Chapter 2

Two men were walking through the dark, damp valley floor.

One was deeply hooded in a dark blue robe, hiding his face.

Though his height was that of a child, the occasional glimpse of his crimson eyes revealed a maturity far beyond his years.

On his back, he carried a coffin as tall as himself.

The other was a balding, elderly man with a sinister gaze.

The two were members of the organization that conducted research on taboo magic (a general term for magic restricted or prohibited by the state), known as the "Pied Piper Demons."

The "Pied Piper Demons" were composed of talented but misguided magicians.

They were known for their lack of hesitation in committing murder, human experimentation, and anti-religious magic.

Although they were viewed as dangerous by the state, their elusive nature meant that little was known about them, and they were left unchecked.

The child in the robe was named Maniga.

Born into a prestigious family of white magic, which heals the human body, he had betrayed his clan and joined the "Pied Piper Demons" to advance his research on necromancy, the magic of controlling the dead.

The old man was named Buirig.

He was also a member of the "Pied Piper Demons" and had accompanied Maniga to the valley.

In his youth, he had been known as an excellent and kind magician, traveling to various places to slay monsters born from mana gathering spots.

However, that was just a facade.

Buirig, in his old age, had succumbed to the desire to explore the depths of magic before his death and joined the "Pied Piper Demons."

"Indeed, I can feel the flow of mana here. It's unlikely to be noticed, and if someone disappears, no one will question it. If we capture passersby, we'll have all the materials we need. They won't suspect it's our doing."

Buirig smiled slyly as he gazed at the cliff wall and licked his lips.

Maniga, leaving Buirig behind, quickened his pace.

Buirig hurried to catch up.

Eventually, Maniga stopped and squatted in front of a skeleton.

The skeleton was clad in a large suit of armor, gripping a sword in its hand.

Beside it lay a helmet.

"Maniga, why are you in such a hurry?"

"... This skeleton still has mana within it."

"What?"

Buirig stood beside Maniga and looked at the skeleton.

The bones were almost free of dirt, evidence that strong mana was preventing their deterioration.

Mana is a sacred power inherent in all things and is sometimes defined as part of the soul.

After a creature dies, mana typically disperses from the body into the air.

However, if there is lingering attachment to life, part of the mana can remain within the body, moving into the bones.

Proper burial rituals can remove the mana from the bones, but it was clear that this skeleton had been left unattended for a long time.

"But such armor... I've never seen it before. Moreover, it's a full plate type, which was mainstream in ancient times. Could mana really last for a hundred years?"

"... This place is a mana gathering spot, so the deterioration might be somewhat suppressed. Besides, it seems to have a strong attachment. It could make a good undead."

Maniga set down the coffin he was carrying and opened the lid.

Inside were magical tools, grimoires, and potions.

"Then, let me see your necromancy, Maniga."

Buirig leaned against a nearby rock and placed the lantern he was holding on the ground.

Maniga took out a metal rod and a can of red-black liquid from the coffin and drew a large circle on the ground around the armored skeleton.

Next, he took out a bottle and scattered the powder inside onto the armored skeleton.

The powder was made by mixing and grinding multiple monsters.

Maniga tried to move the armored skeleton to the center of the circle but grimaced at its weight.

"This armor... it's made of mithril."

Mithril is heavy, and Maniga couldn't drag it properly.

"Making armor out of mithril is absurd. No one could move in such armor. It was probably made by some foolish rich noble in the past."

"But there are records that the Regius Kingdom used full mithril armor in the Eight Kingdoms Unification War..."

"That was probably just for ceremonial purposes. No one would actually wear it. It's just some foolish historian's exaggeration."

"... I see, that makes sense."

Maniga pointed his staff at the armored skeleton.

He constructed a magical formula in his mind and transcribed it into the air using mana.

A glowing magical formula appeared above the armored skeleton.

"Undead, obey me!"

As Maniga shouted, a crimson light appeared in the eye sockets of the armored skeleton.

Then its body began to tremble violently.

"Thus, a loyal skeleton knight is complete."

"Hmm... As expected of a descendant of the prestigious white magic family. Your skills at such a young age are truly terrifying. I look forward to the exciting events we can cause with you, Lord Maniga."

"I don't like being compared to my family, but I'm honored to receive your praise, Buirig... Hmm?"

The armored skeleton slowly rose to its feet.

Maniga was surprised.

This time, the undead was created to utilize the mana it still possessed, so its abilities were based on its former strength.

Maniga had thought that no human could move in mithril armor.

He had been considering how to remove the armor, but he never expected it to stand up so easily.

