The Tale of the Undying Siblings (2)
A territory was both the right of the lords who ruled the land and the fence that sheltered the people living within it. At least in a place where monsters constantly threatened, there were never many choices. Pay heavy taxes and live safely under the protection of elite soldiers and knights, or risk everything and survive outside. Most chose the former. However, the northern regions of the empire, paralyzed by the Winter of the End, were an exception. No matter how grand a territory claimed to be, the winter's chill brought literal apocalypse to its people. In the end, only one place in the north still functioned as a proper territory: Baikal Territory.
That did not mean there were no other settlements where people lived. Even in the most extreme conditions where survival seemed impossible, human instinct endlessly craved life. In that process, most shed their flimsy morals and knowledge. Some accepted fear and tried to survive by worshipping Wendigos as gods, even creating incarnations of them. Others exploited the empire's guardian dragon, forcing the bound creature through a covenant to devour Wendigos. Yet the harsh environment also benefited certain people—namely, the necromancers. Those who rejected the cycle and reclaimed life from death. Because they had broken the cycle of life, their very existence was cursed, and they became objects of avoidance across the continent.
For them, the empire's northern regions were ideal hiding places, aside from the brutal environment. Even if the Holy Kingdom sent pursuers, they would never overcome the winter. Moreover, the Winter of the End preserved corpses in perfect condition. It was truly the best sanctuary for necromancers, provided they could endure the environment. Of course, that prerequisite was never easy. Unfortunately for the girl and the boy, necromancers who met those conditions existed in the north.
The Sanctuary of Souls. The necromancers chose to grow their power in the empire's north, preparing for the day they would take revenge on the Holy Kingdom that had persecuted them. They stopped at nothing. They ambushed people being escorted to Baikal Territory and turned them into undead, or, if someone showed talent for necromancy, they brainwashed them into becoming comrades. It was never easy. The bitter cold and the Wendigos lurking within it were the greatest threats even to necromancers. But they had a way to escape both the cold and the monsters: becoming undead themselves. Specifically, liches—undead stripped of all flesh.
Transcending death meant the cold no longer posed any problem, and even Wendigos showed no interest. Of course, not everyone succeeded in the ritual. Many failed and found eternal rest instead. That was why they focused on increasing their numbers. Even for the sake of revenge, they had no choice but to recruit more comrades. That was the only reason the girl and the boy were chosen. No one had recognized any special talent in them. They were simply unlucky—attacked by necromancers at the worst possible moment.
[Don't worry, □□□. I'll protect you.]
[Brother……!!]
[It's a promise.]
The light of hope did not last long. Like the Winter of the End, which extinguished any flame not sustained by magic, it faded quickly. The first thing the necromancers did was cut away the girl's support. They severed her brother's limbs—the very pillar that had held her up—and left him to die before her eyes. As the weight of life slowly slipped through her fingers, what could the girl have done? She did everything she could. She wept and begged, bowed her head and swore she would do anything. Even if she had to give up everything else, she wanted to save her brother. But they turned their backs on her completely. In the end, her brother lost his life in less than two weeks. Truthfully, surviving that long in the freezing cold had already been a miracle.
The girl, robbed of her only support, sank into the depths of despair that day. The anxiety, fear, and terror of being left alone in a cold world crashed over her all at once.
[There's a way to bring your brother back to life.]
[……Really?]
[Of course.]
Whether the necromancers were her enemies no longer mattered to the girl. The only thing that mattered now was bringing back the one family member she had left. Whether it was misfortune or fortune, the girl possessed an extraordinary talent beyond imagination—the talent to command death. The necromancers, who had recognized her gift from the beginning, taught her while simultaneously ensuring she obeyed them. A slave who could fully utilize that talent. Three years passed like that. By then, the girl had become the strongest necromancer.
◇
Was it arrogance? Or carelessness? The Sanctuary of Souls firmly believed they controlled every situation. Some even tried to seize the girl's body outright. Honestly, their attempt had nearly succeeded. If the undead in black armor—the Death Knight who had once been her brother—had not intervened, the one wearing the girl's body by now would have been some lich, not the girl herself.
From that moment, the girl's counterattack began. The liches had been fooled by her three years of perfect obedience and had loosened their control. She did not miss that opening. She slaughtered them all. The liches did not go down easily, but their specialty—necromancy and curses—could no longer match the girl. After that, it was simple. She took the hearts the liches had left behind and absorbed their wicked mana. Using that power, she raised an army from the countless corpses that had fallen across the north. An undead legion. Its sudden appearance made it nearly as dangerous as the Wendigos themselves. Baikal Territory could not ignore it and eventually sent her to subjugate the threat.
Wolfgang. At the time, she had not yet been recognized for her achievements and was not yet a noble. When the girl first saw her appear, she openly mocked her. Wolfgang had not brought an army. She had come alone to face the undead legion. What kind of confidence was that? Was she hoping to die?
But the girl's lighthearted contempt turned to ash in an instant. The flames Wolfgang summoned burned so fiercely that even the winter's chill could not extinguish them. The legion of thousands was reduced to cinders in less than an hour. The only ones who barely survived were the girl and her brother.
"Quite sturdy. I didn't expect any undead to withstand my flames at full power."
"……"
"But the outcome is already decided. So let me make you an offer." Wolfgang pulled a cigarette from her pocket and placed it between her lips. Her attitude was so relaxed it bordered on contempt, yet the girl could say nothing. She had been completely overwhelmed, after all.
"You have two choices. One is to turn to ash right here. Your circumstances are pitiful, but that doesn't bring back the lives you've taken."
"……You said there were two choices."
"The second is to become my subordinates."
"What? You want us as subordinates?"
At first, the girl doubted her ears. Necromancers who commanded undead were never welcome anywhere. The woman standing before her had come to kill her, after all.
"It's true that you wield that repulsive power called undeath. And there are clearly people who lost their lives because of the undead you command."
"And yet you'd still accept me as a subordinate?"
"That's right. The empire isn't in a position to be picky right now."
Ironically, the girl was lucky. Wolfgang, who had come to capture her, had suffered a devastating defeat just months earlier. Through that experience, Wolfgang had realized something: to defeat the Wendigos, she needed comrades. Not ordinary ones, either. She needed those who possessed the power to actually win against them.
'Undead, huh. Honestly, I've seen plenty of them in novels and games.'
More importantly, Wolfgang herself did not feel much aversion toward the undead. She was already used to far worse monsters targeting her, so undead seemed almost cute by comparison. Besides, an undead legion was an extremely attractive proposition in her eyes. They could endure the bitter cold for reconnaissance, or stand guard on the walls in place of living soldiers.
'This is actually pretty good, isn't it?'
'……Reaching out to a necromancer and her undead? Have you lost your mind?'
But the girl, unaware of Wolfgang's true thoughts, was dumbfounded. It was obviously a lie. There had to be some trick. After everything she had been through, she could not afford to be deceived again. Yet even so, the reason she took that hand was simple. She wanted to believe, even if only once. She wanted to believe in the warmth of the woman who had extended her hand to the undead and necromancers everyone else rejected.
'If it doesn't work out, I can always use her as a meat shield.'
……It was fortunate for Wolfgang that the girl could not read her mind.