks, and dwindling their numbers.

They would attack unprotected villages, infecting and increasing their ranks.

By repeatedly attacking guard posts, they would loot weapons and armor, arming themselves.

At one point, their numbers even reached ten thousand.

Thanks to Yujin, the three leaders of the coalition who were aware of the threat posed by the undead legion quickly took action.

By employing tactics to resist infection and tightening the noose, they were able to once again reduce the number of undead to hundreds.

However, as they tried to further tighten the noose and eliminate them, the undead’s resistance grew stronger.

The casualties continued to mount.

In the end, they gave up on complete annihilation and decided that maintaining the status quo was the best option.

They maintained the encirclement but never let their guard down.

That was the best course of action.

Perhaps thinking that there was no way to break through the encirclement, the undead legion remained inactive for a while.

“It’s dangerous. They’re trying to find the weak points in the encirclement. Soon, the… the place where the new recruits are stationed will be attacked.”

But then the undead legion resumed its activities.

It seemed like they were assessing the enemy’s strength before attempting to break through the encirclement.

“Please…”

May this battle end without any casualties.

Jill clasped her hands together, praying fervently for that outcome.

These days were filled with constant worries.

People were dying like ants.

The pressure on the commander responsible for this was immense.

If Yujin were here, there would be no need for worry.

He would have found a solution somehow.

He would have held my hand and eased this anxiety…

Today, Yujin’s absence felt even more pronounced.

“Phew… Have the alert status been raised?”

“Yes, Your Holiness. All perimeter defenses are on high alert, and reinforcements are on their way.”

Jill nodded grimly.

She needed to stay focused, especially at times like this.

Yujin’s efforts and sacrifices couldn’t be in vain.

There were many knights and priests who followed her, believing in her.

It was Jill’s responsibility to lead them.

As her subordinates left their posts, Jill found herself alone in the command center, monitoring the situation on the map.

Suddenly, a familiar voice spoke from behind.

“I sent Transylvania over there. So, it should be fine.”

“Lord of Frost?! Why are you here now?”

“I’m sorry. I heard the news and rushed over in a hurry… Oops.”

Clatter.

Sweating profusely, Yerina entered, and Jill rushed over to embrace her.

Yerina gently patted Jill as if she were familiar with the gesture, then pulled away.

“I’ve finished the initial response… I’m scared. I’m afraid that more people will die…”

“Don’t worry. The response was perfect even in my eyes. This is actually an opportunity. A chance to completely uproot the undead legion, the legacy of the necromancer!”

Yerina reassured Jill, slightly exaggerating to put her at ease.

Jill’s expression brightened a bit at this.

While she projected strength and resilience in front of others, commanding the army as if it were nothing, the pressure of knowing that each gesture and word cost countless lives weighed heavily on her. Sharing the same wounds and worries, Yerina was a comforting presence.

Only visible in front of Yuria and Yerina, was the true appearance of the saint.

However, Yuria was currently finishing up the purification ritual and mobilizing the 2nd Fleet commander to annihilate the undead army, so she was not present at the moment.

At this moment, Yerina was the only one there.

“The saint is doing her best, isn’t she?”

“Just doing my best is not enough…”

“You’re doing well. Thanks to you, the alliance, which was in a precarious state at the beginning, has come this far. Thanks to you, the alliance has reached a level where it can withstand wars with the entire world.”

“Sigh…”

Yerina also understood her feelings.

She just looked at her affectionately and comforted her.

She knew that she was just a substitute for Eugene in the eyes of the saint, but she didn’t mind.

She knew that the saint was the kind of person who couldn’t endure without someone to rely on.

[Transmission from Lady Transilvia. Shall I connect?]

“Connect, Linda.”

[Lord Frost! Have you properly investigated it?]

“What?”

At that moment, a red light emitted a sound.

Transilvia’s voice sounded quite urgent.

It seemed like she was running at the moment.

[It’s not here!]

“What do you mean?”

“It’s a decoy! The ground trembled and the shadows covered the horizon, so I thought I was deceived! But when I checked it myself, they were all scarecrows!”

“…”

Decoy.

Yerina’s pupils shook at the shocking news.

She knew that the undead army was quite intelligent, but this level of tactics was unprecedented.

They had rushed to reinforce the troops, only to find out it was all a deception?

If this wasn’t the attack point, then where was it?

Yerina quickly looked at the map and rolled her eyes.

It was a moment when she was contacting various places.

“Ye…? The enemy has already crossed the river…? The numbers are close to ten thousand…”

“Ah!”

The enemy had already broken through the encirclement.

Leading a force of nearly ten thousand, in one breath

The enemy attempted a gamble by deploying all their forces.

And they succeeded.

