After choosing to leave, they regretted it.

"Mother……"

This is a set of old-style guards armor, created in a period when humans had not yet acquired enchanting technology. In pursuit of defense, it was built to be larger and heavier than the current style.

It is said that this is the equipment used by Chris's mother when she served in the Royal Guards.

After she retired to get married, she was kept in the family's warehouse. Although she was always kept spotless, her owner never wore her again.

Until now.

Because of his own incompetence, his elderly family members were forced to step into the dangerous battlefield again.

After realizing this, Chris's self-loathing swelled even more to the point of exploding, and her eyes were almost filled with tears.

But in the end, it did not fall.

I have no right to cry because I have shouldered a mission but have not completed any of it.

Fighting back the surging depression, Chris gently pushed away her mother who was hugging her, suppressed the twitching corners of her mouth, and asked calmly, pretending to be calm:

"His Royal Highness, is he... okay?"

"Don't worry, your father has been treated. His condition is stable and there's nothing serious. He should be able to wake up within a day or two."

"That's it, that's good."

Chris breathed a sigh of relief.

On the one hand, because he successfully saved the VIP's life, although the process was not pretty, the most important task assigned to him by Aize was completed.

On the other hand, although the imperial army was caught off guard, thanks to Aize's spiritual operation, the initiative is currently on their side.

Once the prince wakes up and takes charge of the situation, we should be able to start the counterattack immediately.

It’s great that I don’t have to take orders from a loser like me.

"Chrissy?"

"Um?"

The blue-haired girl raised her head and saw her mother's extremely worried eyes.

"what happened?"

"That's what I want to ask. What's wrong with you? Are you really okay?"

"Of course I'm fine, Mom, what are you talking about..."

Confused, Chris looked around subconsciously and accidentally saw her own face vaguely printed on the street glass.

Because of extreme tension, high pressure and guilt, he was sweating profusely and his face was as pale as a ghost - this was completely expected.

But she noticed that the corners of her mouth were raised inadvertently.

what is this?

Are you feeling relaxed or even happy that you can shirk responsibility and not have to bear the subsequent responsibilities?

Or is it when Aize is still in danger and urgently needs his rescue?

He had made so many promises to Aize, his family, and even his subordinates, but as soon as he left his master's side and relaxed a little mentally, he became like this?

When she realized this, she fell into unprecedented panic.

If this is really what I am thinking in my subconscious, then not only is Aize's contribution worthless, it is even a question whether it is necessary for me to continue living.

It’s better to kill yourself right then and there to avoid making something worse happen later without you even noticing.

"Chris, you..."

"Well--"

Snapped! ! !

The blue-haired girl slapped herself hard, so hard that the crisp sound could be heard almost across the street, and her fair skin turned red and swollen almost immediately.

It turns out that Chris's self-loathing has been developing since her defeat more than two years ago, and has now become a kind of almost unsolvable vicious cycle.

Because of self-loathing, I escape from reality.

In order to escape from reality, he mindlessly relies on Aize, constantly deceives himself, and even subconsciously ruins his life.

And because he realized the consequences of a bad life, his self-loathing was further strengthened.

Then, of course, the above process is repeated and intensified.

But now, there is obviously no time.

Relying on the intense tingling sensation in her body, Chris briefly pulled herself out of this cycle, covering her swollen cheek and quickly asking:

"Where's father? Where is he? We must tell him the situation on the front line immediately. We also need to send someone to notify all friendly forces along the entire front as soon as possible, otherwise something bad will happen!"

The soldiers who first escorted the prince back will report the encounter with the undead army.

But because of the time constraints, Chris did not explain the specific details, the enemy's overall arrangements and Aize's response.

And this information is precisely the key to determining the outcome of the battle.

"...He's in the lobby. You can see him when you go in."

As a mother, there were many things she wanted to say, but after struggling for a while, the Marquise chose the simplest statement and did not say anything more.

Chris didn't even have time to respond before rushing into the castle.

The entrance hall of Jarlsberg has undergone a simple renovation during the time I was away.

Maps, documents, information, messengers coming and going, and guards on duty completely occupied this huge space, which looked like a wartime city defense command center.

The Marquis of Karlsade, who was at the core of all this, had already put on a full set of armor and was staring at the air in front of him with a frown, saying nothing.

It seemed like he was thinking about something, or he seemed to be simply in a daze trying to regulate his emotions.

His face looked a little dull, his eyes were a little dazed, and even his hair seemed covered with a layer of gray. He looked very tired, probably because he had been worried since he set out yesterday.

Marquis Karside, who is famous for his bravery and fighting skills, has experienced countless tragic battlefields and storms, but he looked tired after just one night of high pressure.

This was unimaginable in the past.

Even if I tell others about it now, no one will believe it.

He is old and worried about his daughter. I think only when both of these are met can such an impossible situation occur.

