137. Necromancer

137. Necromancer

“Kids.”

“Skadi, the sky….”

“I know.”

Leaving the wreckage of the falling dragon behind, I descended from the sky with Pipi’s help. The sky was pitch black, with no light source other than the magic cast by the mages. Even the dragons had stopped attacking, making it feel as if the world had truly been enveloped in darkness.

“What did you do up there?”

“Ah, Claire. What did I do? I just took down that one giant dragon….”

Could this be a trap set by the dragons beforehand? If so, for what reason would they set such a trap?

After a moment of silent contemplation, people’s eyes turned towards the sky. In the completely black sky, something faint… was approaching.

“H-dragons are falling from the sky?! Kyaa?!”

THUD, THUD, THUD!

The rain of dragons repeatedly struck the ground and the protective barrier shielding us. At first, I thought it was the corpse of the colossal dragon I had killed, but it was different. From small dragons to large ones, countless dragons were falling.

“What is it?”

“Oh, that falling object is the corpse of an Ancient Dragon, the highest species among dragons. It’s fitting for a dragon that reigned from the highest place. I wish I could dissect it for research, but it’s a shame the current situation prevents it….”

“Be quiet!”

I let the explanation of the research-obsessed professor flow in one ear and continued to gaze at the sky. The numerous dragons that had filled the sky suddenly fell and crashed onto the ground. The impact hit the protective barrier, and the mages groaned.

“Are they committing mass suicide because their leader died…?”

“Dragons aren’t stupid, they wouldn’t do that. I only expected them to scatter, not die like this… Sister, do you have any idea?”

Freya muttered as she reinforced the protective barrier. Even if I had any ideas, it would only be based on what that colossal dragon mumbled to itself. Would that even help in deduction?

“It’s meaningless to kill me… I think it said that. Ah, and according to the contract, the bounda- what was it, someone will fulfill my revenge.”

“The bounda…? What is that? Try to remember properly!”

“No… I didn’t think it was important.”

It’s like when a writer, wanting to flesh out unfinished plot points, makes the final boss ramble on and on just before dying. I naturally assumed it was something like that.

“I’m sorry.”

“Ugh?!”

I pressed my lips against Freya’s. Our tongues intertwined, my sister’s body trembled and slumped weakly. It was a genuine act of apology. As my sister’s arms gently clutched my chest and our two tails twisted and intertwined-

“Hey, protective barrier! The barrier is breaking!”

“Ah, Ugh, Seriously…!”

We had to return to reality.

… Right, the situation wasn’t over yet. I’ll have to do whatever it is with Freya later when I have time.

Turning around, I saw Claire and Priscilla looking strangely pleased. The reason, as always, was unknown.

But Ur has been quiet since earlier….

“Ur?”

“Yes? Yes….”

“Why are you so quiet?”

Perhaps she’s scared. If so, as her master, I should comfort her.

As I transformed Ur into human form, the familiar short, petite wolf beastkin girl stood beside me. I immediately stroked her head, and her young wolf tail wagged furiously.

Something leaking from under the maid outfit… should I pretend not to see it?

“Ngh… Th-that feels familiar….”

“Familiar feeling?”

“Well… that is….”

At that moment, a scream echoed.

It wasn’t a human scream. It was lower, more chilling, and colder. It sounded as if darkness itself was screaming.

It wasn’t a normal situation, at least. It’s ridiculous to look for normalcy in a situation where blackness has consumed the world.

As everyone froze at that bizarre sound, the darkness began to creep and cover the dragon corpses.

“Ah… th-this sound….”

“Ur?”

“Th-Master, this aura… it belongs to my former master.”

As I looked intently at Ur, she quickly waved her hands and continued speaking. Perhaps thinking I was interrogating her, her voice was filled with anxiety.

“Ah, n-no! Th-that is, not ‘master’ but ‘former’ master. Master, you are my only master now. Truly, ehehe….”

“Th-that is, please don’t….” Ur blushed and wrung her hands nervously.

She seemed to need to pee.

“It’s okay, Ur. You can pee.”

“What?”

“Come on, relax, shhhh.”

“Huh??”

