By the Grace of the Gods

Today, two chapters posted simultaneously.

This is the first chapter.

“As expected, the situation isn’t looking good.”

Just before sunset, when the sky had begun to faintly glow red, we arrived just before our destination—the ghost town. As expected, the scene was filled with experienced adults who had dealt with magical beast hunting, their faces betraying unmistakable distress.

The ghost town is the site of a huge, sunken prison. Surrounding it are eight “watchtowers” arranged in a regular octagon to prevent prisoner escapes.

We stood at the entrance of a long, narrow road widened between cliffs, leading to the prison’s main gate. Since the gate was closed, we couldn’t see inside. However, part of the gate seemed broken, and undead were overflowing halfway down the road—similar to the situation we had eliminated yesterday by pouring oil and burning below the cliff.

The weather was good, and the wind blew freely, yet there was an odd suffocating feeling—a kind of nausea or lingering discomfort.

“Miasma is flowing this way... Are you okay?”

“No problems for combat or activity.”

“Good, but if it gets bad, don’t hesitate to say so. Since miasma is a form of mana, even if you’re not consciously aware, it can make you feel sick. At this level, it’s just mild discomfort, but the feeling will persist as long as the miasma remains nearby. So, don’t push yourself.

Also, if the miasma looks like a black haze, be very careful. That means the miasma is thick enough to be visible, and exposure could be fatal. Avoid “miasma pools” as much as possible and eliminate any undead shrouded in miasma as quickly as you can. Stick to this strictly.”

“Understood.”

We would keep an eye on our health, but the real question was what to do next...

“Sadly, it seems this is no time to search for Everdark Herb. We want to reduce their numbers as much as possible now.”

“Agreed. Even I don’t want to prioritize gathering herbs under these conditions.”

“Same here.”

“Should I head to the town of Teressa to report?”

“It’d be faster if I called a dragon to burn it all down. Reporting now would still take time for the lord of the territory to receive word and dispatch troops.”

“Whether reporting or burning, I want more detailed information first. How about we head to the nearest watchtower and decide then?”

...We seemed to have more time than I expected. The adults were incredibly reliable.

The path to the nearest watchtower was a narrow connection staircase a short distance down the road. But to reach it, we’d have to pass through a horde of undead.

“Shall we set up a new defensive line again?”

“No, let’s wait until we reach the watchtower for that. Remily, can you handle it?”

“Sure. But in return, I want you to take care of the crowd above. Ryoma-chan, I’m going to use a big move to sweep that mass away, so can you ask the slimes to block the area below the stairs afterward?”

“Understood.”

She wouldn’t say something like that unless she could really do it. If so, what kind of magic was it? I needed to watch closely.

“Well then, I’ll do it before they notice. ‘Laser.’”

Remily stepped to the center of the road alone and cast her spell. From the tip of her staff, a thin, focused beam of light shot out, reminding me of a laser pointer from my previous life. I knew some laser pointers could burn skin or cause blindness depending on their output, but this seemed a bit weak to fight a horde of zombies.

Yet, the next moment, all undead in the beam’s path vanished. After a brief delay, I realized the beam had instantly pierced through and destroyed them.

Moreover, when Remily lightly swept her staff from right to left, the following beam cut through the horde in one swift motion. The undead crowding on the road were wiped out in seconds.

“...Huh? That easily?”

“This magic has high penetration power and works well in open spaces like this. But it consumes mana rapidly, so it can’t be used repeatedly. Secure the area in front of the stairs as soon as possible.”