A screaming skull.
And this was a candidate to become my teacher?
‘Ancestor, what do you think?’
[It…… makes sense.]
‘What?’
My face crumpled in disbelief, and Ren spoke.
“So, I heard you don't currently have a teacher. Is that correct?”
“Yes, that is correct.”
“And I heard that the baron has been searching for one, but Necromancers have all but disappeared.”
“That is…….”
I did not know.
I had never heard about it.
‘Father was searching for a necromancy teacher?’
Vilheim answered instead.
“That is correct. For some strange reason, all the Necromancers in the surrounding region have vanished. Do you know why?”
“There were never many Necromancers in the South to begin with…… but I suspect it has something to do with the kingdom's Western Front.”
“The Western Front?”
“Yes. Have you not heard? They say the West has been in chaos lately because of monsters. Necromancers can obtain plenty of high-quality monster corpses there, so they have all been heading in that direction.”
Ah, so that was why.
Ren added that it was a battlefield where one could kill two birds with one stone by hunting monsters for materials while also receiving combat pay.
‘They can make one big score and spend an entire year eating and playing?’
Necromancers truly were the best!
But my rising pride only lasted a moment.
My question had yet to be answered.
So what did he mean when he said that skull was my teacher?
……It was simple.
“Believe it or not, this is the corpse of a fairly accomplished Necromancer. Your brother and I killed the bastard not long ago…… but if you bind him, his reason will probably remain intact.”
“Ah, so…….”
“If you bind him properly, he might make a rather good teacher.”
Oh, there was such a method?!
This must be why people needed to learn.
I felt as though my horizons had broadened!
“So, what will you do? Answer however you like. Even for a Necromancer, this method can feel repulsive when you have only just begun.”
What? Why would I find this repulsive?
‘The teacher's free.’
I did not even need to think twice before saying yes.
However, there was something I needed to confirm first.
“But there is a price, is there not?”
“Hmm? A price?”
“Yes.”
Nothing was free in any world.
That was the truth of the world.
In other words, putting my teacher to work would be free, but acquiring him would come at a price.
But for some reason.
“Hmmm.”
Instead of answering immediately, Ren narrowed his eyes as though considering the question.
That was when Vilheim stepped in.
“Do not concern yourself with the price. It will be nothing significant.”
“That's right. You don't need to worry about it, little brother. Even if there is a price, it won't be particularly difficult for your brother to pay. Besides, I can simply give you this much as a favor.”
Hmm, was that really true?
It was not that I was especially concerned about Vilheim, but I was still reluctant to accept something for nothing.
But then.
“Well, fine. Yes, I'll give this to you as a gift, so you can set your mind at ease.”
“What?”
“I was rude when we first met, and giving a gift of this size to a friend's younger brother isn't particularly difficult.”
Really?
When I looked at him as though asking whether he meant it, Ren nodded.
“I mean it. Still, this feels a little too shabby to call a gift…… Very well, I'll give you this as well.”
“What is this……?”
Ren handed me a crystal about the size of my palm.
The moment I saw it, I knew exactly what it was.
“A Soul Stone?”
Yes, it was a Soul Stone.
A gem created by crystallizing a soul through magical processing.
Of course, what remained inside was not the true soul, but a remnant soul.
But this…….
[I do not know what it is, but that is quite a powerful soul.]
Yes, this soul was remarkably powerful.
“As expected of a Necromancer, you recognized it immediately. What do you think? With a soul that powerful, couldn't you bind it as a fairly exceptional undead?”
“Yes, I could, but…….”
“You want to know whose soul it is?”
Ren answered before I could even ask, smiling brightly.
“My master.”
“What?”
“I'm joking.”
That was a joke, right?
***
“Ah, I should mention this just in case. The Necromancer in the box was a bastard who deserved to die, so don't feel uneasy about it.”
“What kind of bastard was he?”
“Are you curious?”
“Yes.”
“Do you remember when you last ate?”
“Why do you ask……?”
“It's not a particularly pleasant story to hear on a full stomach.”
“Then I will not listen.”
