Heroes of Might and Magic: Grand Consul

Chapter 49 The Promise (Part 2)

The mausoleum was extremely cold and damp, with broken bones and shattered weapons scattered all over the ground.

The dim, yellowish light flickered back and forth, making one feel uneasy.

At this point, the morale of the team had plummeted to rock bottom. Surrounded by a large army, they were forced to enter the cemetery and mausoleum, where they might end up like the intruders beneath their feet, reduced to bones.

Even if they are seasoned veterans, they find it difficult to recover.

Su Mu raised the torch, illuminating the soldiers' faces: "I know you are exhausted and terrified."

But the fact that you fought to this extent proves your courage and resilience. Everyone must die eventually, but if you can die on this ancient battlefield and rest alongside the spirits of heroes, then your life will not have been in vain.

I won't say I died a worthy death; death is death. But if, while alive, I fought to the very end, then I have no regrets for the blessings bestowed upon me by the earth.

"Whether you live or die, your families will receive a sum of gold coins. I swear this in the name of Lord Kuraki!"

Even though Su Mu was already in dire straits, and it was uncertain whether he could get out alive, the soldiers couldn't help but trust him as they listened to the lord's solemn promise, and their deadly fear gradually dissipated.

They had long been prepared to serve as soldiers in this chaotic world.

"Good! You have guts. This way, all my efforts in entrusting you with avenging me haven't been in vain!"

A chilling voice drifted from the cave, and a halfling riding a crawling chariot made of four skeletons slowly revealed its true form.

"Faric, you're not dead?"

The moment Ouling saw the other party, she stepped in front of Su Mu, drew her bow and arrow, and questioned him.

Su Mu pressed down on the bow and arrow, then came to Farik's front and observed him carefully.

Only the upper half of its body remained, and all the blood had long since drained away. The pale flesh looked frozen, emanating a chill. At first glance, it seemed as if a spell had been used to stop the injury, but upon closer inspection, it was discovered that the flesh was already decayed, the only abnormality being that it had not yet rotted.

Su Mu had observed the traveler's corpse. The soul itself might not even know it was dead, and every word and action was based on its living state, which is why it was so deceptive.

If the soul can be deceived, can the body also be deceived, believing that it is still alive?
Faric was in this state; his body was frozen in the state before his death, unlike the skeletons that were being eaten by maggots.

As moonlight shone through the canopy onto Fariq, his bones emitted a faint green glow, and his eerie eyes spun 360 degrees, staring at the group of strangers before him with a chilling smile.

"Alright, stop playing tricks!"

Judging from your appearance, you must have been absorbed by the ancient battlefield artifact, preserving your soul.

What, you want us to become like this too? Then I'd rather die in battle!

Su Mu was quite blunt. The hierarchy of the undead in the cemetery was very strict. Although Farik retained his consciousness, he had become a puppet being manipulated. His master could completely control his actions, and there was no longer any concept of loyalty or morale.

This is both the advantage and the disadvantage of the cemetery community.

Even if Su Mu were to become a necromancer, he should at least control his soul fire; otherwise, he might as well self-destruct with a spell and leave nothing behind.

"Hehe, it seems you know a lot about necromancy."

While I desperately want you all to go out and avenge me, it seems like a good idea if we all turned into skeletons and slaughtered everyone in White Rock City!
"Go, go see my master. Your lives are in his hands."

Orling's hand remained firmly on the bow and arrow, his eyes still fixed on the target. He distrusted Fariq, feeling that the other was leading them to their doom.

After some consideration, Su Mu agreed to Fariq's suggestion. The opponent was currently in a semi-undead state; killing him would be pointless, and they wouldn't be able to leave the ancient battlefield anyway.

Since the mastermind has gone to such great lengths to lure people here, they must have something in mind. In that case, it's not too late to listen to their conditions before making a decision.

"Lead the way!"

Farik led them through the tomb, and the deeper they went, the more guardian statues appeared, all of them soldiers from human castles, fighting off enemies. Upon closer inspection, the enemies also appeared to be human.

They climbed an ancient city wall, where beacon towers appeared in the distance. Countless skeletons surrounded the area, staring blankly at the living.

Farik began to tell the story of the ancient battlefield.

"Several hundred years ago, a civil war broke out in the Kingdom of Elton, and the three dukes of the North fought each other for the right to speak and resources."

This decades-long civil war completely shattered the North, with Duke Salman ultimately achieving a Pyrrhic victory and the other two factions being wiped out.

