< Chapter 48: The Battle of Cuebaerg (3) >
I touched the speech bubble button to start a conversation with Evan, and then I lay down on the floor and looked at my smartphone.
A small chat window appeared on the smartphone screen.
Using this chat window, I could communicate with the apostles that I had chosen.
It was not a dialogue based on a predetermined script, but a free communication that felt like talking to a real person.
It was an amazing result of the development of AI technology.
Of course, I didn’t have to try to maintain the dignity of a god, since I was in an omnipotent position.
The stories that I told were changed into dignified sentences by the ‘God Translator’.
I just had to write whatever I wanted to say, and it would somehow turn it into a sentence that exuded the authority of a god.
So I asked Evan the questions that I wanted to ask him without any worry.
“Do you know anything about the holy relics?”
“Are you talking about the holy relics?”
“Yeah. The holy relics.”
“If you mean the objects that symbolize the six temples, I know a lot about them. They are the artifacts that were lost during the great war a long time ago.”
Maybe it was because they were classified as holy relics.
The holy relics were all objects related to the temples.
The six temples.
And the great war that happened long ago.
It was the first time I heard this story since I started the game.
The background of the game had many complex histories that I did not know.
The game itself was very unfriendly, and the interactions between the characters were too extensive.
Anyway, the important thing now was the whereabouts of the holy relic.
If Evan knew about the holy relic, then the next thing to ask was about Ergus’s stake.
“What about Ergus’s stake?”
[Holy Relic: Ergus’s Stake].
It was an item that had to be obtained in order to evolve the <Descent> skill.
Evan, who heard the story about Ergus’s stake, showed a moment of hesitation.
Was he trying to imitate a person who was recalling his memory?
The more I played the game, the more I felt that there were many parts that were full of details.
After pondering for a while, Evan raised his head and looked at the sky and said.
-“Ergus’s stake… I’ve heard of it before. It’s one of the very famous holy relics.”
“A famous holy relic. Then you must know it well.”
-“According to the records I read, they used Ergus’s stake to seal the progenitor of vampires in the previous war.”
The word that came out of Evan’s mouth as he talked about the stake was unexpected.
Vampire.
It was a different race that was also called by another name, vampire.
It was a very unfamiliar word in this game where only humans were visible.
But then again, in a world where angels like Estasia existed, it was not strange that vampires existed as well.
“The progenitor of vampires?”
-“Yes. Pluto, the progenitor of vampires, was the ruler who reigned over all vampires.”
-“I heard that they used stakes to suppress the evil god during the war, but now they are sealing the progenitor of the vampires.”
In many novels and comics, I saw vampires being afraid of garlic and stakes.
This game seemed to faithfully reproduce that setting, as it had a stake called a holy relic stuck in a vampire.
If Eergus’s stake was stuck in a vampire, all I had to do was find that vampire and retrieve the stake.
By the way, the progenitor of the vampires.
It sounded like a powerful monster just by its name.
They couldn’t kill such a dangerous enemy and had to seal it instead.
There must have been a reason why they couldn’t kill the progenitor of the vampires in the war.
For example, it might have been a monster that couldn’t be killed by ordinary means.
“Is that vampire still alive?”
-“Indeed, it is a story worth your curiosity. She was the only one who was sealed after all the vampires were exterminated.”
“Uh… I’m definitely curious.”
-“Vampires are creatures that are not bound by lifespan, so they must be alive now.”
-“The reason why the church doesn’t retrieve the stake is because she will be fully released if the stake is removed.”
“Fully released if the stake is removed…”
If I retrieved Eergus’s stake, the sealed vampire would be unleashed into the world.
The progenitor of the vampires that even the temple couldn’t kill and had to seal.
As soon as I heard the story about Pluto, the progenitor, my eyes went straight to the <Apostle Selection> skill icon.
The progenitor of the vampires must have had a great power.
And there was no rule that said I couldn’t target a vampire with the <Apostle Selection> skill.
Maybe she could also become my apostle.
Just like Evan, who was an elite monster, surrendered and became my apostle.
I felt hopeful about the sealed progenitor and asked Evan about the location of the stake.
“So where is that stake?”
-“The location of the holy relic is… I only know that it is in Everlint province in the west of the empire. I don’t know the exact location.”
I had no way of knowing where that was right now.
This unfriendly game didn’t show me the names of the regions.
But one thing was certain.
At this moment, Eutenia was closer to the west than anyone else.
She was heading west to meet Estasia for her mission.
If I planned to retrieve Eergus’s stake, it would be better to entrust it to Eutenia after she finished her work.
I didn’t know where Everlint province was anyway.
-“Maybe you can find some related documents if you search through the temples near Everlint.”
I could order Eutenia to investigate the documents in the temples near Everlint.
Eutenia would surely finish her research quickly and bring back the stake.
At least I believed in Eutenia like that.
She never disappointed me once.
“Okay, I got it. That’s pretty useful.”
