A Dark Fantasy Spy

---

The flames, swelling with the momentum to burn the mountains, slowly spread with the wind.

Though they didn’t blaze like dry firewood, eroded by the chill-infused magic of the rift, Camila’s fire also refused to extinguish easily.

Slowly.

Very slowly.

The flames, buoyed by the wind, blazed fiercely, using the dense forest as fuel. Horrific shrieks echoed amidst the majestic fire reminiscent of the Battle of Red Cliffs.

– Kieeeek!

The swarm of Corpse Spiders, halted before the flames, rolled terrifying eyes as grotesque as their appearance. At the end of those ruby-like red gazes stood Camila, the one wielding the flames.

I fired a bullet into the eye of a Corpse Spider, glaring at Camila. Letting out a cry, the Corpse Spider writhed in agony, shaking its heavy body before shoving another spider nearby into the flames.

A pair of softly folded violets flew toward me on the wind.

“Your shooting skills are impressive, Colonel. You seem experienced?”

“My profession is a soldier.”

“That’s not what I meant…”

“That’s exactly what I meant.”

—

Episode 11 – No Issues at the Northern Front

Even with the blizzard raging, the flames showed no signs of dying down. The fire, feasting on dead trees and corpses, grew larger and engulfed the area, heating up the battle’s fervor.

The forest, ablaze with coldness. Camila was at its edge.

“Huff…! Hoo…!”

Camila panted, controlling the fire.

After being released from her touch, the flames traveled down the mountains, but Camila persistently produced new flames. The Corpse Spiders, attacking the rift, charged forth with their red eyes glowing, but repeatedly hesitated, startled by the rising flames.

I tapped Camila’s shoulder, urging her to focus.

“Save your magic, Camila. If you collapse here, it’ll be a real disaster.”

“I got it…!”

No matter what anyone said, the one doing the most in this battle was undoubtedly Camila. If she were to faint here, I wouldn’t be able to guarantee anything.

Fortunately, it seemed she understood the meaning of my words as she withdrew her hand, which had been creating flames, taking a step back to assess the situation.

Only then did the appearance of the battlefield reveal itself before her.

“…It’s terrible.”

Corpses lay scattered everywhere. No matter where I looked, I saw the dead bodies of Imperial soldiers.

The collapsed stronghold and the burning pit were overwhelmed with heat as the pillars, unable to bear it, fell, causing the trench’s roof to cave in. Inside, the fallen Corpse Spiders, supplies, and someone’s corpse lay buried.

It was a horrific sight.

The troops that had been defending the position for over thirty minutes were mostly killed. Though there were some survivors, it was merely a handful.

The silver lining was that the soldiers at the lookout position had managed to immobilize the Corpse Spiders, allowing the unit to sufficiently recognize and prepare for the attack.

As I scavenged ammunition from the corpses scattered on the ground, I said to Camila.

“Stay focused, Camila.”

“…Yes.”

“We just need to hold on a bit longer. Just a little.”

Now that the attack was recognized, the unit would have reported the fact that the rift was under siege. Presumably, notifications had reached the Military Government Headquarters, and naturally, the stationed troops below the mountains would have recognized the situation, too.

If a division-sized force moved up to the rift, everything would be over. Therefore, we needed to buy even a bit more time.

“Take this rifle. The battle might drag on, so it’s better to use guns for now rather than magic. You handled the Imperial Army rifles back at the southern resort, so you know how to use them, right?”

Camila received the rifle and began to load it with surprisingly competent hands.

The flickering scarlet light tinted her cheeks with a flush.

“I’ve only disassembled and reassembled it a few times, so it’d be weird if I didn’t know.”

Instead of wielding magic, Camila started to confront the Corpse Spiders with the rifle.

While it was bad news that Camila’s impressive magic was sealed away, the situation wasn’t entirely bleak.

There was one more magician available.

“Everyone, take three steps back.”

Francesca, standing in front of the swarm of Corpse Spiders, pulled her hand from her pocket and swung it. A vial filled with colorful liquids soared through the air.

Like a cat leaping over a wall. Francesca’s vial, having crossed the barrier of flames that Camila created, fell directly on the heads of the gleaming red-eyed Corpse Spiders.

At that moment.

– Cling!

The floating vials shattered all at once.

With the vials breaking, glass shards burst, scattering an unknown liquid. The Corpse Spiders, huddled before the flames, were suddenly doused with the liquid and blinked their crimson eyes.

Then, moments later.

– Kieeeek!

– Shaaaaat!

The horrifying shrieks pierced through the flames, echoing clearly.

