Looking at the Protagonist’s face seemed to be a desperate attempt to grasp at straws.

But for some reason, he wasn’t afraid of the opponent.

He didn’t think the Golem would take care of it. No matter how strong, it was difficult against sheer numbers. It would be hard if the opponent ignored everyone else and only targeted the Protagonist.

The reason the Protagonist hadn’t been in danger so far was that the opponents had fought him honorably. The Orcs never retreated and charged head-on.

In the case of Humans, no one risked their lives to charge. However, Skeletons know no death and move according to the Mage’s intentions.

Thinking that, a chill ran down his spine. That was all. It felt like his fear had vanished since fighting in the common Cemetery.

He didn’t know why. His Magic skills might have improved without the Protagonist even realizing it. A strange sense of confidence surged within the Protagonist.

In front of the Skeletons was a Mage in a black Robe that reached the floor. His face was not visible, but judging by the hand holding the staff, he seemed to be quite old.

It was the first living evil Mage he had ever seen. He raised his head and shouted to hand over one person. That was the offer to retreat as they were.

The Guard Captain appeared and heard the story from the Deputy.

He was in favor of handing over a person. It would be strange not to, when handing over just one person could save hundreds of lives. There were many citizens who had taken refuge here.

The Deputy also agreed. However, the Noble Knight who was listening nearby had a different opinion.

“Absolutely not! Do you even know who they’re asking for when you babble like that?!”

“Who are you?”

The Guard Captain asked. The Noble Knight replied.

“I am the Duke’s eldest son. I am currently guarding someone by the King’s command.”

The Noble Knight shouted the name of the Duke’s family. Not just anyone could become a Duke. It meant they were relatives of the Royal family.

As the eldest son, he inherited the Title.

It meant he was someone who could not be looked at directly.

The people gathered around showed interest in who this person was that such a man was protecting.

The woman whispered.

“They seem curious about who that woman is, don’t they?”

“Aren’t you curious?”

“No. I know who she is.”

“Who is it?”

“I’ll tell you if you promise to protect me.”

“You?”

He thought for a moment and then said he understood.

He figured it was because the woman was scared, as skeletons were roaming around.

It was the man’s job to reassure the woman.

The woman smiled, her face brightened.

For a moment, he had the illusion that her surroundings had brightened.

He wondered how beautiful she would be once she was cleaned up.

She might be even prettier than the protagonist thought.

“That woman is of the most noble bloodline.”

“Noble?”

“She’s the king’s daughter.”

“The king’s daughter? Why is such a woman a chased beggar?”

He was puzzled.

If the woman was of the royal family, she should have been staying in the castle. There was no reason for her to be wandering around without guards.

“There’s a delicious bread shop in this place.”

“What’s that suddenly about?”

“The bread is very delicious. I sometimes sneak out to eat it, but of all things, this happened.”

He wondered how delicious the bread was to make her do that. The protagonist also liked delicious food. It was even more so because he only ate berries and grass when he lived in the village.

“If you’re of the royal family, couldn’t you just have your subordinates buy it for you?”

“Then the bread gets cold! It has to be freshly made!”

The woman shook her head. Her eyes held determination. She watched an argument unfolding in the distance and then said,

“Can’t you help?”

“How?”

“You’re a mage, aren’t you? Since you’re also a noble, you can speak up.”

Mage.

The word “mage” pierced his heart.

He had also used the word “mage” when he bluffed to Lorina.

“What about you?”

“I’m an attendant.”

“You even speak informally to the shop owner?”

“Why? Am I not supposed to?”

“You’re of low status.”

“It’s fine for me.”

The woman pulled his hand.

Mordon didn’t stop her. He couldn’t tell what he was thinking.

The protagonist immediately thought of running away.

The people here were not close acquaintances. There was no loyalty. He wasn’t kind enough to die for strangers.

“Are you really telling us to hand over the princess? If this gets out later, we’ll all be hanged.”

“So you’re telling us to fight? I have no intention of dying crushed by a Skeleton, so if you want to fight, you fight.”

I listened to them silently. The sound of their bickering echoed beyond the Throat.

It seemed like it would never end.

They were both saying the same things, wanting to follow the Protagonist’s opinion.

The evil Mage waited patiently.

It was no loss to just sit there.

Just then, the blade came out of the Noble Knight’s scabbard.

The clatter of metal silenced the surroundings.

“You cannot escape. If you don’t want to die by my blade, fight. Then I’ll overlook the nonsense you’ve spouted so far.”

“Crazy… do you think you can beat us alone?”

The atmosphere here had already turned hostile. If left alone, they would draw swords and fight each other. One side had already drawn theirs.

The Noble Knight’s forces consisted only of two men who appeared to be squires.

The Guard Soldier side had a larger number, but without a Knight, they would have to endure heavy casualties.

Ultimately, the Guard Soldiers would win.

However, the Guard Captain could not move easily.

