Splitting Up
Splitting Up
The Northern Trio immediately reported it to their boss. One of the requirements in their worker's manual was to seek help from above when they were faced with more than they could handle. Only if they tried to save face by waiting until things went south would they be in trouble. However, considering just how far they were, there was no way to confirm the quality and headcount of the backup troops. Perhaps their luck would be so good they'd meet a veteran strolling about on the nearby streets.. (As the northerners sent quite a few freelance teams, this was not an impossibility). If they were unlucky, no backup troops would be arriving in time.
And the Church of the God of Justice and Commandments would have been a lot more flustered. As soon as the gates of the death Planes opened within the country's borders, they'd have to bear the brunt of it all. In fact, the entire dukedom and church could perish because of this.
Just as they received news, they sent people back to the Capital to give notice. Other Holy Knights and bishops also got ready to head out to kill those undead-worshipping disciples.
Winlair was still able to judge the severity of his attacks. Those Holy Knights weren't critically hurt. The only thing hurt was their pride as they had all been instantly defeated by an enemy they didn't even see. In an instant, their self-respect was completely annihilated, but there were more important matters before them, and they had no time to lament over own fragility.
And about the group of knights led by the one named White... they had already left, but considering the Holy Knight's consistent incompetence in tracking, other people had hope in being able to catch up to the Holy Knights. One could only hope that they didn't get lost and wander off too far, or suddenly get the idea of taking several mercenaries like adventurers and thieves on the journey.
On the other hand, it was the Northern Trio's mission to investigate the Death Council from the very start. Even if they didn't get support, they would definitely go. However, belief and mission guidelines between them and the Holy Knights naturally didn't agree with each other, and it was highly unlikely for them to work with the Holy Knights as that would be just looking for trouble.
In some sense, it went without saying that they were once again in competition to see who could solve the problem first.
I wanted to intervene, but I also didn't want to reveal who I was.
Because of this, just us few and the Northern Trio were the only ones who truly carried hope. It'd be even more of a waste for us to split our forces, so I tried to persuade the Northern Trio to lead us "little guys".
"...Well, actually, I'm not a bad Necromancer. If you take us along, we can detect the enemy's death magic if they're nearby. It'll help you in your pursuit."
With that being said, the black death magic swirled upon my finger as proof of my identity as an Necromancer.
If it were any other force, there'd undoubtedly be a lot of suspicion and prejudices towards Necromancers; especially because the investigation involved the death plane. It was just more reason to suspect one's motives.
But although they were surprised, their first reaction turned out to be...
"Are you a registered Necromancer? You got a license? Had your annual inspection yet?"
"Yes. I had my annual inspection just last year. I registered at Diffindor headquarters. Ranked-Legend Necromancer."
In some people's eyes, the North was probably already the Necromancers' haven, and because of this, they regulated Necromancers and made them an official job class that could walk around openly. Necromancers became an abnormally general job class.
"The undead industry revolution started one year before the Dawn Era. This revolution released the power for living people to produce even more, and it also gave Necromancers the chance to walk into the sunlight. The year after that, ghostly chariots and zombie servants occupied a third of each market..."
After so many years of development, the undead equipment, furniture, appliances, and servants had already become a common sight in the Northern market. To guarantee the safety and reliability of undead appliances, it became a normal regulation to sign up for Necromancer tests, and take things like behavioral examinations once every three years.
"Master, so you're actually one of us!"
"Did you accept the mission, or are you a freelance mage? Oh, sorry! I don't dare ask. If you're willing to say, then please do."
As soon as the three of them saw this little black notebook, their faces immediately lit up.
If it were ten years ago, it would have been nothing for a ranked-Legend Necromancer to be called 'Master', but as there were increasingly more half-baked masters and half-baked legends, 'Master' was less used as time went on.
As for official Necromancers at the Northern Diffindor registry, quite a few of them had connections with the officials there. With the Royal East Mist mage emblem on this little book, it became clear that this master also received the royal family's trust, so I could naturally be trusted as well. It represented a symbol of prestige, and what was even more a rare sight was the double crown upon it.
