While sending the refugees (Most of them are labor forces but there are also some injured knights and soldiers) to the rear I kept giving out orders.

Some people are too tired to walk after running from the fortress while some people are too injured to walk. I can’t just leave them be.

Plus, no one can stay calm when all they can hear is the cry and scream of the injured. It will also affect our morale.

That’s why for the refugees who can’t move I ordered our people to carry them. It takes so much time and energy. Among the people that can’t move, some of them wear armor so it’s impossible to let one person carry them all. If lucky, two people can carry one of the armored refuges, and most of the time we need 3 people.

Adding to that, I also need to arrange for other people to transport the medical supplies. I’m busy so it’s better to leave the arrogant young master to the higher-up.

We spend time supporting the refuge, taking a rest after changing with another troop, then supporting the refuge again. Like always my throat started to hurt.

I heard many sergeants in the army have a low voice. I wonder if it’s because they shouted too much and caused their vocal cords to become thicker?

Anyway, I continued to support the refugees. We got here in the middle of the night but from the back of that mountain, I see a thin stripe of sunlight. Now, the number of people coming out of the fortress has decreased so I ask Augen.

“So, how is it?”

“We are approaching our limit.”

“As expected.”

I nodded at Augen’s answer. Arrows are disposable weapons. We went out in the name of training so we didn’t bring too many arrows. The mages along with Fogto-san have also started to show their fatigue.

As I was thinking that this is probably our limit, a figure came from the fortress and walked to the other side of the bridge. Even though most of the flame inside the fortress has been extinguished, our side is darker compared to the fortress so I can only see a silhouette. That silhouette wearing a robe is…

“Gah!”

“Welner-sama?”

“Everyone retreat! Put some distance with the bridge!”

This time I have no time to explain. I ran first and the other followed me. We have gained some distance to the bridge.

Even though some soldiers are not from the Zeavert troop, they made a surprisingly smooth retreat. Perhaps because of how exhausted they are they just naturally follow my command without thinking. Maybe it’s also because my voice carried some pressure.

Right after our retreat, a swirl of flame appeared on our side of the bridge. Many of us jumped in surprise because of the sounds of the explosion. Some surprised voices are even close to a scream.

“That…was…?”

“It’s magic. Is everyone safe!?”

“We are fine!”

Fire magic. I remember. That creature is the Black Mage. In the game, he was the boss that guards the stairs to the third floor in the Veritza Fortress. He’s a boss that will constantly shoot out area magic.

The painful memory of getting beaten up by that guy because I thought ‘a lone enemy. That’s rare’ is now resurfaced. It was in the game though.

Then, even I who have game knowledge can’t predict the thing that happened after that.

“Oh. Someone among you has good intuition.”

“It talked?”

A surprised voice can be heard from my surroundings. Ah, that’s right. Except for Mazell who’s fought a devil, not many know that some devils can understand human speech.

…Wait a minute. That guy is also a devil? Not just a boss that appeared in the game?

Without knowing I was surprised inside, the Black Mage continued to talk with a mocking tone.

“I have come to say that we shall postpone the death of you people who have survived this far. It is the kindness of one of the 4 Generals, Dreax-sama. Hurry and convey this word to your commander.”

Right. The boss is Dreax. If I’m not wrong, Dreax is a living armor. The reason why I remained calm is that I have confirmed that one of the game’s knowledge is right… or perhaps I attempted to escape reality.

The Black Mage must have had no interest in the humans’ reaction, as he returned to the fortress with an evil smirk on his face.

“These are your souvenirs.”

(Gore warning! Here to skip.)

Along with his words, several figures of people came out of the fortress. Wait. can they even be called ‘people’? The rightmost figure didn’t have its right arm, while one of them walked staggeringly…Urgh!

“H…His body…”

“It’s… almost…fell off?”

That’s right. The knights and Fogto-san have also noticed it. One of those figures, his body is almost separated into two around the chest part.

That’s why it walks staggeringly because if it breaks its balance its upper body will fall off. It’s like a grotesque magic trick… no, it’s closer to a scene straight out of a splatter movie.

There’s Marquis Knap among those figures. No, saying there was Marquis Knap is more correct. After all, the figure of ‘Marquis Knap’ that walked slowly toward us only has half of his head.

First, I’m sure no one among those figures is a human. There’s no way a human can walk while dragging half of his internal organs. There are also dragging sounds from the ‘human’ that crawled toward us with only his upper body. All of those figures have empty eyes as if the messengers of death are approaching us.

[Gore end]

Everyone stiffened and didn’t move. No, we can’t move. Some orderlies vomited. I won’t blame them. I also want to vomit.

“Do not fear. Did I not say that we shall postpone your death?”

The Black Mage talked with us as if to scorn us. I can hear him but I can’t process the meaning of his words.

Gazing at us with empty eyes, the group of ‘humans’ slowly crossed the bridge and walked staggeringly until they were right in front of us and fell to the ground. What reached my nose and coiled around my body is not only the smell of blood but also the smell of some other things.

No one moves. Not the body of Marquis Knap, not us.

“Convey Dreax-sama’s words to your king. Next, we shall attack your castle.”

Leaving only that sentence, the robed figure returned to the fortress. Even though our enemy has gone, we are still frozen in that place.

T/N: Urgh… Another nasty chapter to translate. Made me remember the chapter against demonic beasts with the depiction of blood and internal fluid. I’m not good at gore. I also feel like I want to puke. Adding to that I read this chapter twice. One is for understanding it, and the second is for translating it. I will also need to read it for the third time for editing. Urgh… It’s almost 11 and I hope this chapter didn’t appear in my dream.

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