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Given that, it seems like my fate is to always follow a muscle-brained approach, even after I’ve reincarnated.

“Let’s see what’s ahead and decide on our course of action based on that. Vier, stay at your current size. Eren, it’s probably best if you have a weapon too, just in case.”

“Oh, in that case, I’d prefer a spear! As a maid, it’s important to have skills in indoor combat. Back when I was at the estate of Viscountess Brandmüller, the head housekeeper, Beatrice, taught me how to fight indoors using a mop.”
“…I didn’t realize there was such a thing.”

Maids have skills that far exceed my expectations, huh? Feeling a bit unnerved, I began checking through the stored supplies (not by physically taking them out, but by sensing them with mana) to find the desired spear and any other items that might be useful for defense.

—Hmm, I should probably give her a knife in addition to the spear. Light leather armor should be fine, though it might hinder movement if she’s not used to it. Chainmail would be too heavy.

While I was deliberating, my magical sense brushed against something that had been lying in a corner.

—Oh, I almost forgot about this. It’s been so long that I completely forgot it was there…

Honestly, I’m not too thrilled about this, but we can’t afford to be picky right now. Holding back our resources could lead to disaster, and most importantly, I need to protect Eren.

“ …I suppose there’s no better time than now.”

Shaking off my hesitation, I retrieved a somewhat smallish spear and the item I had been reluctant to use from my storage.

First, I handed Eren the spear and a hunting knife. Eren took the spear and tested its balance—surprisingly adept movements for a maid—and then curiously peered at the strange box I had placed on the floor.

“Lady Jill, what is that?”
“It’s a magic tool given to me by Bartholomew for emergencies.”

As I placed my hand on the lid of the skull-knight-shaped box, I tried my best to keep my voice from sounding too exasperated. I could already imagine the effects it would have when used, and it gave me a slight headache.

“Wow, so that’s what it is.”

Compared to Eren who seemed genuinely impressed, I must have been tainted by too many of life’s harsh realities.

I couldn’t help but let out a small complaint, feeling a bit self-critical.

“Ah… I wish Eren were my real sister.”
“Hæh?”

I barely remembered my real brothers, who saw me as an enemy since we were all competitors for the family inheritance. My sisters, too, either ignored me or despised me since “younger sister shouldn’t be better than her elders” …Then again, my recently reunited younger sister is adorable, though.

As these pointless thoughts crossed my mind, I opened the lid of the box. And then—.

“Fuhahahahahahaha!!! Hear ye, all who are far away, and those who are near, come and see! I am Bartholomew, a renowned palace knight of the Crimson Empire, whose glory illuminates the vastness of the heavens and earth! Ah, there stands Lady Jill, Lady Eren, and Vier! It has been some time since we last met. Given that you have used the magic item I entrusted to you, you must be in dire straits. However, now that I am here, leave everything to me! Rest assured, as if you were on a great ship!”

A magical circle of light emerged from the box, shining so brightly that I couldn’t open my eyes. In the next instant, a colossal undead knight over two meters tall, clad in black, ultra-heavy armor resembling a solid iron plate, stood towering before us.

The giant halberd he wielded with a powerful swing effortlessly shattered the rock ceiling.

“Oh—”
““Oh??””
“…That’s collapsing alright.”

Cracks radiated from the point of impact, and bits of rock began to fall.

“—Run!!”

At the last moment, Vier grabbed Eren and me in her mouth and dashed toward the exit. Just as we reached it, the ceiling collapsed behind us, burying Bartholomew under a pile of rocks that filled the small room.

♦♢♦

The adventurer group Steel Wagon had found themselves in a stalemate against the mysterious undead attackers.

Their former comrades-turned-undead had been immobilized, and their mage had determined through various trials that fire magic was the most effective against them.

After this discovery, things progressed quickly.

Centering their strategy around the mage, they prepared fire arrows and oil jars. Although small fires broke out, they managed to prevent a larger conflagration, thanks in part to the nearby lake, which provided ample water for quick extinguishing. One by one, they managed to take down the human undead. However, the issue lay with the meran-aries, each one as huge as a bull.

Without a mage capable of a large enough fire spell to burn them down in one go, they had to stop its movements and continuously hack at them, dismantling them piece by piece.

During this painstaking process, a mysterious large ogre named Gus, wearing a strange mask, began to rampage. Moreover, whenever he found the body of a fallen Steel Wagon member, he would crouch down and insert something almond-shaped into the body.

“What is that…? A seed?” murmured a cat beastkin, whose night vision had caught the odd action.

Hearing this, Orlando, who was leading the group, suddenly focused on the corpses of their fallen comrades. He noticed a faint tremor, as if something was moving inside the bodies. The next moment, those corpses began to slowly rise, moving like marionettes being pulled by invisible strings.

“Damn it! So that’s the trick up their sleeve!”

Orlando ground his teeth in frustration.

“Move the wounded and the bodies quickly! We can’t let them multiply like rabbits. Our primary target is still Gus. If it’s the same trick, we might be able to handle it by burning it as well…”

But unlike the undead, Gus moved swiftly and had an uncanny ability to recover.

“We have to stop its movements, no matter what.”

Resolving that they might have to go down fighting melee, Orlando and his team began to close the encirclement.

Just then, the ogre Gus suddenly looked up and spoke to no one in particular.

“……yEs, MaSteR. aS YoU WIsh.”

He then fixed his gaze over the adventurers’ heads at a specific point and, with incredible jumping power, broke through the encirclement and fled in a straight line.

“He’s heading… No! He’s heading towards the church where the students took refuge!”

Orlando and his team tried to pursue, but they were blocked by the remaining seven or eight undead meran-arieses and their newly reanimated comrades.

“Damn it! Even if we defeat these, if any harm comes to the students or the VIPs, the escort mission is a failure. We need only a minimal force here; the rest of you, pursue them immediately. Hurry!”

Orlando’s desperate shout echoed through the night forest.

Author’s Note:

I don’t think anyone is worried about Bartholomew’s safety.
I looked up how many liters a Western wooden barrel holds, but I couldn’t find anything. If it’s the same as a modern drum (200 liters), it’s 600 liters.
A person needs 2 liters of water per day, so 6 liters x 3 would last 100 days, so it seems like there’s plenty of leeway.
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Update 10/24: Many people have given me their opinions and suggestions. Apparently, 1 gallon is about 160 liters, which is almost the same as a modern drum. Thank you everyone.