Chapter 11

"Ku, kuuuu…."

Oto stared at the tip of the sword in front of his nose, gasping for air.

If it had been a little deeper, the sword would have pierced his face.

Drip, drip, drip...

Cold sweat trickled down his spine.

- You little rat. You're nothing but a rat in a trap.

Nazarak slipped into the narrow space.

“Aaaah!”

Oto, trying to avoid Nazarak, took a step back with his buttocks and fled deeper.

The deeper he went, the narrower the pile of rocks became.

“Huh?”

Oto felt his back touch a boulder and was startled.

There was no place to run now.

- Hehehe!

Nazarak getting closer and closer.

‘Is this… the end…?’

His mind went blank.

This was an unprecedented situation.

He had lured undead monsters in games many times, but he had never been chased by an undead monster possessed by Nazarak.

This was proof that this world was not a game but reality.

‘Am I… going to die here…?’

Then.

‘There it is!’

Oto noticed a wobbly, precarious boulder.

‘Please… pleaseee!’

With the desperation of grasping at a straw, he kicked the wobbling boulder with all his might.

Crash!

The pile of rocks collapsed, burying Nazarak.

As a result.

- Kaaaaah!

Nazarak, buried under the rocks, screamed and thrashed.

He almost caught Oto…

- I will kill you somehow… you despicable traitor…!!!

Nazarak swung his sword with all his might at Oto.

Swish! Swish!

But Nazarak's sword did not reach Oto.

Thanks to being pinned from the waist down by the rocks, he could not get any closer.

“Doesn’t… reach? Phew!”

Oto sighed in relief, realizing that Nazarak's attack did not reach him.

As Nazarak had said, he almost became a rat in a trap and died.

- You dog! Come here! Come here, I say! I will not let a traitor live! Never!

Nazarak struggled to kill Oto, but unfortunately, he could not achieve his goal.

Since he was pinned from the waist down, swinging his sword only made him thrash around. Even if he managed to reach Oto, it would be difficult to inflict a fatal wound.

- Come here! Come here!

“Not a chance~?”

- You dog…!

“Try to kill me~~~.”

Oto taunted Nazarak.

“Can’t kill me~ can’t reach me~ can’t do anything~?”

- You dog!

“Your head is empty. Completely.”

Oto kicked Nazarak's thrashing head with his foot.

- Y-You…!!!

Nazarak was furious, but he could do nothing.

If he had possessed a high-level undead monster like a Death Knight, he could have easily cleared away this pile of rocks.

However, the Skeleton Knight could not lift this pile of rocks.

Thus, Oto could only mock him.

“What are you going to do about it?”

Oto grinned at Nazarak.

“Still, I really appreciate it.”

- Appreciate it…?

“Thanks to you, I got three fiefs.”

- ……?

“Solun, Laseine, Ort. They were all in competition with my fief. Geographically, they were obstacles to expanding my territory.”

- What do you mean…?

“Thanks to you devastating those three fiefs for me, things became much easier. Fighting them directly would have been too troublesome. It was exhausting. Thanks to you, I didn’t have to lift a finger.”

If the enemy was one he could never defeat, instead of confronting them, he would use them.

After they had been drained of their value, he would wait for an opportunity to strike from behind.

That was Oto's playstyle.

An extreme profit-seeker.

Chasing only profit under thorough planning….

- You… despicable brat… how dare you… use me like this?

“Why would I be grateful to be a subordinate of an undead monster like you? Think about it, think.”

- Such a dog….

“Tsk tsk. Is it because you’re undead and have no brain? Anyway, you’re really stupid. That’s why 500 years ago, you rampaged without a plan and were exterminated. You don’t even know how important strategy and diplomacy are.”

- You… you… even after this….

Right then.

Thud!

Nazarak suddenly lowered his head.

[Notice: You have completed the quest <Survive! Oto de Scuderiya!>]

At the same time, a notification window appeared.

It had already been 10 minutes.

[Notice: Nazarak's scenario has been deleted!]

This meant that Nazarak had lost his status as one of the 100 lords and was removed from the game storyline.

This was a phenomenon that occurred when a lord was defeated by another lord.

It meant that he could no longer enjoy his unique scenario, various quests, and benefits.

This also meant that Camille had successfully destroyed Nazarak's portrait.

