Chapter 66 – Another World Cult – 1
“Welcome to our country.”
A friendly smile and a grand welcome.
The first impressions of those who came out of the Carrion Kingdom were completely different from expectations.
I was imagining a rude beastman with a tick-tick spout, but they are overly kind.
“Yes… Well… Nice to meet you too.”
It is not uncommon for diplomatic envoys to receive a grand welcome.
But in their case, something was a little different.
There wasn’t anything to complain about, but I felt a sense of discomfort.
“The King will be arriving soon, so please wait a moment.”
This gets even weirder.
No matter how important diplomacy is, they come directly to me? A king too?
Even if I am welcomed extravagantly and called a hero, this is going too far.
In practical terms, I am a noble from a foreign country.
“Are you okay?”
Karin must have seen my distorted expression and looked worried.
“I’m worried about what to do now.”
Should I boldly run away from here?
But if you do that, problems will inevitably arise.
“Should we prepare to run away?”
“No… Let’s see how it turns out.”
Honestly, if it were like before, I might have followed my instincts and ran away.
But it’s different now.
Even if things go wrong, it would be possible to run away.
What came in a moment later was a man wearing fancy clothes.
A sharp atmosphere reminiscent of a wolf.
Strong, yellow-tinged eyes.
The overflowing majesty and the subjects flanking him showed that he was the king of this country.
“Nice to meet you. “My name is Ulen, the king of this country.”
“… Nice to meet you.”
Uhlen’s face could not at all be thought of as that of someone who had given a grand welcome.
His serious gaze with a stern expression seemed full of worry and concern.
“Everyone step back.”
As soon as he gestured, the subjects left the room quietly but quickly, as if they had discussed it in advance.
Silence in a space filled with luxurious food.
It was Ulen who spoke first in an uncomfortable atmosphere.
“The reason I called you wasn’t just for diplomatic reasons.”
After all… Bad premonitions don’t go astray.
Compared to other times, this time it was very clear.
They went to the extent of directly appointing me, who had no diplomatic qualifications.
“I had some expectations. “You probably didn’t need to call me.”
“···The story must be fast. “The reason I called you was to ask if you could help with the current problem in Carrion.”
“What is the problem?”
“I’m sorry to tell you, but the moment you hear about this, you’ll have to detain us for a while, even if you don’t help us. Is that still okay?”
It’s a secret that would be difficult if it leaks out.
It’s a problem that the king of a country would ask for. It’s probably a headache even if you don’t think about it for a long time.
This might be your last chance to step out.
But his serious and earnest expression moved my heart.
“Now that we’re here, let’s listen.”
Ullen’s stiff expression softens a little, and he smiles slightly.
To be honest, I probably didn’t expect much from him.
No one wants to get involved in other people’s complicated problems.
Especially in other countries.
“Thank you. There is a reason why the world calls him a hero.”
“What is the problem that makes you so worried?”
“Currently, the lich army is rampant in our country.”
The Lich, a powerful undead wizard, is a rare high-level monster.
So much so that there have been no records of discovery for decades.
Nevertheless, there is only one reason why he suddenly appears and is so active.
Demon King.
That bastard is always the problem.
“I can guess why you called me.”
“To be honest, Carry On is currently facing the greatest crisis of all time. “She’s just playing defense.”
“Is there any problem with holding on?”
“Even that is not possible because of food. If the fight goes on for a long time, he will definitely lose. Because undead don’t eat. “
Ulen’s sad expression.
He was sighing deeply.
It looks like the situation is worse than I imagined.
“I apologize for calling you in this worst situation without explaining the circumstances. But can you help me?”
Although I expected it to some extent, it is more troublesome than I imagined.
The worst situation where a country could be overthrown.
But I can’t leave here.
If left as is, the Lich’s army will grow uncontrollably.
And the ever-increasing volume will become more and more difficult to touch.
If the Carrion Kingdom falls, the next one will be the Lumis Kingdom or another nearby country.
