"Hmm..."

"Identify yourself!!!"

Astina stretched and walked forward.

'By this time, they should all be ready.'

She surveyed her surroundings.

Having broken through the main gate, many soldiers stood before her.

Because she needed to conceal her identity, she couldn't use her telekinetic magic.

But there was no need for thatnot for these small fries.

"Wind Blaster."

A fierce wind howled through, like a tempest.

"A wizard!!!"

"Agh!!!"

The soldiers' eyes bulged at the sight of Astina's magic.

Wizards were elite talents, welcomed everywhere.

Such beings were rare in these rural parts.

The soldiers were in disarray, unprepared for an ambush by a wizard.

"There's only one of her! Stay calm and handle this!"

"Pfft!"

Astina couldn't help but laugh at their command.

These soldiers knew not the terror of a wizard.

A single wizard could take on hundreds, even thousands.

That was the might of a wizard.

There was a clear distinction between them and the common people.

Furthermore, the level of any countryside wizard compared to Astina was like heaven and earth.

Astina was a wizard who could wipe out thousands with a mere flick of her finger.

These soldiers were no match for her.

"Everyone, keep your cool. She's a wizard, so there will be an opening when she casts her spells. Aim for that."

In the midst of the soldiers' panic, some composed figures could be seen.

They wore different attire from the restshabbier, yet they responded to the wizard with seasoned calm.

Astina, observing this, posed a question.

"Who might you be?"

The shabbily dressed soldiers did not answer.

They clenched their jaws, ready to charge at her.

"Hmm..."

Astina regarded them with a leisurely gaze.

"I'll know once I've taken you all down."

Her task was simple.

Attract attention and defeat all the enemies before her.

Nothing more.

Astina, smiling, began to speak.

"10 seconds."

She spread her hands wide, showing them to the soldiers.

"Try to last 10 seconds."

"What?"

It might have sounded arrogant, overbearing.

But Astina was sincere.

Her judgment was objective, unemotional.

She knew these men couldn't last 10 seconds against her.

That was the objective difference between Astina and the soldiers.

After her statement, Astina immediately began her incantation.

"Wind Blaster."

Behind the Gotram mansion, on the path to the underground prison.

"Who, who goes there?!"

Bang

It was a single punch.

Robert sent the soldier flying far off.

"This is no ambush. This... isn't an ambush..."

Luna murmured, her face sullen.

I shared Luna's sentiment.

The plan was simple: place Astina up front to draw the gaze, and we slip into the prison amidst the distraction.

Rie would sow confusion among the lord's forces to prevent them from responding properly.

That was the strategy.

But now, looking at the situation, I wondered if it was even necessary.

Our foes couldn't touch us.

We didn't even bother to hide.

We walked in boldly and overpowered them with ease.

We hadn't hidden ourselves since crossing the mansion's wall to the prison.

If the enemy can't stop us, why bother concealing our approach?

Luna seemed to have expected something more from the ambush, but now she wore a face of slight disappointment.

I opened my mouth, forcing a smile.

"At least it looks like things will be easy. I was worried for nothing."

The idea of staging an ambush to rescue someone had weighed on us.

But as the situation unfolded with such ease, relief washed over me.

Robert cast a look of mild disdain my way.

"What did you expect from an attack on a mere countryside noble?"

As we continued to converse and move forward, some soldiers emerged.

"Ugh... Aaahh!"

"The enemy...!"

They fled at the sight of us.

A wise decision, in its own way.

No matter how much they resisted, they couldn't hope to win against us.

But Robert didn't let them escape.

"Where do you think you're running off to?"

He pursued the soldier swiftly and swung his fist.

The fleeing soldier, showing his back, had no chance to avoid the attack and was smashed against the wall.

It was a merciless strike.

Although it was a logical decision since fleeing soldiers could cause problems, after witnessing such scenes repeatedly, pity for the soldiers began to seep in.

"Perhaps we didn't need a strategy after all..."

"Strategies are always crafted to prepare for the worst-case scenario. How do we know if some of the Rebels aren't here?"

"...Then shouldn't you, Professor, have taken the front?"

Astina might be strong, but she was not on Robert's level.

The front was where the focus was, where the strongest enemy would surely appear.

"Sending Astina out front wasn't because she's the strongest among you."

Robert looked at me.

"It's all about playing our respective roles."

I tilted my head, contemplating his words.

Continuing our descent, no more soldiers could be seen as we went further down.

Eventually, the stairs led us to a vast space where the soldiers were congregated.

At first, I thought perhaps they had split into two paths in their flight, but that wasn't the case.