A familiar figure passed by the corner of his vision, and the Marquis' eyes widened almost instantly. He subconsciously jumped up from his chair as if he had received an electric shock.

"Chris, are you okay... What happened to your face? Is it hurt? Was it those freaks from Augris?!"

The old father's eyes switched almost seamlessly from surprise and joy to confusion and anger.

The hand that was subconsciously stretched out to hug the child froze in the air.

But now, Chris has no time to care about these things.

"Father, listen to me. The enemy of this expedition is one of the Thirteen Clans, the main force of the Immortal Dynasty. Those guys started the war more than two years ago..."

Taking advantage of the time when her moody psychological shadow had not yet broken out, Chris explained the whole incident as quickly as possible.

The smooth progress at the beginning, the traps set by the demons, Aze's counterattack, and then the current situation.

The Marquis listened, nodded continuously, and immediately made marks on the map in front of him. The originally vague situation gradually became clear.

"Father, hurry up! Send someone to tell the others about the situation here! We must take action immediately, otherwise Aize... and the entire battle situation, will be in trouble!"

The girl was extremely panicked.

Instead, the tall, middle-aged man calmly looked at the map on the table, stroking his beard. After deep thought, he slowly spoke:

"From what you said, combined with the reaction of the undead, that brave boy must have succeeded. He must have successfully occupied Lilbas, which is why the undead were attracted there."

"Yeah, so hurry up..."

"So don't be anxious. Don't be anxious. Calm down, Chris."

The father interrupted his daughter.

"What are we supposed to notify others about now? We still don't know the size and deployment of the Undead Army. His Royal Highness hasn't woken up yet, so there's no one to command or coordinate. If we spread half-baked information, it would only cause panic."

"but--"

"Don't worry. That brat's decision to turn around and attack Lilbas was truly a brilliant move. With him there, the situation won't collapse. We can wait until the prince wakes up—or at least until the scouts you sent report back before we take action."

The Marquis almost subconsciously showed an expression of approval for Aize's behavior and nodded continuously.

And Chris was deflated by this.

Is the situation dangerous?

very dangerous.

Was it unexpected?

not at all.

The demons will definitely be prepared. This is the consensus of almost everyone before the war. Countering each move with its own tactics is the main purpose of this all-out counterattack.

In addition, although they were at a disadvantage at the beginning, after Aze's inspiration, the current situation is not only not at a disadvantage, but the Empire even has a slight advantage as it has taken the initiative.

Then why should I be so panicked?

Where does the panic come from?

The answer is self-evident—because Aize is not around.

Carry out controlled so-called independent actions under the watchful eyes of Aize, and bear the heavy responsibilities of the stakeholders separately from Aize.

To Chris, these two things are completely different.

If you go deeper, you will find that you are just a piece of waste.

Aize, maybe I really made a mistake.

"Feel sorry."

The words of apology came out subconsciously.

To myself and to my father.

Also to his master who was on the other side of the battlefield, bearing the heaviest pressure of the whole place.

"The scouts should report back soon. I'm going to...rest for a while. If you have any news, please let me know as soon as possible. Sorry."

After apologizing again, Chris's staggering figure disappeared from her father's sight.

Chapter 94 The Enemy Within

The undead, this strange and gloomy existence, has existed for hundreds of years since the fall of the once powerful Republic of Augris.

Anthropologists and witches have conducted a lot of research on its true nature and the principles on which it operates, but with little success.

As the starting point of everything, the so-called immortality formula used by the Ogris nobles seems to have a fundamentally different operating principle from any other magic. Therefore, all attempts to crack it have unsurprisingly failed.

Time goes by.

At this point, even the members of the Immortal Dynasty themselves may not be able to explain these things clearly.

But the research was not entirely fruitless.

What is certain is that even when the original organs have been severely decayed and only a skeleton remains, the undead individuals can still lock onto, track and kill the target without any obstacles.

The way of perception it relies on is fundamentally different from that of normal organisms.

Therefore, although they are not afraid of sunlight, they still choose to fight at night.

Darkness weakens the enemy, which, in a rounded form, basically strengthens the undead themselves.

As the last ray of sunlight disappeared below the horizon, darkness engulfed the entire central mountain area, including the city of Lilbas.

The undead, who had been on standby for a day, began to become restless.

Inhuman and twisted roars and wails, along with a cold wind that was completely unlike summer, echoed in the streets of the besieged city.

People shiver constantly due to both temperature and psychological factors.

Even Rosaline, who was a brave warrior, a saint, an expeditionary leader, an object of religious worship, and the so-called incarnation of a goddess in the eyes of the people, subconsciously tightened her clothes.

As the object of faith and prayers of countless people, she must maintain her image at all times.

The smile cannot change, the kind attitude cannot change, and the calm posture cannot change.