“Quickly! Rebuild the encirclement! Follow the next river…”

“There are over ten cities inside! At least fifty thousand citizens will be in danger!”

“This can’t be…”

The faces of Yerina and Jill turned pale.

At this point, if Eugene were here.

If Eugene were here…

Such thoughts kept coming to mind, but…

“There’s nothing we can do. We have to set up a secondary defense line first and evacuate the citizens. Sacrifices are inevitable at this point…”

“Ugh…”

Knowing it was futile, the two quickly dispelled that thought from their minds.

They hadn’t given up hope yet, but…

Despair was piling up little by little.

They were exhausted.

Just facing the undead army and the great demon was already overwhelming.

The alliance might have a military power that far surpassed a single country on the surface, but…

It was still inadequate to face ‘that person’ who ruled an entire world.

“I don’t know… I don’t even know if this path is right anymore…”

How did Eugene continue to fight this battle alone?

As the days went by, his absence grew larger.

Like magic, if Eugene were to appear.

If he could say that this path was right, that they were doing well.

Not in a dream they had every day, but in reality…

Jill thought of that.

“I’ll finish early today.”

“Huh? Chief Master Craftsman, already?”

“I told you yesterday. I’ll finish early today. I have someone to meet.”

“But on a busy day like today, are you really going to finish early… Is it someone important?”

“…”

As she changed from her plain work clothes to bright clothes.

At Joosu’s question, Tei paused for a moment, deep in thought.

A bitter smile appeared on Tei’s lips.

“Yes. They are important to me. The one who allowed me to be here…”

Tei, who had practically lived in the workshop, caused a stir when she dressed in civilian clothes. But no one objected to her rare outing.

The carriage carrying Tei began to head down a long road.

After crossing several mountains, the carriage soon arrived at a desolate land.

Just a few years ago, lush forests stretched out, but those who heard about it now found it hard to believe.

“Please stop here.”

Tei jumped out of the carriage and turned around as if something had passed by.

It was a strange sensation.

It felt like someone had spoken, but when she turned around, there was no one there.

Time had passed, but what had happened during that time was unknown.

“Must be my imagination.”

Lost in thought due to fatigue, Tei shook her head.

Ignoring the strange feeling, Tei headed towards the graveyard and spotted a girl ahead, running towards her.

The girl was wearing a black robe.

It was Sogong.

“What? Did you come here instead of training?”

“It’s a special day for that person, so I had to come. Busy people may not come, but people like us who are of no help should come regularly, right?”

“I’m useful. I was commissioned by Lady Yulia to build a communication network with the magic stones.”

“Is that important right now? What if someone sees you as a child?”

“Just because I’m big doesn’t mean I’m a child.”

The two of them clashed as soon as they met, grabbing each other by the collar, but soon let go with a cough.

“Long time no see.”

“Yeah. How have you been?”

“I spend all day working on magic stones.”

The two of them had met at Eugene’s funeral, and despite having little in common, they had become quite close over time.

The catalyst was a fight.

Sogong had insulted Eugene at the back of the funeral, which led to a fight between Tei and Sogong. After a scuffle, Tei realized that it was Sogong’s way of washing away her sadness.

They quickly became friends, along with Moomyeong.

“What about Moomyeong?”

“I don’t know. I lost contact with him after the appointment ceremony of the Archmage. I heard rumors that he’s in the north, but…”

“I should ask Lord Seori about it.”

“How is Master Gyeho doing these days?”

“Master? Just… well. He’s still suffering from the burns caused by the Great Elemental’s fire, the scars haven’t completely healed, but he seems to be overcoming it.”

Sogong replied, scratching her head.

It wasn’t a pleasant topic to discuss.

Tei cautiously took a step forward, asking, “And you?”

“I… um.”

Sogong hesitated to answer, chewing on her lip.

“Oh.”

Tei immediately regretted her question.

In a world where the undead remnants were considered a great evil, and the supernaturals were all busy, she should have realized from Sogong’s leisurely visit that it wasn’t the time to bring up personal matters.

She shouldn’t have brought up recent events in the first place.

“It’s been a bit tough…”

“Sorry.”

“It’s okay.”

Tei comforted Sogong, patting her shoulder.

Tei and Sogong headed towards the ruins together.

Just like any other day, they stood in front of the solitary standing stone monument…

“Huh?!”

“Oops!”

Simultaneously, Tei and Sogong let out a gasp.

The steadfast standing stone monument had been shattered.

Surprised, the two ran over and found the monument split in half, with the inner space emptied.

“Someone took the black sword inside!”

“Who would do such a thing…!”

Strange.

Wouldn’t tomb raiders usually dig up graves instead of breaking a stone monument?

But only the monument was broken, the tomb remained intact.

Tei and Sogong were perplexed, left with nothing but questions.