The Skeleton Soldier Failed to Defend the Dungeon-Chapter 249: Without Any Cost (13)

"I am Louis Claude, aide to Karin Krexar, senator of the allied armored brigade. At present... we are the unit closest to you, Dominator of the Frontlines. May I inspect those three?"

I stared silently at her. "..."

The blue-haired woman looked back and forth between me, sword still drawn, and the fallen iron men. I hadn’t sensed her presence at all. She simply appeared, but not with any overt hostility. Her eyes didn’t give away her intent, nor her capabilities.

It reminded me of the time I’d been utterly outmatched by the swordmasters. Yet, this woman seemed different from anyone I’d encountered so far. Her demeanor and speech were flawless and courteous. However, the more I observed, the more I noticed what wasn’t there. I didn't sense any warmth, dampness, heat, humidity, or life.

She had a mysterious air about her. When I didn’t lower my blade, she looked at me with a faint trace of resignation.

"I assure you, I have no will to fight. After observing the past battlefields and having just witnessed your most recent fight, I know I wouldn’t be able to handle you even if I tried. Is that what’s bothering you?" the woman asked.

She lifted her gray cloak. Now that I thought about it, something was strange.

When had I first become aware of her presence?

It wasn’t when she stepped into my view, but when she took off her cloak. Until that moment, I hadn’t sensed a thing, like she materialized from thin air. Once the cloak was off, her presence became sharply defined.

Isaac’s tone was uncharacteristically subdued. "That’s a fine item... I see civilization’s technology hasn’t entirely regressed over the centuries. To think someone from the Krexar family would possess something so valuable... With that kind of skill, they’re certainly worth negotiating with."

"Is it something you recognize?"

"It's a device that camouflages the wearer, blending them seamlessly into their surroundings... A degraded replica of an ancient legacy, far superior to anything the iron men could hope to engineer. Even reproducing one requires extraordinary effort. It takes deep understanding. This isn’t something you can half-ass."

"So it’s rare, then?"

"It’s something that can only be obtained after rigorous study of both magic and engineering. If that had been a real legacy, not even you would’ve sensed it. But... hmm. It seems your detection ability can still be fooled by a copy."

Those imperial ghosts who’d slipped past me before... had they all used gear like this?

However, those ghosts hadn’t worn cloaks, at least not visibly. I had a thousand questions, but for now, I decided to talk to the woman. She hadn’t moved a step, waiting until I granted permission.

"It’s fine. You may inspect them."

Creeeeak.

The woman calmly dismantled the iron men's damaged joints. Like a veteran mechanic, she took them apart with practiced ease. Piece by piece, the scattered components looked even more orderly than when they’d been whole.

"Impressive skill. Doing all that barehanded, without any tools..."

The only thing out of place was the corpses' twisted expressions, eyes wide open, leaking blood and brain matter. The blue-haired woman had already finished dismantling all three giant machines. In her hand, she held a translucent flask with a strange, silver liquid swirling inside it.

The flask was a bizarre glass container with its long spouts protruding like tendrils. It was smaller than her fist, and only a third full.

"Is that... Lurium?" I asked.

The woman nodded. "Yes."

"That’s... less than expected."

"Most soldiers don’t waste it. They use what they’re given, carefully and sparingly. No one burns through it unless they absolutely have to."

As long as it was used according to standard specs and not pushed to its limits, the silvery mana fluid wouldn't diminish.

"They probably didn’t even know how to push it..." Isaac muttered as he surveyed the disassembled iron men.

Lurium only vaporized when used as a transformative catalyst. This remaining fluid, left untouched, even at death’s door, meant that none of them had crossed that threshold. They had followed the predetermined path until their final breath. In that sense, the imperial family’s stockpile of Lurium was disturbingly, perhaps impossibly, large.

The woman capped the flask and tucked it away. Then, she reached into an iron man’s core and gently pulled out a small emblem. An owl with outstretched wings encircling a tree was etched on the back.

"This is looking way too textbook..."

Before I could even ask what Isaac meant, Louis explained, "It appears that some people within our own ranks, envious of our senator’s success, committed this offense. These soldiers were members of our Free Confederation... specifically, the Krexar family’s private guard." 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

"I thought your master was from the Krexar family?"

"My apologies. The house is far too powerful to be unified under a single will."

So Isaac was right in regard to the classic case of internal strife. Despite Louis' apology, her words carried no emotion. But the apology wasn’t what mattered.

"What do you want?"

We both already knew that they had come for me. I also clearly signaled that I was willing to hear them out.

"I want to form an alliance."

As expected.

"If your aim is to bring down the Empire, we will provide everything you need to act more efficiently and comfortably."

Then, I felt Brody Valdorf approaching from a distance. He had finished hunting down the fleeing soldiers and was on his way back.

"Wait here. I’ll be back shortly."

"Hey! Where are you going? Don’t leave me!"

Sprint.

I ran off and intercepted the oncoming werewolf before he could reach them.

"Grrrr... Something... wrong?"

Brody's claws dripped with fresh blood that had not yet dried. When Brody transformed into his three-meter-tall werewolf form, the chatterbox of a man vanished, replaced by raw, crushing force. He only ever unleashed that strength on one kind. To him, peace could only exist in a world without humans.

Though our bond was one-sided, or a contract of convenience, I still owed him an explanation. I told him everything, including the fact that we might temporarily join forces with the Confederation to take down the Empire.

"Grrrr... I hate... human stench..."

Is that a rejection?

"You’ve already killed me once. Even if you drag me into the very heart of the human realm, I have no right to refuse you."

