What are these ‘Death Knights’?! Answer me!!”
“Aieeee! Your, Your Majesty! As you said, that legendary undead monster sealed within the nether reaches of the Ministry of Magic is, indeed, a Death Knight! They are creatures that even Master cannot control!”
All Jircniv could do was laugh. The reserve that he had clung to as the Emperor of the Baharuth Empire was no more. It had crumbled to ash and blown away on the wind.
“…hu, huhu. Huhuhu. What do you mean, legendary undead?! There’s five of them right there in front of us! Or are you saying that Death Knights come in groups and five of them count as one entity? Huh?! Are you kidding me?!!”
“N-no! Nothing like that!”
He sensed someone standing beside him. When he glanced over, he saw that it was one of the Empire’s strongest warriors, Baziwood. The man’s face was pale, and Jircniv could see a nervous tic starting to form.
“Er, ah, Your Majesty. Please listen to this with a calm heart. The situation now is very bad. That creature is of a level that we, even in formed ranks and with full magical support, might not be able to overcome. Perhaps it would be a good idea to sound a retreat. This is bad. Really bad. Look at how my hand trembles.”
As Jircniv looked over to Baziwood’s hand, it began to shake. After looking at his twitching face, the reason for that unwarrior-like movement became abundantly clear.
“Is that what they mean by ‘unfathomable’… do you think it could be stronger than Stronoff-san?”
The other member of the Four Knights was further behind than when she had started out, and she was still continuing her slow retreat. The only reason why she had not broken into an all-out sprint was because she did not want to attract the Death Knight’s attention and thus, its hostility.