The Corpse Spiders’ agonizing wails shook the snowy mountains of the north.

—

Beyond the flames, I turned to Francesca with my face awestruck as I watched the Corpse Spiders dissolve rapidly as if splashed with hydrochloric acid. She smiled at me as if to ask if something was wrong.

“What on earth was that?”

“It’s the essence of alchemy used during the War of Independence. One of the legacies passed down from my ancestors.”

“…But you just kept that in your clothes?”

“As long as I kept it from breaking, there wouldn’t be a problem. I’ve made that many times in the family workshop since childhood; would I not know how to store it?”

I always felt this way when looking at my younger sister, but it seemed there were no sane magicians among real magicians.

Thanks to the efforts of Camila and Francesca, the Corpse Spiders hadn’t crossed the lookout position. With time on our side and the front lines solidified, our chances of winning continued to rise.

However, like recognizing their owner, even beasts are intelligent enough to repay kindness. The Corpse Spiders, blocked by the flames, quickly identified the source of the problem and began launching a new type of attack.

Just then, a sharp thorn shot through the wall of flames and struck nearby!

“Hiik…!”

Camila went pale as she looked at the palm-sized sharp spike.

“What’s that?!”

“Probably a human or animal bone.”

“W-What do you mean by that?!”

“Corpse Spiders are monsters that typically feed on corpses. They even lay their eggs in cadavers. One feature of Corpse Spiders is that they melt bones absorbed from corpses into spikes. It’s how they often catch their prey.”

“How can that even be possible? Why are they even called ‘spiders?’ That’s more like a hydralisk!”

“Well, it looks like a spider. It’s a name given by scholars, so go ask one. Conveniently, there’s someone knowledgeable right over there.”

The ‘knowledgeable person’ I pointed to smiled as she held a tinkling vial.

“Seems like both of you have time for jokes. Someone is out here fighting desperately.”

Francesca grumbled, as if her heart hurt, and shook the vial again with her wrist.

At that, the vial began to shine brightly. The legacy of the great wizard passed down through the Ranieri family began to radiate once more from the hands of its descendant.

The vial that crossed the flames shattered mid-air once more.

The Corpse Spiders instinctively recoiled to avoid the liquid, but with so many of them gathered in one place, there was no way to escape.

Watching the monster melt while emitting shrieks, Francesca rummaged through her pocket again for another vial.

Just then, one Corpse Spider burst through the flames. Camila, who had been shooting at the creature, shouted in surprise.

“D-Danger!”

The Corpse Spider that breached the barrier of flames glared with its glistening red eyes.

Ignoring the flames clinging to its legs and fur, it rushed forward, ready to tear a person apart in a heartbeat.

And by chance, Francesca was in the closest position to it.

I turned my body to aim at the monster. However, since Francesca was in the line of fire, I couldn’t pull the trigger on the rushing beast.

“Damn it…!”

The huge hairy legs lifted high into the air. The red eyes sparkled with ferocity, and a sharp roar erupted from the monster’s mouth.

But Francesca simply smiled calmly, even as she faced the incoming leg of the Corpse Spider.

Just as the towering leg, poised to sever her white neck, was about to reach her—

– Kwoooom!

A giant fist, flying from somewhere, smashed the Corpse Spider in one blow.

The clay doll, resembling a giant, swung its fist, shattering the spider’s legs before it repeatedly pounded down on the Adult Male-sized Corpse Spider.

It was a Golem.

– Bang! Kwoom! Bang! Bang!

The tremendous noise shaking the ground around us and the screams of the Corpse Spiders stirred the snowy plain.

For a moment, I stood transfixed at the sight reminiscent of a tonkatsu hammer breaking meat until Francesca approached me and Camila with a smiling face, tapping us lightly.

“You both look quite surprised. Thank you for your concern, but thankfully, as you can see, I’m unharmed.”

“That’s definitely a Golem, right?”

“Yep. A Golem I brought for rift defense.”

Francesca waved her hand, bringing forth a peculiar gear inscribed with strange symbols. It was the core, a vital part of Golem creation.

Upon closer inspection, a similar device was also embedded in the chest of the Golem that was beating the monster to a pulp.

Stroking the core of the Golem, Francesca licked her lips, expressing a hint of regret.

“It turned out to be worth more than I expected. If I had known it would be like this, I might have considered going to a discounting alchemist.”

“Seeing you joke around assures me you’re unharmed.”

I glared at Francesca with a look of disbelief.

While I was horrified, Camila’s eyes sparkled.

