TL/Editor: raei
Status: 5/week mon-fri
Illustrations: none
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The forest woke from its early slumber to unexpected footsteps.
Birds scattered noisily as hunting dogs barked and chased after them.
Small animals held their breath, waiting for the human army to pass.
"How's it going, Sir Murray?"
The leader of the human army was Fin, the lord of Heltingen city.
After Ian had escaped with Baron Mud, he'd sent Sir Murray to track them down.
Sir Murray was a master hunter who never lost his prey once marked.
Before becoming a knight, he was better known as 'Murray the Hound'.
"No doubt about it. They passed through here."
"Impressive. So we've almost caught up?"
"Of course, my lord."
Sir Murray's tracking abilities bordered on the mystical.
Even Ian would have been shocked if he knew.
In this medieval era where proper maps were hard to come by, such tracking skill?
But human talent shines through regardless of era.
Every field has its geniuses.
'Seeing his praise, the pay must be good.'
Sir Murray smirked. He was a knight who only cared about getting paid.
Lord Fin also wore a smile of satisfaction.
'Whatever you do... I'll never let you have the count's title!'
Though his alliance with Father Berum had hit a snag, it wasn't over yet.
That damned treasure mentioned in his father's will!
If he could just get the treasure back somehow, everything would return to normal!
'It's just a temporary abnormality! I'll set everything right!'
Lord Fin dreamed of normalizing the count's house...
"Hurry! We must catch him before he steals the family treasure!"
"Leave it to me, my lord!"
Sir Murray led the way.
Lord Fin and his soldiers diligently pursued the wizard Ian.
#
After setting up the treasure excavation camp, Ian reported his scouting results to Belenka and Baron Mud.
"Skeletons?"
"Yeah. Seems there are undead monsters wandering around."
Belenka and Baron Mud nodded silently.
Belenka was one thing, but Baron Mud was surprisingly calm?
Ian was somewhat impressed by this unexpected reaction.
Though he called him a thief...
Could it be that real thief's courage lived in his heart...!
"Baron Mud. You don't seem surprised?"
"What's there to be surprised about? When you rob graves, you meet undead till you're sick of them."
That was it.
Baron Mud had encountered undead monsters so many times that skeletons no longer surprised him.
But Ian saw Baron Mud differently now.
Meeting monsters often and not feeling fear were separate matters.
The reason he could stay calm before monsters must be because he had the ability to neutralize them!
"Oh, then you must know how to deal with skeletons?"
When Ian asked, Baron Mud grinned and answered.
"Of course!"
"What is it! How do you do it?"
"First, bring some slaves as bait to distract them. If there are no slaves, draw lots to pick an unfortunate sacrifice..."
Belenka kicked Baron Mud hard.
"Ouch!"
"You bastard. We really should hang you. You dare use fellow Heaven's Faith believers as bait?"
"N-No... that was just a surprise~ It was all a joke!"
"A joke?"
"Hahaha! Got you good, didn't I? Pretty convincing, right?"
"Belenka. Give him a few more kicks."
Thump, thump.
Watching Baron Mud get thoroughly beaten, Ian thought.
As expected, there was no clever way to deal with undead.
In his experience as a wizard, Ian found 'opponents you can't talk to' the most troublesome.
At least if you could talk, you might try persuasion...
When conversation wasn't possible, it was hard to utilize a wizard's strengths.
'I miss Maria.'
Ian suddenly missed Maria, the necromancy prodigy.
Though Ian had witnessed death's mystery several times during his travels, for some reason he hadn't gained much necromancy experience.
So Ian still couldn't use necromancy.
'Feels like I'm almost there...'
Unable to communicate with the mystery, Ian felt an inexplicable frustration and discomfort.
'So this is magic.'
Baron Mud started to understand why skilled wizards commanded such high prices.
Just adding one wizard completely changed the quality of exploration!
No swordsman, no thief familiar with the underground could imitate a wizard's unique abilities.
"M-Master Wizard! There's a group of skeletons...!"
"I know. Keep your voice down."
Ian pressed against the narrow passage and whispered to the mystery of darkness.
"Del raha disnos."
[Using Skill: Dark Stealth]
Darkness has the power of concealment.
The power to hide things and make them undetectable.
Ian maximized this power with magic.
"Master Wizard! Master Wizard! They're coming...!"
"Stay calm. They won't find us."
The thieves held their breath, waiting for the skeletons to pass.
"!"
Just as Ian said, the skeletons didn't notice them...!
'Wow...!'
'So this is a real wizard!'
The thieves looked at Ian with almost love-struck eyes.
The wizard had uttered mysterious incomprehensible words, and even undead monsters couldn't detect them!
Even to ignorant thieves, Ian's magic had 'style'.
If a wizard like that helped with thieving... it would be so romantic!
"When we get out of here safely... should we ask the wizard if we can join him?"
"Hmm..."
"Hmm..."
They imagined founding a 'magic-thief gang'.
Phantom thieves who freely control darkness appear! The Holy Empire now fears the night!
The true lord of the night, Wizard Ian!
While lost in such delusions, one of the thieves suddenly had a seizure.
"Master Wizard! Please help!"
Belenka frowned at the convulsing thief.
"Ian. Did they catch something..."
"No. The magic worked properly. This one's been stuck to him since we entered the dungeon."
Ian's necromancy knowledge wasn't perfect, but he had the basics down.
"He-hehehe...!"
The thief foamed at the mouth and burst into maniacal laughter.
It was a typical case of spirit possession by an evil spirit.
"Looks like we've got ghost-type undead too, not just skeletons."
"...You didn't know? Ian?"
"Nope. Didn't know."
"There's something even you don't know?!"
When Belenka expressed surprise, Ian was actually bewildered.
What, am I not allowed to have things I don't know?!
"Well, I never learned necromancy."
"My goodness. To think there's magic even you don't know..."
It wasn't like he was born with necromancy talent like Maria.
Expecting Ian, who had already mastered various magics, to learn necromancy too was asking too much.
And hadn't Ian already shown natural talent for dark magic?
"I don't know all the magic in the world..."
Ian paused mid-sentence.
[Skill: Necromancy (100/100) - Achievement Complete]
[You are ready to learn a new skill!]
"?"
[You can now learn Necromancy.]
[Condition: Communicate with the mystery of death.]
[You've detected a friendly mystery of death nearby!]
Ian blankly stared into space.
He really could sense a unique death power that he hadn't felt before.
"Ian?"
When Ian suddenly spaced out, Belenka worriedly called out.
Could he have been possessed by a ghost too?
"Belenka."
"Yeah. Tell me."
"You know how I didn't really understand necromancy until now?"
"?"
"Well, I think I get it now."
"???"
Belenka stared at Ian in disbelief.
Don't tell me... you just figured out a new magic right here?!
'What an absolutely crazy genius...!'
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