“I understand.”

 

Lilya slightly nodded, suppressing her wavering expression. While the undead or seat holders sounded formidable, there was nothing to be overly afraid of as long as they could be killed.

 

In the world, there was nothing that could be obtained without a price. The bodies of the living dead may freeze aging and grant long life, but they must also endure the consequences of such power.

 

The Princess boldly speculated that aside from what Flora had mentioned, there were likely even more significant side effects.

 

Otherwise, this transformation might even be called a kind of evolution, and the 【Eternal Throne】 wouldn’t need to hide so thoroughly. Even someone like Princess Lilya hadn’t heard of it.

 

The enemy might indeed be strong, but Lilya Melchior was not to be taken lightly. Two thousand elite warriors, the Shadow Guards, and the legendary adventurer Flora… If all else failed, there was Violet.

 

“Your Highness, have you made your decision?”

 

The blue-haired princess stood on her tiptoes and patted the shoulder of the guard girl with a smile. 

 

“Haha, what are you saying, Flora? At this point, do I have any reason or room to back down? They are just a bunch of remains that should have been buried a long time ago. There’s no reason for the living to fear the dead!”

 

“Is that so…”

 

As if influenced by Lilya’s resolve, The Scarlet Flame, Flora’s furrowed brows relaxed somewhat from the beginning, and her gaze grew steadily more determined.

 

“In that case, please let me contribute my strength as well.”

 

……………………

 

Time was running out, and Beastman reinforcements could arrive at the Tepaya Basin area at any moment. Therefore, after a brief discussion, Lilya decided not to wait until nightfall and launch the attack in the morning.

 

Fortunately, the people suspected to be associated with the 【Eternal Throne】 organization had not noticed the stealthy approach of the enemy. The entrance, which was most suitable for defense, was guarded by only a few dozen people. Even if there were hidden sentinels, they seemed to have been lax in their vigilance.

 

It’s a bit strange… this place is within the territory of the Beastman Kingdom. Even if some kind of agreement has been reached between the two sides, the lack of vigilance is surprising. This might sound harsh, but considering the way most Beastmen think, it’s possible for humans to face unexpected situations here.

 

If that’s not the case, then the other side might have known about Lilya and her group’s arrival and intentionally made themselves look weak to lure the forces into the valley for an ambush.

 

The terrain in the Tepaya Basin was ideal for defense, but, in turn, if the only entrance was blocked, it would be difficult for those inside to break out. It was a double-edged sword for both offense and defense.

 

Even so, what Lilya had to do wouldn’t change. As she had told Flora, the princess had no retreat now.

 

“Go.”

 

Hidden in a concealed spot, Lilya beckoned behind her, and a dozen shadows leaped out.

 

The infiltrators arrived in an instant. They struck simultaneously from high points, behind, or various blind spots in the enemies’ vision, swiftly delivering deadly blows to the brains of their respective targets, bringing the kiss of death.

 

Although they hadn’t discussed it in advance, none of the Shadow Guards chose to engage the same enemy, a testament to their skill and synergy.

 

At the same time, Flora, who had already nocked her bow with three arrows, released them silently. In the air, the three arrows followed completely different arcs, arriving first, piercing the brains of three guard captains before any of the Shadow Guards, who didn’t target them in the first place.

 

A few Shadow Guards disappeared, apparently going to deal with the sentinels in the shadows.

 

Clap, clap, clap, clap, clap…

 

From the moment Lilya issued the command to the moment the dozen or so people at the basin entrance fell simultaneously, only a few seconds had passed.

 

Oh no, they were already dead, or should it be said that their brains were destroyed?

 

Guided by Miss Scarlet Flame Flora, the only person who had battled the living dead before, she had emphasized that the brain was the sole weakness of the undead. Other body parts weren’t essential to them, even if they lost their hearts, the living dead wouldn’t die. Only the brain could instantly obliterate them with a single blow.

 

Upon hearing this, Violet couldn’t help but have some private thoughts.

 

This person usually enjoys shooting people in the head so much, could it be related to this? Did she experience some kind of setback related to this in the past?

 

Shortly after quickly eliminating the guards at the basin entrance, the Shadow Guards who had disappeared returned to Lilya’s side, their blades dripping with an unknown liquid. It seemed they had also successfully taken care of the hidden sentinels.

 

With this, they could bypass the outer traps and advance directly to the enemy’s vicinity.

 

“Well done. Relay the order to the entire army to advance silently. Wait for my attack command. Let’s go!”

 

Lilya shouted in a low voice, taking the lead and charging into the interior of the basin, passing by the dozen or so twisted corpses. Behind her, numerous human soldiers in silver armor quietly followed, entering the entrance in a steady stream, while the Shadow Guards and Miss Scarlet Flame Flora had disappeared without a trace.

 

“Oh my, such enthusiasm. It’s making me a bit nervous, but… there’s definitely something fishy here.”

 

Violet turned to look at the distant blue sky and then followed in Lilya’s footsteps.

 

The stronghold of the 【Eternal Throne】 was located in the center of the basin, consisting of a large area of wooden houses and a massive central hall.

 

At the outskirts, members of the organization with black hoods occasionally moved in and out of the wooden houses, carrying supplies and drawing magical symbols on the ground that Violet couldn’t understand.

 

“What is that?”

 

The priestess wasn’t afraid to ask and directly sought knowledge from the knowledgeable princess by her side.

 

“…It’s a teleportation magic array, one-time use, powered by magic crystals. Depending on the precision of the array and the quality of the magic crystal, it can transport objects of different sizes and weights. After a single use, both the array and the magic crystal become unusable. They’ve prepared so many low to mid-tier magic crystals, which is quite an ambitious move. No wonder they managed to continuously bring in such a large amount of supplies into the Beastman Kingdom without the Western Army noticing.”

 

Lilya explained quickly, her expression looking very serious. Such actions couldn’t be sustained by just any prince.

 

Thinking back to the actions of the acting council earlier, it was likely that her three brothers and even some influential figures in the kingdom had been involved.

 

“However, once we seize this cache of magic crystals, destroy the magic array and supplies, they won’t be able to set up such a large-scale teleportation point in the short term…”

 

As she received the signal “preparation complete” from the concealed location, Lilya stood up, drew her longsword from her waist, and pointed the blade forward.

 

“Soldiers, annihilate the wicked, leave none behind! Kill!!”

 

“Kill!!”

 

…………………………

 

With the help of amplification devices, the princess’s command sounded like thunder, echoing through the Tepaya Basin. Instantly, there was a deafening roar as countless warriors, concealed in various locations and secretly surrounding the entire stronghold, surged forward like a silvery wave, launching a surprise attack on the black-robed figures who now wore startled expressions.

 

“Who are you… Ah!!”

 

“Enemy attack! Enemy attack! Quick, go inform His Grace the Seat!”

 

“What are the guards doing? How did so many enemies reach the doorstep!?”

 

Despite being called the living dead, these individuals had expressions and language as rich as regular humans, and their organizational skills seemed quite impressive.

 

After a brief moment of shock, most of the black-robed figures showed no fear and immediately drew their weapons, rushing toward the kingdom’s forces with aggression, engaging in fierce combat. A few clever ones, however, turned and ran into the sizable central hall.

 

It seemed that the so-called ‘Throne’ who led them was located inside the central hall.