Then, a clear and refreshing trickling sound was heard. I could vividly picture a scene of a transparent stream flowing gently in a lush forest. In this gloomy situation, it was a sound that offered a small comfort.

Leaving Ur sniffling over a puddle of yellowish liquid, I turned to Freya. It seemed the dragon falls had subsided, so she no longer needed to focus on maintaining the barrier.

“Freya.”

“Sister, this….”

“Yes, do you know something?”

“No, I think I know, but I can’t remember.”

The black sky, the suicidal dragons, the devoured corpses.

Freya tapped her foot, pondering. If my sister doesn’t know, I certainly won’t. Still, I thought I might be able to help, so I relayed what Ur had told me to my sister.

“Ur said it was the aura of her former master.”

“Who is that?”

“Um….”

Wait a minute, this requires some thought.

Ur’s former master.

Ever since Ur became a magic sword, she has always been my possession. If that’s the case, then a former master would be the master before that, and if Ur was a Death Knight before obtaining the magic sword….

Hmm, I don’t know.

I’m better at smashing and slashing than at deduction. It would be easier to kill a thousand dragons, so I wish something would appear soon.

I asked Freya.

“Freya, what would be a suitable master for a Death Knight?”

“Naturally, a necromancer… Wait. Necromancy?”

Freya’s eyes widened. It seemed she had figured something out from the brief information I gave her. As expected of my proud sister.

“Shit!!”

“Wh-what?”

At that moment, a torrent of colorful curses poured from Freya’s mouth.

Before I could even be flustered by that, Freya hastily slammed her staff onto the ground, spreading a massive amount of green magic in all directions. It was so bright it was blinding.

Magic shines, and light illuminates darkness. And where the darkness receded….

“… Dragons?”

The dragons that had started to move again.

Their flesh torn, their bones shattered, and bleeding, they rose up in the state they were in at the moment of death. Their skin, touched by the green wave, corroded with severe smoke, but whether the damage was not significant or they were simply not showing it, the dragons looked at us as if nothing had happened.

“Damn it, why couldn’t I remember this…!”

“Freya, what’s wrong? What is this?”

“It’s ancient necromancy… they’ve turned the dragons into undead!”

I see.

But why is that a problem?

Undead can still be killed until they are dead. I have experience from actual combat. It doesn’t seem like a major problem….

“This is different from normal necromancy! It weaves together all the souls offered as sacrifices….”

As Freya continued her explanation, her eyes met mine. Although I couldn’t see it, my blue eyes must have been shining brightly.

“Um, anyway, it’s incredibly dangerous magic. Understand?”

“I understand.”

“Furthermore, because we unleashed so much magic earlier, everyone’s mana is depleted. It’s dangerous.”

I experimentally swung my sword at a dragon corpse. The blade, which should have cut through like butter, felt unexpectedly heavy and stopped, catching on bone.

This… is the first time I’ve experienced this since becoming an adult. My eyes widened. Freya, looking frustrated, hit her forehead and said.

“Do you really have to test it with your sword to know?”

“Still, experiencing it firsthand is important….”

As far as the horizon, undead dragons were slowly rising. For now, a tense stalemate existed, but it was clear that the moment the dragons all stood up would be the moment the attack began.

“Ah, damn it, if only I had mana….”

Looking back, all the mages were exhausted, catching their breath. Freya and Priscilla were no different.

Claire and the martial arts professors were conserving their strength as usual, but it was unpredictable how much they could do against tens of thousands of dragons that Ur’s blade couldn’t even cut.

“Freya, if you had mana, would there be a way to solve this?”

“Of course! Sister, don’t you know that life magic is effective against undead?!”

“Hey, I know that much.”

I’m not that much of an idiot. Undead are the opposite of life, and they neutralize each other when they meet. It’s like 1 + (-1) = 0.

“… Ah, you know? Sister?”

“Yes.”

“Ah, anyway. If you apply that to your sword, it would work, but I don’t have enough mana right now to cast enough magic to be effective for you.”

Perhaps she didn’t believe I knew. Freya continued speaking with a doubtful expression. I pondered for a moment and replied.

“So, all we need is mana, right?”

“That’s true… but what can we do?”

“I think I have a way.”

Saying that, I… reverted Ur to her human form.