Chapter 34: The Necromancer

To be more precise, Cipher's Catfolk identity was exceptionally rare in this country. Combined with her striking beauty and adorable voice, this one-two punch had left an indelible impression on the guard.

Furthermore, one's perception of their own voice differs from how others hear it. When Cipher pinched her nose and lowered her voice, she believed it sounded drastically different from her natural tone. To others, however, the change was barely noticeable.

Despite being exposed, Cipher remained hidden in the shadows instead of openly admitting her identity. "Please don't change the subject," she said. "Why did you kill Cassie's parents?"

The guard fell silent, his head bowed as if lost in thought. After a long pause, he finally asked, "How did you find out about that?"

The question served as undeniable confirmation: the guard was indeed the murderer.

Cipher continued her bluff. "I am your conscience. Of course I know what you've done. But that's not the point. The real question is, what truly happened that night? Why did you do it?"

Killing someone's parents and then pretending to be a distant relative who sends them money periodically? What kind of twisted logic is that? "Even though you've lost your parents, you still have me"?

The guard fell silent again, and the room settled into a tense stillness. Cipher waited patiently, watching him. Finally, the guard spoke: "There's no special reason. It was Viscount Braun's order, plain and simple."

Yes, it was that simple. The guard, named Ben, was one of the Viscount's men. He had no choice but to obey his lord's command; otherwise, he'd be dismissed.

He couldn't afford to lose this job. He was a warrior, skilled only in fighting. He couldn't imagine what else he could do to earn a living if the Viscount dismissed him.

Joining the Adventurer's Guild as an adventurer? That seemed like an option, but Ben had a wife and children. Adventuring was a high-risk profession that required frequent travel. If he made one mistake and died in some forgotten corner of the world, his family would be left destitute.

Cipher frowned slightly and pressed further. "But why? Why did Viscount Braun order you to kill Cassie's parents?"

Ben's face took on a nostalgic expression. "I remember it was because Cassie's parents spearheaded the opposition to Viscount Braun's tax hikes. They even convinced several neighboring villages to join the resistance. It caused quite a stir at the time, left a deep impression on me. Then... another guard and I received orders to kill Cassie's parents."

In other words, this was a classic case of "killing the chicken to scare the monkeys."

That night, Ben and his partner snuck into Cassie's house. The other guard was a fresh recruit, young and reluctant to carry out the deed, so Ben had him stand watch outside while he murdered Cassie's parents himself.

It's worth noting that Viscount Braun had no idea Cassie existed. She was an extremely introverted child, a shut-in who rarely left home. The Viscount's orders only specified the elimination of her parents.

Only after the parents were dead did Ben discover Cassie hiding nearby. Panicked, he decided to spare her life and concealed her existence from Viscount Braun. Had the Viscount learned of her survival, he would undoubtedly have issued orders for a complete extermination.

Ben pursed his lips, his expression forlorn. "That's the whole story. So, are you here to avenge that child?"

He couldn't imagine any other reason why this adventurer would seek him out at this hour.

Indeed, Cipher had emerged from the shadows and now stood before Ben, her right hand propping up her chin as she feigned contemplation. "No, I'm just curious. Just asking. That's all."

Did Ben appear to be the murderer? Not to Cipher. In her eyes, Ben was merely a weapon. The true culprit was Viscount Braun himself. If she were to avenge Cassie, she would undoubtedly kill the Viscount, not this ordinary guard before her.

But what about the absence of the 'X'-shaped scar on his wrist? That was easily remedied—she could simply carve one onto Braun's wrist herself. As for Braun's lack of physical fitness, that could be explained by claiming he had gained weight in recent years.

So, the whole incident started with Viscount Braun's "tax hike policy"? On the surface, it seemed plausible: a greedy viscount abusing his power to enrich himself and silence any opposition.

But Cipher remembered what she had seen when she recently passed by Viscount Braun's vault. If he were truly so avaricious, would he have left all his wealth on display, allowing a thief like Cipher to take whatever she pleased?

Normally, wouldn't most people have moved their assets to safety by then?

Of course, it was possible that Viscount Braun had been scared witless by Cipher and was now trying to buy his life with money. But Cipher couldn't shake the feeling that things were more complicated than they appeared.

Though Cipher could easily assassinate Viscount Braun right now and deliver his corpse to Cassie's house, she decided to wait. She remembered the Black Knight, whose target was also the Braun family. Perhaps she could collaborate with her?

Investigating the underlying causes of this affair while helping the Black Knight fulfill her vendetta—that would be killing two birds with one stone, wouldn't it?

The core reason was that Cipher wasn't psychologically prepared to take a life. She simply couldn't bring herself to do it. She thought that perhaps she could simply retrieve Viscount Braun's body after the Black Knight had dealt with him.

Cipher pinched a strand of hair beside her cheek between her right thumb and forefinger, rubbing it back and forth with a thoughtful expression. Her tail swayed gently behind her.

Ben, who had been hesitant, finally spoke up. "So, you came all the way here just to ask me one question?"

"Exactly!" Cipher tapped her head lightly, then waved dismissively. "That's all. Bye-bye~"

With a step backward, she melted into a dark corner beyond the lamplight, vanishing completely from Ben's sight as if dissolving into the darkness.

