Lieutenant Colonel of the Kingdom’s Intelligence Corps.
Having resolved to abandon his title, Yakov Schwizen had broken away from the battlefield alone and was now racing across the plains leading to the kingdom in a military vehicle.
Triumphant and malevolent cries echoed from behind, originating from Elden.
…The Demon Kingdom’s army has won. But no matter anymore!
Desertion before the enemy without orders was punishable by firing squad for any soldier. Schwizen knew this, yet his resolve was unshaken—or rather, it was already shattered.
“It’s over… I can’t rise again…”
Somewhere deep inside, he had believed that death would never come for him.
As a member of the Intelligence Corps stationed at the rear, his role was to skillfully gather critical information for the war effort. The staff officers and frontline commanders would then use that intelligence to secure victory. All Schwizen had to do was watch from the sidelines.
…Or so it should have been. But look at me now.
Somehow, he had been dragged into the frontlines, his guards slaughtered by zombies led by Kiwi Alaya, and finally hunted down by unspeakably grotesque and terrifying mummies.
It was a miracle that he was still alive and breathing.
“I don’t want to die…”
If that was the case, there was only one path left for him: fleeing abroad.
First, he would slip into the safety of the kingdom and vanish without a trace. Then, he would persuade the love of his life, Ellie, to secretly leave the country with him.
“Where should we escape to? The Empire? The Republic? Anywhere we can live modestly but happily would be fine…”
“—Or perhaps there’s an even better plan?”
A woman’s voice suddenly rang out.
Someone was sitting in the backseat of his car without him noticing.
“Wh-Who are you…!?”
“Me? I’m a well-meaning third party.”
Turning around, Schwizen found a woman smiling faintly, her half-closed eyes betraying no emotion.
She looked like a child. Clad in pale green clothing that seemed devoid of any modern craft, she was barefoot. But what stood out most were her long, pointed ears peeking out from her flowing golden hair.
The woman was—an elf.
“Still, this is a stroke of luck. To find a vehicle leaving Elden means I don’t have to carry this one myself.”
The elf looked down. Resting across her lap, head against her knees, lay—
“The Hero…!?”
The Hero Ares, almost completely naked and covered in what appeared to be burn scars, was lying unconscious. Yet his hand still clutched the holy sword.
“Ah, this one? I picked him up because he made for a convenient ‘distraction.’ “
“You saved the Hero…!? Just who are you!?”
“Does the name Melissa mean anything to the people of the kingdom?”
“…!”
Of course, Schwizen knew that name.
She was one of the Three Sages, the representatives of the western Elven nation.
The creator of countless sacred arts—
“Melissa, the Sage of the West…?”
“I’ve never called myself that. ‘Sage’ is just a title you humans came up with.”
The elves were the only non-human race the kingdom regarded with any measure of respect. Among them, the so-called Sages were capable of wielding sacred—or even divine—arts that defied human comprehension.
Their power was said to rival that of entire nations, a fact acknowledged by the Kingdom’s military.
…And now, one of them was sitting before him.
“B-But why would someone like you, Lady Melissa, be here…?”
“Oh, I sensed something… intriguing and decided to see for myself.”
Melissa smirked slightly.
“Do you know the name of that Dark Healer from the Demon Kingdom?”
“…!”
Schwizen couldn’t possibly have been unaware of the answer.
Swallowing the lump in his throat, he spoke:
“K-Kiwi Alaya…”
“Oh, Kiwi, is it?”
Melissa repeated the name several times under her breath, as if rolling it around in her mouth.
“Kiwi, Kiwi… hmm.”
Then she declared:
“I want Kiwi.”
Melissa turned her gaze back toward the Demon Kingdom’s city of Elden, a trace of longing in her expression.
As Schwizen hesitated, wondering whether he should ask why she desired Kiwi Alaya, Melissa broke the silence first.
“Now then, there’s something I want you to do.”
Her tone was casual, almost offhanded, as if she were discussing the weather.
“Start more battles.”
“…What?”
“I’m telling you to fan the flames of war between the Kingdom and the Demon Kingdom. Force them into military action. If the Demon Kingdom is cornered, Kiwi Alaya will surely use that technique again. When that happens…”
Melissa grinned ominously.
Schwizen couldn’t grasp the full extent of her plan, but he was certain of one thing: it would not end well.
“L-Lady Melissa… I’m sorry, but I’ve already severed ties with the Kingdom’s army—”
“Do you think I’ll let you escape?”
Clink.
Melissa flicked her fingers, and something she had propelled wandered through the air as if it had a will of its own. It landed on Schwizen’s chest.
“This… this is!”
“Something you dropped. You’ll be needing it again.”
It was the lieutenant colonel’s badge, which Schwizen had discarded on the back seat before starting the car. It now adhered to his uniform as if it had never left.
“Still quite the high-ranking officer, aren’t you? And now, you’re the one who heroically rescued the unconscious Hero from the heart of the Demon Kingdom’s army, brought him to safety despite your own severe injuries, and escaped back to the Kingdom. You’re about to become a war hero.”
“N-No! If I do that, I—!”
“Volunteer for the front lines. Earn accolades, and position yourself to influence the Kingdom’s military. I’ll assist you.”
“No! No, no, no! I’ll never go to the front lines again!”
“You don’t have a choice.”
Clatter, clatter, clatter.
Melissa raised a finger and began to twirl it. The handle of the passenger-side window spun on its own, the glass lowering inch by inch.
Then, from the fully open window, something slimy slithered into the car.
“Aaaargh! Nooooo! No, no, nooooooooooooo!”
A mummy.
It was the same bandage-wrapped, skeletal monstrosity that had attacked Schwizen at Elden’s prison.
The mummy advanced on Schwizen, but just before it could reach him, a radiant barrier of light blocked its path.
“It’s been clinging to the roof of the car ever since I got in.”
Melissa’s palm shone with golden light as she maintained the sacred barrier, keeping the mummy at bay.
“Now, what will you do? Do you want my help?”
“Aaaaargh! Yes, yes, please help me!”
“Careful, your erratic driving is making me dizzy.”
Melissa leaned into the driver’s side, steadying the wheel, and spoke:
“Listen. If you want my help, then make a pact.”
She leaned closer, her voice cold and commanding.
“Swear to work with me, to push the Kingdom into further war. All for the sake of obtaining Kiwi Alaya.”
“F-Fine! Fine, I swear!”
Schwizen nodded desperately, trembling like a doll with a loose head. The barrier of light began to ripple, its jelly-like surface thinning as the mummy’s arm crept closer to him.
There was no other option.
“Good. The pact is sealed.”
Melissa touched the back of Schwizen’s hand with her fingertip.
A searing heat spread from the contact point, leaving a simple sigil etched into his skin.
“That’s a sacred seal. If you break the pact—betray me—you’ll burn alive. Don’t forget that.”
With that, Melissa turned to the mummy, raising her hand.
“Good work. Farewell.”
A powerful burst of light shot from her palm, launching the mummy out of the car.
The sheer holy energy in the spell would have been enough to purify most ordinary undead in an instant.
“Impressive. Still moving, are you?”
In the distance, the mummy staggered back to its feet. It stared at the car with its empty sockets for a moment before turning around and shuffling back toward Elden.
