High-ranking undead like Death Knights are not created through magic alone.
They are made by carving various Magic Circles into a dead body and pouring Deathly Energy into it.
Therefore, if one possesses the knowledge and knows how to handle Deathly Energy, even a low-Circle Magician can theoretically create a Death Knight.
Of course, raising it and controlling it is another matter entirely.
“So, creating them won’t be much of a problem.
Above all, do you not have me, Purunel Pencheff, as your teacher? You, lucky fellow, only need to bring me delicious… no, excellent corpses without any worries.”
Purunel was as excited as could be now that the Necromancy education had begun.
However, there were many points that were hard to accept just by listening to Purunel’s words.
“Is it really possible to create undead using the bodies of Abyss Monsters? They’re twisted beyond belief.”
-That’s actually better! It means a stronger undead will be born compared to conventional ones!
“……Is that so?”
As expected, Purunel’s way of thinking was thoroughly that of a Necromancer.
“Well, putting that aside, what about the souls? To make high-ranking undead, you need to obtain souls that match them.”
-Ah, about that……
Purunel, who had been chatting excitedly until now, suddenly became calm when the issue of souls was brought up.
-Won’t there be casualties among the Empire’s knights as well? Then we can recover those souls and……
I knew it would come to this.
“You crazy Necromancer.”
No matter how much I intended to become stronger, this wasn’t right.
“I’m not doing it.”
-No, listen to me. I’m not saying we should take them by force. That’s even more difficult, and rather, we could persuade the souls with lingering regrets to resolve their grudges in a positive way……
For now, I decided to go along with Purunel’s words.
Well, I was persuaded by the argument that it wouldn’t be about forcing souls in, but rather doing it only when strong regrets remained, like with Theodore last time.
Even so, it was true that I still felt uneasy.
The knights of the Empire.
Their faces, cheering for the name Hio, were still vivid in my mind……
To put such souls into dead bodies, and ones twisted by the energy of the Abyssal Depths at that, to make them undead.
If it weren’t for Purunel, who always looked out for Hio, I wouldn’t have even listened to the end of such a suggestion.
-It is only because you have not yet possessed an Undead Legion. You still have an instinctive repulsion. In fact, if you look at the Emperor’s Death Knight, Theo Rdomann, you can see it. Being an undead is not always such a bad thing. You just have to do well as a master so that they can be sufficiently satisfied.
“Fine. Since we’ve decided to do that, let’s move on. So, what do I need to learn?”
-Ehehehe. That is a good question.
Purunel let out a sinister chuckle.
5th Circle Necromancy.
To use Purunel’s words, it was the stage where one could truly establish themselves as a one-man army, a Great Catastrophe on the battlefield.
Therefore, the first Necromancy to be learned as a high-ranking Necromancer was…
-Storage magic.
“……Huh?”
-Well, do you expect your ancestors to carry the undead for you? You need a space to store them.
It was storage magic.
A type of magic that allowed one to store created undead.
“You’re not wrong, but…… how should I put it? It’s a bit underwhelming.”
After all that buildup, to end up with storage magic.
It was enough to make the excitement fizzle out.
However, Purunel tilted his head from side to side as if to disagree.
He seemed to want to snap his fingers coolly, but since he had no fingers, he shook his head instead.
-You don’t know what you’re talking about. ‘Undead Storage’ is the very symbol of a high-ranking Necromancer. It is a magic that allows you to put in or take out the undead under your Dominion in an instant.
“Is the principle similar to a sub-space?”
-It is different from that. Sub-space falls under the territory of Space Creation as Spatial Magic. This is literally the concept of borrowing an Undead Storage filled with Deathly Energy.
“If you’re borrowing it…… from where? Hell?”
-Do I even need to say? It’s the Necropolis.
Hearing that, it seemed like a magic with quite high utility.
‘Didn’t it mean I could suddenly pull out a large-scale legion even while traveling alone?’
If I had enough undead to make up a legion under my Dominion, I could infiltrate enemy lines alone and turn it into a massive battlefield in an instant.
-Besides that, there are magics like Death Field that mass-produce undead immediately on the battlefield, but since those won’t be very useful at your current level, it would be better to raise your Circle further before learning other spells.
“Then what I’m learning now is Undead Storage and the method for producing high-ranking undead.”
-That’s right. In the next raid, let’s bring back as many usable corpses as possible. Hehe. I’m sure we can create a magnificent Undead Legion.
“……Alright. Well, let’s try it.”
There was no reason to hesitate.
I had learned Spatial Magic faster than expected, and although my power as a Spatial Magician might be meager, the important thing was the effect of the skill.
