Chapter 6: Encountering a Fellow Necromancer
“You’re not a mercenary at all, are you? Tell me your purpose. What’s your connection to this request?” Abyss crouched beside the burly man, staring coldly at him.
“Cough, cough… What are you talking about? I’m a genuine mercenary…” The man gasped, lying on the ground, but didn’t dare move. Flora’s slap had completely intimidated him. It felt like being swatted by a griffin.
“Oh? Really?” Abyss wanted to grab the man’s collar, but since the man was shirtless even in winter, he grabbed his beard instead and stepped on his chest. “Then let’s analyze this slowly… When we entered the guild, you were the loudest, but none of those boisterous mercenaries joined in, meaning you have no friends here. After you caused a scene, the receptionist looked at you with disgust, so I asked him before we came out. As expected, you only arrived at the guild a few days ago, just sitting there drinking and never taking on any requests. You even went out of your way to chase away mercenaries who wanted to take on the ghost extermination request but weren’t strong enough—your size is indeed quite intimidating.”
The man’s pupils constricted noticeably.
“What happened next is even more interesting. When you approached us, I took a whiff of your scent. You only smelled of alcohol, not sweat. Logically, you’ve been in the guild for several days, and as a mercenary, you shouldn’t smell so fresh—but you didn’t have those smells. Instead, I smelled certain herbs, the ingredients for short-term undead resurrection. You’ve touched those herbs in a specific order.” Abyss’s turquoise eyes glowed faintly in the darkness, sending a chill down the man’s spine.
“He’s a necromancer?” Flora exclaimed in surprise. “I’m sorry, I didn’t notice.”
“He’s a necromancer’s apprentice,” Abyss released his grip, letting the man’s head hit the ground. “He drank a necromancer’s potion that modified his body, making him impervious to heat and cold and enhancing his recovery abilities. It’s not your fault you didn’t notice. Who would have thought that a guy as strong as a dragon’s liver would be a necromancer’s apprentice?”
The man’s breathing quickened. “Why do you know so much about necromancy?”
“Didn’t you hear what I just told her? We’re colleagues,” Abyss said calmly. “Tell me your master’s name.”
“Impossible…”
Abyss wasn’t in a hurry. “Then I can just interrogate your soul after you die. You won’t be able to hide or lie then.”
“Leiner,” the man gritted his teeth. “His name is Leiner.”
“The request notice requires his full name,” Abyss said.
“Leiner Ledios Trafa!”
“Good, you didn’t lie,” Abyss said with a satisfied smile, straightening up and removing his foot.
“What about him?” Flora asked, peering from the side. “Are we going to let him go?”
“Yes, let him go,” Abyss nodded. “I don’t kill the living.”
“You… You tricked me!” the man shouted. “You said you would interrogate my soul after I die…”
“Do you think you can continue living like nothing happened? Your so-called master never considered you a true apprentice. The potion you drank is turning you into an undead. You only have a few days left to live,” Abyss turned back, looking at him with pity. “I’ll go find your master, and you can spend your remaining days atoning for your sins.”
The man’s voice abruptly stopped as if his throat had been constricted. He stared wide-eyed, his mouth agape, like a fish out of water.
“You will forget everything. When you wake up, you will find the names of every mercenary who disappeared because of you and erect tombstones for them. You will not become an undead when you die because I haven’t given my permission,” Abyss said calmly. He then snapped his fingers at the man. A green light flew towards him, and although the light was faint, it caused the man to convulse as if struck by lightning before losing consciousness.
Flora watched Abyss finish all this and asked softly, “Abyss… you seem angry…”
“Ah… a little. He’s just a fool who was used, but I’m certain his ‘master’ is definitely using living people to create undead, and they’re short-term, disposable ones that will spontaneously combust into ashes after a month or two. I don’t like that kind of behavior,” Abyss patted his clothes lightly. “Let’s find an inn to rest for a bit. We’ll set off to find this necromancer named Leiner tonight. I need to have a good chat with him and find out what he’s up to.”
“But we don’t have money for an inn,” Flora said with a troubled expression.
Abyss fell silent for a moment, then pointed at the unconscious man on the ground. “Search his pockets for money.”
“I won’t steal!” Flora crossed her arms firmly. “Even if you’re my master, I can’t obey you on this!”
“Tsk…” Abyss grumbled, puffing out his cheeks. “Fine, we’ll just go to the outskirts and build a fire.”
Flora smiled triumphantly and obediently followed behind Abyss, holding onto the hem of his clothes.
…
The location indicated on the request notice wasn’t far from the city. Just as the sun set, Abyss and Flora rode the undead warhorse towards the so-called “haunted ancestral mansion.” The undead warhorse was far superior to ordinary horses. It was not only faster but also ignored terrain obstacles, even capable of running on water. It also couldn’t be detected when entering the Shadow Realm. Flora wrapped her arms around Abyss’s waist, feeling a hint of romance in the journey. Having had little contact with young men in her previous life, this was a new sensation for her.
After half an hour of continuous riding, the destination appeared before Flora’s eyes.
Flora discovered that as an undead, not only was her vision not limited after nightfall, but it actually became clearer. Not just her vision, but her sense of smell and hearing had also become more acute. Before they even reached the old mansion, Flora’s ears picked up the sound of breathing coming from inside, along with some unsettling whimpering noises. A faint smell of herbs mixed with the stench of blood and decay made her wrinkle her nose.
“This is it. I could smell the stench of low-level undead from miles away,” Abyss said, grimacing. “Flora, let’s pretend to be ordinary mercenaries when we go in. I want to see how this guy killed those ten-odd people.”
“Understood,” Flora nodded. “I’ll put on a mage’s facade.”
“You know, Flora, one of the best things I’ve ever done was digging you out first among the five targets,” Abyss said, looking back at Flora with emotion. “You’re the best partner I’ve ever met.”
“That sounds a bit creepy… Just how many graves have you robbed?”
“Do you remember how many slices of bread you’ve eaten?” Abyss replied. “Of course, I’ve never done anything like turning living people into undead. Abyss’s Necromancy, fifteen years of [using only deceased corpses, never deceiving the living].”
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