After meetings that continued until evening, the paladins and priests finally gave up on the search operation.
The reason was that if the adventurers who were defeated individually turned into undead, it would only strengthen the enemy’s forces.
As they feared, undead created from adventurers had a high possibility of being resurrected as much stronger beings than existing undead.
The freshness of the corpses and their armed state were on a different level to begin with.
Just as selecting fresh, high-quality meat is necessary to make delicious steak, generally, the better the corpse used as material, the stronger the undead born from it.
“So, what do they plan to do?”
“They say they’re going to clean up around the dungeon entrance and hold out.”
I explained the content of the meeting that the paladins had conveyed to the party leaders to my party members.
There wasn’t any particularly grand conclusion.
Seeing that the Abyss Priest kept attacking without fleeing, it seemed this dungeon was an important base for them too, so the plan was simply to set up camp at the dungeon entrance and hold out.
Until the main force that had gone down into the dungeon returned along with the assault team they had sent again.
In other words, they were saying they would abolish the search parties and reorganize all of them into defense units.
It wasn’t very satisfying because it was an overly passive policy… but for now, it was the best option.
With insufficient skills, crawling into the forest would only result in becoming food for the undead or joining their ranks.
“What do you think?”
“Hmm. Set up camp at the ruins entrance and wait to counter their offensive? Not bad. It’s much better than wandering in the forest and getting hunted.”
“Um, isn’t it okay? That, honestly, I… I don’t mind either way.”
Amy and Friede showed somewhat positive reactions to the subjugation force’s strategy.
For Amy, it was natural since she hadn’t liked the search party from the beginning. Friede’s answer that she didn’t mind either way was a bit unexpected.
Unlike her hesitant way of speaking, should I say she seemed very confident in her own abilities?
It had the nuance that even if we went into the forest like this and encountered a horde of undead or the Abyss Priest, there would be no problem.
She was certainly stronger than the average copper token… but even considering that, her confidence seemed a bit excessive.
Well, as a talent who showed record-breaking promotion speed even among adventurers, it’s not particularly strange for her to be overconfident in her abilities.
It was an issue that I, as the party leader, needed to control well to prevent her from taking reckless actions due to arrogance and overconfidence.
“If they’ve decided to focus on defense, it would be good to lay traps at the formation entrance. It will be helpful in many ways.”
Gerda gave an answer befitting her in many ways.
“I suppose so. It seems the paladins judged the same, as they were looking for adventurers skilled in such tasks. Are you interested?”
“I’m not skilled enough to claim proficiency… but I am interested.”
Gerda nodded, glancing towards the tent where the paladins were gathered.
I gave her the name of the paladin who was looking for adventurers capable of setting traps. I told her to go volunteer if she wanted to.
After all, such things all become merits for the party.
* * *
Anyway, after making their decision, the subjugation force led all the remaining personnel in the camp to thoroughly clean up the ruins connected to the dungeon entrance.
There was no need to use holy miracles.
The area around the ruins had already been swept once by the 2nd assault team, so there were only about ten undead remaining.
“We’ll set up a defensive formation here! We ask for the cooperation of the adventurers as well!”
After cleaning up the ruins like that, the middle-aged paladin in charge of on-site command of the subjugation force issued various orders in a somewhat overbearing tone.
They surrounded the outskirts of the ruins with palisades they had carried on their backs in separate pieces, set up various traps between the forest and the palisades, and then filled the inside of the ruins with large and small tents.
It was literally a process of turning the entire ruins into a temporary fortress. Though it was too crude and rough to be called a fortress.
“Hermit, Einar, Jon, Tofnir, Snorri. You guard the dungeon entrance thoroughly!”
“Yes, sir!”
While others were busy with the fortification work on the ruins, the commander selected five paladins to seal off the dungeon entrance.
Since they couldn’t completely close off the entrance itself, the sealing off amounted to simply setting up a temporary barricade with part of the palisade and stationing paladins behind it.
“Priest Hodrick, how much holy water is left?”
“About five bottles. We used up so much during the first engagement, and even the remaining amount was intensively distributed to the assault team…”
The priest called Hodrick shook his head and sighed.
“That’s unfortunate. Can you make more?”
