The Necromancer Who Was Despised - The Necromancer Who Was Despised chapter 199
The Priogatha family has fallen, so the civil war won’t last long.
Before that, I had things to discuss with the interspecies union.
“There’s also the Orc’s castle to consider.”
The Sacred Empire’s response is unpredictable.
If possible, I want to take action before they do, but…
“It’ll be difficult.”
They’re not fools either. Having been hit this much, they won’t just take it lying down.
So, I want to prepare for multiple scenarios before they make their move.
I steeled myself and headed towards the place where the undead I handed over to Tinus were, hastening my footsteps.
◈ Conquest
Kailla and Praefen’s lord were doing a decent job of handling things.
They had gradually opened up the sealed castle and captured the humans who had been flowing in.
Kailla seemed to have set aside the undead to be controlled, as well as the spoils of war and captives.
When I conquered the city, I didn’t have time to take care of the details, and thanks to Dragon’s Rare, I didn’t lack resources, so I didn’t worry about it much. But Kaila took care of that part for me.
When I joined, Kaila greeted me with a bright face, and Praepen Zaha, with a mix of fear and respect, welcomed me.
Tinus and Yeriya hid again inside the dimensional fragment.
As Tinus could hide his energy, it didn’t matter if he revealed himself, but since he joined mid-way, it was an awkward situation, and Tinus said he didn’t need to act outside anymore, so he went back inside the dimensional fragment.
Now that I’m free to move, I can make my plans a reality, but I didn’t explain the details. It seemed like it would take too long to explain everything.
I had nothing to say.
“How’s your condition?”
“I succeeded. The form is a bit strange, though…”
When I hesitated, Kaila looked puzzled, but I said I’d explain later, and she nodded as if she understood.
At least I succeeded, and there wasn’t a huge problem.
Praepen Zaha, who was listening to our conversation, carefully joined in.
“First, we’re trying to recover the cities you’ve conquered. There are those who tried to escape during the lockdown, but none have succeeded so far.”
It’s no wonder, since the undead can sense the energy of the living and track them.
Moreover, they don’t sleep, so as long as they’re being watched, it’s impossible to escape without being destroyed.
“Also, in some cities, there are cases where internal personnel caught those who tried to escape.”
It’s because they’re afraid of retaliation.
It’s understandable, since in this world, people prioritize obeying the strong and those of higher ranks.
I listened to their reports and continued to conquer the remaining cities, even reaching the ones I had initially destroyed or turned into undead cities.
There were no corpses, but the signs of battle and slaughter were evident, and when Praepen Zaha saw the undead city, he couldn’t hide his fear.
He had been praising my military prowess and accomplishments, but when he saw the clear signs of slaughter and the undead city, he couldn’t bring himself to praise me.
I didn’t say anything about Praepen Zaha’s attitude. The praise he had given me wasn’t that pleasant to hear anyway.
Instead, I asked him to choose whether to dismantle the undead city or leave it as it was, and after a moment of consideration, he asked me to dismantle it.
“Now that this place has become one of the front lines, I acknowledge its usefulness, but I’m worried about the side effects. Please dismantle it.”
“That’s fine.”
It wasn’t a difficult task.
I left Praepen Zaha and the soldiers behind, entered the city alone, dismantled the land of death, and recovered all the undead who had become corpses.
When the work was done, only the signs of battle and numerous bloodstains remained, and the interior was empty.
This was also terrifying in a different way, and from then on, Praepen Zaha couldn’t even look me straight in the eye.
After completing the conquest of the territory, I gave him a few instructions.
“Please keep what you’ve seen here to yourself.”
It will eventually be known, but it’s better than just leaving it out.
“Yes, of course.”
“Among those you’ve detained, send the nobles to the royal capital, and the surviving priestesses of the Goddess Church to the Temple of the Earth Mother, not the royal temple. Tell them I sent them, and they’ll understand.”
The Temple of the Earth Mother values me enough to send the Bishop of the Desert as a shield.
The royal temple won’t ignore me, and since I’ve added that they can do as they please…
“If you know what happened with Bishop Cornerbin, you’ll understand what I mean.”
Even if they don’t know, the result will be the same.
I wish I could take them directly to the Temple of the Earth Mother myself, but if I bring over a hundred people, our speed will be too slow.
Because of that, I decided to leave the priests to Prefen Zaha.
‘Ah, do we really need to bother with that? Can’t we just take Cornerbin Archbishop to the royal road?’
When I thought about it, we were going to go to Rineater anyway to pick up Prina. Since Na and Kayla, Prina’s relationship wasn’t light, we would go to the royal road together, and if we took Cornerbin Archbishop with us, it would be a suitable gift.
One way or another, leaving the priests to Prefen Zaha was the same.
Prefen Zaha seemed to want to ask if I was going to leave him behind, but he didn’t dare ask me in the end.
“Alright, alright.”
That was all he said, and I was satisfied with that.
After confirming the last station, I parted ways with Prefen Zaha.
As soon as we parted, I called out to Tinus, and Kayla’s expression changed to one of great surprise when she saw him.
“Undead… is that correct? I don’t sense any magic at all…”
“It looks just like a human, but it’s an undead.”
Tinus spoke up first at my words.
“I’m Tinus. I don’t want any annoying attention, male or female.”
“…I’m Kayla.”
Annoying attention.
