“Oh, I will show him a fire!” Cassie said.

“Please, don’t blow up our tents.” I said, slightly worried.

“We need a proper place for our tents first anyway. The ground is quite wet.” Helena pointed out.

“Hm.” Skadi said. “I haven’t learned any helpful earth magic yet. Should we ask Torben?”

“Nah, we got this!” Cassie sounded confident. “Koyuki will shield the campsite for a bit, then I will just burn away the water!”

“You want to set an area big enough for four tents on fire?” I asked. “And you think that will get rid of the water and dry out the ground?”

“That would require quite a fire.” Skadi said.

“We are on our way back anyway. I have potions left.” Cassie shrugged.

“But those are expensive.” I pointed out. “Maybe there is a better solution? Can’t we just put the tents on the wet ground? They are supposed to be waterproof anyway. And it keeps raining. It’s not like any dry ground we create will stay dry.”

“I don’t mind being wet but if we camp in the mud, everything will be muddy.” Helena complained. “We still have three more days on the road.”

“But we could wash stuff in the river. The remaining journey will be next to the Jinso.” I argued. “Would it really be that bad?”

They grumbled a bit but in the end they agreed that setting a large portion of the ground on fire was not an ideal solution. Instead we would go for a normal campfire and deal with a bit of mud.

We found a reasonable spot for our tents at the edge of the camp. There was a nice patch of grass. As we unpacked our tents, I had an idea. I commanded my goblins to set up mine. They were tier two undead. They should be able to learn a basic task.

My friends watched me as my goblins got to work. I felt rather smug.

“Huh. Nice idea.” Helena commented.

Nyx was still on my head and likely watching the goblins work. I could feel her tail swishing around.

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

“You know, I can have them set up your tents as well.” I offered.

“Thanks!” My friends happily agreed.

Skadi and Cassie left to get some firewood. Helena stayed with me watching the goblins work.

“Undead are quite useful. You should get more.” Helena said.

“I suppose. I have no idea how many I could control until mana becomes a problem. I barely feel the three I have. But what would I really use them for? Carrying my books?”

“Well, guards are helpful. Especially if we want to go into the city.”

“Can you just walk around with a bunch of undead?” I wondered.

“If you wear the academy uniform it should not be a problem. If you are an unknown mage the guards will likely ask some questions. But necromancy is quite legal. There just are not that many with the affinity. And those who exist rarely have a reason to walk around with an army of undead. Oh and shops might require you to have them wait outside. I suppose some restaurants are not keen on having undead nearby…”

“I will talk with the headmaster when we return. With my water shield, and Nyx, the threat might not be that bad. And nobody came after me directly on this trip.” I said.

“Maybe they decided to recruit you instead. Maybe you will come back to a bunch of marriage offers.” Helena teased.

“Uhm… I… I don’t think I would like to marry someone I don’t know.”

“You want romance? Someone you love?” Helena asked.

“I haven't thought much about it. I was never in control of my future. Now that I have freedom… Yes, I do want to make a choice that brings me happiness. What about you?”

Helena sighed. “I am not sure. Obviously I don’t want Leo. I would be ok with a political marriage if the man was decent.”

“Why? You are not even the heir, right? Your brother will inherit the county. And you are doing quite well. What would you throw your happiness away for?” I wondered.

“It’s not that easy. If you don’t have any political connections you can be cornered. There could be new laws that restrict your trade. New obligations, like a quota of monsters you have to slay to protect the border. And maybe penalties if you don’t deliver. If you are not careful, other nobles will try to take your title. Or at least gain control over you. Look at Leo’s manoeuvring. The Harolds are trying to control us. If they can convince the Winstons…”

“The answer is simple.” I said. “We just become strong enough that we don’t need to play their games. Then we request our own duchy from the king. An undead army is a good argument.” I was joking. I did not expect to actually get a duchy, but it was a nice thought.

Helena smiled. “I knew you would embrace the undead army at some point! You know, if we conquered a part of Ilestria we could get a duchy as a reward!”

“Uhm…”

“Muahahaha!” Helena did have a great evil laugh.

“What is that about?” Skadi asked. She had just returned with Cassie.

“Helena is planning to invade Ilestria to get a duchy.” I explained.

“Hey, that would solve a lot of our problems.” Cassie said. “Imagine the four of us running a duchy. Koyuki has the army, Helena leads the troops, Skadi manages the trade and I support everyone with potions.”

They were taking this way too seriously. “You can’t just invade another country!” I protested.

“Eh, they hate you for your necromancy anyway. I am sure they will give you plenty of reasons in time.” Skadi said.

“And there are enough nobles who would welcome an expansion to our kingdom. Obviously they would want the new territory themselves. We would certainly need the king on our side. If he could gain a loyal duchess he might be interested.” Helena mused.

“We are only first years! We are not conquering anything soon.” I said.

“True. But it’s nice to have plans. And a goal to work towards.” Cassie said.

That was not a plan!

Nyx started purring. “See, even Nyx agrees.” Helena said.

Oh well. We were still young. A bit of dreaming did not hurt.