Unas's heart finally settled down after the cavalry reappeared in the distance, dragging five or six spider corpses with them.
Haikesi returned riding his Puppet Spider, following behind the cavalry. Unas praised him a few times before saying, "You and Rose, keep up the good work and continue investigating the Canyon. If anything seems amiss, contact me using the Undead Mage's Skeleton."
The Troll nodded in agreement, his face showing concern. "After this battle, the spiders might see me and Miss Sunstrider's Overlord Spider as enemies, and the split-pronged tactic might no longer be effective."
"I understand, you can go ahead."
After sending the Trolls away, Unas ordered the Gnolls and Kobolds to quickly clean up the battlefield outside the ice wall. The entire army then retreated and sealed the breach tightly with earth and stones before he felt slightly relieved.
Ultimately, this victory was only against spiders inhabiting a mere eight kilometers. The Canyon is seventy or eighty kilometers long, and the Forest beyond is even more vast, teeming with countless spiders. We must not let our guard down because of this small victory.
Before they knew it, it was noon. The warm autumn sun shone on the ice crystals, reflecting a rainbow of colors, but the ice wall showed no signs of melting. According to Archmage Angela, her Arcane ice wall could last for at least three days at this temperature.
The mages should be able to recover their magic power in 24 hours. Of course, they can ask her to come back and reinforce the ice wall if it melts, but Angela also has her own things to do. Unas plans to build an earthen wall himself.
After eliminating about a hundred Giant Spiders, enough for the entire army to have several spider meat feasts, Unas immediately began assigning tasks after a hearty lunch. He arranged for people to stand guard, dig trenches, build earthen walls, dispose of the spider corpses, transport the wounded back to the stronghold, and so on. There was also a lot of post-battle work to be done.
Giant Spiders are treasures from head to toe. The silk sacs of silk-spinning spiders can be collected to make dozens of sets of the toughest and most elastic clothing. The exoskeletons of spiders like the Ironclad Spider are lightweight and sturdy enough to make armor. Various venoms used to be very popular commodities, but now there is no market for them, but they still need to be stored. The legs of the Blade Spider can be made into excellent weapons with a little processing. Even the teeth and eyes of some spiders are valuable Alchemy Materials.
Unas ordered the Kobolds and Gnolls to specifically transport the spider corpses back to the stronghold, where the large number of old, weak, and disabled could help dispose of the bodies.
The heavy work of digging trenches and building earthen walls naturally fell to the Orcs, Trolls, Ogres. Unas certainly wouldn't treat them poorly, providing them with plenty of spider meat and various kinds of dry rations.
The casualty report came in quickly. Unas glanced at it with a worried heart. Human casualties were the fewest, with only 8 people killed on the spot and 35 wounded, some lightly and some seriously. With the Priest team led by Whitemane there, the wounded should be able to survive.
Orcs and Gnoll killed or wounded. Orcs were on the front lines, which is understandable, but almost half of the Gnolls were killed by the Ogres who were monitoring them, because they were cowardly.
Unas desperately wanted to humanely destroy these useless people, but he couldn't find a reason, so he had no choice but to keep them as cannon fodder and laborers until he found an opportunity to sacrifice them all.
Eighty percent of the total casualties occurred in close combat with the spider swarm after the ice wall was blasted open. It seems that our side is not yet strong enough to confront the Giant Spiders head-on. In the future, we must create more favorable conditions to deal with these beasts.
Unas was pondering future tactics when a familiar fragrance wafted from behind him. Turning around, he saw Whitemane, covered in sweat and looking exhausted, standing behind him.
"Come with me." The silver-haired female Priest said, turning and walking away with a rather arrogant air.
Unas had initially felt some pity for this woman who was working tirelessly to treat the wounded, but now he almost kicked her writhing backside. What kind of attitude was that! She completely disregarded his authority.
He didn't move an inch, and asked loudly, "What is it?"
There's a seriously wounded soldier that only you can save.
Unas understood then; it was about the Resurrection. He had promised to do it, and now he had no choice but to follow along.
The two arrived at the rear of the army. The temporary field hospital was set up in this small grove of trees. Most of the wounded with minor injuries were already on their way back. Only a dozen or so seriously wounded soldiers, who were too badly injured to move, lay scattered on the straw mats. Half of them were Orcs. Several Priests were casting healing spells. One of the graceful figures was very familiar. It was Natasha, who was using the Namelia.
Unas stepped forward to greet her. Natasha was still veiled, only her beautiful eyes visible. He inquired about the situation and was slightly relieved to hear that the people lying there were in stable condition. Whitemane walked to the only Tent, coughed impatiently, and urged, "Lord Unas, please hurry!"
Unas deliberately bid Natasha a friendly farewell, which, whether it stirred up Whitemane's jealousy or not, made the flames in the woman's eyes burn even brighter.
Upon entering the small Tent, a human man, almost wrapped up like a mummy, lay on a black military blanket, his chest seemingly rising and falling slightly. Unas extended two fingers and probed his neck.
"There's no need to try, he's still alive," the silver-haired Priest explained, "But he's about to die. The wound to his heart is too deep; I can't save him."
Unas understood her meaning: once the soldier died, he could cast the Resurrection, Whitemane could observe and learn from the sidelines.
"Are you sure you really can't save her?" Given her past record of buying death row inmates for experiments, Unas didn't have high hopes for her. What if she was deliberately letting someone die in order to learn Resurrection? That would be incredibly unprofessional.
The last prison break taught Unas a lesson: he should handle matters concerning this woman through proper channels to avoid a lot of trouble later.
"I am the chief healing Priest here. If I say he's dead, no one can save him!" The silver-haired Priest was furious at Unas's suspicious gaze, but she still lowered her voice and scolded him.
"You're human too, and everyone makes mistakes," Unas said calmly. "I need to confirm this with Namelia."
"Whatever," Whitemane scoffed, then couldn't help asking, "Who exactly is that mysterious, elusive woman? You must know; I feel like I've seen her somewhere before."
The Monastery wasn't that big, and both of them were Priests, so they must have met before. Natasha's wanted posters were everywhere, but Unas wasn't going to give Whitemane any hints. To change the subject, he started making things up. "You're always prejudiced against people because of their background. You'll never learn Resurrection that way. Do you know what the Paladin's Resurrection is called? It's 'Redemption.' Without the Holy Light of salvation and the compassion to Redemption all beings equally, no matter how many times you watch me cast the spell, it won't be of any use."
After being misled for a while, Unas almost believed himself, and looking at Whitemane's bewildered expression, it seemed he had really been fooled.
Unas chuckled to himself, "So it's not impossible to trick this woman into bed in the name of the Holy Light!"