I Was Reincarnated as a Mob Noble, and I Swear I'll Protect the Villainess Who Got Married Off to Me No Matter What ~To Dodge Our Total Downfall, I Went All Out Training My Trash Skill [Super Recovery] Through Crazy Hard Work, and Before I Knew It, I Could Totally Wreck the Game Protagonist Who Condemned My Wife Easily - Chapter 25

Chapter 25: The Dalham Castle Recapture Operation Begins. Breaking Through the Castle Gates

The next night, Valeria and I climbed into a carriage from the Asphodel ducal house and headed straight for Dalham Castle, which sat right on the border.

Valeria had been summoned to her father’s camp, but she refused to go, saying she wasn’t feeling well.

If we could take back Dalham Castle, the future would probably change dramatically. We absolutely had to win this battle.

“…That’s awful.”

Valeria gazed out the window and furrowed her brows in pain.

Scattered along the road were the corpses of soldiers from the frontier count’s army who’d failed to take the castle. Left abandoned like that, every single one of them had been brutally smashed up by the overwhelming strength of the golem soldiers.

Among those bodies were guys who’d trained in swordsmanship right alongside me.
All of them had fought to protect this land and died with regrets.

“But… that’s exactly why I can bring out my full strength.”

“Yeah. I’m counting on you, Valeria.”

“Mm…”

Valeria took a deep breath and shouted.

“Restless souls still wandering with unfinished business! If any of you still want to protect this land even after becoming undead, answer my call—Valeria Asphodel’s call! Zenon Greivan and I are going to take Dalham Castle!”

“Ooooh…! R-really…?”
“I won’t let the empire army slaughter my wife and kids…!”
“If I can get revenge on those bastards, I’m in… gladly…!”

From the darkness, several voices answered her, and every single one of them rang with joy.

“I promise you. Your deepest wishes will definitely be fulfilled!”

When Valeria chanted her spell, the scattered corpses jerked and started to move.

What she used was magic that turns corpses into undead. The plan was simple: after we took out the castle lord, we’d summon these guys inside the enemy castle and let them rampage.

But she wasn’t turning everyone into undead. Valeria only revived the ones who actually wanted it.

Forcing someone into undeath against their will would just be desecrating the dead.

“Once the battle’s over, we’ve gotta give them all a proper send-off.”

“…They were your precious retainers, after all. Even if it’s for victory, you still feel resistance toward turning them into undead, don’t you?”

My voice came out heavier than I meant it to, and Valeria’s face instantly looked guilty.

“I’d be lying if I said I didn’t… But driving back the empire army has to be the best way to honor them. That’s what they all want—that’s why they’re following us right now.”

I said it firmly.

“Besides, I’m the one who gave the green light to this plan. You don’t need to feel guilty, Valeria. I’ll take full responsibility.”

Up until now, people have always treated Valeria like some evil woman who toys with corpses.
But from here on out, I’m never letting anyone say that crap again.

Above all, my [Miracle of Healing] can purify undead and send their souls off to peaceful rest.

“After the fight’s done, I’m thinking I’ll use my [Miracle of Healing] to send everyone to heaven. And if anyone still badmouths you after that, I’ll shut them up myself.”

“…Th-thank you, Zenon.”

Valeria looked a little stunned by how strongly I’d spoken.

“What? It’s obvious, isn’t it? You didn’t ask to get the [Necromancer] skill—you didn’t want it. You risked your life to save this land, so it’s messed up that people judge you just because of the method you had to use.”

In this world, nobody gets to choose the skill they’re granted.
And yet that one skill basically decides almost your entire life.

Because I’d been treated like trash for having a dud skill, I could finally understand how much pain Valeria—the villainess in the original game—must have felt.

The biggest reason she got labeled an evil woman was the image people had: that the [Necromancer] skill, which controls the dead as undead, was the complete opposite of holy, something purely wicked.

People decide good and evil based on the skill’s reputation, not the person’s actual character.

“You look tired. Let me Heal you up.”

I touched her hand and activated Heal.
The exhaustion that had been showing on Valeria’s face—drained from having her life force sucked by undead—faded away, and color came back.

“…And not everyone who becomes undead ends up unhappy, y’know.”

I glanced over at Gawain, the [Death Knight] who was acting as our coachman.

“At the very least, Gawain chose to become undead himself, right? And he’s seriously trying to protect you with everything he’s got.”

What I sensed from Gawain was nothing but fierce loyalty toward Valeria.
He didn’t give off that typical undead vibe—the endless hatred toward the living.

“…You really are kind, Zenon.”

Valeria lowered her eyes and murmured, as if she were enduring something.

“Gawain was a knight who served the Asphodel ducal house ever since I was little… If I’d been more capable back then, they wouldn’t have had to die.”

“…”

I was at a loss for words.
Crap. I’d meant to cheer her up, but instead I made her remember something awful, didn’t I?

“That’s why… I’m never letting anyone important to me get killed again. I’ll protect you even if it costs my own life.”

A fierce flame of determination burned in Valeria’s eyes as she looked straight at me.

“WOOOOOON!”