-“It is an honor for me as your servant that you want to listen to my humble story.”
-“I only dedicate this body to you with the same heart as always.”
My conversation with Evan ended with his words of utmost praise.
He was an AI who served me very faithfully, perhaps because of his setting as a holy knight who served a god.
I thought it might be nice to give him a gift sometime.
Of course, that was only if I got something good from the gacha.
“…I’m getting hungry.”
As I looked at the chat window with Evan, I rubbed my hungry stomach and muttered.
I had forgotten about the time as I was immersed in the game.
As soon as I realized my hunger, the fatigue that had accumulated throughout the day also started to hit me at once.
I had obtained some rough information through Evan, so it would be fine to check the rest after having a meal.
“I guess I’ll have to boil some ramen.”
I decided to have dinner and turned off the screen of my smartphone, throwing it towards the bed.
Thud.
The smartphone that was thrown onto the soft bed bounced off strongly as if it had entered the matrix.
And then it slipped into the narrow gap between the wall and the bed, hiding its appearance.
In an instant, I blinked my eyes and stared at the bed where the smartphone had disappeared.
“Ah…”
It seemed like I had to postpone having dinner for a while.
Right now, I had to find a hanger to get my smartphone out.
***
A desolate battlefield after a round of bombing.
Gedur’s eyes, holding an axe, looked at the traces of the first line that had disappeared.
There was nothing to be found there except for black scorch marks and torn pieces of clothing.
The formation of the expedition team had collapsed in one attack by Cuebaerg.
Gedur looked down at the chief of staff who was rolling on the ground, after looking at the empty spots of the missing members.
The chief of staff avoided Gedur’s gaze with a panicked expression.
“The only fate on the battlefield is death.”
“I, I didn’t mean to…”
The story about promotion had already vanished from Gedur’s mind.
He had lost Cloud’s elites in front of his eyes.
And the formation to face Cuebaerg was completely destroyed.
There was no way to defeat Cuebaerg who had broken through the trap at this point.
Not only that.
There was no way to stop Cuebaerg from heading to Jarkling either.
If the castle was breached, all the blame would point to Gedur, the leader of the expedition team.
Everything that Gedur had built up in his life had collapsed completely at this moment.
“There is only death left for a coward as well.”
Most of the prepared traps had been exhausted.
The magic power of the magic soldier unit would soon reach its limit as well.
There was a ballista unit waiting in the castle, but it was doubtful how effective it would be against that giant monster.
The Cuebaerg expedition had failed.
If they continued to fight like this, the expedition team would be annihilated and Jarkling would be destroyed.
“That’s an order. Evacuate the people.”
So Gedur said, pointing his ax at the chief of staff.
I told him to evacuate the people in Jarkling.
The preparations for evacuation were already done to some extent, in case of the worst scenario.
As soon as Gedur gave the order, they could start evacuating right away.
When Gedur ordered the chief of staff to evacuate, the chief of staff asked him back with a bewildered look.
“Are you telling me… to order an evacuation?”
“Yes. Or do you not want to evacuate?”
“N-no, I’ll start right away. Horn blowers! Send the signal!”
As Gedur put away his ax that he had pointed at him, the chief of staff quickly got up and started giving orders.
Woo woo woo! Woo woo woo woo!
The horn sound of the horn blowers echoed and the soldiers in the castle became busy.
As the chief of staff moved with some of his subordinates to help with the evacuation, Gedur looked at the magic soldier unit.
The commander of the magic soldier unit met Gedur’s eyes with an uneasy look.
“It seems like the magic soldier unit is lacking a lot of power compared to the expedition target.”
“…Yes.”
“It would be better to secure enough mages before proceeding with the expedition next time.”
“Yes? Gedur, sir, what are you saying…”
“Magic soldier unit! That’s an order! Support the evacuation line!”
The commander of the magic soldier unit blinked his eyes in confusion at Gedur’s order.
He had only ordered the magic soldier unit, not the entire expedition team.
But Gedur tapped his forehead with his finger and said.
“You. Can’t you hear my order? I told you to support the evacuation line.”
“…I’ll go and support the evacuation line.”
“Yeah. If I had more time, I would have fixed your weak wills, but it’s a shame.”
The magic soldier unit also started to move with the chief of staff according to Gedur’s order.
The chief of staff looked at Gedur with a subtle expression as he saw the sudden increase in personnel.
But Gedur just gave him a middle finger.
He clenched his teeth and drove his horse towards the castle.
As the line that started to leave the battlefield got closer to the castle.
Gedur looked at Cuebaerg with the remaining troops.
“…He’s coming.”
Cuebaerg, who had escaped from the restraint, was approaching Gedur and his men.
Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump.
The huge ground shaking that came from Cuebaerg’s movement reached their legs through the ground.
He had sent away even the remaining troops to preserve them.
Now all that was left were his men who had followed him from Cloud, and the investigators from Riotis branch.
He watched Cuebaerg approaching the expedition team and chuckled, saying to his men.