Of course, Kayla didn’t think she would be interested in him.
It was like Prina’s engagement announcement, implying that she shouldn’t be tied to me, but it was interpreted as just a joke.
Looking at his expression, he seemed serious, though.
After a brief introduction, he turned to me and said,
“Does calling me mean you’ll get rid of all those useless things?”
Useless things.
There were thousands of undead.
“Of course.”
“Will you collect them all like the ones you’ve already collected?”
“They’re useful, so why not?”
Recreating them as undead was inefficient, but using them as materials was fine.
It was like using them as additional reinforcement materials or even as building materials for a temporary stronghold.
“Then put them inside and release them.”
It was easier for him to handle.
A little later, Tinus, who had emerged from the dimensional fragment, had a relieved expression.
“My body feels lighter. Ah, it’s nice.”
“Huh?”
“Yeriyah made an interesting proposal. But there’s something I need to make it happen.”
“What’s that?”
“The bodies of the Wyverns.”
“The bodies of the Wyverns?”
“Yes, those are necessary.”
“Hmm…”
There was no way to refuse.
If I wrote something like Skeleton Mage, there would be limitations in battle, and if I used a palace guard, the accuracy would be too low.
I could burn something like Death Knight to unleash powerful attack power, but if I did that, it would be better to just use Phantom Steed.
“It’s possible to blast with something like a rock, but it’s only a one-time thing.”
A proper magician could easily block it.
It’s okay for reconnaissance, but if that’s the case, it would be better to use a smaller animal like a wyvern instead.
In other words, it seems good when you think about it, but when you examine it closely, it’s difficult to use and there are too many alternatives.
So, there were things I had left untouched, and I was asking for them.
“Do as you please. Most of the things inside are reserve, so if you need something, you can use it. Are you preparing something?”
Luceres’ corpse-like, things I was certain to use, I wouldn’t touch, so it didn’t matter what else I used.
Tinus seemed to like my statement very much, smiling and responding.
“That’s right. It’s good that you’re not stingy in this regard.”
“…I don’t think I’ve ever been stingy…”
“That’s what I mean.”
Maybe it’s because he’s not human, but he has a tendency to blurt out whatever comes to mind.
After all, how many times would a dragon worry about someone else’s feelings?
“Still, let me know. I need to know what’s left, at least.”
“That’s right. Ah, by the way, Kayla.”
“Yes?”
“Do you know any hand-to-hand combat skills?”
“I do, but why…?”
“Great. Teach me later.”
Kayla’s expression changed to one of surprise at Tinus’ confident request.
“Hand-to-hand combat… why?”
“Because this body shape seems useful, so I’m asking. Please.”
Kayla looked at me with a puzzled expression, and I smiled wryly and nodded.
She hadn’t seen the combat form yet, so it was a natural question.
“Just show me once?”
“…I can’t help it. The transformation is still uncomfortable.”
As soon as he finished speaking, scales burst out all over his body, and an enormous magical power and presence that had never been felt before suddenly appeared.
“…….”
Kayla’s expression turned stiff as she examined Tinus’ body, and then she nodded.
“I need to examine your physical abilities further, but if you have a body like that, it’s a waste to just play around. I understand.”
As soon as Kayla gave her permission, he returned to his normal form, muttering to himself in a frustrated tone.
“I’m not used to it. There are no unnecessary things, I need to adapt quickly. I’ll go in first.”
“Okay.”
He turned back into the dimensional fragment’s interior as soon as the conversation ended, and Kayla muttered as she watched his back.
“That’s unusual.”
“…That’s true.”
“He doesn’t seem to have a bad personality for a dragon….Although I’ve only met one dragon, that is.”
“Well, he’s not arrogant or openly disdainful of others.”
They were making all sorts of demands, but it wasn’t just about their own interests; it was about taking advantage of the situation.
“Of course, they have their own goals, and they’re willing to become undead to achieve them.”
The downfall of the Shinseong Empire. If possible, I wanted to take down the black star as well.
He was working with me to make that happen.
“Let’s make a quick comeback.”
“Understood.”
I had to go to the capital with Prina.
If possible, I wanted to arrive around the same time as the nobles who were being sponsored by Prapen.
Since we were moving together, it would take some time, so we might need to adjust our speed accordingly.
Returning was actually faster since we had taken this route before.
And since there weren’t any annoying people this time, it was even faster.
I returned to the Rennetta Earl’s territory faster than before, and Prina invited me in as if she had been waiting.
“You’re faster than I thought. Kailla, come in. You must be tired.”
“I heard the story. Are you going to the capital with me?”
“That’s right. I can’t just abandon my precious fiancé and the hope of the territory to the hyena-like nobles.”
Prina smiled at me as she said that.
If it were before, Kailla would have been upset, but now he just shrugged it off, seemingly carefree.
“Of course, I have to protect my only friend too.”
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“…It’s embarrassing.”
“Don’t say it’s embarrassing, Kailla. I hate it when people misunderstand. I’m not like that.”
It seems we’ve become closer than I thought.
“Has there been any contact from the Forest Shield?”
“I did receive a report that they were forming a forward base to monitor the ecosystem and control the number of monsters, but that was it.”
It’s going to take some time, anyway. It’s a long distance.
“Then, let’s not waste time and talk while we’re on the move. We’re all set. We don’t need to rest, considering your physical condition, do we?”
“…….”