The Skeleton Soldier Failed to Defend the Dungeon

Maybe my awkward words had still managed to convey sincerity, but a message popped up faintly above Hailey’s head, indicating her Affection had increased by seven.

I had been worried I wouldn’t be able to comfort her properly, so it was a huge relief. After all, I needed to take her to Grassmere personally. It was important to build a relationship of trust. Apparently, my words had touched her heart more than I’d expected because her Affection rose quite a bit.

Is Affection easier to increase early on?

Or maybe the time I remembered spending with her, though she didn’t recall it, had helped me speak to her more effectively.

Hmm...

She wasn’t the only one whose Affection had gone up. A message popped up above Lime’s head, showing that their Affection had also increased.

That’s unexpected.

In the end, Lime was not on the side of reducing humanity. I knew that they were a follower of Purson and one of the cultists awaiting the Demon Kings’ descent. However, Lime seemed to still hold some affection for the child they had taken care of. To further reassure the girl, Lime explained things further in a gentle tone.

Hailey looked at me. ”So, I just have to go with you, mister?”

I nodded.

Now that I had her final consent, I finally felt the tension ease up in my bones. Soothing one little girl was far harder than dealing with the vengeful spirit of executed criminals in the swamp.

”I’ll go pack right away,” Hailey said.

”You could stay here another day...” I mumbled.

”I already cried it all out earlier, so I’m okay.”

”Hmm...”

Grassmere wasn’t far. I was a little worried it might be stressful, but the girl had already stepped outside on her own.

I stood silently for a moment, then turned to Lime. There was something I absolutely had to ask before parting with them.

”I have a question.”

”Yes. Please go ahead.”

I didn’t bother beating around the bush. I neither had the skill nor the time for that.

”Do you... know anything about the Crimson Deer Goblin Settlement? I heard it’s not far from here.”

When I heard about the Dwarves in the Eastern Mountains, the thought of the Crimson Deer Goblin Settlement resurfaced in my mind, along with memories of Mudcash and the Goblin who had given me that information, Zixkisses Boomton.

I wonder how he’s doing?

In this life, I hadn’t traveled with Lime. So naturally, I hadn’t received the request to help the Crimson Deer Goblin Settlement.

Are they still being brutally confined and farmed like livestock?

A corner of my heart felt heavy. I still had the information about Mudcash stored in my mind. If those Goblins were still suffering while I went on living, something about that didn’t feel right.

Lime let out a low gasp, then widened their eyes and stared at me. ”How did you hear about them?”

”I came across it while gathering information. I heard it in Daliac,” I answered.

”Daliac, huh...”

I casually shifted the conversation. ”Yeah. I got it from the Lantern.”

Then, Lime mentioned something unexpected. ”For information from the Lantern, it seems a bit out of date. The Goblin Settlement is no longer there.”

I was so surprised that the bones inside my armor jolted.

Clatter.

”What do you mean, no longer there?” I asked.

”It vanished a short while ago.”

”Vanished...”

Maybe someone else had been sent to deal with it. Or maybe Lime had handled it.

”What happened to the Goblins?”

”You’re... worried about them.”

They weren’t guessing—they knew. Lime smiled softly, and a message floated over their head, indicating their Affection increased by three.

I tried to explain. ”I was just—”

”They were all freed and relocated to a safe place. You can rest easy,” Lime interjected.

”I never said I was worried.”

Lime simply chuckled. Their gaze had a curious sense of expectation as they looked at me.

This is getting... uncomfortable...

***

After parting ways with Lime, I walked outside with Hailey. I considered borrowing a horse, but I figured sprinting while carrying her would be faster since the distance wasn’t long.

Still... I can’t bring myself to carry her.

It felt awkward. In the end, I simply matched her small steps and walked at a slow pace.

”Mister.”

”Yeah?”

”I think I’ve seen you before.”

”I’m not sure.”

”Why are you being so suspicious?”

”...”

”You’ve been wearing that helmet the whole time. Do you have a burn or something? I have a scar on my leg from spilling hot water when I was little. Do you want to see?”

”No.”

The more we walked, the less there was to talk about. The child who barely knew me should have felt awkward, but strangely, I was the one who felt uneasy.

What do I even say...

After walking for a while, Hailey suddenly stopped in her tracks. ”Mister, my legs hurt.”

Those are welcome words to hear.

”Then... shall I carry you?” I said.

She silently nodded. I picked her up and kicked off the ground.

Whoosh!

The chilly wind swept between my arms. It was daytime, but the wind was cold.

I thought about using magic to warm Hailey’s body, but precise temperature control was beyond my abilities. I wouldn’t be affected, but with a body as delicate as hers, she might catch a cold.

I hope she doesn’t start coughing.

I was still worried while running, but Hailey’s excited voice cut through my concern. ”Mister, this is so fun!”

Her face, flushed red, lit up with joy, like she was on an amusement park ride. She seemed extremely satisfied.

Sprint.

I picked up speed, and Hailey squealed with delight. Her amber eyes sparkled brightly.

The road from Yublam to Grassmere was well maintained. I dashed along the wide avenue, carrying the child in my arms.

In the distance, I saw the high outer walls of a massive double-walled fortress.

I wasn’t too worried about entering because I had a VIP permit for Grassmere. However, the atmosphere around the gate felt unusually tense.

One, two, three, four...?

