Chapter 178 The North's Deadly Magical Forest (End) We're Leaving!

"What is it? Is it monsters?" I asked.

"Yeah. To be more exact, those are undead. The undead in this region possess dense ice mana that strengthens them further, but that's not the greatest concern. Look," The man motioned with his head.

I followed his gaze and saw that the corpses of the frost giants started to get enveloped by a dense mana of ice and death.

"T-They are turning into undead...?" I uttered in disbelief.

How? I know that it's irregular for that number of undead to exist here, so all of the creatures that die here will turn into an undead?

"I guess this is the reason why it's called the deadly magical forest of the north, huh? You all! Gather the corpses to me before they turn into real undead, the rest of you make a defensive formation!" The man shouted. This is supposed to be something life-threatening, but his expression doesn't seem to change. It's disturbing how he remains using his hood that covers the upper part of his face, but that's not something

I should be focusing right now.

"Good, good. These guys have lots of use, after all," The man uttered in satisfaction, and suddenly the pile of corpses the skeletons put inside of him turned into an enormous amount of black and blue particles and enter the floating black grimoire.

"That's everything, huh?" The man put his hands on his hips.

Suddenly, the small halfling girl that I saw lifting the bodies of my allies suddenly appeared. "Yes! It's everything! Now let's go! I have enough of those disgusting undead!!"

"Hey..." (The man )

"Eh?" The girl exclaimed in confusion, and realized that the other skeletons around her are staring at her as if they are shocked.

"A-Ah... I don't mean you guys! I mean those zombies undead that appeared before!! Anyway, let's just go!!" The girl shouted in frustration.

"Yeah, yeah. You're right. They are nasty, aren't they, Tesha? But I guess the wagon is not big enough to bring those lots all inside, don't you think...?" The man motioned at my friends that are lying near the wagon unconscious. There are about more than 30 of them, and of course, it will be impossible to bring all of them inside the wagon.

*Clap!*

The man suddenly clapped his hands.

"Okay! Let's do this!"

*Stomp!* *Stomp!* *Stomp!*

The sound of the horse hooves, the wolf's rough breathing, and the sound of lots of footsteps resounded throughout the place.

Honestly, it's quite a surreal scene to saw. I doubt that anyone would believe me if I tell them the scene I'm currently seeing.

"C-Carried... By undead...?"

My unconscious allies are being lifted and carried by the undead skeletons summoned by the man. Each of them is being carried by a single undead, while the rest of the undead are surrounding us to make sure that we won't suddenly get attacked.

"Seriously, master? Asking the undead to carry them on their back. Won't they end up dying because of shock when they wake up?" The halfling girl called Tesha uttered with a wry smile.

So she's worried about my allies' well-being... What a kind-hearted girl...

"Then do you have any other ideas? Galia and the others need to return to their mothers, after all. It would be bad if something dangerous happened and they are not there to help them. At the very least I've fulfilled their wish of getting summoned by me and fighting together with me," The man shrugged.

"But it's rare for you to care so much about others, Tesha,"

"It's not that I care. But it will be annoying if they suddenly wake up together at the same time and made a ruckus by screaming and such. Why don't just leave them behind? It's not like we're responsible for their lives, right? Well, I understand that we could use them as sacrifices if we brought them with us, though" (Tesha)

W-What a terrifying girl...

"Ouch!" The girl, Tesha, held her head with tears gathered at the corner of her eyes because of the sudden hit from the man.

"W-Why did you suddenly hit me, master?!" She yelled in protest.

"Shut up. You're getting too tired, go take a nap," The man threw a blanket on her, forcing her to stay silent.

The girl grumbled something under the blanket, then slowly, the movement stopped and she seems to have fallen asleep.

"Seriously, this girl... I wonder why her mind is so evil-aligned. Is it because of her former master?" The man uttered bitterly.

Looking at the interaction of the man and the girl called Tesha, It's visible how close they are, and despite the girl is calling him master, her behavior towards him could be even said filled with freedom. It means that the treatment the man gave her is great-

Looking at the man's eyes, I stopped my former thoughts.

His hands gently lift the girl and put her in a proper sleeping position.

