Chapter 80: Baron Ashro’s Estate 11
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 80: Baron Ashro’s Estate 11
A sinister aura clung to the hands of Baron Ashro’s butler and the men flanking him.
That aura was the mark of their servitude to the Necromancer—the dark gift they had received in exchange for their souls.
The ability to manipulate the dead was a power exclusive to Necromancers. As for how one actually became a Necromancer, that remained a mystery to the world.
‘Even the nine Necromancers currently walking the earth likely don’t know.’
However, there was a specific power that only a Necromancer could bestow upon others, and that was exactly what I was looking at now.
Even in the game, it had no official name, so players referred to that repulsive energy by various titles: Death Aura, Necromancer’s Dregs, the Power of Death, and so on. But most players simply called it this:
‘Black Mana.’
Of course, it wasn't actual mana, so they couldn't cast spells with it. However, its sheer lethality far surpassed that of the regular stuff. It was so volatile that an ordinary adult who had never held a sword could slay a trained knight if they wielded Black Mana.
Mordor’s subordinates in the sewers likely could have used that power too, but Loki and Johanna had cut them down before they even had the chance. No matter how lethal a power is, it doesn't matter if the user is dead before they can trigger it—or if you simply don't get hit.
Loki stared down at Baron Ashro, who lay motionless on the floor with a gaping hole through his chest.
“Is he dead?”
“Don’t you worry,” the butler sneered. “I’ll be sending you to the same place as the Baron shortly.”
“I’m not planning on dying, but even if I did… going to the same place as Baron Ashro? What a horrifying thought.”
Seeing Loki speak so nonchalantly even in the face of death, the butler assumed he was merely bluffing.
“Did you think I wouldn't notice what you're up to? You were clearly trying to stall for time, waiting for reinforcements.”
“……”
Seeing Loki fall silent, the butler, convinced he had seen through the boy's plan, continued to twist the knife of despair.
“But things won't go your way. Behind the Baron’s back, we did a little work on the entrance.”
“……”
“Even for an Academy professor, it’ll take quite some time to break through.”
“……”
Loki kept his head bowed, offering no response.
At first, the butler was going to mock him further, but upon closer inspection, he noticed Loki’s head was nodding slightly up and down.
Wait, is he… sleeping? Right now?
“Hwaaaaaaaaam~.”
The madman stretched his arms wide, letting out a long, exaggerated yawn as if he’d just woken from a refreshing nap.
“I drifted off because you were being so incredibly dull. Honestly, I think you guys are partly to blame for waking me up when I was sleeping so soundly. Don’t you agree?”
“So, here’s the thing,” the madman said, his eyes glinting. “Could you say all that one more time? I promise I won’t doze off. I’ll listen to every single word this time.”
“Kill him this instant!!”
At the butler's command, the men lunged at Loki, their blades coated in the oily sheen of Black Mana.
‘Recover the drugs quickly and get out of here.’
They had failed to spread the narcotics throughout the Empire, but the stash was still inside that brat’s Pocket Dimension. It would be difficult to distribute them here now, but they could pivot and start by addicting the neighboring kingdoms.
When the Phantom Thief Cardinal appeared, they had intended to reveal themselves and kill him, but Cardinal had proven far stronger than expected. If an Academy professor had taken the drugs Cardinal left behind, things might have gotten complicated—but fortunately, this brat was the one who took the bait.
The butler had no doubt they could end Loki in a heartbeat.
“Do you really think I followed you all the way here like an idiot without a plan? Everyone, now!”
Even as he watched Loki shout at the top of his lungs toward the charging men, the butler remained convinced it was a desperate bluff.
Stomp, stomp, stomp, stomp!
That was, until he heard the thunderous rhythm of footsteps approaching from behind—a sound heavy enough to make the floorboards tremble.
‘They’re here already?’
He hadn't sensed a single presence until just a second ago!
The men charging Loki and the butler spun around in a panic.
[[Surely no one is stupid enough to fall for this? Surely no one is stupid enough to fall for this? Surely no one is stupid enough to fall for this? Surely no one is stupid enough to fall for this? Surely no one is stupid enough to fall for this?]]
There stood a massive blackboard, the same sentence scrawled across it dozens of times in mocking repetition.
Realizing they had been tricked by a mere illusion, the men tried to whip their heads back toward Loki.
Squelch!
Loki was faster. He buried a dagger in the throat of the nearest man before they could even finish their turn. The man collapsed, his body twitching atop Baron Ashro’s corpse.
