After that day.
Zeke and Milo were incorporated into the forces of Palaon Territory.
“I look forward to serving with you.”
“Hmm.”
Th-That insolent bastard…….
Zeke at least observed the proper courtesies, but Milo maintained an overbearing attitude toward the soldiers.
[That is only natural. Men-at-arms have every reason to be haughty.]
For reference, men-at-arms were soldiers who were not knights but armed themselves and fought like knights.
In other words, heavy cavalrymen.
The two of them were somewhat poorly equipped for men-at-arms, but apparently, they had sold their equipment when they left the mercenary company.
That worried me in another way.
Would the frail(?) soldiers of our territory receive the respect due to their seniority from those two?
……Of course, my fears were unfounded.
“Do not worry, Young Master. Our territory's soldiers may not look it, but they are veterans who have fought through mountains and across seas.”
Just as Sir Balt had said, the expressions of the two men…… especially Milo's, darkened with each passing day.
It seemed they were undergoing some exceptionally insidious and vicious initiation ritual.
[The soldiers of our territory are certainly no ordinary men either.]
Indeed.
For some reason, I felt proud.
Still, I worried that they might run away, so I secretly pressed some candy into Zeke's and Milo's hands.
“Young Master……!”
“Ah, ngh!”
“Please hold out just a little longer.”
It was encouragement inspired by memories of my days as a Private Second Class.
“Yes! I will!”
“Young Master, I will serve you with absolute loyalty!”
I did not need their absolute loyalty. I simply hoped they would last as long as possible.
Opportunities to employ capable people at a low price were rare.
In any case.
I attended mine development meetings every morning and evening, then devoted the rest of my time to practicing necromancy and improving my physical fitness.
And as a result.
RATTLE—!
[Hmm, you have become quite proficient now.]
“It seems so.”
I had become capable of casting Bone Armor fairly quickly.
Combining it with Golgol made it faster and more powerful, but I could now use it in actual combat even without Golgol.
Then how was Golgol doing?
CLACK-CLACK! CLACK!
Even Golgol's Greatsword stance looked fairly convincing now.
Not long ago, it had been difficult to tell whether Golgol was swinging the Greatsword or the Greatsword was swinging Golgol. Now, one might say Golgol had seized control.
I am proud of you, Golgol.
My days proceeded smoothly in this fashion, but that did not mean I had no concerns.
“Necromancers are supposed to be one-man armies…… so why am I not gaining more summons?”
[Frankly, even Golgol is a summon far beyond what you deserve.]
No, you demon!
Well, honestly, it would not matter if things remained as they were.
But I knew.
‘Mine development…… This is a cliché.’
Things were quiet now, but once word of the mana stone vein began to spread in earnest, all manner of gnats would swarm around it.
When that happened, even monsters like Vilheim, Sir Balt, Zeke, and Milo would not be enough to protect the territory.
Ultimately, armies fought wars.
Then what should I do?
‘Wouldn't it be nice if I became a one-man army as soon as possible?’
In truth, I was not even asking for an entire legion.
Wouldn't thirty skeletons on Golgol's level be enough?
[You certainly dream big. Thirty skeletons like Golgol?]
“I am just saying.”
[Hmm. Well, it is not as though there is absolutely no method.]
“What? What is it?”
[The classic method. Raising skeletons from graves…… something along those lines.]
“That is a little…….”
Even if I had the talent of a Necromancer, I did not feel comfortable raising the dead without their permission.
[What else can you do if you dislike summoning through a medium? You will simply have to work hard. Increase your capacity and raise the number of summons you can create without a medium.]
“Hmm, is there no other way?”
[If you try to eat everything raw, you will get sick.]
Is that so?
Then again, perhaps I was being too greedy.
Now that I had memorized <About Death> and understood its contents to some extent, I could objectively assess my level.
My current level was, how should I put it…….
‘It feels like I skipped my first class advancement and started using a second class advancement skill.’
It made no sense for a novice Necromancer to summon a Non-medium Undead like Golgol in the first place.
But I could not help feeling disappointed.
‘Ngh, what should I do?’
As I pondered the matter, a visitor arrived.
It was Vilheim.
Vilheim appeared without warning, tossed out a single remark, and disappeared.
“Pack light. We have somewhere to go.”
Hmm.
Did he think I was the sort of person who came and went at his beck and call?
If so, he had read me perfectly.
“Yes, heh heh.”
Without another word, I ran to my room and prepared to leave.
***
But why had Vilheim called me?
Still wondering, I went to the inner castle's gate, where Vilheim was waiting with two horses.
“But where are we going?”
“We are going to fetch a friend.”
“A friend?”
Vilheim nodded at my question.
“A mage friend.”
Ah, I remembered.
He had said he had a mage friend who helped him obtain my necromancy textbook, <About Death>.
He had promised to arrange a separate meeting between that friend and Father, and today was apparently the day.
But I was curious.
‘What kind of bastard could it be?’
I could not imagine what a friend of Vilheim's might be like.
I could only hope the friend would not be violent.
We left the castle and rode without speaking.
How long had we been traveling?
Vilheim suddenly spoke.
“Your necromancy.”
“Yes?”
“Is it going well?”
“Ah, yes. Thanks to you.”
“Thanks to me…… I see it was not entirely useless.”
“Hmm…… yes.”
Honestly, I did not think I had achieved anything through <About Death>. Still, it had enabled me to form a contract with my ancestor.
After that brief exchange, I once again settled into the peaceful silence…….
“Golgol.”
“Yes?”
“It seems to be using a Greatsword these days. It is even using our family's swordsmanship.”
