The Necromancer's Duty

It had already been an hour since I crossed through the portal. Ryun and I had finished a pleasant meal. Unfortunately, I’d failed to "pop the cap" again, but I was starting to get used to it. "So, Ryun, you remember what I told you?"

"...Could you explain it one more time? Someone kept licking my ear, so I couldn't hear a thing."

"Well, if that's the case, I suppose I have no choice. Listen closely." I whispered into her ear again. This time, I didn't touch her directly. "Fly through the sky on Andras. She’s strong enough to carry you. While you’re patrolling from above, if you see any enemy scouts, don't ask questions—just shoot them all down."

"Understood. If the ones we missed earlier come back, I'll kill them immediately." Ryun smiled, her words chillingly casual.

"And if a large-scale force descends, come back at once. If I'm in Las Vegas, come straight to me. If I'm not, notify Eila and prepare to defend the castle. You know how to do that, right?"

"Yes. I'm to keep watch until you return to Las Vegas, right?"

"Exactly."

I was always on standby, like a soldier in a five-minute readiness unit. Why else would I have chosen to have a picnic with Ryun on a watchtower? "I have to head back to the dungeon now. I don't know how long it will take, but if you handle the scouting, it'll buy me the time I need."

"Yes, I'll do my best."

"And there's one thing you must do before I go."

"What is it?"

I lifted the hem of her skirt. "Put some underwear on. Understand? Now, let's head down."

"......Master, could I ask you for one favor?" Ryun’s face turned bright red as she fidgeted with her fingers. "I'd really like it if you could deal with the orc below before we go down!"

"You're fine with showing me everything, but that bothers you?"

Ryun couldn't answer. I looked down at her. Something white and sticky was trickling down her thighs. "Fine, have it your way."

I stroked her buttocks and hoisted her up. She was slung over my shoulder like a sack of potatoes, and because my hand was pressed firmly against her skirt, her crotch was completely hidden. She kicked her legs in a disgruntled gesture, but I smacked her rear to suppress the rebellion. "...How do you plan on getting down like this?"

"A tactical drop!"

I leaped off the watchtower. I could feel the orc below panic, but I didn't hesitate to jump from several meters up. I landed quite a distance away, aiming for a house with a thatched roof. "Master, it's a house!"

"I know!"

CRASH! The logs collapsed where my feet landed, and we successfully broke through the roof to land safely on the second floor. We were covered in a bit of dust, but I had successfully protected Ryun's modesty. "Ryun, didn't the house collapse because you didn't bring your panties?"

"Master. Couldn't you have just dealt with the subordinate and climbed down slowly...?"

"No. You'd have leaked everywhere on the way down."

"......You didn't have to destroy the house, though."

Ryun was dumbfounded but didn't argue further. I rummaged through the drawers and wardrobes of the ruined house. It seemed my subordinates hadn't looted this area yet, as several pieces of women's clothing were still neatly folded. I picked up a pair of clean, dry underwear. "Put these on."

"I don't really like wearing things humans used to wear. I'll just walk."

"What if the wind blows on the way?"

"I can just do this." Ryun wrapped an old long-sleeved shirt around her waist. I never thought I'd see that fashion trend here. I took the sleeves she was struggling to tie and knotted them tightly around her waist. "That should keep you from being exposed."

"Master, is it really okay to go on patrol like this?"

"As long as you have something underneath. Get dressed and wait at the portal."

"Yes! Hehehe." Ryun skipped away, beaming. The ceiling remained collapsed, and I followed her down without hesitation. This city was mine now, and since the house was abandoned, it didn't matter.

After leaving the house, I headed straight for the portal. An hour had passed since I arrived, and I had given Harsus and Rastuzard enough time. I crossed the portal, ordered the ghouls to bring Andras, and returned to Las Vegas. A short while later, Ryun scurried over and pressed my hand against her lower region. I could clearly feel the fabric. I wondered if checking in this way was really necessary, but...

"You called for me?"

While I was tickling Ryun through the fabric, Andras crossed the portal. I gave them both final instructions regarding the patrol. Andras was more than capable of carrying Ryun through the sky; she was faster than any harpy. "Well, the cleanup is done, so I'll be heading back. I'm counting on you both."

"Leave it to us."

"If anything pops up, I'll fly right over~"

I sent the two scouts off and ran through the dungeon. Kkeureureuk. Harsus and Rastuzard, being highly intelligent entities, had left the cleanup to the Big Slimes and were waiting for me. The two corpses were completely gone, and the knight and mage had become blood, flesh, and evolution stacks for the two ghouls.

"The preparations are complete."

"Yes."

No need to say it twice. I pushed Harsus onto the summoning platform first. The purple mist erupting from the circle wrapped Harsus in white light, and I stepped back. 'Don't tell me he's going to do *that* right after evolving...?'

A ghoul wearing a full-plate helmet? The design wasn't the typical sharp fantasy style, but rather a full-body chainmail set that looked like it belonged in the Crusades. He even had a longsword with a black blade at his waist. Harsus had truly become a knight.

"He's a knight, alright..."