His movement is gentle enough to make sure that she won't suddenly wake up, and the smile on his face is very warm.

"Ah... This is annoying," The man uttered as he took down his hood, revealing his bare face towards me.

His face is...

"You're..."

"...Me?"

His eyes are deep black, deeper than the blackness of his hair. His facial features are sharp, and his cheeks and chin are well-shaped. It shows how trained his body is. But most of it, when I saw his eyes, I can't help but feel like I'm being absorbed...

"Girl?" The man's voice brought me back to reality.

"N-No. Um... Is Lyan... Your name...?" I asked the man as I remembered the full name he mentioned when he told me to utter the mana oath.

Lyan Arkanium Evocatore.

What an interesting name, just like the person that bears that name.

"Yeah. What about you? What is your name, young girl?" Lyan asked me with a small smile.

My name.

I am no longer a noble.

I am no longer the daughter of the Marquesse of the Kasmira Kingdom.

I no longer have my homeland.

But even so-

"My name is Wilhelmina Credia. It's nice to meet you, Lyan. I owe you for saving us,"

I still have to use the name given by my father and mother. In order to bring my fallen family and my fallen homeland with me as I continue my life. I will have to continue to live with this name even if I have to face difficulties onward.

"I see. It's nice to meet you too, Wilhelmina," The man reached out his hands, offering a handshake.

"Yes!" I replied while taking his hand, but at the instant, our hands came into contact, I noticed his eyes changed for a moment.

His eyes turned sharp and it seems that in that little moment, he observed everything about me in a great detail.

"You seem to be the type that is really skilled in using your body. You look like a warrior, you're proficient in using swords. I see, so that's the problem, huh?" The man suddenly nods as he observes my hand which has already left his hand.

"Take your time and have some rest, you're abusing your mana too much. It will be a grave danger for your life if you continue to push it. Your friends will be safe with my summoned friends, so you don't need to be worried about them and take a rest just like this little girl here,"

The man said with a smile as he pats the sleeping girl, Tesha.

My body is very tired is the truth. After getting back my energy from eating that lovely bread and the cup of a drink called chocolate, I became so sleepy that I think that I will definitely fall asleep if I lay my body on the ground for even just a moment.

"I'm fine-"

"No you're not," (Lyan)

"I'm not so kind that I would babysit you when your condition got even worst. So just go to sleep. I won't do anything to you nor your friends when you're asleep, I can even make an oath for that," Lyan uttered with a serious look on his face.

"I-I guess you're right... Forgive me for being stubborn..."

The man let out a soft chuckle in response to my apology.

As I lay my body on the soft piles of cloth that were creatively made into some kind of a bed prepared by Lyan, I grumbled to myself.

"Why is he treating me like a kid? He doesn't even seem to be that much older than me- Ah..."

My grumblings disappeared as I lay my body and feel the softness that make contact with my body. It felt like my fatigue is being sucked into the ground.

Ah... It's so comfortable...

I'm losing my consciousness...

It's warm... Somehow, it feels like my body is being enveloped by a

strange warmness...

Even though this is the region of the absolute cold...

But this... Is nice...

___________________________________________________________________________

Name: Lyan Arkanium Evocatore

Occupation: Mythril-ranked Mercenary

Money: 3,797,710,950 Elnes / 3797 gold 71 big silver 9 big coppers 5 coppers

Weapon: Magic Glaive, 1 (Decent) One-handed Sword, 2 (Good-Quality) One-handed swords, 1 (Decent) bow

Equipment: Black leather cloak, Leather Armor, Breastplate, 2 Health Potions, 2 Poison Vials

Grimoire's Companions: 8 High Spirits, 3 Valkyrie, Shadow Goblin Lord (Lv. 5), Papilio Slime (Lv. 45), Galewing Butterfly (Lv. 45), Rock Golem (Lv. 50), Deadlight (Lv. 63), Moonlight Butterfly (Lv. 45), Ice Golem (Lv. 50), Acid Ant Queen (Lv. 9), Magma Bear (Lv. 1), Fey Mammoth (Lv. 1), Arcane Retriever (Lv. 1), Winter Wolf Alpha (Lv. 12)

Grimoire's Army: 6 Shadow Servants, 800 Skeleton Army