Chapter 363
Having reclaimed Akemius, Simon rode the teleportation magic circle and safely crossed over to Roke Island.
Together with Serne and Kajan, he went to see Jane to report their return, then hurried through the Forbidden Forest and entered the ruins of Feer.
“Everyone, come out!”
Simon grabbed at the air and swung it open with force.
Zzeo-oong!
As if they had been waiting, from the massive subspace came Feer, Akemius, Erzebet, and Prince, one after another. The skeletons and corpse spiders that had gone with them also poured out in a rush, scattering deep into the ruins.
[At last, we’ve returned home!]
Erzebet stretched herself out. Then, with eyes showing a strong desire, she looked at Simon.
Simon felt a chill run down his spine.
[Commander, I dare say I achieved great merit on this mission.]
“...Y-yes, that’s right. You really worked hard.”
[I expect a reward, you know?]
When she flicked her tongue, Simon shivered with cold.
[No way!]
Turning his head at the tugging on his clothes, he saw Prince.
[I did well too! You have to play with me first! Oh, I came up with a new handshake at the mansion, you see? Here’s how it goes…!]
Kuwooom!
Erzebet and Prince closed their mouths at the same time. At some point, Akemius had dropped to the ground, crying out as if in grief.
[Please forgive my disloyalty in joining the Legion late, young master!]
Simon waved his hands with an embarrassed smile.
“I-it’s fine! There was nothing you could do about the situation!”
[That Richard’s son has grown up so splendidly, and yet! I, not knowing such a fact, wasted away in obscurity!]
It seemed another troublesome undead had joined the ranks.
While Simon was thinking that, Feer — the most normal of the four, if that word even applied here — was snickering.
[Shut up and prepare to form the Skullwing Unit, Akemius! You saw the might of the 5th Legion, right? The 7th Legion must become even stronger!]
Of course, calling Feer “normal” was not quite accurate.
In the end, Simon stepped forward.
“L-let’s tend to Akemius’ body first.”
Akemius, being an Ancient Undead, had self-healing capabilities, but there were still parts that hadn’t mended.
First, Simon pulled out stakes and spikes embedded all over his body. He must have been in incredible pain, yet Akemius endured it calmly.
[Careful, boy!]
When Simon reached for the spike stuck in Akemius’ thigh, Feer stopped him.
[That object carries a curse.]
“Ah.”
Feer pulled out the spike barehanded instead, dropped it to the ground, and crushed it with great force.
With a pop!, black smoke seeped out. It shifted into the shape of a skull before slowly dispersing into nothing.
[A cursed stake. Magnus really is vile.]
Erzebet spoke as she wiped the black blood from Akemius’ face with a handkerchief.
Akemius clenched his teeth and silently endured the spikes being pulled out. Midway through, his eyes met Simon’s, and he again made a sound like a sob of deep emotion.
[Young master! I cannot let this pass! Punish my disloyalty, and then…!]
[That’s enough, will you?]
Erzebet grabbed the back of his head with spider silk and pulled him back, making Simon and Prince chuckle quietly.
After pulling out all the spikes and stakes and cleaning away the dried blood, Akemius looked presentable enough.
[Young master, I shall now prepare for the contract.]
When Akemius gripped his chest and pulled it open, it split apart to reveal a black orb flickering between his ribs.
Half of it was black, and half was red. Upon seeing it, the other Ancient Undead suddenly let out deep sighs.
[You foolish friend.]
Feer shook his head. The sudden shift in atmosphere left Simon blinking, unsure of what was going on.
“Why are you all acting like that?”
Feer closed his eyes.
[...Now I see why Magnus tortured him with such venom.]
“What?”
[Akemius has yet to be ‘Legionized’.]
Simon’s eyes widened.
In truth, when Simon had first explained to Feer his plan to capture one of Magnus’ Ancient Undead in exchange for Akemius, the assumption had been that Akemius had already been Legionized by Magnus.
Legionization was the process of converting a typical Natural or Summoned Undead into a member of one’s Legion.
A greedy man like Magnus would have done so the moment he obtained Akemius, and Feer had been planning to work out a way to undo it over time.
[Akemius resisted.]
Within Akemius’ Core, his own Darkness occupied one half, while Magnus’ Darkness filled the other, the two locked in fierce opposition. By sheer willpower alone, he had refused Legionization.
[Honestly.]
Erzebet crossed her arms with a sigh.
[Humans will never understand us, will they?]
Ancient Undeads were beings so impossible to explain academically that even scholars had given up on studying them.
They each carried some missing emotion, and often contracted with a necromancer Legion Commander to fill that void.
Erzebet, the Spider Queen, sought love.
Prince, the Zombie Prince, sought amusement.
And Akemius, Simon guessed, likely sought loyalty.
If Magnus had tried to forcibly dominate an Ancient Undead driven by loyalty, it was only natural he would meet fierce resistance.
‘But… how am I supposed to fulfill that loyalty?’
While Simon was pondering this, Feer, who had been inspecting Akemius’ Core, looked to him and said,
[Boy! Akemius may not be in the best condition, but for faster recovery, it would be best to Legionize him now.]
“Yes, I understand.”
As Simon approached, Akemius knelt on one knee.
[I have awaited this moment throughout my captivity. It is a great honor.]
“I look forward to working with you, Akemius.”
Simon said this, then placed his hand on Akemius’ Core, channeling Darkness into it.
“Urgh!”
[Kgh!]
Both their bodies were suddenly engulfed in swirling Darkness.
Then Erzebet’s eyes went wide.
[Feer, this—!]
[Damn it…!]
Feer’s gaze turned sharp.
[I knew Magnus wouldn’t just hand Akemius over so easily!]