“Why did you guys become knights with such good skills? Why did you join Cloud so stupidly?”
“Sir…”
“Nobody answers? You guys have lost a lot of spirit. Do I have to hit you with an axe handle to make you answer?”
Gedur was usually proud of Cloud.
His men didn’t expect him to ask such a question on the battlefield.
Of course, Gedur wrapped the aura around his axe in response to the silence.
The lieutenant who saw that reluctantly answered him.
I told them to evacuate the people in Jarkling.
The preparations for evacuation were already somewhat done, in case of the worst situation.
They could start evacuating as soon as Gedur gave the order.
When Gedur ordered the chief of staff to evacuate, the chief of staff questioned him with a puzzled look.
“Are you telling me… to order an evacuation?”
“Yes. Or do you not want to evacuate?”
“N-no, I’ll start right away. Horn blowers! Send the signal!”
As Gedur put away his axe that he had aimed at him, the chief of staff quickly got up and started giving orders.
Woo woo woo! Woo woo woo woo!
The horn sound of the horn blowers echoed and the soldiers in the castle became busy.
As the chief of staff moved with some of his subordinates to help with the evacuation, Gedur looked at the magic soldier unit.
The commander of the magic soldier unit met Gedur’s eyes with an uneasy look.
“It seems like the magic soldier unit is lacking a lot of power compared to the expedition target.”
“…Yes.”
“It would be better to secure enough mages before proceeding with the expedition next time.”
“Yes? Gedur, sir, what are you saying…”
“Magic soldier unit! That’s an order! Support the evacuation line!”
The commander of the magic soldier unit blinked his eyes in confusion at Gedur’s order.
He had only ordered the magic soldier unit, not the entire expedition team.
But Gedur tapped his forehead with his finger and said.
“You. Can’t you hear my order? I told you to support the evacuation line.”
“…I’ll go and support the evacuation line.”
“Yeah. If I had more time, I would have fixed your weak wills, but it’s a shame.”
The magic soldier unit also started to move with the chief of staff according to Gedur’s order.
The chief of staff looked at Gedur with a subtle expression as he saw the sudden increase in personnel.
But Gedur just gave him a middle finger.
He clenched his teeth and drove his horse towards the castle.
As the line that started to leave the battlefield got closer to the castle.
Gedur looked at Cuebaerg with the remaining troops.
“…He’s coming.”
Cuebaerg, who had escaped from the restraint, was approaching Gedur and his men.
Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump.
The huge ground shaking that came from Cuebaerg’s movement reached their legs through the ground.
He had sent away even the remaining troops to preserve them.
Now all that was left were his men who had followed him from Cloud, and the investigators from Riotis branch.
He watched Cuebaerg approaching the expedition team and chuckled, saying to his men.
“Why did you guys become knights with such good skills? Why did you join Cloud so stupidly?”
“Sir…”
“Nobody answers? You guys have lost a lot of spirit. Do I have to hit you with an ax handle to make you answer?”
Gedur was usually proud of Cloud.
His men didn’t expect him to ask such a question on the battlefield.
Of course, Gedur wrapped the aura around his ax in response to the silence.
The lieutenant who saw that reluctantly answered him.
“We wanted to protect our precious ones.”
“That’s a very stupid reason.”
“…”
“But I like stupid guys.”
Gedur smiled cheerfully and some of his men bit their lips.
Everyone here sensed it.
Most of the expedition members here wouldn’t be able to return alive.
That was why Gedur suddenly brought up such a trivial talk.
Did they feel a courage that they didn’t have before on the battlefield?
The lieutenant who heard Gedur’s answer asked him back this time.
“Then why did you join Cloud, sir?”
“That’s also a very poor question.”
“…”
“Savages can’t become knights. You dumbasses.”
Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump.
Cuebaerg’s sound got louder.
The ground shaking became stronger and Gedur’s legs started to tremble.
He got closer every time he opened and closed his eyes.
The monster from the abyss was coming towards him.
Cuebaerg’s sinister and huge eyes were also staring at Gedur continuously.
“But I’m glad that only those who love the empire are left here.”
“…Sir.”
“I’m thinking of leaving a mark on that giant eyeball with my ax if possible.”
Hoo.
Gedur took a breath and pointed his ax forward with an aura on it.
The ultimate state of no-mind, aura.
As the brilliant flame wrapped around his ax, a flame of struggle ignited in Gedur’s heart.
He was born as a savage and held an ax.
And he lived his life swinging only an ax.
Even at the last moment of his life, he always had a huge ax with him.
“This is the last order!”
Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump.
As death approached, Gedur shouted.
The expedition to subdue Cuebaerg had failed, but he still had something to do.
If not now, then for the next time.
If not the next time, then for the time after that.
Gedur and his men had to swing their weapons until they died.
“Everyone! Die here!”
As soon as Gedur’s last order came out.
The expedition members who were waiting for the order scattered in all directions.
