Betrayed by His Party, a Failed Healing Mage Revived Past Demon Lords Out of Spite and They Were All Overpowered Beautiful Girls - 6

Chapter 6: The Healing Mage Launches an Attack on the City

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As the sun set, darkness fell over the surroundings. Because of the cloudy sky, not even moonlight shone through, and a world of darkness spread out.

“Begin the advance,.”

Elshadow gave the order. Following that command, three thousand skeleton soldiers formed ranks and began their invasion from the Great Forest of Ruve. Between the Great Forest of Ruve and the town of Sapan lay nothing but open grassland, with no obstacles. Even without moonlight, it was possible to notice the approaching horde of skeleton soldiers.

That said, by the time they noticed, the army would already be quite close to the town. Perhaps thanks to the enhanced physical abilities of a vampire, I was able to hear the soldiers shouting even from a considerable distance.

“A, a horde of skeletons!!”

“It’s an emergency!! Ring the bell!!”

“Close the gates immediately!! Hurry!!”

An alarm bell rang throughout the town, and soldiers quickly gathered atop the defensive walls.

“They’re moving fast.”

“Of course. Sapan is the closest town to the Demon Lord’s castle, and they have at least a thousand soldiers.”

When I said that, Elshadow gave a fearless smile. The soldiers of Sapan seemed to be preparing for a siege. They shut the gates and gathered atop the walls, shouting commands.

“Fire arrows!!”

However, the skeleton soldiers were undead. They felt no pain, so arrows piercing their bodies did not stop them. Even if their leg bones were broken, they crawled forward along the ground. They would continue advancing until their heads were crushed or until Elshadow gave the order. The soldiers seemed to realize that quickly.

“Stop wasting arrows!! Use stones!! Aim for the head!!”

“Understood!!”

The soldiers switched to throwing stones. That decision was correct. Skeleton soldiers whose heads were crushed by stones stopped moving instantly. Elshadow nodded, impressed.

“Hmm, quick judgment. About three hundred will fall before they reach the wall.”

Her prediction was accurate. Nearly three hundred skeleton soldiers were rendered immobile by the time they approached the wall. Once they reached it, they began climbing over each other, using their comrades as footholds, forming a grotesque ladder to scale the wall. Naturally, the soldiers desperately tried to stop them by dropping stones from above.

“Two hundred… three hundred… four hundred… five hundred…”

Elshadow seemed to be counting the fallen skeletons. The number eventually surpassed one thousand, then two thousand.

“There are a thousand skeletons left, but it seems the soldiers have reached their limit first.”

At last, the soldiers allowed the skeletons to breach the walls, and panic erupted within Sapan. However, the soldiers were not incompetent. Understanding their disadvantage, they had likely focused on buying time. From the southern gate opposite the northern side where the skeletons attacked, it seemed that the townspeople were attempting to escape under the protection of several hundred soldiers. The soldiers still fighting atop the walls were likely prepared to die.

“Hold out until the civilians escape!!”

“We-We can’t hold much longer!!”

“Even so, don’t run!! Fight!! If we run, who will protect everyone!?”

…

“Oh? Valsh, you have quite a nasty personality.”

“Well, I think it’s only natural to choose to flee when you’re at a disadvantage.”

I already knew what the cornered soldiers would do next. They were not protecting the town itself. Their duty was to protect the people living in it. So once the skeletons breached the wall, I expected they would leave a few hundred behind as a rear guard while escorting the civilians out through the opposite gate. The soldiers escorting the fleeing civilians let out cries that sounded like screams.

“Whe-when did the skeletons get to the south side!?”

Beyond the southern gate, where they intended to escape, stood two thousand skeleton soldiers. They were the ones Elshadow had entrusted to me.

“To think you moved two thousand skeletons ahead of their escape route under cover of darkness. You said you had no knowledge of military tactics, yet you seem to have a knack for it.”

“I think anyone could do this much. More importantly, may I handle things over there?”

“Do as you wish. I will not interfere in what you do.”

I thanked Elshadow, flapped my wings, and descended in front of the soldiers and civilians who were in disarray before the skeleton army, wearing a mask. After all, I used to be part of the Hero’s party. There were a few people in Sapan who knew my face, so I chose to hide it.

Well, it wouldn’t have mattered if they saw it, but…

『In situations like this, you should conceal your identity and reveal it to your target right before completing your revenge. It heightens the catharsis. Since we’re at it, why not use an alias too? How about taking it from my name, Blood? It sounds cool, doesn’t it?』

That was what she had said when she handed me the eerie, ominous mask she had apparently made herself. Well, I was a traitor to humanity in both name and fact. Maybe Elizabeth had been considerate about that.

“Nice to meet you, people of Sapan. I… no, I am Blood. If you surrender quietly, I will spare your lives.”

I was no longer human. I was a Greater Vampire, an executive of the Demon Lord’s army, and a subordinate of Elizabeth. I no longer held any attachment to humanity. But that did not mean I wanted to kill humans indiscriminately.

In the first place, vampires subsisted on human blood. If humanity were wiped out, I would starve. So I had decided not to kill those who did not resist. Oh, and just to be clear, this was not my decision alone. I had properly obtained Elizabeth’s approval.

“Yo-you’ll really spare all of us?”

“I promise. But if you show even the slightest intent to resist, I will kill you.”

“…Everyone, drop your weapons.”

At the signal from the apparent captain, everyone reluctantly disarmed while remaining wary of me.

“A wise decision. Wait here until the fighting over there ends… no, it seems it’s already over.”

“What…”

The sounds of battle from the north ceased. The rear guard had been wiped out, and Elshadow’s skeleton army had won. Elshadow arrived shortly after.

“It’s finished here.”

“So it seems. Then, everyone, shall we return to the town?”

“Wa-wait!!”

The captain raised his voice.

“Co-could you at least let the women, children, and elderly go?”

“You think there is room for negotiation?”

“Val… Blood. They seem to be getting carried away because you are too lenient.”

“…Elshadow-san, please remain silent.”

“Hmph.”

Elshadow laughed. Returning to the matter at hand, there was no advantage for us in letting the women and children go. Just as I was about to refuse the captain’s request…

“You cannot release the women and children, but the elderly are fine. I will also permit a small number of soldiers to accompany them as escorts.”

The voice came from Elizabeth, who floated in the air with her wings spread.

…When did she get here?

“Is that acceptable?”

“Yes. I would very much like them to inform the important people of the Halmesia Kingdom that Sapan has been attacked.”

“…That seems to be the case. We will release the elderly. You may choose which soldiers will accompany them as escorts.”

“Th, thank you!!”

Thus, a little over a hundred elderly people and several dozen soldiers were released, while the rest returned to Sapan. From here on, the town gates would be sealed, and the residents would be confined. They would spend their lives within Sapan as my food supply.

…It was better than being slaughtered.

“Now then, Valsh. The residents have been secured, so shall we go?”

“Where to?”

“To our new residence.”

“Eh? We’re moving?”

“Yes.”

Elizabeth smiled brightly and nodded at my puzzled expression.

Wait, moving out of the Demon Lord’s castle!?

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