Before trying to summon it based on a vague, intuitive feeling.
“Hmm, let me organize my thoughts for a moment.”
[What is it? Let me hear about it. What happened to the Necromancer?]
“Well, you see…….”
I explained the whole story of what had just happened to my ancestor.
I told him what nonsense that piece of trash unfit to be called human had spouted, how it had provoked my sense of justice, and finally, how this purple stone had been left behind where the skull disappeared.
[And you are saying that holding it makes you feel the same way you did when you first summoned Golgol?]
“Yes.”
I could not explain it, but somehow, I felt as if something might be possible.
[So, what will you do?]
“I don't know.”
Before, I would have summoned it without a second thought, but something bothered me.
‘This…… came out of that bastard, didn't it?’
There was always that possibility.
What if I used this to summon something, only for that psychopath unfit to be called human to make a dramatic, dun-dun-dun entrance?
Should I summon it or not?
[It does not seem to be a Soul Stone, so I think it should be fine.]
“Yes, that is true, but…….”
After thinking for a moment, I decided to trust my instincts.
Fine. To hell with it. I would summon the thing.
Just as I had when I first summoned Golgol, I moved my mana according to what came to mind.
The light emanating from the purple gem responded to my mana.
Immediately afterward.
RATTLE, CRACK.
A single skeleton bloomed into existence in midair.
Just in case, I stared intently at the skeleton's skull.
I was worried that it might look the same as the bastard who had been my prospective teacher.
But it did not.
‘It's different.’
It was different, but…… what mattered most was what it truly was.
“Hello?”
TICK-TOCK?
Is this one a tick-tock? Golgol goes clack-clack.
“What's your name?”
TICK-TOCK.
“You don't know? So you want me to give you one? Before that, may I ask you a few questions?”
TICK-TOCK!
Golgol Unit 2 (temporary name) pounded its chest as if to say I could ask it anything.
But this fellow seemed frailer than Golgol, because its bones crumbled beneath the blow.
Well, that was not important right now.
“Suppose I was sad, so I bought some bread. What would you ask me?”
Option 1, what kind of bread was it?
Option 2, did something happen?
What? Isn't this how you distinguish T from F on the MBTI?
It is.
Since this was neither a medical nor scientific classification method, I had no intention of blindly trusting the answer to this question either.
However, this was the bare minimum I needed to check.
After all, that prospective teacher from earlier…… No, the fact that a bastard like that had been my prospective teacher was a disgrace to me.
So let us simply call him a son of a bitch.
In any case.
‘That son of a bitch was a terrifying psychopath.’
Could a bastard like that possess a human heart?
Of course not.
What about empathy?
Naturally, he would have none.
Then which answer would he choose?
‘Obviously, Option 1.’
I wasn't saying T types were psychopaths. I'm a T myself.
T types are merely intelligent, coolheaded intellectuals who think rationally. They aren't antisocial or inhuman.
Therefore, choosing Option 1 wouldn't make it a psychopath…… but if it chose Option 2, I could be certain.
‘Unquestionably F.’
Could there be an F-type psychopath?
Well, I find it hard to imagine one.
In other words, Option 1 would leave the matter uncertain, but Option 2 would definitively let me put my suspicions to rest.
With that thought, I waited for its answer.
TICK-TOCK!
“Option 2?”
TICK-TOCK-TICK!
It nodded fiercely. At the same time, it repeatedly clacked its jaws, seeming strangely dejected.
What was it saying?
[Hmm, it is asking whether something difficult happened. It wants to know if being sad makes you crave bread. Hmm…… Now it seems to be telling you to cheer up.]
“You can interpret it?”
[I can understand the general feeling.]
Perhaps there was something that allowed the dead to understand one another.
In any case, good.
‘Judging from its reaction, it's unquestionably F. An extreme F, at that.’
Then I could trust it.
“From now on, you're…… Tiktak.”
TICK-TOCK?
“Tiktak.”
[Can you not put a little more thought into naming things?]
“Did Tiktak say that?”
Strange.
It looks pleased.
[No, that was merely my opinion.]
“Then it is dismissed.”
I firmly believed that a summon's name ought to be short, simple, and easy to remember.
By that standard, Golgol and Tiktak were both excellent names.
In any case.
“Tiktak, is there anything you know how to do? Anything that comes to mind?”
TICK-TOCK?
Tiktak tilted its head.
But only for a moment.
TICK-TOCK!
“Oh, you remembered something? All right, what can you do?”
[It says to watch.]
I quietly watched Tiktak. Standing still, it swung its hands around as though it were trying to do something.
Could it fly?
That thought lasted only a moment.
TICK-TOCK!
A change occurred with Tiktak's resounding battle cry(?).
I let out a quiet exclamation at the sight.
“Oh?”
Apparently, I was not the only one surprised. My ancestor also exclaimed in admiration.
[Oh my. Should I say this is what I suspected after all…… or that it is astonishing?]
In this case, astonishing was the proper answer.
After all, Tiktak's talent was as follows.
Necromancy.
That was right.
Tiktak had summoned a skeleton.
***
First of all, the skeleton Tiktak summoned was, how should I put it……
[It is tiny.]
“Yes, it is small.”
It was about one meter tall.
This looks just like…… Yes, that.
Was it SanX?
That skeleton character from some game who seemed like the protagonist.
Rather than resembling human bones, it gave the impression that ‘skeletons’ were a separate race and this was a child of that race.
TICK-TOCK!
[Hmm, it says it can summon more.]
“Oh, really?”
Tiktak nodded confidently and windmilled its arms.
Perhaps having done it once made a difference.
It was faster than the first time.
Thus appeared the second skeleton.
“Oh.”
How many of these can it summon?
[It says it will not know until it tries.]
