by J. J. Pavlov
"If an army that large couldn't win, what can this little town hope to achieve?"
"Would the demon queen attack Hovsgaerden? We're a much smaller city than the capital."
"There's no hope for survival if they really come here..."
Whispers among the people grow louder, and I can make out some of the things they say. And it seems so can Ingrid, as she scratches her head with a difficult expression. She seems to share their sentiment in regards to just how hopeless it would be if an army capable of destroying over half a million humans soldiers were to invade. However, she still has to fulfill her duty as the guild master.
"I'm not telling you to stand against the demon army. I want you to speak to the townsfolk and tell them to be ready for an evacuation. In case the demon army does show up anywhere near here, we'll have to make a run for the capital." Elaborating on what she meant by preparations, Ingrid lays out her plan. It makes a lot more sense than trying to defend this city against what will most likely be an overwhelmingly huge army.
"But the capital is over two hundred leagues from here. That's a journey of one moon!" A male voice exclaims among the gathered people. Senka taught me the measurement system in this world, and I know roughly the conversion to kilometers. A distance of two hundred leagues is around four hundred sixty kilometers. That's about the length of the Tokaido, the Edo period express road between Kyoto and present-day Tokyo.
"If the demon army were on our heels, it would turn into a death march." A female's voice agrees with the man's complaint. Well, it would be a really short death march, because I know for a fact that many demons have better stamina than humans and could just run them down.
But we planned on going to the capital anyway, and only now do I hear how far away it is. I wouldn't have ever dreamed of walking that distance in my previous life, even though I ran full marathons on a regular basis. Then again, with my current body, it should be a piece of cake
"In either case, nobody is to leave the city on requests that take longer than a day. We have to wait until the time limit is up before we can lift the state of emergency. The city watch will remain on high alert, and the gates will be closed at night." I think the situation is now beginning to sink in because a blanket of despair is slowly descending on the gathered people.
I hear some still whisper about the alliance army's numbers and how impossible it would be to fight the demons that could crush them. Considering there are only a hundred thousand inhabitants in Hovsgaerden it makes sense for them to be so fearful.
"Everyone here is aware that we aren't a strict organization like the lord's army, so these aren't orders... think of this as a request. Yes, this will be treated as a continuous request from the guild, with the survival of our people as the payment." Ingrid makes it clear that she can't order anyone to remain in the city. All the adventurers could just run away on their own and hide in a forest until things blow over. But she's hoping that they won't just abandon their fellow citizens. "I trust you will make the right choice. Dismissed."
Way to go to motivate them. I think it was able to sway the majority of people, as they visibly regain their composure. However, others look like they just want to run away as quickly as possible. Well, cowards are useless anyway, so it'd be better if they weren't around when the situation does turn dire. Those are the ones most likely to mess up a formation or give in betrayal.
"This isn't the first time, right?" I turn to Gram and ask. His expression is filled with grim determination at the prospect of having to defend the common people on a march towards the capital. While he's not entirely fearless, as I learned just earlier, I know that he's not someone who would ever run away. Rolan, Luna and even the bard are the same.
"Yes, but this is the first expedition since two decades ago when Emperor Lucianus IV personally led an army to the Demon Continent. I was still a little boy when I heard about it. Back then, everyone was paying close attention to the progress reports from the front lines." The big man goes down memory lane and begins to relate the past.
According to the reports at the time the previous emperor, Lucianus IV, first established the city of Pontis Daemonis on the Demon Continent, to act as a bridgehead for the invasion. Using it as a staging ground, he was able to take almost the entire eastern half of the Demon Continent in just a year. Today, it remains the only city on the Demon Continent still being held by human forces, and it has weathered many sieges throughout the years.
Ultimately, Lucianus IV faced the previous demon king on the Fields of Huwinn, and slay him. Yet, it was not enough to cut off the snake's head, as the demon army overwhelmed the emperor's guards and killed him.
"At the time he brought three hundred thousand soldiers, of whom fewer than half made it back." Gram finishes and puts the numbers of this latest army in perspective. Now, the shock and despair I can feel in the people around me make a lot more sense. Not only was there twice the amount of soldiers, but it was completely wiped out rather than just routed. And the demon queen didn't even die.
"The next summer, the currently reigning demon queen came to power. As her first act, she sent an army of two hundred thousand demons through the old transportation network, to take revenge for the death of the previous demon king. Back then, the Khurut Sultanate bore the full brunt of their invasion." The bard takes over explaining. He brings up a new name, which sounds like a nation with a culture completely different from this one's. "The sultanate had no relations to Emperor Lucianus IV's expedition but was still attacked indiscriminately. It showed the world clearly that the current demon queen is unpredictable and incredibly dangerous."
Why do I get the feeling that Maou-mama just messed up the transportation spell's destination and decided to roll with it? For some reason, I think that's actually exactly what happened. The image of her sticking out a tongue with a feigned innocent smile makes me want to bop her over the head in my mind.
"Does this setback mean that the next expedition will be in another twenty summers?" I ask with a frown, hiding the fact that I'm trying to gauge the human forces in this world behind a facade of worry.