Now that I had obtained it, I just had to learn 5th Circle Necromancy and then master all the remaining spells before looking for the ‘Ancient Grimoire: Book of Dragon Summoning’ or searching for other holy magic.
By growing bit by bit like that, the day would surely come.
-First, let us engrave the Circle Inscription.
The day when I would become strong enough to face any variable.
***
One day, as it approached two months since the clear of the 53rd floor of the Abyss.
Black Gates appeared across the Continent once again.
The time for the raid had returned.
The residents of the Continent were now quite accustomed to it.
The 54th floor of the Abyss Gate, widely known by the name Magyeong, had opened.
As if waiting for it, the Vanguard was deployed, and the area near the Gate was completely controlled by swiftly moved troops.
The news naturally spread to the Imperial Capital, but the knights’ agitation was minimal.
Battles within the Magyeong were grueling and life-threatening.
‘However, had they not rung the bells of victory repeatedly?’
‘As a result, hadn’t their own skills also advanced a step further?’
Therefore, they had gained a fair amount of confidence.
It was far from arrogance or carelessness.
It was the confidence that they could do it.
The Royal Knights were no different in that regard.
If anything, their passion could be said to be even more intense than that of other knight orders.
Although they were already famous as the strongest knight order in the Empire, their desire to become stronger was even hotter.
It was likely due to a combination of various reasons.
If I had to name one…
“Pant…… Huff……”
Claire was running while breathing heavily.
And Melissa was casually approaching beside her.
“Is it hard? Do you want to stop?”
“No, ma’am!”
The reason was likely being stimulated by the sight of the two pouring themselves into training without wasting a single moment.
“It’s okay. If it’s hard, you can rest. You could just comfortably fire off flames from the back, so why bother building up stamina so painfully? Isn’t that right?”
“……N-no, ma’am!”
Melissa took particularly good care of Claire.
‘She was the second female member to join after Melissa among all those rough men, wasn’t she?’
There were already so few members to begin with, and wasn’t it a knight order gathered with only remarkably blunt and quiet fellows?
Even Damon, who talked way too much, had been immersed only in training since his crushing defeat by Antipus……
Naturally, Claire and Melissa had no choice but to become close.
“I bet it’s not a ‘no.’ It’s hard, right? You’re thirsty? You want to rest? It would be so comfortable to just stop and lie down right now, wouldn’t it?”
“No…… Huff…… No, ma’am……!”
Of course, the meaning of Melissa ‘taking care’ of her was a bit different from the general sense, but regardless, it was true that they were close.
“I can do more-aat!”
The two continued their training like that.
“In the end, the foundation of everything is stamina. No matter how high your Magic Power is or how strong your mental strength is, it’s useless if your stamina is weak.”
“Yes!”
Just because someone is a long-range skill user doesn’t mean they are treated like the Magicians of the distant past.
They didn’t lock themselves in a room to only research and study like Magicians, nor did they require the high level of concentration that Magicians did.
Skill users also received the same intensity of training as knights and continued their discipline.
“Everyone is like that, but your flames especially tend to grow during actual combat. So right now, don’t think about anything else and focus on increasing your stamina.”
“I will keep that in mind!”
She wasn’t just running, either.
She had sandbags and such hanging all over her body and had been repeating nothing but running for several hours already to match Melissa’s pace.
Since a skill user is one who instinctively handles and utilizes Magic Power, their body is superior to that of an ordinary person, but since they didn’t handle aura like a knight, it was clearly an unbelievably difficult training for Claire.
“Huff……..”
Despite that, Claire did not show a single complaint and did not give up until the end.
Although it seemed so far away, because she had a clear goal.
For that goal, she constantly whipped herself and ran forward like a high-soaring fire.
Only after a bit more time had passed.
“Good. That’s enough.”
At the same time as Melissa’s words, Claire sprawled out on the floor.
Her whole body was soaked in sweat, and she was in a state where she could do nothing but inhale and exhale.
It was natural since she had squeezed out every bit of her stamina to the limit.
Melissa, who had run with Claire, was also soaked in sweat, but unlike Claire, she looked quite composed, showing the difference in stamina that comes from experience.
“Once the Vanguard that went into the Magyeong returns, we have to prepare to go in as well, so rest tomorrow. For training, try not to use your physical strength if possible.”
“Huff…… Yes.”
After a brief rest, Claire pulled herself up.
She had worked so hard that a mark remained on the floor in the exact shape of her lying down.
It was a mark made of sweat.
“Eek..”
Claire blushed and rubbed it with the sole of her shoe, but it wasn’t a mark that would disappear just because of that.
