There is an old saying.
Listen to your elders, and rice cakes will appear even in your sleep.
Is this one of those occasions?
“Young Master. An ominous-looking fog has settled over there.”
“……You're right.”
How far had we come after heeding Herben's earlier advice?
Just before sunset, we witnessed a suspicious sight.
Why had what began as a light stroll continued until the sun was about to set?
Simple.
Because Veteran Herben had said so.
‘He asked whether we might go a little farther.’
He said there would be no problem because we could still make our way back after sunset, and even if we could not, we could simply camp for the night.
So we had continued onward, only to find a highly suspicious fog spread out before us.
“What could that be?”
“You do not know?”
“……No. Shamefully, I have never seen fog like that even on a battlefield. Milo, have you?”
“Neither have I.”
Zeke and Milo did not seem to know anything about the fog before us.
That was when our wise veteran, Herben, stepped forward.
“Hmm, Young Master.”
“Yes, Herben.”
“You know that this humble old man participated in the Kingdom War alongside the Baron, do you not?”
“Yes, I do.”
“Many Necromancers participated in that Kingdom War as well. One of them was your mother, Young Master.”
“Oh, really?”
I did not know much about my birth mother.
Before the miracle of my previous life returned to me, she had simply been……
‘……an ordinary woman.’
But now that I thought about it, something was strange.
After all, I had never encountered a monster or bandit even once while traveling to Palaon with Mother.
I had encountered some local thugs in a village, but for some reason, even they had fled in terror.
But thinking about it now.
‘Was it because she was a Necromancer?’
You know.
Perhaps she had secretly moved her undead and wiped out any monsters or bandits before they could approach, all to keep the son who was the apple of her eye from seeing anything gruesome.
And the village thugs?
‘Well…… perhaps she had some method for them too?’
In any case.
“But what does that have to do with this?”
“I experienced a great deal back then. Fog like this was one of those things.”
“Fog?”
“Yes. This humble old man does not know enough about necromancy to tell you anything definite. However, I do know that Necromancers often lay down fog like this when using their undead. Among ourselves, we said they had farted…… but the noble lords called it spreading a domain.”
“Then are you saying this is a Necromancer's fog?”
“I do not know that either. However…….”
“However?”
“It seemed that Necromancers could sense something the moment they entered the fog. Your mother also recognized the presence of an opposing Necromancer in similar situations and saved us several times.”
“Hmm.”
In other words, this was what he meant.
‘That fog might be a Necromancer's fog…….’
And if I, another Necromancer, entered it, I would know for certain?
“Of course, this may simply be an old man's excessive worry…….”
“No, wait a moment.”
I cut Herben off and sank into thought.
Honestly, I don't believe that listening to one's elders will make rice cakes appear even in one's sleep.
But.
‘Herben noticed something was strange even before we saw that fog.’
He had noticed that House Merlin's third daughter was later than her expected arrival time.
And now the road ahead was blanketed by dense fog.
‘Is this a coincidence?’
No. I don't think so.
More importantly, a certain memory had been circling in my mind for no apparent reason.
Something the son of a bitch who had been my prospective teacher said.
―Yes, I see. So that was it. I died after all. I died in the end. My grand plan was so close…… and yet I ended up like this…….
A grand plan.
It meant he had been planning something enormous. The fact that this memory came to me now was a sort of intuition.
One could say I was forcing the pieces to fit…….
‘But if I think about it, it makes sense.’
Vilheim had brought me <About Death> not long after the Blood Awakening Ceremony.
In other words, that Necromancer had established himself somewhere nearby.
‘Could this be connected to that bastard somehow?’
Of course, it might not be.
I don't know the details either.
But.
‘Could there be something here?’
“What will you do?”
“First, let us enter.”
“Then this humble old man will enter first.”
Herben volunteered to act as a scout, but I shook my head.
“No. You said a Necromancer would have to enter to learn anything. Then I should go first.”
“But…….”
“I will not accept any objections.”
The person Herben should give his life for isn't me, but Father.
At least, that's how I see it.
“Young Master, then I will go in!”
“I-I'll go in with Zeke if he does……!”
I left Zeke's and Milo's pleas behind as well.
But that bastard Milo.
[He is subtly looking after his own skin.]
Right?
Well, I'll let it slide.
Honestly, I'm not an idiot. I know perfectly well that Milo stayed only because Zeke had beaten him senseless.
In any case.
“I will lead the way.”
According to the wise counsel of Veteran Herben, it's right for me to take the lead here.
I stepped forward. How many paces had I taken?
[Huh. Are you truly not thinking before you act?]
“What do you mean?”
[I am asking why you insist on leading from the front.]
“What nonsense…….”
Why else? Because I'm the right person for the task.
But from the perspective of my ancestor, who possessed a primitive medieval mindset, my actions must have looked like some tremendously noble and responsible display of noblesse oblige.
[As expected of my descendant.]
“…….”
[Magnificent, my descendant.]
I wish he'd please shut up.
Do not call me a son of a bitch.
Necromantically speaking, that ancestor was not my ancestor.
My true ancestor was the true soul that had already ascended to the heavens. The one with me now was merely a remnant of the memories and experiences left behind after his essence disappeared.
In any case.
“Huh.”
Had the wise Veteran Herben been right after all?