Did they believe they had a fighting chance in this spacious area?

The mood, however, wasn't one of hopeful strategy.

All their faces were brimming with confidence.

"There must be something here."

It was obvious to anyone looking.

An unpleasant energy could be felt emanating from the end of the space.

Clank Clank

From behind the soldiers, someone was approaching.

This figure was clad in black full plate armor, holding a sword that gleamed with darkness.

"There's... a strange sensation."

Luna hesitated as she looked at the person.

I felt I knew what she was sensing.

Powerful Wizards or swordsmen exude mana.

A large, overwhelming presence of mana...

In contrast, this person's mana had a different quality.

It was sticky and dark, so repulsive it furrowed our brows.

It was difficult to pinpoint the exact nature of the feeling, but it was undeniably distasteful.

As Luna and I grimaced, Robert opened his mouth to speak.

"It's a Death Knight."

"What?"

"A creature resurrected through necromancy."

Robert began to walk forward.

"Seeing a Death Knight as a guard here, it seems Jack has dug up some accurate information."

After stating this, Robert turned to look at me.

"Rudy Astria, watch and learn."

"What?"

Suddenly, the Death Knight charged at us with incredible speed.

It swung its sword horizontally, aiming directly at Robert.

"Professor...!"

Before I could shout out a warning, Robert had already moved.

He twisted his body to dodge the blade and slipped inside the Death Knight's guard.

"I'll show you how to counter necromancy right now."

He spoke and then targeted the Death Knight's arm.

"Target their joints."

If one had gotten inside a person's guard, targeting the torso would have been efficient.

But Robert chose differently.

He aimed for the bending part of the arm that held the sword.

With a powerful punch, he struck the seam of the armor.

Crack

The sound of shattering metal resonated through the air.

The Death Knight's armored arm was shattered to pieces.

It was well-known that armor seams were vulnerable.

However, this was different from breaking the armor of a living person.

The connected joint easily crumbled, and the arm itself was gone.

A person's arm wouldn't just disappear like that, not with skin and flesh and bone.

The sword, propelled by momentum, flew far away.

Reacting to this, the Death Knight raised its leg, attempting to strike Robert with its knee.

"Secondly, creatures resurrected by necromancy do not feel pain,"

Robert stated as he effortlessly blocked a knee strike, his movements showing he predicted the attack.

"They don't feel pain, so regardless of what happens, they will persist in their assault."

He continued, pushing away the Death Knight's knee and swiftly pivoting, his leg rising in a high arc aimed precisely at the Death Knight's head.

With a fluid motion, there was a sickening crunch as the helmet shattered under the force, revealing the crumbled skull within.

Robert then stepped back, but the battle was far from over.

Despite its head being crushed, the Death Knight remained undeterred, still moving.

"Finally."

The Death Knight, despite its ruined form, charged toward him once more.

This time, Robert manipulated his mana and invoked,

"Hand of the Abyss."

The Death Knight's advance came to an abrupt stop as black hands emerged from the ground, grasping its legs.

These hands multiplied, extending to ensnare the Death Knight from legs to body, to arms, and finally the head, pulling it toward the ground.

With the Death Knight immobilized by the dark appendages, it emitted a bizarre sound.

Robert then placed his foot atop the Death Knight's chest, crushing the armor to reveal the contents inside.

Visible among the remains were ribs, possibly human, and at the heart's position, a black orb-like object.

Touching the orb lightly, Robert explained,

"Thirdly, all beings resurrected by necromancy possess a core. That is the core."

Looking at us, he elaborated,

"Once that core is destroyed, this creature can no longer move. It's the most straightforward and effective method."

"...Then why didn't you destroy it from the beginning?"

"To teach you. Plus destroying it immediately would alert the necromancer who cast the spell."

Despite its struggle, the Death Knight was helpless.

Robert gazed intently at the well-crafted Death Knight.

"It's better made than I expected. Is 'he' here?"

"...A well-made Death Knight?"

I mused, finding it oddly easy to defeat.

I was slightly confused but assumed Robert must be correct in his assessment.

"Could it be a necromancer from Ephomos?"

"It might not be. I suspect there's another necromancer among the Rebels, though I doubt they could create something of this standard."

Robert said, then turned his attention forward.

Before us stood soldiers shaking with terror.

Having seen Robert toy with and then smash the Death Knight, their fear was understandable.

Robert glanced at the soldiers and clenched his fist, then chuckled.

"Let's not be a nuisance. Just take a hit and go down quietly."

It was a remark both kind and ruthless.

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