Crowin had explained to the other two the fact that his body had been taken over by a lich and that he needed to stop its ambitions.
Rosaria accepted it relatively easily, but Canon still didn’t lower her guard.
Even so, she did put away her weapon for the time being.
“I’m sorry for interrupting your training. You must be busy…”
On the road to the City of the Dead,
I apologized to Rosaria in the rattling cargo hold.
“It’s nothing. If I can just stay by the side of the one I love, I’d gladly make time for that.”
“Umm…”
I didn’t know how I was supposed to respond to that.
Canon’s gaze also stung in a strange way.
“It’s a secluded path.”
Just as Rosaria said, the road the carriage was traveling on was narrow and densely forested.
The entrance to the legendary city lay deep within the woods.
Because the road wasn’t paved, the carriage shook violently.
“If I had known it would be like this, I should’ve rented a large carriage. Putting Lady Rosaria through such discomfort… I don’t like it.”
Canon openly revealed her displeasure.
“Don’t say that. I insisted on coming along.”
“Please don’t side with someone suspicious. Normally, discovering a Dullahan should’ve been immediately reported to the guards.”
She was a maid with deep loyalty.
She didn’t hesitate to speak frankly, even to the lady she served.
They must have known each other for a long time.
I could feel the strong bond between them.
“Hmm, more like a warrior than a maid.”
Crowin muttered from inside the box lying on its side.
The lid had been removed, and his head sat there all alone, facing us.
“I’m just a maid you can find anywhere. I simply received combat training.”
“Combat training, huh… Does that include assassination techniques?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Aren’t you hiding things all over your outfit? Items regular adventurers wouldn’t use.”
At those words, I glanced over Canon’s attire.
It was a pretty maid outfit with very little exposed skin.
The structure was more than sufficient for concealing weapons.
“Whatever I might be hiding is none of your business.”
She snapped coldly, and Crowin chuckled under his breath.
“Apologies. I used to be a knight, you see. When I spot a skilled warrior, I can’t help but strike up a conversation.”
“I am not a warrior. I’m just a maid who serves Lady Rosaria.”
“Sure, let’s go with that.”
As we continued on while chatting idly, the carriage suddenly began to slow down.
“Everyone, get ready to dismount!”
Rox shouted from the driver’s seat.
“I thought we still had a ways to go?”
“We do, but it looks like we’ve been invited to a welcoming party.”
What was he talking about?
I was about to ask when I realized what he meant.
“There are skeletons in the middle of the forest…?”
On the path leading to a high canyon,
Dozens of armed skeletons were blocking the entrance.
Just like Rox had said, it looked like they’d been waiting for us, already positioned in formation.
“Looks like an ambush set up by the lich. If they all rush us at once, it’ll be hard to break through with the carriage.”
Unless the horses were armored which they weren’t, even light monsters would be hard to push through.
I subtly turned my head toward Canon.
“I will remain at Lady Rosaria’s side. Please take care of the subjugation.”
He turned me down before I could even say anything.
That was harsh.
Though, I had a feeling it would go that way.
“Lady Rosaria, then I’ll be off.”
“Yes, good luck!”
As I stepped down from the cargo area, a skeleton clattered toward me.
Its hollow black eye sockets locked onto me as if it had spotted its prey.
A quick count told me there were around fifty of them.
“If each of us takes down about thirty, we should be good. Let me know if it’s too much.”
“This is a piece of cake!”
Before the skeletons could rush the carriage, Rox and I jumped into their midst first.
When I slashed through their bony bodies, they collapsed like puppets with their strings cut.
Some of them wore armor, but it was incomplete.
It was old, worn-out gear that looked like it had been looted from somewhere.
That kind of equipment was no match for Shadow Fang.
“What’s that sword made of?”
Rox watched in wonder as I sliced a skeleton clean in half, armor and all.
“I’m not exactly sure. It’s a magic sword I found in some ruins.”
“A magic sword?”
“It’s called the Pitch Black Sword.”
As I channeled magic into it, a dark aura began to rise from the blade.
But I had no intention of using its special abilities.
While it could absorb magic and cut off the skeletons’ source of power,
Slashing them down directly was simply faster.
“That’s awesome! I can’t lose!”
Rox swung his greatsword wide, knocking back the skeletons closing in.
Then he shifted his stance.
Like he was about to lift something heavy.
He spread his legs and lowered his body.
“Oh?”
His sword began to ripple. Then it transformed into liquid, like mercury.
As if it had a life of its own, the weapon changed shape. The handle thinned while the end grew heavy.
Before long, a mace was in Rox’s hand.
