The Necromancer Who Was Despised - The Necromancer Who Was Despised chapter 143
The knight gazed at me with a subtle expression, as if wondering how I could become an official dark wizard without knowing that.
I calmly received his gaze. Of course, I knew it roughly, but I didn’t know the details. It was already decided that I would come here, so I thought I would learn the details after arrival.
Moreover, things had progressed faster than expected, and I had arrived earlier than planned.
‘I didn’t have time to find out.’
So, I didn’t feel particularly embarrassed about receiving that gaze.
On the contrary, I found it interesting.
‘Even though he’s a knight, I didn’t expect him to speak so openly about the territory’s situation.’
It was almost as if he was belittling the territory he belonged to.
I didn’t know if this knight had a peculiar personality or lacked loyalty.
‘As a knight, he’s capable of guarding the castle gate alone, so it’s unlikely to be the latter… Maybe he just has that kind of personality?’
“Please come in. The lord is waiting for you.”
“Hey, Horn!”
“What’s going on, Sir Wilderque?”
“Guide these people to the inner castle for me.”
“Guests, you say… Ah, are you that group of dark mages?”
“That’s right.”
Sir Wilderque, who was called out, grabbed a passing villager and instructed them to guide us.
“This way, please.”
“…It seems like your master is quite famous.”
I couldn’t respond to Kaila’s remark.
Even the passing villagers knew…
“At least the inside of the castle is somewhat better.”
As Kaila said, the interior of the castle was in much better condition than the neglected castle walls.
“There seem to be more people than I thought.”
It seemed that people who had survived the harsh external environment had all gathered inside the castle.
However, despite the large population, the castle didn’t look particularly dirty or chaotic.
‘It’s a bit unexpected.’
As we passed by, the villagers’ gazes were fixed on our carriage.
It seemed that external visitors were rare.
The villager’s guidance ended at the inner castle gate.
At the gate, an elderly knight who looked like he had aged significantly was standing guard.
After listening to the villager’s story, the knight immediately let us through, and we soon met with the lord.
“Nice to meet you, Doinha.”
The lord who greeted us…
“I’m Freina Rennetta, the head of the Rennetta family.”
She was an extremely young, or rather, youthful-looking woman.
Freina Rennetta introduced herself.
By her side stood an elderly knight, guarding her.
With his white hair and beard, it was clear that he had already retired from his duties.
Looking at him, I realized that the knights of this land were all quite old.
‘Are there no young knights?’
I thought that the average age was excessively high.
“…I’m Doinha, a dark mage and necromancer.”
“I’ve heard the story. And you are Kaila, Valduer, Anelis… correct? One of you is missing.”
“I went to pick up my younger sibling. They’ll be late.”
“Is that so?”
Freina didn’t add anything and simply nodded.
“For now, I’d like to express my gratitude for choosing our land, Mage Doinha. Thanks to you, we’ve received full support from the royal family. I never thought we’d receive such support in this era.”
Freina asked me, still in awe.
“What kind of relationship do you have with the royal family that they would promise such support to our family?”
“You’ll find out later.”
It seemed that the royal family had not informed Prina about the Great Earth Temple yet.
I thought I couldn’t tell her first.
“After all, becoming the official black mage of this place was a condition of taking on Anelis’s role.”
Moreover, there was a time limit for that. Although I had obtained it, I was made an official party member, but it was too grand.
“Unbelievable….”
When I didn’t answer correctly, the knight standing beside her, Nogisa, stepped forward, looking displeased, but was soon stopped by Prina’s hand.
Prina, who had stopped Nogisa, smiled wryly and said,
“I suppose I can’t force you to answer.”
He was the one who made me an official black mage, but at the same time, he was a different person.
She seemed to know well about her family’s position and circumstances.
“Anyway, thanks to you, I can grab the last chance. As an official black mage and a 5-class mage, you must be thinking of building a magic tower. Where would you like to build it? I’ll accommodate you as much as possible.”
To her words, I replied calmly,
“I want a barren land.”
“…You want a barren land?”
Even Nogisa, who had been looking at me with a sharp gaze, couldn’t hide his surprise.
“Do you know what kind of place that is?”
“Yes. It’s a land of monsters, in fact.”
“And you still want to go there?”
“Yes. I plan to subdue that land and build my magic tower there.”
“…Are you thinking of experimenting with monsters?”
Nogisa muttered.
Seeing how he intervened in our conversation without hesitation, it seemed that he wasn’t just a simple escort knight.
After all, at his age, he must have been an active knight, and the lord wouldn’t be able to treat him lightly.
Especially in a situation like the Rineta territory, where they were facing many monsters, the knights’ authority was likely to be high, and given that the lord looked quite young, it was likely that Nogisa was also playing the role of an advisor.
“Experimenting with monsters, that’s not a bad idea.”
Even ordinary mages did that. As a black mage, I couldn’t do any less.
In terms of corpse collection, the barren land had its advantages.
Of course, there was no one who would build a magic tower in such a dangerous place for such a trivial reason.
“Initially, there were many monsters within the territory, so it wasn’t unusual.”
“…You’re asking for an unexpected place. I thought you’d want one of the abandoned old castles.”
Considering the territory’s situation, it wasn’t strange to have abandoned castles.
“There must be monsters occupying it too.”
A monster-occupied castle, the very thought was absurd.
