Udanosuke and the others ran through the city.
　The number of screams had decreased considerably.
　It wasn't because the enemy's forces had subsided, but because the number of living people screaming had decreased. At least in Udanosuke's area.

　On the other hand, it was also working.
　The undead seemed to concentrate on where their prey was, and did not linger in areas where they had no use for them.
　Their movements were so coordinated that it was eerie, but thanks to them, Udanosuke was able to avoid almost all encounters on his way back.
　The undead he encountered along the way were all cut down by Udanosuke.

　The citizens who follow him are bravely holding weapons like iron bars and shovels, but they don't have to. In fact, it was dangerous to let them deal with the undead of the ex-soldiers, except for the ones who seemed to have turned into undead.
　The naturally occurring undead are not very strong, but the undead created by a skilled magician can bring out the best of the material. In some cases, special powers are added to them.
　These elite undead have at least as much power as a living soldier. It was dangerous to pit non-combatants against such things.

"That's great, sir!
You're really strong!

　Udanosuke realized that he was beginning to think that this kind of thing wasn't so bad as he was receiving praise from behind.
　He had long since forgotten how to protect someone. What Udanosuke was protecting was the evil Night Python, and the reward he was being given.
　But then again, as Master had said... Being strong is not enough to be a Bushido. To protect the weak. To see the cherry blossoms. To cut your throat. That's what Bushido is!
　The long-forgotten heart of Bushido burns in Udanosuke's chest!

　We're almost to the inn on the outskirts of town where Udanosuke has been hiding out. From there, the survivors would be able to escape out of the city.
　Fortunately, it's only noon. We can make it to the inn before nightfall.

Adventurer!　Behind you!

　Udanosuke turns around at the sound of a strangled cry.
　A squad of undead appeared far behind him on the main street, and they were just starting to run towards him.

Keep running, that you do!　If they catch up with us, I'll take them on!
"There's one in front!
What?

　A squad of undead appeared from the intersection ahead of us.
　It's obvious that they're targeting Udanosuke and the others in a pincer attack. With so many people moving together, they might have been noticed.
　The group stopped in their tracks.

"What should we do, ......?
"We wait, that we do. It is worthy of hara-kiri to converse with one's moustache disheveled, that it is.

　Udanosuke re-gathers his dusky blond hair, which is tied up high on the back of his head.
　In the meantime, Udanosuke checked the terrain around him.

　There were a few places where he could cut through the building and get to the back door. But we can't beat them with our foot speed. The undead were able to run tirelessly, even though we were a group that included an old man. If we slowed down or took too long to escape, reinforcements could come one after another.

　--We shouldn't run!

"Skeletons are fast and powerful, that they are, but they are not intelligent!　Zombies are stupid, that they are!　The undead are probably fighting in small units with ghouls as their commanders!　If I cut down the ghouls, that their coordination will be disrupted!　I will take advantage of that opportunity to run through, that I will!

　When I pointed forward with my "Douchou atryoku", the citizens who had been listening to me were indeed buzzing.

"You're going through there?
"It would be dangerous to take too long, that it would. I will ensure your safety, that I will run through it in one breath!

　After a moment, the boy who had been saved first spoke up.

"Let's go!　That's what the adventurer said, so it's okay!

　And the others followed.

"Yes!　I'll take care of it!
I'll take care of the old man. I'll carry him.
I'll take care of the old man. I'll carry him. - I'll show you what I can do with this iron bar and this doorplate!
Hey, you gotta get out of here!
I trust you with my life!　Sir!

　As if pushed by the voice, Udanosuke ran like an ombashira sliding down a slope.
　As expected, the ghoul seemed to be in command of the entire group from his position at the back of the line.
　Considering the time it would take for the rest to catch up, Udanosuke first cut down the spearhead of the enemy and then tried to break through by dodging the attacks at once.

　Spears and swords were closing in on Udanosuke. I'm going to kill him and turn him into one of the undead.
　He leaps over. He becomes half-dead. Cut him down. Crouch. Push away.


　The unavoidable blade will split your side. It doesn't matter.
　The ghoul commander points his sword at Udanosuke as if in a panic, but ...... it is too late.

"Hurry!　HARA!　SMAAAAAAAAAASH!!!

　The ghouls' commander pointed his sword at Udanosuke in a panic, but it was too late.　He stops and throws his sword.

Cut down!

　The ghoul's upper body was blown off.
　And at the same time, the undead around him slowed down. The undead around him slowed down, moving towards Udanosuke as if by inertia.
　The companions took advantage of this opportunity to run along the wall.

