I jumped down and stopped the dead that were about to attack Alvin. I dragged him up and put him on Bean.
"Hey, hey," the person on the roof kept distracting them. I grabbed my second sword and looked at Alvin; he was a good distance away from the herd. "Go to the training ground."
"Okay, sick bastards, come at me," I said, swinging my sword in the air.
I steadied my breathing and released my aura, making the sword sharper and stronger. I cut through them, but there was no end to them. I ran past the herd, slashing anyone that held onto me.
"Can you get out?" I asked the person on the roof.
"Yeah, I'll go through the back. Meet me there," he replied and left. I ran to the door and kicked it open.
"From the top of my head to my fingertips," I said, blowing up the hallways. I ran through the smoke screen and got out through a window, making my way to the back.
"Ah…" I heard and ran quickly. The boy that helped me had an injury in his leg, and a dead one was approaching him.
"From the…" I panted and changed my mind. I ran quickly and stabbed its neck. "Come on," I said, dragging him up.
"Thanks," he replied, leaning on me for support. I helped him, but the dead were already getting closer. "Go; I'll be fine on my own," he said.
"Don't try to be a hero," I said, tossing him aside. I drew my swords, ready to attack, but the familiar neigh drew my attention. Alvin came back with Bean. I grabbed the boy and helped him up before climbing onto the back of the horse. "Go," I shouted, and Bean ran off.
We managed to get to the training ground, where a lot of knights were gathered. I got down from Bean and helped the boy down as some people came to assist him.
"Who's in charge here?" I asked.
"Captain Adger," he replied. Adger, the worst person to be in charge right now, was more misogynistic than the entire knight order put together.
"Come with me," I said to Alvin. We walked to the tent set up in the middle of the large grounds and entered. "Captain," I called. He turned and let out a loud sigh.
"You're still alive?" he asked.
"Sorry to disappoint you," I said, putting my hand in my pocket. "What happened here?" I asked. He might be rude, but I outranked him a long time ago; being in the special force isn't something to joke about. Why I felt annoyed when I was ordered to become a knight for some spoiled brat.
"We're handling everything here just fine," he said, turning back to the people at the table. "For now, we'd have to send people to contact the magic bureau," he said to them.
"Why don't you go yourself?" I asked, sitting on the table even though they were using the map that was on it.
"I'm taking care of things here," he replied.
"How did they die? I thought it was only at the palace," I said.
"The trainees that had late dinner suddenly convulsed and started attacking others," one of the people at the table said.
"It was in the food? No wonder," I said, standing up.
"Some knights left for the palace when we got the emergency signal—special forces—but they haven't returned," he continued. Special forces? Was Elton among them? Is he okay? No, he's in a different division.
"So what's your plan, captain?" I asked, looking at Adger.
"I just said what the plan was," he said.
"That won't work. First, get the prince to safety; at least one member of the royal family should survive," I said, taking off my armor. "We need to secure the armory and prepare for battle; these things must have reached the towns by now. Until we connect with the generals, I'll be in charge," I said, looking him in the eye. "Do you have a problem with that?"
"No," he mumbled.
"We're doing a full cleanup. Operation Undead. Whether you're special forces or trainees doesn't matter; these things are already dead, so put them out of their misery," I said. "Hit their heads, and they'll die for real; relay this to the others. Remember, your duty lies with the empire; let's save as many lives as possible," I said and walked out.
I've been awake for too long and kept using magic, so I was close to the end of my line; I needed rest.
"About the magic bureau," one of them asked.
"We'll go there after securing the armory," I said.
I went to the corner, took off my jacket, and sat down, putting it over my face.
"What was that chant you kept saying?" Alvin asked, sitting next to me.
"It's nothing," I said.
"Does magic work that way? Aren't you supposed to use the determined magic circles to create attacks?" he asked.
"Some people break the rules, I guess," I said, removing the jacket from my face. "Okay, I'll show you," I said, taking off my gloves and rolling up my sleeves.
There was a magic circle on my two hands and lines that connected it to different parts of my body, but he couldn't see the lines; only Elton could see them.
"This is what makes it possible for me to break the rules," I said. "There's a larger one on my back. I have an affinity for magic, so this makes it easy to use. It transforms my words into commands that make this one circle do what all the others can," I said.
"That's amazing! How did you come up with it?" he asked.
"That's enough information," I said, blocking my face. "Don't go blabbering to people that I use magic, or I'll cut off your tongue," I threatened.
How I got that power is something I hate talking about; it's something I hate remembering.
"I won't," he said.