Even from far away, I could see four massive siege weapons pointed outward. There weren’t even any guards at the gate. It was shut tight, like they had no intention of allowing entry. Soldiers with longbows were packed tightly atop the wall.

They wouldn’t just shoot, would they?

Cradling the now-sleeping child in my arms, I approached slowly. Even if the soldiers launched their arrows or siege bolts, I was confident I could dodge them easily.

I looked at both sides of the gate. Guards peeking over the walls didn’t say a word, but they had their bows firmly aimed in my direction.

Wondering if there would be any kind of warning, I glanced ahead. Then, I noticed a white line drawn across the ground about fifty meters from the gate.

Large letters were scrawled inside the line: Do not approach.

What the... What’s going on here?

This wasn’t how things were the last time I visited Grassmere.

Is it because war is approaching? Or something else?

Sensing the strange atmosphere, the sleeping child in my arms stirred and slowly opened her eyes. ”Ugh... Are they not letting us in?”

I silently examined the guards more closely.

Suspicious.

Even though I’d mostly stayed inside the inner city, I’d spent a fair amount of time in Grassmere. I could easily recognize the design of the guards’ armor. Over half of them wore completely unfamiliar designs. Not only that, but their physical discipline stood out. They were lean and muscular, radiating a sharp, lethal aura.

Had Grassmere been taken over?

I was confused, but I approached the gate anyway. Even if the soldiers on the walls were strong by human standards, none of them could handle someone who had regressed multiple times like me. I could protect Hailey and escape without issue if necessary.

Standing on the white line, I raised my voice. ”I have a diplomatic pass! Open the gate!”

There was no response for a moment. Then...

Creak.

The gate slightly opened.

Clatter, clatter!

Three cavalrymen and ten infantrymen surrounded us. All of the cavalry wore unfamiliar uniforms. Among the infantry, only five wore armor that I recognized as Grassmere’s.

So, only those five are locals?

A man who appeared to be the commanding officer dismounted and bowed respectfully. ”I am Baron Reinberg of the Empire’s Southern Third Special Forces Regiment. You said you’re a special envoy?”

I recalled the laws of the Empire I had absorbed. A special envoy to a city the size of Grassmere would be at least a baron, making them an influential figure within the city as well. It was only natural for him to treat me with polite respect. Regardless, I was the one with questions.

The Empire’s... Special Forces Regiment? What are those people doing here? What’s going on?

Despite his formal tone, the soldiers in strange uniforms all rested their hands on their sword hilts. Their wariness was clear in their eyes.

I nodded as naturally as possible. ”Of course. As I said, here... you may confirm my credentials.”

I handed over the fake ID Lord Herbert Chandler had made for me. It was perfectly functional.

One of the infantrymen in Grassmere armor nodded. ”No doubt about it!”

Baron Reinberg, his black mustache twitching, raised an eyebrow and gave me a troubled look. ”Special envoy, I’m terribly sorry, but could you please remove your helmet?”

”My helmet?” I repeated.

”Yes. Currently, Grassmere is under the security of the Third Special Forces Regiment. To ensure the safety of distinguished guests, I must confirm your appearance.”

”Safety?”

”Yes. I’ve been entrusted with authority by both the Lord of Grassmere and the Southern Imperial Commander. For the sake of stable governance, please cooperate.”

His tone was courteous, but his intent was unmistakably firm. It felt like a cavalry lance could come flying if I resisted.

However, I remembered the boy who had fallen from the cliff, terrified after seeing my face. That made me realize something was off with my Masquerade, and that it might be related to the marquis’ assassination. Removing the helmet felt risky.

I looked at Reinberg in the eye and said, ”I don’t want to.”

”Excuse me?”

The mood turned hostile immediately. The Grassmere guards, caught in the middle, looked awkward and uncertain.

I’d prefer to settle this peacefully.

If I wanted, I could easily kill everyone here, but that wouldn’t help anyone. Since Hailey was with me, she also weighed on my mind. Even if I could protect her while massacring these soldiers... If she saw brains and organs splattered all over the place, Rena would definitely be heartbroken.

I decided to go with a gentler method. ”Didn’t you hear me? I said I don’t want to.”

Fear.

[Skill: Fear Lv. 1 activated.]

[Target: Single]

[Health reduced by 0.22%.]

[Stat difference between you and the prey: Overwhelming]

Chatter, chatter, chatter...

The man on horseback chattered his teeth in fear, his eyes trembling as if he were staring into a void worse than death.

”Ahhh... Aaagh...” the man screamed.

Though he managed to stay seated thanks to good balance, his limbs had gone limp. One nudge and he might’ve toppled off and snapped his neck.

He won’t die from a heart attack, at least.

The man was drenched in cold sweat, but at least he wasn’t convulsing like the girl who had once delivered Rena’s letter.

”Is removing it really necessary?” I asked the trembling man.

The man shook his head, trembling violently. ”N-no. N-not at all... If you don’t want to...”

However, I wasn’t satisfied because I felt like I had hit the limit of the Fear skill.

He’s still able to talk... There’s definitely a wall when facing stronger opponents.

Meanwhile, the other soldiers, unaffected by the skill, watched me with wary eyes. Two cavalrymen exchanged glances and tightened their grip on their spears.

Clatter, clatter!

Suddenly, the gates flung open. From beyond, a familiar face rode out on horseback, galloping fast.

”Neigh!”