"Yo, ho!"
Repeating the motion of solidifying the air to act as footholds, I flap my way up into the vast sky via Jet Propulsion.
To begin with, our ostrich bodies are designed strictly for ground use. Compared to our size, our weight is absurdly heavy, and our wings are far too small to generate enough lift to support that weight. At absolute best, they're just large enough to let us glide down if we jump from a high place. In short, it was widely believed to be impossible for an ostrich to fly... but this is human society, after all. It seems a technique born from trial and error can make even that possible.
Because of that, this "Jet Propulsion" technique I learned from the Red Knight-chan—or more accurately, watched and stole—is incredibly convenient.
(It would have been nice if I could have thanked her properly, but in the end, we parted ways with her still harboring an awkward sense of dread toward me, didn't we?)
Well, as long as the Heed Kingdom and her home country of the Nagan Kingdom maintain an alliance, there should be another opportunity to meet, I think to myself as I look down over the battlefield.
While I can't determine the exact numbers, it's probably around the same size as the invasion army led by the Beast King that I saw the other day. Roughly 30,000 undead are moving in a massive clump toward a town in the Beast Kingdom. There's a theory that the undead move toward areas with the most living creatures to drag the living to their side and increase their numbers, and it really looks exactly like that... Their entire bodies are squelchy and rotten; it's quite repulsive.
"Taking a quick look, I don't see the presence of the 'thief' who's supposed to be the enemy leader."
Scanning with my ostrich vision, I don't spot any individuals who look particularly powerful. Just as the Tactician's information suggested, there are only multiple quasi-special strategic force-class undead visible. Aside from them, it's just a bunch of small fry that look like they can be easily blown away. The Beast King isn't here, nor is there an obvious caster-like entity manipulating them. They might be using magic to conceal themselves, so there's no absolute certainty, but it seems there's no enemy on this field capable of making me guard my vigilance.
...Even so, a "Necromancer." What kind of person are they? According to the Tactician's explanation, there are apparently two main possibilities. The first is a living person—a mage like myself or the Beast King—who specializes in death magic, the kind of magic that manipulates the undead. The other possibility is that someone who already died and became an undead has acquired a high level of intellect and is running rampant. A Lich or something similar, right? Apparently, those two are the primary theories.
(That brief window of time when I defeated the Beast King and went to check on the children... they managed to make off with the corpses of the Beast King and the Beast Kingdom soldiers during that exact interval.)
Whichever it is, it's clear they possess a considerable degree of capability.
The information held by the Tactician doesn't contain any records of a special strategic force or quasi-special strategic force who manipulates the dead. In this world, information regarding the strong spreads wider and faster than mere rumors, so it's highly unusual for someone to possess great strength while remaining completely anonymous... But well, I'm a living exception—an existence that remained anonymous until now simply because I came from the high plains—so I can't declare with absolute certainty that there isn't another similar existence out there. It wouldn't be strange at all if a dangerous person was hiding away~.
(As the Tactician mentioned, there are countless ways to prevent information from leaking.)
To put it plainly: if you simply kill every single existence that sees you, turn them into undead, and force them into submission, information won't spread. Furthermore, even if missing persons become an issue, you can deceive everyone into believing a wild undead monster did it. ...Well, knowing the Tactician, he's probably investigating with all these various factors factored in. That guy's brain is definitely wired entirely differently from ours.
"Oh well. I'll just do what I must do, and what I want to do."
What I must do: first, the task of erasing the troublesome elements on this battlefield. Well, this part is simple; it'll be over in a flash if I fire a salvo of high-output Magic Cannons. Let's get started right away. I spin the magic power that I constantly circulate inside my body at a much faster rate, and simultaneously release it outward. I subdivide the magic power that leaves my body into multiple portions, solidifying and compressing them.
My targets are those grotesque, stitched-together undead—monstrosities that were likely the generals of the Beast Kingdom. It feels a bit pitiful to erase them completely, but they look like parts of entirely different humans forced together, and they're bound not with normal thread, but with raw intestines and grim things. It's incredibly repulsive. It's far past the point of a fate worse than death; I feel it's much better for the original owners to just be laid to rest.
