Chapter 6: Meeting with the Duke

(Human Captain POV)

We scouted the area around the town after we got our equipment to eavesdrop on the patrolling guards. They might know where we can find the Skeleton Duke.

After a few days of eavesdropping, we heard that a small undead group attacked a village not far from the town.

The only group capable of doing that must be part of the Duke's army, so we prepared to travel towards the village as soon as we heard this.

He's coming back. I wondered why he didn't run away or just hide from humans. If they still fight, they are sure to lose. I must speak to him and, if possible, register his aid in our escape.

(Idmon POV)

First, I went back to the forest, where my group was waiting. I had them wear the new equipment and cloaks that I bought. We could now blend into the darkness with these cloaks, making it easier for us to travel.

Southwest huh? From the information we got from the maps we've bought, the human force is weakest in that area.

I went and issued the command. We marched at a good pace in the direction of the southwest, but not too fast because we might get spotted if we moved too quickly.

We came across a young child alone in the forest while advancing toward our destination. I moved on instinct and threw a spear at the wolf, attacking the child, and my men cleaned up the rest.

We approached the child to see if he was okay, but I forgot for a moment that I was undead.

Child: "AHHH! MONSTER! THERE IS A SKELETON MONSTER HERE! HELP!"

Damn it, I was careless. Why would I even think of saving the child again? I don't even feel anything towards human children. It was something out of reflex or my memory. I don't know.

Everything was going well until a small group of knights stopped us. They shouldn't be in the forest. There must be extensive patrols searching for the Duke.

(The human captain from the previous chapters is in charge of these soldiers.)

"Stop right there."

Shit. Is this it? They looked like knights. These guys are not like those weak thugs. They're trained soldiers. Are we ready to take this fight?

Knight: "Take off the cloaks."

We've got no choice. We have to remove the cloaks.

Knight: "No sudden movements, and take them off slowly. Hey, did you hear what I said?"

My men are standing by. They were ready for battle and are just waiting for my orders. We removed the cloaks in unison.

I nodded in response to his question.

Knight: "Skeletons!?" They panicked because they did not expect to encounter such a big army of skeletons in the middle of the forest.

Knight: "To arms, men! They are going to destroy our villages!"

What? We aren't going to do that! We were on our way to get out of this region. I wish I could tell him that. Oh, not being able to speak is very hard.

Instead, I kneeled in front of him. My men did the same. Please spare us. Please. We do not want confrontation. We just want to leave in peace.

The weapons in our hands were dropped on the ground while we raised our arms in surrender. I don't know why I decided to do this, but I don't want to fight unnecessary battles. Especially the battles that we are not sure to win.

Knight: "Captain. We should finish this quickly. Give the order."

The soldier we were talking to turned around and spoke to someone else. It's probably their leader.

Captain: "I..."

He looked at us. I don't know what he saw, but he decided to leave us alone. I was surprised but more relieved that the plan worked.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Captain: "You guys... should get out of here fast. I'm not the most honorable person there is, but I won't kill someone who is bowing their heads. Even if they are monsters."

Knight: "Captain! We cannot let them through!"

Captain: "Fall back in line, soldier."

Knight: "But-!"

Captain: "I said... Fall back in line! We move out!"

The soldiers slowly walked away as they followed their captain’s orders.

Captain: “I just want to ask one thing.”

The captain looked back at me.

Captain: “Why did you save a human child? Twice even.”

I don’t know what answer he’s expecting or what I was even thinking when I saved them.

Idmon: “To me, it just felt like the right thing to do.”

The captain had a confused look and then walked away.

I kept bowing until he was out of sight. I don't know what his name was, but I'll make sure to remember him as one of the humans who help us out.

We continued going through forests. Our goal is to meet up with the "Duke's Army," or whatever they are. They seem to be the last group of undead fighting in this region. We had these occasional encounters with wolves and other monsters in the forest, but everything still went well.

So far, none have evolved yet, even with the numerous battles in the forest. The Skeleton Slaves have initially been Skeleton Soldiers, so they had no problem joining in the fights.

I should evolve soon, though. From the experience gained from these battles.

Still, these new bones from the rogue back then are useful. I can scout the area ahead of us with little difficulty. We were about to cross a river in the middle of the forest when suddenly a familiar, terrifying sight came into view.

(The feeling is like before a character levels up in a game.)

(Human Captain POV)

Knight: "Captain! Why would you let them go!?"

Captain: "I already told you the reason."

Knight: "But, sir!"

The captain actually saw the encounter with the child and the wolves. He stayed quiet and watched the scene unfold. He could not believe his eyes. These skeletons were abnormal, so he decided to let them go and observe them.

Captain: "You don't need to worry too much. They're here."

Suddenly, a group of Paladins, led by a Paladin captain, appeared from the heavens.

Reinforcing Officer (Paladin Captain): "I heard you need reinforcements, Knight-Captain?"

Captain: "We did, but we backed off on this one because they were too much for us."

Paladin Captain: "Too much? Was it the Dread Knights? Wraiths?"

Captain: "Skeleton Soldiers." Paladin Captain: "What!? HAHAHA! You're joking, right?" Laughter erupted from the reinforcement group.

Captain: "No, sir. You should take extra caution, Paladin Captain. They have a leader with a unique skill."

