Chapter 19

Astra, the Lich King

The Lich King, Astra, one of the Four Archdukes, was a being who perfectly embodied the title of "King of the Dead," as befitting his nickname.

'But why...'

Why did he suddenly come to see me?

"He is waiting at the entrance of the Archduke's castle."

I sighed deeply in my heart and leaned back in my chair, falling into a brief contemplation.

I wanted to avoid meeting other Archdukes until the next council, so why did this event happen so soon...

'I can't just ignore this.'

No one else, but an Archduke himself came in person.

Since he came to see me, it would be appropriate for another Archduke to receive him, but that also made it hard for me to refuse.

This is my stronghold, and even if I refused, he couldn't cause a scene, but if I completely ignored him, I would definitely earn his enmity. My relationship with the Beast King was already a bit twisted.

Astra, unlike the Beast King, maintained a smooth relationship with all the other Archdukes, so it was something I should avoid if possible.

Actually, meeting an Archduke isn't something that requires taking a huge risk.

Now that I am also an Archduke, why would the other party attack me recklessly?

However, because I am still too weak, any contact with the strong can't help but be burdensome.

'He must have a reason for coming...'

But Astra is one of the more normal Archdukes.

Having made my decision, I said to Floto,

"Guide him here."

I wondered if I should go out to greet him myself, but since he came unannounced, I didn't think it was necessary to do so.

Floto bowed and left, returning a short while later with someone.

A black robe with a gold border, and between the hood... a skull.

The places where eyes should be were empty, and a ghostly blue light faintly glowed.

As the being entered the hall, the previously tranquil atmosphere was filled with a chilling presence.

I remained seated, meeting his gaze as he stopped at the entrance of the hall.

【Lv.95】

...This skull is the Lich King, one of the Four Archdukes.

He looks exactly the same as in the game.

The Lich King held a massive wooden staff as tall as himself, the same one he wielded in the game.

"Greetings, 7th Archduke."

A strange, inhuman voice echoed in my ears.

Now that I think about it, how does a skull without vocal cords speak? Is it all magic?

"I apologize for coming so suddenly without prior notice. I came to have a brief conversation. May I sit?"

I gestured to the seat opposite me.

The Lich King approached and sat down. A moment of silence fell.

Sitting close, I could feel his aura much more clearly.

While the pressure I felt when facing the Beast King was overwhelming, the aura from the Lich King was chilling, as if death itself had taken form and appeared before me.

'That mistake of omitting the Emperor's Soul was truly a stroke of genius.'

Otherwise, I might have shivered uncontrollably.

I once again felt grateful for this absolute mental barrier skill.

"What is your business?"

I asked, feigning indifference. Since it was our first meeting, there wasn't much else to talk about.

And I wanted to end the conversation as quickly as possible.

While the Lich King was less unsettling than the Black Sea Empress, a skull is still a skull, and it's burdensome to look at for too long.

The Lich King, his blue eyes glowing, stared at me and then spoke in a voice tinged with laughter.

"I was surprised to hear that the Grand Archduke appointed a new Archduke at the council. I truly regret missing the last council."

I didn't respond.

Without a reply, he continued with irrelevant talk.

"7th Archduke, I believe you know something about me, but I know very little about you."

"..."

"From the stories I've heard about your encounter with the Chief of Staff and the events at the council, I have a personal interest in you. It's been almost fifty years since a human sat in the seat of power in Caldric."

"Lich King."

I interrupted him.

"I don't like pointless small talk."

The Lich King was silent for a moment, then burst into laughter.

"Then I'll get straight to the point. 7th Archduke, I came here because I want the body of the one you killed, Quan Sheng."

His words brought back a memory I had almost forgotten.

'Right, that...'

Before escaping the transport ship, didn't Deyphon take Quan Sheng's body? He said someone would want it.

I thought the only one who would want a dead body would be the Lich King, and it seems I was right.

'Well, the body of someone as strong as Quan Sheng is worth coveting.'

Necromancy, the magic to revive and control the dead.

