It takes three days to ride from Black Lake to Crossroad.
However, on the first day of their expedition, the Fallen Knights ended up eating most of the horses they brought with them.
As a result, they had to move on foot, and since the Fallen Knights themselves weren't particularly fast, their progress was significantly slower.
In the end, it took them five days to move northward on foot, and still, Crossroad was not in sight, even though they had walked day and night.
And taking five days meant...
They had eaten five of their fellow Fallen Knights.
"Just a bit further and we'll see the damned humans."
Pendragon spoke from the front. He was riding the only remaining corpse horse.
Behind him followed seven Fallen Knights on foot.
Including Pendragon, that made eight.
After eating five comrades, the remaining eight were diligently moving northward. And Pendragon was still confident that this number was sufficient to annihilate the humans.
Because they were monsters capable of defeating anyone in battle.
"Almost there... just a little more and... we'll be feasting on their flesh..."
Spurred on by Pendragon's encouragement, the Fallen Knights drooled.
Even though they had feasted on the flesh of a comrade just a few hours ago, they quickly felt hungry again.
And Pendragon felt the same. The Fallen King ground his teeth.
'Quickly, quickly, quickly...! Let the walls appear...! Whatever appears, we'll smash and devour, so come out in front of us...!'
However.
Despite walking all day, the walls of the humans did not appear before them.
Eventually, when the road ended, what spread out in front of them was a vast cliff.
"Hm...?"
"Eh?"
"Great King, what is this...?"
Listening to the perplexed voices of his subordinates, Pendragon, unable to understand the situation, glared at the cliff in front of him with wide eyes.
They had undoubtedly walked due north. They had marched straight ahead, using the sun as a directional guide.
Why had they lost their way?
"...!"
Realizing something, Pendragon pointed upwards.
"The sun."
"Yes?"
"Shoot at the sun! Quickly!"
The Fallen Knights did not understand the command given by their king but faithfully executed it.
Sssshhh! Thud-thud-thud!
Various evil magics were shot towards the sky. Then.
Swoosh-
As if a curtain was being torn, an illusion magic was peeled away.
The sky's appearance changed abruptly, and the sun finally found its proper place. The hateful sun was shining down on them from an entirely different location.
"Since when?"
Incredulity in his voice, Pendragon murmured.
"When did they start mocking us? How long has this scale of illusion been... Since when...?"
In the sky - precisely above the heads of the Fallen Knights - an illusion magic had been cast.
The road from Black Lake to Crossroad had been cunningly altered through construction to misdirect their path.
As a result, the Fallen Knights, completely misjudging their bearings, had been wandering in the wrong direction.
It was then, as the confused Fallen Knights stood still, not knowing what to do.
"Sniff sniff."
One of the Fallen Knights twitched his nose.
"I smell oranges..."
Following that, other Fallen Knights also detected the scent and turned around one by one, their mouths watering.
The scent of oranges was coming from behind them.
"Great King, it smells like fruit. It's not far from here."
"It smells delicious..."
"Gulp. Gulp. Gulp."
One by one, the Fallen Knights turned towards that direction as if bewitched. Pendragon scolded them irritably.
"You idiots! We need to go north! Where are you going... Hey!"
The Fallen Knights shuffled around and headed south.
A wide plain spread out to the south. The Fallen Knights stretched their necks, searching for the source of the orange scent, swivelling their heads around.
Despite the dense orange scent, there were no orange trees in sight. Instead.
"Great, Great King! Look there!"
Giggling-
Children.
They were holding hands with each other, playing and frolicking.
"Humans! And young humans at that...!"
"They look soft... delicious!"
"I'll eat that! I'm going to eat that one!"
Drooling, the Fallen Knights rushed towards the children as Pendragon yelled behind them.
"Don't follow! It's obviously a trap! Don't touch them!"
There couldn't possibly be children in such a place!
But the Fallen Knights ignored the king's command and chased after the children. Blinded by hunger, they could no longer hear anything.
"Hehe, hehehehe! Got you, got you!"
One of the Fallen Knights, chasing after a child who was giggling and floating away, stretched out his long arm.
Hideous tentacles poured from his arm, entangling and tripping the child's ankle.
"Where shall I start eating you, you little one! You!"
With teeth as sharp as those of a carnivorous beast, the Fallen Knight was about to tear into the child's neck when he hesitated.
It was hard.
There was none of the softness characteristic of a child; instead, the texture felt like wood.
Regaining his senses, the Fallen Knight looked down at what he was holding, which was not a child.
"...A wooden puppet?"
What had been lively and moving like a child but now revealed its true form was merely a wooden puppet.
Giggling-
Ha ha ha ha-
Innocent laughter scattered as the children - or rather, the figures pretending to be children - ran off in all directions.
"It's a puppeteer! Their trickery! Don't follow!"
Pendragon shouted upon realizing the situation, but the Fallen Knights were already beyond reason.
"I want to eat!"
As one of the fleeing wooden puppets suddenly jumped forward, a Fallen Knight chasing after it also leaped.
Towards the edge of the cliff at the end of the field.
Thud! Bang! Crash! Crack...!
"..."
Pendragon coldly watched his subordinate tumble down the cliff.
"Ugh, Great King..."
