Julian felt something ominous and pulled back the knights of the guard and put the black knights in front.
"Keuuuuu!"
Goooooo-
The corpses faced the Black Knight head-on, unconcerned by his overwhelming presence.
The black knights slashed at the moving corpses.
The corpses were cut into pieces like chunks of meat, making a squelching sound.
But the corpse that was cut into two or three parts rose again.
Some split into two entities and attacked the Black Knight separately, while others clumped together and attacked the Black Knight as if they were originally one body.
"Ugh..."
"What is that..."
The knights of the guard were speechless.
These were faces that had already been completely pushed back in momentum.
It can't be helped.
It was a sight reminiscent of hell.
It was a total mess.
"There is no end."
Julian clicked his tongue and pulled out every black knight he could, eventually picking up the sword himself.
The knights of the guard who had stepped back for a moment also readied their swords again.
"Wake up. Use fire!"
Julian commanded.
The knights of the guard picked up the bows and arrows that had fallen nearby and lit them with the lanterns they were carrying.
"Kkaaaaaah!"
The burning corpse stopped, screaming horribly.
Some moved without a care, while others simply stopped moving forever.
Julian shouted.
"It's a letter. There are letters carved into the limbs, head, and torso. Find them and burn them!"
The Black Knight could not understand such specific commands.
Just fight moving enemies.
Only three knights of the guard were capable of carrying out Julian's orders.
The black knights mechanically cut down and tore the corpses apart.
Then, when he was attacked by them and his arms and legs were blown off, he absorbed Julian's life force and regenerated.
The knights of the guard, using the black knight as a shield, searched for the incantations carved into the bodies of the corpses and burned them.
But the work was very slow, and Julian gradually grew tired.
Wheeee-
Julian, who had been fighting with his surroundings while swinging his sword, suddenly stopped and looked back at him.
He placed the black knights around him like a wall to protect him, then stood still and listened.
The spirit of the knights.
The strange sounds made by moving corpses.
The eerie howls of the black knights.
In between, a faint, heterogeneous sound can be heard... the sound of the wind?
"..."
Julian focused on the sound.
Meanwhile, the black knights continued to drain his vitality.
Every time his heart beat, all the energy drained from his body.
His mind was spinning, and he felt like his legs were going to collapse.
It felt like his entire body, from his fingertips to his toes, would turn to ash and be blown away by the wind.
But even in such exhaustion, Julian gritted his teeth and persevered.
It definitely felt like the end had come.
"Ugh... Cough!"
Something rose up in his throat.
When she spit it out, it was a clot of blood.
His mouth was filled with the pungent, acrid scent of blood.
"Your Majesty!"
One of the knights saw it and tried to run towards him, but Julian raised his hand and stopped him.
"It's nothing."
Julian put his index finger to his lips.
"Shhhh."
He continued to concentrate on the sound.
Wheeed
He fixed his gaze on a place far away.
At that moment, Julian's figure disappeared in an instant.
The knights looked around for Julian.
Soon, a sharp scream rang out from somewhere.
It was the scream of Bruce Linchester, who was hiding behind a rock and controlling the moving corpses.
The knights turned their gaze in the direction from which the scream was heard and only then did they find Julian there...
***
"His Majesty found Bruce Linchester there. Then the monsters stopped moving."
The knight who had accompanied Julian all morning explained
Shortly afterwards, a knight who had met Bridget on another road came to Julian to report that he had found her.
When Julian heard that Bridget was safe, he left Bruce with the newly joined knight and another man and came to the palace with the other two.
The knight who was telling his companions about the situation was the one who arrived at the palace late with Bruce.
"It didn't seem like His Majesty was injured, but I saw him vomit blood with my own eyes."
"Shouldn't you call a doctor and have him examine?"
"That's why everyone is looking for His Majesty like this."
"Huh... Where the hell are you?"
It seemed like the knights were quietly looking for Julian so as not to spread rumors.
So, strangely, the palace felt like a bustling place.
I left the place.
'The rampage has begun.'
The incident that had been barely suppressed by not writing the Black Knight for so long ended up happening due to Bruce Linchester's scheme.
I squeezed my eyes shut.
Is this the prophecy that the curse has found a new successor coming true?
I ran.
Magi was telling me where Julian was hiding.
'I can stop the rampage.
I calmed my anxious mind.
I gritted my teeth.
Prophecy, what is that?
'You did it last time. You can do it this time too.'
This time, we just have to put a stop to the rampage.
After that, I will guard Julian from the side to make sure he never uses the Black Knight again.
'I shouldn't have left Julian.'
I felt guilty that it was all my fault.
Wasn't that what happened while I was out of the palace and visiting the Duke of Linchester?
If that fight hadn't happened, Julian wouldn't have gone berserk.
It was something that happened while I was looking for myself.
'It's because of me.'
Tears blurred my vision.
I wiped it away nervously and kept running.
My lungs felt like they were going to burst, and my heart was going to burst, but I gritted my teeth and ran.
The place Magi led me to was an abandoned palace that had been closed down a long time ago.
I didn't know where this place was.
This was the abandoned palace where baby Julian was abandoned.
It was a place that was abandoned and forgotten even at the time, but it was completely closed as soon as Julian came to power.
The path had disappeared because the grass had grown as tall as a person, showing how long no one had walked on it.
I made me way through the air with my black knight and entered the shabby building that could hardly be called a palace.
The weeds did not invade the building.
I walked down the hallway.
The inside of the ruined palace was filled with tremendous magical energy.
It was such a magical power that it was difficult to distinguish.
It wasn't a very large place, so it didn't take long to find Julian, even if I had to grope around.
I heard a faint sound, like that of a wounded animal, coming from inside a room.
"Julian?"
In the corner was a giant cocoon made of a lump of magi.
A mass of black magic writhes like boiling lava.
"Julian."
"..."
There was no answer.
I placed my hand on the black mass of magi.
The purifying light from me peeled away the magic surrounding Julian, layer by layer.
How tightly wrapped it is.
Moreover, as soon as I took it off, the magi energy built up again and again.
This magical curtain was clearly not physical, but I had a hard time reaching Julian.
This is the first time I have seen such a solid mass of magic.
"Julian, it's me."
"..."
"I'm here. I'll cleanse you."
"..."
"It was fine before. It will be fine this time, too.
"..."
"Get out of there, Julian."
I pushed the magi away with great force.
Then, finally, I came face to face with Julian, leaning weakly against the wall.
I quietly placed a hand on Julian's shoulder.
His shoulders were shaking, perhaps from the pain.
Only when he felt my warmth did he raise his head, which had been bowed, as he felt the presence of another person.
Unfocused, bloodshot eyes stared at me.
That moment.
"...!!"
With a harsh howl, Julian rushed at me like an animal.
I realized that Julian's eyes were not human.
What was there wasn't Julian, it was a completely mad beast.
"Julian!"
I called out to him, but he did not even recognize his beloved lover.
"Krrrr......"
A chilling fear ran through my whole body.
My hair stood on end.
That's not Julian.
I realized I was trapped in a room with a ferocious beast.
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