The Necromancer Who Was Despised

It was the right thing to do. Even outside the domain’s boundaries, there could be traps set up, and who knows what’s behind that golden line?

If they carelessly entered, they might lose both of them.

Luckily, the two stopped due to Tinus’s order, and in the meantime, the Red Ogre successfully crossed the golden line and entered the domain.

It glanced back at us and then escaped into the black star’s domain.

“…Tsk.”

Kyra showed a somewhat disappointed reaction, and Artina looked at the direction the Red Ogre disappeared with a slightly dazed expression.

However, at the same time, I sensed a strange, unsettling aura from her.

It felt like she could dash out and tear the Red Ogre apart at any moment.

Now that the guy had escaped, there was no need to waste any more time.

After that, I took my time to place this area under my influence, and based on that, I blocked the poison and curses that were scattered in the air.

The priests continued their purification, and Tinus, who had been analyzing the remaining remnants, dispelled them all.

I immediately used my recovered magic to restore the undead who had fallen.

Although it required a lot of magic, my recovery ability was not ordinary, so it didn’t take much time.

“…You all suffered a lot.”

“It was tough from the start. Clearly, those with a strong domain are a concern for the future.”

The others nodded in agreement with Bert’s words.

“The problem is that the Red Ogre has already formed an alliance with them.”

“…The issue is how much support they have on their land….”

Infiltrating the Black Star’s domain was a problem, but the Red Ogre was also a significant issue.

Of course, a few individuals wouldn’t be a big problem.

It was a struggle to deal with just one, but that was because most of our strength was tied up in that situation.

“Rithilde, what level are the Red Ogres we just faced, approximately?”

“…Just being able to use giantification puts them at a fairly high level.”

“Is it something anyone can use?”

“As I said, I’ve never seen it myself, but there’s no story about them succeeding in giantification on a large scale.”

It’s not certain, but it’s unlikely to be a power anyone can use.

“If all Red Ogres could use giantification, they wouldn’t have bothered reaching out to the Black Star.”

It was a persuasive argument.

Anyway, just like giants, the demon tribe, especially the demon kings, were competitors aiming for the continent.

Even if not now, they would eventually become enemies who couldn’t help but clash with each other.

“There’s something I’m curious about.”

At that time, Kyle opened her mouth.

“What was the power of Athena just now?”

Everyone’s gaze turned to Athena at her words.

She still had a slightly dazed expression.

However, unlike before, the faint dragon shape behind her was no longer visible, and her presence was gradually decreasing.

Tinus said it would take some time, but even he didn’t know the details.

However, he assured us that nothing bad would happen.

The reason she was like that was due to the dragon’s influence, and there was no sense of evil.

“That ogre… said it was a dragon.”

“The dragon’s power is correct. You should know what her sword is, right?”

At Tinus’ words, Kyle nodded briefly.

“The dragon’s soul that was sleeping inside her awakened, feeling the power of the giants and the stimulation I gave her in the past. Her intelligence is almost nonexistent….”

It seemed that her spirit was worn out due to excessive contact while giving power to the Orcs.

“I also might have ended up like that if I hadn’t met you all at the right time.”

Having repeated the process of sleeping and awakening over a long period, and even sharing power with the Orcs, even a dragon’s soul and spirit couldn’t withstand it forever.

“The soul bound to the treasure is only a part, as it has been passed down… it’s not complete anyway…”

Rithilde added to the conversation.

At those words, Tinosu briefly closed his eyes.

“The power of the giants we saw earlier, absorbing it… is a method the dragon inside the sword has found over a long time.”

However, now that he had only one goal in mind, to erase the giants from the continent, everything else had disappeared, making his words even more powerful.

“I think I lent my power to Athena because I’ve been in contact with her for a long time and know her well….Athena also wanted to help you, so our intentions aligned.”

“That means, if the giants appear again later…”.

“Maybe we’ll react again. Or perhaps things will be different now.”

“Different?”

“That’s something I need to hear directly. It seems it’s all settled now.”

As Tinosu spoke, Athena, who had lost the dragon’s presence, was looking around blankly.

“Are you back to normal?”

“Ah, yes.”

She had a slightly bewildered expression, but soon regained her composure and spoke.

“That ogre… Ah, I…”.

It seemed she needed a little time.

After a while, she organized her thoughts and approached us.

“How is it?”

“Yes?”

“Did you contact the dragon’s spirit?”

“…I don’t know. I just felt a strong hatred towards the giants, I suppose…”.

“That’s right. There was nothing left but that.”

“I also wanted to help and fight, so I lent my power. There were no words, but I instinctively understood…”.

“Can we do it again now?”

“Uh… Yes. But now it’s a bit… difficult without the giants, or the red ogre.”

“Is that so.”

“Yes. And… somehow… my body…”.

She awkwardly clenched and relaxed her fist.

“A significant amount of absorbed power is consumed during battle, but some of it remains after the battle is over, and it seems to be helping me grow.”

Her words made me think of two things.

One was the elixir, and the other was the reconstruction of the body.

“Perhaps…”.

Kaila also seemed to be thinking similarly.

“Amazing. The power of the giants and the dragon are completely contradictory, yet they’ve created a way to steal the giants’ power and use it to help the user… It’s a remarkable achievement, worthy of respect.”