“Waaaaaahhhhhh!!!”

“We won! We won!”

“Hail Iota!”

“Hail!”

“We have repelled the evil undead!”

As evidence, the cheers of victory from Iota's soldiers could be heard from outside.

“Phew. I really thought I was going to die.”

Oto sighed in relief and tried to get out of the pile of rocks.

But.

“Eh, how… do I get out…?”

The entrance was blocked by the collapse of the rocks, leaving no way out.

Am I trapped?

* * *

After the battle.

“Where is the lord! Where has the lord gone! Has anyone seen the lord!”

As soon as Camille destroyed Nazarak's portrait, she went to find Oto.

“I saw the lord run off somewhere, but I don’t know where.”

“I saw him running away just a moment ago….”

The soldiers did not know where Oto, who had suddenly disappeared from the battlefield, had gone.

“Tend to the wounded! Thoroughly identify the fallen!”

“Yes, Sir Camille!”

Camille had the soldiers search for Oto, but no one could find him.

The pile of rocks was so deep that Oto's cries for help were not heard.

“We will withdraw for now.”

In the end, Camille gave up on finding Oto and withdrew the army.

‘He must have some plan.’

Oto had repeatedly disappeared and reappeared over the past few days, so she assumed he had some plan.

“Hey, you bastards! Did you leave me behind! Did you forget about me!”

Oto, realizing no one was coming to rescue him, vented his anger and frustration.

However, due to the army's withdrawal, he was trapped in the pile of rocks, suffering from cold and hunger.

Three days later.

“S-Save me… I… am here… save me… please….”

“Lord! Are you there!”

“I… am here… save me… please….”

“I hear the lord’s voice! Here! Here!”

Oto was rescued by the search party sent by Camille and returned safely to Iota.

When Oto had not shown up for three days, Camille, sensing something was wrong, sent a search party to re-search Nazarak's base.

After safely returning to Iota, Oto met with Camille after a two-day rest and poured out his frustration and sense of betrayal.

“You traitor.”

“No, I am not.”

“What do you mean, not? You just left when the lord disappeared.”

“T-That….”

“Didn’t you even wonder if he was alive or dead? Didn’t you hope he would just go missing?”

“Absolutely not.”

“What do you mean, not? You did leave him behind.”

“I am sorry.”

“What? Sorry? Will being sorry end your knighthood?”

“No.”

“Don’t say ‘no.’ It’s annoying.”

“…Yes.”

“If I died or went missing, were you planning to take over the fief?”

Camille, who wanted to say, ‘I wouldn’t take over a fief on the verge of ruin, even if it was given to me for free,’ held back.

“No, I wasn’t….”

“Huh?”

Oto glared at her.

“I told you not to say ‘no.’ Is it annoying?”

“I am sorry.”

“Don’t say ‘sorry’ either. It’s even more annoying.”

Oto tormented Camille for almost two hours.

Thinking about being trapped in the pile of rocks for three days, starving and shivering from the cold, his anger did not easily subside.

* * *

After the torment.

“Are you okay? Are you alright?”

Oto asked Camille.

Camille did not look well.

She had been injured in the battle with the guardian monsters protecting Nazarak's portrait.

“I am fine with this.”

“Then that’s good.”

“Actually, it’s good.”

“Why? Does it feel good to stretch your body after a long time?”

Oto chuckled.

“Did you gain some insight into swordsmanship through the tough battle?”

“How… do you know that?”

Camille was surprised and asked Oto.

“I know everything.”

“……?”

“I can see everything. Hehehe.”

Camille’s level was set to increase explosively after completing the mission to destroy Nazarak's portrait.

She would grow by gaining experience.

“Anyway, it’s good.”

“Thank you. Oh, and.”

Camille handed a purple orb to Oto.

“This is something I obtained after destroying the Undead Lord’s portrait.”

“Oh, right. I forgot to pick it up.”

“Do you know about this orb?”

“I do.”

Oto took the purple orb.

[Notice: You have obtained the <Orb of Destruction>!]

The information about the item was as follows:

[Orb of Destruction]

An orb that Nazarak, who intended to build the Kingdom of the Undead, possessed.

Its purpose is unknown.

Type: Gem (Orb)

Grade: Unique

Durability: Infinite (∞)

Special Note: You might find information about this orb by searching ancient texts.