I’m Telling You, I’m Not a Boss Monster!

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Charlotte moved towards the eastern portal with Isabella.

Cecilia crossed the northern portal with Balutak.

Only after sending them off did I finally push my way with Roseha into the southern portal.

The scenery changed abruptly, and before long, we stood in the center of a ridge.

Following Roseha’s gesture, I looked down and saw a broad castle city with extensive city walls.

An involuntary sigh slipped from my lips.

“Isn’t it disgusting?”

“…It’s quite disgusting.”

An undead army was climbing the walls, using each other like ladders.

Just judging by sight, there seemed to be about 20,000 to 30,000 of them.

Smoke was rising from various mountain ranges, and thunderous shouts echoed throughout.

The humans on the walls were in a desperate defense, firing weapons, bows, and crossbows.

They were fighting fiercely, but it was only a matter of time before they would break through.

Even I, who was clueless about strategy, could tell they would soon fall.

Roseha subtly pointed beyond the vast army.

There were two liches arrogantly observing the battlefield from a distance.

[Lv. 86]

[Lv. 87]

Just by looking at their levels, they were arch liches.

It was easy to guess they were the commanders of the legions.

“Those two are the legion commanders. The tall one is the first legion commander, Velid. The one who looks like a hunchback is the second legion commander, Kilenion.”

“If we just kill them, does that mean it’s all over?”

Killing the sorcerer would naturally leave the subordinate undead army as corpses.

But Roseha shook her head.

“While they are in command, the sorcerer is definitively Calandas. They’ve merely delegated the command.”

“That does place him as the primary target.”

Even if he wasn’t a sorcerer, he fulfilled the role of a commander.

If we kill the two of them, the undead army would lose its self-awareness, and the instinct-driven undead would become much easier to capture.

“I’ll take care of the legion outside, and I’ll handle those two commanders. You just support the humans inside the castle. It would be great if you could give them hope.”

“…Hope, you say.”

“Yeah. After all, we have to cooperate with the humans, so you need to raise their morale. They must already know that you are Lucas. The former hero becoming an undead to save humanity—that’s a scenario humans absolutely love, right?”

Just letting things flow as easily as that felt like an unfounded desire.

It’s one thing to be recognized as a hero while alive; right now, I was a well-known monster from the Seven Lairs.

Moreover, the army I was dealing with was undead, and I was undead as well.

Whether I saved them or not, it felt like I would be attacked indiscriminately.

“You have the Holy Sword. Just reenact Lucas’s appearance from when he was alive.”

“I don’t remember what I was like back then.”

“What difference does it make? Just make a grand entrance and come to their rescue.”

Honestly, I just wanted to comfortably take care of the undead and not get caught up among the humans. If they attacked, I wouldn’t just stand by.

Naturally, I resisted the thought, but I felt a little conflicted about slaughtering the humans.

‘…Hesitating now just feels like a cowardly mindset.’

If it was tough for me, it had to be even tougher for Roseha.

Compared to her taking on the legion commanders, I was simply dealing with the low-level undead.

It would be ungrateful to complain when I should be grateful.

After coming to my decision, I nodded to her.

Roseha smiled back as if to respond.

“Levitate.”

As she spoke the short incantation, my body floated into the air.

Levitate was a spell allowing me to move around like hovering in midair.

From below, Roseha looked up at me with wide eyes.

“What’s that? How did you do that?”

If it was a spell, it was something even the Lords of the Seven Lairs wouldn’t know.

The spell of the ancient dragons had been lost for ages, even predating the Seven Lairs.

Ignoring the advancing undead army, I casually said, “I’ll leave the rear to you.”

With those words, I flew off toward the castle wall.

***

“That’s amazing.”

Roseha murmured as she watched Barugore’s retreating figure.

The power of the Lords of the Seven Lairs was inherently unfathomable, but Barugore was even more so.

Trying to understand it was probably a futile effort.

Every single action he took so far had defied common logic, so it was strange to ponder it now.

“…I’m curious about how their reaction will be.”

I really wanted to know how humans would feel when Lucas returned as an undead while protecting the Empire.

Would they rejoice that the hero hadn’t abandoned the Empire, or would they immediately attack him as another undead?

While she was lost in thought, Roseha abruptly turned around.

“I have my own tasks to attend to.”

Having talked big, she needed to show something in return.

I felt anticipation for how positively Barugore would regard her performance, and that anticipation was all the motivation I needed.

Roseha reached into the air.

A sword materialized in her hand, forming into a blood-red blade.

It elongated like a whip, with its blade splitting into fragments.

Roseha, who had been peering down from the ridge, jumped down.

She landed softly amidst the torrent of undead spilling forth.

“Nightmare, Vision.”

The undead rushing toward Roseha all came to a sudden stop.

Their red eyes gradually grew hazy, glowing with a pink hue.

Soon, those undead began to bite and tear at the undead with the crimson eyes.

The mindlessly advancing army came to a halt in an instant.

With the undead now lost in dreams, they cleared a path in front of Roseha.

Swish—

Roseha wildly swung her elegant sword.

With every lash of the whip-like strike, hundreds of undead were mercilessly slashed apart.

Her motions were casual, as if swatting flies, turning the undead into less than that.

Blood and flesh sprayed everywhere from all directions. Yet, it was blocked by the intangible veil.

Roseha advanced unscathed and humming a tune, as she moved forward.

She appeared completely unfazed, as though she were strolling through a flower garden.