The Lich King is the continent's strongest necromancer, unmatched in his mastery of necromancy.

'When he first appeared as an enemy in the game, he was terrifying.'

Among Caldric's Archdukes, there are two who possess their own independent armies, excluding the forces of the Archduke's territory: the Lich King and the Black Sea Empress.

While his own power is formidable, the army of corpses the Lich King commands is enough to call him a one-man army.

'But why did he come here for this?'

Deyphon has the body, so why is he coming to me?

...I thought this, but his next words clarified the situation.

"Since you killed Quan Sheng, the ownership of the body belongs to you. May I have Quan Sheng's body?"

"..."

Ah, right. Ownership...

I remember Deyphon mentioning something about ownership of the body.

So, the Lich King came to me to obtain the rights to the body.

'I don't need that...'

I wouldn't have cared if he just took it without asking.

But from the Lich King's perspective, he might have come to seek permission to avoid any potential issues from me later.

But now that he's come all this way to ask for permission... it feels a bit wasteful to just give it to him.

Seeing me staring at him, the Lich King continued.

"If you wish, I can pay a fair price."

A fair price.

Various thoughts raced through my mind.

For example, a magic item. Since the Lich King is a mage, he might have a defensive item, which is what I need most right now.

'But that would be a bit...'

It feels like I'm admitting that I lack defensive capabilities and need an item.

And, thinking about it, I don't even know if I can properly use a magic item, given my lack of magical knowledge.

After a moment of contemplation, I said tentatively,

"I don't want anything from you."

The Lich King then said,

"Then how about leaving it as a debt? When you have a request for me in the future, I will pay you a price equivalent to the value of Quan Sheng's body."

It was an ambiguous offer, but since it was a promise between Archdukes, I nodded.

It seemed best to end it here rather than probe further.

The verbal agreement and the vague standard of the body's value were unclear, but as a promise between Archdukes, he would likely keep it. If not, there's not much I can do.

"Is that all?"

"Yes. Since you don't seem interested in conversation, I'll take my leave."

The Lich King said this and then stood up, leaving the hall gracefully.

The conversation, which I had been dreading, ended rather anticlimactically, leaving me feeling a bit deflated as I leaned back in my chair.

"Ha..."

At that moment, Achel, who had been standing behind me, let out a small, trembling breath.

I glanced at her. She looked pale, as if she had been feeling uneasy during the conversation with the Lich King.

I was fine because of the Emperor's Soul, but the aura the Lich King emitted must have been quite burdensome for her.

'Oh well...'

Do I have to keep dealing with such monsters?

The short and anticlimactic conversation with the Lich King only added to my sense of uncertainty about the future.

What can I do? It's the path I chose.

I have to roll with it and gather the hidden pieces as quickly as possible.

***

At the gate of the Archduke's castle, an undead knight in black armor bowed to the Lich King as he emerged.

'He came out quickly.'

The necromancer and his subordinate are spiritually connected, allowing for mental communication.

The undead knight was puzzled by the rare joy in the Lich King's emotions.

The Lich King laughed inwardly.

'The new 7th Archduke... is truly an interesting individual.'

Having lived for hundreds of years as an undead, death had lost its meaning to him, yet paradoxically, he could feel it more vividly than anyone.

How long had it been since he felt such emotions?

'...To feel the fear of death.'

From the 7th Archduke, he sensed no aura.

No magic, no physical strength, nothing—just an ordinary, powerless human.

Yet, he clearly had the ability to kill.

After becoming a lich, only the hero of Seintea had ever made him feel this way, and even from the Grand Archduke, he had only faintly sensed it.

He came to obtain Quan Sheng's body and to assess the new 7th Archduke, and it turned out to be a more enjoyable experience than he had anticipated.

'I look forward to what he will ask for in the future.'

Therefore, he was willing to create a connection through the debt.

The Lich King, savoring the rare feeling of death he hadn't felt in ages, firmly imprinted the 7th Archduke's existence in his mind.