“When I saw the black snake wrapping around the water of life, it reminded me of the Spencer family crest.”

“Come to think of it……”

“Why?”

Lorencia cried, praying to nonexistent gods as she watched Pelena writhe in pain from the ferocious fangs. She prayed and wished with a desperate and anguished heart.

“When Loa was bitten by the white snake, I heard a voice in my head.”

“A voice?”

“Yes. After saying it would keep its promise, an earthquake occurred, allowing the white snake and Loa to separate.”

“Then the identity of that voice that rang in Ter’s head……”

Lorencia once again recalled the red eyes looking down at her from the water of life.

“It might have been the black snake of the earth.”

“I think so too. To receive such help at such a crucial moment…… I really didn’t expect it.”

Teishar said as he examined various parts of Lorencia’s body. Seeing her survive, he felt nothing but relief and immense gratitude.

“By the way, the black snake had something it wanted me to tell Ter.”

“To me?”

“Yes. The Spencer family’s……”

Lorencia recalled the black snake’s words, referring to Teishar as a little one.

“Why are you like that?”

Teishar tilted his head as he watched Lorencia’s lips twitch, swallowing her next words.

“It’s nothing.”

Lorencia, smile fading, spread out her hands. Then she closed her eyes and recalled the beautiful scales of the black snake. Teishar quietly watched her. At that moment, it felt like a small miracle was about to occur.

“A butterfly?”

A jet-black butterfly spread its wings on Lorencia’s palm and rose into the air. When Teishar saw the black-winged butterfly slowly flying towards him, he instinctively opened his palm without realizing it.

The black butterfly drew a gentle curve and landed on Teishar’s outstretched hands. Then it shimmered with a black light before swirling around Teishar’s hands like a whirlpool and disappearing into his palms. The sight was like a falling star in the night sky.

Lorencia couldn’t understand why a butterfly came out instead of black scales, but she thought she needed to tell the truth in case he thought he had received a butterfly from the black snake.

“Ter.”

“Yes, Loa.”

“What I received from the black snake wasn’t a black butterfly, but a scale the black snake tore from its own body.”

“A scale of the black snake?”

“Yes. It was one huge snake scale.”

Lorencia continued with a smile.

“I expected the black snake’s scale to come out, but I was surprised when a small, cute black butterfly appeared instead.”

Teishar looked down at his hands. He had a subtle feeling. Honestly, he felt expectant, as if the black snake had given him some kind of power. Of course, he wasn’t sure what kind of power it was, but it had saved Lorencia and made the white snake retreat.

“The black scale said it would be helpful to Teishar.”

“Is that so?”

Teishar felt hope. For the upcoming battles against the white snake.

“That’s right. Ter. The black snake had something else it wanted me to tell you besides its scale.”

“What is it? Loa. Please tell me.”

“It said to tell you that the white snake’s venom doesn’t work on the black snake.”

At that moment, Teishar’s red eyes sparkled brightly. He looked like a child who had received a gift beyond expectations.

“From now on, the real war will begin. If the white snake’s venom doesn’t work, we might be able to win this war.”

Lorencia nodded. After all, hope had arisen that they might fight on equal terms or even win in what had been a barren battle with nothing.

“Then let’s go back. Loa. Everyone is worried.”

“Yes.”

Teishar, Lorencia, and the knights savored a brief moment of joy at having survived the encounter with the white snake.

Until they opened the letter from the carrier pigeon flying in from afar.

Upon receiving a report that mysterious monsters were attacking the main gate of the wall protecting the Polroid Empire’s imperial palace and capital, Benedict issued an emergency evacuation order for the capital.

“Graaah!”

As the corpses threw themselves forcefully against the gates to break them, screeching loudly, the mages fired flame magic at them. Fortunately, the corpses that were hit by the fireballs fell burning, but only for a moment. As a strong wind arose, monsters of various appearances swarmed towards the gates like a wave.

“What on earth is……”

The knights and mages guarding the walls were aghast at the sight of the horrific monsters.

“Defend it at all costs!”

“Look over there!”

“That’s……”

A giant monster that seemed easily over 5m tall appeared. Its bright red eyes emitted a glow that made one’s knees weak just by looking at it, and it leapt forcefully across the ground to slam its body against the gates.

“The wall is cracking!”

Even though the walls were imbued with strong defensive magic, they began to shake and crack little by little under the continuous indiscriminate attacks.

