The Ciel-Teirah Kingdom is a country with a rather long land spanning from east to west.
　It is located between two of the five major powers, bordered by the Union of Gilesh Hattar to the west and the Kingdom of Noa Curio to the east.

　The Holy Kingdom of Diretta is a country that borders the Noahcurio Kingdom to the south, and has relatively good relations with the Noahcurio Kingdom (mainly due to the patience of the Holy Kingdom of Diretta), which is said to be a brother country.
　Therefore, it would have been easy for Diretta to attack Ciel-Teira by passing through Noa Curio, but instead of entering Noa Curio's territory, Diretta took the route of passing through four small and medium-sized states south of Ciel-Teira.

　The reason for this can only be guessed at, but since Noachurio wanted to snatch away the Gracelum rights that Noachurio was about to acquire right in front of their eyes, they might have feared that Noachurio might be uncooperative during the march, or that they might use their cooperation as a shield against them later on if they went through Noachurio territory. He did not want to add fuel to the fire.

　Diretta's army attacked like the wind, and reached the abandoned royal city of Teiralare without a single engagement.
　The total number of soldiers was over 53,000. The total number of troops was over 53,000, which seemed to be more than enough to conquer the "Rose Princess of Hell," but in reality, it was an army of elites with a certain level of skill.
　The Sacred Kingdom of Diretta gathered up the scarce information and compared it with the Temple's knowledge of the undead, and judged that the increase in the number of miscellaneous troops would lead to confusion, which would be to the advantage of the Rose Princess of Hell.

　Diretta's army, positioned on the snowfield overlooking the Taylaruare, did not dare to close the distance to the undead army holed up against the city walls, but opened a distance of about one kilometer where ordinary bows and most magic could not reach.
　And then, as if the heavens had shattered and fallen, they began to unleash a furious bombardment.

　This is the first time I've ever done this.

　Rene had already escaped from Teiralea.

　Teiral'are is located in a basin surrounded by mountains. The land is unusually flat in a mountainous country.
　Because of this, visibility is poor, and there are watchtowers built at almost equal intervals on the surrounding peaks. These are separate from forts and fortifications, and are used to detect the approach of enemies and demons.

　Rene was in one of these watchtowers on the east side of the city, looking from Teiralore.
　From the rude watchtower with windows on all sides, Rene was looking down at Teiralea in the distance.
　Even though it was almost spring, the wind was cold. Of course, this had nothing to do with Rene, who was undead.

　The Direttas deployed in the wide basin looked like grains of sand.
　A distant roar struck my ears incessantly, and the lines of fire drawn in the air disappeared into the city walls as if they were being sucked in.
　It seems that what is being fired is a physical artillery shell. I'm not sure if the magic in the earth's veins is strong enough to withstand this many shots.

　There were about a hundred undead in the narrow watchtower, and a couple of them were still alive.
　Rene had left only his elite troops at hand, leaving the rest in Teiralore. It was a last stand, a stopgap, a decoy.

There's no sign of the enemy getting in.
　They've begun to siphon off magic power by sealing off the veins, stalling them with artillery fire.
They're trying to flush us out.
　It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're going to be doing and how you're going to do it.

　In the event that you've got a lot more than one, you'll be able to use a lot more than one.
　The other end of the call was an undead member of the Shinigari troops still in King's Landing.

　The veins of the earth are the things that spread throughout the land.
　It is not a closed vessel, but a hot spot where a lot of magic power flows and collects.
　If the perimeter of the city is overrun, the magic power could be extracted from the earth's veins.

　And then there's this bombardment. The more it is attacked, the more its magic reserves are depleted.
　Moreover, the cannons mounted on the city walls were unable to fire back, and their counterattacks were blocked by the Diretta's soldiers who were defending their positions.
　In other words, they had no choice but to move to eliminate the enemy's artillery. The goal of the Direttes would be to force them into a situation where they would have no choice but to move in and kill them.

In the event that you've got the router in your hands, the impact of theft of magic power is limited. ......
I'm not a fan. I'm not sure what to make of it, but I'm sure it's a good idea.

　In the event that you've got a lot of time, you'll be able to take a look at a few of the best ways to make sure you're getting the most out of your time.
　Once the battle was over, Diretta's army would make a careful investigation of the curses and magical devices before taking over the capital. But before that, during the siege phase, they could still be fooled.
　It would be akin to cutting off the flesh by cutting off the bones, and it is not a move one would normally use.
　But Rene has already decided to abandon Teiral'are. If he had brought it to a city battle and poured all the magic of the veins into it, he could have killed all the vanguard troops of the Diretta army and made a last stand.

　But the Direttes were cautious, well-prepared, and superior in firepower.

It was no use. Switch to the plan of pouring all the magic power into the improvised cannon as planned.
　We can kill about a thousand people if we hit them in a crowded area.
"Yes, sir.

　Everis ordered, and covered the window of the watchtower.
　Looking down, a one-sided artillery battle was still going on.

　But then, suddenly.
　There was a burst of light that turned the area white and blinded everything.
　Disguised as ordinary cannons, three of Everis's special magic projectors mounted on the city wall burst into flames.
　They drew vast amounts of magic power from the earth's veins and spewed it out, converting it unsparingly into heat and virtual mass.
　If they were fueled by human sorcerers, they would be sucked dry of their magic power and collapse in an instant.
　The scream of the air as it was pushed away and scorched came to Rene's ears, even from this far away.

