Noah Curio's army retreats.
　With morale low and the loss of their commander, the Frontier Count Randor, the front line troops were in a state where unified action was no longer possible.
　Those who were closely related to each other formed small groups and began to move one by one to meet up with Wesara's main force.

　Teirakainen, the capital of the Marquisate of Edfelt, had seen its defenses drop drastically due to the withdrawal of the Noachurian frontline troops. However, within the near-empty garrison camp, there is a shadow that lines up in an orderly fashion.
　They were masked and dressed in monk's robes, and looked suspiciously like men. They are human-based incarnate holy beasts created by the technical advisor Morgana.
　Morgana herself is under a strict ...... gag order to keep her secret, but she was unexpectedly detained by the Noah Curio army for turning the Randor Frontier Count into an Incarnate Holy Beast, and is being escorted away by a retreating force.
　But even so, there was no problem controlling the remaining Holy Beasts in Teiracaines.
　Originally, the senior leaders of the troops were able to command the Holy Beasts. If Morgana had to give orders on the battlefield, she would not be able to respond to changes in the situation. The Holy Beasts entrusted to the Marquis of Edfelt were naturally commanded to accept orders from him as well.
　In other words, now that Morgana has been ripped away from Teiracaines, the remaining holy beasts are at the disposal of Marquis Edfelt. At least that's what Marquis Marks ...... Edfelt thought.

　In addition, Marks had ordered the lords to fill the hole left by the withdrawal of Noah Curio's army by retaining the crown prince candidate Gislain. This was a request to provide forces to protect Gislain.
　However, the lords were slow to respond. There were a number of reasons for this, but the biggest problem was the Marquis Berger's retention of Johan, the candidate for Crown Prince, which was attached to the retention of Gislain. And during the few days when the lords were hesitating and taking a wait-and-see attitude, the Noa Curio army was attacked by the "Rose Princess of Hell" and retreated in disgrace.
　In this situation, sending out troops to fight for Gislain would mean jumping into the middle of danger. It was obvious that the "Rose Princess of Hell" had set her sights on the Noachurian army, and it also seemed obvious that she was targeting the eventual crown prince candidate, Gislain and the Marquis of Edfelt. And they can no longer coordinate with the Noa Curio army . "When the Rose Princess of Hell attacks, who will die?

　The Marquis of Edfelt has asked for the help of the Adventurers' Guild. As a supranational organization, the Adventurers' Guild has a policy of staying out of the domestic affairs of each country, but when it comes to fighting demonic attacks, we can't say no.
　However, whether or not individual adventurers respond to this policy is a different story.
　Currently, adventurers are working under the command of the guild to escort refugees and distribute goods, but the guild does not force them to do so. The guild asks the adventurers to cooperate with a guaranteed reward, and the adventurers cooperate half in good faith.
　The adventurers do not take on quests that are too dangerous. For example, they will not take on a quest that requires them to fight a named monster that can destroy an entire country.

　The most reliable were the knights under the Marquis of Edfelt.
　Knights had already been gathered in Teiracaines, but Marquis Edfelt had gathered even more knights when the Noahcurio army decided to retreat, and had also called an emergency meeting of the farmers. In order to protect Gislain, and above all, the Marquis of Edfelt.

　However, this also meant that the entire territory, except for Teiracaines, would be away.

　I'll be back.

　At about the same time as Marks captured Morgana in Teiracaines.

　The Marquis of Edfelt's fortified city of Duarcamarte.
　It's not as big as the royal capital or Teiracaines, but the city is surrounded by a wall that is appropriate for the size of the city.

　In this world, it is normal for cities of a certain size to be surrounded by walls and moats. This alone can greatly reduce the damage caused by demons.
　In the case of Ciel-Teirah, stone, which was plentiful throughout the country, was used to build walls in most of the cities.

　The two guards walked along the not-so-wide corridor.
　Their white breaths crossed as they looked at the snowfield outside the wall.

What's going to happen to me? ......
I wonder what's going to happen to me. ......

　Under the clear blue sky, on the silvery white snowfield, but their hearts are crushed by the gray anxiety.
　Just a few days ago, they had believed that the Marquess of Edfelt, where the Noachurian army was located, was the safest place in the country. Now, however, the lord was trying to protect the city of Teiracaines by gathering soldiers from all over the land. This was somewhat eerie and unsettling.
　The plight of the Noa Curio army has already been rumored. It's only natural for anyone with a bit of a brain to feel that things are not looking good.

They're all being gathered in the city of Teiracaines, right?
"Yes. Are the guards the only ones who can fight in this city now?

　What they're worried about now is the lack of strength to defend the city. They are worried about the lack of strength to defend the city.

　The Guard is both a police force and a city defense force.
　However, the Guard can only deal with small-scale attacks by bandits and demons alike.
　It was limited to the initial response until the military was dispatched.
　In other words, ......

I'm sure you've heard of it.　If the Rose Princess of Hell were to attack UAlcamarte here and now,.......
I'm not sure what to say.

　The older of the two guards wore a bitter look on his face and waved his hands as if he was trying to fart.
　It was a possibility he didn't want to face.
　Looking away doesn't make you safer, but it doesn't mean there's anything you can do about it.

"If such a thing comes, isn't there nothing we can do anyway?
That's true, but ......
If it comes, it will be Teiracaines. That's why the lord is gathering his troops in Teiracaines.
I hope so. ...... ......

　The younger guard's eyes widened to the point where blood was almost flowing from the corners of his eyes.
　He pointed somewhere and opened and closed his mouth as silently as a fish.

