Chapter 1311 – 1311. The Plum Blossom Swordsman Reincarnated Into A Baron’S Family
The endless stream of undead was truly a sight to behold. Even though they were just low-level undead like skeletons and zombies, their appearance made it seem like the end of the world had arrived.
“…This isn’t good.”
Melissa muttered with a serious expression.
“Not good? They’re just low-level undead like skeletons and zombies. We can wipe them out in one go. If necessary, we can use bombs.”
Skeletons and zombies were nothing more than moving bones and corpses. Despite their gruesome appearance, they weren’t very strong.
“That might be true for you, Master. But what about others? For nobles and servants who aren’t trained in combat, they’re objects of fear. And there are too many of them. It’ll be hard for the soldiers to handle.”
“The knights will do their part. We’re not the only ones here, right?”
Melissa nodded at my words.
“The knights of the Archen Duchy are strong. For now, we have no choice but to trust them.”
We ran down the hallway again. We opened any doors we found and checked inside. We often encountered living people.
“Young Lady!”
We found three servants hiding. They were trembling in a narrow room that looked like a storage space. Their faces brightened as soon as they saw Melissa.
“You were hiding here. Go to the first floor. There’s no point in staying here.”
“B-but…”
The servants looked out the window. Skeletons and zombies were still pouring out of the black hole in the sky.
“I know it looks dangerous. It’s scary to see so many undead appearing. But this is exactly when we need to stick together. If you go down to the first floor, you’ll find knights and soldiers fighting the undead. Help them.”
“W-we can’t do anything…!”
“I see. Then, you can either tremble here and die to the undead that break in. You don’t actually think this place is going to be safe forever, do you?”
The servants exchanged glances before speaking to Melissa.
“Young Lady, could you please come down to the first floor with us…?”
“I’m sorry, but I have to resolve this situation. We can’t just keep getting pushed around forever. The path to the first floor is still safe. Go.”
“Y-yes! Understood!”
The servants ran towards the first floor.
I frowned as I watched them.
“Those arrogant bastards. Don’t they know their place? You’re too kind to the servants too.”
“I learned from you, Master? You’re kind to the maids, aren’t you?”
“Maids and servants are different.”
“Well, don’t get too angry. Even if it’s just for a while, now that I’ve become the head of the Archen family, they’re people I have to take care of.”
We moved again to find the demon contractor.
We found a corpse that had been torn to pieces. The pieces of flesh wriggled and then gathered in one place. The clump of flesh pulsed as if it were alive.
“Is it creating undead? How gruesome.”
Melissa clicked her tongue and used magic. Flames rose and burned the corpse.
KWA-AAANG!
An explosion was heard. Melissa and I looked out the window. An entire annex had exploded. Debris fell, and black flames rose from the wreckage.
A necromancer in a black robe stood proudly on top of the rubble.
“…There’s another Master over there. When did he go there?”
“This is the worst.”
I muttered, looking at a man held in the necromancer’s hand. He appeared to be a noble. His limbs were severed, and hundreds of black larvae wriggled on his torso. They seemed to be eating away at the man’s flesh. The man screamed and wailed in agony.
“There’s a magic circle on his side, the proof of a demon contract.”
“That guy won’t kill the demon contractor. He’ll keep him alive until he achieves his goal using black magic.”
“So, in the end, our only option is to fight head-on…”
The necromancer turned his head. He looked directly at where I was. The necromancer, who had been staring at me with a blank expression, raised undead from the rubble and headed towards the lily garden.
“It seems he doesn’t plan to fight right away. Is he trying to be fully prepared?”
“Time isn’t on our side. The undead have been pouring out endlessly since earlier… The key to resolving this situation in one fell swoop is held by him.”
“Master. It seems we need to join forces. If my father, an aura master, cooperates… it would be a great help.”
There were three master-level combatants. With that much power, they could easily wipe out a city. But strangely, I couldn’t shake the feeling that we wouldn’t be able to defeat the necromancer.
“Master. Let’s go down to the first floor. My father will probably come to the first floor too. He might already be directing people there.”
Following Melissa’s suggestion, we went down to the first floor. All the living people, including soldiers, knights, nobles, and servants, were gathered in the first-floor lobby. And as Melissa had guessed, the Duke of Archen was directing them.
Seeing the exhausted soldiers and knights, and the corpses scattered everywhere, it seemed they had already fought once. Now, they were in a lull.
“Count Prukerus, and Melissa. Do you know anything about the current situation?”
The Duke of Archen stared at me intently as he asked. It was because of the necromancer. Except for our skin and eye color, he and I were so similar that we could have been mistaken for twins.
