Chapter 11

"No, but..."

"I'm reaching my limit soon. I don't want to lose my consciousness and reason and become a zombie that attacks people out of instinct."

I was asked by my master as my final graduation test to purify him with holy magic, but I hesitated a bit.

However, my master pleaded for me to purify him quickly.

"I think I was an extremely skilled magician. That's why I've been able to maintain my body, consciousness, and reason for such a long time."

Ordinary talking dead can only maintain their form for about a year at most. After that, their consciousness and reason gradually fade away, and their bodies slowly rot, becoming almost indistinguishable from zombies.

"I don't have much time left. My disciple, Wendelin von Benno Baumeister, can you give me peace one last time?"

"Master... I understand..."

I flipped to the last page of the guidebook given to me by my master, which contained the holy magic. The book only described the basic concepts. Whether I could use this magic depended entirely on my aptitude.

As expected, being a special magic, it didn't activate properly at first. But gradually, a pale blue light, characteristic of holy magic, began to flow from my arms.

"I'm sorry I can't show you an example."

My master said apologetically, but since he was an undead creature, a talking dead, it was only natural that he couldn't use holy magic.

After about an hour of practice, I finally managed to learn a light beam magic powerful enough to purify my master.

"It's time."

It was finally time to purify my master. I sniffled and shed tears as I activated the light beam magic, gathering it at my fingertips. Since my master, a high-level magician in life, had become a monster, I needed to gather a significant amount of magic power to purify him.

"Master..."

"I am content. Instead of wandering as a zombie in the depths of the Demon Forest, I was able to pass on my skills to my disciple. I can now go to heaven or hell with peace of mind."

"Master..."

I couldn't stop my tears. In this world, learning magic is a reality that one must handle alone. This is because the training methods that worked for one person had an extremely low probability of working for another.

However, my master's training methods were a miracle for me. The progress I made in these two weeks would have taken me years if I had trained alone.

Moreover, after the attunement, my magic power had increased several dozen times compared to before my training.

"I hope you continue to work hard without becoming complacent. You, Wendelin, will surely become a magician whose name will be remembered in history. Ah, and one more thing."

My master had no family. He had a mansion and some money in the territory of the Breichleider Margrave, but it had already been confiscated by the Breichleider Margrave family, so he couldn't give it to me.

However, the equipment he was wearing, such as his robe and hat, which I couldn't wear until I grew bigger, and the magic sword that could summon an elemental blade, along with several rings and necklaces.

The biggest prize was that he had changed the user of the magic bag, which contained most of his wealth, to me.

A "magic bag" is a common item in many RPGs, allowing you to store a large number of items beyond its capacity.

In this world, they are classified into several types. First, whether they are exclusive to magicians or can be used by anyone. Second, whether they require user registration, making it impossible for anyone else to access the contents, or can be used by anyone.

Additionally, the larger the capacity and the more accessible it is, the fewer magicians can create it, and the more expensive it is.

"The magic bag I'm entrusting to you can only be used by magicians, and I've already registered you as the user. The capacity is proportional to the user's magic power limit, so it will increase as you use it."

Saying this, my master handed me a magic bag about the size of a drawstring pouch with a bead-like magic crystal.

"It's small, but the opening will expand when you put in large items. I'll give you everything inside. It's more useful for you to use it than for it to decay in the Demon Forest. Come on, I'm counting on you."

"Yes..."

I sniffled and blew my nose, then released the holy light beam I had gathered at my master.

My master was instantly enveloped in a pale blue vortex of light.

"Good magic. I feel no pain. Rather, I am enveloped in a warm, comfortable sensation."

Despite his words, my master's body gradually became translucent. He was really about to disappear.

"Master, thank you for everything."

"Thank you for giving me a peaceful purification. I'll see you in the afterlife, maybe a hundred years from now."

Though his last words seemed a bit odd, with those words, my master, along with his equipment and magic bag, ascended to the sky in a pale blue light.

This was the memory of my brief interaction with Alfred Reinford, the only one I recognized as my master.