What's wrong?
"Oh, that ...... that .......

　I followed his finger and found out what he had seen.

No way, man.

　In a forest not far from the city, a reddish brown-skinned giant-like creature was approaching through the trees.

　I'm not sure.



　A gigantic figure, stepping on the silvery ground, looming over us, its perspective screwed up. The city wall, which should be five meters high, is about the height of a giant's chest. In contrast to the giant's body, its head is quite small.
　On the giant's shoulders fluttered some sort of ornament. It had three pairs of long, spider-like arms, each holding a huge iron ball club (morning star) or a castle hammer.
　When you get close enough, you can see that the reddish-brown skin is a collection of sores and carrion. It was a lump of flesh that looked like it had been pieced together from many corpses to form a giant.

　The giant was followed by a soldier with a rotting face. A white-boned knight. An army of immortals writhing in the space between life and death.
　The undead soldiers marched in an orderly fashion, pushing up a number of red rose banners that looked like they were made from rags.

Here it comes, d*mn it!
"What the hell is that stupid big monster?　I've never seen anything like it!
I don't know what that is either!

　I don't know it either!" The sound of half bells ringing madly echoes through the city.
　Guards, adventurers, and onlookers lined up on the city walls to watch the march of the dead.
　But there was nothing they could do about it.
　I took out the bow provided, but I wondered if I could shoot it properly with my trembling hands. Or rather, will I have enough arrows? Also, will I be able to get the holy water I sent to the temple in time?

　Some kind of ornament swayed on the giant's shoulder.
　As I got closer, I realized that it was a flag.
　There was something written on it in poor handwriting, as if a small child had scribbled on it.

It said, "'Daytime ...... Beruto, 2-sei' ......." Hey, what's that?

　The next moment.
　Next thing you know, huge weapons are swinging down on the city wall in a single point.

A roar, then destruction.

　A roar, then destruction.
　In a cloud of dust. The city wall collapsed, leaving a huge gap. Several people were caught up in the destruction and were reduced to minced meat in the rubble.
　The crack was so large that this giant could pass through it if he stepped over the pile of rubble for a moment.

　Even the guards, who were safe, were slumped over the walkway.
　I looked up. Above the shoulders of the giant who had bent down to lower his weapon. Two small heads stood side by side.
　One was the head of a rotting, sore zombie.
　The other was the head of a man, his face puffed out with a red beard and chained to a crown that looked like a child's craft. His mouth was covered with a metal object like a gag.

"Wow, I ...... don't mean this ...... to be my intention, but my body is doing it on its own, woof, woof, woof.

　A squeaky, cracked voice, accompanied by the sound of a half-bell, echoed around the area.
　The metal object seemed to be a magic item for loudspeakers, rather than a mouthpiece.

The metal object seemed to be a magic item for loudspeakers rather than a mouthpiece. Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha, this can't be happening. I am Hilbert "The Lionheart" Nicholas Ciel-Teira. I am the rightful king of Ciel-Teira. I am the greatest king on earth.
　Celebrate my resurrection, my people, for this cannot be, for I am not a monster who would harm my people, but a happy and glorious reign.

　A mad laugh fell on the city.

　So much so that everyone was in raptures.
　Everyone knew his name. The former king who stole the throne and was killed for it by the Rose of Hell.
　No, he was supposed to be killed. ......

"You're dead!
"Hey, idiot!

　One of the guards reflexively shot an arrow.
　The guard next to him tries to stop him. The guards knew they had to fight, but their fear of attracting the monster's attention outweighed their sense of duty.

　A half-hearted shot flew over the giant's shoulder and landed in a parabola on the snow.
　Hilbert glared at the guards from the neck up. His movements were unnatural, as if he could only move freely from the neck up.

'Haha, you fight me. Destroy the invaders, the invaders, and protect this country, for under my rule all people will be happy. "Haha, haha, haha, haha, haha, haha!
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!
Run, run, run!
Mommy!

　As if in response to Hilbert's maniacal laughter, ...... or completely unrelated, the hulking body of the corpse wielded its weapon in bullshit.
　The city walls blew up like a pile of straw, blowing away the guards and former guards who were lucky enough to be alive.

　Undead soldiers poured through the huge holes in the city wall.
　Without even a battle cry, the deformed army moved forward in an orderly fashion, stepping over the pile of rubble and scattering across the city.

"Oh, God bless you!　God bless you!　Let all the evil ones perish!　Hahahahaha!

　The two-headed giants proceeded to smash the nearest buildings with their weapons.
　In the meantime, the undead soldiers scattered across the city, killing anything that was alive.

It's a good test run. ...... It seems to have enough firepower in close quarters, so the next upgrade will be a flying machine.
That's ......



　There was a shadow that landed on top of the city wall that was no longer useful.
　A girl was standing there, as if she had just walked through the air from somewhere.
　The survivors of the guards could only watch in dismay.

　The girl with silver hair and eyes, who was considered an abomination in this country.
　The silver was the color of the merciless moon, and the color of a healthy white rose.
　A pure white dress with a softly spreading skirt, also reminiscent of a white rose. On the skirt was a rose that looked as if it had been bludgeoned with human blood.
　In her hand is a crimson sword that looks as if it were carved from a jewel.

"The Rose Princess of Hell ......"!

　She had a small body, but she wore an evil air that sent chills down her spine.

　It was only a few seconds before those who stood or slumped saw her.
　She grabbed her hair and lifted her head, and just when they thought the "Rose of Hell" had taken a step forward, she felt a hot pain in her body and died.

　On that day, the city of Orcamarte disappeared from the map.