Chapter 40
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Yuurai and the other two arrive beneath the castle wall. Nearby stand three women with vacant expressions.
And on the ground lies Aquell's beheaded corpse.
Following Gilka's suggestion for now, Yuurai uses Mental Manipulation to neutralize the three adventurer women. Not only are they unable to attack Yuurai's group, but their consciousness has also been temporarily taken.
Setting those three aside, they're now troubled over what to do with Aquell.
"Turning him into an Undead to revive him would be good for long-term military strength. But Undead Creation consumes a lot of mana. We still don't know how the battle will unfold, so I want to conserve it."
"I'm against turning him into an Undead too. It might be fine after the battle ends, but we don't have the luxury right now."
Claire agrees with Yuurai's hesitation.
Meanwhile, Lipia murmurs in a dejected voice.
"......But those three companions looked so sad. They probably really liked this person, right?"
"Yeah, probably......"
(Lipia isn't as used to death as Claire or Gilka...... Watching this fight must be hard for her. Well, I'm originally more like Lipia too, but my sense of things is a bit broken now, so it can't be helped.)
"Can... Aquell be saved...?"
"Hm? Did she just speak?"
Despite the effects of the sleeping powder and being under Mental Manipulation, the mage, whose consciousness should still be unclear, speaks.
(The other two are still asleep, so maybe this one has resistance to status effects. Or maybe it's the Saint's protection. Even though I should've made her lose consciousness temporarily, the magic isn't working well.)
Even Yuurai can tell that unpleasant mana is clinging around the three. It's slightly interfering with Yuurai's magic.
"Please... save Aquell... save him..."
The blonde woman, whose name they don't know, begins to shed tears. Her distinct pointed ears suggest she's an Elf.
"But, you know... From my side, our priorities come first. You guys were the ones who attacked, and dying on the battlefield is just how it goes, right?"
"Don't say that! Please! I know it's their own fault! But Aquell is different! Please! I'll do anything!"
"Hmm... anything, huh. Then, if I told you to kill your two companions over there, would you do it?"
At Yuurai's cruel question, the Elf's face contorts.
After hesitating for a few seconds.
"......If it means saving Aquell, I'll do it."
"Hmm... Must be really important. Do you love him that much?"
"......I love him."
"Ah, I see. Well, your situation doesn't really matter to me. You don't have to kill your dear friends. The real issue is that I don't want to waste mana. If we can't solve that, then... Oh, I've got an idea."
A wicked thought suddenly occurs to Yuurai. But forcing it might cause problems later.
After a moment of hesitation, she decides to let the Elf choose.
"I can absorb mana from others. It's better if they're alive, but fresh corpses work too. If I can gather enough mana for Undead Creation, I'll revive him as an Undead."
"......Does that mean...?"
"Kill about three hundred soldiers and bring their corpses here. Then I'll revive Aquell as an Undead. But Aquell's soul will vanish in about ten minutes, so move fast, okay?"
"You want me... to kill three hundred people...?"
"Yup, exactly. If you don't want to, that's fine. Oh, and instead of killing people, how about this? I'll use Mental Manipulation to erase your feelings for Aquell. That way, you won't carry any weird guilt, and you'll be able to accept his death."
"No... I refuse to forget these feelings... I absolutely refuse...!"
"Then go kill them. If you're doing it with the other two, I'll wake them up. Lipia can also dispel the sleep effect."
"......I want all three of us together. I can't do it alone."
"Got it."
With the plan settled, they first use Lipia's magic to awaken the spear-user and the archer. Yuurai also partially lifts the Mental Manipulation and explains the situation again.
The two didn't oppose the idea of killing three hundred people. That came as a surprise to Yuurai.
(......If someone truly important to you could be brought back by killing others, maybe more people than I thought would be willing to cross that line......)
After that, the three begin diligently slaughtering soldiers.
The three don't have the time to collect the corpses and carry them into town, so Yuurai orders Skeletons to help with the task.
"Yuurai, was that really okay? From the enemy's perspective, it looks like you manipulated those three into turning on their own. It might damage your position later."
"Yeah. It kind of defeats the purpose of not using Ceres as a pawn. I just couldn't leave them be, but I'm not sure if this was the right call."
"......I don't think we need to show mercy to the enemy."
"Claire, you're saying that? You're only here because I showed mercy to an enemy. I'm glad I saved you, so maybe this time will turn out the same."
"If you put it that way, I've got nothing to say."
"Let's deal with any problems that come up together."
"Is that an order?"
"Exactly!"
When about half the target is gathered, Yuurai starts to worry about Lipia.
"......Lipia. Watching this kind of battle must be painful, right? You don't have to stay and watch. Wouldn't it be better to go to Ragvela and the others?"
Lipia presses her lips together and shakes her head.
"I'm not the same as Ragvela and the others anymore. I still think of them as friends, but... there's a rift between us that can't be filled. The future they imagine and mine are different now. The only place I belong is beside you, Yuurai."
"......I see. Got it. Then watch everything."
"Yeah."
Lipia takes Yuurai's hand.
Yuurai squeezes that cold hand tightly in return.