259

The day had only just started. Yet, the party were already exhausted.

Mentally, physically, and empty on mana. The only exception to this was Asai who vigilantly guarded the camp. Violet and Leslie had taken the time to consume recovery potions. Something they didn't have, personally. 

It was only after Asai had finished cleaning up the proximity did he have the leisure of handing over a potion to Leslie.

This was simply a slight on his part. The duke had forgotten that not everyone could afford to carelessly splash and chug the expensive restoratives like he could. Thus, he didn't supply the elf with any. Especially when he still didn't consider the man as one of his own.

Leslie, was physically tired from fighting for dear life. The gnolls were equally as strong as him, but were numerically superior. And the realization that he had been protected by the undead, and its caster Violet, now had him suffering from mental discord. 

"Necromancy is fucking evil! But that same necromancy saved me, and kept me alive... Ugh!" At least the man didn't forget to give thanks where due. Fervently bowing to both Violet and Asai.

[Asai Trichia: Lvl 83] 

"Nothing again. I thought handicapping myself, pushing my body to its limits by using only swordsmanship would help, but I guess not..."

[Violet: Lvl 32->48]

[HP: 100 MP:100]

[Skills unlocked:]

[Soul Eater]

Targets defeated by [Violet] summons, recover 10% of [Violet] missing HP & MP

[Summon Skeleton]

Skill costs both HP & MP

[Summon Skeleton Knight]

Skill costs both HP & MP - Bestows summons [bone sword]

Ignoring whatever feelings or thoughts Leslie might experience, Asai quickly informed the dark-elf of her new ability.

"[Summon Skeleton Knight]

Skill costs both HP & MP - Bestows summons [bone sword]"

Like a spell had been cast upon her. Information injected itself into her memory.

"Why didn't you tell me about this skill before? I could've used it to help you!" Violet, somewhat pouted in indignation.

"I'll be honest, I didn't withhold it from you. You should know by now, that the heavens above are watching our actions. Your performance just now, against hundreds of gnolls... unlock-"  "-Because you contributed so much to our victory against the beasts. Your Goddess has bestowed the new skill upon you. Do you understand?"

Violet's eyes widened in surprise. Joyed to finally have some sort of proof. Evidence that her notions were factual. "The goddess of Death bestowed me with this new skill? Wow..."

"Yes, so continue to be brace, in the face of adversary and danger. Be courageous, and fight your enemies headstrong. Do so, and your goddess will smile upon you." "Explaining it this way would be better than describing a system and levelling right?"

Presenting her with another vial of his blood. He urged her into testing the new skill. 

[Summon Skeleton Knight]

A deeper and darker pool of blackened mana materialized upon the ground. Whilst her normal skeleton summons were of equal height to the caster. The skeleton knights appeared standing roughly 175cm. Their bones appeared thicker, stronger and denser. A sword made of bone gently rested within its grip.

To test the summon, Asai summoned his own undead.

The offensive type knight struck the defensive skeleton just four times, before Asai's summon crumbled apart in defeat.

Asai raised an eyebrow upon seeing this.

"If Ignis is filled with summoners like Violet. Who they consider to be a failure, then Queen Rima Regenon might be royally fucked..."

"Violet. How many can you summon at once given time? Do you know?"

Violet, closed her eyes, deep diving into her own mind in search of answers.

"I think, I'm not sure, but I think I can summon around 100 skeletons, and 10 knights at the same time. I honestly don't know how you did it. But the blood you've been giving me to use as a catalyst. It's strong, but it's not optimized. I need a proper tool to actually summon my maximum."

During the battle, Violet had only managed to summon twenty out of a hundred.

"Does that mean... My blood works, but it's not that great? So, rather than a gate, my blood manages to open but a small hole in between the two realms?

-

And, what happens if I manage to obtain a proper necromancer staff or catalyst? Will I be able to summon over the system limit of 20?

-

Holy fuck, Violet has potential. She could literally become a one-man-army."

"Asai..."

Violet broke the man out of his brain-storm. Peering into her soft grey eyes, he gave her his full attention.

"Asai. I think there's something wrong with me."

"W-what do you mean?" "Looking closely, I don't see any abnormalities, she looks completely fine to me?"

"I'm weird. According to the books, a normal necromancer can only summon 20 undead at a time, but my brain, it tells me I can summon more than a hundred?"

"Wait, 20? So what if all of Ignis' soldiers were also necromancers? Does that mean we have to multiple their entire army by 20? Fucking hell..."

"Wait. Violet, can you tell me more about necromancy?" Violet, looked into his eyes as if he was a weird person. The man was casually summoning undead way before she could. She had no idea that he'd only gained the ability to do so after their meeting and union. Thus, she actually thought Asai was a veteran and was hoping to learn more from him.

"Um... Well. The undead, the skeletons you saw within the mountain pass. Those are what we call wild undead. The undead inside the bridge are also of the same variant.

Wild undead are summoned from actual corpses, people that were recently alive. They don't follow orders, the necromancer who summoned them can't order them around. Hence, why they're wild. People still use them because they're pretty brain dead. As much as they'll attack you, they'll also attack your enemies if you leave them to guard entrances and exits.

The summons that you and I cast, we're able to instruct and control them. Which comes at a cost of having a limit, a maximum summoning capacity.

So... If you tried to summon undead using the corpses of those gnolls. They'll probably immediately turn on you."

Asai nodded a few times. "I see. Good to know."

"Don't worry about it Violet. To be honest, my eyes are unique. I can see people's potential. And the potential I see in you is simply fucking amazing. So much so, that I consider you to be important to me. So worry not. You're not weird, but special."

"I-I'm important to him!? Rosemi senior I did it! Mother I did it!!"

...

[Leslie: Lvl 55->59]

Leslie was riding upon his horse. His left arm had recovered, courtesy of Asai's personal potion stock. However, because the delay of consuming the restorative, his arm still felt incredibly numb. Which reduced the man's ability to utilize his darts during combat.

He gaze upon the backs of Violet and Asai Trichia. 

"A necassary evil? The lesser evil? Whatever. As long as Victoria is happy..."

When the man returned to the kingdom, he would personally inform the queen of his discoveries. Whatever decision or plans Victoria had for the duke, would be entirely up to her. Whatever headaches he was experiencing, he wanted none of it.