As for the reason, there are many different opinions. Some say that the Grand Duke colluded with the Arcane Empire to annex the Northern Mines; others say that the Duke's daughter, Windsor, was seduced by a commoner, which led to a dispute over the succession.

In short, it no longer mattered; their war had completely exhausted Elton's luck. Even the Pyrrhic victory of the Salimans, having lost their elite troops, could only find a weak heir from a collateral branch to barely survive.

"In the end, perhaps the three dukes will have a change of heart and realize that without the elite troops of the North, the kingdom could be in danger."

So they summoned sorcerers to build a mausoleum on the battlefield, turning it into a place of ruins.

When the kingdom faces peril in the future, its heroic spirits can be summoned to relieve its troubles!

After Fariq finished speaking, the group reached the edge of the city wall and saw a desolate open space through the huge stone steps. On the high platform stood three swords and thrones made of skulls. In the center sat a duke, his body wrapped in a shroud printed with the image of an iron knight, his hand resting on a greatsword plunged into the ground.

When he raised his head, his purplish-red eyes appeared within his armor, cold and bloodthirsty, as if he had unleashed a blizzard. Just looking into his eyes sent chills down one's spine.

The ground was originally empty, but as the Duke awoke, a cold wind blew by, and ghosts and skeletons swarmed in, crowding the battlefield and city walls, surrounding Su Mu and the others.

Confused, cruel, and bloody, these dead seemed to have been tormented for a long time. Even their soul fires were unstable, eager to tear flesh from their bodies and inflict pain upon the spirits.

"Shh!"

The shield bearers stood with their shields raised, the archers gripped their arrows, and they were determined to fight to the death.

But there were just too many enemies, tens of thousands, and the end was nowhere in sight.

“You have trespassed into the mausoleum and disturbed the rest of the dead. According to the law, your head should be cut off, your body hung up, and your corpse left to rot here for a hundred years.”

The Grand Duke's spirit had somehow drifted onto the city wall. His several-meter-tall body was extremely imposing. He looked down at Su Mu and questioned him. All the soldiers trembled and could not even hold their weapons steady.

Su Mu drew his longsword and approached the Grand Duke.

"If that's what you think, then I'd rather trigger my curse and self-destruct."

As for you, you are forever trapped on this ancient battlefield, cursed for breaking your promises, stabbed in the back, your tongues burned by fire, your souls never at rest.

The Grand Duke was furious, his entire body ablaze with ghostly flames, and he raised his heavy sword to strike down fiercely.

Su Mu didn't hold back either, channeling his magical power into his longsword. The knight's sword seemed to be ignited by fire as it parried the attack.

"Bang!"

The shockwave knocked over the front-line undead and shield soldiers, leaving only two heroes to fight back.

"The Oathbreaker—Duke Carlos Stuart!"

The idea that he felt remorse and was willing to serve the kingdom was just something to fool children.

Su Mu recalled some of Elton's history and was impressed by the so-called Three Kingdoms rivalry.

All three dukes had promised the royal family that they would send troops to support it in times of crisis. However, during the conflict between Elton and the Arcane Empire, the Stuart family remained neutral and did not offer any assistance.

When the Mathematical Empire invaded the northern border for a certain ruin, the three grand dukes temporarily cooperated to hold the enemy at the border. However, due to unequal distribution of spoils afterward, a civil war broke out.

In this civil war, due to Stuart's treachery, the kingdom did not intervene to mediate, and they were the first family to be defeated.

In the final moments, to preserve the flame, Stuart asked the Elton royal family to intervene and quell the conflict. However, their lands and income were all surrendered, and the fallen soldiers were placed in the Tower of Heroes, their curse only lifted when summoned by the kingdom's descendants.

Now, the kingdom is once again in crisis.

But Stuart from the ancient battlefield seems unwilling to follow the dying wish; he wants to lift the curse in his own way.

He was a powerful hero from hundreds of years ago, and even though he has been sealed away until now, his power is still terrifying.

Su Mu's longsword trembled violently, barely dodging the Duke's attack, but the city wall was cleaved in two by the sword, and falling rocks crashed down, smashing a pile of skeletons.

Having his true colors exposed by Su Mu, the Grand Duke of the Undead no longer concealed his intentions.

"Either obey or die!"
Don't think I only have you as an option; the legions of White Stone City outside can also be used by me!

Su Mu stood with his back to Ouling, defending alongside his Earth Bow, showing no sign of weakness.

