Chapter 35: The Poetry Society of Death Rejectors

“Mr. Nolan, don’t be so agitated!”

“I’m not the kind of evil necromancer who uses curses or digs up people’s ancestral graves.”

“I’m a member of the Poetry Society of Death Rejectors!”

Edward shook his head quickly, explaining loudly.

“Death Rejectors? What is that?”

“People who reject death?”

Suddenly hearing a somewhat edgy term, Vivian poked her head out to interject, her eyes blinking in confusion.

“No, no, no.”

“Miss Vivian, you’ve misunderstood.”

Edward wagged his index finger.

“‘Death Rejectors’ doesn’t mean rejecting death; it should be understood as rejecting the undead.”

“The Death Rejectors believe in the avatar of darkness — Mothes.”

“Our goal is to guide the undead lingering in this world and the resentful souls who refuse to move on.”

“We lead them to the underworld to rest and eventually be reborn through reincarnation.”

“I hope every word you say is the truth,” Nolan snorted. He lowered his guard and sat back down beside Vivian.

“I swear in the name of Mothes that if there is a single false word,”

“I am willing to become a lonely soul in the underworld, never to be reincarnated for all eternity.”

Edward pointed at the shadow beneath his feet, swearing solemnly and earnestly by his faith.

However, he seemed to have spoken too much at once, leaving his mouth a bit dry. He raised his beer keg again and took a slow sip. Afterward, he let out a satisfied grunt.

“Does such a group exist in our bright Valorian Kingdom?”

Vivian leaned over, tilting her head and lightly bumping Nolan’s arm as he sat beside her.

“There are indeed rumors circulating within the Church,” Nolan began.

“They say there is a small, specialized group of necromancers in the world.”

“They mainly operate in the mass graves and sewers of various towns, collecting unclaimed bodies.”

“Some bold individuals even disguise themselves as priests to conduct funerals for the deceased who have families.”

Nolan raised his arm, pulling Vivian into his embrace and letting her rest her head on his sturdy thigh. He looked down at the girl’s slightly flushed face before continuing.

“The priests call this particular group of necromancers the ‘Scavengers’.”

“But they ended up stealing the priests’ work, so the priests complained to the Pope.”

“They hoped the Pope would send the Church’s knights to arrest these heretics.”

“As it turned out, the Pope not only didn’t order their arrest, but he even praised the actions of these necromancers.”

“The Pope believed they relieved the Church’s staffing pressure, allowing more resources to be diverted to the fight against demons.”

Hearing this, Edward rubbed his hands together awkwardly.

“My colleagues have indeed done such things.”

“There’s quite a bit of profit to be made from conducting funerals.”

Then he waved his hand dismissively.

“But I’ve never participated in that.”

“Only the old seniors in the society take those kinds of commissions.”

‘Because I’m a newcomer…’

‘Such good things would never fall into my hands…’

At the thought, Edward’s face instantly crumpled into a miserable expression as he complained secretly to himself.

The Poetry Society of Death Rejectors had a strict internal hierarchy and a clear division of labor. A newly joined necromancer like Edward could only perform simple, basic tasks like collecting bodies or soothing berserk skeletons.

“Oh, right!”

Edward raised his eyebrows and held up his index finger.

“This is our society’s badge.”

“I believe it’s enough to prove my identity.”

With that, Edward threw back his black robe, untied the badge hanging from his waist by a hemp rope, and handed it over.

Vivian, lying lazily on Nolan’s lap, slowly reached out to take the badge. She held it up to her eyes, examining it closely in the sunlight streaming through a hole in the wall.

It was a metal badge about the size of three fingers, glowing with a faint blue luster. On the front was an illustration of a snake’s head with its mouth wide open, revealing fangs. A long, thin, curved tongue flicked out from its maw.

Even though it was comprised of only a few simple strokes outlining a general shape, it vividly captured the overwhelming pressure of a giant serpent.

“This is the mark of Lord Mothes, the avatar of darkness.”

“He is the shadow and the corpse of the Creator God.”

“He is the purest darkness.”

Seeing a flash of confusion in Vivian’s eyes, Edward began to explain. Then, he closed his eyes, his expression turning respectful and pious.

“If you can welcome the grandest yet most secret death,”

Edward suddenly looked up and spread his arms, shouting loudly, “You will please Lord Mothes!”

“At that time, He will resurrect you, and then…”

He suddenly lowered his head and voice, slowly uttering a few words, “You can become His favored one.”

After speaking, Edward’s expression became complicated, and he spread his hands helplessly.

“For that reason, most members of our society spend every day thinking about how to die…”

“They want to die a meaningful death, yet do so secretly and unknown to the world.”

“But me, I happen to be a coward who’s afraid of dying.”

“So, my superiors have always felt that my faith is not firm enough.”

Vivian was stunned, not knowing how to evaluate this strange organization of necromancers for a moment.

‘Fine, it’s another world, so it makes sense that there are some strange people…’

With that thought, she let it go.

“Let’s stop talking about your faith and talk about those corpses.”

Vivian hopped out of Nolan’s arms and sat upright in her seat.

“Where did you find those bodies?”

“Answer me first: what is your purpose?” Edward didn’t answer but asked a question of his own.

“We are here to investigate the cause of their deaths.”

“Hmm… the corpses were picked up not far south of this little hut,” Edward said after a moment of thought.

“Can you take us there?” Vivian asked expectantly.

“I’m afraid not; I have to stay here to process these corpses.”

“If I leave, the massive amount of death energy gathered here might cause the corpses to transform, becoming wandering undead.”

“These wandering undead are a threat that cannot be underestimated for the nearby villages.”

“If that were to happen, it would cause major casualties… and that is something I cannot accept.”

Edward shook his head, refusing Vivian’s request.

As a necromancer responsible for collecting bodies, he had long been accustomed to death. However, Edward had not become indifferent because of it. On the contrary, he was full of awe toward death and was unwilling to see others die. Especially if they died because of him; that would make him even more guilt-ridden.

“I see…” Vivian sighed in disappointment.

Seeing her disappointment, Edward hurriedly spoke up.

“Don’t be too disappointed, Miss Vivian. I have another way.”

A mysterious smile curled at the corners of Edward’s mouth.

“I can’t leave, but I can have someone else go in my place.”

Through their previous conversation, Edward had gradually realized that Vivian had a kind nature. As long as he satisfied the knight beside her, he wouldn’t have to worry about being beaten.

Therefore, he relaxed his tone while speaking with Vivian, playing a little trick by keeping them in suspense.

Edward took a sip of beer and let out a loud burp. Then, he placed the oak keg gently on the ground and whispered, “I can have a living corpse lead the way for you.”