“Father. I’ll explain. This is the work of a demon. King Dulibard is probably behind this.”
“I heard rumors that the king had joined hands with demon contractors. But I didn’t believe it, even though it was true.”
The Duke of Archen looked out the window.
“I tried to send the knights outside. But a transparent barrier is blocking the mansion.”
“Currently, the mansion has been turned into a labyrinth by the power of the mirror demon, Birubiru. If we kill the demon or the demon contractor, the situation will be resolved. The problem is that finding the hidden demon is almost impossible… and the demon contractor is being held by the necromancer.”
“So, we have no choice but to fight the necromancer. What is the identity of that necromancer?”
This time, I stepped forward.
“He’s me from a parallel world. Ah, do you know about parallel worlds?”
“I heard that theory from a wizard once.”
“The mirror demon, Birubiru, manifested me from a parallel world.”
“Manifested? Not summoned from a parallel world?”
“Parallel worlds don’t exist in this world.”
I said with a confident tone. It was something that came up in the original story.
“…Then why do you say the necromancer is from a parallel world?”
“Because Birubiru created the necromancer using the possibility of a parallel world. The necromancer is an elaborate fake. Everything about his existence, down to his origin, is fake. But the power he possesses is real. He’ll have memories and experiences that are similar to mine, yet different.”
“……Is that even possible?”
“It’s possible because it’s a demon. The power of a demon is beyond standards. Don’t judge it with human common sense.”
“How many demons are working with King Dulibard? If each demon is at this level… the rebellion will fail.”
“Demons with this much power aren’t common. There aren’t many demons left that are this dangerous. We’ve also prepared a trump card. We’ll take care of the demons. The Archen Duchy should focus on the rebellion.”
The trump card was Yuria. As long as Yuria was there, I didn’t think we would lose.
“I understand. What are you going to do now?”
“The only way for us to get out of here is to fight and defeat the necromancer. He knows that too, which is why he’s acting so leisurely.”
I explained the plan.
The knights and soldiers would take care of the small fry, the undead. And Melissa, the Duke of Archen, and I would directly attack the necromancer.
“I understand.”
The Duke of Archen nodded without any further questions.
“Father! Please take me with you too!!”
The Duke of Archen’s son, Berdo Archen, jumped out. His eyes, under his armor, were burning fiercely. I could feel his competitive spirit towards Melissa.
“No.”
The Duke of Archen said firmly.
“That necromancer is strong. He’s beyond standards. I don’t have the time to protect you.”
“I promise I won’t be a burden to you, Father! I am the heir to the Archen Duchy! Please give me a chance to punish him too!”
“Melissa is the heir. Once this is over, Melissa will inherit the duchy. And Berdo, you’re still weak. Stay with the knights and stop the undead.”
“Father! I can fight too!!”
“Anyone can fight. Distinguish between courage and recklessness. Don’t overestimate your abilities.”
“Father…!”
“That’s an order, Berdo.”
“Tch…”
Berdo gritted his teeth. His hand pointed at Melissa.
“Why is my sister… allowed to go, but not me?!”
“Melissa is strong. Recognizing the strong is also a strength. In that sense, you continue to disappoint me.”
Berdo was flustered by the Duke of Archen’s deep sigh. He quickly looked around. The vassals and knights ignored his gaze, even though they knew what he wanted. In this situation, it was too urgent to argue with the Duke of Archen.
Berdo was the only one who didn’t know his place.
“…I will follow your orders, Father.”
Berdo eventually lowered his head.
Before moving, the Duke of Archen called the knight commander, Harmel.
“Harmel. I’m entrusting Berdo to you.”
“Leave it to me, Head of the Family.”
•••
Before the battle, we checked our equipment. I was fully prepared, but the Duke of Archen and Melissa were different. The two father and daughter were meticulously checking their equipment.
“Melissa.”
“Yes, Father.”
“Don’t hate Berdo too much. Berdo is still young. He hasn’t even had his coming-of-age ceremony yet.”
“Don’t worry. I don’t resent Berdo. Rather, I feel sorry for him.”
Melissa glanced at me.
It meant not to interfere. I was planning to give that arrogant bastard a taste of his own medicine… but I decided to let it go for Melissa’s sake.
“Do you remember when Berdo was little? Berdo followed you around a lot. He liked you more than me.”
“…Yes. I abandoned that Berdo without a word. It’s not strange for Berdo to resent me. But I don’t regret it. Father, there’s no need to worry about Berdo. Once this is over, I’ll leave the Archen family.”
“Melissa. Your roots are in Archen. Don’t forget that fact.”
“I will never forget it until the day I die.”