Brody wasn’t as agitated as I expected. He was surprisingly calm.

"Lumen... if you just give me the information..."

Brody was willing to endure stepping into a human encampment he so despised because he wanted information on Lumen Valdorf. I had forgotten for a moment. While I’d been using this werewolf, I’d been keeping the little information I did have about Lumen hidden from him.

With a low voice, Isaac sneered, "So that’s what you were doing? Asking for permission now, when you’ve already been lying from the start?"

The implication was clear: Don’t pretend you’re clean now. It reminded me of the path I was walking, a path where I slaughtered countless humans without hesitation, offering their blood in ritual to summon a Demon King.

What was one more deception? What was one more heart manipulated for convenience?

It didn’t even register anymore. My hands were already too soaked in crimson.

A feral growl rumbled low in Brody Valdorf’s throat. "Grrr..."

Even without knowing who Isaac was, he always tensed around him, wary of something instinctively off.

In a low voice, he asked, "Is... it okay for you to go into human territory? If you take off your helmet..."

"That’s fine. I have a way."

I didn’t mention Masquerade. The skill only lasted ten minutes and had a six-hour cooldown. I’d need it again later.

"You just need to stay hidden enough to mask your presence. Keep doing what you’re doing, supporting from behind the lines."

"Understood."

When I returned, Louis Claude was still standing exactly where I’d left her, as if time hadn’t passed at all. She wasn't tense either. If anything, she looked more at ease than before. Frankly, she looked more like the cold corpses of the iron men than a living human.

"Let’s talk again. What can you offer?" I asked directly.

"My master will discuss the exact terms, but I came here authorized to promise anything."

I’d just seen her carefully reclaim the tiny remnants of Lurium. They probably didn’t have much to spare, but that wasn’t the only thing worth taking.

"Fine. Take me to your master."

My blunt acceptance made the blue-haired woman flinch slightly. Though faint, it was the first trace of human warmth I’d seen from her.

"Why are you so surprised? Wasn’t that your goal, to have me meet your master and move this forward?"

"Yes... I’ll escort you to the command post."

"You sure that master-servant relationship isn’t... you know, something else? I’m getting... vibes."

I had no idea what Isaac meant by that.

"Why was she so shocked when I agreed to meet the senator?"

"Finally catching on, are you? Think about it. You’re a literal reaper of humanity, a demon-like force of carnage. Would you want to expose someone you cared about to that without protection? She must really need this alliance... or..."

"Or?"

Isaac brushed it off. "Meh. Who knows."

As we descended from the strategic mountain pass, I spotted the army from afar after about an hour of walking.

"Tch. Tch. Tch."

Isaac let out a mocking click of the tongue and then fell silent again.

We kept moving. As we approached the military encampment carved into the forest, I became increasingly aware of Brody’s distant presence. He must have sensed the humans too, and he was probably brimming with hostility. Leaving him behind had been the right call.

As I passed through the guard post and into the heart of the camp, I took in the surroundings and counted roughly five thousand soldiers. Some of the humans had mechanical augmentations grafted onto their bodies. In the open spaces between tents stood towering machines, symbols of the Confederation’s military power.

If this place was a trap... well, as Isaac said, I could escape with just myself, at least. The only real variable was the human currently leading me: Louis Claude.

Isaac sounded genuinely baffled as he glanced around. "This is a disaster... Even the trench formation is all wrong. What’s the point of setting it up like this?"

"What’s bothering you now?"

"You handle it."

"Handle what?"

Isaac didn’t respond.

We arrived at a command tent bearing the emblem of an owl wrapping its wings around the sun. The guard stationed outside held a massive morning star with mechanical gears embedded into it, an integrated prosthetic arm weapon.

Upon seeing Louis, the soldier stepped aside immediately. "This way, please."

Louis hesitated briefly, then entered the tent slowly.

A woman with jet-black hair greeted me with a radiant smile. "Welcome! I’ve been waiting eagerly for you."

Unlike her stiff and solemn guide, her expression held nothing but warm, sincere hospitality.

"I’m Karin Krexar."

The black-haired beauty didn’t ask who I was or demand any explanation. She simply took my hands in hers and led me to the round table in the center of the tent.

"I see. Letting me come this far means... you’ve been tracking me for a while."

"That’s right. I’ve been waiting for the day we’d meet."

The tent was empty. It was just the senator and me. Karin stood utterly defenseless with her neck exposed and no guards. If I wanted to, I could end her life in an instant.

"I’ve just killed over a hundred humans and set fires along the way. Did it not occur to you that I might kill you too?"

Karin had flowing black hair, like polished obsidian, and met my gaze with unwavering confidence. "If that’s my fate, so be it. However, I don’t believe I’m destined to die here."

She raised one finger, unmarked by any trace of training, and pointed upward.

"Destiny favors me."

There was no bloodlust or trace of strength. Yet, I found it strangely difficult to meet her gaze. Her word choice was strange, and the lax security was suspicious. The atmosphere left me wondering what I should be taking from this meeting. It felt like she was sweeping me along with the magnetic pull of her confidence.

"Bullshit..." Isaac’s cold voice cut through that magnetic pull like a freezing gust. "What arrogance. Acting like she’s the protagonist of the world, in front of you?"

Isaac's sudden outburst was unusually intense. Maybe I’d been too distracted by Karin's strange power play to think clearly, but then something caught my eye. A faint, barely visible message hovered just in front of me. The message was so translucent that it almost got lost in the background.

[Evaluating...]

[Conditions not met.]

[Scenario activation not possible.]