Chapter 46

The rain gradually intensified, the sky covered in pitch-black clouds, making the day gloomy as they pressed on.

The ground turned muddy, hindering their march, and the red wall of light in their sight grew larger and more distinct as the sun began to set.

"We should reach the barrier by tomorrow morning. Let's take this opportunity to confirm a few things."

In the middle of the route between the capital and the barrier, there was an old church and the ruins of a fortress. The roof had fallen in, the walls were crumbling, and the inside was in shambles. It was concerning that such a dilapidated church was left exposed so close to the capital, but marching any further in the approaching night was impossible.

They set up a tent for shelter from the rain and prepared for camping. As they did, Lionel called everyone together. Lionel faced the knights of Diemeld.

"Is the Earl of Agreus in the capital? Have you sent word?"

"...Well, all who remain are mostly low-ranking members of the Diemeld Knights. I sent a few of them to deliver the message, but they are not official messengers. Most of the higher-ranking knights who were in command... they... are gone."

The surrounding knights' gazes turned to the hesitant Diemeld knight.

"What do you mean, 'gone'?"

"Did they follow the Earl of Agreus to the capital?"

"No... I don't really understand, but ever since the Royal Knights left this place, they started disappearing one by one, day by day."

"At first, we thought they had left on orders from Lord Agreus or had departed for some reason, but no one knew the story, and most of their horses were left in the stables... it's strange."

Indeed, upon reflection, the Diemeld knights who had joined them were mostly young and close to being new recruits.

"Before we knew it, there was no one left who could explain the situation or take command. We don't really understand what's happening... we can't even ask, as there's no one left in our upper ranks."

"It's as if we were left behind here with the barrier, all of a sudden... in just about a month."

Confusion and worry had left the Diemeld knights utterly exhausted.

While listening to the story, a mercenary who had been checking the direction of the red barrier stood up and called out.

"Sir Lionel! It's strange, the barrier is flickering!"

Everyone turned to see the red wall of light in the distance, its intensity fluctuating irregularly, like a flame about to die out.

Then, in the heavy rain, the red light suddenly vanished, leaving only the dark shadows of the forest in their sight.

"This isn't good..."

"Hey, there are undead beasts in that barrier, right!?"

Lionel and Gilbert, along with everyone else, stood up.

"What do we do?"

"Approaching in this rain and darkness is too disadvantageous. We can't accurately confirm what's happening or what's there. Let's use the abandoned church and fortress as a safe haven for now."

If there are small mutated undead beasts, dealing with them in the dark would be even more disadvantageous.

But considering the distance, even with their movement speed, it should take some time before they are attacked.

"What about the capital? There are still residents there, right? From what I heard, it's questionable whether there are any forces left to protect them."

Gilbert looked in the direction of the capital. The town below the Diemeld domain, visible in the distance, seemed unusually quiet for its size, but a few lights could be seen even in the rain.

"That's where we come in."

Standing up and stepping forward were the priest Sydney and the clerics of the Western Grand Church.

"Large-scale barriers are our specialty. Leave it to us."

Unmindful of the rain, the priest and clerics stood in a line, facing the direction of the capital, and raised their hands to the sky. In the dark, they drew the ivy symbolizing the goddess, and a large curve of light spread out horizontally.

"How long will it last?"

"To be honest, for such a wide area, it will last only two or three days at most."

When Lionel asked, Priest Sydney smiled bitterly.

Hearing this, Dolf, who had been silent, spoke to Lionel and Gilbert.

"Lionel, Gilbert, you know better than to waste lives. You intend to exterminate them, but you never know what might happen..."

After a moment of silence, Dolf grinned.

"...So, let's eat while we have the time."

Behind Dolf, Flora and Barbara, who had been listening solemnly, widened their eyes. They exchanged glances and immediately set to work preparing the meal.

Given the sudden camp in the bad weather, they prepared grilled salted meat and a porridge of barley and vegetables. They ate heartily to fill their stomachs and boost morale, then divided the tasks.

They took turns sleeping while waiting for dawn, and as the night wore on, they lured and defeated the medium-sized undead beasts that began to appear nearby one by one.

The rain continued as the surroundings turned white with the dawn. Seeing what was in their sight, everyone was speechless.

In the forest where the red barrier had been the previous night, a dark red, ominous mountain-like mass was visible.