Chapter 069
Chapter Title: The Curse of the Dead
-----------------------------------------------------------------
“Our mission is to investigate the anomaly in the Fairy Forest—specifically, why the undead are appearing.”
Lunia raised her hand at Lauta's words.
“I heard that even Death Knights are appearing in the Fairy Forest. Lauta, have you ever fought a Death Knight?”
“I have.”
“Then I assume you've prepared countermeasures for them.”
“Is there a need to prepare countermeasures for a Death Knight?”
“What? What do you mean…?”
Lunia looked bewildered by Lauta's question.
“If a Death Knight truly appeared, then yes, we'd need a plan. However.”
Lauta glanced at Leo.
“Only one person claims to have seen a Death Knight.”
“Are you suggesting Leo lied?”
“He probably didn't lie. But he likely mistook another undead for it. Skeleton Knights can sometimes resemble Death Knights.”
“Even so, I believe it's wise to prepare for the possibility. Devising a strategy for a Death Knight isn't that difficult, is it?”
“The proud representative of Seirun seems to be missing the bigger picture.”
Lauta scoffed.
“High-tier undead like Death Knights will have their summons broken if they don't receive a continuous supply of mana from a necromancer. That's why demons are always present where Death Knights are. But this is Verchia, the capital of Elsalvekia.”
“…”
“As a student of Seirun, you should know this. A large-scale celestial magic barrier is cast around Verchia. It's a spell created by the great founder, Luna, which demons can never breach. Even if they tried, their location would be instantly identified.”
Lauta spoke as if he was certain a Death Knight would not appear.
As Lunia hesitated at his words, Leo spoke up.
“There's no rule that says a necromancer has to be a demon.”
“What?”
“Beings other than demons can wield the power of darkness just as well.”
Hearing Leo, Lauta said.
“That's even more ridiculous. Do you think the proud elves would do such a thing?”
Lauta said irritably and spun around.
“Let's stop wasting any more time and get moving.”
Watching Lauta walk ahead, Karl whispered softly.
“Doesn't it seem like his attitude has completely changed?”
“It must mean there's no one left he needs to impress.”
Karl clicked his tongue at Leo's words.
“I really don't like his type.”
A short time later.
*Kehehehek! Kyahahahaha!*
A group of goblins appeared.
“Let's see what Lumerne is made of.”
Lauta smirked and gestured toward the goblins with his chin.
“How about you two handle them?”
As Leo was about to step forward, Karl spoke.
“Leo. Do you really need to get involved for a bunch of goblins?”
Grinning, Karl took out his magic staff.
“Leave these small fry to me.”
*Karl fighting… Now that I think about it, I've barely seen him in combat since the beginning of the semester.*
From the moment he enrolled, Karl had aimed to be a support mage.
As such, even in combat classes, he usually supported other students rather than fighting on the front lines.
In addition, his studies focused on auxiliary and enchantment magic rather than offensive spells.
“Goblins are a piece of cake.”
Playfully smiling, Karl twirled his short staff between his fingers, but he fumbled and dropped it.
“Ugh!”
Watching Karl hastily pick up his staff, Lunia wore an incredulous expression.
“Why is he so clumsy?”
Having retrieved his staff, Karl grinned at the goblins forming an encirclement.
“Alright, shall I show you my creations?”
Karl opened a subspace.
With that, weapons poured out from the subspace.
Seeing this, Eiran's eyes widened.
“Weapons…”
“Well. His specialty is alchemy magic, but…”
While Leo tilted his head in confusion, Karl conjured his mana.
Lauta scoffed.
“What crude mana.”
Indeed, Karl's mana was barely at the average level for Lumerne.
Karl was a talented mage, but at Lumerne, where only the best gathered, it was inevitable that he seemed lacking.
*But even so, Karl never gave up.*
Knowing his limits, he didn't give up.
Instead, he chose to advance in a different direction.
*Woong-!*
The weapons reacted to Karl's mana and floated into the air.
Seeing this, Leo's eyes widened slightly.
“What, it's just simple telekinesis?”
Lunia, who had been watching with some interest, looked slightly disappointed.
Using telekinesis to wield weapons was a very common method of attack.
“No, that's not telekinesis.”
“What?”
Karl's weapons began to emit mana, manifesting the power of various elements.
Eiran was surprised to see this.
“What's happening?”
“It's enchantment.”
“Enchantment?”
“Yes.”
Leo instantly saw through the magic Karl was using.
*He's engraved telekinetic magic formulas onto the weapons. Those formulas are reacting to the enchantment magic.*
Enchantment magic is a simple spell that any mage can use.
And the idea of engraving telekinetic formulas on weapons was also simple.
However, implementing enchantment magic with such a complex structure was difficult even for seasoned mages.
*Did he make these weapons with alchemy? Not bad.*
“Go!”
At Karl's command, the weapons flew toward the goblins.
The weapons, enchanted with magic of various elements, decorated the air.
*Kruk?*
*Kyaaaaak!*
The goblins scattered in terror.
“Not so fast!”
But the weapons, imbued with Karl's will, moved in complex patterns.
After cutting down the goblins in an instant, the weapons returned to Karl.
Storing the weapons back in his subspace, Karl looked smug.
“Hmph. How was my trump card?”