The Noble Knight’s eyes held Killing intent. He was poised to draw his sword and cut off the opponent’s head the moment they shouted.

The Guard Captain looked for a way to survive.

As his eyes darted around, he saw the Mage.

“M-Mage! Please help us!”

At those words, all eyes turned to the Protagonist. From afar, the Dark Mage also watched with interest. It seemed they were curious how the argument would unfold. The Protagonist would have continued to watch if it hadn’t directly involved them.

“Why should I?”

“Didn’t you say you would help me! This madman is pushing us to our deaths, are you just going to stand by and watch!”

The Noble Knight, hearing those words, frowned.

He turned his head towards me, scanned me up and down, and then burst out laughing.

“It’s laughable to ask for help from a child like this.”

The Noble Knight quickly fell silent.

No one was laughing with him. Only then did his face harden as he saw the expressions of the Soldiers around him.

Every one of them was looking at the Shop Owner with puppy-like eyes.

This wasn’t a situation where he could unconditionally win. For the first time, a troubled expression appeared on the Noble Knight’s face as he realized this.

He tightened his grip on the sword. It seemed he was determined to fight to the death.

“Wait! I have no intention of fighting.”

I shouted before the opponent could swing his sword.

I didn’t want to fight an opponent I didn’t necessarily have to. More than anything, if the Protagonist fought, someone else would benefit.

“Shut up. I don’t believe you no matter what you say.”

“Are you saying we should fight among ourselves with enemies right in front of us? That’s truly foolish.”

The Noble Knight paused. He wasn’t stupid.

“What do you propose?”

The Noble Knight’s demeanor softened slightly. Feeling a bit relieved, I continued speaking.

“We have to persuade them.”

“That guy has no intention of listening to me.”

“That’s because you’re telling them to go into a losing battle. I would have said absolutely no myself.”

If it were a winnable fight, they would have stepped up themselves. Even mercenaries, who easily turn their backs, would not flee even to their death if they didn’t think they would lose.

“But if no one stays here to fight, we won’t buy time to escape.”

“A person doesn’t necessarily have to stay. The Golem I control will stay and block them.”

“A Golem?”

The Golem took a step and walked. The ground suddenly shook, and people stumbled. The Noble Knight’s expression went blank as he saw the giant Golem.

The squires next to him had similar expressions. The female attendant who had been standing there earlier covered her mouth with her hand, unable to take her eyes off it.

“G-Golem Mage!”

The most frightened person was the Dark Mage in the distance. Even though he had brought an enormous number of Skeletons, his voice trembled.

He suddenly became curious. The only Dark Mage the Protagonist had encountered was the one in the common cemetery.

The opponent had less mana than the one he met then.

This meant it was a different person.

No matter how much he thought about it, there was no reason for the opponent to be so frightened.

“I will retreat today!”

“What?”

“I will give you three days. If you do not hand over the person I spoke of before then, I will wipe out everything. By then, I hope you will have a proper answer prepared!”

The Dark Mage really did turn back.

The Guard Captain made a bewildered expression as the Skeletons retreated like a tide.

The reactions of the people were not much different.

They couldn’t help it.

It was a situation where they would definitely lose if they fought right now.

It was like a cornered mouse. But the opponent retreated too easily.

One person.

It was all because of just one person.

People’s gazes converged.

This time it was a little different.

Many expressions were of disbelief.

The Protagonist was the most surprised.

No matter how great his magic skills were, he couldn’t defeat an army. And it wasn’t just a simple army. It was hundreds of Skeletons who knew no death.

He knew how important morale was in battle. He thought the Protagonist would also be in danger if they fought.

Because the Protagonist is human. If a knife is stuck in his stomach, he dies.

Even if a stray arrow flew and hit him, he would die.

He recalled the times he was stabbed by an Assassin whenever his skill improved.

Humans die easily.

If he were a Dragon, it would be different. But the Protagonist is human, not a Dragon.

The Protagonist was the most bewildered.

It seemed like the Orc Shaman had a similar fit before. It was the same now. As their opponent retreated, the people discussed what to do.

Even so, they looked this way.

Once the work was done, the protagonist prepared to leave. It seemed unlikely he would see anything good by staying here.

The number of people allowed into my castle was limited.

The protagonist came to this place to get help in case of unforeseen danger. There was no reason to stay now that the possibility of that help was gone.

Seeing them flee with an army of hundreds, the protagonist felt a surge of confidence.

For some unknown reason, if the opponent was afraid of the Golem, then he wouldn’t be attacked on the way to my castle.

There was no need to stay with the guard soldiers. He wanted to meet the Count as soon as possible. Only then could he understand the current situation. He also wanted to see Chloe’s face. He felt he would only be at ease once he saw she was safe.

The Noble Knight seemed to have a lot to say but didn’t hold him back. He did suggest they talk later. He didn’t know what kind of proposal he would make.

“Hey.”

On the way, a woman followed him. It was the woman who had called herself an attendant.