“A wise decision.”
In any case, Ren told me in broad strokes that the man had been quite the fucking bastard.
When they raided his laboratory, most of the magic books they found contained such inhumane material that <About Death> was the only thing worth salvaging.
But still.
“Why does it scream like this? Is it a lich or something?”
“Oh, you know about liches too? But our friend wasn't accomplished enough to become a lich. That's…… because of the box.”
“The box?”
“Yes. When you place a head inside it, the box holds on to the soul. You could say it turns the head into an undead.”
“Ah.”
What a fascinating item.
“I'll give you the box as well.”
“Thank you, big brother.”
I had only met him today, but he was truly a generous man.
Of course, the Soul Stone still made me a little uneasy…….
‘……It was a joke. Yes, it must've been.’
What kind of mad bastard would hand his own master's Soul Stone to a Necromancer?
Even if the soul within a Soul Stone was not the true soul but only lingering thoughts, traces, or stray thoughts, no one with a heart could do such a thing.
In any case.
“So what should we do now? Shall we leave soon? Vil, what do you think?”
“We will leave immediately.”
“Shall we? Very well, then wait outside for a moment.”
After saying that, Ren disappeared somewhere inside the house again.
I silently waited for him with the gifts he had given me packed inside my backpack.
How much time passed?
BOOM, KABOOM—!
Flames surged from the cabin with a tremendous roar.
What the…….
I wondered whether we should go and save him, but Ren walked out of the inferno with an unconcerned expression.
“Let us go.”
What was that?
Why had he burned down his house?
Perhaps noticing my stare, Ren smiled.
“I packed everything I needed.”
Was that really the issue?
‘Indeed, they say many mages are lunatics.’
Ren seemed to be a textbook example.
He felt strange in a slightly different way from Vilheim.
After a journey that took roughly as long as the trip there, we reached the inner castle of the territory.
“Ren, follow me.”
“Very well. Little brother…… I'll see you later. We'll be seeing each other often anyway.”
Hmm, what a dreadful thing to say.
After Ren left to meet Father, I returned to my room.
That was when my ancestor, who had remained silent, spoke.
[So, what will you do?]
“About what?”
[The Necromancer and the Soul Stone.]
“Hmm.”
I had given the matter careful thought on the way back.
“First, I should try binding the Necromancer.”
[It will not be easy.]
“There is a contract ritual somewhat more powerful than the one I used with you. It is more coercive and restrictive.”
The materials would be a problem, but I only needed to obtain them.
The real problem was the Soul Stone.
“What…… should I do with the Soul Stone?”
Honestly, I would have hesitated even if I had received it without any explanation.
I had no way of knowing whose soul had been used to make it.
But now that I had heard the difficult-to-dismiss joke about it being ‘my master,’ I was even more troubled.
Then what should I do?
[I think it would be best to store it for now and decide later.]
“What if it really is his master?”
It might not have been a dilemma someone planning to turn a dead man into an undead teacher had any right to entertain, but this still felt a little different.
[Even so, that Soul Stone belongs to you now. If it truly bothers you, releasing the soul later would be one option. However…….]
“However?”
[I only want you to understand that obtaining a soul of that caliber is never easy.]
“Hmm.”
Yes, that was true.
‘Well…… I can decide later.’
Whether it truly belonged to Ren's master or not, I would wait until I had improved my skills before attempting to handle the Soul Stone.
I could decide whether to release or bind it when the time came.
In any case.
“Whatever happens, I should awaken my master as soon as possible.”
[Your master appears to have been awake this entire time. Open the box. I am sure he will greet you with a delighted scream.]
“Insolence! How dare you speak that way of my master, who is as exalted as the heavens!”
Master, please wait just a little longer.
This disciple will restore your reason.
I stroked the tightly closed box and bowed my head.
***
Meanwhile, in Baron Palaon's study.
The baron blinked as he looked at the young mage sitting before him.
“So, your name is……?”
“Bioren.”
“Bioren, Bioren……? Was your master's name Sylvanis, by any chance?”