Her gaze narrowed as she looked toward the legion commanders.

A double magic circle originating from the high-ranking commander targeted Roseha.

That they recognized the two commanders as complete enemies was reasonable, given how chaotic things were.

It would be odd to just stand there doing nothing while witnessing such destruction.

On the other hand, it was infuriating.

Even a combined assault by arch liches could defeat any formidable foe.

But did they truly believe they could deal with the Lords of the Seven Lairs?

Boom—!

A pillar of murky flame descended upon Roseha from the magic circle.

A massive hemispherical explosion engulfed everything around it. Thousands of undead caught in the blast disappeared without a trace.

When the deafening sound subsided, the air filled with dark smoke, enveloping the ground in shadow.

A fierce gale kicked up as the aftermath swept through, eventually becoming a backlash.

When that backlash finally began to settle, a lone silhouette stood within the smoke.

In a location where no corpses remained, Roseha walked calmly as ever.

In fact, this was fortunate for Roseha. It cleared her line of sight.

Tap, tap.

Echoing footsteps came to a halt as Roseha stood before the two liches.

Around the arch liches were various magical circles, big and small.

It felt like magic was about to be unleashed at any moment, but one of them spoke first.

“O Queen of Dreams, have you forgotten the non-aggression pact?”

The hunchbacked arch lich, the second legion commander Kilenion, spoke in a chilling tone.

Roseha chuckled lightly.

“That’s just for high-ranking realms. I’m here to assist the shrine all by myself.”

“Ah… the shrine. Everything is indeed happening according to His will.”

Rather than being surprised, he seemed to be anticipating her.

Even more so, when he spoke meaningfully about it being according to His will.

Perhaps they were considering eliminating both the Empire and the shrine in one fell swoop.

For Calandas, the Holy Sword was more than just a thorn in the eye.

“You seemed to know it all, huh?”

“Yes. He knows everything. Not just the shrine but also your joining. Though it’s a bit earlier than expected, minor mishaps in the grand scheme are common.”

“You plan to kill us all, don’t you?”

“We won’t kill you. He intends to take you under his command.”

Subjugating the sixth and seventh ranks of the Seven Lairs to his undead army meant turning the entire Seven Lairs into enemies.

It became clear that Calandas planned to swallow the Seven Lairs post-victory.

Undead don’t require rest, so it would happen instantly.

‘Barugore was right about this.’

I felt a bit guilty for doubting him.

On the other hand, I couldn’t comprehend Calandas’s schemes.

No matter how much of a battlefield it was for the Lich King, their arrogance was excessive.

Did they have some hidden advantage we were oblivious to?

More importantly, why weren’t these guys trembling before me?

“You really are foolish to come and die willingly.”

“Are you serious? You think I’m going to die at your hands?”

Feeling apprehensive, Roseha narrowed her eyes and scanned for danger.

There had to be a valid reason for their current arrogance.

Kilenion burst into hearty laughter, shaking his shoulders.

“You really think we wouldn’t notice that you’ve become weaker?”

“…Huh?”

“I heard from Lady Roxanne. Your characteristic mana has been sealed.”

The fact they heard it from the elder…

While Roseha was deep in thought, her eyes lit up.

Was this what they meant when they talked about her power being sealed by the Karasutra Amethyst?

In the past, Roseha had visited the Ten Commandments of the Abyss to find a way to unseal it for Roxanne.

So sure, she knew about the seal, but she seemed unaware that Barugore had resolved it afterward.

‘The elder is surprisingly foolish.’

If she had remained sealed, she wouldn’t have attended the council at all.

Perhaps she thought no one could unseal her.

It was true that Roxanne was a bit short-sighted, but more so, Barugore’s power was out of the ordinary.

“They’re saying no one should be cautious of Roseha without her Holy Sword. What a shame for the Seven Lairs.”

“Ha ha.”

Roseha couldn’t help but chuckle.

Honestly, I wondered when they were talking about something like this.

“Yeah, back then, I might have struggled. If I were to struggle against these little things, that would reflect poorly on the Seven Lairs.”

If they thought her characteristic mana had been sealed, it was understandable they were feeling high and mighty.

Once again, I felt immensely grateful to Barugore.

Had he not been there, this might have become a legitimate disdain for a reason.

“Seriously, what era are they even speaking of? That’s all in the past. Thanks to Barugore, the seal has been lifted.”

The glowing eyes of the two, staring at Roseha, shimmered momentarily with a pink hue.

At the same time, the surrounding magic circles began to activate, targeting the sorceress herself.

Several layers of barrier protections that had enveloped them were also dispelled.

Roseha’s characteristic mana (Dream Mana) completely devoured the sanity of opponents much weaker than herself.

Even arch liches fell under that category.

Kugugugu!

Hellfire rained down, leaving behind only scorched marks at the scene.

There was not a single sign of life remaining.

With the barriers lifted, the unguarded arch lich was obliterated without leaving a trace.

The legion commander was resolved in an instant, and if I dealt with the undead army outside the walls now, that would be it.

As she hummed a tune, Roseha turned her body.

Suddenly, the words Barugore spoke during the briefing came to mind.

– If you hadn’t been here, we would’ve faced serious trouble.

It was a statement that was pleasantly memorable, and now that I reflected on it, it should have been said by Roseha.

In reality, I nearly would have faced serious trouble without her.

“Who’s the one saying that now?”

Roseha smiled brightly as she held up her sword.

When receiving love first, you must repay it double.

That was her proclaimed principle.