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That night, Cameron Fourier went to bed in high spirits. At last, he had been able to dine alone with the girl he had set his sights on.

Until now, their meals had always been in large groups, or her mother had been tagging along, an unnecessary burden, making any proper conversation impossible. But today, it had been just the two of them. He was satisfied with how their conversation had gone as well.

She had nodded with apparent admiration the entire time, at his background, at stories of the royal capital. For a girl of her age, it was only natural to show interest when told a little about the capital. By now, she was probably imagining its splendor, letting her thoughts run wild in excitement. In the end, she was just a naive country girl. Another two or three conversations about the capital, and her head would be filled with it. Once that happened, she would be his.

Even in the capital, girls of her quality were rare. Though she still retained some youthful innocence, she was already at an age where she could begin to learn the ways of adult relationships. At least, Fourier judged that she had grown enough for him to guide her.

Those slender shoulders, and the fresh, supple upper arms extending from them… Her pale fingers, moving so fluidly, were captivating. Above her slender, graceful neck was a slightly small head, with exquisite proportions. From the crown of her well-shaped oval head, a smooth line flowed down to her delicately pointed chin. At the center of her face, a small yet well-formed nose protruded neatly. On either side, her large eyes shimmered with a cobalt-green light. Those big, moist eyes were impossible to look away from once seen, as though they held some kind of enchanting magic. And her hair, translucent red, shining with a clear brilliance in the light, was like the gleam of a ruby. Her chest had already developed enough to satisfy a man’s desires. And that slender waist… The gentle curves extending from it were full of vitality, promising even greater beauty with the maturity yet to come.

What a supreme prize she was. How fortunate Fourier was. To come to such a rural place and find such a treasure… If he were to take her back to the capital and keep her under his care, just how much pleasure could he enjoy? The mere thought of it made him chuckle.

And now, her troublesome father was not around. If anything, with only her mother beside her, and the head of the household absent, they must be feeling uneasy. A few kind words, a show of understanding, and dreams of the future would easily win her trust. If he was going to manipulate her, now was the perfect opportunity. After all, he had done this many times before. There was nothing easier to win over than a girl of that age.

Cameron Fourier lay there, indulging in thoughts of the pleasures he was certain would soon come, his vulgar grin never fading.

The next morning, before the sun had even risen, the pleasant dreams of Cameron Fourier were abruptly shattered by a deafening commotion.

Annoyed, he got out of bed, threw on his gown, and flung open the door with force, ready to hurl complaints at the source of the noise.

“Ah! Lord Fourier! Thank goodness! I was just on my way to summon you!”
“What is the meaning of this, Magok? What is all this noise?!”

The man was one of the attendants Fourier had brought from the capital. For this journey, Fourier had brought several servants to attend to his personal needs, as well as private guards separate from the knight order. These guards were necessary for places where Fourier could not openly go under the watch of the knights, men who would do most things as long as they were paid well.

Their travel expenses were also covered by the mission’s budget, yet Fourier saw nothing wrong with using public funds for personal purposes. Even if the civil officials lost sleep calculating expenses, he considered it simply part of their job.

Now, one of those attendants, a small, middle-aged man named Magok, stared at him wide-eyed, speaking in a hurried voice.

“A report has arrived from the forest campsite! The knights have requested that you be summoned at once!”
“A messenger? According to the schedule, the supply base should be complete and a report due soon… but even so, isn’t this far too loud? What’s with this uproar before dawn? Is this how one reacts to receiving a report? Well? Isn’t that right, Magok?!”
“Y-Yes, sir! That is true, however… the visitor insists that they must report directly to you and receive confirmation…”
“A visitor for me? Confirmation? Who is this rude person causing such a disturbance at this hour? It is a member of the knight order, isn’t it?”
“Y-Yes! Without a doubt! I have seen him nearly every day during this journey. There is no mistake! It is Sir Luke Trevor, Team Leader of the 7th unit of the Mobile Heavy Cavalry!”

◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆

Luke Trevor, having received Casey Guinness’s report in the early hours before dawn, immediately led his unit back toward Amukham. His goal was to report the emergency to Cameron Fourier, the head of the survey team currently staying at the Amukham House, and to receive further orders.

Before arriving, he had already issued instructions at Station One to the local Village Guard and had sent his subordinates to alert the knights stationed in temporary lodgings in the village to prepare for an emergency. They intended to depart immediately as reinforcements for Iroshio.

Casey had called it ‘preparing for defense,’ rather than sending reinforcements. No Mobile Heavy Cavalry knight would ever abandon their comrades. What had been shown on the recording device Casey brought was undeniably a major threat. Facing something like that was terrifying. But precisely because of that, abandoning those already facing it was unthinkable.

The defense of Amukham would be left to the Village Guard. As soon as they secured Fourier’s approval, they would set out for Iroshio as reinforcements without delay.

While Trevor waited in the hall of Amukham House after requesting an audience, others who had heard of the situation gathered as well. Village chief August Dulles, Silense Croque, and Alphonse Beers, the heads of the three great families of Amukham, as well as Howard’s wife and daughter, Sonia and Susie.

“Well, now, everyone seems to have gathered quite early. Is this really something worth such a commotion? Surely it is just a messenger returning.”

Cameron Fourier looked over the assembled group, snorting dismissively.

“…It seems your understanding of the situation is lacking.”

Silense muttered, causing Fourier to frown.

“Thirty minutes ago, a messenger arrived at the campsite. At a depth of 35,000 in Iroshio, they encountered enemy forces. The estimated number exceeds two thousand.”

Ignoring their exchange, Trevor stepped forward and began his report.

“T-Two thousand!? The enemy? Not Demonic Beasts? B-But that is over thirty kilometers away, is it not?”

Though shaken by the number, Fourier tried to reassure himself with the distance.

“Please take a look at this first.”

Trevor produced a brass cylindrical object and moved to a table in the center of the hall, where a transparent hemispherical crystal device had been set. Sonia quietly explained to Susie that it was a projection device. Seeing such a magical tool for the first time, Susie’s eyes widened in amazement.

Trevor inserted the cylinder beside the device and began operating it.

To Susie, the cylinder resembled the ‘Layered Cylinder Magic Circle’ she had once seen in the temple. Sonia confirmed this. It was a Magic Storage Cartridge, containing recording magic and a built-in magic battery.

As Sonia explained, the crystal hemisphere began to glow. The clear interior grew hazy, like it were filling with mist. Soon, something began moving within the fog. Gradually, the blurred shapes came into focus, forming an image.

Knights clad in powered armor were running. The forest around them seemed slightly sparse. One knight ran toward the viewpoint, pointing behind him and shouting something, likely, “Fall back!” He then rushed past and disappeared forward.

There was no sound. No color. Susie thought it resembled an old silent film, but even rougher than the black-and-white recordings she had seen before. The motion was skipping frames, and the focus was poor.

Still, it was clear what was happening.

From between the trees ahead, something white began to emerge. Then more. And more. They poured out in a swarm.

White bones holding weapons. They were skeletons, armed skeletons.

“A-Absurd! Skeleton Warriors?!”
“No, look closer! It’s not just bones, there’s flesh! And they’re fast… There are Undead Warriors as well!”

Silense and Alphonse cried out in shock. On the screen, the knights fought back, cutting down the advancing horde of undead one after another.