With that in mind, let's proceed without hesitation.
"...Magic Cannon."
In an instant, my vision is completely filled with pure white. My proficiency with magic manipulation is still only mediocre, so no matter what kind of magic I use, the scale ends up at a Great Demon King level, but the Magic Cannon is an exception. It's not a refined technique like the Beast King's, but the mechanism is simple. Thanks to that, I can manage just by blasting it out like this. It's nice and easy since I don't have to think about anything~.
The white heat rays accurately erase the undead generals—let's just call them Undead Generals since it's shorter—and gouge into the earth. The normal undead around them get caught in the crossfire as well, and roughly 2,000 in total are vaporized. Nn, nn, no stragglers left behind. A perfect, job well done, Wraith-chan. I'll give myself a gold star.
Now then, the rest have turned into a disorganized rabble, but...
(They aren't coming.)
I flew up into the sky to be easily seen by the enemy, kneading my magic power to show it off, and fired. I thought that doing this much would cause the enemy commander to make a corresponding move... but there's absolutely nothing of the sort. There's no sign of them unleashing the undead Beast King, nor are they sending undead capable of aerial combat, and there's no movement indicating an attempt to flee. They just continuously move toward the town.
It might really be that they aren't present on this field. ...Oh well, I've left the searching to the Tactician. With that guy, it's unlikely he'll come back saying 'I couldn't find them.' Whether they die here or die somewhere else, it's just a minor difference of sooner or later. The result won't change.
For now, since the immediate danger has been eliminated, it's time to pass the baton to Dele.
What I want to do: that is to have Dele gain experience and accumulate a successful achievement.
(While letting her vent her frustration, I'll have her achieve a result where I can praise her with everything I've got.)
My choice to bring Lucia, the young Queen, into our inner circle cannot be called a mistake. At that time, I believed that was the correct answer, and if I had cast that child aside, a worst-case scenario would have been waiting. Therefore, I brought her in... but well, to my children, it's not a pleasant story. I am deeply aware of that after seeing the children's reactions. It was quite a handful because some of them pouted intensely.
Among them, Dele was the worst, and she was incredibly jealous of Lucia. Regarding the fact that she didn't resort to violence, I want to praise her so much that her entire body gets smothered, but Dele probably won't be satisfied with just that. For her, that endurance is likely starting to become something she views as "expected." I praised her thoroughly once before, and while she was happy, I could see that something was still smoldering inside her.
Having grown significantly compared to the past, she now desires a reason to be praised. Rather than just being praised simply, she is properly looking at the process as well.
"If I just praise her or give her headpats, that's a 100. Until now, 100 was the limit, but she's become smarter and her emotional range has widened. Because of that, by adding the experience of her working hard and succeeding, the praise can finally reach the upper limit of 200. I guess it feels something like that."
It's just an intuitive feeling, but Dele looked like she was desiring exactly that.
If my child desires it, I will support her with all my might. And fortunately, the "experience" she chose was commanding the flock—something that reduces my own burden. Well, under these conditions, I just have to work hard to set the stage for her, right? By a stroke of good fortune, an undead subjugation landed right in our laps, and to make things even better, it requires going to a place where I can separate Dele and Lucia's distance.
I feel bad for Lucia, but comparing their mental ages, Dele is younger and much more prone to jealousy. If I don't let her vent her frustrations here, things might develop in a bad direction.
(Not that it's the only reason... but do your best. I'll give you plenty of support and cheering. Of course, after it's over too.)
"Dele—! Get ready—!"
"Oka—y!"
With those thoughts in mind, I call out to Dele, who has been watching me from below the entire time. The transfer of command authority is already complete; the children, who until just now were flapping their wings while looking up at me, shift their awareness toward the battlefield at Dele's voice. It seems integrating all 300 into her command is still difficult; about thirty percent are facing a different direction or staring intently at me, but I'll deal with them later.