“If it’s the barren land, I have no reason to refuse. Rather, I should be grateful. But why did you choose that place….”
It was as if she was offering to take the burden herself. There was no reason to refuse.
“Of course, but I have a condition in return for going there myself.”
“What is it?”
Prina asked with an expression that seemed to say she had expected it.
“I don’t want any interference.”
“…Don’t you think we can’t easily interfere from our position anyway?”
“Please specify the terms.”
It’s difficult. I knew it. A publicly recognized dark wizard is no different from a mercenary guild’s guarantee.
The reason a dark wizard can receive the same treatment as ordinary wizards is that a qualified family has acknowledged him.
If a dark wizard makes a mistake, the responsibility falls on both the dark wizard and the recognized family.
Therefore, the guaranteeing family can monitor the research of the publicly recognized dark wizard at any time.
To prevent him from crossing the line, they need to keep an eye on him.
And I was saying that I want to completely block that.
I’m making an absolute demand, saying that no matter how suspicious I am, they shouldn’t interfere with me.
“In return, I’ll take responsibility for the barren land. As long as I’m here, I’ll show you that trust.”
It’s a difficult request. Even the knights couldn’t open their mouths to say anything.
It’s true that I, as a dark wizard, am a person recommended by the royal family, and if I take responsibility for the barren land alone, I deserve a corresponding reward.
However, despite that, the fact that I’m a dark wizard still holds me back.
“If you’re not a dark wizard, the wizards of the Magic Tower won’t be restricted in their research.”
“That’s right. They’re not dark wizards, so it’s hard for them to conduct research that could harm the continent.”
It’s a reasonable statement. Causing harm to the continent is something that requires capability.
After all, even if a third-rate thief in a back alley commits a crime, how much impact can it have on the continent?
It’s extremely rare for it to have a significant impact. Yes, it’s possible, but the probability is ridiculously low. However, it’s not possible to monitor every third-rate thief in preparation for such a situation.
It’s also unreasonable from a practical perspective.
In contrast, a dark wizard is an unpredictable existence that can go anywhere depending on the demon tribe they’ve contracted with, even if they lack skills.
From the beginning, dark wizards have been treated with caution.
To some extent, they should be cautious. But it’s not at this level.
There’s something to be learned from numerous histories, which is why they’re being treated with caution.
That’s why, despite proving that I’m different from an ordinary dark wizard, I couldn’t get a clear answer.
“Of course, I don’t plan to summon a demon king or anything like that.”
“I’ve never had a contract with such an existence either.”
I’m not lying since I haven’t contracted with a demon tribe.
“I know I can demand even more outrageous conditions, but I’m making a fairly reasonable proposal, one that’s actually more beneficial to you.”
“…I can’t deny that.”
“I believe that the Rienetta Duchy will succeed in its revival.”
Prina looks surprised at my words.
‘Didn’t they have any expectations?’
It’s not like they didn’t dream of revival this time. However, judging by their current reaction, it seems like they gave up quickly.
‘It seems they received support in the distant past.’
In other words, they received significant support in the past.
Looking at their current state, it seems like they failed even back then.
Back then, their circumstances were much better than now….
It seems like they’ve had many historical failures, leading to their current situation.
“The Rienetta territory has slowly fallen into ruin.”
They’ve consistently failed, and revival has become a distant dream.
“…I didn’t expect the newly recruited dark wizard to mention the reconstruction of a family that I myself thought was impossible.”
“Lord Youngju….”
Nokisa murmured with a pitiful expression.
I continued speaking without paying attention to him.
“It’s possible enough. So, I won’t make a proposal that would put me at a disadvantage even in this situation. The Rinetta Duchy will definitely recover.”
I looked straight into Prina’s eyes and said,
“When the Later Family regains its power, I hope my Magic Tower will stand beside them as a cooperative partner.”
“Do you mean you want to be together, not unilaterally subordinate?”
As a publicly recognized Black Mage, I was inevitably bound to a family.
However, my Magic Tower was different. Unless it was a royal family or a high-ranking noble family, it was usually in a cooperative position.
This was evident from the fact that there were no Magic Towers in ordinary territories.
Magic Towers only established branches in qualified territories.
Having a Magic Tower in a territory had many conveniences.
Therefore, many mid-to-low-ranking noble families struggled to ‘invite’ a Magic Tower to their territory.
“Taking on the barren land alone, I think that’s a fair price. No Magic Tower would request such a deal in this situation.”
It was a proposal that only looked to the future.
At the same time, it was a necessary condition to safely obtain and research the Dragon’s corpse.
Of course, I believed that the Rinetta territory would rise again.
What I truly wanted was irrelevant; the fact that I was fully cooperating was true, and the royal family also wanted it, so I thought it was a done deal unless there were no variables.
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Therefore, even without considering the Dragon’s corpse, it was a reasonable deal.
“What do you think, Atolek?”
“…As you wish, Lord.”
“You’re not objecting.”
“There’s nothing wrong with his words. He could have demanded more, but he made a fair proposal, which would put him at a disadvantage. However, the fact that he’s a Black Mage remains unchanged. There might be a trap hidden in his proposal.”
The image of a wicked Black Mage was still suspect in this moment.
Although I had made up my mind from the moment I received my magic, I couldn’t help but feel annoyed.
“However, I couldn’t find any trap in his proposal. It seems like a genuine proposal for the sake of the Rinetta territory.”