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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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Scattered around her were countless monster corpses.
An orc tribe.
And a large one at that.
Desert Shield, one of the frontline castles abandoned by House Lineta.
We had annihilated the orcs occupying it upon arrival.
While they weren’t a weak tribe, that was all they were.
They couldn’t even utilize the castle’s advantages properly.
The castle became their prison, and in the narrow passages, they fell relentlessly against the tireless undead.
While they had some mana-wielding warriors, they were swiftly cut down by Kayla, rendering them insignificant.
With the terrain advantage in our hands, their only strength, their numbers, became meaningless.
“I understand why the soldiers of Cross Fortress looked at us like we were crazy. This area is too vast for us to handle alone.”
“We just need to increase the number of undead.”
“There’s a limit to that.”
“I’m on the verge of reaching 6th circle.”
“Already?”
My vessel was almost full.
Continuously increasing the number of undead under my command and pushing against the wall would eventually break it.
I had already walked this path. The approaching breakthrough didn’t excite me.
“Are you going to enter the Barren Lands immediately?”
“No. We’ll operate from this castle for now. We’ll move deeper after I break through.”
More precisely, after breaking through and increasing my forces.
I planned to gradually encroach upon the Barren Lands with my expanded army.
Progress would be slow initially, but that was fine. It would accelerate over time.
“I see. By the way, isn’t this castle too large for us? And I’m not sure we can freely use it. Establishing a base camp elsewhere might be more beneficial.”
Kayla suggested we periodically clear the castle.
Once the orcs were gone, other monsters would be drawn to it.
While they couldn’t utilize it properly, it was still more secure than open ground, making it an attractive target for tribe-based monsters.
“While periodically clearing it would be troublesome, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to use this place as bait.”
Kayla was right. However, I shook my head.
“We’ll restore the castle. Repair the walls and fill the gaps.”
I planned to do it slowly with the undead after Mutre returned.
It wasn’t too badly damaged, so it wouldn’t take too long.
“…Is that necessary? Don’t tell me you’re planning to claim this castle as well?”
“No, I have no such intentions. The ownership will remain with Lineta County.”
Of course, I wouldn’t simply give it away.
I intended to secure various rights and interests related to the castle.
“Then why bother? Besides, they won’t be able to manage it even if you give it to them. You know the county’s situation.”
“We’ll give it to them when they can manage it.”
“Is there a reason to go that far?”
“There is.”
I smiled faintly.
“This will be our supply route.”
And I, along with Mutre, would be the ones repairing it.
I intentionally planned to weaken the castle’s defenses.
It was a strange idea, in a way.
Intentionally weakening the defenses of a place that would serve as a supply route.
However, it was necessary for me.
‘I can’t fully trust them.’
If my relationship with the lord soured, this place would become the first line of defense against me.
I intended to build a proper magic tower in the Barren Lands and settle there.
If I secured the Barren Lands and managed it alone, my autonomy would be guaranteed.
However, if I became even stronger…
‘Who knows?’
I had to be wary, and I couldn’t help but be suspicious.
Furthermore, this castle was destined for prosperity.
Numerous monster byproducts and the fertile lands beyond.
In the original timeline, the discovery of the dragon’s corpse and the restoration of the castles had led to the reclamation of the fertile lands.
‘The reason Forest Shield and Desert Shield were built in the first place was to utilize the lands beyond Cross Fortress.’
Cross Fortress was once the frontline of Lineta County.
It served as both Forest Shield and Desert Shield, and after the two castles were built, it became a last bastion and supply route.
However, the sheer number of monsters prevented them from utilizing the land effectively.
But the situation changed when the royal family obtained the dragon’s corpse.
They dedicated all their efforts to exterminating the monsters, and as a result, they were able to utilize the fertile lands as well.
Of course, that was in the previous iteration. Currently, with Desert Shield destroyed, Cross Fortress was partially serving as the frontline, like in the past.
‘And the royal family is occupying that crucial location.’
It highlighted the dire situation of Lineta County.
Regardless, this castle was bound to prosper.
Therefore, securing its interests and manipulating a potential threat to my advantage was a win-win situation.
It wouldn’t harm Lineta County, so there was no reason to avoid it.
After briefly explaining the situation, Kayla nodded in understanding.
“If that’s the reason…”
Knowing it wasn’t a waste of time, Kayla accepted my explanation.
While she would have complied even if I had simply ordered her, there was no need to be forceful since the explanation wasn’t complicated.
I used the undead to gather the orc corpses.
“Pile the monster corpses here.”
It was a resource stockpile.
“Are you going to turn them into undead?”
“For now, yes.”
I planned to use some of them to enhance the Centurions.
I was disappointed by the delayed response from the royal family.
‘I thought I’d receive an immediate answer.’
The first step was to use the Bone Golem and the undead to block all the passages.
It didn’t need to be perfect.
We simply used the rubble to crudely seal all the gaps, including the entrance.
As a long-abandoned castle, there was no shortage of materials.
We needed a way in and out, so we sealed one passage with a large boulder.