"You were sealed here, and only the bloodline of the kingdom can break the curse. Is that why you lured us here? Ordinary royal families can't make such a promise; it has to be a direct descendant of Finaxia. Even if you recruit us, what can you do? Do you think you can force the royal bloodline to come?"

The Grand Duke said calmly, "Since I intend to use you, I naturally have a way to lift the curse."

"If you want to live, obey me obediently, and I will guide you out of the battlefield!"

Su Mu also stood firm: "There is absolutely no way we would become the dead!"

Seeing the two sides deadlocked, Faric floated out from the pile of ghosts and advised, "Your Grace, although they are not strong, they have more potential. If it comes to mediating internal conflicts within the kingdom, this force is more reliable."

The people of Whitestone City have already pledged allegiance to the Isidore Empire; they are not worth recruiting.

After a moment's thought, the Grand Duke of the Undead relented: "Very well, I won't ask you to convert the undead, since I still have business to do within the kingdom, but I need you to provide some guarantees."

You swear an oath to the Tower of Heroes to complete the task I have assigned you within a certain period of time, or you will suffer the same curse of breaking your oath.

In return, you can gain my approval and take away a magical artifact.

"If you're not willing, then all of you may die here!"

This condition is still negotiable. They are now at the mercy of others, with pursuers outside the mausoleum and skeletons inside. They have no other choice.

Moreover, Su Mu knew the function of the Tower of Heroes: it was both a place for summoning souls and a cursed building. If it was just to fulfill the Grand Duke of the Dead's request in exchange for the lives of all of them, it didn't seem unacceptable.

Ouling said in a low voice, "Let me swear an oath before the Soul Tower, so we won't be too passive!"

Su Mu shook his head. The other party wasn't stupid, and with Fariq there, they would definitely need Su Mu's personal approval before they would let them go.

As expected, the secret discussion could not escape the ears of the Undead Grand Duke, who roared angrily: "You must swear an oath yourself, or you're not leaving!"

Su Mu stepped forward; this decision had to be made by him.

“Tell me what needs to be done, otherwise we’ll be trapped in the Soul Tower curse, merely delaying our death under your control, which is meaningless.”

Seeing that Su Mu's attitude had softened, the Undead Grand Duke waved his hand, and his heroic warriors instantly retreated like a tide.

A weathered passageway stretched out beneath their feet, leaving the two alone in their own space.

"The perpetrators of the Three Dukes' Curse are not only the royal family, but also two other dukes."

To protect the kingdom and prevent unforeseen circumstances, if the direct descendants of Finaxia are trapped and unable to come, simply light the beacon towers, and the other two dukes will respond.

All you need to do is get them to light the beacon towers and drip the blood of the three dukes into them while they are isolated and helpless, and that will summon us to the battlefield!

The beacon tower mentioned by the Grand Duke of the Dead is not a real beacon tower, but a treasure.

[Beacon Tower (Level 2 Treasure): Heroes carrying this treasure can communicate with each other and their marching speed is increased by 3 when moving to the other's location.]

If one side is stationed in a city, and the distance between them is less than a certain journey distance (usually 3 days' travel time on average, enhanced by magical power), then the other side can consume all their magic to open a portal to teleport.

It seems they used the treasure as a basis for devising a method to request assistance. In this way, as long as the royal family lit the beacon tower, the Grand Duke of the Dead could come to their aid.

Su Mu looked up at the other person: "The situation in the kingdom is not that bleak. The royal family may not light the beacon towers."

The Grand Duke of the Undead said coldly, "This is what you're supposed to do! Otherwise, why should you get any benefits from me?"

A traitor is no philanthropist; in fact, he is notorious. To cooperate with him is like asking a tiger for its skin.

But circumstances are beyond our control, and it seems that this is the only way forward.

"Lead the way!"

They walked down the bluestone path, and at the end of the path was a deep pit, inside which blue flames burned, shaped like a tall tower, on which were recorded the glorious deeds of the kingdom's heroes and soldiers.

"It's truly astonishing that even the Duke, who broke his oath, could still reside in the Tower of Heroes."

Hearing Su Mu's taunts, the Grand Duke of the Undead remained unmoved: "You people of later generations have no idea what happened back then. If I had completely betrayed the kingdom and surrendered to the enemy, would I still have left this legion of heroic souls waiting for the royal family's summons?"

If that's the case, it doesn't seem wrong. Su Mu imagined the grudges and affections of that time, and even felt a little pity for the Duke.

But soon, his magical power surged, and his mind became clear.

The art of governance has a certain ability to resist mental magic; he had just been subjected to a special kind of deceptive manipulation.

