There were a few shelters in the city.
　They were now sarcophagi with all entrances and exits painted over.

　Only a few citizens were aware of this strange phenomenon.
　Most of those who had noticed it did not have the time to pursue such an incomprehensible mystery in this situation. Their own lives were more important.
　Two of them grabbed the guards and explained the situation to them. However, one of them was not taken seriously, saying that he was either drunk or hallucinating from fear.
　The other one dragged the guards to see the mysterious sarcophagus. The guards were astonished and promised to report this matter to the higher authorities immediately.

"Masonry".

　In front of them, there was a gaping hole in the sarcophagus and it was too late.

　"Marquis!

"My Lord Marquis!　What's going on out there?
"Keep quiet, Zithran!
If the enemy of God appears, I must fight!
I'm telling you, that's not your job!　There's nothing for you to do, so just stay quiet!　...... d*mn you, why don't you listen to me!

　In the opulent corridors of the Marquis of Edfelt's castle, Marks and Gislain were shouting at each other across the doorway.

　Marks was annoyed. Or rather, he was creeped out by it. Gislain, who had always been obedient, only doing as he was told, and otherwise remaining quiet and still, suddenly started to make a fuss.

　The Incarnate Beasts are obeying Morgana because they have seen her spirit, which they say is divine or something. However, since they couldn't leave the reins of the Holy Beasts in the hands of that dangerous person, others were giving orders under the pretense of receiving orders from Morgana.
　That's why they were working fine even when they were out of Morgana's hands. The same was true of Zithran.

　Something was wrong.
　Zithlan heard the sound of gunfire and reacted.
　At the moment, he was only asking Marks to explain the situation, but the fact that he had moved outside the order was strange in itself.

"Don't let them out!
Ha!

　Knowing it was a comforting thought, Marks ordered the guards. An armed man stood in front of the room as if he was Gislain's guard, but in reality he was a sentry.

　Marks locked Gislain's room from the outside and put a guard there. But now, Gislain has the power of a holy beast. It shouldn't take him long to break through the door.
　The door holding Zithran in place looked as fragile as a soap bubble. But it's not broken now. Let it stay that way, Marks prayed.

　Now Marks could put Gislain out of his mind and concentrate on the battle.
　For now, it was up to the spears fighting outside the walls. I've attached more than half of the holy beasts to them, as well as some lower-ranked adventurers to serve as cover and shield. We can only hope that they will do well.

　My concern is that I can't locate the Rose of Hell herself. That's why Marks is keeping the Second Order in the city and Count Keeley's faction at hand, and has not been able to play his trump card.
　I briefly considered letting Zhislan fight. But Marks quickly dismissed his idea. If Gislain dies here, it's for nothing.

　Marks runs back to the command post. But mercilessly, before Marks could return, one of the callers on his waist flashed like a purple flame.
　The other party was not the ...... "spear of zero". It wasn't the front line of the northern city wall. It was the guards that had been patrolling the city as a backup force and in case of civil panic.

"Marquis!　I'm not sure what to make of it, but I'm sure it's a good idea.
What the hell?

　You can find a lot of things that you can do to make your life easier.

"It's a demon called a Bloodsucker. They say it's a lowly vampire that attacks people, sucks their blood and turns them into bloodsuckers. ......
"Where the hell did you come from?

　I'm sure you've only been away from your command post for a short time to deal with Zhislan. I can't help but be astonished that I was able to do that in such a short period of time, and I can't help but curse my misfortune and carelessness for leaving my seat at the worst possible time.
　But this is not the time to be cursing. If the situation worsens, we must take action accordingly.

"You say you don't believe me, but that doesn't mean I don't know!　What are the numbers?
'Oh, probably ...... at least 500. Of course, they're still growing.

　The captain of the guard said in disbelief. This time Marks was stunned. This is not a situation to be dealt with or dealt with. It's ruin.

"...... stupid. Stupid .......

　* * *

　Looking down at the bloodsuckers flooding the street, Bertil ran over a row of buildings.


　He pulled a caller ID out of his luggage, stroked the surface with his arm finger, and activated it. Then, as soon as the connection was established, he spoke in a shouting voice.

"Kaya, where are you?
"Commander!　Near the north city wall. There's suddenly a lot of undead at ......!
I know. Bloodsuckers. These things suck blood and add to their ranks.

　A group of wandering undead were heading in one direction, as if drawn by something.
　Their body color was so pale that it looked blue. Their eyes glowed red, and their canine teeth were as long as a dog's fangs. And the body is shriveled like it's about to dry up.

