CH 76

Chapter 76

That night we made camp.

There are camp-friendly plazas here and there on the highway. So we made a sort of campsite.

One of the ways was to park the wagons in a circle and make it a simple barricade to prevent the invasion of foreign enemies. It was a measure against bandits and beasts.

It would be awkward if we were to be shot by a thief with a fire arrow, but I don’t expect that would happen as the thief’s purpose would be to steal the cargo. If you surround yourself with the wagons, the damage would just be some cargo getting stolen.

The thief would also have to steal secretly, and would not steal everything. So of course, this doesn’t hurt the traders.

It would be a problem if the trade route was cut off due to overdoing it, and it would be a problem if a full-scale subjugation team came and attacked us. The thieves were, after all, quite smart.

“The bandits out there are exiles from cities and nomads. They surprisingly are willing to negotiate,” Mao told me. “Salt is a necessity and can be used as a currency, so if you give it a little, it will be quiet.”

Of course, it is the sea salt that is handed over to the bandits in the south. I won’t hand over the rock salt that I brought so far.

“The bandits have territories, and I gave them a lump of salt to the bandits around here. It will be safe tonight.”

Ah, so those were the people who were wandering around a while ago.

If you do this, it will be convenient to prevent other bandits from attacking you.

“But you usually have an escort, right?”

“Of course, but the bandits have to think, ‘If you fight the escort, do you go home with salt?’ so they usually don’t engage in a fight.”

A sword was also attached to Mao’s pelvic girdle.

“Can you use it?”

“It’s just for show, but I was taught how to use it by a traders’ association. However I have never killed a person.”

Mao was good at it for some reason.

“I am proud that I have survived the crisis through negotiations rather than with a sword.”

I see, is it the pride of a merchant?

Being the escorts of the caravan this time was the responsibility of the Werewolf army, so I ordered eight members of the werewolf corps to take turns watching.

“Would you like me to be in charge of security?”

Parker asked, but I shook my head.

“Human beings are afraid of your method.”

Every time the necromancer did something, the average person would faint.

I made sure that the Gurney brothers stood on the lookout and then took my position before the bonfire.

Naturally, Parker sat on the opposite side.

“Hey, don’t annoy me. Go to sleep.”

“Hey, I’m always sleeping!”

Right now it’s definitely what I was aiming for. Besides, this story is the one I’ve heard about four times already. Is there anything new added to it?

Parker was looking at me with his arms outstretched, but he silently lowered his hands.

“It’s about time this story is getting old… I’ll make a new story…”

“I’d be happy if you stopped making silly jokes.”

Actually, I have a question about necromancy.

However, it is difficult to ask for some reason.

After returning to Rune Height, let’s ask Senior Melene.

While I was thinking about that, Parker was staring at my face.

“If you have something to ask, ask me anything. I’m your brother.”

Apparently it showed on my face. It’s hard to hide anything from this guy…

Recognizing that Parker’s pace was rising again, I asked my brothers, “What do you think Master will do in the future?”

That was a very important issue for me.

The Demon King, Gomoviroa, is indispensable to the current Demon King Army. She is a person who inherits the aspirations of the former king and is also a powerful demon.

If the Demon King couldn’t stay in the current state.

It would lead to a very bad situation for both the Demon King Army and me.

Above all, I don’t want Master to get hurt or something dangerous to happen.

Parker was silent, but eventually he said:

“What was the answer to the ‘last door‘ that Master opened? Are you worried, since you know it?”

“Master said that life and death are changes in power,  it’s like a ‘vortex’.”

“Hmmmm……”

The skull was illuminated by the bonfire.

Parker shook his head.

“It looks different from my open door, so I can’t say for sure … I’m sure it’s okay?”

“Are you being suddenly irresponsible”

I wondered if Parker would start playing a prank again, but he was serious.

Parker has a bright tone and he says:

“No, I’m not. I opened the wrong ‘last door’, but Master doesn’t seem to have done that. So I’m a little relieved.”

“Wrong door?”

This guy is immortal, easygoing, and he looks like a master of necromancy.

However, Parker murmured with a self-deprecating tone.

“Didn’t I tell you that I was sick in my lifetime?”

“Oh, that’s why you were studying necromancy, right?”

When I heard the symptoms, it seemed that Parker had tuberculosis or something. In this world, there is no choice but to treat it with magic, but it is impossible unless you are a professional healer. Even I can’t treat it.

“While listening to the footsteps of the god of death, I desperately devoted myself to my research. I was determined to uncover the secrets of life and death and run away from the god of death.”

And when his life was exhausted, Parker opened the “last door.”

“For me, life was a complicated puzzle, like a ‘labyrinth’. It’s a labyrinth that you can only walk while you’re alive. And I thought there was a secret exit that transcended life and death.”

I see, that’s why it was like a “labyrinth” for Parker.

“So, did you find it?”

Otherwise, how could there be a skeleton here right now.

But Parker shook his head.

“Certainly I transcended death. When I got to the exit, I thought I had outrun the Grim Reaper. “

The flame of the bonfire illuminates Parker’s face from below.

“But there was nothing beyond the door. There was no life or death outside the maze. It was empty. Only endless emptiness that was spreading. I was neither happy nor sad. Feelings. Even most of them have faded. “

“I don’t understand.”

This expression was too abstract for me to understand.

Although his emotions had faded, the tension was high and it was annoying.

Parker then scratched his head and corrected it.

“Even if I talk about the image inside of me as it is, you can’t understand it. That’s right… Simply put, it’s something different from what you thought.”

“It’s definitely oversimplified, isn’t it?”

That’s why I couldn’t properly understand it.

Parker folded his arms as if in trouble.

“Well, it’s surprisingly difficult to explain it to you, so that you can understand. At first glance, it may seem that you’ve achieved your goal, but it’s actually the opposite.”

Parker picked up the wood, put it on the fire, and looked up at me.

“I was steadily moving away in an attempt to approach the mysteries of life and death, and in the end I was left behind in a place that would never reach the mysteries of life and death. Do you understand?”

“No, I don’t understand…”

Because necromancy is a philosophy, it is difficult for outsiders to understand it.

All I can tell is that he made an irreparable mistake.

“Anyways, I failed. But it seems that Master didn’t fail. So you can be rest assured! What are you thinking about this now?”

“No matter what you say…”

Rather, I’m now worried about Parker, so I’ll ask him a question just in case.

“So then, are you okay?”

“Yeah? Oh, I’m fine.”

Parker happily rattled his bones.

“Before joining the Demon King’s army, I was told by my predecessor, ‘If it’s empty, you’re free to put anything.'”

“The advice was difficult to understand, explain it again.”

“I thought at that time. Yes, I’m free to do whatever I want! So I’m free to make silly jokes, recreate my life with illusions, or make my favorite disciple a toy!”

“Wait, what’s the last thing?”

Parker screamed happily as I approached him.

“No, it’s surprisingly fun to have an empty life! Hahaha!”

“Don’t cheat, explain the last thing.”

“Speaking only silly jokes is a sign of a positive attitude to actively engage with others! I want to cherish the emotions left behind!”

“It’s no use trying to put it together like a good story.”

I grabbed Parker’s shoulder and shook it.

The bones of the brothers made a cheerful noise and they laughed for a long time.