“It was a lie, but you actually fell for it. I can’t believe there are people actually stupid enough to be fooled by that. Oh dear, I feel so bad for you….”
The madman spoke in a voice dripping with mock pity.
“By the way, contrary to what you said earlier, it seems this gentleman went to meet Baron Ashro before me. Unlike me, I’m sure he’s gone to wherever the Baron is, so please give him my regards when you see him~.”
“Don’t just stand there dazed! Kill him before he pulls another stunt!”
Losing his patience, the butler personally lunged forward to finish Loki. He had to kill this lunatic before things spiraled further. Fortunately, the boy stood still, as if he were too stunned to react.
“Die!”
Grab.
The butler’s hand, swinging his sword with murderous intent, was suddenly caught mid-air by a hand that seemed to manifest from the shadows.
“How are you here…?”
“Actually, when I said it was a lie just now, that was also a lie. There’s no way I’d really come here alone.”
An Academy professor materialized from thin air right beside the boy.
“Of course I brought some reliable backup.”
Seeing the butler caught, the others tried to swing their Black Mana-infused swords at Elicia and Loki.
“Kneel.”
Thud!
At Elicia’s single, gravity-heavy word, everyone in the room except for her and Loki slammed into the floor.
* * *
I looked down at the Necromancer’s subordinates, who were pinned to their knees by an invisible weight.
Under the crushing pressure of Dragon Fear, their bodies trembled like leaves in a storm. Meanwhile, Professor Elicia’s Dragon Fear didn't affect me in the slightest.
“S-Since when…?” Baron Ashro’s butler stammered, his face pressed against the stone.
He was likely asking how long Professor Elicia had been hiding in the room.
“I’ve been right beside him ever since you came to find him in his room earlier.”
I knew they would come for me once they realized I was handing the drugs over to the Emperor tomorrow. The only thing that went against my expectations was Baron Ashro being killed by his own people.
It seemed the Baron hadn't realized his own household had been infiltrated by the Necromancer’s cult. Not that it changed the fact that he was scum who deserved his end.
“Your Majesty, what do you plan to do with these people?”
[We must interrogate them first. Could you bring them to me?]
Hearing my question, the Emperor made a polite request to Professor Elicia through the communication device. She gave a small nod.
Pop! Bang! Splat! Pop!
In an instant, the bodies of the kneeling subordinates detonated.
Fortunately, not a single drop of blood splashed on me, despite my proximity. Professor Elicia must have deployed a barrier magic instantaneously to block the gore.
That was the price of accepting Black Mana from a Necromancer. If they were ever in a position to leak information about their master, the Geas placed upon their souls would trigger, turning them into human bombs.
[A suggestion or a Geas spell, I see. Tsk.]
The Emperor clicked his tongue in disappointment, but there was nothing to be done. Unless we captured a Necromancer who wasn't bound by a Geas, extracting information was a dead end.
I looked at the cold, pale corpse of Baron Ashro. The Emperor, perhaps sensing my thoughts, gave me the answer I needed.
[Baron Ashro was found in possession of illegal substances and resisted arrest. I ordered his immediate execution. That is how the official report shall read.]
* * *
I walked through the quiet, dimly lit hallway of the mansion, slipped into my room, and collapsed onto the bed.
I handed the communication device I had "borrowed" from Lucas—the one I used to speak with the Emperor—over to Professor Elicia. She would return it to Lucas tomorrow, pretending she had found it. If I claimed to have found it the next morning after Lucas had searched so desperately for it, it would look suspicious.
A communication device… I feel like I’m forgetting something.
“Communication device… phone call… Ah, right. Yerika!”
How did I only remember this now?
I had completely forgotten to tell Yerika that I wouldn't be able to call today. The device hadn't made a sound, even if someone had been trying to reach me. Usually, when a call comes in, the device rings, but you can toggle that setting.
Earlier, when I was disguised as Cardinal, I couldn't risk the device making noise at the wrong moment, so I had muted it.
“I’ll have to contact her tomorrow morning.”
Muttering to myself, I pulled the communication device out of my Pocket Dimension to turn the sound back on.
“Huh?”
A dumbfounded sound escaped my lips as I looked at the crystal.
The communication device was vibrating silently in my palm. Someone was calling right now. At first, I thought the Emperor might have had an afterthought, but…
The name on the display was Yerika.
Instinctively, I checked the time. Four hours had already passed since our usual scheduled talk.
‘She couldn't have been calling me continuously since then, right?’