The Necromancer Who Was Despised

“Oh, you’re quick-witted, aren’t you?”

“Those crazy people…!”

I couldn’t believe that the ones who had led the suppression of the Black Mage Tan would try to bring back the Dark Star again.

And I couldn’t understand why they would let these people cross over either.

It seemed like they had no intention of hiding their connection with these people.

“What, do you think they’re in a difficult situation this time too? The gift was pretty good, though.”

The crow let out a laugh that was unpleasant to hear.

“It’s like they’re bringing another gift to our doorstep.”

The crow’s eyes sent shivers down my spine.

“What’s with you? Stop messing around and come over to our side already.”

“Do you think I’m a fool?”

“It seemed like it. Haha. Pitiful. I want to keep you in a decent state as much as possible, but it’s not going to be easy. Only.”

The crow’s gaze changed.

“You’re overconfident. You’ve underestimated our Dark Star too much. Now that you’ve come this far, don’t expect to leave safely.”

I didn’t plan on leaving anyway.

Especially since they’ve joined hands with the Empire, there’s no way I’ll let them off easily.

“‘Our’ Dark Star? You’re quite the talker.”

“Heh heh. It seems we’re quite famous.”

“Those Black Mage bastards are predictable.”

They’re the kind of people who would do anything for their own benefit.

It’s clear even now. They’re invading the kingdom with the Empire without a care.

The Black Mage getting treated like dirt is honestly their own doing.

This image had been bothering me alone.

They may be united under the name of the Dark Star, but they can’t move with one heart and one mind.

It’s highly likely that not all of the Dark Star is in league with the Empire.

“You’d better be prepared. If you ran away once, you should just stay hidden, don’t come back out thinking you’ll get something.”

“…You’re quite the guy.”

“Did you think you’d get senior treatment or something?”

“Khuh khuh. Like that’s going to happen.”

They’re treating me like a walking artifact, so I have no reason to treat them like humans.

“What’s good. I’m satisfied with just seeing your face. I’ll clean up these rats later, and we’ll meet again. It won’t be like this next time.”

“Is that necessary?”

“Hmm?”

“Just wait. I’ll come to you.”

“What…? Khahaha. You think you can enter the Great Forest?”

The crow mocks me.

“You’re a foolish guy. Come if you can.”

They welcome me with open arms, laughing at me again.

Here is the translated excerpt:

The crow turned its body, and the black arrow shot from Yeriya’s fingertips erased the crow.

The crow died, and the magic within it dissipated.

I looked at Tinus and asked,

“Did we succeed?”

“We did it a while ago.”

Bert’s expression turned puzzled as he listened to our conversation.

“Where is it?”

“It’s inside the Great Forest. It’s not as deep as I thought. It seems to be tracking a demon hunter rather than anything else.”

“A self-proclaimed leader, huh? It won’t move that easily.”

Only then did Bert’s expression turn shocked.

“Did you track down Sold’s location?”

I nodded calmly.

It was imperceptible.

Tinus had operated his magic so secretly that even the target didn’t notice, and he didn’t realize we were tracking him until his servant died.

Normally, someone with my skills wouldn’t know, but…

“Tinus is connected to me.”

Thanks to that, I could sense the moment Tinus moved. That’s why I prolonged the conversation a bit more.

The fact that he spoke to us was a fatal mistake.

“Kill him soon.”

◈ Black Star

The king of Hectio’s country looked excited, but his eyes widened in shock when he heard that the crow that appeared at the end was a demon servant of the dark mage.

“We were being observed. Then, the reason why monsters were sent until now… “

“There was a goal to understand this side’s power, but that’s not all.”

Thinking back to what was said earlier, that magic could be felt, it wasn’t always being watched.

Personally, I think it was trying to block our support.

Currently, Black Star was chasing after the demon hunter.

So, I revealed to the king my intention to cooperate with the demon hunters and hunt down Black Star’s dark mages.

However, unexpectedly, the king of Quattia wore a troubled expression.

“Activities inside the Great Forest will be difficult. It’s okay if it’s near the entrance, but… “

Unless they were trained demon hunters, it would be hard to survive inside.

“Even if you accompany them, it’s the same. Operating inside the Great Forest is different from personal power. You need to be born there or spend a long time near the Great Forest to obtain the power to respond to its mysteries.”

If not, no matter how much you acted with the demon hunters, you would eventually be isolated.

“Responding power… “

“Primal spirits.”

“Hmm?”

At that time, Tinus opened his mouth.

“It refers to primal spirits born from being influenced by the Great Forest’s unique mana. Don’t worry, I have a method.”

The king’s expression turned shocked at Tinus’s words.

“There was someone who knew about it in our group. How can you resolve it?”

“…There’s a way to forcibly capture primal spirits. Like those who were born and raised here, they can wield that power.”

“It’s impossible to resist the influence of the Great Forest, but it’s possible to resist to a certain extent.”

Tinus replied as if it was unavoidable.

Although he had taken on a human form, it was still difficult for him to speak in a respectful tone.

Fortunately, our side had decent skills, and we were recognized by foreign countries as a supporting army, so no one dared to look down on Tinus’ words.

On the contrary, they were amazed, wondering how it was possible.

“You’re amazing. Do you plan to meet the priests of this land?”