The design was... well, let's just say it had significant defensive capabilities. If he rode a horse, you'd think he was a real knight. His entire body was covered in chainmail, and his head was hidden by a great helm. Who could ever imagine he was a ghoul? 'Honestly, he looks more like a knight than Eila does.'

"Alright. Harsus, wait over there. Next."

I moved Rastuzard to the summoning circle. Seeing Harsus's transformation, Rastuzard rubbed his hands on his thighs, unable to hide his anticipation. He stared blankly at Harsus, spinning his hand as if he were cutting something. "You're a mage, not a knight, you know?"

Kkeureureuk, kkeuheuk. Rastuzard's arms drooped in disappointment. It wasn't exactly a cool design, but it seemed ghouls valued practicality above all else. 'When it comes to practicality, it's all about the Lich.'

A mage ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠would be more useful on the battlefield than in the dungeon. Plus, if he learned black magic well according to Gremory's information, he could pull off all sorts of wicked deeds. I cleared my throat. "I, Pahuu, command you! Obey my order!!"

Just like with Harsus, the white light faded to reveal Rastuzard. The ghoul, wearing a black robe, bowed to me while holding a small, 30cm magic staff.

[Rastuzard obeys. Lord of Wrath, give me your instructions.]

"Oho, worth the 3-star rating. A mage, indeed."

I never imagined I'd be able to talk to him like this. I asked him everything I was curious about. Most importantly, I had to check what kind of black magic he could use. "What's your job?"

[I am a Necromancer.]

"A black mage? ...Wait, no *Coil Nova*? Ah, you haven't become a Lich yet. Right, I understand. So, what magic can you use?"

[I can turn human corpses into ghouls and control them. I can strengthen ghouls to serve as my minions. For offensive magic, I can manipulate frost.]

"Hehehe. I knew it. So, how many ghouls can you control?"

[35.]

"...One per level, then. No, 35 is still a decent number."

As always, there were endless ways to utilize magic. Thanks to Rastuzard, our dungeon would strengthen much faster. 35 ghouls—I just needed to think about 'who to turn into a ghoul and how to use them.'

"Rastuzard. You've made 35 ghouls today. If one of them dies, what happens?"

[I can turn a new corpse into a ghoul. However, I can only create one at a time in that case. I have a limit to the mana I can use. I cannot create more than 35.]

"Then, say you have 35 ghouls, and they get wiped out by an ambush from an unknown enemy. How long does it take to create 35 ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠new ones?"

[It takes about 5 minutes to turn one human into a ghoul.]

"So, a full batch every three hours. Hehehe. All my worries are gone. From now on, it's a race against time."

"Rastuzard. Your designated spot is here." I pointed to the Altar of Sacrifice right next to the summoning circle. The system where 'sacrificing monsters grants experience.' If it was just for experience and not for evolution, the level didn't matter.

"Heh, 35 every three hours? Don't worry." I felt a thrill just thinking about it. "I have over 800 corpses."

For some reason, Rastuzard's face looked as pale as a skull. I left the dazed Rastuzard in front of the Altar and gave Harsus an order. "Go tell Eila to move 12 corpses per hour from outside the wooden fence."

My magic stones were running low anyway, so this worked out perfectly. Unfortunately, the prisoners had already become blood and flesh for the ghouls. Now, I had to run here every three hours for a massive power-up, but I could handle that for the sake of strengthening the legion.

[...Lord of Wrath, do I have to create ghouls 24 hours a day from now on?]

"Wow, as expected of a future Lich. To think you'd sense your fate so quickly. But..." I put my hand on Rastuzard's shoulder and gave him a thumbs up. "You're not going to tell me ghouls need sleep or rest, are you? Considerations for labor hours only apply to the living."

[.......]

Rastuzard was silent. Harsus approached, drew his black sword, and let it hang toward the floor. I pressed down on Rastuzard's shoulder. "My ghoul mage friend, are you going to end your life as just a ghoul? You have to become a Lich, and eventually an Elder Lich, right?"

[O-of course, Lord of Wrath. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠B-but according to your words, I am a ★★★ monster. Don't I lack the stars to evolve into a 4-star Lich?]

"I'll fill in the missing stars with monster synthesis. Hehehe."

[.......]

His escape route was blocked. Rastuzard eventually gave up, and I decided to be generous and let him work for only ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠about 15 hours. "I'm joking. I don't intend to be that harsh. But you know you have to work a little harder than the humans, right?"

[Yes. I understand perfectly. I obey.]

Rastuzard stood at the Altar of Sacrifice, waiting for the corpses to arrive. I was on edge, wondering if the ghouls outside would report an enemy invasion. 'It's a shame Gremory can't use my facilities.' It was a pity that dungeon facilities could only be used by the dungeon master. It made sense, but the thirsty must dig their own well.

"Then, turn them into ghouls as soon as they arrive. I'll be back in three hours."

Human corpses would be delivered, and they would soon become ghouls. And the ghouls Rastuzard created would take the place of 'magic stones.' "I'll have some fine subordinates. They'll all turn into Solomon's magic stones, though."

I was excited at the thought of turning all those corpses into experience. And I prayed to Solomon and the Goddess, begging them not to let the enemy attack until I had digested every single corpse. Perhaps they heard my prayers. It took quite a long time for the punitive force led by the Baron to arrive.