The Lord of Jerad
The inn room had a view of the forest through its window. I lay on the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling. After the trial by combat ended, I had collapsed in exhaustion, unable to stand. My party members had rushed over, given me emergency treatment, and carried me back to the inn.
Knock knock.
“Hajun?”
The door opened and a woman with long brown hair stepped in with quick, light footsteps. She was carrying a bowl of soup made from chicken and grains. It was the alchemist, Maya.
“You’re awake?”
“I just woke up.”
“Then please have some lunch.”
I hadn’t eaten anything since the duel, so the savory aroma of chicken felt especially comforting. I devoured the soup in big gulps. Maya pulled up a chair and watched me eat.
“I borrowed a pot from downstairs and made it myself. Is it okay?”
“You made this yourself?”
Maya smiled softly.
“Yes. Everyone in the village is busy. Oh, and I used to cook a lot back at the guild. It’s not my first time.”
I chewed on the spoon, thinking. Busy was just an excuse. They were clearly keeping their distance because they didn’t want to get involved with a Necromancer. From yesterday until now, the only people who had come looking for me were my party members and the vigilantes. And even they had only come to ask when we would be leaving the village.
Well, after all the chaos I caused, it made sense they’d be scared of what might happen next. The villagers had no power to protect themselves.
The door opened again and Haneul and Roa walked in.
“Hey there, you stubborn bastard.”
“Hajun oppa!”
Haneul grinned at me like a fox.
“They call you the death-bringer Necromancer, but you sure don’t die easily, huh?”
“...”
Was that a compliment or an insult?
“You really fought so hard,” Roa said in her gentle, careful voice. There was a hint of emptiness in it, and a touch of guilt. “If only I had been a little stronger...”
“Hajun oppa.”
Then Roa looked straight into my eyes. Her violet pupils sparkled with life.
“What’s with the sudden oath?”
“I’m not joking.”
Roa smiled brightly. It was a beautiful smile, like a violet in bloom.
“Because now I know what kind of person you are.”
The party members pulled up chairs and sat around me. For a while, we talked about everything that had happened the night before.
“The lord gave us all of Seoryang’s equipment.”
“Seoryang’s gear?”
“Yeah.”
Haneul scratched her head as she spoke.
“That guy… he died last night.”
“...”
I stayed silent for a moment. I knew he wouldn’t have been in good shape after taking so many Poison Arrow hits. But the poison from Poison Arrow could be cured with a single cast of Cure Poison. Most characters with the Highly Educated trait learned that skill.
Maya. And Baul.
There had been two alchemists. The fact that Seoryang had died meant both of them had refused to treat him.
I let out a quiet sigh in my heart. Seoryang’s death was his own doing.
As our reward for winning the duel, we received the plate armor and longsword he had used. Haneul sat right next to Roa like they were sisters and said,
“Oppa, you were seriously amazing yesterday. Where did you learn swordsmanship?”
To be honest, I had only won thanks to the Poison Arrows. The expensive lessons I’d taken at the guild had been worth it.
“Never learned it. Just street fighting.”
“No way. Really? You were moving like this, and like that!”
Excited, Haneul jumped up and started mimicking sword forms on the spot. She was usually so cheerful that it was easy to forget—her class was Ironclad. A class specialized in swords and shields. But had I really fought like that? All I remembered was getting beaten up.
Haneul suddenly stopped moving and looked at me.
“Oppa. Will you teach me how to use a sword?”
“What?”
I thought I’d misheard, but Haneul was completely serious.
“Hey. Why would you learn swordsmanship from a Necromancer? There are plenty of sword instructors at the guild.”
“That’s that, and this is this. Besides, my dream is to try using a two-handed sword someday.”
The Ironclad guild—its official name was the Order of the Iron Brothers—was a mercenary group founded by sword masters and former knights. They were strong in one-on-one combat and excellent as frontline tanks precisely because they were former knights who had learned proper swordsmanship.
According to the setting, they really were former knights, but…
“I was a squire. I didn’t learn much.”
“You were a squire?”
“Yes. Have you heard of the ‘Black Knight of Halberd’?”
“Never heard of him.”
I glanced at the others just in case, but they all looked equally clueless. There was no reason for explorers to memorize the names of knights.
“When I lived in Oricil, I met him on the street one day. He took me in as his squire.”
Haneul had been a squire. A street-born squire, at that.
“Then why did you become an explorer?”
Haneul shrugged.
“Not long after he took me in, he died. We ran into a band of bandits. He fought to protect the others and never made it.”
Haneul sounded a little resentful.
“I really didn’t get to learn anything before he passed.”
“Then what about the gear you’re using now?”
“This?”
For a level 2, Haneul’s equipment was incredibly good. A gladius and a tower shield. Not worn-out secondhand junk, but clean, brand-new pieces. To gather equipment like this on your own, you’d need to be at least level 4.
“I inherited the knight’s belongings. That’s when the Order of the Iron Brothers asked if I wanted to try becoming an explorer.”
Haneul shrugged again.
“I feel like I could learn a lot from you, Hajun oppa. I’ll even pay tuition. How about forty rons per day?”
“Until when?”
“Until we reach Oricil?”
That would be about five days. Tuition would come to two hundred rons. Two hundred rons could cover about a week’s worth of meals. Not a bad deal…
“Is it okay if I’ve never taught swordsmanship before?”