It was embarrassing, but thankfully there were no people around.
The person nearby was Melissa, a fellow woman, and this was a private training ground within the Imperial Castle that only the Royal Knights could frequent.
Since a sweat stain would dry and disappear quickly after some time, it was a relief.
‘Anyway, isn’t it a natural phenomenon that happens after training?’
It wouldn’t really matter if others saw it, but still, a sweat mark in the shape of a sprawled-out body for a woman who still had the air of a young girl…
‘It was a bit much, wasn’t it?’
While she was trying to hide her embarrassment and prepare to head back.
“Hmm?”
Suddenly, a familiar voice called her name.
“Claire?”
Claire’s head turned faster than anything else toward the source of that voice.
“Eh? It really is Claire.”
A person she thought she might run into someday, but never imagined it would be now.
It was Hio.
As always, leaning on a large staff, Hio was looking this way with wide eyes.
Without a doubt, he was the number one person she did not want to meet in her current state.
As if he hadn’t noticed Claire’s feelings at all, Hio approached step by step with a look of pure joy.
“What’s this? That outfit is the Royal Knights training uniform. Claire, did you join the Royal Knights?”
Every time Hio took a step forward, Claire took a step back.
At the same time, Claire reflected on her current appearance.
Soaked in sweat, her red hair would be messily stuck to her face, and her training uniform would likely be in a similar state.
And above all…
‘The smell! I must smell like sweat!’
Therefore, she must never.
She must absolutely never face him up close.
“Since when? No, why didn’t you tell me? Ah, was it because I wasn’t in the palace?”
However, Hio’s steps were fast.
He was approaching from the entrance of the training ground with a bright smile as if he were truly happy to see her, and how on earth was she supposed to stop him?
“Anyway, it’s really good to see you here, Claire.”
To make matters worse, there was nowhere left to retreat.
It wasn’t a problem like a wall being behind her, but if she retreated any further, the sweat stain engraved on the floor would be fully revealed to Hio.
Truly, really, absolutely, she could not let that happen.
She would rather die than show such a mark to Hio; it was an impossible thing that must never happen.
If she moved forward, the smell of sweat.
If she moved back, the sweat stain.
In that desperate crisis, the one who saved Claire was…
“Sigh…….”
It was Melissa, who stepped forward with a small sigh.
“It has been a while, Guardian Knight.”
Melissa’s positioning was exquisite, blocking Hio’s path and perfectly shielding Claire.
“Yeah. It’s been a while for you too, Melissa. Has it been two months?”
“Yes. You left immediately after the last raid. More importantly, what brings you here?”
“I came for a bit to discuss something with Sylvia…… and to meet Vitalianus since it’s about time for the Magyeong to open again……”
Even while talking, Hio glanced behind Melissa to see Claire, but each time, Melissa’s blue hair fluttered, subtly hiding Claire’s figure.
“Vitalianus should be in his office.”
“Ah, is that so? Thanks.”
Hio nodded and tried to pass Melissa to go to Claire.
Whish—
“……Huh?!”
Suddenly, a blizzard began to howl.
A blizzard in late autumn, and indoors at that.
Since the owner of it was obvious, Hio’s gaze turned toward Melissa once again.
“Melissa……?”
To that, Melissa simply repeated the same words.
With a fresh smile that was not like her at all.
“Vitalianus should be in his office?”
“……I-is that so?”
“Yes. You never know, so shouldn’t you go right now?”
“Is…… that so?”
By that point, even Hio had no choice but to notice.
Claire, who was backing away.
Melissa, who usually never acted like this, blocking his way.
And the blizzard howling indoors.
“Ah, then I should hurry. Hmm. Right.”
Hio, having roughly guessed the situation, turned his back immediately with an awkward laugh.
“See you next time. Hahaha.”
As Hio quickly left the training ground, the sound of Purunel clicking his tongue echoed deep in his mind.
-Tsk tsk…… Do you have no consideration for a lady?
“You’re right. I was thoughtless.”
For once, Hio readily admitted it.
No matter how slow he was in these matters, he felt he had gone too far this time.
Since they were making it so obvious, he realized too late because his joy at seeing her had come first.
The sight of the two desperately blocking his approach.
The reason was obvious.
‘I guess Claire had an accident during training.’
Hio didn’t know exactly what his image of Claire was, but no other reason for them to desperately stop his approach came to mind.
Upon hearing that, Purunel’s sigh echoed in Hio’s head.
-Unbelievable!
Melissa’s sigh echoed in the training ground where the blizzard had stopped.
“……You have a long way to go, Claire.”