It was true. Even after death, the accomplishment was worthy of respect, and the dedication and sense of mission were admirable.

“Anyway, we’ve gained a great ally in the battle against the red ogre.”

And we’ve obtained a catalyst for growth.

With her talent, she would have become a master someday, but that time might be accelerated.

Having a single master or two made a big difference, and Athena, who had been with us for a long time, was someone we could trust.

If she surpassed her limits, there was no one more reliable.

“With the help of the dragon… and also the wind dragon’s…”.

Rithild murmured, seemingly envious, but he too had not been without opportunities.

Here is the translated excerpt:

It’s clear that he received the short sword just before.

However, in the end, it was Artina who was chosen.

“Well, I guess we should slowly make our way in.”

As I said this, a sense of tension began to circulate among our group again.

“There’s no need to be so tense.”

Tinus’s words made everyone look at him with a puzzled expression.

“Originally, the inside would have been just as dangerous as this place… but now the situation is a bit different.”

“What do you mean…?”

“The guy didn’t clear the path for us.”

Suddenly, the trail of the red ogre who had escaped caught my eye.

“It’s not like there’s no interference, but a gap has been created, and that’s a fact.”

No matter how small the gap is, it doesn’t matter.

With Tinus’s abilities, even the most complex magic wouldn’t be a problem.

Tinus’s laughter felt eerily sinister.

◈ Black Star

“Didn’t you say you’d take care of it yourself?”

“…….”

Rochis, the leader of Black Star, asked, and Lorrod, the red-skinned ogre, replied.

“Did you think someone with the power of a dragon would exist?”

Despite Lorrod’s growling, Rochis replied as if it was no big deal.

“If there was a unicorn, I would have thought about it.”

“They’re nothing! Their main force was annihilated! We killed all the decent ones, saying they’re nothing!”

As Lorrod mentioned the unicorn, he suddenly shouted like he was having a fit.

“That strange human. If only that human who wielded the dragon’s power hadn’t existed….”

Even as he spoke, Lorrod, the red ogre, knew that this was just an excuse.

Rochis let out a short sigh and continued speaking.

“Well, let’s just say that’s the case. But why did you run away like that?”

Run away. At these words, Lorrod’s face contorted.

However, he soon calmed down and asked calmly.

“What do you mean?”

“When we first went there, didn’t you show us the way? And when we came back, we should have taken the same path.”

“…How could you remember that in that situation…?”

“I had to remember it desperately. Thanks to that, our territory lost its meaning.”

A mage’s greatest strength is to exert their power in a prepared location.

But the fact that such a mage’s territory lost its meaning… Lorrod, who remembered the scene where they had bound numerous powers in that place, couldn’t understand what was being said.

“What do you mean?”

“Because you arbitrarily crossed our territory, we had to suppress our reaction to you. And because of that, the part you passed through got partially destroyed.”

Rochis said it was a choice they had to make because they couldn’t kill their ally.

“It’s just that because of that, the inside of our territory was exposed to them. It wouldn’t have been a big problem if it were an ordinary mage, but… it seems they have a high-level mage.”

Although Lorrod was ignorant of magic, he could sense that the situation was serious from the gaze of the black mages affiliated with Black Star.

“Based on the exposed parts, they’re occupying our territory. If we go on like this, we’ll end up fighting them on their turf.”

It had been confirmed that Langtem and Soldega had become Rich, but they didn’t have such abilities.

From the start, as the leader of the Black Star, he had been doing difficult tasks with ease, and Rorido felt a subtle fear within.

“…That sound…”

“We need to take the initiative. Our defense plan is completely scrapped.”

Rochis was saying that all of this had happened because of Rorido’s thoughtless escape.

His gaze was like asking why Rorido had run away instead of dying on the spot.

Rorido’s face contorted in agony under that gaze.

But there was nothing he could say.

He had only brought harm to their alliance.

And it wasn’t just a simple harm, but a severe one.

Even if he had ten mouths, he wouldn’t be able to say anything.

“Is it impossible to get support from the Red Ogre faction?”

“…I’m a messenger who came for friendship. There are people who came with me, but they’re only at the level of an advance party. They’re all high-level warriors who can become giants, but there are too few of them.”

It was impossible to send their main force to the enemy’s territory right after forming an alliance.

The problem had arisen because humans had advanced faster than expected.

“At least, let’s get their help.”

“It’s not difficult.”

Even though they were outnumbered, they had to borrow a hand, no matter how reluctant they were.

“Let’s ask the Red Ogre faction for help as well.”

“…Send the fastest ones.”

They both knew it would be late, but they couldn’t not ask for help.

“Durk.”

“…Yes, leader.”

Rorido, who hadn’t been able to lift his head properly due to his guilty conscience, raised his head at Rochis’ call.

Durk was the leader who had promoted the alliance with the Red Ogre, and as a mage, he knew exactly how big of a mistake Rorido had made, so he couldn’t speak carelessly.

To be honest, if Rorido hadn’t made a mess of their territory and had just died quietly, it wouldn’t have been difficult to hold out until the Red Ogre’s help arrived, and depending on the situation, the Black Star might have been able to stop them on their own.

Therefore, he couldn’t defy the leader’s order.

“You’re the vanguard. Work with the other leaders to stop them.”