Chapter 81

81. Changing Daily Life (10)

"But isn't that place known as the Land of Death?"

The Land of Death.

It means a place where people cannot live.

More so due to people turning their backs on it than because of the desolation caused by war.

A war with the Legion Commander that lasted a whole year.

Tens of millions of people met their end, and most of their bodies were left uncollected.

Torn and mangled corpses were mixed together; there was no way to collect them.

The war ended with humanity's victory, but no one wanted to rebuild Carlos.

'Who would want to live in a place where tens of millions are buried?'

People were gradually erasing the painful memories and the Carlos where they had buried their families.

But that Carlos came out of my mouth.

"Hehe, money can overcome even death. You probably know that better than I do."

It is now a desolate ruin where no one lives, but Carlos was once the capital of the Rohan Empire, known as the Land of Gold.

According to its reputation, it had many gold statues and decorations.

It goes without saying that it would be strange for black market traders to be wandering around such a place.

If one is lucky, they might even find a few pieces of armor.

"Didn't they see it wrong? Mistaking a black market trader or a tomb raider for a walking corpse?"

"Or it might be a false rumor to claim the treasure for themselves. But it was a black market trader I've interacted with a few times who told me this. I have no reason to go to Carlos, so there's no reason for him to lie to me."

Karon fell into thought.

His conclusion was:

"Walking corpses... it's highly likely to be a prank combining special drugs and artifacts."

Karon, with his exceptional reasoning skills, had not anticipated this at all.

Undead, beings that defy death.

Indeed, it was an absurd idea by any normal standards.

'If Karon is this surprised... others will be even more so.'

The continent is not on the path to destruction for no reason.

Erosion, Chimera, Undead, and an assassin targeting key figures.

The Four Kings are steadily weakening humanity.

'The Chimera strategy has achieved half its goal. The Undead must achieve at least that much.'

While the others are also troublesome, the Undead led by the Maestro of the Battlefield is the biggest headache.

The more they fight, the stronger they become.

A true legion.

If the number of the Undead Legion reaches a certain threshold, no one can stop them.

A game that was going well has ended in a bad ending more than once.

'Originally, I could only reduce Volcan's power during winter break...'

But if Karon confirms the existence of Volcan and the Undead?

He might be able to reduce their power more quickly.

The empire will move directly.

I put on a serious expression and faced Karon.

"If, really if..."

I swallowed hard, as if even imagining it was terrifying.

"If there is someone who can raise the dead?"

"Raise the dead? That's absurd!"

Karon snapped.

I wasn't annoyed. It's a natural reaction for someone who doesn't know about the Undead.

'I won't give up.'

Convincing Karon. And revealing the existence of the Necromancer to the continent.

If I succeed in that, it would be half the battle won.

"Then, is Chimera a believable existence?"

"...That's a completely different issue. Humans and demons exist. Mixing them is a crazy idea, but it's possible. But walking corpses? Impossible."

"Hehe, I think it's something black mages could do. Wasn't this the case with the current incident?"

Karon put his hand on his forehead.

The tower of humans and demons found in the mad creator's laboratory.

They are the kind of people who can do such things without hesitation.

Raising corpses as a prank? It's not entirely impossible.

He must be thinking that.

"Haa... Fine, let's say you're right. But at most, they're just skeletons. There's no reason to be afraid. What power could they have without muscles?"

It has been 40 years since the war with the Legion Commander.

The flesh on the corpses would have returned to nature, leaving only skeletons, as Karon correctly deduced.

But.

'They move by magic, so muscles are irrelevant.'

Especially if a person who has practiced mana for a long time is turned into an Undead, they become much stronger than a regular Undead.

A Death Knight is one such example.

"No matter how they are raised, they are just one-shot wonders. What they aim for... is the fear that comes from seeing skeletons move. At most, that's all."

No. The most terrifying thing about the Undead is not that they come back to life.

They don't feel pain.

A former ally turns against you.

Killing one, two more rise, and you become the third to attack your allies.

The more you fight, the more hopeless the battlefield becomes.

That's right. The most terrifying thing about the Undead is.

'A hellish wave of attacks.'

A human wave tactic... no, an Undead wave tactic.

That is the terror of the Undead Legion and the Necromancer.

"Hehe, isn't it fine to investigate? There's no other information anyway."

Karon fell into deep thought.

It wouldn't matter if he said no. I would keep pestering him.

After about a minute, Karon spoke softly.

"...It's too far to go myself. I'll send a rat."

I was slightly surprised.

I knew I would succeed, but I didn't expect it to work so quickly.

I planned to pester him at least five or six more times.

'My credibility with him is higher than I thought?'

Good news.

I can maintain a good relationship with him in the future.

"Well, it will be a waste of time. I won't need to bring the next payment. The information is so poor..."