“Yes, that is correct.”
“Ha!”
The baron burst into astonished laughter.
“What a coincidence! To think Vilheim's friend was Sylvan's disciple! So, how is Sylvan? Is he well? Is his personality the same as ever?”
Sylvanis.
The man Baron Palaon remembered was both an exceptional mage and a cheerful comrade.
A true mage who never lost his smile, even on battlefields where death seemed certain, and somehow carved open a path to survival.
At the unexpected news of his old comrade, Baron Palaon smiled as though he had returned to his youth.
However, the answer he received was far from cheerful.
“My master has passed away.”
“What? Sylvan? How did……?”
“It was an accident during an experiment. Ah, you do not need to look like that. He was smiling when he died.”
“Ah, I see. He…… Whew, yes. I understand. It is tragic, but I am glad to hear that he died smiling.”
The baron forced himself to shake off his grief.
It would be discourteous to grieve before his friend's disciple after the young man had already shaken off his sorrow, and the baron was accustomed to the deaths of comrades.
He would express his mourning alone, wetting his throat with a glass of liquor.
Once he had composed himself, a question occurred to him.
“Judging by your reaction, it seems your arrival in our territory was not a coincidence. Am I wrong?”
“Hmm, becoming friends with Vil was a coincidence, but yes, my arrival in Palaon Territory was not. To be precise, my master left me instructions.”
“What did he say?”
“He told me that if anything happened to him, or if I found life alone too lonely after his passing, I should visit Palaon Territory. He said there would be work for which I was needed here. And now that I have come, I see he was right. Did my master know about the mana stone vein as well?”
“He never told me directly…… but he was a clever man, so he may have noticed. As he said, our territory is currently in need of a mage. So, what will you do?”
“My decision was already made when I resolved to meet you. I will work for Palaon Territory.”
Baron Palaon nodded as though he had expected the answer.
“Naturally, you will require compensation. What do you want?”
“Once the mana stone mine has been developed successfully, please invest in my Magic Tower.”
“You…… belong to a Magic Tower?”
“Not yet.”
“Then?”
“I intend to establish one myself. If the development of your mana stone mine succeeds and you keep the promise you make today, it will not be particularly difficult. In return, I will serve Palaon to the best of my ability until that day comes.”
“Such confidence. So…… you intend to invest the present in your future?”
“Yes.”
Ren answered without hesitation.
He was certain that, given the current circumstances in Palaon Territory, the baron would have no choice but to accept his proposal.
But the baron's answer was unexpected.
“I refuse.”
“……What?”
“Instead, how about this?”
The baron held out a sheet of paper with something written on it.
“What…… is this?”
“What else? The terms of your contract.”
“I understand that, but…….”
The contract terms were, how should he put it…….
Well below average.
Did the baron truly expect him to sign under these conditions?
“Would it not be better to receive at least some compensation for your work instead of laboring with no promise of payment? We can discuss investing in the Magic Tower afterward. Hmm? What do you say?”
“Hmm, even so…….”
“You do not like it? Hmm, then we will consider the matter closed. You have come a long way. Thank you for your trouble.”
“No…… I…….”
Ren could not continue.
After all, the baron's proposal was outright highway robbery.
He intended to use the Magic Tower as an excuse to value Ren's present labor cheaply, then discuss the future investment separately?!
If the baron reneged when the time came, Ren would have done nothing but serve him for a pittance.
But Ren realized.
The moment he revealed his true intentions, control of the negotiation had passed to the other party.
Nor could he seek another investor at this point.
It was hardly easy to find a noble willing to invest in the money-gobbling hippo known as a Magic Tower in the first place.
‘Was this what he meant?’
He recalled his master's words.
His master had said this about Baron Palaon.
―He is a fascinating specimen and a good friend. However…….
……He was not merely kind.
Indeed, the description was perfectly accurate.
Ultimately, Ren had no other choice.
“I accept…… your terms. In exchange, please add a clause stating that we will seriously discuss investing in my Magic Tower at a later date.”
“Ha ha, of course.”
The baron was smiling brightly.