Although the Golem fought well on its own, it needed detailed commands.

It was difficult to give commands if it fought out of the Protagonist’s sight.

As the Skeleton Soldiers’ bones came into view, he sent the Golem forward.

The Golem rushed forward and then swung its arm, sweeping away the enemies in front of it. It was like sweeping fallen leaves with a broom.

The enemies showed no sign of being intimidated by the Golem’s immense power.

They were already dead Corpses. The feeling of fear had vanished from the Soldiers who were nothing but bones.

It seemed like he would be overwhelmed by the Skeletons who kept coming even after their ranks were broken.

If they were humans, their morale would have plummeted from the moment the Golem broke their ranks, and they would have been reluctant to step forward.

Even a Golem couldn’t stop all those Skeletons. As they charged as if throwing away their lives, one or two out of ten were missed.

“Should we throw?”

Mary asked.

The female Mercenaries were each preparing to throw stones that they had put in leather or Cloth. One of them, unusually, used her belt as a Sling.

“Are you going to throw it with a belt?”

“We were short on slings in the shop.”

“Just throw it!”

The mercenaries all swung their arms widely at once and hurled stones.

It reminded him of when the goblins attacked before.

Goblins held stones in their hands and threw them. They had no tools. Even such a stone could kill you if it hit your head and you were unlucky.

Now, on this side, there were tools.

They flew to a distance that could never be reached by simply throwing them by hand. While not comparable to arrows, the impact inflicted was much stronger.

Skeletons’ bones broke with every hit. A skeleton hit in the leg collapsed and couldn’t move. It was very effective.

Bankel swung the mace in his hand, shattering the skeleton’s skull.

When the opponent still moved, he struck its body. As its entire body broke apart, the skeleton stopped moving. It was incredible strength.

“This feels even better in my hand.”

The man held the heavy mace, looking satisfied.

It was a weapon that had not been in his hand just a moment ago. He seemed to have picked it up after seeing the protagonist giving instructions to the mercenaries.

It meant he could think for himself.

“Do you not need a mace, my lord? I think you would use it better than I.”

Bankel offered the mace in his hand.

Several weapons hung on his back. It was as if he was saying he could fight until all of them were broken.

Even just the resolve was impressive.

Unlike him, Mordon did not change weapons, instead cutting down approaching skeletons with the sword in his hand. Given his build, an axe or a mace would suit him better than a longsword.

“This sword is enough for me.”

Bankel, seeing that the other person was adept at dealing with skeletons even with a sword, nodded.

“It won’t chip. It’s a very good sword.”

“It’s a sword I received for my achievements in the past.”

The two knights cleared out skeletons as if in a competition. It didn’t feel like they were struggling to hold them back.

He had planned to tell the mercenaries to help with spears whenever there was danger, but there was no need.

Then, a cry was heard from above. The princess leaned out of an upper floor of a building, her mouth agape.

She saw the two knights defeating skeletons. Then, she saw the golem rampaging in front and finally looked this way.

Somehow, seeing her gaze made him feel good.

As a princess, she probably had never seen such a battle. It was a very stimulating sight for her.

If things continued like this, the battle seemed like it would end smoothly.

However, it didn’t go that easily.

On the opposing side, evil mages were visible. There were three of them, and they shouted at each other in an unknown language while looking at the golem.

After arguing for a long time, they fell silent and stiffened, then all stepped forward together. They were quite far forward. It seemed they intended to fight together.

The protagonist had never seen the magic they used. He was curious about what kind of magic they wielded. So he focused his gaze.

The evil mages took their positions and chanted spells. Then, flames erupted in the air. All three of them did it. They also seemed to control flames. The only difference was that the color was slightly blackish.

It reminded him of the black flames used by the dragon. They were much more powerful than the fire flowers used by other mages.

If their flames possessed such power, it would be dangerous.

The party, who had seen what the Mages were doing, also swallowed hard at the sight. Some even looked on with worried eyes.

The reason they were holding on now was largely because the Golem was handling most of the enemies. If the Golem fell, it wouldn’t be strange for them to be pushed back and wiped out.

“W-will that be okay? Ice melts easily in fire, you know.”

“The ice I made is special. So don’t worry.”

“I-I’m not scared. Have you ever seen a Mercenary get scared?”

Mary forced a smile. She seemed to be trying to act tough, but she couldn’t hide the tremor in her voice.

More than anything, Mercenaries were easily scared. A Mercenary would run away at the slightest sign of losing.

Three Mages in black robes launched flames.

It had little effect on the Golem.

The Mages turned their heads and looked at each other. They seemed quite flustered. It was a natural principle for ice to melt in fire. Even cool water quickly became hot in scorching weather.

