I calmly sat on the bed placed in the former mage's quarters. I could see why Lacerta enjoyed jumping on it, as it was quite soft and springy. She herself was sitting on the chair by the nearby desk. Papers and scribbles were still scattered about it. It made me think I should tidy this place up once I got the chance.

“What do you need my assistance with, my knight? Do you wish to learn more spells?”

It's always good to have more spells, but the Mana Missile I learned earlier is more than sufficient for now. I took out the Amulet of Anastasis and threw it over to her. She didn't recognize it before, but now that its true face was exposed I hoped she would have some insight.

“What do you make of this? This is the same silver pendant I showed you earlier.”

She looked it over with inquisitive eyes. Her claws carefully traced over the surface of the piece of jewelry.

“Intriguing. In the center of it, is that a spirit crystal? Considering their rarity, this would make this pendant very valuable. That's not even counting its magical effects. As expected from my knight, this is a wonderful find.”

Spirit crystals also existed in Spirit of Darkness. They were items used for cooperative play, allowing the user to summon other players to assist in clearing our dungeons, or allowing one to invade the world of another and slay him. There were many kinds, most being consumables, but some having unlimited use. When I looked at it, the crystal in the pendant looked very similar to the simple consumable type used to summon friendly spirits.

“I knew of spirit crystals, but I didn't think this kind of item would contain one. Is this something that's commonly done?”

The lizard shook her head.

“No, they're far too rare. It's a real shame, though, as this crystal is all used up. The bright blue color has faded to a dull gray. Perhaps it possessed power in the past, but now it's little more than a decoration. I wonder what this item was designed to do.”

That was new information to me. Used up crystals simply disappeared in SoD, so one never saw them in the gray state Lacerta described. That was also the reason I did not recognize the Amulet of Anastasis as containing a spirit crystal in the game, as it looked different from what I was familiar with.

It made me wonder whether that was the reason for the amulet only working once. Since the crystal was consumed, the wearer could only revive one time before facing true death. By the same token, it made me wonder if replacing the crystal would mean it'd be repeatedly used. I haven't seen any fresh spirit crystals in this new world, so I couldn't confirm this hypothesis.

I put away the amulet and took out a different item -- the cracked gem I found hung around the skeleton mage's neck. I had suspicions as to its identity, but I wanted a confirmation. If I was right then I would have to face the consequences.

“What about this?” I said as I threw it over.

She dexterously caught it with one hand. Even as a mage immersed in her craft, she was still very agile.

“A black cracked gem. It looks familiar. I swear I saw it in a book once...”

She rubbed her chin in thought.

“Oh, it's a lich's phylactery. I saw a picture in one of the books in this very library. Where did you manage to find this, my knight? Have you been thinking of becoming a lich?”

I sighed as my suspicions were confirmed.

“No, I found it on the corpse of the skeleton in the hallway.”

“I see. So that was no mere skeleton mage, but a mighty undead lich! Your accomplishments amaze me, my knight; this must be wonderful news.”

“No. It's actually terrible.”

“I don't understand. Why would that be? Since the phylactery is cracked, it means the lich has truly been slain. He will never bother us again.”

Liches were a type of undead, but they were very different from the typical skeletons or zombies. Skeletons were remains of remains of the dead raised by the magic of necromancy. Liches, however, were powerful necromancers who utilized a ritual to overcome their bodily limitations and join the undead themselves. The phylactery was said in lore to contain their souls, allowing them to maintain their full power even if their body was an assemblage of bones. They were powerful enemies in SoD, but that was not my worry.

“Exactly, Lacerta. That lich is gone for good. But that only benefits us if we assume he was our enemy in the first place.”

Lacerta was befuddled by my reasoning.

“Are you saying that lich was friendly? But why would....”

She pondered in silence until the realization came to her.

“It can't be. If that's the case, then it's just tragic.”

