8 Chapter 8: Final siege (1/2)
With the presence of the heroes, we succeeded in laying waste to the enemy. The demons stood no chance and fell before the might of Kobayashi and the others. As the heroes forged a bloody path through the retreating demons, the human knights regrouped and tended to their wounded.
I was one of those who stayed behind to help. Staying silent, I kept my visage concealed under my helm as I went about my work, ferrying the injured to wagons where medics applied whatever first aid they could in order to keep their patients alive until they could return to the proper medical facilities. Several of them casted basic healing spells, but these weren't enough to restore the most heavily wounded.
The heroes, who possessed much higher levels of healing spells, left the injured soldiers behind to hunt for glory. While their actions might seem cold, it was impractical for the healing heroes to save each and every soldier. There were hundreds of wounded and dying – the heroes would run out of magical energy before they could rescue everyone. That said, the least they could do was stay behind and help as many as they could instead of riding off to the sunset in search for glory.
However, I had no complaints. If even one hero stayed behind, they might discover that I was hiding among the soldiers. I wanted to keep a low profile and stay hidden from them for as long as possible.
”Huff…”
”Good work.”
An officer praised me as I help to heave an injured soldier onto a cart. He nodded at me in approval. I was too tired to respond, so I turned to trudge wearily toward the others when he suddenly called out to me.
”Hey, which platoon are you from?”
”Um…fourth platoon…?”
I randomly picked a number, but the knight seemed satisfied. He lifted his helm up and stared at me in pity.
”Oh, Fourth Platoon. I heard you guys got decimated. I didn't know there were survivors. Seems like you'll be assigned to another platoon.”
”We fight wherever the Emperor wills us to.”
”Amen to that,” the knight officer agreed, making the sign of the Aquila. I gaped at him, glad that my helm was covering my shock. That was some random line I stole from my favorite science fiction series. I didn't expect it to work. ”But the war will end soon. With the heroes on our side, we'll destroy the demon race!”
”The demon race, huh…”
I glanced at the dead enemies, who were clad in dreadful, black armor. In contrast, the humans wore polished, silver armor that gleamed under the sun. Once again, I noticed extra features such as horns, elongated ears and fangs, and even third eyes, which set the demons apart from the humans. The terrifying aura was gone now, having dissipated along with the demons' deaths, but I shuddered at the memory of the chilling sensation.
”Praise the Goddess Evelyn, for she sent heroes to rescue us from our hour of need!”
The knight was devolving into religious fervor now. Not exactly enthusiastic about being dragged into the sermon, I excused myself and turned to leave, but the knight commander clamped a gauntleted hand on my armored shoulder.
”Just a little more, boy. And we'll be free of the demon filth. The higher-ups are planning one final push on the Demon Lord's castle.” He gestured toward the distance with his hand. ”We're so close. Just five miles away from his stronghold. With the heroes' help, we'll finally break through the Demon Lord's fortress and slay him!”
I forced a smile even though he probably couldn't see it. ”I'm sure we will.”
”Yeah.” The knight commander squeezed my shoulder. ”Don't lose hope, boy. Keep fighting. I know it's hard on you, having lost your entire platoon, but believe in the Goddess Evelyn. Believe in the heroes she summoned for us. We will prevail!”
”For the Emperor.”
”For the Emperor,” the commander agreed, and finally let go. Softly exhaling in relief, I went back to my work.
It took a while, but we were finally done with our duties. After tending to the wounded, we had to bury the dead. Without much time on our hands, we resorted to a mass burial, stacking the bodies and cremating them.
I didn't question the ruthless method of disposal. It was to prevent diseases from spreading, after all. Leaving the corpses lying around was asking for trouble. Speaking of which, I was suddenly reminded of the necromancer.
Yeah, another reason why they don't want to leave the dead lying around is probably because someone would turn them into zombies.
It was unfortunate, but this was the twisted logic of the world we currently lived in.
”Good job, everybody!”
The knight who seemed to be the overall commander clapped his hands and drew our attention toward him. Even though he was wearing the same silver armor as everyone else, his white crusader cape, gigantic red plume atop his helm, and fancy heraldry marked him as different from the simple uniform the rest of us wore. I was beginning to see a pattern here. The fancier the fabric clinging to the armor, the higher the knight's rank.