“It’s difficult. As you know, to produce proper holy water requires considerable effort in consecration…”
“So it’s not impossible, is what you’re saying. Then make the effort!”
That gentleman should have gone to the marines, not become a paladin. To think I’d see the attitude of ‘make it possible if it’s impossible’ even in another world.
“Yes. I’ll try my best…”
Priest Hodrick, unable to refute due to the pressure of rank, just let out a deep sigh, looking pitiful to the point of being heartbreaking.
Anyway, after completing all preparations like that, we took sufficient rest while waiting for the undead to attack.
Since their attack itself was likely to occur in the dead of night, we took turns sleeping even though the sun hadn’t set yet.
Several hours passed like that, and finally night came.
“Grrrr…”
“Gaurr… gruaaah…”
“Sseeeeek!”
Along with unwelcome guests we had been waiting for.
“Undead! They’re coming in swarms! Everyone to your postsss!”
The sentries who had been staring intently into the forest woke up those who were sleeping by banging metal pots.
“Damn it, of all times, they come out just as I fall asleep…!”
“If you want to sleep forever, just keep lying there, brat.”
“My shield. Where’s my shield… Ah, here it is.”
“They’ve finally come!”
Adventurers who had been lying in sleeping bags jumped up and rushed out, while paladins and priests gradually lit up brilliant holy light while making the sign of the cross or muttering prayers.
“Amy, fight while hiding your body behind walls or pillars. Don’t stick your body out at all.”
“Got it. You be careful too, Hilde!”
Our party also immediately sprang out and prepared for battle.
Amy took out her spellbook from her bag and ran behind a collapsed wall, while Gerda hid behind some slightly lower debris and nocked an arrow to the crossbow she was holding.
“Friede, just deal with the ones that come over the palisade. You know that, right? I can’t help you if you rush out alone.”
“Le-leave it to me!”
I drew the longsword at my waist as I ran with Friede to the defense area we would be in charge of.
The enemy numbered at least several dozen at a glance. Including those hidden by the darkness of night, the actual number would be several times that.
The Abyss Priest must have poured most of their available forces into this night raid.
There was no point in deploying forces gradually against the paladins who had set up a defensive formation, as they would just be melted down sequentially.
“Grrrrrr…!”
“Karak! Karararak!”
A wafting stench of decay and beast-like howls. The undead that walked out of the forest revealed their decaying bodies under the moonlight and raised their claws and spears.
Most of them were mere skeletons or revenants wielding crude weapons, but there were also several undead mixed among them equipped with quality weapons and armor.
There were some faces that looked familiar too.
They were ten times uglier than when they were alive, but there was no doubt. They were adventurers who had volunteered for the search party and failed to return, just like us.
Ah, come to think of it, they did return. The problem is that only their bodies came back.
“Uh, th-that…”
“Ruud…! Damn it, so he was done in after all…!”
A faint unrest spread among the adventurers who recognized them.
The situation where their comrades or acquaintances had returned as monsters. It wasn’t something that even experienced adventurers could laugh off.
They probably had already guessed it in their minds, but actually seeing it is a different feeling.
Isn’t that how people are originally?
Even a person who is certain that their wife is having an affair, when they actually raid the scene and see it with their own eyes, they can’t help but go into a frenzy from the shock.
Their reactions were not much different.
They were all used to seeing corpses, so they weren’t frenzied to the point of going berserk, but it was clear that their composure was somewhat shaken.
“Don’t panic! Paladin Order, prepare for battle-!”
The commanding paladin who perceived this shouted while emitting bright streams of holy light.
The streams of holy light he emitted intertwined and wove together in the air, transforming into long, pointed spears of light.
The representative attack miracle of the Goddess Church,「Holy Spear」
The holy light javelin, which could be called the symbol of paladins, shone as if driving away the darkness of night.
“Send these impure things that defy the natural order back to where they belong! As the Goddess desires this, we are Her spear and sword!”
As the commander who shouted resolutely threw the holy spear he was gripping as if shooting it towards the undead horde,
“As the Goddess desires!”
“What are you doing! Those with ranged attacks! Don’t get cold feet, attack!”
“Shoot! Pour everything you’ve got at them!”
“Ignis sagitta!”
“G-Glacies térĕbra!”
Arrows and flames, ice spikes and dazzling streams of light followed, pouring down like rain.