Hmm, I need to revise what I said earlier.

A good relationship, not a good trade.

A business partner who grumbles even when helping is perfect.

'What can I do? I, being kind and handsome, have to endure.'

In contrast, Karon is a bad and ugly person.

I decided to give him a small gift for his sake.

"Hehe, please also tell them not to go too deep."

"What do you mean?"

"What if the condition for creating walking corpses is corpses or bones?"

Karon's eyebrows twitched slightly.

He clearly didn't understand the meaning of my words.

"About 40 years ago, what happened in Carlos?"

"A war between the 5th Legion of the Demon World, Crawley, and the human alliance."

"At that time, 10% of humanity buried their bones there. What if walking corpses use bones as a medium?"

"Wait! You can't mean...!"

Unfortunately, that's exactly what I mean.

"Imagine if all of them are being turned into walking corpses."

Karon's face turned to shock.

A greater change in expression than when he guessed the reason for the Chimera research.

"Hehe, even if just 1% of them are walking around, no one can escape. Even the rats you raised, Mr. Karon..."

There is no answer to an overwhelming number.

So, they must retreat immediately upon confirming the existence of the Undead.

"...Don't underestimate the rats. Some of them are even more powerful than me."

It was a blunt statement, but I understood.

Search as carefully as possible.

Confirm the existence of the target and retreat immediately.

That's what he would instruct.

"Hehe, if that's the case, there's no need to worry."

"Tsk! Arrogant brat!"

How can I not be arrogant?

Anyway, being too capable is also a problem.

Throb.

'I should wrap this up.'

It was supposed to be a conversation that could end comfortably.

But I had to think too much because Karon was angry about the false rumor.

This might damage my honey-like skin.

Since the goal of revealing the existence of the Four Kings has been achieved, it's time to leave.

"...Will the deal with Renia remain a secret?"

Karon suddenly changed the topic.

Well, it's not strange.

'The summoning of a Legion Commander is not easy.'

At least a million lives or an equivalent offering is required.

Even if there are beings that can communicate with the Legion Commander, it's not an easy task.

He must have judged that there is enough time, so he changed the topic.

"Hehe, if you tell me first, I'll consider it."

"Arrogant brat. Do you have no respect for your teacher?"

"Were you my teacher? Oh, I thought you had quit because you haven't come to class in a while."

I bowed deeply in respect.

Karon's expression soured.

I don't understand why he's doing this. It's a problem whether I treat him as a teacher or not.

Anyway, he's a very picky business partner.

"Hehe, isn't it natural to keep it a secret? Since I can't fully trust the situation yet."

"...Keeping you alive is a sign of trust. You should know that."

"Is that so? I thought you just liked me."

Snap. Crack.

Karon's face turned red with anger.

It's scary.

So, what can you do?

What can you do to me with Renia and Luna as my shields?

I stared blankly at Karon, and he sighed deeply.

"...Arrogant brat. Make sure to deliver the artifact properly."

He's talking about the 'Breath of the Spirit'.

An ultimate artifact that blocks death once per battle.

I have to give this to Luna. No matter how I think about it, it's a waste.

"Hehe, I'll also tell her it's a gift from Mr. Karon."

"...You're not that stupid. Don't be petty."

"It's not pettiness, but a legitimate complaint. The payment for the information goes to Luna, not me. Does that make sense?"

The information about one of the Four Kings, the Mad Creator, and the existence of Chimera.

It's top-tier information that could change the future of the continent.

But the reward for this information goes to Luna, who was scratching her belly in the dormitory.

I can't help but be dissatisfied.

"...I don't know what deal you made with Renia, but it seems you need to take care of her. Isn't that a good thing?"

"Not at all. It's the opposite. Isn't Mr. Karon using me to protect Luna?"

"I'm not."

He's really shameless.

To say 'I'm not' while giving such an artifact.

He might be mistaken for a lolicon.

"Are you really going to do this?"

"I'm just giving you what you deserve. Hehe."

Karon sneered, mimicking my laugh.

I can't let this go. I have to use my ultimate move.

Puff.

I filled my cheeks with air, puffing them up.

A cute way to express dissatisfaction.

It might be a fatal attack to the lolicon Karon.

Was it too fatally cute?

Karon's face twisted.

"...I get it, so stop making that face. Where did you learn it?"

From your beloved Luna.

Karon, rummaging through his pockets, threw something at me.

A small pocket watch that fits in one hand.

Attack Power: 1

Cooldown: 5 turns

It condenses mana into a beam of light and shoots it.

The target hit by the light falls into a daze for 0.1 seconds.

An advanced artifact modified to consume almost no mana.

In exchange for reduced mana consumption and quick casting, it sacrifices attack power.

It has been transformed into the shape of a pocket watch by someone.