I Kidnapped the Hero’s Women

[Translator - Peptobismol]

[Proofreader - Demon God]

Chapter 95 - Damn, You Scared Me!

“Count! Get away, quickly! There’s a horde of undead monsters behind you!”

“Do not worry, they are my forces. More accurately, they are my escort’s forces, so you need not be concerned.”

“...?”

The Northern Grand Duke was struck dumb, unable to find words.

Behind Count Vermont’s group stood a regiment of skeletal soldiers.

They were calm and showed no signs of aggression—clearly, they weren’t ordinary monsters.

From the state of the bones, it was evident that they hadn’t been over-accumulated with mana either.

So, they really weren’t monsters?

Skeletons, alive and moving?

And somehow, the armor worn by the skeleton soldiers seemed oddly familiar.

“Would you let us in? The flying monsters are almost here.”

“What should we do, Your Grace? Should we open the gate?”

“Merilda is out there. We have no choice... Open the gate!”

The Grand Duke made his decision and gave the order.

A wry smile crossed Aslan Vermont’s lips.

The Grand Duke felt a chill down his spine, his body trembling.

‘It feels like I’m the fool who got tricked by a Demon Lord’s general into opening the gate to an undead army...’

If Aslan Vermont were truly a power-hungry villain, today would be remembered as the worst day in history—a day when not only was a great villain unleashed, but the Empire itself was doomed.

But even knowing that, he had no choice.

Merilda was essentially being held hostage.

His one and only daughter, Merilda...!

Soon, through the opened gate, Count Vermont’s group and hundreds of undead soldiers poured in.

If his decision was wrong, this would be the end of the Empire.

But there would be no regrets.

Clutching his enormous scabbard tightly, the Grand Duke faced the incoming undead army.

One skeleton walked ahead and stood in front of the Grand Duke.

Judging by the resplendent armor, it must have been royalty during its lifetime.

Unintimidated by the Grand Duke’s imposing presence, the skeleton opened its jaw.

“Clack clack clack! Clack clack!”

“...!?”

Was this a threat?

Or maybe some kind of incantation?

The Grand Duke narrowed his eyes, about to draw his sword, when—

“Julia. Translate.”

“I am Franz Marck, the eldest son of Marck II. I led the First Demon Realm Expedition, but we were isolated and ultimately annihilated. I hear you are the lord of this place, the Grand Duke. That means you must be royalty, correct?”

“W-What? Yes. Yes, that’s correct.”

“Clack! Clack clack!”

“You little punk! Do you not know how to bow before your ancestor? Haven’t you been taught proper manners? ...That’s what he said! I swear I didn’t make it up...!”

The skeletal soldier—or rather, the skeletal noble’s—reprimand made the Grand Duke flinch and tremble.@@novelbin@@

Marck II?

If that was indeed the Marck II, then he was one of the wise monarchs who laid the foundations of the Empire in its early days, right?

His eldest son would make him a royal from roughly 1,000 years ago?

The unexpected appearance of such a distant ancestor left the Grand Duke in utter bewilderment.

“Clack! Clack clack clack! Clack clack”

“You. What generation are you?”

“I am Richard Friedrich, 38th descendant of Alexander Friedrich the Great, my ancestor.”

“*Clack? Clack clack? Clack clack clack! Clack clack! Clack clack clack!”

“What? Friedrich? So, you’re from a collateral line! My niece married into a measly count’s house called Friedrich! So those lowborn people actually ended up in the Imperial Palace?!”

“...”

Cold sweat trickled down the Grand Duke’s back.

S-Scolding me for something that happened over 1,000 years ago, what am I supposed to do?

The Marck family kept themselves pure by insisting on close intermarriage, which led to their extinction due to hereditary diseases; it was only natural that there was a change in power...

Though he desperately wanted to retort, he couldn’t talk back to an ancestor from so long ago.

“Clack, clack! Clack clack clack! Clack clack! Clack clack clack!”

“Tsk, tsk. Well, even ten years can change a river and mountain, so it’s natural that the Empire wouldn’t remain the same after a thousand years. I should be thankful it hasn’t been dissolved. So, how much has the Empire expanded its territory?”

“Well, the truth is... several independent kingdoms have broken away, and the current territory is smaller than it was a thousand years ago...”

“Clack! Clack clack! Clack clack clack, clack! Clack clack clack! Clack!”

“Arrrgh! My Empire! If I knew it would be ruined by scoundrels posing as Emperors, I should have been the one to take the throne! I shouldn’t have died a dog’s death fighting rabid beasts in a place like this!”

“...”

The skeletal noble beat his ribcage in frustration, making clattering noises.

The Grand Duke was so mortified he couldn’t lift his head.

For some reason, the sound of the skeletal noble’s jaw snapping started to sound more like the clattering of false teeth.

“Clack clack clack! Clack! Clack!”

“Well, anyway, all of it’s in the past. For a dead, forgotten ghost to lecture his descendants is unbecoming.”

Then, with a swish, the skeletal noble drew his sword.

Grabbing the blade, he extended it to the Grand Duke.

The Grand Duke, bewildered, took it with both hands.

“Clack! Clack clack clack!”

“Take it. Instead of these unsightly revived bones, bury this sword in a proper grave.”

“Clack clack, clack! Clack clack clack!”

“And today, the resurrected spirits will perish again here, forgotten once more.”

“Clack! Clack clack, clack clack clack!”

“Those still alive, take cover behind those who have already crumbled!”

“Clack clack!”

