The Necromancer Who Was Despised - The Necromancer Who Was Despised chapter 257

‘The 6 kingdoms alliance I’ve seen so far has boasted a tight-knit relationship, but….’

The stagnant war, the questionable war capabilities, and the mistaken judgments have piled up, making the situation far from ideal.

Whether I can intervene and unite them is… honestly, uncertain.

‘At least the Schpetran side has shown goodwill and cooperation in the past, so they might follow well….’

But the others… I have my doubts. Of course, the other kingdoms know that I played a significant role in the revival of the Daizimoku, but it’s uncertain how much they trust me because of that.

Hectoion fully supports me, but they can’t be sent to the frontline immediately.

They’ve all returned, but their influence is relatively weak.

Of course, there are also catches on the interspecies alliance side.

‘The elves….’

A relationship that’s experienced conflict after conflict in the past.

Especially since the dark elves, who are sworn enemies of the elves, are under my command.

Although the elves provided the cause, their influence is second only to the interspecies alliance.

Let me know if you need further assistance!

The greatest influencer, Dragoinian, doesn’t seem to be looking at me with ill intentions…

“The issue is how to react to Tinus.”

If things go well, we can gain the support of the Orcs and Elf’s opposition can be neutralized. However, if we make a mistake, it could lead to another internal conflict.

Honestly, it’s unlikely that Dragoinian won’t recognize Tinus, but you never know.

At this point, it might be better to act alone.

But that’s just a thought, and I alone can’t take on two kingdoms or an empire; it’s just a pipe dream.

“Maybe, with limitations… it’s possible…”

It’s not easy to make a decision alone, so I sought opinions and opened the dimensional fragment.

Inside the dimensional fragment, Tinus was busily preparing for avatar production.

He had been here since before the banquet started, but his massive size made it difficult for him to move around properly.

Tinus listened to my story about the current situation and fell into deep thought, just like me.

“Hmm… it’s definitely troublesome.”

“If the balance of the neutral zone had continued, I would have chosen the two kingdoms, but the situation isn’t favorable.”

“That’s right. If the two kingdoms fall, the empire will have to worry about its rear.”

It’s like the neutral zone being taken away, and the six kingdoms worrying about their rear.

From noble mtl dot net

But the situation had already unfolded.

I don’t regret visiting the Great Forest; our power has increased, and we succeeded in dealing with the Red Ogre, a future threat. It was a profitable expedition.

However, a new problem has arisen.

“The interspecies alliance’s reaction is unpredictable, making it difficult to choose. Maybe it’s better to act alone.”

“Alone?”

“I have an idea, but it’s uncertain if it’s possible.”

“What is it?”

“The neutral zone.”

“Hmm… it’s risky, but it could be effective.”

Tinus seemed to have caught on to what I was trying to say.

The neutral zone.

It wasn’t about charging in headfirst.

The main reason the six kingdoms’ alliance is afraid and can’t focus on the front lines is that they don’t know when the empire will stab them in the back.

Of course, the empire can’t commit all its forces either.

No matter how strong their holy land’s defense is, and even if they push back once, the interspecies alliance is a powerful force.

We can’t take them on with excessive force.

But it’s true that they’re a threat.

I wanted to stop them.

“I have the dimensional fragment, so it’s not difficult to break through the monster forest with a small group.”

After breaking through, I’ll target a relatively weak point and launch a surprise attack.

As I said before, my power is enough to destroy a decent-sized kingdom.

If I were to launch a surprise attack from an unexpected place… even the Sacred Empire wouldn’t be able to withstand it.

Since my power isn’t ordinary, they’ll have to allocate a large number of troops to counter us, and if we collaborate with the interspecies alliance, we can turn the neutral zone into a battlefield again.

However, if we actually do this… we’ll be in too much danger.

My power can destroy a kingdom, but my foundation is in dark magic.

Even if I’ve recently acquired a new property, I still use magic close to pure, which makes me extremely vulnerable to holy power, unlike other dark mages. However, I do receive some influence.

