That night, I traveled to a certain battlefield.
It was reported that a destructive phenomenon resembling the phantom savior had appeared during a battle between the Demon King's army and another nation.
Since it seemed they had managed to repel it, I decided to investigate the circumstances.
My destination was an expanse of wasteland.
Undead were wandering nearby.
Most were ghouls in armor.
They were all freshly killed corpses, with dense bloodstains dripping across the ground here and there.
(A battle took place here.)
The wandering undead must be soldiers who died in combat.
They glanced at me but showed no interest, passing by without pause.
They didn't attack because they were undead summoned by allied necromancers.
The Demon King's army possessed users of necromancy.
It was generally a taboo art, but its effectiveness on the battlefield was extremely high.
It could even be applied to reconnaissance like this.
Since I possessed the superior ability of the rights of the dead, I almost never had the chance to use it as magic.
Still, there was no denying its usefulness.
Once I passed beyond the undead reconnaissance network, I spotted what looked like an abandoned village ahead.
There were people encamping there, lined with the light of magic.
They were the Demon King's army units dispatched to this location.
Having fought their war far from their base, they were grilling meat on iron plates for a meal.
They seemed to be in high spirits, with laughter and cheers constantly rising from their midst.
(What a hearty lot.)
Beside them, corpses were piled high in heaps.
All of them were enemy soldiers.
Presumably the surplus that the necromancers could not raise as undead.
The number of undead a necromancer can simultaneously command varies with their skill.
This unit seemed to have several practitioners, but apparently none of them could reanimate every corpse.
Even so, the surrounding undead already numbered a considerable amount.
Their practitioners must all be quite skilled.
(Speaking of necromancers, there was that strange rumor...)
Unconfirmed, but it was said that Grom and Yura had been summoning their subordinate mages, aiming to elevate the standing of necromancy.
They would reportedly present exaggerated anecdotes about me, extolling the usefulness of necromantic magic.
Furthermore, they were said to be conducting intensive necromancy training for unaffiliated practitioners.
I had once broached the subject with the two of them, but they had deflected the conversation.
Their behavior had been quite suspicious, so the claims were likely credible.
They probably intended to spread necromancy—so closely tied to me—to demonstrate the might of the Demon Lord.
Those two were certainly capable of such a thing.
Right now I had too much on my plate to pursue the matter, but once things settled down, I would ask Luciana to conduct an internal investigation.
While I was lost in these idle thoughts, the soldiers gathering for dinner noticed me.
They dropped to their knees in a flustered rush.
He must have thought I'd scold them for celebrating so lively. Yet there came one approaching with wine and meat. The red-faced, grinning man was Henry. He spoke with his cheeks stuffed full of meat.
"Hey, Captain. What brings you to the battlefield? That's rare."
"I was a bit curious about something."
As I replied to Henry, I activated multiple spells. I scanned the surrounding area centered on the ruined village. I probed carefully from every angle, but found no clues about the phantom savior. Only traces of battle emerged. Having gained nothing, I dispelled the magic. Meanwhile, Henry took a swig of wine and questioned me.
"Find anything?"
"I learned that I understand nothing."
Henry made a strange face upon hearing my answer. He wordlessly bit into the meat and began to chew. After swallowing slowly, he spoke.
"...Are you joking?"
"Of course I'm serious. This is a crucial verification."
I nodded and changed the subject.
"I heard you repelled the attackers."
"Yeah, this time it really got my blood running cold..." Henry explained the situation in a grave tone.
The Demon Lord's army dispatched to this region had been attacking other nations' forces while using undead.
They were consistently dominant, and the situation was such that they could keep pushing their territory outward.
However, near the end of the battle, one flank of the Demon Lord's army was suddenly attacked.
Without any warning, the undead burst apart, and from there a chain reaction of destruction erupted.
Henry, the local commander on site, immediately rushed over.
Sensing something amiss, he fired an arrow, but the phenomenon of destruction did not subside.
According to Henry, the arrow seemed to pass right through.
Even so, he didn't give up, and Henry continued his attack.
While scattering the forces of other nations, he attempted to quell the destructive phenomenon.
He rallied his subordinates while launching attacks in two directions.
According to his men, his performance was that of a war god.
After a chaotic and fierce battle, the Demon Lord's army succeeded in forcing the other nations' forces to retreat.
By that time, the destructive phenomenon had seemingly vanished.
Since then, they haven't been subjected to any suspicious attacks, and have remained uneventful until now.
Thus, Henry's Demon Lord's army repelled the phantom savior.