Chapter 66

One of the Eight Sages of "The Devil Flutist," the necromancer Manji, had raided the adventurer guild of the city of Baraila, turning adventurers into undead and equipping his subordinates with the jet-black crystals he had generated from his own mana to control the undead, causing unrest in various districts of the city.

Even at the place Robin Hood had headed after parting ways with Lambert, the adventurers who had turned into undead were attacking the citizens.

Robin Hood charged into the crowd of undead, riding his horse, Seraph. The undead adventurers who came forward were kicked back by Seraph's hooves.

Robin Hood accurately shot an arrow through the arm of an undead man who had swung a sword from the side of Seraph. Using the momentum of the horse, Robin Hood kicked the man's shoulder, which was swinging an empty hand, sending him flying backward.

"I've never seen an undead outbreak on this scale before, but it's not a pleasant sight. It's not a fun fight either, just unpleasant."

Robin Hood glared at the robed man standing at a distance. The man was holding a black crystal that controlled the undead.

The undead were arranged in a vortex centered around the man, clearly forming a defensive formation to protect him. Robin Hood approached the man, weaving through the gaps in the formation to avoid being flanked by the undead adventurers, circling around the man while reducing the number of enemies that could move properly by shooting arrows at their legs and necks.

"It's like exploring a dungeon. You've got a pretty solid formation there, old man. But your luck ran out when I showed up."

Saying this, Robin Hood laughed with a hint of self-mockery.

"...No, you're still lucky. You're lucky I'm the one who came."

"Y-You fool... Why, why can't I capture just one person with so many undead! There's still such a man left!"

The robed man raised the black crystal to the overcast sky. A black glow spread ominously. Robin Hood understood that the man had infused it with a great deal of mana. The man's complexion was worsening, and his expression was one of pain.

"Undead! Hurry... hurry and make that man a goner! I can't allow such a blunder! What, what will I say to Lord Manji...!"

The man's voice trembled as he shouted. To him, Manji was more a source of fear than of reverence.

"Sorry, but I don't care about your plans."

An arrow from Robin Hood's bow flew straight toward the raised black crystal. The man tried to lower the crystal in a panic, but it was too late. The arrow pierced the black crystal, which cracked and shattered into many pieces. The movements of the surrounding undead slowed, and they fell forward one after another, ceasing to move.

"Y-You...!"

"You were kind enough to raise such an easy target. I'll send you to hell next, so I hope your scary boss gives you a good squeezing."

Robin Hood's second arrow flew toward the man, who had lost his human shield. The arrow pierced the man's chest, lifting his body into the air. The man fell to the ground, hitting various parts of his body and scattering blood as he spun.

(...I'm a bit tired. But necromancy, huh. It's a distasteful magic. I'm worried about the black crystal fragments that are left. Should I destroy them completely?)

The study of necromancy was strictly forbidden by national law, so even Robin Hood, who had once been at the top of the adventurer guild in Baraila, was completely ignorant about it. Normally, this wouldn't be a problem, but in a fight, lack of information was a significant disadvantage.

Robin Hood dismounted from Seraph and approached the man's corpse amidst the pile of bodies, hoping to find a grimoire or something related to necromancy. However, he found nothing particularly useful when he searched the man's robes.

(Well, I guess it's too much to hope for such a convenient find.)

Just as Robin Hood was about to stand up with a sigh, he noticed that Seraph was agitated. The horse was glaring at Robin Hood, breathing heavily and excitedly.

"What's wrong, Seraph? An illusion or something?"

Seraph lunged at Robin Hood. As Robin Hood tried to stand up in surprise, something from a blind spot latched onto his shoulder. He instinctively twisted his body to protect his arm, as a bowman couldn't afford to lose his shoulder. This saved his shoulder, but at the cost of being bitten in the abdomen. The teeth ground into Robin Hood's body, gnawing persistently.

"Ugh... damn it!"

Looking over, he saw that it was the robed man from earlier. The man's eyes were vacant, and the arrow Robin Hood had shot earlier was still embedded in his chest. The man had been under a spell that turned him into an undead after death.

Robin Hood, suppressing his shock, tried to pry the man's head off. But the man was unexpectedly strong. Robin Hood kicked the man's head with his knee.

He felt the man's neck bone break. As the man's head was pushed back, the part of Robin Hood's abdomen that the man had bitten was torn off.

Caught completely off guard, Robin Hood had been careless against an opponent who wielded unknown magic. He cursed his own recklessness.

Trying to put some distance between them, Robin Hood stood up, but the robed man crawled closer, just as much as Robin Hood had moved back. The man was much more persistent than the others.

If he had been at a distance, Robin Hood could have handled the situation easily with his bow, but it was too late now.

The man lunged at Robin Hood again. Seraph lowered his head and charged, knocking Robin Hood and the man in opposite directions.

Robin Hood did a forward roll to break his fall, quickly picked up his bow, and shot an arrow at the man. Arrows from Robin Hood's rapid-fire barrage pierced the man from his forehead to his lower abdomen. Even the undead couldn't survive such an attack. The man's eyes rolled back, and he collapsed to the ground, knees buckling.

"Thanks, Seraph. I always rely on you."

Robin Hood gently stroked Seraph's jaw as the horse leaned in. Then he looked down at his own abdominal wound. Blood was dripping. He tried to stop the bleeding by pressing his hand against it, but the wound was too large.

"Looks like I have to retire... here."

Robin Hood sat down with his back against a building, sighing and looking into the distance. He could see smoke rising from the mansion of Count Mondo.

(...But it seems I can't just give up. It's a two-for-one deal. There's a reason to push myself even if it's difficult.)

Robin Hood stood up, steadied his breathing, and mounted Seraph, heading toward the burning mansion.