Chapter 480 - Normal People

Scarlet's body was placed on a large table. Her eyes, already dull, were half-open. Without her armor, she appeared much younger than her age.

Outside, the army camp was in chaos. Her death was a devastating blow to the Shansa army. Every soldier now must fight for their own future. Some insisted on avenging, while others believed they should retreat to preserve the army's strength. The argument lasted all night long yet no agreement was reached.

Prince Jerrick was in a very difficult situation. The soldiers may be arguing, but they all had allies. Prince Jerrick was the only one who was truly alone. He sat in the corner of a tent, saying nothing. He knew that Scarlet had died because she left to save him.

After Scarlet's death, he became the de facto leader of the army, but he could not go visit her. Last night, Manstuly tried to see Scarlet's body but was attacked by Scarlet's mysterious guards. Now, no one was allowed near her body.

A dark shadow appeared in the army camp and floated towards the tent with Scarlet's body. A gust of wind blew open the tent's flap, and the dark shadow slipped into the tent without anyone noticing.

Aside from Scarlet's body, there were three men in dark clothing. Seeing the dark shadow, the three men knelt to greet the shadow.

The shadow floated towards Scarlet's body. He was a very thin man, his cheeks and eyes were sunken. His skin was very pale, as if he hadn't seen the sun in years.

"Leave me," Golman ordered.

The three guards stood and left the tent.

Golman reached out and stroked Scarlet's face. He was one of the smartest men in the world, but he had made so many mistakes. He was the only person who could understand his own burdens and pain.

He knew how much the necromancers contributed to the world, and he pitied them. He believed that the necromancers were only fighting for survival. He was seeking immortality as well, because he had so many questions and he had so much to learn. He needed time. He had become a necromancer so he could answer those questions.

Who would have thought Minos's goal wasn't to preserve but to destroy? Golman could not allow that to happen, which was why he betrayed Minos.

He had thought Baery was his friend, which was why he told Baery about Scarlet and why he pushed Scarlet to the position she was in. He was proud of her and wanted his friends to see how good she was. He never thought Baery would do anything to hurt Princess Victoria.

Princess Victoria was another one of his friends, and he had known Victoria before he knew Scarlet. Victoria never showed any degree of disgust towards him, even though she had plenty of reason to do so. She respected his intelligence, and they would often have long conversations. She listened to him and was the one who made him feel like his hard work was worth it.

Victoria died because of him, and every time Golman recall Victoria, his heart would ache.

He couldn't blame Baery and chose to keep his distance. He understood why Baery did what he did, but he could not forgive Baery.

Golman sighed and reached for Scarlet's left hand. Before he could touch her hand, he stopped. His eyes flickered. He was hesitating.

He had known Scarlet for her entire life, and he knew very well that Scarlet's emotions towards him had stopped at respect. Even though he tried hard to treat her well, his coldness when Victoria died had angered Scarlet. He doubt that she had forgiven him.

Golman was very hesitant. If he revived her, he would face everything he had been running away from. But if he didn't, what would he say to Victoria? What about his promise to her? Golman sighed and grabbed Scarlet's hand. He found the ring on Scarlet's finger and tapped it a few times.

The ring was plain, with not a lot of decorations. After Golman tapped it, however, the shape began to change. The gemstone blinked a few times, and a red pentagram flickered into existence. The pentagram was surging against the surface of the gemstone, moving and contracting as if it was a human heart.

A surge of magic spread across the land. It was a surge only necromancers could feel.

Desvidia and Morgan were the first to sense the surge of magic. Even though they were far from the Shansa army camp, they still felt the surge as if it was right next to him. The two of them widened their eyes and glanced at each other. They both saw fear in each other's eyes.

"He's mad," Morgan whispered. "Golman, you're mad! Mad! Why would you use the Ring of the Undead?"

Desvidia glanced in the direction of the army camp, his brows furrowed together in a deep frown.

The surge spread across the ocean and reached Greenwich Island. A broken skeleton raised its head and howled in excitement and anger.

Red veins appeared under Scarlet's skin. The ring's power was still sealed away, and Scarlet's injuries were very grave, but something was still flowing through the red veins as if it was trying to save her. The veins began to pulse faster and grow larger. As the power of the Ring of the Undead was unleashed, Scarlet's body began to glow red.

"I hope I'm right," Golman whispered, looking at Scarlet's face.

Life began to return to Scarlet's body, and her eyes flickered open a few moments later. She pushed herself up and saw Golman. She frowned and tried to sit up, but she could not control her body just yet. "You came," she said. She did not appear surprised by Golman's presence.

"Do you know why I chose you to be my student?" Golman asked softly.

"Because you foresaw my fate in the stars," Scarlet said.

"Yes, and I also said I saw you as the ruler of Shansa Empire. That is what motivated you, isn't it?" Golman paused. "Do you know why I stopped talking about reading the stars?"

"Why?"

"Because something went wrong," Golman said. He picked up a small pebble and tossed it into a bowl of water next to the table. "Because like the water, something, someone, appeared. Their appearance has disrupted the alignment of the stars. Which is why my readings before are untrue now. You need to take care of yourself." Golman looked at Scarlet. He was more than her teacher. He treated her the way he would treat his own daughter. He wanted to her stay safe.