The moment I stepped into the fog, I felt something.
How should I describe it?
‘Like I've trespassed into someone else's studio apartment?’
Not just any studio apartment.
A room reeking of the rank smell of a bachelor living alone.
That kind of room.
In animal terms, it was musk…… the feeling of entering a room filled with the inexplicably unpleasant scent of a male beast.
There was no actual male or anything like that. Just understand that it felt like entering someone else's territory.
But something was strange.
‘What is it?’
It was certainly someone else's studio apartment, but……
This mood. This sensation.
‘……It feels like the owner isn't here right now.’
After determining that much, I stepped back out of the fog.
“Young Master!”
“You are unharmed!”
Zeke and Milo approached with tears in their eyes, but I ignored Milo's words.
‘Fence-sitter.’
Zeke is the only truly loyal retainer.
In any case.
“Young Master, how was it?”
I calmly answered Herben's question.
“I do not believe it is ordinary fog.”
“Then…….”
“Yes. Just as you suspected, it appears to be fog created by a Necromancer.”
“Oh!”
“A Necromancer's fog!”
Zeke and Milo made a great fuss, but once again, I ignored Milo and continued.
“However, I could not sense the presence of a caster.”
“You could not sense the caster…… May I ask you to describe exactly what it felt like?”
“Yes, well…….”
I explained in detail exactly what I had felt within the fog.
I trusted that Herben, with everything he had experienced during the Kingdom War, might be able to offer some insight into what I had sensed.
Had that trust been rewarded?
Herben spoke.
“It felt as though the caster had been absent for a long time…… Is that correct?”
“A long time…… Yes, that is right.”
“Then what you sensed was most likely correct. This fog was created by a Necromancer, and while I do not know why, that Necromancer must have been absent for a long time.”
Hmm. In that case?
“This humble old man may not be a Necromancer, but judging by my limited experience, I believe what you sensed was correct. However…….”
“Is something bothering you?”
Herben answered.
“Although the Necromancer is absent, House Merlin would never have arranged a lax escort. We must take that into account.”
“Hmm.”
Yes, that was true.
House Merlin is a great house beyond any comparison with Palaon as it currently stands.
Moreover.
‘Their bloodline is on another level too, isn't it?’
Sir Balt had apparently said so during my Blood Awakening Ceremony.
A manifestation of talent at this level could only be seen in a great house.
Of course, only blood relatives could inherit that bloodline talent, but powerful individuals naturally gather beneath a powerful leader.
A house like that would not have sent mediocre people.
[This will not be easy.]
‘Does it look that way to you?’
My ancestor answered my whispered question.
[Yes. As I said before, a hundred rabbits cannot kill a single wolf merely by gathering together. There must be a wolf lurking inside. Perhaps more than one.]
Hmm.
I thought so too.
No matter how quiet this region was, they were sending a count's child. They would not have been careless in choosing the escort.
Who knows?
‘Perhaps they sent someone stronger than Sir Balt, and something still went wrong.’
In other words, no one knows what danger might be lurking beyond that fog.
But.
“Sir Herben.”
“Heh heh. Calling someone as lowly as me ‘Sir’…… I gratefully accept your words. What may I do for you?”
“What would happen if the Count's third daughter died here?”
“Hmm.”
The wise old veteran, Sir Herben, thought for a moment before speaking.
“War may break out. They most likely know that our territory possesses a mana stone vein. If the life of a single daughter presented them with an opportunity to swallow it whole…… they might even welcome her death.”
What an outrage against heaven and earth!
Is the Count a degenerate father who would sell even his own daughter for power?!
Unforgivable.
But even more unforgivable was the reality of our territory.
[To think there is nothing we can do even in a situation like this!]
I agree completely, Ancestor.
Don't they say that with great power comes great responsibility?
No. That's wrong.
Even with little power, having much to protect came with great responsibility!
“We will enter.”
“Heh heh. We will accompany you. My comrades and I may not look it, but we are quite accustomed to this sort of work. The problem is those new recruits over there…….”
“Of course we’ll go with you! How could we stay behind when you’re going, Young Master?”
“I-I will as well!”
Milo could shut up.
In any case.
“Then we will enter. The vanguard will be…… Golgol.”
CLACK-CLACK!
Golgol stepped forward with its enormous Greatsword…… Although our territory called it a Greatsword, technically, it was simply classified as a large sword.
In any case, Golgol moved to the front with the Greatsword in hand.
And behind it.
“Tiktak.”
TICK-TOCK!
“No, you don't need to move to the front. Just send the Minitons.”
TICK-TOCK? TICK-TOCK-TOCK!
The foolish Tiktak nodded, placed the Minitons at the front, and then stood beside me.
Then.
“Sir Herben and the soldiers, please protect Tiktak. And Sir Zeke, Sir Milo.”
“Yes, give us your command.”
“Yes!”
“Stand alongside me.”
Sir Herben did not object to this formation either.
Setting aside experience and years of service, this formation was optimal in terms of combat strength.
And so.
“We advance.”
“YES, SIR!”
“YES, SIR!”
As the knights roared their responses, I exhaled the breath I had drawn deep into my lungs and bellowed.
“VALHAAAL―LAAAAAAA!”
The battlefield calls to me.
Valhalla calls to me!