“Hmm, is that so?”
Then I had to find out right away.
I took Tiktak and its two lackeys to the training grounds.
Golgol approached us.
[It is asking what that is.]
“Hmm…… Your younger sibling?”
CLACK-CLACK?
Perhaps unfamiliar with the concept of a ‘younger sibling,’ Golgol tilted its head and stared fixedly at Tiktak.
That was when it happened.
TICK!
What was that? Did it just sneer?
[Hmm, it seems to regard Golgol more as a rival than a sibling.]
“Hmm, it does.”
Well, the matter between the two of them could be settled later.
“Golgol, come here. Tiktak, go over there and summon some more. Let us see how many you can summon.”
TICK-TOCK!
Tiktak stood in the center of the training grounds and looked at Golgol as if mocking it. Then it spun its arms again, just as it had before.
And……
One, two, three…….
The number of mini skeletons in the training grounds increased one by one.
The summoning ended soon afterward.
[Twelve.]
“Indeed.”
Should I call that a lot or a little?
I did not know.
I had never met another Necromancer.
As I continued to ponder, Golgol stepped forward.
“Yes, Golgol. What is it?”
CLACK-CLACK!
[It wants a chance.]
“A chance? What kind of chance?”
CLACK-CLACK!
[Wait a moment. Even I am having some difficulty interpreting this one…… If I were to make a rough guess, hmm, yes. I see.]
Perhaps it was because I had grown, but my ancestor now seemed able to interpret those two to a certain extent.
As a result, I could understand what Golgol was saying as well.
What Golgol wanted now was this.
[It says it is stronger and that each of them is no more than a single bite.]
“I see.”
Then what should I do?
[Should you not test their combat strength? Have them fight.]
“Shall I?”
CLACK-CLACK!
TICK!
Golgol nodded confidently, while Tiktak gave another obnoxious sneer.
Hmm, I don't need to retest that bastard's MBTI, do I?
No, this time, I should skip the MBTI and take my time testing its character instead.
In any case.
“Fight each other.”
I was curious.
How strong was Golgol now that it wielded a Greatsword, and how would Tiktak fare while commanding twelve Minitons (short for mini skeletons)?
[Can you handle it? From what I can see, it appears your mana is being used whenever it summons those little ones.]
“Yes, I think I will be fine.”
I kept Golgol summoned twenty-four hours a day, while practicing Bone Armor whenever I had time.
Considering that my mana capacity increased the more I used necromancy, my current reserves could not even be compared to what they had been at the beginning.
Controlling both at the same time was not particularly difficult.
But that alone wouldn't be any fun.
“The winner is the older brother.”
At that moment, blue ghostly flames surged from Golgol's eyes.
And exactly five minutes later.
CLACK-CLACK!
Golgol stood with one foot planted atop Tiktak's skull, all that remained of it, striking the pose of a conquering lord.
[My, Golgol won overwhelmingly.]
“Hmm, indeed.”
Undead can't attack their caster, right?
I sincerely hoped not.
Why?
Because even I had found Golgol a little frightening just now.
***
After obtaining the necromancer skeleton Tiktak, my fighting strength was as follows.
First, there was Golgol.
[At this point, Golgol should have no trouble serving as a middling non-bloodline knight. If I had to compare it to someone…… it would be about equal to that fellow Milo.]
“Not bad.”
He was a soldier now, but Milo was a warrior whose skill rivaled that of the knights in this region.
What? Were knights from some backwater not weak?
‘Well…… you could see it that way.’
But don't get the wrong idea.
No matter how third-rate they were, knights were genuine killers who stuffed their faces and honed nothing but the art of murder.
A handgun might be weaker than an antitank weapon, but either one would kill you if it hit.
Now then, what about Tiktak?
TICK-TOCK! TICK-TOCK!
Perhaps because of the humiliation of defeat, Tiktak was currently hard at work summoning and training its Minitons in the middle of the training grounds. My ancestor evaluated Tiktak's military strength as follows.
[Each Miniton seems to be worth half a soldier.]
“Oh. Then how does that compare to Milo?”
[Must you make that comparison?]
“We should standardize the units.”
[……I do not understand what you mean, but it is pointless. Could a hundred rabbits come together and kill a single wolf?]
I see.
Then let me sum it up.
Golgol was worth one Milo.
Tiktak was worth six soldiers.
Is that how it works?
[For reference, one Milo means Milo without using aura.]
Either way, Golgol is knight-class, right?
‘Hmm, I think I could retire right now with this much.’
Look.
By simple calculation alone, I could wield the fighting strength of seven men all by myself.
That meant seven times the daily pay!
‘And Golgol?’
Knight-class.
A life where I could work for one day and spend a week lounging around!
Isn't this the very life I've dreamed of?
[Have you forgotten your promise to me?]
“My promise…… Ah.”
Right, I had made a promise like that.
Something about working hard in my own way for the revival of Palaon Territory.
‘But I'm a Palaon, so wouldn't my own success count as keeping that promise?’
The thought occurred to me, but I chose not to show it.
“Of course I remember.”
[Good. See that you do. But…… the territory seems unusually noisy today.]
“Hmm, it does.”
The training grounds were somewhat isolated from the outside, yet so many people were hurrying back and forth that the commotion reached even here.
‘What's going on? I don't think I heard about anything unusual.’
As I tilted my head, John, my personal attendant, came rushing toward me.
“Young Master, huff, huff, the Baron is looking for you.”
“Father is? What for?”
“I do not know that either…… I was only told to bring you at once. But whatever it is, I think it must be serious.”
[Let us go and see.]
Thus, I went to Father's study.
Without preamble, Father asked me a question.
“Ktun, have you given any thought to marriage?”
“Huh? I don't want to.”