"Orcs and Nagas, huh."
Azadin pierced through the darkness and observed the scene. An orc emerged from the bridgehead garrison in a wheelchair, with Nagas standing behind him.
"Do you recognize anyone, Shati?"
"J-just a moment. I can't see from this distance."
Shati said that and took something out from his pocket. It was a pair of glasses.
"Huh?"
Azadin was surprised to see it.
"Those are glasses. Wow, it's my first time seeing them."
"In Aragasa, everyone has good eyesight."
"Keep your voice down. Nagas might be nearsighted, but they are incredibly sensitive to presences."
Using her glasses, Shati observed the Nagas at the garrison and frowned. She couldn't tell exactly who they were, but she could identify their affiliation. However, telling these people would be an act of betrayal against the Nagas.
'Is there any way to get around this with a lie? No, probably not.'
As Shati was thinking that,
"You have the face of someone thinking something bad."
"As expected, this Naga is useless. Should we just kill her?"
Midiam and Ishmael began to suspect Shati.
Throwing around talk of killing so carelessly—Shati was disgusted. Azadin, Brand, the holy knight Zebeck, and even the servants of the Herald Clan, Midiam and Ishmael, all despised her. When they said they wanted to kill her, they weren't just joking; there was real intent behind it.
"Wait a second, I healed you! Healing! That was super useful, wasn't it?"
"But if you lie outright…"
"I haven't lied yet!"
"If you haven't yet, that means you will, right?"
As the situation escalated, Shati had no choice but to plead with Azadin.
"Hey, do something about these guys! Why are they so hot-headed?"
"So, can you recognize those Nagas?"
"My eyesight isn't great, but… hmm… they're probably from the Book of Divine King Retrieval Team."
"The Book of Divine King Retrieval Team? Does that mean this attack is related to the Book of Divine King?"
"The Book of Divine King appears when you humans are getting massacred."
"What do you mean?"
Azadin was baffled by Shati's words, but it wasn't completely baseless.
Among the copies of the Book of Divine King he had obtained, some had been revealed by the souls of the dead when people were suffering. He had found others in places where the apostles of Mezeri tortured, abused, and slaughtered humans.
"What's the principle behind it? Where exactly do the copies of the Book of Divine King exist?"
When Azadin asked, Shati shrugged.
"I don't know the principle. I just know what my superiors told me. A real magic researcher might understand it."
"Then it'd be faster to catch that orc and ask."
Azadin saw the orc in the wheelchair moving. Perhaps, since the undead had not achieved much, he was climbing a nearby hill to observe the situation firsthand.
Azadin had anticipated this and had Midiam and Ishmael ambush the area.
"He's within arrow range. What should we do?"
Ishmael asked for Azadin's decision.
"Shoot to kill. Not that he'll die from just this."
At Azadin's words, Ishmael and Midiam enchanted their arrows with magic and fired. Azadin also took an arrow, so in effect, the three heralds unleashed the Dual Immortal Bow against the orc.
Shati watched with regret. Their arrows had nearly the force of javelins. If they ambushed with those, even a Naga with powerful regeneration would suffer a fatal wound. And as for an orc sitting still in a wheelchair—there was no question.
She didn't want to keep getting dragged around by Azadin and the heralds, but from the looks of it, this ambush would be over in an instant.
However, something unexpected happened.
***
Many orcs chose to move as little as possible in an attempt to extend their lifespan. But most could never achieve that dream. To sustain their enormous appetite, they had to stay active, which in turn led to greater muscle mass.
In this environment, necromancers sought ways to avoid overexerting their own bodies through necromancy.
But that also made them vulnerable to death. If they were lying down or, like Scott, sitting in a wheelchair to avoid using their bodies, they were naturally weak to ambushes.
Thus, a powerful protector was necessary to guard against sneak attacks. Scott had contracted with a wicked and capricious wraith, the Nightcrawler. In exchange for ensuring his survival in times of crisis, he had promised to pay a heavy price whenever he achieved results.
A necromancer who can handle Nightcrawler must be a master of necromancy, so there aren't many of them even among the orcs. Scott was renowned as a genius necromancer precisely because he could control the Nightcrawler freely.
And now, the shadow wraith activated. Six arrows flew toward him—two of them enchanted with magic, capable of making even the formless black wraith Nightcrawler groan in pain.
"Guh?!"
Only then did Scott realize he had been ambushed and panicked. More arrows flew toward him, but the Nightcrawler manifested and deflected them. The black shadow, shaped like a demonic entity, swung its hand and knocked the arrows away.
"Stop!"
Scott summoned zombies and ghouls with physical bodies to create a barricade around himself and tried to dismiss the Nightcrawler. He appreciated its help in blocking the ambush, but merely manifesting the Nightcrawler came at a steep price.
'There's no need to use the Nightcrawler to block attacks now that I know about the ambush!'