Cipher lightly leapt onto the roof of a nearby house. After casting one last glance at the Braun mansion, she turned and headed back to the Adventurer's Guild.

Her current plan was simple: find the Black Knight, learn her intentions, and assist her. Cipher's only task would be to retrieve Viscount Braun's body afterward.

Of course, all of this hinged on Cipher finding the Black Knight first.

Lost in thought, Cipher arrived at the Adventurer's Guild and was about to enter her room when Feidric's door burst open and he rushed out.

Seeing Cipher, Feidric didn't question why she was out at this hour. Instead, he immediately exclaimed, "Achoo! Cipher, this is terrible! A Necromancer is preparing a terrifying spell near Stone Pine City!"

After notifying Aria, the four quickly gathered in Feidric and Douglas's room. Feidric produced the diary he had found in the stone coffin in the Underground Tomb. "The deceased Necromancer in the coffin was named Franklin Walker," he explained. "He used to be a teacher at a magic school in Hetherland, part of the Arcane Federation. For some reason, he resigned and came to this remote place to focus on a personal research project."

"Then he met a particularly talented young man and took him on as a student, teaching him magic in his spare time while continuing his own research. To cut to the chase, Franklin was ultimately killed by his own student."

Mages are a vulnerable group. Unprotected, even an ordinary person with a knife could kill one.

The Arcane Federation of Hetherland is one of the four most powerful nations in the world. To teach there, Franklin's power must have been formidable. Yet he was easily ambushed and killed by a student he trusted.

In truth, the so-called "Underground Tomb" was never a tomb at all; it was Franklin's residence. After the ambush, Franklin cast the Sixth-Level Magic spell "False Life" to forcibly prolong his life. He fled home, where he used his remaining moments to cast a spell that sank his entire house underground and shifted its location.

He summoned skeletons and commanded them to build protective measures—traps. Finally, he manipulated his own body to become completely immune to Negative Energy. The instant this transformation was complete, the "False Life" spell's effect dissipated, and he died completely.

Franklin took these extreme measures to ensure his student could never find his corpse and resurrect him.

The resurrection of an ordinary person is fundamentally different from that of a Mage skilled in Necromancy. If Franklin were truly resurrected, he would inevitably become a powerful skeletal Mage capable of wielding magic.

In some worlds, the term "Necromancer" might be synonymous with evil, but this isn't the case here. After all, healing magic is also classified under the Necromancy School, which, at its core, is a school of study focused on the nature of life and death.

Of course, most people still harbor prejudices against the Necromancy School due to its constant association with corpses.

In any case, Franklin, a teacher from a major nation's prestigious academy, was undoubtedly a good man. Conversely, his student, who had murdered his mentor, was undeniably evil—a vile Necromancer who had mastered Necromancy and inherited all of Franklin's magical items and knowledge.

"Franklin died five years ago," Feidric said, "and his student has been active around Stone Pine City ever since!"

Feidric was so certain because Franklin's research had focused on "extending lifespan." He had been on the verge of success when his student betrayed him, the motive painfully obvious.

Logically, the student must still be in Franklin's magic laboratory, continuing to refine the research. At first glance, this might seem absurd. Franklin had been so close to success—how could his student have failed to complete it after five years? Yet that was precisely the case.

Franklin's diary revealed that the essence of lifespan extension lay in a Sixth-Level Magic spell called the Death Array. Once activated, it would drain the life force of all living beings within a certain radius. The longer the spell was prepared, the greater the radius. The fact that no mass deaths had occurred yet proved the spell hadn't been activated.

Upon hearing this, Aria slammed her fist on the table and stood up abruptly. "What are we waiting for? If that spell goes off, countless lives will be lost! We have to stop that evil Necromancer immediately!"

Feidric blew his nose, his expression grave. "Regardless of how much the Necromancer's power has grown in the past five years, the real problem is that he now possesses all of Franklin's magic items and scrolls!"

A mage proficient in Sixth-Level Magic is among the most powerful Gold-rank adventurers. Franklin was undoubtedly at that level. Even if his student's strength has diminished slightly while wielding his master's magical artifacts, he should still be firmly at the Gold rank.

So, are we really going to send this group of Silver adventurers—and, let's not forget, one Bronze-rank member—to challenge a Gold-rank Necromancer? Is that even remotely feasible?

Moreover, there was a crucial point Feidric hadn't mentioned: magical research is incredibly expensive, like scientists climbing a tech tree in Cipher's past life—a bottomless pit of resources.

Among all magical schools, Necromancy is relatively cheap, as its materials can often be obtained through murder.

Which begs the question: if this Necromancer has been frequently killing people, why haven't we heard a single whisper of his activities in the past five years?

-

Meanwhile, on a hillside north of Stone Pine City, Viscount Braun arrived with a torch. Despite the massive boulder blocking his path, he pressed forward resolutely.

The moment he touched the rock, it gradually turned transparent, revealing itself to be an illusion. Behind it lay a spacious cavern.

Viscount Braun strode deeper into the cave. Soon, a hooded figure in a black Mage Robe appeared before him, seated on a stone chair with his back turned. Head bowed, the mage was engrossed in a thick Magic Book, muttering softly, "Just a little further... just a little further... According to my master's original design, the Death Array is on the verge of reaching critical mass!"