Paladin Captain: "What nonsense are you blabbering about!? Don't think that you'll get away with this! After we finish these fools, you better be ready to retire, old man."

Captain: "Sure."

I was thinking deeply about the loss of the vice captain, and that might have clouded my judgment.

I may have caused a tragedy to occur in human history once again. I said to myself that I was just overthinking and went back to base with our men.

Even though I let them (Idmon's group) go, it seems like their time is already over. That group will not fare well against a Paladin captain who was several times stronger than me.

An undead with morals or an undead with a twisted sense of righteousness? How odd.

They should be wiped out by the Paladins; however, “that” unique skill, however, might be a deciding factor.

(Idmon POV)

We are already near our destination, but once again, we found ourselves in the middle of a dangerous situation. The river separated us from our enemy, but it was easily overcome.

A ray of light is coming down from the heavens. Paladins were landing across the river. They used their skill,

I thought they had already found us, but ice spells suddenly came out of the trees on the other side of the river. I didn't have any mages in my group. Who could it be!?

Skeleton mages were stationed in the trees. Suppressing the paladins with ice spells, the paladins kept their shields up and held their ground.

Paladin Captain: "Argh! We’re surrounded! Stay close and form a circle!" These are not the same knights we've met earlier. Although they appear to be more powerful, the surprise attack still puts pressure on them.

The Paladins moved quickly to form a formation, but strange noises were coming from the river. It seems that there are more forces participating in this ambush.

Suddenly, groups of Dread Knights came from the river and attacked the Paladins from behind. They were there all this time! Undead, don’t breathe. Clever.

I know who it is now. There is only one person who can organize a strategy like this.

The paladins were falling one by one, but there was this paladin captain who kept sending the Dread Knights flying. A strong one, it seems.

The darkness seemed to cover the skies at the next moment. It was descending from the cloud of darkness. A skeleton was riding a horse.

Truly, it was a majestic sight.

It was carrying a lance and a shield; the skeleton charged the Paladin captain. The Paladin captain held his ground and raised his shield. He even used a spell shield to increase his defensive capabilities.

Still, the skeleton on the horse quickly pierced the shield with his lance and impaled the Paladin. He raised his lance along with the Paladin. Then he released a barrage of ice spells at him.

Paladin Captain: "H-how! The Skeleton Duke!? Ugh...." A Skeleton Duke. An advisor to the king. He is ruthless, strong, and calculating. Generals like him are the only ones capable of using strategies, even when they are filled with hatred.

Even though they are powerful like this, it is a rare case.

If we had a lot of Skeleton Dukes, we could have won the war.

After disposing of the remaining Paladins in sheer numbers, his group went across the river and to us.

Skeleton Duke: "I know you guys are skeletons, but why are you here? Are you here to join the fight?"

We took off the cloaks that were covering us. I cannot speak, and he knows that. He can read my mind, and that was enough. Higher-level undead have a tendency to do that to lower-level undead.

I spoke in my mind.

Idmon (telepathy): "We are here to ask for help from you, Lord Duke. We need to break through the borders to reach the Dead Lands. We want to escape."

It is a land in the middle of the continent where no living thing resides.

Skeleton Duke: "Hmm. It can’t be helped. Not all undead want to continue to fight because not all of them had loyalty to the Skeleton King to start with."

I'm sorry, I said in my mind.

Skeleton Duke: "You cannot rely on the loyalty of an army that is subject to coercive control and fear. Once the source of fear is gone, then the loss of control is soon to follow."

He went down on his horse.

Skeleton Duke: "I was a close friend of the King when we were still humans; that’s why my men and I stayed loyal to him even when he had already perished."

He clenched his bony hands as if there was something he truly regretted. I had an idea of what it was.

It was because he could not be beside the Skeleton King in his final moments.

Skeleton Duke: "Multiple Paladin Lords stopped us, and I had to sacrifice my best men just to get away from them. I thought I could still reach the King in time."

After a few seconds, his skeleton hands were relaxed again.

It seems like some of the stronger skeletons remember their personal memories. Or is it when you get stronger that your memories come back to you?

I don’t know, and Duke does not seem to know either. He said, when I asked him, that he never lost his memories.

Skeleton Duke: "I was filled with hatred before. It clouded some of my judgment and had a lot of errors in my strategies back then."

So, our defeat was certain, no matter what. He accepted our request since I believed he was a nice guy. He won’t force anyone to fight when they don’t have a reason to.

The release of the Skeleton King's control must have affected him too.

Skeleton Duke: "There is no reason to force you to fight with us since this fight is already lost."

The Duke cast a spell on me so I could speak via .

Idmon: "Thank you."

Skeleton Duke: "Ah, by the way. You need more power to lead this group and to survive alone. I will use my power to promote you into a skeleton officer."

Oh. He can do that too. High-tier undead are amazing. He placed his hand over me and recited a language I could not understand. It must be some ancient undead language.

I felt negative energies flowing into me, and my body somehow increased in size. I evolved into a skeleton officer. I became somewhat bulkier than the average skeleton, and I got a bit taller too.

Idmon: "Now, let’s go!"

Skeleton Duke: "You might be the last hope of our race," he whispered softly so that no one could hear.

We marched towards the southern border.