I Became The Academy Necromancer

It had really been quite some time since I last set foot in my office.

It felt noticeably different compared to when I had visited with my artificial body, likely because the sensations I was able to perceive when using the artificial body were somewhat duller than those of my original body.

As I sat in the plush chair meant for work, a refreshing scent reminiscent of dewdrops wafted around me.

It was Deia’s scent.

It seems like she used this room in my absence.

That reminded me of the last meeting, where she naturally occupied the seat of honor.

If I were to make a guess as to why she used my room, it might simply be because she missed me.

Considering that, I could easily overlook these traces she left behind.

There were a few signs of Deia scattered on the desk as well.

Her fountain pen, papers that seemed to be memos, and a holster.

And contrary to her usual behavior, she hadn’t kept the desk particularly tidy.

And lastly.

Squeeze.

I pressed down on a small bear-shaped keychain. It looked familiar—worn out, with its surface scuffed and edges smoothed from constant fiddling.

It was a promotional gift I’d received after ordering a set menu at a restaurant called Mersen in the capital, Graypond.

I had given it to her during our brief outing downtown shortly after resolving the Eleanor Nightmare incident.

She still kept this?

I had assumed she might have hung it somewhere, but she hadn’t. It didn’t have any keys attached to it either. Though it didn’t fulfill its intended use, she still carried it around.

The implications of that were more significant than I expected.

“…”

Though many emotions arose within me, unfortunately, I couldn’t afford to wallow in their lingering traces.

[What are you doing?]

[A bear doll? What an adorable little thing!]

While others may not have noticed, the Dark Spiritualist and Stella, both ghosts, were constantly by my side.

I had to admit that I often felt pangs of loneliness during my solitary journey.

Yet, they always managed to intrude whenever I needed time for some quiet contemplation.

Well, I suppose life often comes with its own mix of pros and cons.

“It is Deia’s.”

I replied bluntly, and the Dark Spiritualist let out a nasal ‘Hmph’ as she sneakily leaned closer.

Heralhazard’s staff propped up beside the desk rattled slightly in response to her movement.

[You must be happy. Having returned after so long, there’s plenty for you to indulge in emotionally. Look at you. Drowning in sentimentality, huh?]

“…”

In moments like these, there was no need to be wary around the others. The Dark Spiritualist was clearly just grumbling.

“Stop behaving like a child.”

We had enough reunion celebrations already.

We shared the same emotions and welcomed each other. Anything more would become excessive.

[…]

Though she didn’t respond to my words, her actions said otherwise.

Puffing her cheeks and crossing her arms, she was behaving more childishly than anyone else.

[Can’t you just give us a little warmer reception?]

Even Stella, standing across her, naturally joined in. I had assumed she would take my side and soothe the Dark Spiritualist.

However, Stella turned to me and continued in a low, scolding tone instead.

[While it’s truly wonderful to be able to understand each other without words, expressing it aloud can bring a sense of emotional richness too, you know.]

“Do the gods not always maintain their silence above all else?”

I thought this would be a reasonably valid rebuttal for someone who once held the title of Saintess.

Yet Stella simply smiled and stepped behind me, wrapping her arms around me from over my shoulders.

[I’m not speaking as a Saintess to offer teachings, but I am complaining a little as someone who loves you.]

“…”

I could feel the warmth radiating from her embrace. I’d heard that she had received the divine position from the goddess Hearthia. So, unlike before, I could now feel her touch, her warmth, and even the soft, springlike breath she exhaled.

Needless to say, it was enough to make my heart race.

[What are you doing in front of your mentor and senior?! Don’t behave inappropriately!]

The Dark Spiritualist immediately tried to push Stella aside. And to my surprise, I could also feel a sense of touch from the Dark Spiritualist.

So, the sensation I felt when I embraced the two of them before wasn’t just because of my magic.

“How…?”

I instinctively turned to the Dark Spiritualist and asked. She scratched her cheek awkwardly, letting out a sheepish laugh.

[W-Well, I’m not too sure either.]

“…?”

[While fighting Heralhazard, I felt like I was gradually being absorbed by the staff.]

Absorbed by the staff?

My gaze naturally shifted to the staff placed beside the desk. It certainly seemed like she was bound to it.

[But as I kept resisting, at some point, I woke up in the staff like this. And I even managed to absorb some of Heralhazard’s power in the process.]

That explained why I could perceive Heralhazard’s karmic burden lingering within the Dark Spiritualist as well.

It didn’t sound like a particularly good situation, so I was a bit concerned.

Did she notice my feelings?

The Dark Spiritualist smiled gently and brushed her hand over the back of mine.

[There’s no need to worry about it too much. The power has stabilized now.]

“I see…”

[And if something does happen, you and Stella will be able to handle it just fine, right? After all, we’ll always be together from now on.]

“…”

Her words left me momentarily speechless. Stella also nodded slightly, creating an atmosphere where I couldn’t possibly refute.

[Surely you’re not going to suggest we enter rest again, are you?]

[That’s impossible. If senior and I enter rest, who will watch over you?]

“…”

Ironically, by creating the Land of Eternal Rest and accepting the souls of the dead within my body, I had inadvertently given them a reason to remain by my side.

After all, the souls had entrusted not only me but also the two of them with the responsibility of watching over me as they peacefully rested.

“Ridiculous.”

There was no room for disagreement. While I did want them to enter rest and find peace in the past, but now…

“…”

It was no longer an option.

For someone like me, who had become the gravestone of the dead, they were now akin to its gravekeepers, protecting what I represented.

Even if I wished for it, I could no longer tell them to rest.

There were many things I wished to say.

An apology being one of them.

However, I knew that wasn’t something they wished to hear.

Hence…

“Please take care of me.”

