I Told You, I'm Not Your Master
The man who had effortlessly slain two heroes and obliterated even the Grand Sage in a single blow.
For Charlotte, serving by his side as his closest confidante was the greatest honor of her life. Seeing her boss collapsed so helplessly was beyond unfamiliar—she could hardly believe her eyes. Her eyes, wide with shock, darted back and forth between the Boss and Cecilia. No matter which way she looked, none of it made sense.
"I-it's all because of me. Master... he couldn't bring himself to kill me..."
The more she listened to that trembling, fading voice, the deeper her confusion grew. The Boss chose not to resist? Moreover, she was calling the Boss her master. Were they truly master and disciple in life...?
No. None of that matters right now. The Boss is dying.
Charlotte glared at Cecilia, her eyes burning red with unshed tears. She wanted nothing more than to tear the woman limb from limb this very instant, but the Boss's safety was her absolute priority.
Charlotte knelt beside the Boss and looked down at him. His eye-light was dimming. For the undead, existence hinged entirely on the presence of that light. The dawn in their eyes was their remaining span of life. And now, the Boss's light was fading fast.
Charlotte bit her lip, desperately trying to suppress the rising tide of grief.
"...If the Boss dies, you will die by my hand."
"I'll die. I'll gladly die... Just save Master, please, I beg of you..."
"They will only get in the way, so slaughter the entire subjugation force you brought with you. Take responsibility for what you have done!"
"Yes, I will. I'll do it... Just please, you must save him."
The moment their exchange ended, Cecilia lunged back into the battlefield. Her murderous gaze locked onto the members of the subjugation force. The vengeance burning in her heart had not faded in the slightest; its target had simply shifted. Humanity is the root of all evil, the ones who forced me to strike down my own master.
In a single bound, Cecilia closed the distance, appearing directly behind the hero Leon. Slash! The Moonlight Sword flashed like a bolt of lightning. A thin silver line traced across Leon's neck. Spurt! A geyser of blood erupted as his severed head tumbled to the ground.
In a split second, Cecilia's eyes locked onto the hero Astin. Once more, her figure vanished, leaving a trail of silver light in her wake. Slice!
"—!"
Astin's head was lopped off before he could even utter a death rattle. Two strikes. Two steps. That was all it took to slay two of the Empire's legendary heroes.
Even if they were old, weary heroes, and even if it was a surprise attack, they had been slaughtered in the blink of an eye.
"Run! Cecilia has turned on us!"
"Lord Leon! Lord Astin!"
"Retreat! Fall back!"
The humans, finally realizing Cecilia's betrayal, screamed in sheer panic.
Yet even as they fled, Cecilia tore through their ranks, unleashing a relentless storm of slashes. Moonlight danced wildly in the darkness, painting the night in crimson. The Moonlight Sword no longer cut down the Servants of the Night; instead, it ruthlessly butchered the humans.
Charlotte stole a brief glance at the carnage before snapping her head back. She couldn't afford to be distracted. Right now, every ounce of her focus had to be poured into the Boss.
...What do I do?
Cecilia had left the Boss in her care, placing absolute faith in her necromancy. But even a master necromancer could not revive just any undead. An undead who was not bound by a Soul Binding was beyond her reach.
Soul Binding. A bond of sovereign and subject forged through the soul—or perhaps, an even deeper master-servant relationship. The caster held absolute, unconditional authority over the thrall. Furthermore, if the caster died, the thrall would instantly perish along with them.
For Charlotte to claim the Boss as her thrall was unthinkable, an act of utter sacrilege. But what if, conversely, the caster willingly offered herself to be the servant...?
Reversing the dynamic between caster and thrall was an incredibly difficult feat, but not impossible. Charlotte had read about it in the Necronomicon, committing the passages to memory. She had harbored a secret, cherished hope that one day, she would pledge her very soul to him.
Even as she hesitated, his life-light continued to fade.
Wasting no more time, Charlotte wiped a handful of blood flowing from her head wound onto her palm. Her blood-soaked hand clasped the Boss's hand, intertwining their fingers. A covenant of blood and soul. Though it was her very first attempt, Charlotte recited the oath without a single shred of hesitation.
"O supreme Lord. Please allow me to use your shadow, darker than night, as my shroud."
"If you do, I shall offer the soul and body of this humble servant."
"Even if my white bones are buried in the sandy soil, I shall answer if you call."
⟨ Soul Binding ⟩
Her eyelashes trembled over her tightly shut eyes. Unconsciously, she squeezed his hand with all her might.
"I dare to beg of you... please, become my master."
A dense, suffocating shroud of dark mana erupted around Charlotte. A Soul Binding that offered the caster's very soul and flesh as a living sacrifice. If mana alone proved insufficient, she would gladly surrender her body and soul to bring him back. Fortunately, as long as his life-light had not completely extinguished, dark mana alone should suffice.
Staring into his dimming eyes, Charlotte channeled every drop of dark mana within her. A massive torrent of pitch-black energy swirled around them, enveloping the Boss's entire body. In her heart, she offered a prayer—or rather, something akin to one. It was an instinctive plea for him to live. But because the recipient was undead, her prayer warped into a desperate, desperate supplication.
Squeezing her eyes shut, she focused entirely on controlling the dark mana. As his deputy, she had been utterly useless to him until now. If she let him fade away like this, the sheer futility of it would drive her mad. If he died, Charlotte swore she would kill Cecilia, no matter what. Even if he did survive, she had already firmly resolved to slaughter the hero.
When she finally opened her eyes, a vibrant blue light was swirling within the Death Knight's sockets.