This reminded Su Mu of the states of Farik and the Traveler, who could deceive the corpses and souls of the undead, making them operate according to some false state. The Grand Duke of the Undead seemed to be the same; perhaps he believed himself to be a loyalist of the kingdom, and thus successfully deceived the Tower of Heroes.

This isn't a superstitious idea, but rather a loophole in the power of the rules. This mysterious treasure is terrifyingly powerful!
Perhaps that is what the three kings were after in their struggle for supremacy.

Su Mu shook his head. He couldn't control something of this level at the moment, so he didn't think about it anymore.

Before the Tower of Heroes, he made a promise: "Su Mu, Lord of Cangmu Town, hereby promises to assist Duke Stuart in igniting the remaining three beacon towers. If the treasure does not exist in the world, then I will not be bound by this oath."

"I will not intentionally sabotage or break my promise, otherwise I will be cursed by the Tower of Heroes!"

Su Mu also kept this in mind. If the beacon tower and the token were lost, the promise would be impossible to keep, and therefore would be meaningless. This was all on the premise that what the Grand Duke of the Dead said was true.

This time, the other party did not refute, which shows that the Grand Duke of the Undead also hoped that he could accomplish this and release them from the ancient battlefield, and that he was not deceiving them.

But he added a condition: "Complete this within two years, or your body will rot and your soul will be cursed!"

Su Mu glanced at him and then read aloud: "Fulfill this promise within two years, or suffer the curse!"

The oath was made, and the Tower of Heroes burst into flames, enveloping Su Mu, absorbing the cursed soul, and establishing a covenant of rules.

At the same time, the promise of the Undead Grand Duke was also fulfilled.

[Cursed by the Tower of Heroes, your tolerance to magic has increased further; Cursed Power +1]

Black Magic Sword (Level 2 Treasure): Heroes wielding it gain +3 attack.

Evaluation: Forged from the heart of a certain demon lord, it is filled with an obsession with power. I've heard it's also a component of a cursed treasure, but I don't know if that's true or not.

Su Mu drew the black greatsword from the will-o'-the-wisp, a move that seemed somewhat out of place with his identity. He knew, however, that the rumors were indeed true.

This sword is highly aggressive; its hilt wraps around Su Mu's wrist, conveying a bloodthirsty desire. If its master cannot satisfy its savagery, it may very well turn on him.

Su Mu barely managed to control it by suppressing it with his own magical power. But the Black Demon Sword opened a strange eye on its blade, constantly watching its prey.

With the hero on the left and the demon king on the right, the tyranny within seems to be unleashed after mastering powerful spells.

This is what constitutes a treasure: something that aligns with one's profession and can be controlled is truly a treasure. Otherwise, it's just an evil monster.

On the path of sorcery, instead of progressing, they regressed. Su Mu was confident in suppressing the Black Demon Sword.

Since Su Mu made the promise as the Grand Duke of the Undead had made, and the other party kept his promise, opening a passage behind the Tower of Heroes.

“Following this road will lead you to the edge of the ancient battlefield.”

"Remember your promise, or you'll end up like us!"

Looking at the undead Grand Duke's mangled flesh wrapped in shrouds, Su Mutou felt for the first time that some oaths must be kept.

"go!"

Su Mu, along with the Earth Bow and shieldbearers, retreated through the passage and left the area.

Watching the departing figures of the living, Faric slowly approached and asked, "Your Excellency, weren't you planning to turn these intruders into zombies to lure more people in?"
Why choose them, in particular?

Fariq's body had been mutated by the treasure; he was now a type of undead, only able to obey the undead Grand Duke before him, and utterly powerless to resist.

Therefore, no matter how much he hated Shiraishi City, he could not control himself in this matter.

The Grand Duke of the Undead was quite satisfied with his new subordinate. He was cunning and treacherous, and had transcended the base desires of the flesh. Perhaps he could achieve the lich form in the future. Therefore, he explained: "Of the three duke families, the world knows the Salman and the Stuart. Do you know the other one?"
Although his name has disappeared, he is known as the Roar of the Earth!
To avoid disaster, the heir and the family may have already changed their names, but their bloodline remains unchanged. I sensed that aura in Su Mu, which will help my plan!

Farik was also taken aback: "Could Sumu be a descendant of the Duke?"

The Grand Duke of the Dead shook his head and said nothing more.

He had a gut feeling that no one else could be the one to light the beacon towers and break the seal on the ancient battlefield!
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(End of this chapter)