Having fallen, the knight with broken limbs managed to claw his way back up the cliff.
"It was a puppet, si... ugh... it looked delicious..."
"..."
"Ugh, Great King?"
Breathing heavily, battered and stupid, his knight looked up at him. Pendragon let out a hollow laugh.
"It seems tonight's dinner has been decided."
The next moment, Pendragon's greatsword, drawn from its sheath, mercilessly slashed the subordinate's neck.
***
Tik-tok, tik-tok...
Sparks split the silent darkness.
The Fallen Knights, gathered around a campfire, ate their meal in silence. Today's meal was a comrade who had fallen off a cliff.
But Pendragon was lost in thought, not touching his food. The Fallen Knights stole glances at him.
"Have you lost your appetite, Great King?"
"..."
Watching his subordinates eat comfortably as if they hadn't a care in the world, Pendragon let out a long sigh.
"They played with us using various illusion spells. We've lost at least a day because of it."
Their plan was falling apart.
If this delay continued, the starving Fallen Knights would have to keep eating their members, and by the time they reached the walls, their strength would have diminished.
"If this were the end of it, that would be one thing, but if our advance continues to be delayed like this..."
As Pendragon pondered seriously, his subordinates insensitively pointed at the meal in front of Pendragon.
"If you don't feel like eating, may I have it?"
"Me too, me too, me too."
"Kihi. Kihihihi. Delicious, delicious."
"..."
Pendragon counted the remaining numbers.
Including himself, seven.
It was still okay. Still.
After finishing the meal and walking through the night, if they could just reach the walls of the humans by tomorrow...
That's when.
"Right."
Suddenly, a voice came from behind.
"You've been played with."
"...?!"
Startled, the Fallen Knights drew their weapons and looked in that direction.
Thud. Thud.
Approaching with footsteps was a young man with black hair and black eyes.
"The guardian of the humans...?!"
It was undoubtedly Ash, the enemy commander who had come with a flag last time, the commander of the human defense forces.
Unlike before, Ash was now armed with a sword and shield.
Although Ash's face was hidden in shadows, the voice was unmistakably his.
"Each of you is a powerful tank."
"..."
"The moment you reach the walls, you can destroy them and slaughter the stationed soldiers, a fearsome weapon indeed."
The voice was clearly mocking.
"Yes. As powerful as you are, you need supplies, and you've slowed down."
"You..."
"Fallen King. Do you know the term ‘Rasputitsa’?"
Pendragon blinked, puzzled by the sudden and incomprehensible word.
Rasputitsa (Распутица).
In Eastern Europe, Western Asia, and Russia, it refers to roads that turn into swampy mud during the rainy season.
The ground becomes incredibly mucky, making it difficult for both people and vehicles to move, but conversely, it's also used in warfare.
To block the advance of hostile forces. Tanks fall into the mire, the advance slows, and supply lines are also blocked.
"In short, a terrain specialized for delay tactics... it could be said."
The longer time is dragged out, the more the attacker's strength is whittled down, while the defender can easily deal with the immobilized enemy forces.
"I've always wanted to use this delay strategy while dealing with monsters. Ideally, I wanted to turn all roads into mud to slow down their advance. But I didn't. Do you know why?"
"..."
"For most other monsters, 'supply' doesn't mean much."
Most monsters don't even eat. They move on the essence of nightmares supplied by the Demon King.
Vampires that use blood as a power source, succubi that devour others' dreams, and these Fallen Knights cursed with hunger are among the few who need supplies.
"Unless it's a concentrated firepower section, just slowing down the entire road... it's not efficient. It means nothing to other small, agile, or flying monsters."
"..."
"If they keep coming and need to be fought and killed anyway, it's better to save that money for fortification of defense facilities rather than spending resources to delay."
Continuing to speak, Ash finally smirked and gestured towards the Fallen Knights.
"But you're different. Each of you is a heavy tank, and without human flesh, you can't withstand hunger... Monsters that definitely need supplies."
Therefore.
Ash had planned this defense as a delay tactic.
"Today, you suffered at the hands of our Crossroad's illusionist team. Aren't you looking forward to what kind of traps await you tomorrow?"
Ash smirked, covering his mouth in the shadows.
The Fallen Knights slowly closed the distance to Ash.
"As days pass, one by one, you'll keep eating each other and reduce your numbers on your own."
"..."
"In the Lake Kingdom, where supplies are infinite, there are no beings as fearsome as you, but here in the human territory, you're just idiots who self-destruct with simple supply blockades."
Ash lifted a finger to his lips and smiled thinly.
"You've already fallen into the swamp I created - into Rasputitsa."
"Acting all high and mighty, guardian of the humans."
Pendragon roared.
"It seems a bit risky to declare victory just yet-!"
Swoosh-!
Slowly surrounding Ash, the Fallen Knights charged at him all at once.
The combined attack of the Fallen Knights was like lightning. Each of their grotesque weapons, and teeth meant for tearing the living, fiercely lunged.
Ash hurriedly raised his sword and shield, but
Clang-!
The sword was split,
Thud!
And the shield shattered.
And then-
Crunch! Thud! Crack...!
All over his body, the weapons and teeth of the Fallen Knights embedded without a gap.
--TL Notes--
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