And that guy was the most extravagantly dressed of us all.
”We've achieved yet another victory over the accursed demons today! Thanks to the heroes, we're one step closer to ending the menace once and for all!”
”YAAAAAY!”
The soldiers all cheered in unison, raising their swords high into the air. It took me a few seconds to realize what was going on, and I clumsily fumbled for my sword and raised it too. The knight commander surveyed us in satisfaction, probably heartened by our high spirits and improved morale. Slashing his sword in an exaggerated display, he issued another declaration.
”Tomorrow afternoon, we march upon the Demon Lord's castle! It's time to end this war once and for all!”
”Yeah!”
As one, the soldiers chorused their approval. Buoyed by their victory, they seemed excited for what appeared to be the final battle.
”Now, we rest. You have all fought well and worked hard. But we'll need your strength again for tomorrow. Get some sleep. I'll let you know once the heroes return, and we'll begin the last stretch of our journey.” His expression turned grim and he held his sword in a salute. ”Men, I am honored to fight alongside every last one of you.”
This time, there was no rowdy cheering. The knights all stood sharply and straightened solemnly. I hastily made to follow.
”For all our dead comrades, who gave their lives so that we could achieve this victory…and this opportunity. To protect our kingdom, our homes, our families and loved ones. For the Goddess, Evelyn, who watches over us. And for the Emperor!”
”FOR THE EMPEROR!”
The knights hollered, and this time I fell into line without missing a beat.
The commander swept his gaze over us one last time before nodding. Raising his hand, he swung it down sharply.
”Dismissed!”
And so we all dispersed to grab whatever spot we could for rest.
*
The heroes returned at dawn. I heard the horses before I saw them, and quickly pulled my helmet back on. I didn't want any of my classmates spotting and recognizing me, not after the debacle with Minamoto Kureha and Tsukishima Tomoyo.
If the two girls reacted that way when they saw me, I could only imagine how Kobayashi and his cronies would respond.
The heroes' horses galloped past the drowsy soldiers, rousing them from their sleep. They stopped at nothing, proceeding straight to the command tent that the officers had set up the previous night. I cringed when Tsukishima rode past me, but she didn't even spare me a single glance. I sighed in relief as she disappeared into the distance.
That meant her Absolute Appraisal wasn't a passive ability. It had to be activated.
I watched the heroes dismount from their horses and entered the huge tent. No doubt the knight commanders would have to defer to them and request approval for their strategy. My former classmates strode in a somewhat arrogant manner, pushing the flap of the tent open and barging in without so much as a knock or warning.
Some things never change, huh?
Shaking my head, I settled back down to go back to sleep, but jolted upright when I heard footsteps approaching me.
”Always quite the sight, eh?”
It was a grizzled knight in his forties. He tore his gaze away from the giant tent and grinned at me, only to frown in confusion.
”Why do you have your helmet on?”
”Uh…in case of any surprise attacks from the enemy.”
”Heh…” the older knight chuckled. ”Once you reached my age, you'll find that all this extra caution is pointless. You either live or you die. Might as well make the most of it.”
I nodded, glanced at the tent, and then pulled my helmet off.
”Here. Eat up. You'll need some food to recover your strength.”
The older knight tossed a chunk of bread at me. I caught it out of reflex and stared at the hard, dry stuff.
”Thank you…” I began, but I saw that the older knight had already turned away to distribute his basket of rations.
Oh well. He's right. Might as well eat.
That was what I thought, but the moment I put the bread in my mouth, I gagged.
”Ugh…u…”
Retching, I coughed and spat out the piece of bread I had bitten off. For some reason, the bread tasted absolutely repulsive. My body violently rejected the food, my stomach going into convulsions. A wave of nausea hit me and I slumped on the ground.
What the hell?!
Wiping my mouth, I forced myself to calm down. Glancing down at the rest of the bread, I swallowed, only to gag again.
Closing my eyes, I felt icy horror clamp down on my heart when I realized what was happening to me.
I can't eat normal food. I can only eat…meat.
Side effects of being a zombie, no doubt. At least I could eat any kind of meat. It would suck if I could only eat human meat.
”What's the matter with you?”