"We have to be careful with this. We don’t have that many troops left to throw away now." Sitting in the black carriage, Mathew Bade’s face was filled with venom and hatred. After two inexplicable losses, the number of Musillon’s Undead Armies had dropped to the lowest point in history.

When Akhan left, he took away most of the fresh forces, leaving Mathew Bade with a bunch of the old, weak, and crippled; the best among them were two Tomb Evil Ghost armies, two Desolate Grave Guard Legions, a pack of Bloodthirsty Celestial Ghosts, and a squad of Blood Knights.

And then there were the last ten Black Chalice Knights.

The Black Chalice Knights were extremely powerful, even stronger than ordinary Holy Grail Knights. Through Akhan’s special Array and Secret Technique, every time a Black Chalice Knight died, all the remaining power, martial skills, and combat experience within its body would flow back into Mathew Bade, ultimately allowing him to complete his transformation.

But now was not yet the time to sacrifice all the Black Chalice Knights to strengthen himself. Mathew Bade had other plans for this most elite of units.

"Infiltrating Bodlukes won’t be that easy, my Duke. Especially at the banquet itself—by then the Wizard hired by Duke Boldro Bodrick will raise a barrier to enclose the entire banquet venue. Any unwelcome guests will be discovered immediately. If the Black Chalice Knights can’t infiltrate the banquet hall, they won’t be able to get at those Great Nobles by surprise." The Undead Mage Farah spoke in a dry, shriveled voice: "We need to find a way to get into the banquet hall."

"There’s only one invitation, for two guests." Mathew Bade took the invitation from his breast. His gaze flickered slightly as he looked at the gold-stamped letters.

He had gotten it through Fiona, the granddaughter of the Duke of Borelion, by working his way in through her. The little girl still pined for him even now. After he finished using Fiona, the girl foolishly thought he had only left without saying goodbye because he’d taken her angry words to heart. She waited for him in Kulona for three agonizing months before returning to Borelion, and the hot-tempered girl still refused to believe that Mathew Bade was a Fallen, a traitor. She stubbornly clung to the belief that Mathew Bade was a pitiful Ranger Knight oppressed by the nobles, that he should have won the crown of the knightly tournament, and that it was Surya and that lot of Great Nobles who couldn’t stand to see a young Knight with no background make a name for himself, and so secretly had him arrested.

This invitation was also something Mathew Bade had obtained from Fiona. Since Duke Theodoric’s crimes had come to light, the court of the Borelion Duchy had been in utter chaos, and Mathew Bade took the opportunity to have Fiona secure an invitation for him.

"One invitation is not enough to get all the Black Chalice Knights into the banquet." The Undead Mage shook his head again and again. He said to Mathew Bade, "The Great Nobles are all Knights who have distinguished themselves in battle. In this country, there is no such thing as a noble who can’t ride a horse or use a Cavalry Lance. We only get one shot at this. Once the nobles have time to react and prepare for combat, we’ll have lost our chance."

"I know! Farah, I don’t need you to instruct me! The Godfather left you here to assist me in destroying this country, not to command me!" A feral grimace twisted Mathew Bade’s handsome, almost inhuman face. "I naturally have my own way. You need only obey my orders." 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

"Yes." The Undead Mage’s expression shifted several times before he finally lowered his head.

"The defenses of Bodlukes are indeed solid, but they are not without flaws." Mathew Bade pulled out a map and pointed to the area above the castle. "The Wizards will raise the barrier, but that won’t cover the airspace over the castle. All we need to do is find a way to cause chaos at the banquet, then send you into the castle from above. Once inside, you can use your Spells to teleport the Black Chalice Knights directly into the banquet hall, ready for slaughter."

"Cause chaos at the banquet? But everyone in attendance will be..." The Undead Mage still felt this plan was unworkable, shaking his head repeatedly. "Those present will all be nobles, Wizards, and guards. What kind of chaos could make them overlook the safety of the Dukes?"

"There is a way. You probably don’t know this, but Boldro has an ancestral performance that is staged at all major celebrations and banquets." Mathew Bade’s gaze settled on the map, the corners of his mouth arching high. "It’s called Dragon Quest."

"This will be the perfect opportunity for us to create chaos."

The black carriage, bearing its dark secrets, turned into a deep alley off the main street. Mathew Bade had a safe house here. It was time for them to start preparing their plan.

......

"The banquet is already being prepared. We’ve readied hundreds of head of livestock for slaughter, along with vast quantities of flour, fresh vegetables, and fish. I personally don’t think there’s any need to make such a grand show of it, but Father insists."

On the streets of Boldro, Fidmund was describing the banquet to Laine and the others. "Besides that, the famous event that has not been held in twenty years—Dragon Quest—will be performed once more in the banquet hall of Boldro Castle after two decades. It is sure to be a spectacular feat."

"Oh, back in the Empire I often heard about a marvelous dance called the Brittania Dance. I must seize this chance to see it for myself." Temple Knight Alfred was looking around in high spirits, his face full of anticipation. "Wow, so many seafoods. I’ve heard Boldro’s cod has a unique flavor."

"Yes, this banquet will certainly satisfy you." Fidmund let his gaze circle over Laine and Surya. The Holy Grail Knight hesitated slightly, then forced a smile onto his face. "It’s a pity I wasn’t able to attend your wedding ceremony."