NChapter 788
Simon scratched his head in astonishment.
So the Empire’s attempt to resurrect a dead Swordmaster was the Death Knight Project?
This project must have played a role in dragging necromancers out of the shadows into the light. With lavish support, research and capital piled up for the necromancers, and eventually they grew too big, bringing down the Empire itself.
But what astonished Simon was something else.
‘Then, could I perhaps turn the Manus I possess into a Death Knight as well?’
If Death Knights were originally black magic designed to resurrect Swordmasters, then by coincidence, Simon possessed the skull of Manus, who had once been a Swordmaster.
Could he not resurrect Manus?
Not just as a simple Skeleton or Dullahan, but into a Death Knight’s body that could draw forth the true power of a Swordmaster.
“What I’ve explained so far is what you commonly know, the basics of Death Knights, which appear in the standard third-year curriculum.”
Thud!
But.
Aron slammed the chalkboard as he continued.
“You can only create a Death Knight when a Swordmaster’s corpse exists in its entirety. Now, long past the age of knights, the chances of obtaining such a complete corpse are near impossible.”
The students let out sighs of disappointment.
Simon was the same. Aron had said a ‘complete corpse’. With only a rampaging skull that had lost its reason, it looked impossible.
“Matt Comer, sir!”
Before Aron could even call on him, the impatient Matt Comer shot up with his hand raised.
“Then what about the Death Knights necromancers handle nowadays?”
“They’re not made from the corpse of a Swordmaster. They’re raised through summoning magic from the corpses of high-ranking monsters or somewhat renowned knights.”
Aron folded his arms.
“Modern Summonology has advanced far beyond comparison to the past. Even the corpse of an unknown knight who failed to make a name in life, once resurrected as a Death Knight, can be made powerful. But in the end, that’s not a true Death Knight, it’s just an imitation.”
“…….”
Beside him, Loraine muttered while listening to the lecture.
“Modern techniques have advanced, but the corpses befitting the qualifications no longer exist.”
Eshu immediately chimed in.
“The times have changed, nothing we can do. Death Knights are relics of the past, after all!”
As Aron paused for a moment, the chatter among the students grew louder.
Aron drew their attention back.
“The Death Knights of today, knight-type Death Knights, are far from the original essence. No matter how powerful a formula or how much material necromancers throw in, the performance limits are clear. But, that isn’t the only way to create a Death Knight.”
Aron picked up the chalk again.
At the beginning of class, he had written on the board: <Introduction to Death Knights>.
He circled it and drew two lines from it. Now, he placed the chalk on the line to the right, dragging it across into the large empty space of the board.
The students’ eyes followed along.
‘So now comes the real point.’
Simon sharpened his focus.
Aron then wrote words into the blank space.
<Corrupted-Type Death Knight>
“Thus, the project I’ve prepared belongs here.”
The students murmured.
“What’s a Corrupted-Type Death Knight?”
“Never heard of it before.”
Toto, deeply absorbed in the class, stiffened his expression and muttered.
“Since it’s not knight-type, then Swordmasters or knights aren’t the material.”
“Correct, Toto Amoriya.”
Aron gestured toward Toto.
As students let out a mix of admiration and teasing sounds, Toto’s face flushed red.
Eshu slapped his shoulder happily, saying, “As expected of the Death Knight boy!”
“Now I’ll explain. The material for Corrupted-Type Death Knights is—”
Aron closed his eyes and added,
“Paladins.”
!!!
A roar of murmurs exploded, and the lecture hall instantly descended into chaos.
Simon too opened his mouth wide in shock.
‘That’s impossible.’
The students exchanged panicked voices.
“D-did I hear wrong just now?”
“Paladins, you mean the Paladins of the Holy Federation…!”
“Quiet.”
Aron silenced them with a single word, then picked the chalk back up.
“To explain this, I must first speak briefly about ‘Ancient Undead’. Back then, there was a corrupted undead known as ‘Beelzebub’.”
It was in the latter half of the age of knights and mages, when new powers like necromancers and priests were rising.
That era was overflowing with undead, spreading through endless wars, and Beelzebub was among the most formidable, an Ancient Undead that had entrenched itself in the ruins of the western lands.
Called also by the name Demon King, Beelzebub commanded a mighty undead army, invading human fiefdoms, forcing lords to offer people as tributes under the guise of taxation, infamous for his cruelty.
At first, the kingdoms that bordered Beelzebub’s domain sought to ignore him, fearing his strength. But once they learned that Beelzebub had tried to seduce and corrupt a prince of one nation, they could no longer stand by.
The kingdoms one after another declared Devaism—the cult against undead—as their state religion, and placed enormous bounties on Beelzebub’s head. Thus, the Paladins, famed as the best at hunting undead, entered his territory.
“The common fairy tales of the continent about a hero and a demon king—many are inspired by Beelzebub’s tale.”
Aron clasped his hands behind his back and paced the platform.
“Do you know what happened next?”
A male student raised his hand.
“Chendra Glivice, sir. As I understand, Beelzebub was eventually defeated.”
He stood and continued,
“And the one who defeated Beelzebub was the man who would go on to found Efnelle, Emperor Justiano I. It’s a famous tale.”
“Correct. But what I want to speak of is the process before that.”
Before Justiano came, countless Paladins had entered Beelzebub’s domain. Beelzebub was a being who delighted in human corruption, scattering the faith-armored minds of Paladins, whispering sweet lies and deceit.
Only the rarest few could endure these trials and reach Beelzebub. Most succumbed, their spirits broken, and yielded to him.
They received from Beelzebub promises of immortal bodies and power, and took their own lives. Soon, they rose again as undead, no longer serving God but obeying Beelzebub’s command.
They were all—
“Undead Paladins wielding Darkness. That is the foundation of the Corrupted-Type Death Knight.”