Right then, Gawain let out a beast-like roar.

“Kyaa!?”

I instantly pulled Valeria’s head against my chest and pushed her down to the floor.

DOGOOOOOH!

A second later, something crashed through the window with a deafening impact and buried itself deep into the opposite wall.
It looked sort of like an arrow… but way too huge. It was a massive iron bolt.

“…What the—!?”

Valeria’s eyes went wide in shock.
Thanks to Gawain’s warning, we’d barely saved her in time.

“It’s the golem soldiers firing!”

One look at that thick bolt and I knew instantly.
This was a weapon exclusive to golems in the game. The golem soldiers were using giant ballistae from the castle walls—bows no human could possibly draw.

“They’re flying a messenger’s white flag!!”

Valeria’s shock was completely understandable.
Shooting a messenger under a white flag without any warning? That’s not something a civilized country does.

But more bolts slammed into the carriage one after another like they didn’t care.
Gawain deflected the incoming shots with his longsword, but the sheer volume was starting to push him back.

“Kuh! These things hit way harder than normal!”

The Asphodel ducal carriage had special armor plating, which was barely holding up against the attacks.
If it had been a regular carriage, it would’ve been smashed into scrap in seconds.

“HIIIIN!?”

But the horses pulling the carriage weren’t so lucky.
Gawain couldn’t block everything. Several bolts skewered the horses, turning them into shredded lumps of meat.
The carriage lurched violently, about to flip sideways.

“Obey me—[Zombie Horse]!”

Valeria thrust her hand out, and false life flowed into the dead horses.

The zombified horses took the reins from Gawain and started pulling the carriage again.
The carriage floated up off the ground a bit, bouncing hard a few times before shooting forward at double the previous speed.

Thanks to that, we were dodging most of the bolts now.

“Nice one, Valeria!”

“Don’t let your guard down yet! The ceiling’s about to give!”

Just like she said, the roof—now pierced by several bolts—was starting to crack.

“So this is the empire’s golem soldiers!? They’re way stronger than I expected!”

The next instant, another bolt punched straight through the ceiling.
Its target was Valeria’s face.

My body moved before my brain caught up.
I’d already prepped the activation for [Excessive Recovery].

I thrust out my glowing right hand and just barely touched the incoming bolt.

With a bang, blood sprayed like petals, and both my right hand and the bolt vanished at the same time.

[Excessive Recovery] had destroyed the bolt itself, but it couldn’t erase the kinetic energy—so my hand exploded.

“Zenon!?”

“I’m fine. Heal!”

Thanks to [Miracle of Healing], my right hand instantly grew back.
I kept a cool poker face in front of Valeria, but the pain was so bad I almost blacked out.

The next bolt that came flying got the same treatment—blown apart by [Excessive Recovery], and my hand exploded again, then regenerated.

“Gah, that hurts…!”

In the tight space of the carriage I couldn’t swing a sword properly, so I had no choice but to tank it with my body… but man, I really don’t get used to this kind of pain.

“Y-you’re being reckless again…!”

“I’m okay!”

Still, I couldn’t let Valeria—who’s physically fragile—take a hit.
I’m practically immortal, so I’ve gotta be the one protecting her.

And after regenerating twice, my right arm seemed to have gained better defense. The third time a bolt hit, I actually managed to deflect it.

Looks like [Super Recovery] had given me resistance to ranged attacks.

“Amazing…!”

Valeria let out an admiring gasp.

“But you can’t keep bleeding like that! Leave the rest to me!”

She summoned several undead mage [Demi Liches] right in front of the carriage.

They immediately started chanting and layered multiple semi-transparent magical barriers all around us.
The sheer thickness of the barriers repelled the golem soldiers’ shots.

“I see… this should hold…!”

“Yep! The Schwarz Ritter’s adaptability is second to none!”

Valeria grabbed my hand and poured mana into me too.

“…Thank you, Zenon. But I don’t want you to die either, you know.”

“Ah… y-yeah…”

Her seriousness caught me off guard and my heart skipped.

Her earlier words—“I’ll protect you even if it costs my own life”—were still echoing strongly in my chest.

Then Valeria looked up through the broken ceiling toward Dalham Castle.
Lit by watchfires, the castle was already looming close.

“…Okay. From here my voice should reach.”

Amid the rain of bolts, Valeria raised her voice.

“I am Valeria Asphodel! Daughter of the Asphodel ducal house, which carries the royal blood of the Albion Kingdom—I come as an envoy! Cease your attack at once!”

“Ohhh, my apologies! We never dreamed the esteemed ducal daughter herself would come as messenger…!”

A theatrical male voice rang out.
Up on the wall, a young man wearing an extravagant cloak appeared and raised his hand.

At once, the golem soldiers that had been firing the bolts stopped dead.

“I am the one entrusted with command of Dalham Castle—Lucian Balzark, Fifth Imperial Prince of the Balzark Empire. I have witnessed the famed [Necromancer] skill magic with my own eyes. An immortal horse—truly splendid! We welcome you, Lady Valeria Asphodel!”

The tightly shut castle gates slowly began to open.

Yes! First hurdle cleared.