“It’s better to use what you have. That’s what you people would think, right?”

“That’s a shame.”

It seemed that the other side was momentarily impressed, elevating their tone.

As for the ancient spirit, I didn’t know much about it, so I couldn’t understand why the people on the other side looked at Tinus with such astonishment.

Still, thanks to that, we were able to gain their cooperation easily.

They even handed over a separate command and a map marked with their hidden routes.

Considering that the Demon Hunters were the strongest military group in the Hectio Kingdom, this was top-secret information.

But I didn’t expect them to hand it over so easily.

The king smiled and replied to my question.

“Hectio doesn’t wage war with foreign countries. We only protect our own land.”

Our archenemy was the Great Forest, and only the Great Forest, so providing this level of information to the supporting forces was no big deal, he said.

“It’s true that we don’t have any plans to wage war with foreign countries.”

This was a dangerous land that faced the Great Forest. There was no need to explore this place further.

Moreover, the alliance with the 6 Kingdoms was solid.

As long as the empire existed, or even if it disappeared, at least the relationship between Hectio and us wouldn’t deteriorate to the point of collapse.

Of course, even so, it seemed that the King of Quoutia trusted us and our allied nations deeply, entrusting us with many things.

“The recent battle was impressive. Thank you for your help. I’ll express my gratitude to the Kingdom of Spetran and the County of Rinet in my name.”

The king said so and left.

As I watched him, I felt a strange sensation.

“He’s a person who can’t be grasped.”

But the basics were in place, it seemed.

That was enough.

“If we can track their location, can we deal with them and return immediately?”

I nodded at Atina’s question.

“Probably. If we can stop their movements right away, that would be the end of our role.”

I had no idea that the Black Star would be active in the south.

“It seems that not all of the Black Star has risen, judging from the situation.”

It seemed that some factions of the Black Star had accepted the empire’s proposal. And perhaps my influence was involved in that.

“The Contractor of the Demon King.”

The person I had met must be the Contractor of the Demon King. Sold would be one of the main pillars, I suppose. He called himself the leader, after all.

In the Black Star, being a leader meant being the head of a faction, similar to the leader of a school in the mage tower.

As far as I knew, the Black Star was fundamentally individualistic, but it was divided into factions depending on the demon tribe they had contracted with.

Within that, the person who had contracted with the strongest demon tribe and had the most excellent abilities became the leader, leading their faction.

Fundamentally, the stronger and higher-ranking the demonic tribe you contract with, the more exceptional your abilities become. It’s only natural, but it’s essentially the same story.

“At least two factions will be formed, that’s what I’m saying.”

I’ve been tracking their movements, but they’re not opponents to be underestimated.

Of course, our side’s strength isn’t something to be taken lightly either, so we’re going to crush them.

Unfortunately, we didn’t have time to rest.

I headed towards the Great Forest with my party, including the Dark Elf.

The Hectio side, including Griant, seemed quite flustered, but they couldn’t help but open the path, saying it was an opportunity.

“What’s the mystery of the Great Forest’s original spirit?”

I asked Tinus as we were heading towards the entrance of the Great Forest, where the undead were stationed.

The answer came immediately.

“You can think of it as a kind of boundary.”

“A boundary?”

“The difference between the Great Forest and the Monster’s Forest.”

The effect was as the Queen of Quertia had said, and the original spirit was a primitive form of spirit born within the Great Forest.

“Aren’t spirits from a different world?”

“They exist in other worlds and in this world as well. They’re just extremely rare, and the rank of spirits in other worlds is generally higher.”

The time of existence varies between worlds.

Compared to the spirit realm, this continent is still in its infancy.

“The World Tree is a tree that connects with the spirit realm. The Elves protect the World Tree, and in return, they receive the World Tree’s mediation to contract with the spirits of the spirit realm.”

Since spirits are one of the sources of the Elves’ immense power, the World Tree is an essential element for them.

In simple terms, it’s a symbiotic relationship.

That’s on a racial level.

Tinus said he could forcibly summon the original spirit of the Great Forest.

“However, he can’t control that power. He can resist the natural boundary, but he can’t handle the spirit, so keep that in mind.”

“That’s a shame. If we could handle spirits, it would be a great power.”

Bert’s words made Tinus shake his head.

“If that’s the case, you’d have to rebuild your power from the ground up. It’s a fundamentally different power, and if you did that, you’d become like the people of this kingdom, unable to leave this land.”

If you leave, your power growth will stop.

“That’s… a shame.”

Bert easily gave up on the power of spirits, not showing much attachment.

It was a casual remark, not something he was particularly invested in.

“And the power of the original spirit has clear limitations. No matter how well you communicate and cultivate your power, you can’t reach the level of a mage or a master.”

“…What?”

“That’s correct. Even if time passes, the fundamental nature of the original spirit won’t change. Maybe after hundreds or thousands of years, but currently, the power of the original spirit has clear limitations.”

In other words, it’s normal that no matter how hard you try, you can’t reach my current level.

“…This is troubling.”

That means it’s highly likely that the skills of the demon-hunting squad are lacking compared to their reputation.

“Then, does Hectio not have any master-level strongmen?”

I thought that wasn’t the case.

There’s a saying that reputation precedes one’s name.