"I have some relations with the Royal Mage Association, so having come across a situation like this, I naturally can't stay out of it. However, the most harmonious method of cooperation is to talk upfront about the nitty-gritty details. I'd like half the takings if it involves the sage civilization ruins. If there are new types of technologies as such, you may have priority in selling it to the northern officials, but you mustn't forget my share."
I didn't lie at all. The documents in my hands were real. Of course, it went without saying how I got them, but as for the level of trust for the two crowns… hehe, did you know that there's a service called Crown grinding?
As for mages, ancient ruins represented ancient knowledge and secrets. It was practically impossible to resist their allure. If the sage civilization left anything in the ruins, then it was highly likely that the technology could be used to create new innovations and strategic weapons for an entire country. There were far too many examples of this just in the game's history alone.
Even though according to legend every now and then, a nobody from the ruins dug up magical manuscripts and weapons, etc., then walked the path of the Demon and God slayer, in reality, magical weapons were rarely seen when exploring the ruins. With the passage of time, and grave robbers being as merciless as ever, it was more common that records, paintings, traces, restored ancient techniques, and magical data which could then be developed again were left behind.
These kind of things weren't very useful to an individual, and would only attract trouble. However, when these techniques and ancient magical tissues were digested, they actually became invaluable.
After all, in some sense, without the support of Diffindor's original sage civilization techniques, the magical engineering revolution wouldn't be fiercely gaining power right now. When a lively and active ancient person couldn't be found, a document and some data of the ancient civilization would have been left behind. That was the only alternative.
"Sage civilization? So it is the sage civilization! We've hit the jackpot this time!"
Marie jumped all of a sudden, while the other two looked completely puzzled. They didn't know why their comrade was so delighted.
As a four elemental swordcaster, Marie had to have come across magical engineering techniques. Since she studied the magical leadership techniques, of course she would know about the origins of the sage civilization.
"I'll write a letter to the headquarters right away. I'm just afraid it'll be too late..."
"Don't worry. Master Timlad and I know each other, and I've already sent him a letter by fairy express. Since the sage civilization is involved in all this, he'll rush over here no matter how busy he may be right now."
As soon as those words were spoken, the three people clearly relaxed a little. Timlad was an impressive big character in their eyes, and since I was close with him, that also seemed to add to my credibility as a trustworthy Necromancer.
Of course, after I left, they definitely would discuss my identity and motives, and I also happened to keep a local identity as an "Necromancer who remained here for half a year for clues to the ruins". After they found out "clues" from other people, pieced together the "truth", and learned the reality of my good relations with the town, that would also add to their trust in me.
Now, after saying goodbye, I still had to go prepare for my journey. But then, the silly cat jumped out abruptly.
"I thought that you would continue impersonating a Holy Knight this time around?"
"Ha! Don't be silly. I've already got inside info that if the northerners suddenly come across Holy Knights, then they would repeatedly interrogate them."
"Pft! Looks like they saw right through you. Is that really the only reason?"
Once again, the silly cat revealed squinted eyes that looked like they saw through everything. It seems like she thought of the reason ages ago, and deliberately ran over to torment me.
"...That was just the main reason. The armor and metal weapons are too heavy for me, so that was the secondary reason..."
Since I was caught by the silly cat, there was no more reason for me to pretend. Right now, my physical condition was awful, so there was no way to impersonate a Holy Knight.
Because of that pitiful power thanks to my lacking physical stats, wearing chainmail would be no different from chaining myself up. The full-body armor was like a metal cage once it was worn, and that metal sword was a heavy weight in my hand. I couldn't even move when wearing a knight's standard equipment, so how could I possibly pretend to be a Holy Knight? After all, this time, we were very likely to get into a highly intense battle.
On the other hand, the use of elemental magic also required a certain physique and dexterity. The accuracy of the sorcerer's hand gestures directly impacted the success rate of their magic. Terrible physiques simply couldn't drive powerful techniques, and I would barely be able to handle the magical backlash. After thinking about it, undead magic was all I could still control at will as it controlled corpses and undead creatures.
This was also why I didn't obstruct the path of the "holy light cannon fodder" from leaving. To those conservative Holy Knights, the northern trio were only half-allies that were also competitors for belief. However, Necromancers were arch-enemies whom they killed first and asked questions later.
