Chapter 83: The Ultimate Weapon Against the Undead (01)

'When did this happen... No, was it there from the start?'

If someone approached from outside the mansion, they would undoubtedly hear the sound of bones rattling. The fact that skeletons suddenly appeared outside the door meant they had been hiding inside the mansion all along.

Buzz-!

Even though skeletons are a type of undead, they aren’t particularly strong. With the mana saber activated, a single swing was enough to slice through the waists of the three charging skeletons.

- The mansion's servants...? Why do they look like this... -

Looking at where the skeletons had emerged, I saw traces on the walls and floors, evidence of them bursting out.

'Were they buried here in advance?'

They probably weren’t skeletons to begin with. Most likely, they were corpses that had been transformed into skeletons by necromantic mana. Before that, they were likely just ordinary dead bodies.

Typically, when creating skeletons, you’d acquire sturdy bones, treat them with a special anti-decay coating, and then animate them. However, these skeletons were so decayed that even without the mana saber, simply stepping on their skulls would shatter them to dust.

- Father... is calling me... -

As if entranced by something, the ghostly noblewoman’s body began to levitate, floating toward the window.

"Your father... Was he a necromancer?"

She didn’t respond. She just continued floating, heading toward the window. Alarmed, I channeled mana into my fingers and grabbed her thigh firmly.

- Kyaaah?! -

The moment my mana forcefully interfered with her soul, she gasped in shock. She looked down at my hand, covered in blue mana, gripping her thigh, and then at me. Her faint green eyes regained their clarity as she descended back to the ground, landing in front of me.

- What just happened? I suddenly heard my father calling me... And the servants, looking like... Ahh! -

It was absurd to see a ghost scream in terror at the sight of skeletons.

"Why are you acting surprised now? You’re from a family of caretakers. You must’ve dealt with corpses plenty of times."

- But this is different! They’re not resting peacefully. They’re walking around after death... That’s just... It’s too much... -

As if it were her own tragedy, she began to cry.

- It’s wrong... It’s so pitiful... -

"......"

Ghosts usually linger in this world out of a desire to remain or leave behind some trace of their existence, often harming the living in the process.

This ghostly noblewoman, however, hadn’t harmed me. And she retained her self-awareness. I had a vague idea why.

It wasn’t because of a desire to live or stay in this world. Rather, she likely believed it was natural to find peace and move on, unlike other ghosts who harbored animosity toward the living.

Rustle, rustle...

Before I could dwell on my thoughts any longer, I heard the sound of soil being disturbed, as if numerous hands were clawing at the ground. Hastily, I gathered my clothes, Shuru, and Mollang.

"Follow me. We’re moving."

- Where to? I’ve lived in this room my whole life... -

"You were just about to leave a moment ago. And staying here will get you killed."

- I’m already dead, though? -

Even as she said this, several zombies and skeletons were rising from the graves. I grabbed her hand and half-dragged her out of the room.

- Wait, at least let me grab some clothes... -

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"There’s no time."

As we descended the stairs to escape the mansion, the necromantic mana in the air grew stronger, so potent it stung my nose.

'This is some powerful necromancy...'

It felt as though the mansion itself had been constructed for the purpose of necromancy, with its mana flowing through the entire building, animating corpses effortlessly.

So much so that it could resurrect the dead as undead naturally.

'Necromancers refer to it as the energy of the earth, don’t they?'

There are places where necromantic mana gathers naturally—locations known to generate undead. These are where necromancers frequently gather to collect undead.

Perhaps this graveyard was one of those places, or maybe the abundance of death in the area distorted the terrain’s mana, causing a similar effect...

'Or someone could have been consistently gathering necromantic mana here.'

Either way, the cause didn’t matter.

Clang!

Most of the undead were ancient skeletons, their flesh long since rotted away. Zombies with any remaining flesh were rare. Their dry, brittle bones were so fragile that I could crush them with a punch or kick. But breaking the bones wasn’t enough—they would just reassemble. I had to use the mana saber to disrupt the necromantic rituals binding them.

- Father... is calling me... -

Holding the ghostly noblewoman’s hand in my left, I prevented her from wandering off. She seemed to be heading somewhere, guided by her father’s call. Using her as a compass, I followed her lead.

"Nyaaa..."

Terrified, Shuru hid in my bag, trembling under a pile of random items. Mollang was in there too, protecting her.

Crack!

Although skeletons weren’t much of a threat, I couldn’t just leave them be. I sliced them apart with the mana saber as I advanced. Strangely, the fog grew thicker, and the temperature plummeted. My body, drenched in sweat moments ago, now shivered as though submerged in icy water.

'By now, the dawn should have broken... but it’s unnervingly dark. Did I misjudge the time?'

- Hraaahhh... -

The eerie wails of ghosts began to echo, and blurry apparitions revealed themselves, appearing as they had at the moment of their deaths, slowly drifting toward me.

'Judging by their appearances, they look like maids and servants.'

Unlike the ghostly noblewoman, who appeared unharmed, these spirits bore marks of violence. Parts of their faces and bodies seemed to have been torn apart by beasts. It was clear that they had likely been killed by undead creatures like zombies within the mansion.

