The Necromancer Who Was Despised - The Necromancer Who Was Despised chapter 144
“That’s right. The price he requested was meaningless for now. We can’t ask him to fulfill his duties as a publicly recognized Black Mage yet.”
It was true that a publicly recognized Black Mage was bound to the lord who appointed them.
However, even a publicly recognized Black Mage wouldn’t build a Magic Tower in such a dangerous place and fight endlessly to protect the territory.
Black Mages weren’t that kind of people. They were usually mobilized only when necessary.
Moreover, I was a special case, so making such demands was difficult.
Excessive interference was indeed difficult. Therefore, my proposal was focused on the future.
It was also related to Dragon research and establishing a solid foundation in the kingdom.
The 6 Kingdoms Union wanted to erase the shadow of the Holy Empire, and even if not, this was the safest place for me to operate.
‘In the end, it’s all for my benefit.’
As a result, they would also greatly benefit, and I wouldn’t be at a disadvantage.
Lord Prina fell into deep thought for a while.
Then, she nodded and said,
“I accept that deal.”
Nokisa and Atolek also bowed their heads, accepting the lord’s decision.
I smiled and replied.
“That’s a wise decision.”
“‘Wizard Do-inha, as long as you don’t cause harm to the country, the family, or the fief, we’ll guarantee the tower’s independence. We won’t interfere unless monsters flood into the fief from the barren land. Let’s make this clear in the agreement.’”
This was the result I had hoped for.
In this way, I secured the right to use the barren land and its surrounding areas.
If someone knew about this deal, they might say…
“This is no different from receiving a fief and becoming a lord.”
At my age, it’s not easy to become a lord, after all.
Especially in the Ladena fief, where there are many monsters, the knights’ voices carry significant weight, and it’s likely that the lord would also listen to my opinions as an advisor.
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< 137th Chapter ﹥ Ladena County
“We can provide the necessary materials to build the tower. The royal family has promised to send them. They’ll also provide laborers. However…”
“Please ensure our safety, that’s what you’re saying.”
“That’s right.”
After receiving confirmation of the agreement, Prina invited me and my companions to dinner.
I had no reason to refuse, and it was essential to build a good relationship with the lord of the land we would be living on, so I accepted the invitation with a happy heart.
Although the castle’s condition wasn’t great, they had prepared decent dishes, considering this was the county lord’s residence. However, it was a relatively humble feast compared to what I had expected.
But I didn’t need to make a fuss about it and make Prina uncomfortable, and honestly, this was sufficient, so we finished the meal without any complaints.
After dinner, we moved to a comfortable seat and began discussing serious matters.
“I plan to prioritize monster cleaning first.”
“The monsters on the barren land aren’t all that’s visible. I once tried to wipe them out, but it was useless.”
It seemed that many monsters had migrated from somewhere, and…
“There are also many monsters underground.”
It wasn’t just a matter of what’s visible.
“Do-inha, I’m not trying to belittle your abilities. You’re a genius who reached 5 classes at a young age and are recognized by the royal family as a skilled magician. However, the barren land is… not a place that can be conquered by a solo 5-class magician.”
Even with a master warrior like Kaila, it would be difficult, she said.
“I expected as much.”
To make the non-interference agreement effective, I need to completely seal off the barren land.
It’s not an easy task, and if I do it, I should be rewarded accordingly.
It’s a demanding request, but they agreed to it because it’s not an easy task.
“I understand that much. It’s clear that it’s not easy to seal off the land alone.”
Slowly. At first, things will progress slowly.
“I won’t request support. Let’s do it ourselves. For now, please just watch.”
“…In the past, if we provoked the land, there would be a corresponding counterattack, but now even that has faded away.”
Most of the fief has become a monster domain.
If there’s a backlash, it’s up to the monsters to handle it.
Of course, there’s a minimum defense line.
The problem is that it’s too far back.
So, if I fail, the impact will fall on the monsters.
“Even as I speak, I’m mixing in self-deprecation,” Pri said, her tone somewhat forced.
“By the way, all the knights in the Youngji territory are quite old, aren’t there any young ones?”
“There aren’t any. They’ve all left.”
Pri replied in a somewhat calm tone.
Nogi gazed at her with a serious expression, his eyes closed.
“I understand. At a young age, they wouldn’t want to stay in a territory with no hope.”
“As knights, they received education and fought monsters, and the more they fought, the more they realized this territory had no hope. They made contact with other territories and left one by one.”
Pri smiled wryly, recalling the past.
“It was better back then. At least we had seven castles, all of which were well-defended. But the situation worsened, and we had to abandon one castle after another. We received all sorts of support to restore them, but…”
It wasn’t enough, and they ended up in debt.
“We’ve paid it all back. But as a result, we had to abandon all castles except for three.”
It was inevitable, so they gave up early.
Many residents left the territory, and some were completely isolated, living among monsters on their own.
Of course, there were many deaths as well.
In fact, two of the remaining three castles were crucial strategic locations, and the royal family’s support was necessary to maintain them. In reality, only this main castle remained.
The previous lord, unable to bear the sight, eventually collapsed and died from grief.
“He was my father.”
It couldn’t be blamed solely on the previous lord’s incompetence.