When I first explored this cave, I was steadfast in defeating all in my path. This is because I was sure there were no persons of interest. The only individual I had to watch out for at the time was Calvar's master, which he described as a human necromancer. Since none of the cave's inhabitants were human, I had no second thoughts on slaying all the skeletons before me.

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However, it has been several years since Calvar last saw his master. He was human before, but that doesn't guarantee he was still so later. If you calmly think about it, then the lich's identity was obvious. It was none other than Calvar's master himself. Calvar stated the his best lead was in the depths of this cave, and he was right. My own ignorance has incessantly destroyed the sole goal of his undead life.

“Will you tell him, my knight?”

That was an important question. However, I already thought of the answer earlier.

“No. There is nothing to gain from doing so. If he knows, he will likely fall into despair. In his current state he could at least live out the rest of his days in relative happiness. It's the least we could do.”

With his master dead, so is his hope of replenishing his mana. It means that for Calvar the trusty skeleton, the days in this world are numbered. According to his own words, he will die within the week.

Lacerta looked sullen.

“I see. You know him better than I do, so I trust your judgment, my knight.”

It was truly disheartening, but there was nothing I could do about it now. I decided to brighten up the mood and head outside. The bright sunshine was as invigorating as ever. Lacerta was by my side, reading the letter I earlier received.

“I see. So you think this is from the Demon Lord? Then it's a clear invitation to head to his castle. Will you take up the offer, my knight?”

I shook my head.

“I am not a fool. From what I know, the Demon Lord is the great villainous entity of this world. Just because the final boss invited me into his lair, it doesn't mean I have to comply. I will head there once I am ready. For now, I have several other locations I wish to inspect.”

I took out the map I found in the lich's lair. There were still several settlements marked with an “x” that were left unexplored. One of those was a castle.

“Lacerta, what do you think about this place?”

She glanced over at the map. She didn't know much about human civilization, but she was familiar with most nearby locations.

“I know there's a dreary castle in that spot. There are multiple castles in this map, but that's the only that's specially marked. My knight, could that be the Demon Lord's castle? If so, then it's valuable information.”

I thought so as well. The lich must have been a pretty high ranking official or general, as this map is a valuable resource to his allocation of forces. Since that is highly likely to be the Demon Lord's castle, that is one region I must avoid for now.

I pointed at another marked location.

“What about this one?”

“That's an old mansion. Rumors say that it's haunted, so kobolds avoid passing near it. Ghost can be frightening enemies, after all.”

I earnestly closed the map and stashed it away. Ghosts never bothered me.

“Alright, sounds good. That will be my next goal. I will clear out the haunted mansion!”

Lacerta was impressed by my passion.

“Wonderful, my knight! I am glad to see your determination, but do you mind sharing your plan with me as well? I should know better, but it looks to me like you are picking locations at random.”

Her comment made me realize I didn't actually have a long-term plan. I was just going along with the mood, doing what I would do if this was still a game. In light of this, I made up a brief plan of action on the spot.

“First I will target the locations occupied by the Demon Lord's demon generals. Then I will explore some of the unmarked ones, gathering aether and acquiring more information about this world. Once I feel I am strong enough, I will challenge the Demon Lord. Of course, I eventually plan to explore everything Tristaria has to offer. This is a whole new land for me, so I have much to learn. Tristaria is a truly unique and unknown place which I plan to experience in the fullest.”

The lizard's eyes sparkled in admiration. I didn't think it was that impressive, but I could rarely tell what was going through this kobold's head.

“Truly admirable, my knight. Forgive my ignorance, but your plan left me puzzled with one detail. Do you mind explaining it to me?”

“Of course. Go ahead.”

She inquisitively rubbed her chin before speaking. I thought the plan was fairly self-explanatory, and was curious to hear what further elaboration it required. It's true that it was vague, but it seemed like an optimal configuration to explore Tristaria.

“What exactly is this 'Tristaria' you were speaking of?”

Utterly baffled by the question, only one word left my mouth.

"...what?"