Fighting in the sacred realm, their front yard, is disadvantageous for us environment-wise.

This isn’t all. Ambushes are only effective once. We can’t always be on the offensive.

Eventually, we’ll have to take a stand, resist their military power and support, and hold out until the interspecies union breaks through the neutral zone.

The process will undoubtedly be arduous.

Of course, the reward for success will be immense.

The 6 kingdoms will no longer need to worry about being relegated, and the interspecies union will be able to recover the neutral zone.

With me involved, we’ll have the opportunity to take the initiative and push forward from our side.

-At the same time, having done something difficult will also increase my speaking power.

“That’s right.”

I’ll be able to receive similar treatment to building an independent force.

The elf’s restraint will have its limits, and other kingdoms won’t need to worry about how to treat us.

If they take the initiative, they’ll take it; we can’t be pushed around by them.

Of course, it’s possible that other kingdoms may think differently about us, but that’s just unnecessary worry.

Tinus, who had been thinking for a moment, opened his mouth.

-It’s difficult, but not impossible.

He also seemed to prefer moving independently.

-To be honest, I think it’s better to take the lead than to be dragged around by other forces.

For that, it’s faster to build achievements.

As a dragon protecting the continent, jumping around here and there, but he still thinks they’re the best, and it seems to bother him that he’s being dragged around by others.

Especially, he can’t predict how the Dragoinians and the Orcs will react to his appearance, which seems to be the most bothersome thing to him.

Even if he’s become undead, he’s still a dragon. It’s natural that he’d be concerned about the reaction of the Dragoinians, who were once under his rule.

Honestly, I wouldn’t want to be dragged around in this situation either.

Especially now, when our side is in a disadvantageous position.

It’s absurd to fight for initiative at a time like this.

“It’s their responsibility for the situation becoming like this while we were away on a mission.”

We successfully completed our mission.

We saved Hectio from crisis, and defeated the black star and the red ogre, who posed another threat.

Compared to that, they’ve only worsened the situation….

“Should we take comfort in the fact that it hasn’t become a complete mess?”

In the end, Tinus and I leaned towards taking independent action after reporting to the interspecies union.

However, it wasn’t a completely decided matter, and I planned to ask the opinions of the other party members as well.

While my speaking power is the greatest, I didn’t intend to completely disregard the opinions of the other party members.

Tinus came to see me separately to confirm whether my plan was feasible, and he judged it to be difficult but not impossible.

However, with Tinus’s support, it was likely that the other party members wouldn’t oppose it either.

Of course, even if all the party members agree, the first place we need to visit is already decided.

“I wonder if the trade route is still holding up….

It’s about to dry up completely, so we need to revive it again first.

◈ Return

Our stay in the Hectio kingdom wasn’t as long as I thought.

There was no way out. The situation was really bad.

The king knew this, but he didn’t stop me from leaving early.

With my abilities, possessing a mobile army, staying here would be a waste of power.

It didn’t make sense for the king to keep me here because of his own desires.

So, after discussing the current situation and plans with my companions, we quickly agreed and set out on our return journey to the Spehteran Kingdom.

As expected, my companions didn’t oppose my decision, and some even seemed to be quite pleased.

They didn’t need to get entangled with unnecessary people, and it was reassuring to continue our activities without any hassle.

I had worried about unnecessary conflicts with other forces, and they too must have thought about the potential conflicts that could arise on the battlefield.

Although I had gained fame in a short period, ordinary soldiers and knights would inevitably feel uneasy seeing the undead.

It was questionable whether they would trust us completely on the battlefield.

In a difficult war, such problems would be troublesome, but since we could avoid them, my companions had no reason to oppose.

As we departed, the king, major nobles, Cuahr, the leader of the Masu Hunters who had accompanied us on the expedition, the surviving holy knights, and the priestesses came to see us off in person.

They all expressed their gratitude and told us to call them whenever we needed help.

Especially the various sects that had recovered their artifacts treated us with an attitude similar to that of the Terra Mother Church.

