The Necromancer Who Was Despised

“They’re trying to adapt somehow.”

Their representative, the dark elves with the highest status, were chatting with me casually, and even elevated my status without me doing anything.

By the way, the sujin were even more so.

They were like real soldiers, still standing guard on the outskirts and keeping watch.

“Um, nice to meet you. I’m Do Inha.”

“First, nice to meet you. I’m Kelerto, the chief of the guardians… or rather, the leader of the earth tribe.”

When Kelerto referred to himself as a guardian, his face slightly contorted, but only for a moment.

“Are you the guardian of the earth?”

“Yes.”

As he spoke, it seemed like something was unpleasant to him.

However, I had no way of knowing the reason, so I immediately brought up the main topic.

“I’ve been watching our people, and I’m curious about the reason, so I came to ask.”

“That…,”

Kelerto said, looking uncertain.

“Something… because you’re a familiar person.”

Tinus had said the same thing. However, it was impossible for the two to have met before.

Tinus had died a long time ago, and his revival as an undead, a legion commander, was a recent event.

At that time, they were in the interspecies union, so it wasn’t because of a familiar face that they seemed to know each other.

It wasn’t just Kelerto, either.

The other dark elves, who seemed to be tribe members, were also glancing at Tinus from time to time.

“If I’ve caused any discomfort, I’ll apologize separately. I’m sorry.”

“Oh, no. It’s not like that…,”

Suddenly, my recent conversation with Tinus came to mind.

“…So, I’ve heard that the dark elves are connected to the dragon’s bloodline.”

“That, that…,”

Kelerto muttered, looking troubled.

“That’s… officially withdrawn.”

“Withdrawn?”

“Yes… In the union, there are officially recognized Dragonian families who have inherited the dragon’s bloodline.”

“Ah.”

Suddenly, I remembered some of the stories I had heard from Yeriya and Untinia.

“Is it because of the guardian title that you’re using, due to the existence of elf guardians?”

“…Yes.”

I felt empty.

‘It’s because of such a ridiculous reason…’

It was clear that they were not fully accepted within the union.

If this was the early stages of the union, it would be understandable, but now they were in a position where they couldn’t help but face numerous hardships from all directions.

“Unbelievable.”

“That’s right….”

“Just a moment.”

Tinus, who had approached quietly, asked Kelleto.

“If it’s Hwangto, are you guys connected to the Gold Dragon’s lineage?”

“…Yes. That’s correct.”

From Kelleto’s words, I finally understood the reason behind this strange atmosphere.

Gold Dragon.

And Tinus was… a Gold Dragon.

◈ Development

Tinus’s expression became slightly more serious, but that was it.

He said he would talk about it later and left, and Kelleto also bid me farewell and left to attend to his business.

I immediately went to find Tinus.

“What’s going on?”

Isn’t it true that the Orcs couldn’t be connected to the Dragon’s lineage?

But Kelleto and his tribe were talking about something mysterious, and even mentioned being connected to the Gold Dragon’s lineage….

“…I also find it hard to understand, so it’s difficult to say. But one thing is certain – they don’t seem to be completely unrelated to the Dragon.”

Tinus revoked his previous statement.

“When I saw Ritehilde, I didn’t feel anything…….

“Is it because he’s a Wind Dragon?”

“I don’t know the details yet. Anyway… since we have to talk to Ritehilde, we might as well call Kelleto too. If they’re connected to the Gold Dragon’s lineage, we can’t just let them go.”

Tinus said, officially giving up, but it was clear that he was being forced into it.

“It’s not easy.”

He didn’t deny it, but I couldn’t shake off the feeling that he was being irresponsible.

“Irresponsible.”

“Is that so…?”

I couldn’t help but feel that he was being a bit too hasty.

“If we have to clarify things, let’s bring them over first. You can’t just go around announcing that you’re a Dragon.”

“Tch. When are you going to reach 8th Class?”

“…….”

“Looking at the situation, it seems like we need to be at least that level to act without any restrictions. Hurry up and level up.”

“…You’re crazy.”

He was saying something absurd, despite being aware of reality and setting appropriate limits.

If he really did reach 8th Class, Tinus would be able to wield power equivalent to an 8th Class.

At that level, we wouldn’t need to worry about the 6 Kingdoms Union’s gaze.

On the contrary, they would need to be wary of us.

But that wouldn’t be easy.

Tinus, who was a maknae, ignored my words and shook his head, avoiding his seat.

The break was only for a day.

The return journey didn’t take as long as before.

Unlike when we were pioneering and had to move, the road itself was already made, so it wasn’t difficult.

The only problem was that the safety of the place was not guaranteed.

“It’s okay, the width is fine.”

As we passed by, the monsters started to gather again, and we used the undead to chase them away.

Thanks to that, the soldiers from the interspecies alliance looked awkward, especially the beastmen.

They seemed to think that they didn’t have anything to do since the undead were fighting the monsters on the front lines.

But from my perspective, it was natural – the interspecies alliance was an ally and a kind of guest, and they didn’t just have soldiers.

“I said I brought laborers too.”