It worked!　You're a great adventurer!
"No need to thank me. Protecting the weak, and especially caring for boys, is the code of Bushido!

　The boy jumped up and down with joy, and Udanosuke responded with a thumbs-up.

　In the meantime, Udanosuke was cutting through the rest of the undead. The troops that had tried to attack his back were also closing in.

"Everyone, you may as well run ahead!　I'll take care of this!
No way!　We'll help you!
"Then when the enemy reinforcements arrive, we'll have to fight them off again, that we will!　It will be easier for me to escape if I am alone, that I am!

　When Udanosuke said this, there was a bitter and frustrating silence.

"...... Okay.
"I can't be a burden to him. Sorry, I'll go ahead.
I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to go on." "Hey, adventurer, can you at least tell me your name?　I bet you're a hell of a fighter!

　I bet you're a great fighter!
　Udanosuke chuckled a little.

I'm not worthy of a name. I am but a samurai. I am but a samurai. But I am motivated by the spirit of the samurai and I have saved you all!
　Remember this, that you do. I am a servant of the ever-victorious war god Dahong'ei!　The most noble and powerful warrior on earth!　This is the samurai!

　These were the words of his master, but Udanosuke felt he could understand their meaning now.

"Samurai-san!　Thank you!
Thank you, sir!
"Stay safe!

　"Thank you!
　Without seeing them off, Udanosuke continued to fight.

　Even the elite undead were no match for Udanosuke.
　It was easy to annihilate an uncoordinated force.
　But the rest of them were too numerous. There were about fifty undead civilians with whatever weapons they could find.

　--They seemed to be of low skill, but ...... with such a large number of them, it was possible to hit a lucky break. I'm going to retreat and kill them all!

　Udanosuke began to fight, retreating to avoid being surrounded.
　If it's one on one, I can't lose. If you fight one on one fifty times, you can defeat fifty undead.
　It reminded him of a story he had heard from his master about the torture of karoshi, the piling up of stones on riverbanks in the Far East and their kicking down.

　--Calm down, Udanosuke, ......!　Remember your training in the Holy Kingdom!
　　　Remember your training in the Holy Kingdom, when you woke up in the dark every morning to prepare the ring!　Remember the training days when they wouldn't let you sleep until you had transferred a thousand blisters from one rokkoyo to another with a brush!

　If I lose my concentration, I will be crushed by the overwhelming volume of work.
　Even so, there was no way to escape. Behind Udanosuke, there are people he must protect: ......!

Oh. There's some good stuff here.

　I heard a cool girl's voice that didn't sound like it belonged on a battlefield.
　The undead stopped fighting and retreated to their knees.

　Udanosuke looked up and saw a girl standing on top of a building.
　No, can you call her a girl if she's grabbing her hair and hanging her head in one hand?

　Beautiful silver hair, silver eyes. An innocent face with the air of a ruler. Her frilly white dress is stained with a rose emblem that seems to have been painted in fresh blood.
　In one hand she held her own head, in the other a bright red sword that looked like it had been carved from a jewel.
　She jumped down (dexterously holding her skirt with her sword hand) into the space created by the retreating undead.

　--This child girl is ......!

　Goosebumps broke out all over her body in fear.
　The uncommon pressure and evil presence alone told me that this was no ordinary person.
　And Udanosuke had heard. He heard about the commotion in King's Landing.

　Udanosuke bowed a perfect 30 degrees, holding his katana in both hands as if it were a shield. There is a certain courtesy a samurai should extend to a nobleman. Even if it is against an undead monster!



"Well, well, well, I am Udanosuke, the samurai and the swordsman!
"Well, here's the last one: ......
　You said your name, you should say it back. I am Rene "Rosy" Luvia Ciel-Teira. I am of the blood of the rightful king of this land.
"I knew it!

　In many ways, I wish you hadn't.
　In many ways, I didn't want that to be the case. It was emotionally difficult to fight, and from what I'd heard about ......, I didn't think I could win.
　But I still have to stop her here. If there is anyone in this city who can stop the Rose Princess of Hell now that the Order has been destroyed, it is none other than Udanosuke!

I'm not sure what to make of this, but I think it's a good idea.　It's a crime to hurt a woman or a child, but if you go on a rampage like this, you will cause trouble for others!
You seem to have a lot of confidence in your sword. I'm sure you'll have a lot of fun.

　I'm not sure what to do, but I'm going to do it.
　One of the skeletons knelt reverently and handed Rene the sword he had been using.

