The playing card, imbued with the absolute Authority of Stillness, sliced through the air like a laser.
Thwack!
The Corpse Soldier's neck bone was cleanly severed. The already decaying archer, losing the support of its spine, immediately collapsed and rolled rapidly down the high slope the moment it fell.
Watching this scene, Regulus was very satisfied. The distance was at least a hundred meters, and accurately hitting the neck to sever the cervical spine showed that the occasional target practice in his daily life had finally paid off.
Down in the muddy plains, as the total number of Zombie Soldiers had continuously decreased due to the Knights' efforts, the individual agility of the remaining undead had significantly increased, causing considerable obstruction to Bordeaux and his men.
However, the moment the archer fell, the remaining Zombie Soldiers suddenly became incredibly sluggish again—even more so than they were initially. It was a sudden, jarring change that struck the fighting knights as very strange.
Once all the remaining Zombie Soldiers were finally hacked to pieces...
"Miss Julia, their movements felt very strange just now," Bordeaux reported, wiping black, putrid blood from his visor.
"There's nothing strange about it," Julia explained calmly. "The reason why the Corpse Soldiers became stronger as their numbers decreased is that there was a localized node controlling them from behind. When the number of targets dwindles, it makes it easier for that node to concentrate its control on the remaining few."
"Is it the mastermind you mentioned?"
"No, the mastermind doesn't seem to be here. The entity controlling this specific batch was just a specialized commander unit, and that node was just sniped remotely by Regulus."
"So that's how it is."
Bordeaux's tactical confusion was resolved. However, a deep sense of worry about the existence of this necromancy crept into his heart.
What is the most abundant resource on a battlefield? Besides the living soldiers of both sides, it was the endless supply of corpses that resulted from the conflict. If this mastermind could mass-produce Zombie Soldiers, even if their individual physical strength wasn't too great, a massive wave of them would still be a catastrophic problem. Especially since making these undead lose their ability to act was difficult with ordinary attacks; multiple strikes or total dismemberment were required. They posed a terrifying psychological and physical threat to ordinary infantry.
"Captain Bordeaux, no matter what tactical threat they pose, let's leave this place first," Regulus couldn't help but remind him.
It was good that all the immediate enemies were dealt with. But even after clearing the area, they couldn't eliminate the suffocating stench of the decaying meat scattered across the mud. Regulus couldn't smell it himself due to his Authority, but his wives looked incredibly pale, leaning on each other and practically on the verge of fainting from the noxious fumes.
"My apologies. We'll depart immediately," Bordeaux said, his face showing a deeply apologetic expression upon noticing the state of the noblewomen.
As the group continued their journey, they soon reached the actual coordinates of their destination, leaving the foul-smelling ambush site behind.
Watching Julia examine the residual traces of a massive magic circle carved into the earth to ascertain the threat level of the mage who set it up, Regulus felt deeply disappointed.
She hadn't appeared even by this point. Sphinx was indeed not here.
'If she were here,' Regulus thought, 'given Echidna's instructions to her—to find me and then take me to the Sanctuary—she surely would have revealed herself immediately...'
Several months passed in a flash.
During these months, Regulus accompanied Julia and Carol, traveling extensively to various active battlefields across the Demi-Human War.
Feeling increasingly annoyed by the grueling war and the constant, endless travel, Regulus directly chose to intervene. He used his overwhelming Authority to help the Royal Army crush the Demi-Human resistance, single-handedly ending several massive battles in an afternoon.
As for what political impact his god-like actions would have? Regulus didn't care about the geopolitics of this era, nor did he want to care about such trivial things.
Because Regulus had only one simple goal. Only when the war ended sooner could Julia, Carol, and Theresia—these girls whose duties were closely tied to the Kingdom—be completely freed from their obligations. Only then could they return with him in peace to his mansion and truly live as his women.
At the same time, the upper echelons of the Kingdom naturally took notice of this walking weapon of mass destruction. They repeatedly expressed their fervent intention to recruit Regulus into the Royal Guard or grant him a high noble title.
But Regulus directly kicked back every olive branch extended to him. He had absolutely no interest whatsoever. More precisely, he had no interest in being someone else's subordinate or answering to a King.