“It’s like Titanfall….”

“What the hell is that, you geek?”

Just then, a radio transmission was heard from the rift, announcing the recovery of troops and casualties at each lookout point, indicating that all preparations had been completed.

Seeing the flames still blazing vigorously, it seemed we wouldn’t extinguish them anytime soon. Since the Corpse Spiders couldn’t get over, I felt certain that we could reach the defensive line safely.

“That should be enough; let’s head up now. Everyone, move towards the defensive line.”

—

The Imperial Army defending the rift formed a sturdy defensive line. Thanks to the sacrifices of the troops deployed at the forefront and the efforts of Camila and Francesca, the Imperial Army secured enough time.

-̶̶̶̶̶̶ ̶!

A booming sound, akin to the roar of a beast, shook the ground.

As the main cannon steadied after a brief jolt through the thick fog, the fired shell obliterated the swarm of Corpse Spiders in a massive explosion.

Meanwhile, the Tank Commander, peering out from the cupola, grabbed the machine gun. As bullets poured out furiously, the Corpse Spiders were shredded to bits, and when the main cannon fired again, all that remained were fragments unrecognizable from their original form.

It was evidently a very solid defensive line.

As the Imperial Army poured all their firepower into defending the rift, I arrived at the defensive line with Camila and Francesca.

After walking through tanks, armored vehicles, and machine gun emplacements for quite some time, we finally met Senior Lyudmila, who had come out to greet us at the defensive line.

“You’ve returned. Colonel, are you injured?”

“No, this isn’t my blood. Nobody among us is hurt.”

“That’s a relief. Let’s head inside.”

Senior Lyudmila began to guide us deeper into the unit.

A few soldiers accompanied us like a guard, and judging by how their gear differed from the troops deployed at the defensive line, they appeared to be the escort unit that had followed us here. I could see the escort armored vehicle that Senior Lyudmila had ridden in the distance as well.

Though they were called an escort unit, they were essentially spies. No matter how well the Military Government Headquarters tried, I had to question whether it was truly born out of goodwill.

But that didn’t matter right now.

“Senior Lyudmila, what’s the situation?”

I asked her about the battlefield’s status.

“Troops have been deployed at all defensive lines.”

“Where is the attack coming from? Are we surrounded?”

Senior Lyudmila shook her head.

“We are not surrounded. From the south and west, where you and Hero and Administrator arrived, monsters are approaching, but the northern and eastern defenses are clear. According to our unit’s observations, the Corpse Spiders were primarily detected in the south and west.”

That meant that it was highly likely the Corpse Spiders’ habitat lay in the southern and western regions.

It could also be interpreted as a low probability of monsters approaching from the north and east.

“That’s a relief. Please continue.”

“Currently, the heavy weapons platoon is providing fire support. Though visibility is poor due to the thick fog, I believe there are no major issues. Once communications are reestablished, we plan to request artillery support from below.”

“Is communication unstable?”

“They say it’s difficult due to the high density of magical energy in the air. Thankfully, when the communication got through, we asked nearby units for assistance. Soon, a wizard from the division will arrive.”

With infantry, armor, artillery, and magic combined, all combat forces were gathering at the rift. Although there were also air defense units, considering that the Corpse Spiders couldn’t fly, it didn’t matter.

Suddenly, a peculiar thumping sound echoed from afar. I fleetingly saw the Imperial Army’s grenade launcher firing grenades down from a high ground.

The sight of shells and tank shots raining mercilessly was a spectacular sight.

However, I couldn’t shake off the strange unease creeping up inside me, so I asked Senior Lyudmila anxiously.

“Do we have sufficient ammunition?”

“We have enough, I believe.”

Upon her response, I nodded, finally relieved.

“That’s good to hear.”

With ample ammunition, a sufficient number of troops, and commanding the high ground, it wouldn’t be easy for the defensive line to crumble.

Moreover, soon the artillery brigade stationed below would provide fire support, and wizards would be on their way from the division.

With such resources, we could handle not just the Corpse Spiders but even a Manticore if it came.

“I feel reassured.”

“For now, let’s head inside and take a short rest. If anything comes up, I’ll let you know immediately.”

With those words, Senior Lyudmila left to some place, leaving the escorting soldiers behind.

Although a battle was taking place, we couldn’t keep fighting indefinitely; I intended to offer some water to the exhausted Camila and Francesca and let them catch their breath.

But we never had a chance to rest.

Corpse Spiders began to swarm and attack the defensive line, not just from the south and west, but even from the east.

Thus, the rift we occupied was surrounded.