They regarded me as their benefactor, the Black Mage.

I didn’t feel bad, but it was an unfamiliar sensation.

“How can a Black Mage have so many connections with the sects…?”

When I chose to become a Black Mage, I had prepared myself to be enemies with many sects.

However, the result was that I had formed unimaginable relationships with most sects, excluding the Goddess Church.

I thought that I might be the only one in history to have formed such relationships with so many sects as a Black Mage.

It wasn’t just me who felt this way; other Black Mages, especially Yeria, who had once built a dungeon in a neutral area and lived in hiding, gazed at the priestesses with an indescribable, subtle expression.

However, she didn’t say anything, and we continued on our return journey.

“…It’s clear that we’re in the midst of a war.”

The journey back wasn’t smooth sailing.

There weren’t any major obstacles, but we encountered frequent attacks from bandits and unexterminated monsters from all directions.

Needless to say, they weren’t our main enemies, but it was clear that the kingdom’s military power was concentrated on the front lines.

Monsters and bandits were taking advantage of this gap.

If the war dragged on… the kingdom’s internal situation would become increasingly chaotic.

“It seems like it’s only happening on the outskirts for now.”

At least the Hectio side was relatively better, and the people’s strong spirit made them less fearful of bandits and monsters.

As a result, it seemed that the bandits and monsters were more active on the Spehteran side.

Especially since most of Spehteran’s nobles didn’t maintain regular armies, excluding knights, and instead relied on mercenaries through contracts.

A considerable number of those mercenaries had been hired and sent to the front lines…

“It’s unlikely that the village self-defense units could completely suppress the monsters and bandits.”

Although the strong-willed people of Hectio might have a high level of self-defense, Spehteran, which had relied heavily on mercenaries, was in a different situation.

If things went wrong, it could lead to the creation of a massive bandit organization.

Of course, it was still happening on the outskirts for now, but who knows what would happen with time?

The kingdom wouldn’t be unaware of this situation.

The fact that this was happening meant that the situation was far from good.

“…We’ll eliminate anyone who gets in our way as we go.”

“Alright.”

“Okay.”

Although the situation was unfavorable, and we couldn’t spend much time on bandit and monster subjugation, we still cleared out the ones on our path as we moved forward.

Artina was quite proactive, having been a former mercenary and having memories of being attacked by monsters, so she particularly disliked the current situation.

“After all, the greatest enemy of mercenaries is bandits and monsters.”

Thanks to her actions, we received a grand welcome in the villages we passed through.

Some rumors even spread, and the bandits in the area were so intimidated that they didn’t dare to show their faces.

“…I’d like to go find them and kill them, but.”

However, since we couldn’t predict what the empire would do, we dealt with the monsters on our path and headed towards the Rinet territory.

At least, after passing through the kingdom’s outskirts, the appearance of monsters and bandits decreased significantly.

In the Rinet territory, we were welcomed by Prina herself, who had received news of our arrival.

“It’s fortunate that you’ve returned safely.”

“Thank you.”

We briefly discussed the events that had occurred in the Hectio Kingdom, and during that, Prina’s expression changed upon hearing that I and Artina had grown stronger.

Although she had sensed that my growth rate was unusual, the story of an 8-circle mage was quite different.

Currently, there was no confirmed 8-circle mage.

“I’m not exactly an 8-circle mage either.”

Thanks to my commander, Tinos, it wasn’t entirely wrong to introduce me as an 8-circle mage.

In the end, I had a being who could use 8-circle magic under my command.

From Tinos’ perspective, I was someone who could use 8-circle magic.

“Moreover, I have an amount of mana that surpasses that of a regular 8-circle mage.”

The fundamental magic was already a given.

Prina paused for a moment, then took a short breath and said, “I should be happy about this… Congratulations….And to you, Artina-nim as well.”

However, a small concern was etched on her face.

But it was only for a moment, and she soon exchanged a friendly glance with Cayla before turning to me and saying, “It’s fortunate that you’ve become stronger in this time. The royal family has sent someone to meet with you.”