“Karl! That was amazing!”
Eiran shouted in excitement.
Leo was also impressed.
“You should have presented this magic as your unique spell during the midterm.”
“It's just a simple application of enchantment magic and weapons made with alchemy, so I can't really call it a unique spell.”
“I think the ability to approach magic this way is worthy of being called a unique spell.”
“You think so? It was just an idea I came up with while desperately trying to create something decent.”
Karl was a mage who specialized in enchantment, a branch of alchemy that imbues objects with properties.
However, it is difficult for a simple enchanter to achieve great success as a mage.
*And yet, since enrolling, Karl has focused his research on enchantment magic to leverage his strengths. That's how he perfected this spell.*
“If you showed this to Professor Ren, he'd praise you immensely.”
“Oh! Really? Then maybe I can survive until the second semester with this?”
Karl's expression brightened at Leo's words.
No matter what anyone else said, an endorsement from Leo was a sure thing.
Leo chuckled, seeing Karl's renewed motivation.
Lunia and Lauta also stared at Karl in surprise.
“Hmph. It's still just simple enchantment magic.”
Lauta scoffed, but Lunia thought differently.
*To think that a kid who'd be at the lower-class level in our school could come up with such a spell.*
Lunia looked at Karl with a complicated expression.
“Alright, let's move again.”
After that, they fought monsters several more times.
But there was no sign of the undead.
“No undead, and you're talking about a Death Knight? Ridiculous.”
Lauta's mocking laughter could be heard.
But Leo's expression was grave.
The group had now arrived at the entrance to the former Fairy Land.
The magic cast by the previous Fairy King was still intact, and on the surface, nothing seemed to have changed since a few days ago.
However…
*The land is cursed.*
A subtle curse that only Leo, who had lived through the Age of Calamity, could discern.
*The Curse of the Dead.*
Among the many curses used by demons, this one was special.
Because it was a curse that only one person could cast.
The Legion Commander of Tartaros who survived the Age of Calamity.
The most loyal subordinate of Erebos and the most terrifying existence among the demons.
*The Necromancer King, Hell Kaiser.*
The de facto commander leading Tartaros.
*He wouldn't have moved personally.*
If Hell Kaiser had made a move himself, it would be a truly grave matter.
*Looking at the records after the Age of Calamity, he has never once made a personal move. But it's certain that a subordinate acting under his orders is here.*
He looked at the entrance to Fairy Land with a hardened expression.
*Beyond this place… there's something that Silroad wants to protect.*
While Leo was lost in thought, Lunia spoke to Lauta.
“Lauta. Since there's no sign of the undead, should we head back?”
“No. We will search this area more thoroughly.”
“Understood.”
“From now on, split up and search the surrounding area.”
Lunia paused.
“By ourselves?”
“What else? Am I supposed to babysit you?”
Lauta wore an irritated expression.
Lunia was taken aback by his demeanor, and Lauta, after scoffing, began to investigate the area with a serious look on his face.
“Seriously. Isn't that guy supposed to be leading us? What the hell is he doing?”
“It seems like he's… looking for something.”
Karl grumbled with a look of disbelief, while Eiran wore a puzzled expression.
“Just leave him. Let's ignore that jerk and search the area ourselves.”
Lunia, who had stuck her tongue out at Lauta while gathering her group, paused when she saw Leo.
Leo was staring intently at Lauta, who was busy searching for something.
Seeing Leo's eyes narrow, Lunia had a gut feeling.
*He knows something.*
***
That evening.
The students from Lumerne and Seirun felt a sense of doubt after returning from their search mission.
“Chelsea, your group didn't find any undead either?”
“Yeah. It's not just us. Apparently, none of the groups found any undead.”
“Is that so?”
The undead outbreak had already been confirmed by the Elsalvekia Council.
That was why they had formally requested assistance from Lumerne and Seirun.
*But the undead vanished in a single day?*
It wouldn't be strange if the undead themselves had disappeared.
Undead have a limited activity time if they don't receive a supply of mana.
But right now, the center of the Fairy Forest was under the 'Curse of the Dead,' a curse that infinitely generated undead.
*And yet, the undead have vanished. It's as if there's a necromancer controlling them.*
“Professor Herdium.”
Just then, Lauta spoke to Herdium, who was listening to reports from the Seirun students.
“What is it, Student Lauta?”
“Although there are no undead, it's true that an anomaly has occurred. The Fairy Forest is the sacred domain of the elves. I believe we must root out this ominous presence as quickly as possible. It might be dangerous for the first-years, but the second-years are more than capable of exploring the forest at night. Therefore, please grant us permission to conduct a nighttime search.”
At his words, a few second-years whispered in annoyance.
“Ugh, there he goes, sucking up again.”
“That damn jerk.”
As all the second-years besides Lauta were from the lower or intermediate classes, the gazes of his peers were not favorable.
“I understand your thoughts well, Student Lauta. However, a nighttime search is dangerous even for second-years. The night is when the aura of the undead grows stronger. Therefore, I cannot grant that request.”
“But, Professor!”
“Student Lauta. Excessive enthusiasm can also cause problems.”
Seeing Herdium's firm refusal, Lauta gritted his teeth and stepped back.
Seeing this, Leo muttered to himself.
*He's getting more and more suspicious.*