But the Protagonist’s Ice Golem was fine even after being hit by fierce flames.

It was Unmelting Ice. It was something that shouldn’t exist, but if one wasn’t bound by that notion, magic made it possible.

The sound of incantations could be heard from afar.

They regained their composure and continued to launch flames. They seemed to think they could defeat the Golem that way.

He sent the Golem forward.

He had no intention of taking their spells. Since the distance was close, he planned to advance and kill them.

Skeleton Soldiers, even in formation, cannot stop a Golem. Even a defensive line made of large, strong Shield Soldiers would not be able to.

But they knew no fear.

A Skeleton Soldier threw itself and clung to the Golem’s leg. The Golem used its strength to move its leg and try to shake it off. But the Ice Golem’s Cold Energy spread, freezing the Skeleton.

The Skeleton didn’t care if its comrades froze or not. Instead, they competed to cling to the Golem, creating a shackle of bones around the Golem’s leg.

The Golem staggered. Seeing that, he canceled the command to go forward. If it tried to walk forcibly in that state, it would fall.

It seemed like it wouldn’t be able to get up again in its current state. The evil Mages were very clever. He never dreamed they would use such a method against a Golem.

The Protagonist also held his staff and murmured words. Then, he launched the appearing Ice Arrow. It landed near the group of Mages.

The Dark Mage was startled.

Anyone would be, seeing the Skeleton next to them freezing all over.

They retreated a good distance. Not only that, but they had Skeletons with shields protect them. The Protagonist’s deterrence was effective.

The flames created by the Mages couldn’t reach the Golem. Occasionally, even when they threw fireballs, they often missed.

The Golem continued to swing its arms in place, blocking them.

As it thrashed, the bones clinging to its leg also broke off.

Each time, new Skeletons would cling on, preventing it from moving. The three Mages launched spells at the immobilized Golem.

White steam rose, and streams of water poured down.

The ice was melting.

No matter how much of an Ice Golem it was, it couldn’t completely withstand the flames.

If it kept getting hit by spells like this, even an Ice Golem would eventually fall. So, he thought he should check the number of enemies first.

The number of Skeletons still entering showed no sign of decreasing. He wondered if this was how he would die. He had killed at least three hundred, but it wasn’t over.

The Skeletons were endlessly numerous, but they were holding on by relying solely on one Golem. The psychological pressure was different.

Bankel’s eyes changed.

He was subtly backing away. He knew what that meant.

I was able to climb to the upper floor of the building and escape to the roof through the window. It didn’t look like a castle, but you never know.

If I could bring the princess back, I felt like I could endure anything. He was a great asset, so it would be dangerous if he left.

Just as the protagonist was about to speak, someone else spoke first. It was Mordon. He had been fighting alongside him, so he was the first to notice the anomaly and speak.

“I heard the situation at my castle is not good.”

“Why are you bringing that up all of a sudden?”

“Don’t even think about abandoning my shop owner and running away.”

“I never thought of such a thing.”

Bankel’s voice trailed off.

Mordon swung his sword, dispatching the skeleton in front of him. When he had a moment, he stretched out his hand and pointed forward.

There was a Golem blocking the skeletons, as if a single rhinoceros beetle was fighting against an army of ants.

“Do you see that Golem rampaging up ahead?”

“I see it.”

Bankel’s face hardened.

He seemed to have guessed what Mordon was going to say.

“Our shop owner is no mere mage. How many soldiers would it take to properly confront him? If Her Royal Highness the Princess enters my castle, she might unite the nobles. But if our shop owner goes, he can boost their morale and lead the war to victory.”

Bankel was silent for a long time. He looked at the pile of bones in front of him, then at the corpses around the Golem.

“You are right.”

Every time the Golem swung its arm, it took out five or six enemies.

Although he was an excellent knight, he couldn’t defeat opponents as quickly as the Golem.

“They say the value of a mage in war is at least equal to thirty soldiers. Just a few powerful magic spells can kill people and break the enemy’s morale.”

“…”

“But the shop owner I’ve seen seems to be worth at least three hundred. No, perhaps even more formidable than that. Even that great high knight can only cut down a hundred mercenaries by himself. A Hundred-man Slash. That alone is an amazing feat for a swordsman. But then they get exhausted and die or are finished. He’s an amazing mage. If I had to save only one person from our group, excluding Her Royal Highness the Princess, I would choose the mage.”

“Are you saying you’ll fight to the end?”

“It seems difficult alone. If you also stay, I am willing to sacrifice my life. What will you do?”

I overheard their conversation. The princess, hidden on top of the building, looked anxious as if she couldn’t hear them.