Chapter 12

It seems that Luluwei was still a bit uneasy: "Are you really not angry? Your family has also been in the frontier lands, and over the years, there have been many large and small conflicts. Even members of your family have died in battle because of this. Don't you think the mastermind behind the frontier land plan is despicable?"

"I've said it before, we are actually very grateful to Augustus I. It was precisely because of his westward expansion plan that the Washington family had the opportunity to rise to our current position. No matter who is behind this, we are fighting for ourselves. Our family has been recognized and respected because of our titles and military achievements. Our family members have been able to enjoy a more comfortable and better life because of our efforts. Our descendants, because of our hard work, will no longer need to sell their assets and rack their brains to get a spot in a construction brigade, to fight against strong enemies in the desolate and uninhabited frontier lands, just to find a way out. They will have a higher, better starting point, more resources to use, and thus go further than us..." Sigma closed the book in his hand and smiled gently, "The reason the Washington family fights is not out of loyalty and responsibility to the empire, nor is it necessary to consider the future of all humanity. We fight for our family, relatives, and descendants. Even if we die for this, there is nothing wrong with it."

"As for the proxy war? It doesn't matter. This world has never had so-called fairness. No matter who is behind this, we can only be grateful, because at least he has provided an opportunity for the Washington family, and we have obtained what we want. The law that the strong dominate the weak is not bad. At least it gives the weak, who are unwilling to be manipulated, the ambition and motivation to become stronger. Only by becoming stronger will you not be manipulated and looked down upon..." Sigma said softly, "To unite for a common ambition and the obsession of protecting loved ones, to live and fight without regret, that is the family."

Luluwei smiled, "It seems you have a good relationship with your family."

"My family..." Sigma was momentarily dazed, then said softly, "is a bunch of idiots."

For example, last time when he was on holiday at home...

"Hey! Our great Death Chanter is back! How's school? What new spells have you learned? Come on, let Dad see—Thomas! Go to the dungeon and bring a few death row inmates, bring their bodies here, and let our Lord Sigma show off his powerful necromancy! Son, what's your specialty? Chain explosions? Soul enslavement?"

"Sigma is back? Ha ha, look at this handsome face that sees through the essence of life and death (actually a face of exasperation), he's naturally suited to be a necromancer! Come, Uncle has nothing much to offer, but a few days ago, when I was doing business in the northern border, I was ambushed by orcs. I took the opportunity to kill my way into their tribe, killed their great shaman, and I thought you might like it, so I brought back his head! How about it, see, it's still fresh, sealed in an ice box. You can use it to make a spirit-devouring staff?"

"Ha, you're back! Come on, let's talk as we walk. Uncle has something to ask for your help. A few days ago, we caught a spy planted by the Pompey family. The bastard is quite stubborn, and Uncle's so-called torture experts haven't been able to get him to talk after three days. Now that you're back, show off your necromancer's special interrogation techniques!"

And so on, it was like this.

The Washington family, known for their bravery and martial prowess, for some reason, seemed to have a hysterical enthusiasm for the less-than-honorable profession of necromancers. Simply put, they thought necromancy was awesome, and the profession of necromancer was incredibly cool. Everyone could recite the necromancer's creed by heart, and they had skulls and human skin books placed around their rooms—though they had no effect. Every man, woman, and child in the family, except for him, thought that a necromancer in black robes, crouching in a corner and digging up graves, was full of strange beauty and a unique villainous charm, and they were deeply fascinated by it, dreaming of becoming a necromancer. This bizarre family phenomenon was named "Middle School Syndrome" by Sigma, a very difficult disease to treat, with no cure at all.

So, it's easy to imagine that when the old men, uncles, and second uncles of the Washington family, who all dreamed of becoming necromancers but lacked the necessary qualifications, heard that Sigma had almost a once-in-a-thousand-years talent for necromancy and even had the potential to become a legendary mage, their eyes turned green. They immediately dragged Sigma out from under the bed, tied him up like a dumpling, and handed him over to the visiting admissions tutor with a fawning smile.

Then, as everyone knows, Sigma's nightmare of a school life began...

When he told Luluwei about these things, the queen laughed so hard she was bent over, and it took a long time to stop. "I think your family's enthusiasm for necromancers probably comes from your great-great-grandfather. You know, your great-great-grandfather was even more of a middle schooler than your father's generation. He liked reading those boring books and was a delusional maniac, always adding new settings to himself. One day he said his right hand was sealed with a demon king, the next day he said an old man lived in a family heirloom ring, and the next day he said he was jilted and wanted to practice hard... The guy had been married for five or six years and still had the nerve to say this. If he wasn't so good at fighting, the other team members would have killed him out of annoyance long ago..."

...Damn, the Washington family's veins have been flowing with middle schooler blood from their ancestors?

"So, even if I successfully skip school, I don't dare to go home. If they find out I skipped school, they'll definitely hang me up and beat me, then send a cavalry to escort me back to the academy," Sigma sighed. "Going home on holiday is a nightmare. A bunch of old men surround me, asking all sorts of questions and wanting to see necromancy. They love watching the summoning of zombies and say the smell of rot is particularly fragrant. Their values are all messed up. They even redecorated my room to be dark and eerie, replacing the posters of singers and famous paintings with hexagrams and modern abstract necromancer paintings, and changing the decorative armor to skull specimens. And during meals, when I'm enjoying my black pepper roast beef, they suddenly ask if I want some rotten meat and blood wine. Go to hell..."

Luluwei laughed enough, and perhaps feeling a bit guilty, she comforted him insincerely, "Although your family is a bit strange, they all care about you. I heard they found you a beautiful fiancée."

She emphasized the words "beautiful," but Sigma didn't react much, neither boasting nor teasing her about whether she was jealous. His expression was even quite sad: "Don't mention it..."