"No, this expedition was far from all of the empire's current military strength. However, the morale of all allied nations will be abysmal for the time being, I fear." Speaking in a reflective manner, the bard replies to my question. "Emperor Lucianus V will have to lead the next expedition personally, or there will not be another one within the decade."
"I see..." That means humanity is still going strong. Let's see how hard Maou-mama's hammer will fall this time, first; then we can talk about this again. She may accidentally invade the capital of the Empire of Terminus and wipe it out completely, or something like that.
"Hm, what do you have there?" Rolan bows down to take a closer look at Kamii. As expected, she quickly hides behind me and gazes up to the leader with a cautious expression. Even though she should be used to him and the others in the party by now, she still behaves like this when they talk to her directly.
"Heh, she still doesn't like you, leader." Gram squats down and brings himself onto eye-level with Kamii, before stretching a hand towards her. "It's the request for the Annual Cemetery Clearing, isn't it?"
The little dark elf has become more familiarized with the big man than with anybody else in the party since he's around more often. She hands him the piece of paper I tore from the quest board earlier but remains careful.
"Oh right, now that we're all here, we can just do it together." I clap my hands in joy and take the reins of the conversation before Rolan can adjourn the party meeting once again. While looking at me strangely, he takes the notice from Gram, before scanning through it quickly.
"Wait, isn't this a pretty dangerous one?" Rolan looks up from it with an eyebrow raised. I have a sense of déjà vu from those words.
"The missy said she can use light magic now, and that it should be easy with that." The big man points at the wall where my magic left a lasting mark. "Well, she did throw a spear of light and
obliterated the target that's always been hanging there."
"... the target?" The leader's face goes pale as he looks over to where only the small crater remains.
"That was Ingrid's." Luna delivers the explanation, her already white skin becoming even whiter.
"Huh?" I look between the two and then where the target once hung. "W-was it something important?"
"I don't know." Shrugging, Gram replies.
"Yes, it-" Before Rolan can continue, Ingrid's voice echoes through the guild hall and interrupts him.
"Hey, where did my target go?" She sounds furious.
"Yeah, let's do the cemetery clearing!" Rolan grabs Luna's hand and makes a run for it. Gram and the bard react immediately and follow right after them.
For a moment, I'm dumbfounded. Then I hear somebody's voice in the crowd, saying something along the lines of 'I saw Miss Marcott shoot some magic at it, and it exploded'.
He ratted me out!
"Let's get out of here!" I pull Kamii along and dash out of the guild hall, after the leader. On the way out, I wonder where Daica is right now, and hope that she isn't returning soon after we leave; otherwise, she'll be at the mercy of Ingrid's anger.
Chapter 19 - My First Quest
Basically, we're doing this dangerous quest because we're fleeing from the wrath of the guild master. It's like saying that her anger is more dangerous than fighting undead in a cemetery.
Initially, I had planned for just Gram, the bard and I - and obviously Kamii, since she wouldn't leave my side - to be doing this, but now it's the whole party again. Except for Daica, since she didn't return to the guild for Ingrid's announcement.
I'm wearing my usual casual clothes, which look utterly unfit for combat. Since I haven't made that much money in the past few weeks, I don't have any gear at all, yet. I guess I can say that I'm a mage just like Luna, who only wears robes and carries a staff.
But I don't even have that.
In either case, I'm looking forward to seeing what the undead are like in real life. If fantasy and movies are any indication, they'll most likely just be rotting corpses, and their bane is a headshot. However, it doesn't feel like it would make sense if they're actually moving because of some kind of magic. They wouldn't be reliant on their brains, then.
We walk along the main street of Hovsgaerden, through the more affluent part of the city. This is where the lord's castle is located. A short distance to the north of it is the church building. The cemetery lies behind it, and the space reserved for it extends all the way up the hill, to the edge of the city.
I still haven't been inside the church itself, but I won't be able to go there as long as Kamii is clinging to me. There are two men in ceremonial armor standing guard in front of the massive wooden door, members of the church rather than the city watch. They turned me away when I tried to go inside last time because they saw that Kamii is cursed.
Rounding the building and entering through an open metal gate in the fence that surrounds the church grounds, we make our way into the cemetery grounds. We find that it's immaculate and well-kept, and even though the area is quite big, you can overlook it at a glance; no unnatural mist is gathering above the graves, and no shambling figures can be seen among the gravestones.
"The actual clearing will take place underground." Rolan replies when I ask him what our job here is supposed to be. "There's an extensive cave system under our feet."
He then points at the building in the center of the cemetery, the only structure made of white marble in the entire city - as far as I can tell. Judging by its location and lack of windows, it's safe to say that this is a mausoleum.
"That's Lord Gulbrand's mausoleum. After his death, he was interred there alongside many of his prized weapons. Throughout the ages, most of them have been stolen by grave robbers." The leader gives me a little background story as we approach the small building. "The only entrance to the catacombs is in there."
The cave system was discovered many years after Gulbrand's death. According to the bard, it was a grave robber who accidentally released a horde of undead, which had piled up over a century, upon the city. Hovsgaerden was nearly overrun, so ever since, there has been an annual clearing event in which the undead in the catacombs are destroyed.