However, from then on, the Kingdom's upper echelons began issuing non-stop deployment orders for Julia and Carol's unit, forcing them to frequently change battlefields. The Kingdom's intention was blatantly obvious—they were using the girls as bait to deploy Regulus to the hardest fronts.
But Regulus couldn't be bothered to argue with the old men in the Capital. Because this manipulation actually aligned perfectly with Regulus's own thoughts. Not only could he search for Sphinx more quickly, but he could also end the war that much faster.
This grueling routine continued until today.
Regulus and his heavily guarded convoy finally arrived at the southern border of the Kingdom of Lugnica—the Ashira Wetlands.
This place was the absolute most intense, brutal battlefield in the ongoing conflict between the Kingdom and the Demi-Human alliance. The nobles in the Capital, by formally assigning his wives here, clearly intended to use him to bring this bloody war to a definitive end.
It had to be said, their little schemes were clanging loudly.
Regarding this final arrangement, even if he didn't mind helping them end the war, Regulus decided that if he didn't get any benefits out of this final push, it would indeed be letting the Kingdom off too cheaply.
'But what benefits should I ask for?' Regulus mused, leaning against his dragon carriage. 'Power? Territory? Money? Or perhaps women?'
Power and territory, once taken, would come with annoying administrative responsibilities. He might not necessarily stay in the Kingdom of Lugnica in the future, so taking land would probably be useless. As for money, there was no need to even mention it. The original Regulus had accumulated a staggering fortune over a century—mostly exquisite artworks and flawless treasures—which he probably couldn't squander even if he tried for a few hundred years.
As for women... He had some interest, but Regulus preferred to find and claim them slowly on his own terms.
'In that case...' Regulus smirked. He had already made up his mind on what to extract from the Kingdom.
Now he just needed to wait for the highest commander at this base camp to come and formally communicate.
However, upon seeing the person who walked out of the command tent alongside Bordeaux, Regulus couldn't help but frown, feeling a sudden surge of extreme displeasure.
And it wasn't just Regulus. Theresia's expression also fluctuated with disgust, and even Carol's eyes gleamed with undisguised hostility.
The reason was simple.
The person walking toward them was Leip Barielle—the arrogant, greasy noble who had subtly mocked Theresia on the Royal Capital streets four months ago and had nearly been slaughtered by Regulus for it.
Carol had naturally heard about this specific incident from the others.
"Do you know this person, Carol?" Lycoris asked softly, noticing the Knight's shifting demeanor.
"He is a very annoying, disgusting fellow," Carol replied coldly.
"Very annoying, huh?" Hearing Carol's blunt answer, Lycoris looked at Bordeaux and Leip, who were approaching their group.
Just by looking at him, the pompous man walking next to Bordeaux gave Lycoris a sickening feeling. He did not look like someone easy to talk to, especially with the blatant, punchable arrogance plastered across his face. She didn't need to ask for any more reasons to dislike him.
When Bordeaux and Leip arrived a few paces away...
"Mr. Regulus, this is Lord Leip Barielle, the supreme commander of the front line here," Bordeaux introduced proactively, though his tone was noticeably stiff.
Leip's beady eyes immediately swept over the group, lingering entirely too long on Theresia. He had already read the military reports about the Sword Saint's presence in this unit, so he wasn't surprised to see her.
But the main character he was here to manage was the white-haired man standing in the center.
"You are Regulus, then," Leip scoffed, looking down his nose despite being shorter. "I am Leip Barielle, the Operational Commander of the Southern Front. You and your little entourage will prepare well tonight. Tomorrow at dawn, you will join the vanguard troops on the front line."
His attitude was unbelievably arrogant, and his tone was that of a master commanding a servant.
This blatant disrespect instantly angered the girls behind Regulus.
Before coming here, no matter which battlefield they went to, the local commanders were always deeply courteous. Even if it was just for show, they would give Regulus ample respect and deference. After all, Regulus was not a sworn member of the Royal Army. Everything he did, every battle he won for them, was completely unpaid, voluntary assistance.
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