Just in case anything happens, Amelia-san is riding on Dele's back as usual. Aside from supporting Dele, I've requested various other things of her, and I'll provide backup from the rear as well.
Now, Dele. Gain experience to your heart's content.
◇◆◇◆◇
"...Nnh?"
Inside a pitch-black room, a single woman awakens from her slumber.
What she felt was a sensation as if something inside her had diminished. Judging from her past experiences, this signified that the undead under her control had decreased in number. Thinking simply, it was bad news, but to her, it was a signal indicating that her plan had advanced another step. Involuntarily raising the corners of her mouth, she slowly steps down from her couch.
"Lights and clothes, please~."
Exposing her bare skin, she issues that instruction to one of the undead waiting nearby. The corpse of a beastman possessing a massive physique gave a respectful bow before springing into action.
To a Necromancer, a decrease in the undead under their ownership is by no means a bad thing. To them, corpses are merely a medium, and the true essence is the pure negative power emitted when a living creature dies. By managing that energy, they reinforce the corpses, transform them into undead, and select the future desired by the caster.
"Well~, having good corpses is always preferred, though~."
To begin with, an undead is something generated anew as a magical creature using a corpse as a medium. Because it utilizes a corpse harboring the pure and powerful negative energy of death, the caster's own magic power doesn't need to be exceptionally vast. All that is required is a tiny ember necessary for revival—just a bit of magic power. Using that as a starting point, they keep the powerful negative energy burning. They are dead, yet they move. That contradictory state becomes the motive force for the undead to function indefinitely.
And when an undead that died once dies a second time, the negative power emitted at that exact moment becomes even greater than the first time. Being killed despite having finally been brought back to life—that powerful resentment of the physical body manifests as a potent release of energy. And by utilizing that even greater manifested energy, they generate a much sturdier monstrosity. It is a standard method for a Necromancer.
"Well~, they don't look very nice~, and researchers tend to monopolize basic knowledge anyway. To us, it's just the absolute basics, but perhaps to ordinary people, it's information they don't know at all~."
Amused, as if flaunting her knowledge to an ignorant populace, she laughs loudly before leaning her weight back onto the couch once more.
Even as she does this, the connections with her subordinate undead are vanishing one after another. But that is fine. In the first place, the undead placed over there are merely disposable surplus to her. There are as many as 30,000 gathered, and they automatically harvest the living to increase their numbers. If they are lucky enough for negative emotions to align and cause them to evolve into a mightier undead, that would be a bonus. They were only at that level of importance.
After all, the undead left abandoned over there are a collection of unwanted spare parts. Harvesting usable components or superior parts from the deceased generals of the Beast Kingdom, she assembled them into a single body. What resulted were excellent soldiers, alongside the leftover remnants. She does not possess the ethics of human society, but she did not deem it good to simply throw away leftover materials.
As a result, what was completed was that. Something forced into a human shape.
"After all~, one must use materials carefully~, you see."
A collection of unwanted surplus, alongside the soldiers of the Beast Kingdom who are mere labor assets incapable of even becoming raw materials. Leaving behind what is no longer needed to serve as the next stepping stone. Afterward, the humans of the Beast Kingdom, the Heed Kingdom, or with any luck, the Nagan Kingdom will handle the disposal on their own. Ordinarily, disposing of them might be the creator's duty, but the people of those misunderstood nations will kindly clean them up on their own accord. There could be nothing more effortless than this.
"Besides~, there's also such a thing as capacity~, you see. Organizing things, discarding unwanted items—it's very important~."
"SORRY TO KEEP YOU WAITING."
"Oh~, thank you~."
As she enjoys tracking the decreasing undead in that manner, the beastman she commanded earlier returns with her clothes. A pitch-black robe. It was the exact same design as the one worn by the woman who had been scavenging the Beast King's corpse.
Accepting only the robe, she slips it on lightly as she steps off the couch. There are no living beings in this place besides herself; there was no need to feel any shame.
"Hmm~, but still. The speed at which they're being erased might be a bit faster than I thought~. Having them subjugated without causing much damage isn't very amusing either... so shall we apply a tiny bit of reinforcement? Yes, yes, that's a great idea~."
