Elfin's Skeleton Minion
Far off in the distance, I spotted Elfin panting as she ran toward me. Hadn't she forgotten her sword? She had gone to the training grounds, that much was true—she was clutching the blade I'd gifted her firmly in her right hand, good as new. Up to that point, nothing seemed off at all.
The problem came next.
'Why the hell is there an undead with her?!'
What had me panicking was the undead trailing behind Elfin. There are all sorts of undead out there. The ghostly types without physical form, weak to physical attacks but masters of magic, flitting about unpredictably. Then you've got the solid ones like zombies and skeletons, perfect for necromancers to swarm enemies with in droves.
The one following Elfin clearly fell into the latter category. Anyone could see it was a skeleton, its bones clattering with every step. It wasn't even armed with a rusty iron sword or anything—if it had been, maybe Elfin with her blade wouldn't have seemed so outmatched. But bare-handed? No way she'd lose to that thing. Elfin was a genius warrior, after all.
Still, what the hell was an elf doing strolling alongside a skeleton? It made no sense to me whatsoever.
Swish—I drew my dagger from my bosom and started running too. Even as I dashed forward, questions flooded my mind. No undead monsters around these parts, and a necromancer popping up out of nowhere didn't add up either. Where the hell had that grotesque thing come from? No clue.
"Master~! Check this out~! It's my minion~!"
The moment Elfin shouted that, my feet skidded to a halt.
If she were being chased by a skeleton, even Elfin would be terrified. No matter her combat genius, she had zero real battle experience—anyone would shake in their first real fight. But thinking back, there hadn't been a trace of fear on her face from the start.
And now she was calling that skeleton her minion? Not only unafraid, she was grinning ear to ear, practically bouncing with excitement as she approached. No matter how you sliced it, she didn't look like she was in danger.
That's when it hit me like lightning.
'Taking undead as minions...?'
Necromancer. Or summoner of the dead, as they're sometimes called. They can hang around undead without a shred of danger. Hell, it's safer for them. Undead are their assets, their minions, their weapons.
And right now, Elfin looked exactly like one.
'First Liwin with her time magic, now Elfin...'
Suddenly, it clicked why the prophecy had branded her a cursed child. I slapped my forehead in exasperation.
"An elf necromancer? That's just wrong..."
Elves who love the forest and revere life—a necromancer among them? I wasn't exactly well-read, but I'd never heard or seen anything like it. Hell, part of me thought it was a blessing she'd been chased out by prophecy before anyone found out for real.
"Elfin, mind telling me what's going on here?"
"Perfect timing! Let me introduce you—my minion, Scull!"
It just kept getting better. Elfin stood the skeleton next to her like it was a prized pet, rattling off the name she'd given it as she presented it to me. At her command, the skeleton bowed like some ancient noble, dipping at the waist with a slight knee bend. I stared in shock.
How'd you end up murdered and buried in these hills, milord...?
"......"
"Master, what's wrong? You mad?"
I just clutched my throbbing forehead in silence, and only then did Elfin start sneaking peeks at me, pouting with her lips pursed and fingers twisting nervously. Damn, it was cute. Ever since she started training with me, she'd been calling me "Master" without fail. No formal speech yet, but that was enough for me. Not like I used it with Yustina either.
But that wasn't the issue right now. Not her cuteness or the "Master" title.
"......How the hell did this happen?"
"Huh?"
"You just... stumbled on it? And you two hit it off or something?"
Even I knew that sounded ridiculous. Befriending a wandering skeleton by chance? As expected, Elfin spilled everything with brutal honesty.
"I was heading to the training grounds for my sword, right? But I got lost by mistake. Then kyaa! Guess what I found, Master?"
"......What?"
"A skull! A human skull, I swear!"
"Whoa."
Security around here was basically nonexistent, so someone screaming their last in these mountains wasn't weird. Elfin must've just stumbled on one such corpse.
"Weren't you scared?"
"Nah, it actually felt... familiar."
"......"
"So I went closer. Poor dead guy and all. Rain must've washed it up a bit, so I figured I should bury it properly."
"And then?"
"I accidentally bumped it—thunk—and this happened."
Elfin spread her arms wide, eyes huge, complete with sound effects.
"It just sprang to life! Ta-da~!"
No need to probe further. That was necromancy, plain as day. Elfin had been born with the talents of both a hero warrior and a necromancer.
I didn't hesitate to tell her the truth.
"Elfin, this... it's necromancy."
"Huh?"
I explained it slowly so she'd get it. In a way, it was like warning Liwin about time magic's dangers. Both were things the world eyed warily. Time magic was rarer and more catastrophically abusable, sure. But to regular folk, necromancy's bad rep—already infamous—hit harder.
"O-oh. I had no idea... I just did it without thinking."
"This power... best to keep it hidden."
No need to spell out necromancers' reputation. Toying with the eternal rest of the dead, mocking the deceased by forcing corpses to fight. Blasphemers against the fallen, wicked to the core. That's how everyone saw them.
'Though they are damn powerful.'
From my perspective as an assassin—hardly respectable myself—pure pragmatism said necromancers had real power. A lone mage rivaling an army? Only by raising one from the undead. Strip away the stigma, and that's the raw strength.
'No wonder they're considered so dangerous.'
But I didn't want Elfin walking that path. She was my first disciple, after all. I wanted her combat gifts to bloom fully, for her to shine as a warrior. Her warrior talent was sky-high—no need to flash necromancy and block her future.
"Got it. If you say so, Master."
"Ask Yustina; she can teach you to suppress it. Sorry to stifle your talent, but..."
"Huh? No, no."
Elfin grabbed my arm playfully, hanging off it as she spoke.
"I wanna make it big with what you taught me. Someday I'll be a great warrior, go back home, and shove it in their faces—'See? Not cursed!'"
"......Smart plan."
I stroked her head, inwardly hoping she'd never go back. Whether they'd cast her out knowing her necromancy or just calling it a curse, I didn't know. But if it was the former, no amount of heroism would make them accept her—they'd still find it creepy.
......I didn't want to see her hurt like that.
"It'll all work out. Definitely."
But I kept that to myself. I was just a fleeting human in her long life—a brief extra. Same for Liwin, even more for Yustina. Me, vanishing in flames after my hit? Overstepping like some dad figure, meddling too deep in three girls' lives? Not right.
A few years at most. One at the longest. That was best for everyone.
"Let's head home."
"Yeah!"
I took Elfin's hand tight and stepped toward the house where Yustina and Liwin waited.
'One year. One year tops.'
That was then.
Ten years passed after that.