If an entire country becomes undead, then there is no real answer.
Just as it is important to recognize a disease at an early stage, it is important to kill the undead as quickly as possible.
“I’m happy to help.”
“… You are a little different from the people I used to know. “
“Even though it is a title given to me by others, I am wearing the shameful sign of a hero.”
It wouldn’t be a bad idea to try being a hero at least once.
******
The city where the fighting took place the most was extremely poor.
The crude castle walls were collapsing here and there, and the soldiers’ faces showed deep fatigue.
At this rate, it wouldn’t be surprising even if it fell tomorrow.
“I guess I’ll have to find some way.”
While observing the surroundings from the castle wall, a middle-aged man wearing luxurious clothes was approaching.
A neat uniform that seems to indicate a soldier.
The decorations that appeared to be medals showed that he was a man of considerable rank.
“Are you Eugene, whom His Majesty the King called?”
He, who reminded me of an old cat, glared at me with a disapproving expression.
From his perspective, he won’t like me very much.
But what can you do?
Their current situation is like a candle in the wind.
Whether you like it or not, the idea is to believe it once.
“That’s right.”
“I am Munchie, the commander here.”
“What is the situation like?”
“It’s not that good.”
“You have to tell me clearly, so I can help you a little bit.”
“···The morale of the soldiers is low, and they are outnumbered. Unlike the undead who cannot feel pain, our soldiers endure extreme fatigue and pain. “
There is no problem even if you use the undead for 24 hours.
However, living creatures need to eat and rest.
The difference will make a huge difference as the game progresses.
Carrion’s soldiers are getting weaker and their numbers are decreasing.
On the other hand, the undead did not become weak, and their numbers increased every time they killed an ally.
“It would be difficult to overcome it through ordinary means.”
I don’t know what the tactical system in this world is like, but there is probably no tactic tailored to this situation.
The enemy army increases as you kill your allies.
He is literally the worst opponent.
“I know very well that you are trusted by the king and are known as a hero in the world. But what can we do in this situation?”
He lamented and looked down the castle wall.
The faces of the devastated soldiers.
People lying helplessly, rolling on the floor.
There was no hope to be found on his face.
Just me standing on the front line would be of great help, but that alone does not give me peace of mind.
There’s a saying that you can’t handle a group of people beating you up.
I’m also worried about this guy named Rich.
“In situations like this, tricks are needed.”
Advice or plans at a tactical level would be useless.
Because he has more experience, he will be much better.
In that case, what I can do is a method that is difficult for him, as a commander, to think of, but effective.
“I saw a temple when I came here. What god do we believe in Carrion?”
There are two main types of faith on the continent.
Lienne, the sun goddess, and René, the moon goddess.
Humans mainly believed in Lienne, the sun goddess, but there were differences depending on the region.
“There are not many people who worship God, but here people mainly believe in Rene.”
“How are the priests fighting?”
The undead’s natural enemy is God’s grace.
God’s power over life and death is fatal to the undead.
Because the law of the world is for corpses to lie quietly and not move.
“Some priests are struggling, but they are so outnumbered…”
“Hmm… Even if I try to do something, the numbers will be a problem.”
The number is not enough… Then we can increase it.
People are crowded inside the castle walls now.
If even some of them can be made into priests, the situation of the war will be greatly different.
A priest is a person with deep religious beliefs, so it is not an occupation that is commonly found.
But now things are different from usual.
Humans often seek God in desperate situations.
Of course, most of them are just lamentations, but if we can turn that desperation into faith, wouldn’t we be able to mass-produce priests?
“I think I found a surprisingly easy way.”
When I looked at him with a deep smile, he had a puzzled expression on his face.
“Is there a way to solve this situation?!”
“Please gather as many people as possible in the square. Please prepare what I said.”
There is a joke on Earth.
It is said that in order to win during the World War, many countries developed technology by hiring public servants.
Then, in order to win the war against the undead, wouldn’t it be enough to replace the priests?