Saying so, she focuses intensely on her connection with the undead and injects her magic power. The target she sent it to was the corpse of an ordinary Beast Kingdom soldier. A weak individual that would scatter rotten meat if kicked by an ostrich, be incinerated if burned by fire, or have its very existence wiped away as if it never was if touched by holy magic. However—no, because of that, it was perfect. Since she would be utilizing the powerful negative energy generated when an undead dies a second time.
"A horde of 30,000 undead. The negative energy that will gather when they all perish at once. It's a slight shame I won't be able to witness it with my own eyes... but it will certainly reach the special strategic force class. And furthermore, it will reach the upper tiers... might be an exaggeration~. At best, around the middle tier, I suppose."
Allowing those thoughts to float, she concludes her work. The rest can just be left alone.
Judging from this processing speed, it's certain that an opponent of the special strategic force class is present over there—most likely the ostriches, Wraith, or the Tactician. They are opponents against whom the undead likely to be born in that land would struggle to even achieve a double-knockout. But as long as they can be pinned down to a certain extent on that field, that will suffice.
"Ah, that's right. I must make a quick confirmation. Engaging in a battle of brains with that 'Tactician' boy is nothing short of suicide, after all~."
Focusing intensely on one of the connections inside her body, she shares her vision with one of the undead gathered in the Beast Kingdom. The instant she does so, what is reflected on her retina is the sight of her "pets" being vaporized. The undead sharing her vision is destroyed immediately afterward... but within that single split second, she was able to obtain the necessary information.
"Hmm~, excellent. The military banners of Heed were properly there. And the Tactician's figure as well. Yes, yes, this is a golden opportunity to move. Let's get started right away."
Uttering those words, the Necromancer begins to walk slowly, leading her subordinate undead along.
To create the powerful undead she desires, there are only two ways: either the corpse of an exceptionally strong individual like a special strategic force, or turning an entire country into raw materials for the undead. However, neither option presents itself very easily. Even in an era of warfare, special strategic forces are difficult to kill, and even if they die, a decent corpse rarely remains. And incidents where a country vanishes entirely hadn't really occurred since she was born.
"In that case, I just have to make it happen. It's a very simple matter~, isn't it?"
Accompanied by the dead, she activates a massive magic circle. A teleportation circle.
To transport a single person is one thing, but for someone like her to transport multiple individuals—and a vast number of humans at that—activating it alone would normally require hundreds of mages. However, she is a Necromancer. By forcing the undead to collateralize the necessary magic power, and having them sacrifice everything after activation, teleportation becomes possible. The undead serving as sacrifices will likely turn to ash and vanish afterward, but that is perfectly fine.
The destination is the Nagan Kingdom.
In the hands of a Necromancer, even that kingdom renowned for its excellence in information warfare will be laid completely bare. The more ordinary a person is, the less they care whether a mouse scurrying inside a room is alive or dead. No one pays heed to what a bird perched on a roof might be doing.
She has already seen through that country's information, as well as the weakness of the Tactician, who is their special strategic force.
Utilizing the Nagan Kingdom, she will trigger a great war across this continent.
And by transforming the deceased into undead one after another, she will attain absolute supremacy.
"I look forward to it~, truly."
Progress Check
〇 Mama Wraith's Move: Cleared the field of the fused "Undead Generals" with an explosive, unrefined Magic Cannon and is now holding back to let Dele take the stage.
〇 Dele's Big Moment: This battle serves as a controlled, highly supported environment to restore Dele's confidence after her intense jealousy of Lucia.
〇 The Hidden Enemy: A Necromancer wearing the same black robe as the scavenger from the Beast King's battlefield is actively manipulating the layout. She treats the 30,000 horde as disposable bait to gather mass negative energy upon death, while using the distraction to execute a surprise teleportation raid directly into Nagan Kingdom.
What aspects of Dele's field tactical execution or the Tactician's counter-reconnaissance efforts would you like to explore next?