“You know, skeletons are weak against blunt force!”
The hefty mace sliced through the air.
Crunch!
Bones shattered as the skeleton’s remains flew through the air.
With no flesh to weigh them down, they were light.
Each swing smashed two or three skeletons to pieces.
In the blink of an eye, fifty skeletons had been wiped out.
“That’s a unique weapon.”
At some point, the mace Rox had been holding had turned back into a sword.
It looked like he was directly controlling its transformation.
“It’s a treasure that’s been passed down in my family for generations.”
“To inherit something like that… you must be well respected.”
“Haha, I only got it because I’m the only one who can use it.”
It was definitely a weapon that would be hard to wield without mastery in both swordsmanship and magic.
That just meant Rox was that skilled.
***
After finishing the battle, we moved on a bit further, but night soon fell.
We made camp at a decent spot and lit a fire.
“Since you’re a saintess candidate, couldn’t you have used holy magic to get rid of the undead?”
While eating stew from a large pot, Rox suddenly asked, as if the thought had just struck him.
“I could have, but Canon stopped me.”
At that, Canon casually took a spoonful of stew and replied as if it were the obvious thing to do.
“Lady Rosaria isn’t an adventurer. Even if she can eliminate the undead, she’d still be in danger if ambushed.”
So that’s why she was stopped.
Considering how she almost got taken out by bandits before, it was a reasonable decision.
“She’s the one who made the holy water for us. I had no intention of making her go through all that trouble. Of course she should be treated with care.”
“Exactly. Honestly, if it were up to me, I wouldn’t have allowed her to come along at all.”
Rox gave a wry smile at her unreasonably cold attitude.
“I’ll say this since the opportunity has come. Sir Theo, I am grateful to you for saving Lady Rosaria, but at the same time, I also resent you. Why did you make her play the villain that day?”
Canon glared sharply.
So it had come to this.
Rosaria had said she was fine, but that was only her own opinion.
From Canon’s perspective, who had accompanied and served her, it was perfectly reasonable for her to be displeased.
“That was entirely my fault. I’ll make sure not to cause any trouble in the future.”
“Trying isn’t enough. Please promise that something like that will never happen again.”
I wanted to say that I would.
But if we kept getting entangled like this, it was hard to give a firm promise.
After all, I couldn’t guarantee that I’d never cross paths with Claria again.
“Canon, that’s too rude!”
“Even so, I must get a promise here and now.”
A stubborn maid, and a young lady flustered and unsure of what to do.
What a unique relationship.
“Please don’t worry too much. I… I won’t regret anything if it’s for your sake, Sir Theo.”
She offered those words with a gentle smile.
I was grateful, but we couldn’t go on like this forever.
I needed to come up with a plan soon.
***
The next morning.
After traveling for about half a day more, we arrived at the entrance to the City of the Dead.
“We’ll stay here. We wish for your safe return.”
As we got off the carriage, Canon gave a polite bow.
Since Rosaria couldn’t be sent into such a dangerous place, the two of them had agreed to wait by the carriage.
Rox had no complaints either.
He had originally planned to go alone, but since he needed reinforcements, he ended up forming a two-person party with me.
“I don’t mind, but… can you cook for yourself?”
“Of course. Cooking is one of the most basic skills for a maid.”
“Reliable, huh. Feel free to use the cooking utensils and ingredients. There should be enough food for ten days.”
“I don’t plan to wait that long, though.”
“Huh? Then how long are you planning to wait?”
“I’ll give you two days. If you don’t return by then, I’ll assume you’ve died and leave with the carriage.”
Rox burst into laughter, clearly finding it absurd.
“Man, this maid is funny. I may be a reckless type, but she’s absolutely ruthless.”
All for the sake of her lady.
That seemed to be the sole principle behind her actions.
“Just in case, I’ll leave behind half the food and one of the horses. I’ll unload all the baggage as well.”
“How merciful of you.”
Rox looked at his double-horse carriage.
One of the clueless horses let out a shrill neigh.
“Two days should be more than enough, don’t you think?”
He tried to get my agreement, but how could I possibly know?
Up until now, the City of the Dead had only ever been thought of as a fictional place.
Leaving the two behind, we walked toward the entrance.
In the middle of the forest, a huge hole yawned open.
When we looked inside, we saw uneven steps leading down underground.
“They say there used to be an ancient city around here. After its fall, not even a trace of it remained. Just this passage connected to the underground tomb.”
That underground tomb was the City of the Dead.
It seemed the Elder Lich had taken over the abandoned ruins and was using them as his hideout.
I stepped onto the first stair.
“We’ve got two days, so let’s make this quick.”
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