The accumulated problems of decades, even centuries, had finally caught up, and it was only a matter of time before it reached this state. Therefore, Pri couldn’t blame her father either.
In reality, the territory had already been lost, and its scale had been continuously shrinking. The village had also dwindled, one by one.
If she wanted to resent someone, she would have to resent her entire family line.
“After my father passed away, I had no choice but to inherit the lord’s position.”
At the time, she was only 15 years old.
“I had a younger brother, but he was too young.”
Her brother was currently only 10 years old, not even half her age.
Her mother had passed away from illness shortly after giving birth to her brother.
As a result, only Pri and her brother remained to manage the Lineta territory.
“Thanks to the royal family’s favor, we’re currently living safely in the capital.”
She was receiving proper education and occasionally received letters.
“Was that too heavy a story?”
“I thought you should know, since we’re in the same boat now. What do you think? Even after hearing this, do you still think our territory can be revived?”
The situation was undoubtedly the worst.
The Lineta territory had once been a thriving territory, with seven castles.
“Honestly, I’m a bit shocked.”
She had no idea the family had been so powerful.
Of course, it was now at rock bottom.
Only one castle was under their control, and two were practically occupied by the royal family.
Considering the royal family’s favor towards Lineta, things might improve when the time came, but they would have to pay the price for the support they received.
Most of the residents there had either died or fled to other territories….
“It’s true that the remaining places are barely surviving on their own or serving as relay points for supplies, but that’s about it.”
It was only natural that we didn’t see a proper village on our way here.
We came straight from the Doriem territory to the Rineta territory.
Since there’s no exchange between Doriem and Rineta, there were no travelers going that way.
As a result, the environment was not suitable for the village to survive.
“They should have abandoned the village and left a long time ago.”
Some might have moved to the castle’s inner quarters to live.
It even seemed like they didn’t have enough money to pay off their debts.
Their military strength was limited to a few old knights, and their population was not large either.
It didn’t seem like they had any talented individuals. If they had, this old knight wouldn’t be serving as the lord’s guard.
Their financial situation looked hopeless as well.
All that was left was an empty shell of a noble family and the faintest hint of royal protection.
It was clear that they had given up.
But even so, I replied calmly in this situation.
“…You have remarkable confidence.”
“I’ll show you the results. I’ll set out for the barren lands tomorrow and get started. Please provide us with a map and some supplies.”
“…Alright.”
“If my group arrives, please send them to the barren lands immediately.”
“It’s not a difficult task.”
There was nothing more I could ask of Prina right away.
Or rather, she didn’t have the ability to grant my requests in the first place.
So I chose to leave for the barren lands as soon as possible.
As I watched the carriage disappear into the distance, Lord Prina Rineta asked.
“Do you think they can really occupy the barren lands?”
“…It’ll be difficult. But.”
Knight Atolek, standing beside his lord, Prina Rineta, replied.
“They’re not ordinary people. I don’t know much about the dark magician, but the two warriors who were with him were not ordinary. Especially that young woman… Kayla, was it?”
The knight’s eyes narrowed as he seemed to recall her.
“She was incredibly strong. Even in my prime, I’m not sure if I could have handled her…”
“Was she that strong?”
Prina’s expression changed to one of surprise at Atolek’s words.
She knew Atolek as an expert of the highest level, a former top knight of the territory who had once been expected to become a master.
Although he never surpassed that wall, his martial arts skills, accumulated over many years of dedication to the territory and numerous battles, were renowned even among the young.
Only a few knights remained, but the fact that they stayed was because this old knight remained by the lord’s side, and she knew it well.
If Atolek were to retire or pass away, it was highly likely that the remaining knights would also retire.
“For someone like that to be following a dark magician…”
Prina Rineta recalled the eyes of the man who had spoken of reviving the territory, with his exotic features, black hair, and eyes.
-It’s possible.
‘Maybe….’
She didn’t expect a revival.
At least, she wanted to maintain the current state until her younger brother became a complete adult….
She thought she could hold on until then.
If that didn’t work out, she would give up when she had a bit of leeway.
Just like her father had given up his title and paid off his debts, she wanted to sell the territory to secure her brother’s future.
But the downfall came.
She was beset by worries. There had been several instances where her family’s lineage had been cut off.
However, all those struggles had ended in failure.
So, she was afraid.
If she failed again… then she wouldn’t even have anything left to sell.
She worried and worried. And… in the end, she grabbed the rope.
No, she had no choice but to grab it.
If she didn’t grab this rope, the royal family’s fate would be uncertain.
She hoped to hold on for at least 10 years, and she grabbed the rope.
And the person who had cut off the rope set out to challenge the impossible.
“Please….”
Just a little… even if she didn’t succeed, it was okay. Just 10 years. Exactly, 10 years.
All she could do was pray.
From noble mtl dot com
“This is a barren land, isn’t it?”
Kayla said, looking down from the empty castle.
There were numerous monster corpses scattered around her.
The Orc tribe.
It was a considerable large tribe, too.
One of the frontline castles that the Rinetta family had abandoned, the Desert Shield.
We had taken over that place as soon as we arrived, sweeping away the Orcs.
They weren’t a weak tribe, but that was all.