The instant Simon touched Akemius’ Core, the half filled with Magnus’ Darkness went on a rampage, as if it had been waiting, pushing back against both of their Darknesses.
Simon was hit with a wave of dizziness.
[Hold on, boy!]
Feer shouted.
[If you collapse, Magnus will control Akemius! No, in the worst case, the Core could explode!]
If Akemius’ Core exploded here, triggering an “Ancient Undead’s Corpse Explosion”, the entire ruins of Feer would be obliterated.
Gritting his teeth, Simon placed his other hand on the Core as well.
[Y-young master!]
“Just hold on a little longer!”
Simon’s eyes flashed.
Akemius had endured all that suffering, waiting for Simon and his father’s Legion. There was no way Simon would give him up now.
“Haaaaaaaah!”
Simon’s deep, black-blue Darkness surged in violently, clashing head-on with Magnus’ Darkness.
Magnus wasn’t physically present, but here, two Legion Commanders were clashing over one Ancient Undead.
[Krrrgh!]
As the opposing Darkness of the two Legion Commanders clashed without yielding an inch, Akemius, who had remained calm even when the stakes were pulled out, now clutched his Core and cried out in pain.
If this dragged on much longer, it might explode.
‘In one go!’
The Darkness filling Simon’s whole body began to be drawn in with a shwoooosh.
‘Drive it out!’
A burst of deep, blue-black radiance erupted like an explosion, instantly engulfing Akemius’ Core. With sharp crackling sounds here and there, Magnus’ Darkness, driven back, flared up like fire before scattering away into the air.
“Haa.”
Simon’s legs lost all strength, and he collapsed on the spot. Erzebet and Prince caught him from either side.
[...]
Akemius opened his eyes.
He slowly clenched and unclenched his fists, then spread his wings.
Chwaaaak!
Chwak!
On the rotted wings, where feathers had fallen out in patches so that even the bones were visible, deep blue-black feathers of Darkness filled the gaps, forming a lustrous, complete pair.
Simon thought those wings were incredibly beautiful.
[I, Akemius!]
He knelt formally before Simon, set his fist to the ground, and wrapped his body with his wings. It was a posture of lowering himself, yet it carried a certain dignity.
[As one already dead who has been granted a new life, I swear eternal loyalty to you, young master!]
Simon received that oath with a smiling face.
“Welcome to my Legion.”
The other Ancient Undeads cheered and congratulated them.
With this, Simon had safely gained a new Ancient Undead.
* * *
After assigning Akemius to the Legion, they took a short break.
In truth, Simon had been planning to return to Keyzen and sleep in the comfort of his dormitory bed, but his body was so drained of strength that he couldn’t move. In the end, he decided to sleep here tonight.
[Now, it’s time for the reward!]
Erzebet ran her eyes over Simon with a sly gaze. Simon once again felt the chill crawling up his back.
Wrapping herself in spider silk, her form began to change.
A black jacket, a red-toned necktie, and the fluttering hem of a skirt, this was the Keyzen female student uniform.
Her hair shifted into a full, vibrant pink. It was the form of her Keyzen student version, “Elizabeth Weffer”.
[Now then.]
Kneeling directly on the floor, she patted her thigh.
[Come here, please.]
Simon scratched his cheek awkwardly, then spoke in a small, hesitant voice.
“...Y-you’re not going to do anything weird, right?”
Erzebet let out a short scream, as if she couldn’t stand how cute he was.
[Do you not trust this lady?]
‘Not at all.’
That was Simon’s honest thought, and his wary gaze did not soften.
[Ohoho! I have my boundaries, you know? I’ll respect them until you turn twenty, so you have nothing to worry about.]
To an Ancient Undead, three years was less than a speck of dust. There were sentiments that could only be savored at Simon’s current age, so she had decided to wait.
“...And after I turn twenty?”
Erzebet licked her lips like a beast eyeing its prey.
[Are you curious?]
Simon quickly shook his head. For the sake of his own mental stability, he decided not to ask further.
Still, it was true that maintaining relationships with Ancient Undeads required the Legion Commander to give out “rewards”.
Stiffly, Simon approached and lay his head on Erzebet’s lap. When he glanced up at her, the angle was too awkward, so he turned on his side, curling up like a shrimp.
[You’re sleeping here for the night!]
[Hey! Me too! I’m gonna play with Simon too!]
Prince interrupted. He lay down next to Simon and began performing the new handshake with him.
Simon gave a dry laugh. It felt less like he was with Ancient Undeads, and more like he was indulging spoiled kids.
[Those two haven’t changed.]
Akemius spoke.
Akemius and Feer, the relatively more composed ones, were discussing the Legion.
[The Legion needs aerial forces quickly! Akemius!]
At Feer’s words, Akemius nodded.
[Once my body recovers, I’ll make a nest, old comrade.]
Simon looked at Akemius.
“A nest? What’s that?”
[An undead bio-structure that mass-produces Skullwings, young master. I can create it by taking parts of my own body.]
Simon’s eyes widened with excitement.
“You mean, actual mass production is poss—!”
Erzebet, annoyed, pinched his cheek.
[You’re starting to sound like Feer, Legion Commander. Don’t get distracted.]
[Hey! Simon! You’re not focusing on the game!]
It really did feel like babysitting.
With weary eyes, Simon pressed his palm to Prince’s in their handshake.
It seemed he’d have to keep this up until morning.
‘Ah, come to think of it.’
As Simon’s hands moved on autopilot, a sudden thought crossed his mind.
‘The 30,000 gold I got this time. I need to spend it quickly.’
There was nothing more enjoyable than thinking about spending money.
Simon began plotting a grand plan to execute as soon as he returned to Keyzen.
Superb.
When are we getting more free chapters?
Thanks for the new chapters