Manice stared at the battlefield ahead.
His knights were being pushed back by the undead. But what truly shook him wasn't their strength — it was how they had arrived. They hadn't broken through the gate. They were falling from the sky.
They slammed into the ground with tremendous force, yet stood up immediately, as if nothing had happened. Once on their feet, they moved far faster than any undead Manice had ever seen. Their movements were precise, almost like those of trained fighters.
Manice dismounted and turned to Mardy. The boy was clearly frightened. His eyes wouldn't stay still, and despite the freezing cold, sweat ran down his face. He had never seen anything like this before.
Manice stepped closer.
"Son, if you're scared, go home now. Your father can still handle this."
Hearing that, Mardy forced himself to calm down. He put on a brave face again.
"No, Father. I'm fine. I'll… I'll fight with you."
Manice looked ahead.
"Then let's show them what we can do."
He charged forward with a shout. Mardy and several knights followed right behind him, their swords cutting through the air as they rushed into the fight. Every movement carried the weight of the battle.
Manice attacked an undead from behind. His sword should have cut straight through it — but the creature dodged without even looking back.
Manice's eyes widened.
(What? It dodged without looking… This isn't a normal undead. It's something else entirely.)
The undead turned toward him and smiled. It tightened its grip on its sword and swung at Manice.
Before the blade could reach him, Mardy stepped in and blocked the attack.
"Father, these are nothing like normal monsters!"
Using his strength, Mardy pushed the undead back, then unleashed a wind slash. In one clean strike, he severed its head from its body. The headless corpse dropped to its knees and collapsed.
Mardy let out a breath of relief and turned toward his father, hoping to see pride in his eyes.
Instead, he only saw fear.
Manice was staring behind him.
The headless undead was standing again.
"Get away from it!" Manice shouted.
The moment the words left his mouth, a slash struck Mardy across the back. Shock flooded the boy's face as he lost consciousness. The armor on his back cracked and broke from the force of the attack — but it had saved his life.
Manice rushed forward, grabbed Mardy, and pulled him away while striking the undead at the same time. The creature fell once more — but this time, its body began breaking apart into particles, disappearing into the air like dust.
Manice stared in disbelief.
(What is this…? It turned into dust and vanished after one proper strike?)
He looked across the battlefield. His knights were cutting down the other undead, but those ones kept standing back up and continuing to fight. Only the one struck by his own sword had disappeared completely.
Manice looked down at the blade in his hand.
(So their weakness is a silver sword…)
He turned back. Two knights were already supporting Mardy. The boy was still unconscious, his back armor completely shattered. Blood had seeped through the torn metal, staining the snow beneath him. Even in the freezing cold, his face was pale and covered in sweat.
Manice's jaw tightened. For a brief moment, the anger in his eyes mixed with something heavier — the fear of almost losing his son.
"Get him out of here," he ordered the knights. "Take him back inside the walls. Now."
The knights quickly lifted Mardy and began retreating. Manice watched them for a second longer, then turned back toward the remaining undead, his grip on the sword tightening.
"Tell everyone to fall back toward the gate!"
---
Manice returned to the present, his voice steady but heavier than before.
"That was when we realized it, Princess. Their weakness is a silver sword — one forged with dragon fire. Without it, fighting them is almost impossible."
His expression darkened slightly.
"My son survived because of his armor… but if that blade had been even a little deeper, I would have lost him that night."
Ameria and Derland both fell quiet. Neither of them had ever seen or heard of monsters like these.
Shakky remained silent, thinking.
(Attacks on the lords' territories… the appearance of a dragon… changes in the monsters' behavior… All of this is connected. But how? Whoever is behind this needs to be found soon.)
She looked at Manice, and her expression softened just a little.
"This is terrible news. I truly hope Lord Mardy recovers soon."
She paused, then continued.
"And everything you've told us… it will help us understand what we're really up against. We'll need every piece of information if we're going to fight this."
Manice nodded quietly.
Shakky then turned toward Derland.
"Uncle, you need to leave tomorrow and report everything to Father. And we also need to find the one playing this game with the forged letters."
Derland nodded.
"As you wish, Princess." Then he hesitated. "But… won't you return with me?"
Shakky met his eyes.
"No. I still have work here. And if another attack happens, I want to see it with my own eyes."
Derland's expression tightened.
"Princess, that is far too dangerous. I won't be here when it happens. This is a terrible idea."
Shakky gave him a small smile at his concern.
"There's no need to worry about me, Uncle. And besides… who would dare lay a hand on me?"
"But Princess—"
Shakky's voice sharpened.
"Uncle. This is an order."
Derland fell silent for a few seconds, then answered quietly.
"…If that is what you want, then very well."
Ameria listened without interrupting. The room stayed quiet for a moment.
Then a knock came at the door.
"My Lord, a message has arrived."
Manice looked toward the door.
"Enter."
A knight stepped in, handed him a letter, and left. Shakky's eyes caught the snake seal on the envelope. She immediately understood it had come from the East.
Manice opened the letter and began reading. As his eyes moved down the page, lines formed on his forehead. Shakky noticed the change.
"Lord Manice… what does it say that has you looking so troubled?"
Manice looked up.
"News from the East. Twenty pirate ships have been sighted near the borders of our kingdom."
Derland and Ameria both stiffened.
"Twenty pirate ships?"
Manice raised a hand slightly to calm them.
"There is no need to panic. Prince Aerstrone and Prince Benjin were present in the area, along with government ships. Because of that, the pirate ships turned away and left."
Both of them relaxed a little. Manice's gaze then shifted to Shakky, who was still quietly thinking.
"Princess… may I ask what the government people were doing there with the prince?"
Shakky gave a small smile.
"The government people… I can only tell you this much. The laboratory they had built there was completely destroyed in an accident. They were there with the prince to recover what remained of the debris."
Derland added from behind her,
"The princess is correct, Lord Manice."
Manice stood up after hearing that.
"If that is the case, then there is less reason to worry. Still… we should be careful about placing too much trust in outsiders."
He glanced at Mardy, then back at the others.
"Princess, I will take my leave now. If you wish to rest, you may use the room prepared for you."
Shakky simply nodded. Manice left with Mardy.
Once they were gone, Shakky spoke in a lower voice.
"This is no coincidence. A dragon… undead that can only be killed by silver swords… and now twenty pirate ships. Something is slipping through our fingers. But what?"
Ameria nodded slowly.
"Whoever is behind this is careful. Everything is being planned with precision. That means we need to watch every piece of news closely… especially our own knights. No one can enter deep into the kingdom without their knowledge."
Derland looked at her.
"You're right. But our army is not so weak that it would simply allow an enemy inside."
Shakky turned to him.
"Uncle… after you leave, who currently holds the key to the city's defense?"