"...Ah."
Overwhelmed by a rush of emotion, Charlotte could only gape in stunned silence.
...What is this?
The moment I opened my eyes, Charlotte's tear-streaked face filled my vision. The angle was incredibly intense, making me instinctively look away.
Suddenly, I felt a trembling sensation in my hand. I wondered what it was, only to realize Charlotte was clutching my hand tightly in hers. Belatedly noticing my gaze, she quickly pulled her hand back.
"Thank... thank goodness..."
She was stuttering, which was completely unlike her. I gave her a strange look before scanning our surroundings. Catching sight of a silver flash in the distance, my memories from right before I lost consciousness came rushing back. Right, I was stabbed by Cecilia and was on the verge of death. I didn't know the exact details, but it seemed Charlotte's help had managed to bring me back from the brink.
If not for Dual Dragon Scales, I would have been a goner.
I hadn't just lost consciousness; my mind had been drifting into the abyss. Without Dual Dragon Scales, that single strike from the Moonlight Sword would have finished me off. In any case, it seemed Charlotte, the necromancer, had managed to revive me. I didn't know how, but she did.
My relief was short-lived. As I continued to look around, my gaze locked onto Cecilia. Unbelievably, she was busy slaughtering her fellow humans.
...Are my eyes playing tricks on me?
None of this made any sense. Why on earth was Cecilia, who had just tried to kill me, suddenly massacring her own allies—
But that question was quickly pushed aside. The moment I spotted Isabella, a surge of urgency took over. Before I could even think, I gripped the Holy Sword. My feet were already moving toward her.
"Lord—"
I heard Charlotte's voice behind me, but I didn't have the luxury to listen.
Fortunately, Isabella had somehow survived. She was on the verge of death, but I held the means to save her. Even though vampires were classified as Servants of the Night, they were not considered undead. This meant she could be healed by the Holy Sword. Responding to my will, the scarlet glow of the Holy Sword shifted to a pure, brilliant white. As I channeled the healing light of Solari into Isabella, her deep wounds began to close at a rapid pace.
Isabella's contorted expression quickly softened. Though she remained unconscious, her life was no longer in danger.
"Kiriririk..."
I turned my attention to Balutak, who was collapsed in a pool of dark green blood nearby.
His upper and lower body had been completely severed, but Balutak still managed to weakly lift his head. His antennae trembled feebly. Balutak's vitality was as persistent as a cockroach's. Back in the game, I used to find that trait incredibly annoying, but right now, it was an absolute godsend. I pushed his upper and lower halves back together and pressed the Holy Sword against the seam. Not only did his wounds vanish, but the severed edges began to fuse back together with light. Finally, Balutak sprang to his feet, completely whole.
"Kirik! Great Chieftain saved me again-dak! Balutak swears loyalty to Great Chieftain-dak!"
While Isabella remained unconscious due to the aftereffects, Balutak was absurdly energetic. It was hard to believe he had just been on the brink of death. His level might be relatively low, but his sheer tenacity was unmatched. I let out a sigh of relief, which manifested as a puff of frosty air.
"Great Chieftain, save that crazy guy too-dak!"
"...Crazy guy?"
"I mean that crazy guy-dak! Kirik!"
Balutak pointed toward Karleon.
I was reminded once again that Balutak was blissfully ignorant. To an undead like Karleon, the healing power of the Holy Sword would be like pouring salt on an open wound. As long as we retrieved his body, Rosesha would find a way to revive him. Since his remains weren't too heavily damaged, I didn't have to worry too much.
"Balutak. Look after Isabella."
"Kirik! Understood-dak!"
Balutak buzzed his wings and flew over to Isabella.
"Boss."
Charlotte quietly stepped up to my side. Though she addressed me, her eyes were fixed on Cecilia in the distance.
It was then that Cecilia, who had been ruthlessly slaughtering the humans, suddenly came to a halt. For some reason, it coincided exactly with the moment our eyes met.
"Aaaah!"
Seizing the opportunity, the surviving remnants of the subjugation force scattered and fled. Cecilia paid them no mind, turning to walk in the opposite direction. She was heading straight toward me.
The Servants of the Night stood frozen, unable to take a single step. They could only swallow their terror as Cecilia walked past them. Drenched in blood from head to toe, she marched steadily toward me.
Only Charlotte remained on guard, conjuring a pitch-black magic circle in the air. I, too, kept my eyes on Cecilia's Moonlight Sword. My instinct was to take a step back.
But the moment my eyes caught what was floating above her head, my body froze.
It was nowhere near red. Instead, it was a deep, vibrant pink—as intense as it could possibly get. For a split second, I thought I was looking at Charlotte's level, but a double-take confirmed it was definitely Cecilia's.
...Why?
It wasn't that I felt safe; I was simply too bewildered to move. As I stood there frozen, Cecilia closed the distance. Before I could react, she collapsed forward, throwing herself into my arms. Even as I instinctively caught her, I couldn't tell if this was reality or a dream.
"Master..."
Her quiet voice trembled, and I could feel her body shaking. She had completely relaxed her muscles, leaning all her weight against me. But wait, what did she just say?
"...Master?"
The word slipped out of my mouth. At that, Cecilia peeked up at me, her eyes suddenly brimming with tears.
"I'm sorry... I'm so sorry... If it were me, I would have... I would have done the same."
"...?"
"A disciple who tried to kill her own master... I understand completely how you must feel, Master."
What the hell is she talking about?
"But Master, please... can't you forgive me? We've only just reunited... If you push me away like this, I..."
No, seriously, what is she on about? I told you, I'm not your master!