　Bloodsuckers. Individuals vary, but they're generally low-grade and have many weaknesses. But the problem lies in their numbers and proliferation. Those who die from bloodsucking bloodsuckers will come back to life as bloodsuckers. They will keep adding to their ranks at will. Furthermore, they do not consume the magic of the practitioner because they consume the biological magic contained in blood as energy to move.

　--You don't have to use your magic power to increase or maintain them. This is too convenient.

It's impossible to get rid of bloodsuckers that have multiplied to a certain extent if you fight normally. They'll multiply more than you can kill, at least until you run out of materials.
　It's a great way to get rid of them.

　In the event that you've got a lot of money, you're going to need to be able to pay for it.
　≪In the event that you've got a lot of money, you're going to need to be able to pay for it. That's one shot of warding and that's it.
　Then we'd have to use garlic, which vampires abhor. There's no way we can get the numbers we need after the fact. Well, Bertil made sure he had enough for himself and his men.

The anti-vampire stuff might come in handy. Have you used the garlic juice yet?
"Yes, sir. I put it on my head.
"And if there's a Bloodsucker, then there's someone who made it. Have you given the men the charm resistance accessory?
"They already have.

　In addition, as a countermeasure against the undead, the armor has already been enchanted with the magic of sanctification.
　You can now be somewhat safe. The question is how to move things from here.

　--Well, all I can do is rescue the citizens. If we don't, they'll die randomly.

Kaja.
"Yes.
I hate to break it to you, but we can't hold the city. We can deal with the Bloodsuckers with holy seals and garlic, but from now on, the Bloodsuckers will destroy the city walls from the inside. We can't deal with this many, we can't even handle them with us.
　The undead soldiers outside the walls will soon pour into the city. And they won't be able to escape the smell of garlic.
"...... Yes.

　While explaining the situation through a caller, Bertil took out a crystal.
　The image of the nobles praying is reflected. It's a peek-a-boo item set up in the castle chapel.

　--Of all the places I've been forced to set up a wedge of separation, only the chapel in the castle is safe. I think Rene was going to make a bloodsucker inside the castle to break down the wall protection. ...... Hmm, looks like it's safe for now.

　This is the only place where the scenario deviated a little from what Bertil had in mind. The reason for this is somewhat predictable, but will be analyzed later.
　Even if the castle is safe, the result will not be much different. Even if the castle is safe now, we can't evacuate the citizens there.

The battle will probably turn into a battle for the castle soon.
　The battle will probably soon shift to a siege of the castle, but then it's as if the game is already decided. This battle is lost when it turns into a siege. The enemy can easily replenish their forces while we can't even hope to add more holy beasts.
　If there was a way to win this battle, it would be to first reduce the enemy's siege capability, then use the city wall as a shield to hit the enemy, and when the time was right, reverse the attack and annihilate them. And all at once, while we were still able to fight at our best.
　That plan is long gone. The artifact defense weapons that were installed on the castle walls have been moved to the city walls, so the moment the city walls are breached, it's over. Even if you're holed up in the castle, if you can't hit the enemy effectively, you can't fight back.

　The path to victory was too limited. It's like poking a needle in a haystack with the tip of a spear.
　If everything works as it should, if Rene makes a bad decision, if the field struggles to overcome the inferiority ...... of the situation, you can finally win, but it seems impossible.

Kaja. We're not the Marquis's men. We're not the Marquess's men. We've gone along with him up to this point, but for the sake of His Imperial Highness, the Grand Duke, you don't have to throw yourself into a battle you can't win and die.
　Instead, I have to help the prospective Crown Prince of the West from now on.
"But, then, the people of this city are ......

　Kaya was frightened by Bertil's unreasonable tone.
　In fact, Kaja's confusion was understandable. In fact, Kaya's embarrassment was understandable, since Bertil was saying that he would give up on trying to win and abandon the city.
　But Bertil was more interested in what he could get than in the possibility of a miracle like a grain of sand.

The city is not under siege at the moment. We'll manage to get the citizens who can escape right away and get them out of the city from the south side. It's pathetic, but it's the best of a bad situation.


　...... I've got to go check on the castle while I'm at it. I'll take care of that.
"Yes!

　When he hears Kaya's reply, Bertil cuts the caller.
　I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to do this, but I'm sure I'll be able to do it.

"...... wind. I'd like to help the citizens as much as I can without hurting our public image. Oh, man, adults are so dirty.

　I felt like I had to make a fool of myself while doing it.
　But I'm not doing anything pointless. For those who were cut down, it was all over here, but for those who were saved, it was all over.
　And Bertil has to take this fight to the next level.

　--The game is over. Now we just need to make sure Rene doesn't get our ace. On the other hand, it'll be great if we can take out their captains and leaders as much as possible. "I wonder if the spear will be okay.