"Clack! Clack! Clackety-clack!"
"..."

Wait a minute, weren’t you supposed to collapse and fade away?
It’s the perfect timing for an exit, so why are you reviving now?
The Duke of the North swallowed bitterness, unable to completely hide his displeasure.

"Clack-clack! Clackety-clack, clack?"
"It seems we've become unable to die. We intended to appear as if we bravely perished fighting the wyvern monsters, what do you think, descendant?"
"What do you mean, ‘appear as if you perished’?"
"Clack, clack! Clackety-clack-clack!"
"We’ll just leave behind our marked swords and disappear again. If everyone here keeps their mouths shut, it should be possible, no?"
"..."

Understanding the undead noble’s intent, the Duke of the North nodded.
He had intended to use this newfound life granted by the necromancer here and then collapse again.
But it seemed that young necromancer had no intention of returning them to dust just yet.

"Clack! Clackety-clack! Clack-clack! Clackety-clack!"
"Comrades. Remove your weapons, armor, and helmets that bear your identity. Forget all memories of our glorious past life. We are no longer the proud expeditionary force of the Empire’s Demon Realm Campaign, but mere worthless undead soldiers."
"Clackety-clack! Clack, clackety-clack!"
"Pay homage to our master. Swear loyalty to... Ah! That’s so embarrassing, knock it off, skeleton grandpas!"

With a clang, they removed the faded yet ornate armor, revealing bare-boned skeletons, kneeling before Yulia.

A newly given life.
With bodies that felt no desire, no longing, no attachment to anything except one thing:
To be loyal to their master and repay the gift of life bestowed upon them.

Who would think that these were once the elite soldiers led by a royal of the old Empire?
To look at them now, they appeared no different from any ordinary, low-grade undead monster.
This was their new identity.
The skeleton soldiers made up their minds, pledging their loyalty to the great necromancer.

And to think she hadn’t even fully awakened her power yet.
The day she learns to control it all...
It was almost frightening to imagine.

"It’s truly a relief. I was worried we might end up with an elder of the imperial family right here in the court."
"Clack-clack! Clackety-clack-clack!"
"Hey, you brat! Keep those thoughts to yourself! I might just march straight to the imperial palace..."

[There's a problem.]

Bam!
Just then, Earth-Earthy emerged from the ground between the undead noble and the Duke, speaking in a solemn tone of warning.

Aslan’s face tensed up.
Noticing the seriousness of the situation, the Duke of the North closed his mouth tightly.
Only the undead noble, unconcerned, kept clacking away.

"What’s going on?"
[It’s already too late. I can’t hold it back with my power any longer. Better you see it for yourself than listen to an explanation.]

Rumble!
A terrifying roar accompanied the quaking ground.
Earth-Earthy’s earthquakes weren’t this intense.

When the party, startled, looked down from the wall,
they saw a section of ground, part of a trap that had buried many wyvern monsters alive, now writhing as if the earth itself was bubbling.

Boom!
A massive wing burst out from the ground.
Its size was beyond anything a wyvern should possess.
And as the colossal creature’s form began to emerge, the party froze in place.

A creature at least five times the size of an average wyvern.
The Duke of the North’s eyes widened in shock.

"A Wyvern King…!"

He’d wondered why it hadn’t shown up.
A thousand wyverns had suddenly appeared in the Demon Realm.
It didn’t make sense that they’d multiplied naturally to reach a thousand, given the tight surveillance in place.
The only plausible answer was that they’d come from outside.

But for a thousand aggressive, unintelligent wyverns to stay together as a horde?
There had to be a leader among them, a Wyvern King.
He’d thought it had run away because it hadn’t shown up...!

"Clack! Clackety-clack!"

Under the undead noble’s command, the undead army grabbed their weapons and charged forward.
The Wyvern King’s wings beat, creating a gust that sent the skeleton soldiers tumbling like autumn leaves, scattering bones in all directions.

Were the skeleton grandpas no match for it!?
A hint of distress appeared on Yulia’s face.

'Ah. This is my moment.'

The Wyvern King flew up and vaulted over the fortress wall in a single leap.
Sensing the impending fate, Sylvia’s hand gripped her sword.

It was strange.
She’d never faced a monster of this size before.
Yet, inexplicably, she felt no fear, and her hands barely trembled.

Was it thanks to this sword?
She had never once removed the leather wrapping,
but just gripping the handle brought a peculiar sense of calm, an assurance.

Was it for this moment that she’d come here?
She could feel it instinctively.
Sylvia’s hand moved to draw her sword without hesitation...

"Urgh!?"

But it wouldn’t budge, as if caught on something.
What? Why won’t it come out?
This was the perfect moment to test her new sword’s abilities—why now...!?

"Everyone, stand back! I’ll handle this one!"

As Sylvia struggled, the Duke of the North drew his enormous sword and stepped forward.
Few could face a monster of this scale.
If there were any, they would be sword experts of the highest caliber.
The Duke of the North had once nearly reached the level of Sword Master.

'This is my city and my people. I relied on my ancestors until now, but in this moment, if not me, who else?'

Come.
Even if I must sacrifice my life, I will stop you.
The Duke raised his sword high, letting out a hearty laugh.

"Father…!"

Behind him, he felt Merilda’s intense gaze, hands clenched tightly.
Don’t worry, my daughter.
I’ll survive.
I’ll live to watch you grow.

The Duke gritted his teeth.
As the Wyvern King charged at full speed,
a thin, lifeless voice rang out from behind him.

"Move aside, Duke Uncle!"

"What…!?"
"Boom!!!"

A massive, violet aura burst into the night sky, lighting it up like daylight.
As Charlotte swung her ‘Super Strong Sword’ down, the aura split the sky in two.

With a deafening roar, the Wyvern King was sliced in half.
But the monster wasn’t the only thing cleaved.
The fortress wall, swept by the aura, was also split in two.

The Duke and Sylvia looked on in stunned silence.
Aslan’s face reflected utter disbelief.

Charlotte had caused a major incident.
With a force powerful enough to split a mountain, she had unleashed that forbidden technique without a second thought.

As a result, both the Wyvern King and the fortress wall beyond it were cut clean in two.
The city’s fortress wall, untouched for centuries, was split at that moment.

"Uncle, how long are you going to keep holding up your hand?"
"Until the fortress repair is complete."
"No way…!"

[The dark god 'Kali' scolds you harshly, wondering what exactly our dark knight did wrong!]

Kali had left Charlotte with a light punishment as a rebuke.
Though part of him wanted to praise her for eliminating the dangerous monster,
if he forgave her without a second thought, he might provoke the Duke’s wrath.

The Duke soon returned, bringing order to the chaos, and approached Charlotte.

"Why is this cheeky girl standing like that?"
"Charlotte. Apologize at once."
"I'm sorry! I couldn’t control my strength and ended up splitting the wall!"

"Hahaha! It’s fine! What’s the purpose of a wall if not to protect lives without any injuries? The wall did its job well! In fact, well done! Where does such strength come from in such a small body?"

With a hearty laugh, the Duke generously forgave Charlotte, who sheepishly lowered her hand.