　With a bang, Rene stepped into Udanosuke's pocket.
　Then, as befitted his appearance, he swung his sword as if he were dancing.
　Rene's sword drew an intricate trajectory and launched a wave of attacks.

　Sparks fly. The response was heavy, unbecoming of a child.
　But Udanosuke saw through it and blocked it with a precise strike of his katana.

"Fast, strong, and beautiful!　But there is so much waste!　Whoa, whoa, sushi!

　Udanosuke's blow is like a knockdown.
　Rene dodged it lightly. Rene dodged the attack.
　Udanosuke rolls to the side with his katana, evading and keeping his distance.

　Then he stepped forward and landed a powerful blow. Another blow!
　It may look like he's just swinging the katana around, but in reality, it's a series of attacks that sees through the opponent's timing and gap and leaves no room for counterattack.
　A particularly loud and clear sound echoed through the main street of Wesara, which was turning into a dead city. It was as if he was striking a rock with his katana. Rene, who seemed to be holding his sword lightly in one hand, kept his stance even under the full force of the blow.
　The other undead remain on their knees, watching their master fight.

"Let it be done!　Nam Nam Nam Nam Nam!
I'm not sure what this shouting is, but it sounds very ...... appropriate in Japanese.

　In between attacks, Udanosuke makes an inviting opening.
　Rene reacted. He raised his katana and thrust his sword at Udanosuke's abdomen.
　But... Udanosuke swung his katana down at the thrusting sword. Rene's upper body swayed a little, as one would expect from a blow to a weapon in this position.

　This was not to be missed.
　Udanosuke returns the blow and slashes Rene across the torso.

"Hara!

　Rene reacts quickly and catches the attack in an incomplete stance.
　Udanosuke follows with a vertical slash.

Kiri!

　This is probably all because Rene was small. The fact that his head was not on top of his torso made him even shorter. The time it took for the katana to reach its target was ...... a moment longer than usual!
　Even though a tuft of silver hair was cut off, Rene dodged the blow with his body control alone. And then .

"SMAAAAAAAAAASH!!!

　An all-out kesa-slash.
　Rene caught it head-on.

　The impact caused Rene to slide backwards, scraping the cobblestones with both feet.
　You'll be able to get a lot more than that.

...... You prevented that!

　Udanosuke sheathes his katana. He sheathed his katana.　You'll need to have a good idea of what you're doing. It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're doing.
　The weapon was destroyed, but that was all. She hadn't yet used the red sword that seemed to be her original weapon, and the undead army behind her immediately threw her a replacement sword, which she caught.

I've decided!

　She claps her hands together, still holding her neck and the sword.
　She clapped her hands together with a snap as she held her neck and sword, smiling innocently and happily, but arrogantly, as if she had come up with the perfect prank.

You will be my swordsmanship instructor for a while. You will serve me as a ghoul. You will serve me as a ghoul.

　At the point of the sword, Udanosuke broke out in a cold sweat.
　I don't know what it is, but he likes me.
　...... I have a very bad feeling about this.

I'm not sure what to say, but I'm going to say it.
I'm not sure what to do.

　I'm not sure if this is a good idea, but I think it's a good idea.

　--I'm not sure what to do.



　"That's what you said in your information about the Rose of Hell. She slaughtered people with magic.
　She was really fighting Udanosuke with the intention of having him train her.
　And now, she's taken a liking to Udanosuke, and she's made it her mission to make him her own.

　The light on the tip of the sword swells up ......!

　--Not yet!　I have a talisman!

　I'm not sure what to make of it. I was planning on selling them for money when the time came, but they came in handy here. No matter how much magic I have, this is enough. Enough to charge in head-on and cut him down.

　Udanosuke lunged. A horrible sensation caressed his entire body. The reddish-black light ...... died out!

"Geishaaaaaaaa!

　The katana sliced through the air in vain.

What?

　He's not there. Rene is not there. I'm sure she was there a minute ago.

"I'm sorry.

　The girl's voice came with a chilling echo.
　As I looked up, on a roof beyond the reach of Udanosuke's katana, I saw a ...... skeleton in a white dress.
　In her hand she held a red staff that looked like it had been cut from a jewel.

　--transference. ......!　And what the hell is that figure?　Rich?

　I'm not sure what to make of it.
　I'm not sure what to make of it.
　I still have the talisman, but I have a ...... definite feeling. I can't take it!

　--I wonder if the boy, the survivors, were able to escape.

　The light, it swells.

　--Oh ...... I wish I could have seen the Far East with my own eyes before I died. ......!