The Death Mage that doesn't want a fourth time

61 The prelude, played with dissonance and percussion instruments

The seven-day-long march went better than expected.

Because sturdy work horses had been prepared, the transportation of goods had gone well. Even the monsters that appeared on the way had been of a level that could be easily disposed of by the soldiers; there had been no need for Riley and his party to step up. The monsters would then provide fresh, undried meat to garnish the meals of that day.

The hours of daylight were short as they were surrounded by mountains that towered into the sky, but there was no shortage of people who could use illuminating magic, and though they were expensive, there were some with Magic Items that acted as lanterns.

The fact that they had reached a place where Talosheim was visible in exactly seven days was because their march had gone so well.

However, things started going wrong the moment their march was complete.

"It seems that the scouting teams were not hallucinating," said General Mauvid. He had set up a temporary camp in the plains near Talosheim. The only obstacle on this flat terrain was the waist-high grass; they had a good unobstructed view. This wasn't the kind of place a stronghold would be built in a real war.

Mauvid had gathered the leaders of the expedition here and was looking at the strange sight of Talosheim.

What he saw was a thirty-meter-high fortress wall. Other than the imperial capital or fortresses in important locations, such a tall wall was rare for humans. But the larger Titans had been twice the height of a human, and since the areas surrounding the city were mostly Devil's Nests, such a sturdy wall were likely necessary for them.

According to the records from two hundred years ago, the wall had indeed been quite tall, but the army had simply determined its height with eye measurements in the past, so it would not be unusual if there were any measurement errors.

The strange thing was that although the wall looked like a single strike from a battering ram would knock it down, the two large holes that the hero Mikhail created two hundred years ago were nowhere to be seen.

"What could this mean? Were the records from two hundred years ago incorrect...?" suggested Chezare Legston, the second-in-command in this expedition. Military records were inaccurate from time to time. Sometimes, exaggerations were made to spread the news of the achievements made by the heroes and generals of the past.

However, High Priest Bormack Gordan spoke up in response to Chezare. "It is likely the doing of that... Vandalieu, the Dhampir who led hundreds of Ghouls to escape from Viscount Balchesse."

"The one you are always mentioning, High Priest?"

"Yes. It is likely that the Dhampir instructed his subordinates, the Ghouls, to repair the fortress wall."

Though Gordan was full of confidence as he spoke, Chezare seemed doubtful. Not a single member of the expedition army had so much as seen a Ghoul yet. Considering that, Chezare thought Gordan's opinion was quite questionable.

"But would he do such a thing?" he asked, expressing his doubts. "I have heard of cases where monsters settle down in ruins, but I have never heard of monsters repairing the ruins they are inhabiting. Ghouls are a more intelligent type of monster and apparently many are capable of building their own small homes, but a fortress wall would be..."

Gordan snorted. "Chezare-dono, that is a way of thinking that is held back by the rules of common sense. The Ghouls are being led by a Dhampir, a monster that is as intelligent as a human. And look carefully at that fortress wall. If they were left in that state two hundred years ago, they would have long since collapsed by now."