I looked at the sun setting down, the moon entering from the opposite direction. It was a sign that it was getting dark, which was not favorable for us.

  I was standing in a vast grassland, behind me were ten thousand soldiers lined up in an orderly manner. They were integrated based on their legion.

  The Knights Order was on the left side, the Royal Knights Order was on the right, while the last legion, the Rangers, which had the least number of troops, was placed at the very back of the other two. This formation was decided from the plan that we constructed at the meeting a while ago.

  As I admired the beautiful sunset, a knight from the Royal Knights Order approached me, “Your Highness, all the troops are ready. We can start with your order anytime, Your Highness.”

  “I see.” I nodded in satisfaction. “Good work. Tell the Commanders to be prepared to march at any moment.”

  “Understood.” The knight bowed then left, but suddenly he stopped in his tracks. “Your Highness, Commander Lorien asked if you are certain to have no guards around you at this time?”

  The knight didn’t turn around to say this to me in the face. I could feel his fear from his trembling voice. It seemed they were really devoted to serving the royal family.

  “Don’t worry, as a vice commander, I’m sure you’ve heard of the plan. I will be at the back, relaying orders. Since we are greatly outnumbered here, we have to use all the forces that we have.” I wasn’t good at comforting someone, so I hoped this would work.

  “...Understood, Your Highness.” He continued to walk and left. I didn’t know if it had worked though.

  “Your Highness.” Someone from the Rangers suddenly appeared from nowhere.

  “Don’t appear from the dark like that. I thought you were an assassin.”

  “I apologize, Your Highness. It wasn't my intention to surprise you like that.” The ranger bowed slightly.

  I shook my head in helplessness.

  The Rangers were part of the three legions that supported the Empire. They were treated as scouts and assassins, but mainly, they were just forest caretakers. In fact, they were the ones who took care of the whole forest that surrounded the city.

  They somehow ended up as Rangers because of the innate ability that they awakened, a skill called Wood Assimilation. It is a skill that enables them to combine with wood elements and become one with them; you can even travel within it. Father wasn’t able to ignore this kind of incredible skill and decided to form the third legion, the Rangers. This was according to my Mother, who told me in her last lesson.

  It was relatable. I would also try to take advantage of this skill and make the most use of it. If my subordinates had that kind of ability, then the war wouldn't have taken eons to finish.

  Well, going back to reality. “How was the scouting?” I asked the Ranger.

  “It proceeded well, Your Highness. We were able to accurately know the number of undead. There are about 19,878 armed undead currently charging at us at a slow pace. It will take half an hour before they can reach this place,” the ranger said confidently. The ranger was certain that none of what she said was wrong.

  Sure enough, I could already smell the stench of death in the distance. They were surely close. But— “How can you determine the exact number?” I asked while raising an eyebrow.

  “With the help of the trees, we were able to count how many undead there were.” I could see the pride in her eyes even when her whole face was covered with a green cloth, but after a second, it immediately turned into sadness.

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  “Please, we ask all of us in the Rangers, Your Highness,” she gave a deep bow, “Every path that was walked on by the undead caused irreversible damage to the whole forest. Your Highness, we ask you to stop them before they can hurt the forest more than they already have.”

  I see. Undead exude death energy toward their surroundings. Any living being that this energy touches immediately dies on mere contact unless they have some kind of protective layer around their body. But the trees and the soil aren't advanced enough to be able to conjure something like that; they’ll instantly die and dry up.

  I guess this characteristic of them is why they are gifted with this skill.

  I smiled and reassured her, “Don’t worry. As the Crown Prince and the future Emperor of the Sylvania Empire, it is my duty to fulfill the needs of my people.”

  She gave me a look of admiration. “Your Highness…”

  “Don’t cry now…” I said, flustered. “Go back to your position and report to me if anything suddenly changes.”

  “Understood, Your Highness.” In an instant, the ranger blended with the darkness and vanished.

  I sighed, looking at the death energy that formed like a cloud due to how dense it was, approaching steadily.

  Although I came to this realm to have a vacation and take a break from my long and tedious battle, the mere three years that I had experienced in this place were enough to let me realize how important this place had become to me.

  My two parents, who always knew how to make me flustered with the attitudes they showed in public. The maids who always gave me snacks whenever I asked for some. The knights who let me hold their swords. These nice and kind people were living in the empire that I would lead in the future. I couldn’t possibly disappoint them, could I?

  .

  …

  …..

  A couple of minutes had passed. The death energy cloud that was still far just moments ago was now within our eyesight.

  We could already hear the multiple metal clanging of armors from this distance. The metal boots stomping on the ground echoed throughout the grassland. The sounds created were countless, as if horses were galloping at high speed.

  The death energy cloud continued to advance and swallowed every living thing that crossed its path as if it were a hungry beast.

  I reached out for the blowing horn that was hanging at the side of my waist. I positioned the tip in my mouth and took a very deep breath. Then—

  HROOOOOOOOM!!!

  This was the sign that the plan had started.

  .

  ...

  ....

  The Knights Order, the Royal Knights Order, and the Rangers immediately moved the moment they heard the horn.

  The Knights Order and the Royal Knights had a similar formation. Their Cavalry Squad was at the very front, each knight riding a horse. They wore heavy full plate metal armor. In one of their hands were long pointed lances, ready to pierce the enemy.

  Behind them were the swordsmen, each carrying a sword and a heater shield that had the crest of their Orders at the front. They wore light leather armor, allowing them to have fast mobility.

  Next were the spearmen, each holding a two-meter-long spear, the sharp point directed at the sky. The armor they wore was also full plate metal armor, the same as the Cavalry Squad.

  Finally, the last squad in the line was the Mage Squad. They wore simple long robes and held wands. There were only a few of them. If you combined the two Orders' squads, there would only be about 10 mages in total. That was how rare they were.

  The first part of the plan was to disperse the death energy cloud. The thick death energy was not letting them have a clear visual of the undead's status. Hence, they needed to somehow clear the cloud. Besides that, the knights could not constantly use a protective layer of skills to protect themselves from the death cloud, as it would drain their energy throughout the battle, leaving them at a disadvantage.

  To solve it, this was where the Mages came in.

  HROOOOOOM!!!

  Another blow of the horn was heard. This was an indication to start the initial step of the plan.

  The Mages, being informed by the plan, raised their wands and simultaneously uttered a skill—

  “Wave of Purification”

  From their wands, a pure white light gathered at the tip, condensing into a ball. The white light was compacted very tightly until it couldn’t hold on any longer and exploded into particles of white light. The particles of white light scattered like a wave in the direction of the undead, hitting the dark death energy cloud.

  The moment the particles of white light made contact with the death energy, it was as if a strong wind blew away a large dust storm.

  The death energy cloud was cleared, letting us see what kind of undead we were facing.

  What beheld us was a large number of undead. They were marching in a very well-thought-out formation, almost similar to ours.

  At the very back, there was a skeleton floating in the air. It was wearing a black ragged robe, its eyes glowed red and had a hint of intelligence. In its right hand was an orb filled with death energy.

  It was a High-Ranking undead that commands its fellow undead.

  A Lich.