The Necromancer Who Was Despised – Chapter 190

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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That was necessary to ensure the complete annihilation of House Priogaha.

House Priogaha had a Master.

Honestly, I wouldn’t have even considered it without Kayla.

‘Though, there’s a high chance he’s away.’

Even so, he would be forced to return if his house was attacked.

Whether he was present or not, we would eliminate him eventually.

“Corpses, I understand, but why dwarves…?”

I didn’t answer.

However, she seemed to realize it was a natural request, considering the value of dwarves, and she nodded.

“Under those conditions, it might be possible. Alright. I’ll report it.”

If they accepted, they would begin procuring the corpses while I was away.

It shouldn’t take too long, considering the ongoing war.

I just needed to recruit my master in the meantime.

The third princess hurriedly departed, and as soon as she left, Kayla requested a private meeting with Prina.

When they finished, Kayla seemed quite satisfied, and surprisingly, Prina’s expression wasn’t unpleasant.

While I was curious about the details of their conversation, I didn’t ask.

While such arrangements were common in this world, I, having come from Earth, wasn’t accustomed to them and refrained from interfering.

“You said you were going to the Monster Forest?”

I nodded at Prina’s question.

“I have some business to attend to.”

“Normally, I would warn you of the dangers, but considering your abilities, I can’t stop you.”

“I’m going to recruit a powerful individual.”

I had no intention of hiding it, so I answered honestly.

I had already explained my reasons for not bringing Thea to Athena and Kayla.

“The Monster Forest… you must be referring to the reclusive warlock.”

“Yes.”

It was a reasonable assumption.

“I was hoping to request your assistance with the defense of Forest Shield…”

“I can help after I return.”

However, it would take some time. The neutral zone was quite far.

Though, with the Phantom Steeds, it wouldn’t take too long.

Fortunately, the royal family had granted me some time, so it should work out.

“Then I’ll leave it to you. As for compensation…”

“As I said, it’s alright this time.”

Simply taking on this task would be beneficial.

‘I’ll be bringing back the Horned Orcs as well?’

Horned Orcs.

And there were still people in the underground dungeon.

I intended to bring them back this time.

The Monster Forest was connected, and there was no reason I couldn’t traverse it now, having done so in the past.

Bringing back the Horned Orcs and the people from the dungeon wouldn’t be difficult, I simply hadn’t had the opportunity before.

‘I might be able to further utilize the Barren Lands.’

Moreover, if I maintained a good relationship with the Demihuman Alliance, I might be able to absorb some of the Horned Orcs who couldn’t adapt to their new environment.

While increasing my undead forces was more appealing than expanding my living forces, there was no need to reject potential allies.

‘The Demihuman Alliance also has a hierarchical structure.’

There would likely be those who couldn’t adapt.

I humbly dismissed Prina’s gratitude, and after resting for a day, I set off for the neutral zone through the Monster Forest with Kayla and Athena.

Traversing the Monster Forest wasn’t difficult at all.

I didn’t even need to summon Entin and his knight order from the dimensional fragment.

Even if I had needed them, I doubted I would have used them.

Kayla, eager to train, handled all the monsters we encountered, allowing us to witness the power of a Master firsthand.

While the opponents were weak, even considering that, her overwhelming power clearly demonstrated why Masters were considered equals to warlocks.

‘Once she’s within range, it’s over.’

While the enemy could sense her, they couldn’t react.

Most defensive magic was like paper before her Aura Blade.

During our journey, Athena bombarded Kayla with questions and challenged her to spars every chance she got.

Kayla wasn’t one to hoard knowledge, and sparring with Athena allowed her to experiment with her new abilities, so their nightly duels often caused quite a commotion.

Moreover, it wasn’t just sparring.

“This… for me?”

“Yes. While I haven’t fully mastered it yet, I’ve memorized the necessary parts.”

Kayla handed Athena a secret manual from House Shuppetran and explained in detail how she had adapted and utilized it.

She even shared her interpretation of the sword marks, clearly showing her affection for Athena.

‘Is she like… her apprentice?’

Kayla had mentioned that Athena was a quick learner, making her a joy to teach.

Interestingly, Kayla admitted that even as a Master, she still couldn’t decipher many of the sword marks.

“That means the Shuppetran of that era had reached a level beyond Master.”

“That’s why he was able to kill a dragon, even in his weakened state.”

It made sense.

“From here on out, be wary of humans as well.”

“Humans?”

Athena looked at me quizzically.

“While it’s called the neutral zone, it’s essentially a lawless land. Criminals hide here, and it’s a constant battleground between the Holy Empire and the Demihuman Alliance.”

There was a reason my master, a warlock, had established her dungeon here.

It was likely filled with the dungeons of other mages and warlocks.

However, they were rarely purged by the Empire or the Demihuman Alliance, as both factions avoided provoking each other.

While they might secretly eliminate weaker targets, those who resided in the neutral zone were generally powerful, and even the Empire had given up on them.

It was a safe haven until a full-scale war broke out between the two factions.