- Milady... this way... -

- Milady... the master awaits you... -

- Milady... Milady... -

- We will serve you once again... -

As they approached the ghostly noblewoman, they reached out, as if to touch her, and began draping the tattered remnants of their clothing over her body in an attempt to cover her.

'Fighting them would be possible, but it’d be troublesome.'

Since they couldn’t be physically affected and moved as a swarm, they were practically invincible except for the parts touched by the mana saber. Worse still, if they were to ambush me from the ground or other hidden spots, it would become an exhausting ordeal.

'In that case, there’s a better way.'

Bzzt—

I activated the mana saber and pointed it at the ghostly noblewoman’s neck.

"Come any closer, and I’ll kill her."

- My father is calling me... What? -

The noblewoman, seemingly snapped out of her trance by the heat of the mana saber near her neck, turned to me with a startled expression.

- What are you doing...? -

"Move aside."

The other ghosts hesitated, seemingly unwilling to harm the noblewoman. They stepped back cautiously, allowing me to pass through safely.

- Are you really a knight? -

"This is how knights operate nowadays."

Chivalry or not, efficiency and minimizing casualties are what matter. My peers in the order were taught the same.

- My father is nearby. -

"It might be too late to ask now, but... was your father a practitioner of necromancy?"

- No, my father didn’t know necromancy. -

'Then what is this about?'

- Actually, my mother was a necromancer. But I was born late, and she must’ve already passed away by now... -

"Then your father...?"

- Come here, my daughter... Lien. -

Ahead of us stood a middle-aged nobleman’s ghost, dressed in luxurious clothing, arms outstretched as he called to his daughter.

- My father... He’s calling me... -

"Come here, Lien. Let our family be whole again..."

Below him stood an old woman binding his neck with a black rope.

'A necromancer.'

The aura of necromancy emanated strongly from her.

The ghosts that had stepped aside earlier were now gathering around her, and beneath her feet lay countless corpses.

'Wait... is that old woman even alive?'

Her skin clung unnaturally to her bones, as if it had been forcibly stretched over a skeleton. Aside from her hair and eyes, the rest of her body was concealed by a robe, making her appear like a corpse unnaturally animated.

"Come, Lien. I’ve prepared a new body for you. I even dressed it in a lovely outfit."

As her grating voice echoed, Lien seemed irresistibly drawn toward her.

'A sacrificial altar with the body of a young woman... Is it identical to Lien’s?'

A quick glance confirmed that the body on the altar was identical to Lien’s ghostly form.

‘Could it have been crafted using homunculus technology?’ I enhanced my vision with mana to examine it. No mana flowed through the body—an unmistakable sign that it was a genuine human corpse.

- My body... it’s there... -

It was the corpse of a noblewoman who had died decades ago.

While other servants’ remains had decayed to mere bones, Lien’s body was unnaturally preserved, as if untouched by time.

"Come, my daughter. Let’s live together again. Let our family be whole once more."

Lien tried to fly toward them again, but I refused to let go of her hand.

"Why won’t you come? And why are you naked?"

- Why is my daughter in such a state? And who is that man? -

Noticing me for the first time, the ghosts fixed their gaze on me. Casually, I waved my mana saber as a greeting.

"Who are you?"

"Before we talk, let me introduce myself. I am Ban, a member of the Order of Magical Knights."

"Why are you holding my daughter? And why is her appearance like that?"

"She’s a hostage. We received reports of illegal necromancy here. As for her appearance... let’s just say there were... certain matters between a man and a woman."

"You insolent...!"

"What exactly is that body?"

"It is my daughter’s body! A vessel to bring her soul back to life!"

"Then let me ask you again."

I pointed my mana saber threateningly at the necromancer.

"And what’s the cost?"

Necromancers can increase death.

But reducing death—bringing someone back to life—was impossible.

Even saints couldn’t resurrect the dead, let alone necromancers. The complete revival of the deceased was a theoretical and practical impossibility.

"The body is nearly revived! All that remains is to appease Death by offering another sacrifice—one, two, even a hundred lives!"

- Mother...? -

"If my daughter lives, it doesn’t matter if hundreds or thousands die!"

Lien, shocked by her mother’s words, stopped fixating on her body.

- That’s not right... -

"......"

She tightened her grip on my hand.

- I’m already dead. I don’t belong in this world. -

"If you enter that body, you might truly come back to life. I’m not an expert in necromancy, but if this is some unknown magic, it might work."

- But if I live, someone else must die, right? -

Her mother had admitted as much, so it had to be true.

- Sir Knight... -

"Yes."

- This... isn’t right. I may not know much about the world or relationships between men and women... but I know this is wrong. -

"......"

- Please... stop my mother from reviving me... -

"Are you sure about this?"

Lien nodded firmly.

"Then stay back for a moment. This won’t take long."

Rustle...

The ground began to stir as skeletons that had been buried for centuries emerged. Unlike the brittle ones earlier, these were sturdier and radiated necromantic energy. They wielded rusty fragments of bone as weapons, charging toward me.

"Lien... come to your mother...?"

Behind her, an uncountable number of ghosts began to rise from the ground, all centered around the necromancer. But I wasn’t afraid.

Because I had something up my sleeve.

Crunch.

Reaching into my bag, I grabbed a crumpled paper packet and held it tightly.

‘I apologize in advance, Your Holiness.’

But honestly, this thing doesn’t seem fit for human consumption.

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