Scott suppressed the Nightcrawler and contacted the Nagas.
"Ambush! The enemy is here, you snakeheads!"
"What?"
"Where?!"
The Nagas rushed out.
***
"Damn… We should have killed him this time."
Azadin ground his teeth at the fact that the enemy orc necromancer had survived. They had fired six arrows in a concentrated attack, yet a massive black shadowy giant had appeared and blocked them.
This necromancer was more competent than expected. He had been wary since the enemy was an orc, but he hadn't expected to face someone this skilled.
"What the hell is that? That's a monstrous creature!"
Just looking at the shadow wraith made his skin prickle. If they fought it head-on, they would suffer significant casualties.
"If it's that strong, the caster must be burdened as well. Let's keep shooting!"
Midiam suggested, loosing another arrow, but the enemy had already fortified their defenses. The corpses of civilians encircled the orc, forming a protective wall. No matter how powerful the heralds' bows were, they couldn't pierce through the corpses and wound the necromancer from this distance.
"This won't work. Keep attacking! I'll move in."
Azadin said, then turned to Shati.
"Huh? Me? No way! Absolutely no way!"
Shati was in a situation where she was being forced to cooperate with Azadin, but it was entirely under duress. To survive under coercion, she could leak some information or use healing magic, but she could never assist in fighting against the Nagas.
"It's fine, Shati, just your presence is already a great help. Transform into a Naga."
Azadin spoke in a gentle tone as he slung Shati over his shoulder.
"Ugh! You warm-blooded creature! Where do you think you're touching?!"
Shati was horrified as Azadin picked her up.
"Hurry up and transform into a Naga. You wouldn't want to be mistaken for a human and killed by your own kin, right?"
"Ah, damn it!"
Shati shed her human form and transformed into a Naga. The moment she did, Azadin, still carrying her, began moving toward the enemy.
"...."
For a brief moment, Shati wondered if she could kill Azadin by constricting him with her tail. But as if he had anticipated her thoughts, Azadin pulled a dagger from his belt and subtly concealed it along the inside of his wrist.
If she started tightening her tail, he would instantly cut her apart with that dagger.
'Better not act rashly and observe the situation first.'
As Shati hesitated, Azadin carried her and dashed forward.
***
"Huh?"
Scott saw a man running toward him, carrying a female Naga.
"Help me!"
The man shouted, as if trying to protect the female Naga, holding his sword backward and pretending to deflect the incoming arrows.
"...?"
"What the hell is that?"
"She's obviously a snakehead. Does that mean the guy is also a snakehead?"
"But we don't have any agents around here. He's not a civilian Naga either, right?"
And yet, wasn't he clearly carrying a Naga woman?
"Isn't that the one we sent to Count Salasma?"
"Ah, could be."
The Nagas started connecting the dots. There had been Naga mages and agents dispatched to Count Salasma in exchange for receiving a copy of the Book of Divine King.
"Could she be a survivor? At this timing?"
"Hmm."
The Nagas pondered. The circumstances made sense, but the timing was suspicious.
"For now, let's provide support."
"But don't let them inside."
"Tsk. If the captain were here, he could confirm it."
The Nagas grumbled as they began casting spells. Vines sprouted and formed a barrier behind the man carrying the Naga, blocking the path behind him.
***
'This is bad.'
Shati realized Azadin's plan and was horrified. This man was subtly disguising himself as if he were also a Naga, intending to get close.
Since she had revealed herself as a Naga, the other Nagas wouldn't even consider that Azadin was a real human. They would assume he was one of their own in human form.
'This is a disaster!'
Even though her life was being threatened by Azadin, was she supposed to just stand by and watch as he deceived her kin? If she let this happen, the Nagas would never forgive her later. If she didn't do something now, she'd be in trouble even if she managed to return to them.
'But if I act now, I'll be killed immediately.'
Azadin was not unarmed. He had hidden his dagger, ready to tear her apart at any moment.
'Even if I expose his identity now, I'll die alone while he escapes unscathed, won't I?'
Having witnessed Azadin's abilities up close, Shati knew that revealing his identity now would only get her killed, while he would get away easily.
'It's better to wait until we're deep in the heart of my people and the undead before exposing him. But is this really logical thinking, or am I just too afraid of this man?'
Shati wasn't sure if she could trust her own decision. Meanwhile, Azadin was already closing in on the orc and the Nagas.
"Phew, thanks to you, I survived."
"Wait!"
The orc necromancer suddenly stopped Azadin.
"Drop your weapons and don't come any closer. We can talk just fine from a distance, can't we?"
"...."
The orc necromancer was wary of Azadin and refused to let him approach. For Shati, this was a huge relief.
'They say orcs are smart, and it turns out to be true. As expected. Thank goodness.'
And then, the Nagas approached.