Actually, if the conditions were right, pretending to be a Holy Knight would have been the best; considering that they had a good enough reputation, they wouldn't raise any suspicions. They could also go take different paths at will, recruit cannon fodder, and be awarded with the trust of adventurers and residents. The villages enroute would award them with free/cheap supplies, and in times of need, Holy Knights could even recruit villagers to fight for their cause. This was an unseen advantage. Only those conservative idiots would waste such an obvious advantage.
But I didn't follow them alone. Since Katerina came from the ruins, perhaps she was even the key to opening up those ruins. She also longed to find out the truth. And since the daughter headed out, her old man, Old Barton, naturally followed along. And since Old Barton suddenly left, his grandfather naturally wasn't going to stay behind. In the end, I had these two considerably good fighters with me.
Of course, we had different arrangements to make Winlair come with us.
"But it's not enough. We should ask Old Barton to find his old friend and hire cannon fodder... I mean, hire mercenaries, right?"
"That almost ranked-Legend lancer? You're not afraid of him dragging down our group's overall luck rating?"
"How many times have I told you? Lancer's luck rating of E is just a rumor. What's more, if the rumors were true, don't you think it's a good thing? Do I need a lightning rod...?"
All of a sudden, I remembered the unlucky, most beautiful woman on Sulfur Mountain, and thought of her shocking luck. Even if she continued searching for the path to salvation, that wild elf should still be the most beautiful wild elf right now.
"This is why you came looking for him, right? Indeed, just see it as a bit of fun... what are we going to do now?"
"Since it's very possible to come across a fight, and I'm an 'Necromancer' now, I don't get to hide and watch the show. Sooo, to be slightly useful, I'd better go do some Necromancer duties. Where's the closest tomb?"
"So stupid! That Dragon Lich's home has quite a lot of stuff. You don't know just how weak those commoners who died trying to loot him were."
"Good idea. Let's change into the spanky new clothes you're about to get your hands on. You haven't seen Winlair's drooling appearance as he looked over his magazines. His drool practically looked like they were going to destroy your face..."
"That wasn't my face. It practically looked like a doll, and completely different from my mature looks, alright?! I wonder what you'll look like if we put your head on a woman's body... Pffffft! Reyne."
All of a sudden, I remembered Reyne's appearance as she had a face identical to "Roland". I started feeling sorry for the fuming Harloys before my eyes. At least Reyne wasn't considered ugly. Say, so many years have passed, so she should be a grown lady by now. Under the effects of estrogen, she shouldn't still have that face anymore, right?
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, go! Let's scam the Dragon Lich and get revenge for you! We'll loot that old lich clean so that you can vent—"
I took just a few steps when I was stopped in the corridor. Under the dwarven guard's lead, those adventurers stopped me.
"Karo, since the duel never happened, you should pay us back for those bets."
"...Take a careful look at the betting tickets. There should be a betting choice that reads: "If the duel cannot proceed due to sudden unavoidable circumstances, or even if it's a draw... but I remember that no one bet on a draw at the time…'"
When the old dwarf leader heard this, he rolled his eyes up at the ceiling as though he pretended not to know. However, I reckon he'd already read the super small line of text.
And the adventurers behind him also rolled up their sleeves for a fight. The menacing demeanor was really obvious.
"I suggest that you'd better..."
*Slap!*
After the echo of the slap, a deathly black smog dispersed from my shadow, and materialized restlessly into an Ogre's shadow. In an instant, the entire room was covered in the dark shadow, and the temperature fell by a few degrees.
"Oh, yeah! I forgot to tell you guys. I'm a Legend-rank Necromancer. Were you looking for me for something?"
Strength was the best business card. This frightening magic of raw might. Want me to pay you back? Haha!
"W... we're good!"
"It's just that it's dinner time. We want to treat you. Uh-huh. Today's tab is on us, the Thunder Brothers!"
Who said dwarves were slow-witted. Weren't they smart right now? After they "gleefully" said this, they turned around without another word. But then, looking at the dwarves' well-built bodies and superior weapons and armor, I suddenly remembered something.
"Actually, I'm really reasonable. I happen to have some small jobs that are suitable for outstanding adventurers. If you guys go, I might just pay you back for those bets. If you do well, there'll be extra commission in it for you too."