“Ah, that is…….”
“Commendable.”
“……Ah, yes.”
I did not know what exactly he found commendable, but I gave an appropriate response.
Now there truly couldn't be anything else to discuss…….
“But is it one of the elders of our house?”
“What?”
“I mean Golgol. Father and I are the only people who could teach our family's swordsmanship, and Father told me it was not him.”
Could he possibly think I had gone so far as to turn one of the elders of our house…… one of our ancestors, in other words, into an undead servant?
What did he take me for?
As I hesitated over how to answer, Vilheim spoke.
“Do not tell Father.”
“What?”
“Even though it is you, Father would be deeply shocked if he learned that you had resurrected an ancestor and called that ancestor Golgol.”
“No, that is not…….”
“It is all right. And our ancestor will be pleased. Since it allows the ancestor to help a descendant, our ancestor will surely be pleased.”
He appeared to be laboring under a serious misunderstanding, but I gave up on correcting him.
It was better to leave well enough alone.
But still.
“Would our ancestor truly be pleased?”
“Of course.”
I had not been asking Vilheim.
I had been asking my ancestor directly.
But my ancestor answered as follows.
[Do not spout such bullshit. My bones probably do not even exist anymore, but the moment you truly raise them, I will annihilate three generations of your line. If not for Palaon's revival, tsk.]
What a truly terrifying bloodline.
‘A descendant would only praise someone for raising and using an ancestor's remains…… while that ancestor threatened to annihilate three generations of the descendant's line.’
Come to think of it, Father had turned Grandfather into an incompetent debtor, all for the sake of the house.
Perhaps unfilial blood ran through our veins.
I desperately hoped not.
Well, in any case.
How much farther did we travel in silence?
“We are here.”
“Oh, yes.”
Vilheim stopped in front of a cabin beside a small trail.
He loosely tied up the horses and knocked on the door.
“It is me.”
“Who are you?”
“Vilheim.”
“Vilheim? Vil…… Ah, yes. Vil, you're here. .”
The door flew open, and a man emerged.
At the same time, I choked and clamped a hand over my nose.
‘What's with this stench of alcohol……?’
The man smelled as though he had showered in alcohol, yet he gave us a radiant smile.
“What brings you here today? And the one beside you is…… a Necromancer? He looks rather young. Did you capture him?”
“This is my brother.”
“Your brother……? This one?”
This bastard……?
The drunkard worked my face like hotteok dough and stared at me for a long while.
But then.
The drunkard's eyes gleamed strangely.
“Vilheim.”
“What?”
“Why have you become so young? Did you find a potion of rejuvenation somewhere……?”
“That is my brother.”
“Hmm, hmmm. Yes, I see. Indeed. Yes, indeed.”
Seriously, what was wrong with this bastard?
[He is a mad bastard.]
Agreed.
Fortunately, I was not the only one whose patience had reached its limit.
“Ren, I will count to three. Regain your senses before I finish.”
“Three? Should I count the numbers? Three…….”
“Two, one.”
Vilheim stepped forward, spun the drunkard around, and drove a fist into his solar plexus without hesitation.
THWACK—!
“URK……!”
Even afterward, the brutal sounds of blows echoed from among the bushes.
***
It was an hour later that I properly exchanged greetings with the mage named Bioren, commonly known as ‘Ren.’
“Little brother? I was terribly rude to you when we first met. That doesn't usually happen.”
“It is all right.”
Once sober, Ren was, how should I put it…….
He was a rather handsome man with a respectable appearance.
Even so, I could not warm to him. His handsome mug aside, his entire manner made him a textbook example of the narrow-eyed character archetype.
Thus, I decided to classify Ren as a potential secret mastermind.
In any case.
“Come inside and sit down first. Vil, take a seat as well. Would either of you like…… something to drink?”
“I will pass.”
“I am fine as well.”
“Hmm, very well. Then I will drink alone.”
Ren said that and disappeared somewhere before returning with a cup in his hand.
It was honey tea, so fragrant with honey that the scent filled the room.
It seemed sweet enough to give me diabetes from the smell alone, but Ren downed it and smiled.
“I feel alive again. So, the fact that you came here means the meeting with the baron has been arranged, correct?”
“Yes, and…….”
“And bringing your younger brother means you want ‘that,’ correct? It seems to me that your brother is the main reason you came.”
“Correct.”
Vilheim answered calmly, and Ren looked at me.
“So, are you ready, little brother?”
“What? Ready for what?”
“Hmm……? You haven't heard anything?”
“No.”
I had come without being told anything.
I had simply followed because Vilheim told me to.
“That's rare. An illegitimate son following the eldest legitimate son without asking any questions.”
“Do not say anything pointless.”
I had simply resigned myself to it.
If Vilheim intended to drag me along, he would manage it one way or another.
But…….
‘……He's smiling?’
What did Vilheim find amusing this time?
Well, that wasn't important.
“May I ask what is happening?”
“Well…… it wouldn't be difficult to tell you, but it'd be better to see it for yourself. Will you wait a moment?”
“Yes.”
Ren said that and disappeared somewhere again before returning.
He was carrying a box.
What was that?
As I watched, Ren held the box out to me.
“Open it.”
“Ah, yes.”
The box was fairly heavy. And inside it…….
‘A skull?’
Yes, there was a skull inside.
But it was no ordinary skull.
[SKRIEEEEEEEEEEEK—!]
It was a screaming skull.
‘What the fXck is this?’
I blinked and looked at Ren. He smiled and answered.
“Say hello. This is a candidate to become your teacher.”
Seriously, what was it?