"Only about five hundred people left to reach thirty thousand bookmarks~"
"I think it will take another two or three days."
"I've been missing these milestones every time recently, so I'll make sure not to miss the next one (laughs)."
---
"Protect the fleeing people! Don't let them be pursued!"
Leo gave the order with all his might.
Leo and his group, who were heading to Bassau, immediately sensed the black, massive sphere floating above Bassau.
Seeing the abnormality of the black sphere, Leo immediately prepared for battle and raised the emergency purple signal. The black sphere was so out of the ordinary that Leo instinctively sensed it was something bad.
This was something Leo had never seen before, and it exceeded his understanding, as did the situation it would cause.
The only consolation was that raising the purple signal, despite the advice of the royal guards to be more cautious, turned out to be the right decision.
"Damn!"
Leo swung his sword while riding.
In front of the tip of his sword was a monster made of bones.
A low-level monster called a skeleton, a special type of undead that rarely appears under normal circumstances.
By shattering its weak point, the chest, Leo defeated one, but it was like pouring water on a hot stone.
Skeletons were surging out of Bassau like water overflowing from a cup.
There were hundreds of them, just by what could be seen.
The people of Bassau were fleeing in panic from the army of skeletons.
"Prince Leonardo! Please retreat!"
A royal guard instantly cut down the skeletons around Leo.
However, no matter how many he cut down, more skeletons kept appearing.
"There's no end to them! We should retreat once!"
"No, we must hold the line here."
"Are you in your right mind, Your Highness!?"
The royal guard let out a scream-like voice at Leo's judgment.
The only ones present were Leo and his royal guard, along with Linphia, Abel, and his party members. In total, there were barely twenty of them.
It was impossible to stop hundreds of skeletons.
"If we retreat, the fleeing people will be attacked from behind. We will not retreat. We will maintain the front line here."
"Then, Your Highness, please retreat!"
"I will not retreat. Do you have anything else to say?"
Leo asked while cutting down skeletons.
Retreating would be easy, but if he did, the people he was supposed to protect would be in danger.
He couldn't expose the people to danger out of self-interest.
Leo was not the emperor now. If his life was important to the empire, he might have considered retreating. But now, Leo was just a candidate for the throne.
His life was not as important as the emperor's.
"I came to the south to assert my will. I am here because I want to help those who are suffering. That hasn't changed. What about you? As a royal guard, when you pledged your sword that day, is the vow you made to the emperor still in your heart?"
The royal guard, who had been advising retreat, fell silent in the face of the surging army of skeletons.
The royal guard, as the emperor's sword, swears an oath before the emperor, pledging their sword and pride.
"I swore to dedicate my life to the empire and the people. That vow will never leave my heart."
"Very well. Then fight. The time we buy here will surely have meaning."
"Yes, sir!"
No one was left to urge Leo to retreat.
Leo wasn't staying just because of his emotions.
The skeletons surging out were not acting chaotically; they were gathering around nearby enemies.
In other words, Leo and his group were attracting the skeletons.
If they retreated, the skeletons would lose their closest target and could spread throughout the south.
If that happened, the southern lords would have to defend their territories on their own, and it would take longer to defeat the skeletons.
Leo judged that staying to act as a decoy was the best course of action for the empire.
"Prince Leonardo, I have a request."
"What is it, Linphia? You're not going to advise retreat, are you?"
"There's a village behind us. I'm sorry, but I would be in trouble if you retreated."
"Of course. You understand well."
Leo smiled wryly at Linphia's understanding.
In the midst of suspicions of corruption among the southern nobles, if the skeletons spread throughout the south, the first to suffer would be the refugee villages. Probably only a few lords would try to protect them, and even fewer would have the strength to do so.
"So, what kind of request do you have?"
"Let's call for reinforcements."
While talking, Linphia was sweeping away the skeletons around Leo.
She wanted a little time to talk properly.
"Reinforcements? From where?"
"From the entire southern region. We'll send a messenger to the nearest city."
"Are you going to pressure the lords?"
"No, the lords can't be relied on. We'll rely on adventurers. They won't betray us as long as we pay them, and they'll work accordingly, like Abel and his party."
"Yeah, that's right! We're getting plenty of rewards, so we won't run away! I'd like to run, though!"
Abel, who was fighting nearby, cut down skeletons while saying this. His party members were grumbling around him.
"Because the leader is tempted by the reward..."
"Don't blame me! We discussed it, right!?"
"No, everyone was against it, but the leader pushed through with some mysterious sense of justice about not abandoning a village in trouble."
"Hey! Don't shift the blame here! We're a party, right!?"
Abel's party members were having such a lively conversation while covering each other appropriately.
Adventurers are professionals in monster battles.
Indeed, if adventurers came as reinforcements, they would be powerful allies.
However,
"The adventurers in the small branch in the south won't be enough."
"I know. So, I'll request the entire guild."
"What do you mean?"
"I'll issue a raid quest."
Raid quest. Leo searched his memory at the unfamiliar term.
He had heard it before.
Deep in his memory, from a story his mother told him when he was young.
"Isn't it a large-scale quest that many adventurers can participate in?"
"Yes. It's rarely done these days, but it's perfect for this situation."
"By the way, why is it rarely done?"
"Simply because it's expensive."
Leo understood Linphia's answer.
It's better to hire one high-rank adventurer than many low-rank ones. The best example is an SS-rank adventurer.
Hiring an SS-rank adventurer is much cheaper than issuing a raid quest. A raid quest is that expensive.
"Do you have the funds? I don't have that much."
"Prince Arnold gave me a large sum of money. Let's use it."
"Really... He never spends money himself, but he gives a large sum to others so easily."
"Isn't that just like Prince Arnold? He's a kind person."
Linphia smiled and handed the bag she received from Al to Leo.
Leo tilted his head, thinking Linphia would go herself.
"I think it would be easier for you to go for the procedures."
"There's no guarantee that you won't betray us. It's safer to send a royal guard."
Leo frowned at Linphia's words.
He already trusted Linphia. He didn't think she would betray him or be intimidated. But that was his personal trust.
He couldn't give such an important task to a mere adventurer at this crucial moment.
Linphia's suggestion was based on considering Leo's position.
"I will fight by Prince Leonardo's side. I promised Prince Arnold that I would be of help to you."
"You've already been a great help. Is there anyone willing to take on the messenger role!? Someone who is confident they won't run away!?"
Leo asked the royal guards.
Just asking for a messenger wouldn't make the royal guards nod. It was an act of fleeing from the enemy. Especially with Leo, a royal family member, fighting to protect them.
But Leo added that he wanted someone who was confident they wouldn't run away.
If no one stepped forward, it would mean they lacked confidence.
All the royal guards stepped forward. Leo handed the bag to the knight most skilled with horses and gave him instructions.
"Go to the nearest city and request a raid quest from the adventurer guild! The guild can contact the entire continent! Don't forget to inform the capital of the details!"
"Yes, sir! I will return as soon as possible! Good luck!"
"You too!"
The knight ran off.
Watching him go, Leo shifted his gaze to the city of Bassau.
The black sphere was emitting a more ominous aura, and the number of skeletons was not decreasing.
It was like the entrance to hell.
With this thought, Leo began swinging his sword mindlessly.