The dwarves had their own positions and treatment, so they weren’t included in the dangerous expedition.

I brought the beastman laborers, and their position was indirectly revealed.

As we got closer to the barren land, the road changed.

We removed the roots of the withered trees and fixed the road.

Mutur was using the local residents who received support to work on the road.

Ritguild and the beastmen were guarding them and occasionally helping with the roadwork at Mutur’s request.

When the beastmen discovered us, they stopped working.

And between them, Mutur and Ritguild came out to greet us.

“Finally, you’re here.”

Ritguild had a particularly welcoming expression.

“Can we go back to the barren land now?”

“Who would know that place is our hometown?”

“It’s our second hometown, with no natural enemies and guaranteed freedom.”

My casual conversation with Ritguild seemed to surprise Kelerto a bit.

It was surprising that I, who was respected even by the dark elf elders, was so close with the beastmen, who didn’t seem that powerful.

“It seems Untinia’s words were true.”

“That child wouldn’t lie, would they?”

The dark elf elders also seemed surprised, but it was because they didn’t believe that a human dark wizard had a proper force under them.

It was understandable that they wouldn’t easily believe it, especially since they had a connection with the black star.

I stopped the pioneering work for now.

The workforce had increased significantly, and we needed to distribute temporary shelters separately.

The shelter was already prepared, so there was no problem.

“Anyway, Ritguild is going back too.”

I had only borrowed their power for a short time.

But that didn’t mean I was going to neglect the trade route.

I left Entin, Yeriya, and most of the undead under Tinus’s command there.

If they were there, the monsters wouldn’t dare to approach.

As I returned, a massive workload poured down on me.

I first officially received the command authority over the Undead and the Twin-Headed Trolls from the two elder leaders of the Interspecies Alliance.

I handed over the control authority of the Undead to Mutr and requested that they utilize the Undead and Ents on site to continue developing the trade route.

“Immediate safety at the entrance will be secured with that. We’ll start the Ashen Architecture in earnest later, so don’t worry about long-term safety and focus on completing the trade route for now.”

“Don’t worry.”

I told Rithild that it was okay to return to the barren land anytime and expressed gratitude for their cooperation during the critical period.

“There’s something else I want to discuss, so stay behind for a bit.”

“Alright.”

He seemed slightly puzzled, but nodded as if he understood, saying it wouldn’t take long.

“The two elder leaders will need to cooperate with us.”

“It’s been a while since I’ve exerted myself; let’s do it.”

These people would be working with me to continue the Ashen Architecture.

Of course, Yeriya and Tinus would also be joining us.

Kyle was scheduled to work with me, and Athena would also be joining our side.

Untinea would be teaming up with Valdur to secure a location for the Foggy Tree Forest.

To be precise, Untinea would be selecting a location that suited her taste, and the other Dark Elves, excluding the elder leaders, would be joining us.

After completing the personnel allocation and finishing the meeting, I called Rithild and Tinus separately.

“What’s the story?”

As I opened the dimensional fragment, I pulled out the Twin-Headed Troll inside.

“This is….”

Rithild’s expression immediately turned stern.

He seemed to have discovered a faint trace of the giants.

“…Those guys. Are they trying to escape the Great Forest…?”

“No, this one escaped from the Great Forest.”

Tinus explained some of the Twin-Headed Troll’s past based on the memories extracted from its head.

“…At least that’s fortunate.”

Rithild let out a sigh and asked, “Did you call me because of the Red Ogres?”

“That’s part of the reason.”

“Hmm?”

“I want to hear about the Red Ogres and the Twin-Headed Trolls. You said they’re connected to the dragon’s lineage and are the giants’ descendants, right?”

“That’s right.”

“Because of that, I have some questions.”

I said I wanted to know how the Twin-Headed Trolls and Red Ogres, who were of different species, came to claim the dragon’s and giants’ lineage, respectively.

“Hmm… I’ll tell you in advance, but I was born as a Twin-Headed Troll. As for our ancestors, I only know the stories passed down.”

As for the Red Ogres, they were in an adversarial relationship, so there wasn’t a clear story to tell.

“That’s fine; just tell me what you know.”

“Well, first of all… the first Twin-Headed Troll was originally just an ordinary orc.”

It is said that there were individuals with extraordinary physical abilities and mana affinity, unlike ordinary orcs.

“I heard that they had a certain level of intelligence, so they weren’t ordinary orcs. However, even among those orcs, they couldn’t be considered strong in the grand forest.”

Although it was true that some had a certain level of intelligence and were above ordinary orcs, the orc culture prioritizing their own tribe’s weakness remained the same.

“It was like an instinct. That’s why wars between orcs were common back then.”

During that time, a massive war broke out in the grand forest.

“A giant appeared and trampled the grand forest. Even the powerful monsters and maso, who ruled the grand forest, were no match for the giant. And in response, dragons appeared.”

The battle between dragons and giants continued day and night, and half of the vast grand forest was reduced to ruins.

“Of course, orcs didn’t know the extent of the grand forest. It was just a horrific battle story. Anyway, in the end, the giants and dragons annihilated each other.”