When I showed interest, Haneul’s face lit up with joy.
“Yes! Just spar with me whenever you have free time!”
“And I give you pointers while watching?”
“Exactly! That would be perfect!”
I held out my hand to her.
“Alright. I’ll teach you everything I can.”
“Thank you!”
I didn’t really have much to teach.
“Um, oppa. Then should I call you teacher? Or master?”
Did we really have to decide that?
“Call me whatever you want.”
“Then… how about sifu?”
“...”
Maybe I shouldn’t have agreed to teach her.
Around dinnertime, the door opened and a plump face appeared. It was Lord Yanggol. He waddled over and plopped down on a chair. The old chair screamed in protest.
“How’s your body?”
“I’m fine.”
“I heard you’re leaving tomorrow morning.”
“We’re busy people. Time is money.”
“Hah. When you put it like that, you actually sound like a real explorer.”
Yanggol leaned forward with his fingers laced together. The numerous rings on his fingers were impressive.
“I regret how this matter turned out.”
“…Regret?”
For a moment, heat surged up from my chest. I almost snapped at him, but since he was a noble, I held back. I was very good at controlling my anger.
“If Your Lordship had intervened more actively, this could have been prevented.”
“That’s true. But in exchange, you proved your ability to everyone, didn’t you? A Necromancer who defeated a wandering knight! That’s definitely going to become a story that spreads your fame.”
“You talk as if Seoryang died just to raise my reputation.”
Yanggol stared at my face for a moment.
“I didn’t think you’d care about that foolish knight.”
“I don’t care that much. It just leaves a bad taste in my mouth.”
“That man disturbed the order of Jerad along with my secretary. I don’t think he deserves any sympathy.”
Just hearing the word secretary brought that obnoxious face back to mind. Baul. That bastard. He had egged Seoryang on from behind the scenes, but the moment Seoryang fell, he acted like it had nothing to do with him.
“The story was quite entertaining. That alchemist girl is the daughter of the Oricil Alchemist Guild Master, right?”
Yanggol chuckled and continued.
“I’ve already reported everything that happened yesterday and today to the Oricil Guild Master.”
“Where is your secretary now?”
“I’ve placed him under house arrest for the time being.”
I shook my head without thinking. Just house arrest?
“Don’t think too badly of it. Baul is essentially a guest from the guild. I can’t punish him arbitrarily.”
A guest? Lord Yanggol saw my expression and let out a small laugh.
“It seems you really didn’t know anything.”
“Pardon?”
“Didn’t you say it yourself? That you would become a Gold-ranked explorer within three years. You basically declared you’d become a big shot.”
I had said something like that. But Yanggol hadn’t taken anyone’s side like a coward. He wasn’t going to ask me to work for free now, was he?
“I wanted to meet you once. The death-bringer Necromancer.”
Yanggol pulled out a sealed letter from his pocket. The sender was Yanggol. The recipient was Gawin.
…Wait a second. Gawin? The supervisor from Runen?
I stared at Yanggol in a daze.
“Allow me to introduce myself, albeit a bit late. I am Yanggol, leader of the Meyael Explorer Coalition.”
You have met the leader of the Meyael Explorer Coalition, Yanggol.
His influence in the coalition is significant.
Calling him leader sounded grand, but in reality, they were essentially investors. The explorer organizations had begun as joint investments by the kingdom’s nobles. They were groups created to excavate ancient relics, artifacts, and all sorts of rare treasures. Over time, as relics became scarce and dungeon exploration grew easier, they had changed into what they were today.
“Uh…”
I found myself at a loss for words in front of Yanggol. I had no idea what to say. The person sitting in front of me was the one who received all the reports from the Runen coalition. Haha. I couldn’t exactly say, I drew a lot of red lines on my record, sorry about that.
“Do you remember the goblin extermination mission?”
“I do.”
“At that time, every member of your party except you was wiped out. Including the noble named Daim.”
I nodded slowly. It was a memory I wanted to forget, but it wasn’t easy to shake. I had definitely failed.
“During the coalition meeting back then, your name came up quite often. Some claimed you had deliberately let the party die.”
“Should I defend myself now?”
“No need. I already know that’s nonsense.”
It was a relief that he knew.
“That’s when I remembered you. The death-bringer Necromancer. Surviving alone in a hellish situation where your comrades are dropping like flies is incredibly difficult. But you did it. I thought someone like you might become famous.”
Yanggol spoke seriously.
“And after watching yesterday’s trial by combat, I became certain. That declaration you made—becoming a Gold Badge within three years. I believe you can actually do it.”
“What do you want from me?”
“You must know that Lord Doyle, Daim’s father, sees you as a thorn in his side. It may become difficult for you to receive missions in the future. The supervisor who looks after you will likely get dragged into troublesome matters as well.”
I couldn’t deny it. Even if the coalition leaders didn’t intervene directly, a leader was still a leader. If a noble like Doyle decided to sabotage me, I would be the only one who suffered.
“As you said, become a Gold Badge. Until you do, I will look after you.”
“And after I become one?”
“I’ll let you join a ‘real’ expedition! The kind where we uncover the secrets of unknown worlds!”
Yanggol smiled, the corners of his mouth lifting. It was a confident, almost smug smile—but on the other hand, it sent a chill down my spine.