Chapter 20

A black cat, the strongest of the injured team, was Roman Knight.

A black light, sweeping the entire field.

Gret's heart sank uncontrollably. The newcomer was extremely powerful, capable of wiping them all out effortlessly. Even more terrifying were the black light, black cat, skeleton soldiers, zombies, gargoyles...

It sounded like a certain style. If it really was the owner of the place returning and seeing that they had trashed the house, killed the skeleton soldiers, and dismantled the guardian gargoyles...

The consequences would be dire.

Gret tried to move as quietly as possible, wanting to shrink into a corner and act as if he had nothing to do with it. After a few movements, a chill ran down his back, as if a bucket of ice water had been poured over him. Gret looked around, and the fallen warriors' faces were filled with fear—

Thud.

Thud.

Thud.

Someone was approaching from behind. The footsteps were a bit strange, as if they were clattering on the ground, or like small claws scraping along the floor. Gret stiffened his spine, lowered his head, and slowly turned his face to glance—

What he saw was a long black robe, almost trailing on the ground. The fabric of the black robe was unknown, heavy and hanging, not reflecting any light. All the light seemed to be absorbed by the robe. If a fashion designer from a past life saw such material, they would do anything to get it.

Gret shuddered and looked up. The black robe billowed, revealing no human form, as if the wearer was just a skeleton—holding a bone staff. Before he could see the face, the rolling Roman Knight screamed:

"Death Mage!—You're a Death Mage!"

The black-robed figure paused. The long black robe fluttered and fell silently. The Roman Knight screamed a few more times, raising an arm to point at the black-robed mage, his arm trembling uncontrollably.

In Gret's eyes, the knight's wrist was twisted unnaturally, and the shape of his fingers was strange—his thumb couldn't straighten, possibly due to a tendon injury. Gret silently speculated as he watched the Roman Knight tremble and point straight at the Death Mage's face:

"You, an outsider Death Mage, dare to harm the priestess of the Spring Goddess! Aren't you afraid of the temple's retribution!"

"Actually, I just arrived in the city this afternoon and registered at the mage tower."

The Death Mage answered confidently. As he spoke, he took a step forward, and the black robe billowed violently, like angry waves before a storm:

"Rather, you. You broke into my mage tower, smashed my gargoyles, and if I hadn't returned early, you would have dismantled my laboratory—temple? If the temple doesn't apologize and compensate, I'll team up with the Mage Council and dismantle the temple tomorrow!"

"You think so—"

The Roman Knight roared in anger. He tried to push himself up, but no matter how he struggled, he couldn't get up. In a fit of desperation, he arched his back and charged like a shrimp:

"AAAAAAAAAA—"

"Bang!"

A golden light flashed. The Roman Knight was immediately sent flying and crashed into the wall. The wall shook, and the knight slumped down, rolling a few times before lying still.

Thud, thud, thud. The footsteps continued forward, and the Death Mage pointed at the priestess with his bone staff, sneering:

"What do you have to say?"

"I..."

Oh no, he's going after the priestess. There's a cause and effect; turn left at the door, and it's... the Spring Goddess's temple. I'm just a small fry, and I was forcibly conscripted. I didn't touch those skeletons or zombies. The Death Mage seems reasonable; he probably won't hold me accountable...

Gret sighed in relief. With a sense of security, he began to observe the Roman Knight again.

Fracture.

Probably unconscious, considering the impact, likely with a concussion.

Not sure if there's internal bleeding.

Unable to push himself up, it doesn't look like a fracture, maybe the tendons in the wrist and ankle are torn.

The cat scratched so much; infection is certain, possibly tetanus. Since it's a domestic pet, let's rule out rabies for now...

Gret observed intently, noting each symptom in his mind. After finishing, he turned his gaze back to the Death Mage, and what a sight!

Walking beside the Death Mage, radiating golden light, was a magnificent golden skeleton!

And it was alive. No cartilage or ligaments between the joints, but it could move and walk!

It had just sent the Roman Knight flying!

Gret's eyes lit up, and his attention was immediately drawn. A skeleton! A moving skeleton! The skeleton in their life sciences department was immobile and had to be kept in a glass cabinet with a velvet rope barrier, and the teachers treated it like a treasure!

—There were touchable ones in the Anatomy Building, but they were in pieces, not complete... a touchable full skeleton was only a plastic model.

But this one was real! Real!

Compared to the skeleton soldiers he barely saw before they were smashed into pieces, this golden skeleton was much more intricate and agile. Gret examined closely, and the bones weren't cast metal; the fracture marks on the left tibia and the ridges on the pelvis were clearly visible. They looked like normal human bones, glowing with a brilliant golden light.

He wanted to examine it closely.

He wanted to touch it.

He wanted to handle it.

Gret was so engrossed that he forgot about the Death Mage's threat. Unconsciously, he had sat up from the ground, leaning forward, wishing he could press his whole body against it to observe.

How does this skeleton move?

No joints, no ligaments, loose and scattered, yet it moves!

The Death Mage had sent the Roman Knight flying, and through a mix of threats and coercion, reached a compensation agreement with Priest Donald. Turning around, he saw a young man sitting up among the fallen warriors, looking up and staring at his golden skeleton as if he wanted to crawl inside it.

Death Mage: "...What are you looking at?"

"This skeleton is off!"

Gret didn't turn his head, answering absentmindedly. After answering, he jumped in surprise, turning his head to look: who just spoke to me?

Nothing.

No, not nothing, just a pitch-black... black cloth... black robe... a gaunt face.

The Death Mage was quite tall, especially to Gret, who was sitting and looking up, like a pillar with a head. Not only tall but also thin, wrapped in the black robe, looking like a reed.

So thin, his face wasn't much better, cheeks tightly pressed against his cheekbones, sunken cheeks. He looked like just a layer of skin over the golden skeleton beside him.

Gret was slightly startled but not particularly afraid. Death Mages are usually thin, and even a skeleton with glowing eyes fits the image of a lich he remembered. The Death Mage, however, was impatient, stepping forward and urging:

"What's wrong with this skeleton?"

"The head and body aren't from the same person!"

"Not from the same person? How can you tell!"

Well... if you ask me that, I won't be confused. Gret pushed himself up from the ground, struggling to stand. He swayed a bit as he got up, and the golden skeleton, understanding, reached out to help him:

"The skull is male, the pelvis is female. This is clearly from two different people!"