　Then, an explosion.
　The marks gouged out by the magic fire exploded in rapid succession.
　The energy that had been compressed at the moment of impact diffused after a pause of a beat.
　I even heard the sound of an avalanche somewhere nearby.

　The snowfield was filled with billowing snow and dust.
　But it cleared unnaturally quickly. It seemed that Diretta's army had used wind magic to gain visibility.

　The snowfield had been transformed.
　It was bumpy, as if a battalion of giant moles had appeared and ravaged it, and the soil that had been hidden under the snow was now exposed here and there.
　The dirt hidden under the snow was exposed here and there, but the Direttas were still in good shape.

　The siege guns that had taken direct hits were scrapped, and there were people who had been blown to pieces.
　Some got up, some didn't, and some were charred.
　But that was only a part of the Diretta army.
　The stationary magic shields erected in multiples in the camp and the defensive magic of the sorcerers who detected the huge amount of magic power had limited the damage to only a few.



　It's only a rough estimate from a distance since the power of Emotional Intelligence is out of reach, but Everis is right, we could have killed a thousand people. Whether that's a lot or a little depends on your point of view.

"Well, well, well. Now the hotspot is empty.
　...... Well, even if the vein is temporarily depleted, it will recover in a month, I'm sure.
　And now for your final order, Sir Gerald.
"Dispose of all mine devices and improvised artillery remnants in various locations.
　The rest of you, charge immediately. While the ambushers spread chaos, take out the remaining troops in the city.
　Kill as many as you can. That's victory for you, Princess.
"Ha!

　Alastor ordered the callers to line up.

　Diretta's troops were moving swiftly to save their comrades from the sudden bombardment.
　The Direttas seemed to be on alert because of the mysterious attack, but once they realized that they had used up all their magic power and there was nothing left to do, they would attack at once.
　Before that happens, I'll attack them with the ambushers I have hidden in the mountains and the remaining soldiers in the city.
　I don't know how many we can kill, but if we take advantage of the chaos, we can do some damage.

　And that was it.

"So many enemies to kill, so few to kill. ......

　Looking at the scene like a swarm of ants with water poured into their burrow, Rene let out a searing mutter.
　At the end of the day, Rene is going to be defeated.

　Looking around the cold, stone-colored room of the watchtower, he sees the most powerful undead in Rene's retinue, and the only two living vassals he has so far, reverently waiting for him.
　The rest of the undead are waiting downstairs, awaiting their departure. Outside the watchtower, a Mithril Golem captured during the Battle of King's Landing is parked on the street with a large amount of cargo tied to it.

"Well, Princess.
　I'm not sure if I'll be able to get one of these to make me look good in this situation.
That's your job, Everith.
　When you're ready to write the history, just make up a nice quote.
You're so boring.

　Everis, who seems to have a quality of being particular about direction, laughs when his advice is rebuffed.

I'll never forgive you.
　...... This one word is enough.
It's not a bad idea.

　This is a great way to make sure that you don't have to worry about your own safety.

　As if sensing and agreeing with Rene's words, the ghoul knights in the room saluted like an avalanche. Alastor, who had been staring at the desk where he had placed the map and the caller, was meditating with a bitter expression on his face, as if the humiliation was etched in his heart.
　Unlike skeletons and zombies, ghouls are undead with human-like judgment and intelligence. They have been imprinted with absolute loyalty to Rene and are unable to disobey his orders, in other words, they are in a state of brainwashing, but they are not puppets without a will, and they sometimes show intelligent reactions like this.

　The cold room was filled with a cold fighting spirit.
　It was too powerful to be called defeat. It was too brave to be called defeat.

"Left. There's no need to say much. There is a saying, 'If you fall seven times, you will fall eight times.

　Udanosuke's words created a strange atmosphere in the room.

"Hime, can I punch this guy?
"As long as it doesn't lose its shape.
"Yes, that it is!

　When Everis hit him with his cane, several ghouls followed suit and beat up Udanosuke.

You're always so annoying! You're just saying that! That's just a saying!
"Denchu, that it is!

　On this day, Rene reconfirmed that Udanosuke, the strongest of the ghouls, is not revered very much.

"...... Let's go, Princess.
　I'm sure you've heard of it, but I've never heard of it.

　In the midst of the frenzy, Miaranse invited Rene to join her.
　She was dressed in a gothic maid's uniform, jet-black gloves, tights, and a wide-brimmed hat.
　She is dressed without exposing any skin, and her face is covered with a jet-black veil that is normally worn as a mourning garment.
　It is a protective suit for vampires that allows a certain amount of activity even in the daytime.

　As Rene walked away, the undead soldiers opened up in front of Moses like the sea had broken.
　Instead of going down the stairs, Rene went to the opposite window, flipped up her skirt, and jumped from the third floor.
　Then she kicked the head of a mithril golem full of cargo and landed on the snow.

　As Rene walks away, the undead crammed into the watchtower follow him.
　Heading east.

　First, we will move eastward along the outer rim of the Noa Curio Kingdom.
　After that, if you head south-southeast, weaving through the gaps between the kingdoms, you will eventually end up in the southern part of the Caenis Empire, the strongest military state of the five ...... powers.