Chapter 72: The Return of the Doom-Class Death Knight

Chapter 72: Aftermath (2)

After obtaining Miyah, the first thing Demian did was to cover up the traces.

Using black magic to subdue the necromancer was good, but it left too many traces. If the Order found out, it would certainly cause a lot of trouble.

Demian first gathered the flesh golems in one place.

The flesh golems, pierced by the black magic-created spears, were rotting all over due to the curse.

After burning all the flesh golems, Demian used black magic to cause explosions throughout the cave.

If the Order asked why there were fewer flesh golems, he planned to say that the necromancer had made them self-destruct.

Next, Demian scattered his aura in the form of spears, creating holes all over the cave.

The flesh golems, including the necromancer, had holes from the dark magic. This was to cover up those marks.

If the Order asked about the injuries, he planned to say they were caused by this technique.

After adding a few more cover-ups, he went outside.

* * *

Inside the cave.

Agnes, who had taken refuge in a safe place, first healed Margareta.

Her abdominal wound was already severe, and the escape process had worsened it.

Her skin and muscles were completely crushed, and her internal organs were destroyed.

Agnes sprinkled a healing potion on Margareta's wound and used her holy power to heal it.

Thanks to the holy mark, Agnes's holy power had greatly increased in both quantity and quality. As a result, she could now heal wounds like Margareta's.

"Agnes, thank you."

Margareta said with a much more relaxed face. Agnes let out a sigh of relief.

"Margareta! Are you okay?"

Gamal asked in a hurried tone. Margareta smiled and said,

"Gamal, your face is really funny right now."

"Even though I'm worried about you... Seeing you make such a joke, you must be okay."

Gamal's expression softened. Seeing Margareta safe, he felt relieved.

"Sister, have this."

Dionisio handed Agnes water and food. Agnes expressed her gratitude and ate.

While eating, she kept looking at a certain direction. It was the side where the necromancer was.

"Sister, are you worried about the necromancer?"

Dionisio asked. Agnes shook her head.

"I'm not worried about the necromancer, but about Sir Demian."

As soon as Demian's name was mentioned, Dionisio's expression darkened.

"Sister, don't worry too much. Sir Demian will be fine. Even if it's the necromancer, it would be difficult to deal with a middle-class knight."

Dionisio said in a strong tone.

"Now that Sir Margareta has recovered, let's go help Sir Demian quickly!"

Dionisio clenched his fist and shouted. However, no one supported his words.

"Um... Did I say something wrong?"

Dionisio asked in a puzzled voice. Gamal sighed deeply and said,

"Dionisio, Sir Demian... might be dead by now."

"What? But..."

"You know everything even if I don't say it. Sir Demian is a middle-class knight. He might be on the verge of becoming a high-class knight."

Gamal had seen Demian Hassen fight.

His skills were far beyond those of an ordinary middle-class knight.

He was at the peak of the middle class, just a step away from the high-class level.

"But the necromancer... The forces he prepared were not something Sir Demian could handle alone."

Dionisio had only a brief encounter with the necromancer, so he didn't realize how terrifying the necromancer was.

But Gamal, a 2nd-class holy knight, was different.

The moment he faced the necromancer, he immediately realized the immense dark magic the necromancer and the flesh golems possessed.

"The necromancer... Even if we join, we can't guarantee victory."

"That can't be... Sir Gamal and Sir Margareta are 2nd-class holy knights. Sister Agnes has the holy mark..."

"We are all severely injured and have used a lot of holy power. Especially Margareta, it's a miracle she's still alive."

There were limits to what could be healed with holy power.

The more severe the injury, the harder it was to heal completely. Even if it looked healed on the surface, a slight movement could reopen the wound.

Margareta and Gamal were in such a state. They were not in a condition to fight properly.

"Demian Hassen must have known this. That's why he stayed behind and had us evacuate."

Gamal clenched his fist tightly. His frustration was evident.

"Damn, even though we were saved by Demian Hassen, we couldn't do anything."

Margareta held Gamal's hand tightly. Despite this, Gamal's expression didn't change.

"I agree with Gamal. We need to leave the dungeon quickly and inform the Order about the necromancer. If we leave the necromancer as is, it will cause big trouble later."

Margareta looked around the group and said,

"We can't waste the time Demian Hassen bought for us."

A heavy silence fell among the group.

At that moment, a sound was heard from the darkness. The group immediately stood up and glared into the darkness.

Someone walked out of the darkness. The moment they saw this person, Agnes shouted in surprise.

"...Sir Demian?"

Seeing the person they thought was dead, Agnes and the other three were shocked.

"Oh, I found you. Fortunately, you didn't go far."

As Demian approached with a relieved look, the four stepped back.

"...Is it really Sir Demian?"

They wondered if the necromancer had killed Demian and was now mocking them with his corpse.

Instead of answering, Demian drew his holy sword. The holy power from the sword flowed into Demian's body.

There was no undead in this world that could absorb holy power and remain intact. This meant it was really Demian Hassen, not the necromancer's trick.

"Sir Demian...!"

Agnes ran over and hugged Demian's neck.

Demian looked at Agnes in surprise. Agnes, unaware of this, hugged Demian tightly.

"How are you still alive?"

"Unbelievable! Did you escape from the necromancer?"

"Sir Demian! I believed in you!"

The other three also approached Demian in surprise.