Normally, you would think that the lord or the church would make a big ceremony out of it or send soldiers inside. But nowadays the adventurers are made to deal with it since it's just a hassle - even if it's a pretty dangerous one.
Let alone the fact that they should just incinerate the bodies as they do in Japan, instead of burying them. Much less work involved and no risk of reanimation.
The big man pushes open the marble gates to the mausoleum. It seems that after the incident, they rebuilt the entrance so that the two wings can only be pushed inwards; the mindless undead don't have the ability to pull, after all. The interior is a small room with a marble sarcophagus standing in its center. There's a detailed statue of Gulbrand, lying on his back on top of the sarcophagus, a hammer in his clasped hands.
We round the final resting place of the legendary lord and find a wooden trap door on the ground behind it. I had expected that one had to push the sarcophagus aside to reveal a hidden set of stairs, but apparently, that's only something seen in games. It would be way too heavy and inconvenient to make something like that.
"The first underground floor used to be catacombs, in which the mortal remains of Hovsgaerden's citizens were interred. When the religion of the empire became more widespread, and the church was built, casket burials became the norm, and this mausoleum became Lord Gulbrand's personal tomb." The bard tells me while we wait for Gram to open up the trap door.
Below the door is a set of narrow and steep stairs, which lead into complete darkness. The stench of rotting flesh wafts up from the steps, and everyone covers their noses. Why, this smells almost like Lady Nightwane's store, after the slavers trashed it!
Luckily, I can just close up my nostrils completely; a Crawling Chaos can breathe through the skin. I can't even begin to imagine how that works, but I'm grateful for that inbuilt feature of my kind.
"You sure about this?" Gram has a nervous and disgusted expression on his face as he looks into the black depths.
"Well, we got here already, so let's just do it." Rolan doesn't look very eager, either. "I'll take point. You be the rear guard."
Lighting a torch with Luna's fire magic, the leader tosses it down the stairs, and we watch it bounce twice before it comes to a stop a distance away, illuminating the steps and the stone walls around it. I can't tell whether that's already the bottom or it goes down even deeper.
"Stay close together. If we get separated and surrounded by the undead, only the gods can save us." Covering his nose with a scarf and lighting another torch, Rolan takes the plunge and goes first. The bard follows closely behind him, and then Luna, and I step in afterward. Kamii remains by my side, her cursed arm raised as if she's prepared to strike with it.
The light behind us vanishes when Gram's big frame and his shield block the entrance almost completely. Luna creates a flame above the tip of her staff, and we find ourselves somewhat well lit in the darkness of the dusty underground.
We soon reach the bottom of the stairs and find a narrow passageway with small alcoves let into the walls on both sides. There are incomplete human skeletons laid out in those, and coins are scattered about them. Since grave robbers have been coming here before, it must mean that these coins aren't worth taking. They do look rusted and green, so they must have been made from copper or bronze.
"This is pretty cramped." Gram mutters from behind us, and I turn around. His shoulders are too broad for him to walk normally, and his shield is too big to be carried straight. All the aisles down here are of similar width, so he has a hard time keeping up with us.
"Don't worry. It'll open up soon." The bard comments and points forward. There's a hole in the catacomb's crude brick walls, and the space beyond it illuminated by the torch
es suggests that it's all natural from here on out.
So far, we haven't encountered any undead, yet. I assume the incomplete skeletons means that they can't rise and just remain dead. With the new religion and its practice to bury the bodies whole came the problem of the undead, huh?
We walk through the opening and look around. The walls are indeed natural, and I can feel that the air here is quite humid, since it rained only two days ago. I assume the undead we'll be encountering down here will be festering and putrid, rather than crumbling to dust.
When I look up, I notice moving limbs sticking down from the ceiling. The result of those buried above this cavern turning undead and burrowing downwards. After all, digging down into a cavity is easier than pushing dirt upwards.
"Uurhhh..." The sound of air escaping uncontrollably through ruined vocal cords comes from ahead. Yep, that's the sound of a zombie alright. I also hear clattering bones, so there are skeletons among them, too. A year is more than enough to reduce a human corpse to that.
Rolan signals for us to stop and points his torch in the direction of the sound. Just barely illuminated by the light is a half-decomposed zombie.
"Alright, leave this one to-" Just when the leader steps forward and the circle of light moves with him, more zombies come into view. There's a pretty huge number just standing still and doing nothing.
But it seems that the light triggered something in them, as they slowly turn around towards us. Their dead eyes are unfocused and most likely blind, but it's clear they're aware of us. Some begin to scuffle forward, but they're as cumbersome as one would expect of human bodies with barely any muscles left. Still no idea how they actually move, but at least I'm grateful that they're not runners.
"There are skeletons coming from behind." Gram suddenly exclaims, and Luna spins around to point her staff into the darkness.
It seems we've been surrounded by the undead, exactly what Rolan warned us about. But I think skeletons aren't that scary and should be easily smashed into pieces by the big man's shield.