The Exiled Necromancer Wants To Create a Bone Dragon

3 – To the center

“The center is warm even without magic tools!”

Stepping off the train at Rica Coast Station, Ed could feel the distinctly changed air as soon as he got off the train. Though he had felt temperature changes little by little inside the train during the long train ride, feeling it on his skin after getting outside was different.

The north where Ed lived had low average temperatures, so it wasn’t weather very suitable for people to move around much. Though enduring and training the body to become muscular could make it bearable, the necromancers filling the north minimized physical training. They could control skeletons that could move regardless of temperature, and the slower rot of zombies and ghouls in the cold weather created an environment favorable for necromancers to operate, so the necromancer city of Necropolis was established in the north.

Exiting the train station, Ed looked over the livelier than Necropolis landscape of Rica Coast. It felt somewhat novel seeing people doing cleaning work like using undead themselves. There were magic tools called magitools, but those were only possible in the north as well.

“Let’s find a room to stay first.”

With the Papal See and Divine Academy here, prices would be high, so Ed decided to book a room for one day while thinking. Walking from the train station toward a building that looked like a hotel, the area was full of massive statues. Though people believed in different gods, they made the statues of the god they believed in bigger and more splendid, wishing their god was a little greater.

But the competition grew too heated, and Ed had read in a pamphlet on the train that the Pope of the time had imposed height restrictions on statues so religious people wouldn’t waste money. As described in that pamphlet, the statues’ head heights were similar for now. Instead, ways of making the statue of the god they believed in seem a bit bigger were felt, like raising a hand dramatically or wearing a helmet.

“Are you perhaps interested in Lady Robertina?”

As Ed was looking at the statue of a goddess holding a spear, a woman approached Ed and whispered, as if murmuring. Sensing no hostility, Ed let the woman approach; he didn’t know she intended to proselytize. Having never experienced religious solicitation in the north.

The young woman with short blonde hair and blue eyes wore a necklace with a spear crossing over a cross. Unlike north priests Ed had seen wearing white vestments, the woman wearing a blouse and jeans like young women, slightly bowed her head when her eyes met Ed’s.

“Ah. I seem to have stared too hard. Is this person Lady Robertina?”

“Yes. It’s a statue modeled after Lady Robertina, the goddess of punishment. She says sinners can never evade the divine spear, and must be given punishment fitting for their sins.”

When Ed showed interest in the statue, she raised her head and started talking with a smile.

“Punishment, is it. Giving punishment fitting for sins is quite ideal.”

“Yes. So Lady Robertina is a goddess many involved with the law have faith in. If you want deeper teachings, then…”

She briefly glanced at others proselytizing under parasols below Lady Robertina’s statue. If he went with her to there now, it seemed he would have to listen to deep talk about a god he had no intention of believing in, so Ed decided to decline for now.

“Though I don’t believe in other gods, I have no intention of delving deeply into faith. Thank you for the explanation.”

Hearing Ed’s words, the smile disappeared from the woman’s face. However, she didn’t grab or get angry at him, but slowly walked into the shade under the parasols. Hoping she wasn’t too hurt, Ed quickly escaped the place with statues of gods, avoiding the ardent gazes of the religious people watching him.

“Beina, what did that man say?”

A woman taking shelter from the sun under a parasol asked the short blonde, blue-eyed woman returning empty-handed. Called Beina, the woman shook her head sideways and said,

“He said he doesn’t believe in gods, so has no intention of religious life. It was a dud like you said, Senior.”

The woman Beina called Senior gave a snort of laughter. Of the people sightseeing the various gods’ statues in Rica Coast like that, eighteen out of twenty had no interest in gods. Most were just tourists who had heard religious people invested a lot in the statues and wanted to see them. Knowing that, Senior had already expected this result. Only the still inexperienced Beina was pointlessly disappointed.

“If he had no interest in gods from the start…”

Watching the man quickly leaving the square, Beina said, “If he was showing no interest in religion at all like that, I wouldn’t have gone to speak to him from the beginning.”

“Men are all like that when a pretty girl like Beina speaks to them. Even without interest in gods, he would’ve been interested in Beina.”

“Oh, come on. Senior is prettier.”

Seeing her more feminine senior, Beina spoke. Unlike Beina’s short golden hair, her waist-length, glossy golden hair and eyes that seemed to hold starlight were similar to others’ but gave a mystical feeling. Hearing Beina’s sincere words, Senior smiled lightly.