“Today, no one dies!”

As if responding to the skeletal noble’s proclamation, the undead army clicked their jaws in unison, letting out a rallying cry.

The skeletons drew their named swords, tossing them to the ground, then received new weapons from Ester’s soldiers, sheathing them.

The skeletons climbed up the walls in place of the soldiers, preparing for the fight.

The Monster Wave was closing in.

***

‘Someone who can turn the Northern Grand Duke into a meek lamb...’

It was a truly shocking sight.

Even the Empress, who was his own niece, wasn’t someone he seemed afraid of.

Yet here he was, overwhelmed by the presence of a distant maternal ancestor.

But what was even more astonishing was—

Julia’s undead army voluntarily stepping forward to defend against the Monster Wave.

Had they resisted, Julia would have needed to use Command to force their actions.

It was a huge relief that it hadn’t come to that.

“Master, the Monster Wave is imminent.”

The wyvern monsters had gotten close enough to be visible to the naked eye.

The fortress city was now filled with silence and tension.

We had taken a position at a guard post on the inner wall.

It was a vantage point that allowed us to see the entire wall.

The reason we didn’t go to the bunker was simple.

If the undead army lost control and turned their blades on us, we needed to see it immediately and have Julia issue a Command.

“But, Charlotte.”

“Yeah?”

“Back there when you ran into the skeleton gramps. Were you really so scared that you hugged Aslan? What’s the point of the Super Strong Sword, then, huh.”

“Th-That’s...! I figured it out right away! I immediately realized the skeleton grandpas weren’t bad people, so I didn’t draw the Super Strong Sword on purpose!”

“Then why did you hug Aslan and close your eyes, sobbing?”

“I-I didn’t... do that...!”

“Hmm. So you’re trying to rewrite history now?”

Right on the verge of a battle, and these kids were just as innocent as ever.

They seemed to be arguing over who was the bigger scaredy-cat, but honestly, they were both about the same.

Julia tended to be easily startled over small things but showed courage when it mattered most.

Charlotte didn’t get scared easily, but when faced with a fear above a certain level, she’d go into a panic.

You could say they were opposites, yet complementary.

“And you, Julia—you hid behind Aslan as soon as you saw the skeletons in the trench!”

“Well, I... it’s just that Aslan was closer!”

“The knight sister was closer, though. Did you like Aslan that much?”

“N-No, I didn’t...!”

Their argument grew more heated, but a smile I couldn’t suppress spread across my lips.

Were Charlotte and Julia both so frightened that they unconsciously wanted to lean on me?

I had no combat power whatsoever.

Yet, despite Sylvia’s overwhelming combat ability, the children turned to me first.

It was proof that they found me reliable.

I looked at Sylvia with a superior expression.

“...”

Sylvia’s eyes seemed to say, “So what?”

Jealous, are we?

I felt proud, realizing I hadn’t raised the children in vain.

It seemed that training—no, education—was proceeding smoothly.

“What is it, Yuria? You don’t look so good.”

“It’s nothing… I’m fine…”

Seeing them like this seemed to cause Yuria great pain, as he bit his lip.

Yeah, watch closely.

This is reality, you fool.

Charlotte and Jullia are already in a state where they can’t live without me.

If you understand that well, you should know how to conduct yourself, right?

As a gesture of encouragement, I lightly patted Yuri’s shoulder.

“The battle is starting!”

Kuururung.

At that moment, a horde of wyvern monsters, accompanied by dark clouds, drew closer.

Before long, the sky was completely covered by the wings of the wyverns.

Sweeaaak!

Monsters in the sky began to dive down, folding their wings.

In response, the skeleton soldiers, brandishing torches high, stood firm without retreating a step.

“We fight…!”

Soon, the monsters and the skeleton soldiers clashed, turning the area into chaos.

Some skeleton soldiers shattered into pieces, unable to withstand the impact of colliding with the large wyvern monsters.

However, others stubbornly clung on, skillfully slicing the monsters' necks.

[Kyaaah! Come here!]

Outside the walls, on the ground, the mud traps were doing their job.

Lured by the bright light of the flash magic, the horde of monsters came.

Every time they poked their heads into the pit, they were buried under heavy mounds of dirt, becoming future fossil fuel.

“Hang in there, Skeleton Grandpas…!”

Despite the children’s voices cheering on the skeleton soldiers who were falling mercilessly, the skeleton soldiers fought without caring for their own bodies, being swept away helplessly.

Finally, as the battle was about to end, there was nothing alive on the walls.

Over a thousand wyvern monsters were annihilated.

But the skeleton soldiers, too, had all been torn apart and scattered.

As the soldiers emerged one by one to witness the tragic scene, they were left speechless.

“Ancestor…”

Thud.

The Northern Duke ascended the wall, which had turned into a battlefield.

He picked up the severed head of the skeletal nobel.

Then, as if in mourning, he closed his eyes.

In an instant, the entire area became solemn, and the soldiers all lowered their heads slightly in unison.

“Thank you for your hard work. Now rest in peace…”

“Clack! Clack clack!”

“Damn! You scared me!”

“Skeleton Grandpas…!”

At that moment, the jawbone of the skeletal nobel began to shake violently.

Simultaneously, the scattered skeletal bones around started to move chaotically, finding their places.

In an instant, they reassembled and lined up in rows as the undead army.

Charlotte and Jullia gasped in delight.

The Northern Duke’s expression became extremely sour.

[Translator - Peptobismol]

[Proofreader - Demon God]