“Then, shouldn’t we be fine? With our strength…”

“There’s no need to attract the Empire’s attention. Tensions are high, and giving them an excuse would be troublesome.”

Especially if they knew about me… they would likely go to great lengths to eliminate me.

Currently, the Six-Kingdom Alliance was more of a nuisance to the Empire than the Demihuman Alliance, and I, being closely associated with the Septran Kingdom, which had played a key role in the revival of the Earth Mother Religion, was a high-value target.

While they likely weren’t aware of our current strength, and we wouldn’t be easily defeated…

‘If they discovered us and managed to restrain us, it would be dangerous.’

Athena and Kayla nodded in understanding, and we cautiously explored the neutral zone.

“You said her name was… Yeria?”

“Yeria Liyereia. Even the dark elves are looking for her.”

“You found her quickly.”

“Actually, I’ve known her location for a while. I just didn’t want to tell you.”

“I thought that might be the case…”

Intrigued by Athena’s words, I asked,

“Why did you think I might have known?”

“Because you knew about that strange warlock’s dungeon. I thought it was a possibility.”

She seemed to have based her assumption on my past exploits of raiding warlock dungeons before I started operating openly.

It was just a suspicion, a lucky guess, but she had been right.

On our way to Yeria’s dungeon, we encountered several monsters and groups of criminals, but they were no match for Kayla.

However, there was one instance where we had to retreat. We encountered an Imperial patrol.

While they had concealed their divine power, they couldn’t hide from Kayla and me, and we quietly avoided them.

We didn’t encounter any Demihuman Alliance patrols.

It seemed they avoided this area, which was primarily patrolled by the Empire.

Considering the neutral zone’s long history, I assumed there were some unspoken rules.

As soon as we reached the dungeon entrance, I retrieved an artifact.

“That’s…”

Mother’s Embrace, once a sacred artifact of the Earth Mother Religion.

Now, it was completely corrupted, stained black.

Golden magic circles, inscribed by me, shimmered across its surface, making it resemble an ornate robe.

I put on the robe.

“I completely forgot about that. That’s… that sacred artifact, right?”

“Yes.”

“You use the chalice just fine, but why not that?”

“I only recently finished modifying it.”

Just like the Chalice of Abundance, which had been completely corrupted when I first acquired Mother’s Embrace, its function had been altered.

It originally protected the wearer from external attacks and maintained them in peak condition. Now, it cursed those who attacked the wearer.

One of the curses I had deciphered prevented the wearer from removing the robe…

At the time, it had been too difficult to dispel, so I had left it alone.

After reaching 7th circle, I had modified the artifact.

I dispelled the altered curses and partially restored its original functions.

The retaliatory curse was useless to me.

If I was attacked directly, it essentially meant defeat.

While it might be useful for revenge, it wasn’t a desirable function for armor.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t fully restore its original functions, so its defensive capabilities were almost nonexistent.

However, I managed to restore its ability to maintain the wearer in peak condition and its self-repair function. Moreover, I added another enchantment.

The golden magic circles were the result of that modification.

The added enchantment was concealment.

More specifically, it concealed my aura.

After seeing how easily the dragon, and others, could discern my power, I had felt the need for such a measure.

I had been considering it for a while, so there was no hesitation.

The material, being a former sacred artifact, was of exceptional quality, and combined with my increased power, the effect was remarkable. Even the dragon couldn’t see through it now, if I focused.

Of course, I had to consider the dragon’s current state, but it was undeniable that the artifact was exceptionally well-crafted.

‘I’m going to meet a demon lord’s contractor.’

I didn’t want to reveal my true power without any precautions.

“Not just the color, but the shape seems to have changed slightly as well? It looks better than I expected.”

I had adjusted it slightly to fit my body, and it seemed quite stylish.

“What do you think, Kayla?”

“It suits you, Master.”

“No, not that. My aura.”

“Hmm…”

Kayla examined me for a moment, then spoke, slightly surprised.

“I can tell you’re a warlock, but that’s all. The demonic energy emanating from the robe is concealing your aura like a veil.”

As expected, since it was based on demonic energy and utilized my own demonic energy, it couldn’t completely hide the fact that I was a warlock.

“What about my level?”

“…I’m not sure. You seem powerful, yet also weak… but considering I can’t see through it, I can’t say you’re weak… Ah, if I consider the artifact’s function…”

I asked Athena the same question, and she gave a similar answer.

Their uncertainty pleased me.

While I had tested it on the dragon, I still had some doubts, but they were now gone.

‘It’s enough, since I won’t be meeting the demon lord directly.’

This was sufficient.

“Then… shall we go?”

I summoned Entin and his undead knight order and instructed them to open the entrance.

-As you command.

He immediately touched the designated spot, and purple smoke billowed out.

I reacted instantly, sealing the smoke.

“This is…?”

“A curse. It knocks you unconscious if you touch it.”

It was the same curse I had encountered in my previous life.

Yeria would have noticed the intrusion now that it had been triggered.

However, it didn’t matter.

With our current strength, she couldn’t stop us, whether she knew or not.

The undead knight order marched into the open entrance.

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