“hehehe. Thank you.”

Even another woman found Senior’s smiling face beautiful, so Beina blankly stared at her before turning her head.

*

“It’s expensive.”

Hearing it was 150,000 enel per night, Ed immediately left the hotel. After leaving the square, he had entered the closest hotel, but hearing a price higher than he expected, he turned his steps away. He thought it would be expensive since it was near the train station and a good business area, so Ed decided to go a bit further.

Though the opposite of Necropolis, the Divine Alliance, there seemed to be little difference in not having summons wandering the streets. He did feel the seasoning of street food was a bit strong, but that was it. Feeling people’s living spaces weren’t so different while continuing to walk, Ed found an inn that looked alright and might be affordable.

“Haaahm. Customer? Welcome.”

The inn owner with purple hair looking drowsy from yawning greeted Ed. Though looking young to be called an inn owner, Ed thought casually that someone younger could watch the counter too. More important were the prices, but not seeing a list around, Ed asked the inn owner.

“Hello. How much is it per night here?”

“50,000 enel. Includes simple breakfast service.”

Clearly cheaper than the hotel before, and around what he expected, so Ed nodded.

“I’ll stay one night.”

“Just write your name here, and it’s 50,000 enel.”

The inn owner marked room 201 and slid it over, and Ed wrote down his name. Then he took out 50,000 enel from his 7th class necromancer license to hand to the inn owner, but the inn owner’s eyes narrowed slightly. Ed sensed the inn owner was showing weak hostility, but knew it wouldn’t become a big issue.

“I didn’t know you were a guest from the north.”

“Do you perhaps selectively accept guests?”

At my question, the inn owner took the 50,000 enel.

“No. I rarely see guests from the north staying at the expensive hotels in front of the square.”

Ed thought the necromancers coming all the way to Rica Coast, site of the Papal See, from Necropolis would mostly be nobles or necromancers who had attained high official positions, so wouldn’t stop by such a small inn. Also, if they were on official business trips, Necropolis would pay for travel expenses, so there was no need to save money.

“Everyone has their own circumstances.”

Hearing Ed’s words, the inn owner took out the key to room 201 from below and gave it to me. Seeing the key, an unpleasant memory briefly flashed through Ed’s mind.

‘The doors here should open in one try.’

On his way upstairs to the 2nd floor, Ed picked up a newspaper lying there and said,

“Is this free?”

“Service for guests from the north.”

The young inn owner winked and spoke.

“Thank you.”

-Click

Heading upstairs to the 2nd floor, Ed felt relief at the key that opened in one try and entered the room. The small room was not very different from the room he had used on the northern front line, so it triggered some nostalgia. Sitting on the soft bed, Ed unfolded the newspaper he had brought and immediately checked the help wanted ads.

“There seem to be more jobs I can do than I thought.”

Unsure if they would accept a necromancer from the north, he was confident in all simple mana-using work and strength-using work. In the north, construction contracting he could do enough work for dozens with just himself as a necromancer, so it wasn’t needed, but he should consider it high priority here since they paid quite good wages. And looking over the job ads more, there was a somewhat peculiar one.

‘Divine Saint Setin Academy, part-time assistant instructor, recruiting necromancers.’

The pay was very high compared to other jobs, but could he call himself a necromancer with his empty license? Ed shook his head.

“I came all the way from the north, so I should try other jobs first.”

Ed lay down on the bed to rest his body after the long train journey. Though the room cost at the inn was cheap, he thought this much was enough. Ed closed his eyes briefly.

Feeling hungry, Ed woke up, grabbed the key, and opened the door to head out. He had bought some street food while looking for the inn but it was far from his usual amount. Going downstairs to exit the inn, the innkeeper’s voice rang out.

“Customer from the north.”

Ed looked at the innkeeper gesturing for him to come closer. Sensing none of the faint hostility from before, Ed lightly walked over while saying.

“Yes? Something you need?”

“My younger brother has business with you, sir necromancer from the north. Do you have some time?”

“Do you happen to know what it’s regarding?”

“He’s trying to recruit a necromancer as an assistant instructor in Setin. Seems he can’t find one even after posting a recruitment ad.”

Ed recalled the help wanted ad he saw earlier. Good pay for the job but it requested a necromancer.

“No, I’ll have to refuse.”

So Ed declined.

“I see. Understood.”

Since the innkeeper only made the offer to fulfill his younger brother’s request once, he didn’t push the issue further.

“Well, he said he’d come directly.”