"... Try slashing the air with that sword."

The armored skeleton nodded slowly and swung the sword.

The massive sword cut through the air with incredible speed.

A violent wind was created by a single swing, and Maniga, unable to withstand it, fell on his buttocks.

His hood fell off, revealing a youthful face that didn't match his evil nature.

"W-What power. Hey, Lord Maniga, are you alright?"

When Buirig called out, Maniga was grinning.

"Good... amazing! This undead is no ordinary being! With this, we might not even fear the Regius Kingdom's surveillance!"

Maniga shouted, spitting as he spoke in excitement.

"Hmm, that's reassuring. The mana from this ley line might be reinforcing the skeleton's mana."

"There might be other good corpses! Buirig... let's call other 'Pied Piper Demons' from other regions and gather a proper force! And let's start by taking over the city of Reiver!"

"Indeed... I didn't expect such a powerful undead to be created so easily. I'll suggest to the higher-ups to focus more on necromancy research."

Buirig smiled as he stared at the armored skeleton.

"Yes! Let's do it! And eventually, we'll turn all the citizens of this country into undead! We'll destroy the foolish Regius Kingdom, which fails to understand the greatness of the 'Pied Piper Demons,' and make them our eternal slaves even in death!"

"Hehe, that's splendid."

As the two laughed, the armored skeleton's body twitched.

"O, Ooooh... Regius, Kingdom...?"

Buirig stopped laughing and looked at the armored skeleton.

"... Hey, does it still have a sense of self?"

"Unlikely, it's probably just picking up words. If the attachment to life is strong, it might show simple reactions to words from memory. But that's all. It's a very old skeleton, and it's a miracle that any mana remains. There's no way it could have a sense of self..."

"Regius Kingdom... I will not let the Regius Kingdom be destroyed. The Regius Kingdom will achieve the unification of the west..."

The armored skeleton swung its sword horizontally.

"... What?"

Maniga, who had been looking at Buirig, turned his gaze back to the armored skeleton and gasped in shock.

A deafening sound echoed, and the wind whipped around.

Even though Buirig was a bit away, he was thrown back by the wind and hit the wall.

He realized that the previous test swing was just a light swing, not a serious attack.

Buirig coughed as he got up and wiped the dust from his eyes with his sleeve.

"Wh-What nonsense... It's not an old corpse after all! It has enough will to rebel against a necromancer! Hey, Lord Maniga! Do something!"

As Buirig shouted, Maniga's upper body fell beside him.

"... What?"

It was clear that Maniga was already dead.

"O, o, o, why am I still alive... A, ah, ah..."

The armored skeleton slowly turned its head towards Buirig.

"Damn it, turn into a swamp!"

Buirig quickly swung his staff and struck the ground.

A magical circle appeared, and the ground beneath the armored skeleton began to sink.

"Oh...?"

The armored skeleton's body sank into the ground.

"Earth, solidify!"

He continued to cast magic, burying half of the armored skeleton in the ground and solidifying it.

"Earth, turn to rock!"

Dirt gathered around the half-buried armored skeleton, covering it completely.

The dirt quickly hardened into a rough, rocky mass.

Buirig, relieved, fell to his knees.

"Ha... ha... It seems to have fallen into a state of confusion while regaining its sense of self. What a terrifying being. Damn... Lord Maniga, you made a mistake..."

Buirig felt a wave of nausea and pressed his hand to his throat.

"Ugh... I might have overreacted a bit..."

Instantly changing the shape of matter requires a significant amount of mana.

Even a magician of Buirig's caliber would be strained by continuous casting without a break.

Normally, this level of magic would take more time to cast.

The fact that he only suffered this level of backlash was a testament to his skill.

The next moment, the rock shattered, and the armored skeleton emerged.

It broke free from the rock's restraint and landed with a loud thud.

"What...! No, nonsense!"

Buirig took a step back, his voice rising.

"Fire, burn it!"

Buirig, holding his head with one hand, pointed his staff at the armored skeleton.

Flames appeared at the tip of his staff, formed into a ball, and flew towards the armored skeleton.

"Ugh!"

The armored skeleton swung its sword, extinguishing the flames.

Buirig, eyes closed, bent over and braced himself, resisting the violent wind created by the sword's wind pressure.

"What nonsense... for an undead!"

When the wind pressure subsided and he opened his eyes, the armored skeleton was standing right in front of him, sword raised high.

"What!?"

In the next instant, Buirig was cut in half by the sword.

His body, pushed by the wind pressure, fell to the sides with a loud thud.