The classroom erupted with astonishment once again. Aron grabbed the chalk and swiftly wrote further.
“Modern necromancers researched Beelzebub’s corruption magic, and only recently have results appeared. Now, with only runes and formulas, they can partially reproduce Beelzebub’s techniques. The required material is the remains of a Paladin, dead at least a hundred years.”
He turned back to them.
“Finding a surviving Swordmaster’s corpse may be impossible, but acquiring the bones of a Paladin is far more feasible.”
“Aseraz Mikel, sir!”
Before Aron could call her, Aseraz shot up with her hand raised.
“Isn’t it impossible to turn the corpse of a holiness-user into undead?”
“It is possible. That’s why I specified Paladin corpses of at least a hundred years.”
Aron lifted the chalk.
“These are the latest theories, so it’s natural for you to be confused. Since time is short, I’ll explain briefly—”
The corpse of a holiness-user retains holiness within its bones and flesh for a long time, making it impossible to become undead. That is common sense. Their remains are also known not to decay easily, preserved for exceptionally long periods.
However, once enough time has passed, the holiness completely drains away from the body, and the possibility arises for it to undergo ‘undead transformation’ just like an ordinary corpse.
“If such a corpse is specially processed with black magic, even a holiness-user can be raised as undead. Then, if you allow the body to use the techniques it remembers from life, what phenomenon do you think will occur?”
When the students fell silent, Aron answered.
“The holy magic that remains from life manifests in the form of black magic.”
“......!”
“It’s simply that the energy spent shifts from holiness to Darkness, but to a certain degree, compatibility has been confirmed. What’s more surprising is, if this Paladin is made into a Corrupted-Type Death Knight—”
Aron raised Darkness from the palm of his hand.
“—the body, even as undead, is known to possess considerable resistance to holiness.”
The students erupted in loud murmurs.
A Death Knight that could resist holiness!
“This is a real theory, confirmed by Pentamonium and cross-verified by many scholars. As a professor, I formally purchased the copyright of this theory, and I intend to teach it to you.”
Aron glanced around at the students.
“In this era, possessing a summon capable of resisting holiness is of utmost importance. If we complete it, I am certain it will become a powerful asset you can use for the rest of your lives.”
The students swallowed hard.
A tremendous vortex of tension swept through the lecture hall.
‘......Professor Aron.’
Simon wore a worried expression.
Was this really all right?
Aron was setting aside verified textbooks and curriculum, applying a completely new theory in class, teaching it directly to his students.
For Aron, this carried immense risk. If the education failed, opposition within the school would only grow, and Aron might not even last through the second semester before being expelled.
‘Of course, I understand the professor’s feelings.’
The perception that Summonology, the very backbone of necromancy, had fallen behind the times—because it was no longer effective against the priests.
Aron had always been researching summons that could counter the Holy Federation and the priests.
“Hector Moore, sir.”
This time, Hector raised his hand. The very act of him rising to his feet was like a great hill swelling upward.
“Interesting as it is, where are we supposed to obtain the most important ingredient, a Paladin’s corpse? Acquiring the body of a Paladin dead for over a hundred years seems anything but easy.”
“That too is no problem.”
Aron replied calmly.
“There is a method that stirs the least hostility of the Holy Federation, while carrying minimal danger. The source of the material is the corpses of war criminals, those who committed massacres and were abandoned even by the Federation. That should ease any guilt you might feel.”
“It all sounds too good, but is it realistic?”
“It is.”
Aron answered lazily, slipping his hands into his pockets.
“In one week, our Summonology Department will cross into the Holy Federation to create a Death Knight.”
This was no simple matter.
Aron was staking his career as a professor, putting everything on the line.
Murmur, murmur, murmur, murmur!
His words turned the lecture hall upside down.
Until now, they had traveled here and there within the Dark Alliance to obtain materials for summons, but crossing the border into the Holy Federation—this was the first time.
Students began raising their hands all at once, bombarding him with questions.
“Guinevere Venners, sir! Crossing the border is no small thing. Has headquarters given official approval yet?”
Leaning his back against the chalkboard, Aron replied casually.
“The review is still in progress.”
‘Ah, not yet?’
Unease spread across the students’ faces. Even the assistants wore worried looks as they watched Aron.
Yet the very instigator of this endeavor, the one who would bear the greatest responsibility, was the calmest person in the room.
“It’s not something you need to worry about. Approval will come, so do not concern yourselves.”
The way Aron spoke made it clear he had something solid to rely on.
“Pierre Buckley, sir.”
Another hand rose. The male student beside Hector stood up.
“Even if we set aside the matter of risking our lives to acquire a Paladin’s corpse, can that Corrupted-Type Death Knight theory truly be trusted?”
“It can.”
Aron, who had answered other questions lazily, now spoke with a slightly more serious face.
“Every process has been meticulously verified, and the results—several specimens—already exist within Pentamonium. The only concern is that it is still the latest theory.”
If it was the latest theory, then naturally, it had not been extensively tested.
Crossing the border for the material, and even the process of creating the Death Knight itself, were gambles.
Of course, Aron was aware of this.
“I won’t claim there’s no risk. But if you can endure a certain level of risk, the best result you can obtain is a Death Knight with resistance to holiness. If you truly believe this is reckless, you may speak to an assistant anytime. I’ll prepare a separate regular class for you.”
The room fell silent.
Still, with a Death Knight right before them, there were no more Keyzen students here who would back down out of fear of risk.
Reading the atmosphere, Aron gave a nod and checked his wristwatch.
“Time has passed faster than I thought. We’ll continue with Death Knight theory tomorrow, and now move on to essential training.”
“T-training, sir?”
“Yes.”
Aron turned his head toward the outside of the lecture hall.
“Please, come in.”
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