Only then did Agnes let go of Demian and ask,

"What happened to the necromancer?"

In response to Agnes's question, Demian pointed behind him.

"Go and see for yourself."

* * *

"..."

When the group arrived at the cave where the necromancer was, they were speechless.

The necromancer was dead, his body riddled with holes.

"Wow! The necromancer is dead! Sir Demian killed the necromancer!"

Dionisio cheered and looked at Margareta and Gamal.

"Unbelievable..."

"Impossible..."

Margareta and Gamal were clearly shocked.

They had felt endless despair from the necromancer. They thought there was no way they could win.

But the necromancer, who had once been so terrifying, was now a pitiful corpse on the ground.

"Demian? How did you kill the necromancer? Even the flesh golems were hard to deal with."

"So I dealt with the flesh golems appropriately and targeted the necromancer himself."

Margareta could only laugh bitterly.

The weakness of a black magic user who controls undead is the user themselves. Margareta knew this, but there was a huge difference between knowing and executing.

The necromancer was thoroughly protected by the flesh golems, making it difficult to get close.

"Amazing... Truly amazing..."

But there was no denying it. The proof was right in front of them.

"..."

Agnes had been staring at the necromancer's corpse since she entered the cave.

The necromancer's face was filled with extreme fear, as if he had seen something terrifying before he died.

The enemy she hated so much was dead. She felt a mix of relief and regret for not killing him herself, along with many other emotions.

"How did the necromancer die?"

"He struggled, not wanting to die, and eventually suffocated. It was a disgraceful death."

"Even a madman like this fears death."

Agnes sighed deeply.

"Brother... I mean, where are the flesh golems the necromancer controlled?"

Demian pointed to a place. The remaining flesh golems were gathered in one spot.

Agnes walked over. Among the flesh golems, she saw her brother's face.

Agnes stood there, unable to move, staring at the flesh golem.

"Agnes..."

Margareta looked at Agnes with concern.

"I'm fine."

Agnes said calmly.

"That's not my brother. He died a long time ago. This is just an undead made using his body."

Despite her words, Agnes couldn't take her eyes off her brother's face.

"...Demian, what will you do with these flesh golems?"

Margareta asked, looking at Demian.

Demian had defeated the necromancer alone. He had the right to dispose of everything here.

"I plan to hand them all over to the Order."

Demian had nothing to gain from the remaining flesh golems. They would only be a burden, and since it involved the Order, it was better to hand them over.

It would be better to get something from the grateful Order.

"Agnes, the Order will analyze these flesh golems in detail. They will probably dissect every muscle."

A black magic user with the necromancer's talent was rare.

Analyzing these flesh golems would be a great help in dealing with other flesh golems in the future.

"Then the flesh golems will probably be preserved forever within the Order."

Agnes looked at Margareta. Her eyes were trembling slightly.

"But right now, it's just us. If one flesh golem disappears, no one will know, right?"

Margareta asked, looking around the group. Everyone nodded.

"Agnes, do as you wish."

Margareta said. Agnes slowly hugged the flesh golem with both hands.

A blue flame rose from Agnes's body and began to burn the flesh golem.

Agnes didn't let go until the flesh golem was completely reduced to ashes.

* * *

After that, the group roamed the dungeon, gathering survivors.

More than half of the soldiers were dead, and many of the holy knights, who were supposed to be great, had also died.

'At least it's better than in my previous life.'

In his previous life, the extermination team was completely wiped out, and the necromancer survived and became a major figure.

But this time, it was different. More than half of the extermination team survived, and the necromancer was dead.

'The biggest gain is saving Agnes.'

Agnes had obtained the holy mark.

The holy mark meant she was a talent favored by the gods. Therefore, all holy knights who obtained the holy mark reached the master class.

'I also gained a lot.'

First, he obtained the flesh golem Miyah and a magic tool to store undead.

After gathering the survivors, he sent a messenger to the Order to inform them of the situation.

The Order, which had been eagerly awaiting the results of the extermination, quickly dispatched an investigation team.

"…What is this?"

"…They dug a trap inside the mountain?"

The investigation team was shocked as soon as they entered the dungeon.

Digging out the entire inside of the mountain and creating a trap to drop the extermination team was not something a sane person could think of, let alone execute.

"Is this one of the flesh golems? It's surprisingly intricate."

"The necromancer is known to be a high-level black magic user... Is it possible for a high-level black magic user to create such intricate flesh golems?"

The investigation team was amazed as they looked at the flesh golem.

"Sir Demian, you said?"

A middle-aged man in a monk's robe looked at Demian.

"I am Boremeo, the one in charge of this operation."

"Pleased to meet you. I am Demian Hassen."

Demian shook Boremeo's outstretched hand.

"I have a few questions. According to the report, there were more flesh golems. But when we arrived, there were fewer."

"A few of them were made to self-destruct by the necromancer. The holes you see are the evidence."

Demian pointed to the deep holes and said.

The investigation team members looked down at the holes and marveled again.

"Wow... This is not a small scale."

"To avoid such a large-scale explosion during a chaotic battle."

Boremeo cleared his throat. The investigation team members fell silent.

"According to the report, you were hiding your true strength... Why was that?"

"There's no great reason. I just thought people would be a nuisance if they knew I was a middle-class knight."

Demian shrugged.

At his words, Boremeo recalled the information on Demian Hassen.