We would use the Bone Golem to move it aside when needed.
After isolating the castle, I set up a magic circle around the monster corpses to contain the demonic energy.
Then, I poured the black water from the chalice onto the orc corpses as it was produced.
Leaving corpses unattended would invite disease, but this method prevented such problems.
It was a perfect ‘corpse pile’ that even insects and birds couldn’t approach.
Looking at the corpse pile, I felt a tinge of regret.
‘If only this was inside the Barren Lands…’
I would have created a proper ‘corpse pit,’ not just a pile.
A corpse pit.
It was simply a large pit filled with corpses.
However, it was more than just a pit.
It contained a special engraved magic circle, and it had to be filled with blood, corpses, and lingering souls.
Classified as a ‘structure,’ it was essentially a factory that naturally produced relatively pure demonic energy on the surface.
While I had an infinite supply of demonic energy, such structures were still necessary for me.
Not just corpse pits.
Castles of bone, lakes of blood, spires of souls.
A vast city of death, filled with undead in the sky, on the ground, and underground.
Such structures were essential for creating a Necropolis, the dream of every necromancer.
The corpse pit was merely the foundation.
Only by creating and owning a Necropolis, and by creating and controlling a suitable Legion Commander, could a true one-man army be achieved.
Of course, a Legion Commander was still far beyond my reach, and a full-fledged Necropolis would become a target of the Holy Empire and be destroyed the moment it was discovered.
Even a corpse pit would be coveted by warlocks, but in terms of efficiency, forming a contract with a demon and offering sacrifices in exchange for demonic energy was more practical.
Such structures took up space and carried the risk of being targeted and destroyed.
‘Since they’re immobile, there’s a chance of discovery even if they’re well hidden.’
However, my situation was different.
‘The dimensional fragment.’
The magic tower visible to the outside world would be merely a facade.
Very few necromancers possessed the knowledge to build a Necropolis.
I could do it because I had once studied extensively under a demon king and my former master, and this knowledge itself was usually passed down in secret.
Therefore, my ability to build a Necropolis was a secret, and it would be constructed within my dimensional fragment.
Even then, there were aspects I needed to develop through practical application. I only possessed the basic knowledge.
Therefore, it wouldn’t be easy, but it wasn’t impossible.
Creating a Necropolis required a massive amount of corpses, magical knowledge, a certain level of mastery, a large amount of demonic energy, and time.
‘Once the magic tower is properly established… all those conditions will be met.’
An abundance of monsters, knowledge from my previous life, near 6th circle mastery, and an infinite supply of demonic energy.
And as long as I could defend the Barren Lands, I would have ample time.
I didn’t need to worry about the Empire’s attention either.
While they would be wary of a new warlock’s emergence, their attention would be focused on the revival of the Earth Mother Religion.
‘A resurgent major religion would be a greater concern than a single warlock.’
Especially a religion supported by the Six-Kingdom Alliance.
They would be far more preoccupied with that than with me.
In the meantime, I would increase my power and build my city of the undead.
Of course, even after reaching 6th circle, I wouldn’t be able to create a proper city.
I could only build a few basic structures.
A small village at best.
A true Necropolis required at least 8th circle mastery to properly construct and utilize.
‘A 6th circle necromancer can’t even possess a Legion Commander.’
7th circle was the minimum. Even that was insufficient.
However, at that level, I could at least ‘attempt’ to create a Legion Commander.
It required extensive preparation and had a high chance of failure, but if I succeeded, I could build a Necropolis earlier than expected.
‘…Though I’ve never actually built one before.’
Theoretically, it was possible.
Even my master hadn’t built a Necropolis.
Necromancy wasn’t his specialty, and even with a contract with a demon king, he had lived in hiding within a dungeon.
Even if necromancy had been his specialty, he wouldn’t have been able to build a Necropolis in that environment.
Therefore, it went without saying how advantageous my current situation was.
‘Before obtaining the dimensional fragment, I thought building a proper Necropolis was a distant dream.’
I had considered simpler structures.
I planned to turn the underground dungeon in what was once Baron Owalan’s territory into a massive graveyard and expand the surface magic tower into a small Tower of Ghosts.
A Tower of Ghosts could be concealed, reducing the risk of discovery, and even if discovered, a small tower would be within acceptable limits.
I intended to build the laboratory and living quarters underground.
However, the situation had changed so rapidly and favorably that I could now dream bigger.
A true Necropolis was practically legendary, and now, I had the opportunity to build one.
Imagining the exciting future, I fully converted the castle into a base camp.
‘I have a decent stockpile of food…’
There weren’t many mouths to feed.
Still, I couldn’t neglect food storage, so I ordered Annelise to hunt.
With nowhere to run and Cereo by her side, I didn’t worry about her for the time being.
I also instructed Baldur and Orie to split the undead in half and clear the surrounding area, as before.
“Only operate during the day and return before nightfall.”
I also instructed them to periodically bring back some of the corpses.
I even built a makeshift cart for that purpose.
Naturally, I told them to prioritize stronger monsters.
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