Mark, the second son of the Di Glosten family, also took to the walls to defend them. He fired magic at the approaching monsters with all his might.

“Their numbers aren’t decreasing!”

Monsters kept emerging from between the trees in the forest.

After burning the monsters at the base of the wall with flames, the next problem arose. The stench of rotting monsters climbing the walls and the smell of burning made the mages defending the walls dizzy.

Eventually.

“Dolce. Get a hold of yourself.”

Starting with the young mage Dolce who collapsed foaming at the mouth, the mages protecting the top of the wall began to fall one by one.

Mark also staggered slightly, feeling dizzy.

“Are you alright?”

“I’m fine.”

Mark shook his head at the extreme stench that penetrated even when he covered his nose.

That’s when it happened. As a refreshing breeze blew, the stench dissipated a little.

“With wind magic, we can eliminate the stench as much as we want.”

“As expected of Lord Macliken.”

Mark looked at Macliken with eyes of respect.

“I’ve just had experience fighting in such stench before. Hahaha.”

After fighting like that for a while, the monsters began to move away from the main gate one by one.

“It looks like they’re finally retreating.”

“That would be fortunate, but……”

Macliken looked at the retreating monsters with uneasy eyes.

“The storm always comes in the calm. Tell everyone not to let their guard down.”

No sooner had Macliken’s warning fallen than the monsters appeared again. There were even more of them than before.

“This is troublesome.”

Cold sweat ran down Mark’s back. The knights continued to shoot arrows, and the mages fired magic to defend.

As time passed, the mana of the mages casting defensive magic began to run out.

The cracks in the wall gradually deepened, and the number of monsters increased while their attacks grew stronger.

“At this rate, the wall might collapse.”

“We need to figure out where these monsters are coming from first.”

Mark chanted a spell and flew into the air. He needed to confirm where the monsters were coming from.

Mark’s blue hair fluttered in the wind as he rose high into the air. He took out a transparent crystal ball the size of a fist from his chest and held it in his hand, looking into it.

The crystal ball was one of the new magic items developed by the Di Glosten family, designed to allow one to see distant places as if they were right in front of them, places that couldn’t be seen with a telescope.

As Mark watched through the crystal ball from high in the air, looking at the outskirts of the forest outside the wall, his face turned pale blue.

The monsters kept springing up from the ground. And behind those monsters was an army.

It wasn’t an ordinary army. It was an army wearing armor that only the holy knights of the Ella Goddess Temple could wear.

Mark flew towards the imperial palace after informing the knights and mages on the wall of the situation he had seen.

An emergency meeting began at the imperial palace upon hearing Mark’s story.

“Send a pigeon letter to Teishar Spencer, the viscount in the Conrald Mountains.”

“Yes, Your Majesty the Queen.”

“Your Majesty the Queen. You and Princess Charlotte must evacuate.”

“Did you just say evacuate?”

“Yes.”

“I am the owner of this palace and the ruler of the Polroid Empire. How dare you tell me to flee.”

She spoke sharply with a voice like a blade to the noble who told her to evacuate.

“I will not flee, but have Charlotte evacuated.”

“I will do so.”

A baby is growing in Charlotte’s womb. If sent to the Isuter Empire, she could at least be protected or given time to flee far away.

It was right for her daughter to evacuate, but she herself was the mother of the Polroid Empire. A mother never abandons her children and flees. It would be better to die than to run away.

“I am prepared to die and will fight alongside you all.”

“Your Majesty.”

Benedict bit his lower lip. He never imagined they would suddenly attack their own land after creating these monsters.

“Distribute all the prepared magic scrolls to the knights along with the leaves of the water of life.”

She had already foreseen this situation. That’s why she had Lorencia ask the water of life for many of its leaves. It was truly thankful and reassuring.

When she first received the leaves, she thought it was fortunate, but she was told that the leaves of the water of life don’t permanently protect against the white snake’s venom.

“We also have the child of Goddess Ella by our side, so we are not entirely without hope. Everyone, prepare for battle.”

Benedict, prepared for death, was not afraid. He thought even being afraid was shameful for a queen.

“I too will participate in the battle. Even if we are defeated, I will accept death with dignity as the Queen of the Polroid Empire.”

Her eyes shone like flames, filled with firm resolve, and her expression was determined.