All I could do was ask them to give it their best as we embarked on our journey once again.

Did they like what I said?

They both looked at me with satisfied expressions. However…

Clatter!

“Deus!”

As Deia burst into the room, the calm and cozy atmosphere that had been settling naturally dissipated.

Her expression suggested some sort of trouble had arisen, but the moment her gaze landed on the small bear keychain in my hand, her face flushed a deep red.

“H-Hey! Why do you have that?!”

“It was on my desk.”

“S-still, you shouldn’t mess with someone else’s things!”

Deia probably knew how unreasonable she sounded, so I didn’t bother responding. However, my lack of reaction seemed to deepen her embarrassment instead.

“Ugh!”

She muttered under her breath as she hastily gathered her belongings from my desk before finally snatching the bear keychain from my hand, leaving only her lingering scent as evidence she’d been in this room.

“I should’ve cleaned up earlier…”

Grumbling to herself, it seemed like Deia had momentarily forgotten why she’d come here in the first place.

“What is the rush?”

“Oh, right!”

It was rather unusual to see Deia flustered, revealing just how embarrassed she must have been.

“Ah, he’s awake! That Lanhardt!”

“Let us be on our way then.”

I sprang from my chair and followed Deia out of the room.

As Deia walked briskly, stuffing her belongings into her coat pockets, it didn’t take us long to arrive outside the mansion.

There knelt Lanhardt, bound tightly in thick chains, his posture stiff. On the side, stood Findenai without letting her guard down, her halberd pressed firmly against his throat.

It was filled with the unwavering resolve to strike him at any moment.

“Deus Verdi.”

Lanhardt called out to me in a drained, lifeless voice.

It wasn’t due to defeat or exhaustion—his life force was visibly ebbing away.

“Why… am I like this?”

Did he think he was getting a diagnosis from a doctor or something? There was no reason for me to answer Lanhardt’s question.

However, before he set off on his final journey, he at least deserved to know the cause of his impending death.

“The breath of the Ancient Dragon was too much for you to handle. Even for someone like you, wielding such overwhelming power would eventually lead to your natural collapse.”

No matter how strong a dam was, it was destined to fail if it tried to contain water beyond its capacity.

The same principle could be applied to Lanhardt’s body.

Though he had begun to incorporate the Ancient Dragon’s power into his bones and flesh, he had been too hasty.

By accepting a power that humans were never meant to wield, he had to bear the inevitable consequences.

“What a… empty end.”

Like the first human who regretted tasting the forbidden fruit, Lanhardt seemed to rue his greed for the power of a guardian deity.

With his head bowed low and hair covering his face, the thoughts he was having at this moment were unreadable.

“Lanhardt.”

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Eventually, I asked the man doomed to his end a question that might have seemed cruel.

“Can you summon the Blood Horse?”

“…”

My question seemed to strike a nerve as Lanhardt’s head shot up, his wide, startled eyes meeting mine.

His reaction alone was enough.

“So it cannot be summoned.”

Upon hearing my words, Lanhardt seemed to have several questions. But he simply swallowed hard, waiting for my explanation.

“Lanhardt, you were originally human.”

“…What do you mean?”

“You were not born with the vampire traits you possess.”

“That’s impossible. Didn’t the Blood Horses follow me?”

I had expected him to say that.

“You have never consumed human blood.”

Even after defeating the mercenary group in the Duchy of Valestan, he’d merely grilled beast meat over their corpses.

Not once did Lanhardt even touch the corpses of humans.

“There is no reason to lie. I can now understand why you sought the powers of the guardian deities and souls.”

“…”

Once again, Lanhardt fell silent, the truth cutting deeply into him.

“You could be considered a type of yokai. After traversing countless battlefields and spilling so much blood, people began to see you as someone no different from a vampire.”

Their collective beliefs and fears coalesced, embedding themselves in Lanhardt and transforming him into a half-vampire.

He underwent this transformation through thought and belief. So, his existence did follow a logic similar to the creation of yokai.

It was easier to understand if we considered it as a yokai inhabiting a human’s body.

“Having learned about the power of things that do not exist, it is only natural that you began to look into them. You must have started seeking out guardian deities and souls because of that as well.”

“…”

“But when the power of the Ancient Dragon entered your body, it consumed the vampire’s thought form within you causing the Blood Horses to vanish. This should not be hard to grasp.”

The sight of Lanhardt, quietly disintegrating as a faint glow emanated from his body, was no longer the main focus. So, I slowly shifted my gaze towards the young girl.

The girl who had lived in the village of yokai must have likely realized the cruel truth by now.

“Ah…”

Overhearing the conversation, Xiao Hu began trembling as her eyes met mine.

I had already told her how she was somewhat similar to Lanhardt.

The reason she never consumed souls.

The reason she ate the same food as humans.

Leaving Lanhardt behind, I slowly approached Xiao Hu, delivering the cold but necessary truth.

“You are human.”

“I-if that is that…! Th-then!”

Xiao Hu clung to the hem of my clothes, her voice breaking as she began to cry. The pieces of the puzzle must have been rapidly falling in place in her mind.

Why had the yokai taken her in?

For what reason had they allowed her, a human, to live among them?

A human girl raised in a happy village of flesh-eating ghosts, believing herself to be one of the yokai.

“All the yokai are already dead.”

No one could truly determine the answer now.

Perhaps they truly cherished Xiao Hu and had accepted her as one of their own. However, the opposite possibility also existed.

“The answer is yours to decide.”

However, considering their previous actions and the way they cried out to Xiao Hu in their final moments—

“G-gasp, gasp!”

Struggling to breathe, Xiao Hu collapsed to the ground with cold sweat running down her face.

Even in the moments leading up to their deaths, did livestock raised by humans ever understand why they were raised?

***

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