Arman Abandoned Mine (2)

The carriage we rode pulled up in front of the mansion—the Shadow Union's hideout.

I followed Beth inside, climbing the stairs to a room on the second floor.

"Wizard. You've come."

Diren, guild master of the Shadow Union, greeted me.

He gestured toward the sofa and launched into the discussion.

"Arman Abandoned Mine. Trouble's brewing there."

The first issue was the undead crawling out of the mine.

Undead spawn naturally in places thick with death.

But in those cases, they're mostly skeletons—faceless husks you couldn't recognize even if you tried.

"Millen, executioner for the Radiant Revolutionaries. Identity confirmed."

Diren pulled out a nameplate as he spoke.

Engraved on it: Millen, Radiant Revolutionaries.

An elite NPC among their remnants.

I dredged up what I remembered.

The Radiant Revolutionaries.

One of the kingdom's many resistance groups—or bandits wearing a revolutionary name, if you want to call it what it is.

Commander Rodri was just another corrupt viscount from a rotten noble house, scheming to carve out a piece of the chaotic kingdom for himself.

But nobility meant he had real skill to back it up.

Therefore.

"Whoever turned them into undead inside that mine has to be at least 4th Hierarchy."

A necromancer at minimum 4th Hierarchy.

At this stage, a few names came to mind.

I probed Diren for more details.

"Any peculiarities on the corpses?"

"What do you mean, wizard?"

"Exactly what I said. Like... wielding skills they had in life."

"...You know who it is."

Diren nodded in affirmation and continued.

"Just as you said. Zombies there were using swordsmanship from life—not to mention magic."

Undead almost never retain memories from life.

They just follow instincts: bite, attack, repeat.

But right now, one necromancer could raise undead with the exact prowess they had before death.

Gerald, the black mage.

His growth outpaced rumors, leaving him underrated.

He wasn't overwhelmingly strong himself, but his talent was the issue.

Undead that performed like they were alive, even after death.

Gerald quietly devoured nearby named foes, growing in secret.

Once he bulked up enough, he'd start hunting other necromancers outright.

Building a legion that way, he'd break through to 5th Hierarchy.

So he had to be dealt with before he hit that point.

Once he reached 5th and started raising legendary heroes as undead, no one could stop him.

"The Rockhart Knights have the mine surrounded now... but this kind of anomaly is a first."

Diren met my eyes steadily.

"It'll be dangerous. You in?"

"I'm in."

I answered without hesitation.

The next day.

We rode to Bilton, the small village southwest of the Arman Abandoned Mine.

The Rockhart Knights were already arrayed inside the village.

"You've arrived!"

As we dismounted, a knight rushed over.

"Senior Knight Boltwin of the Rockhart Knights!"

The senior knight who introduced himself as Boltwin led us to a temporary tent in the village.

Four other senior knights sat inside.

"We'll begin the briefing for the Arman Abandoned Mine operation!"

Senior Knight Boltwin unrolled a large sheet of ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠paper—a map of the mine—and started explaining.

"First, the mine's layout. Five entrances: A and B bottom right, C top right, D and E bottom left."

Boltwin took small pins from a box in his pocket and placed one at each point on the map.

"We expect at least one strong undead per entrance. Confirmed undead total three: one each at B, C, and D."

He handed out pre-prepared documents.

Listed were all undead spotted so far.

The executioner and madman were elite NPCs who once held the mine, now undead.

Black Wolf Volvo was an elite NPC from the kingdom's nearby forests... apparently subjugated by Gerald before he took the mine.

No especially powerful undead confirmed yet.

I raised my ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠hand with the key question.

"Any mutants?"

"...Mutants?"

"Exactly. Undead with altered bodies, like chimeras."

"Ah... none confirmed."

I nodded in understanding.

Mutants were the first sign of Gerald's growth.

The first necromancer he killed was his lifelong hated master, black mage Blob.

Blob specialized in chimeras.

After taking his master's head, Gerald infused all his undead with Blob's black magic, twisting them into chimeras.

No chimeras meant Gerald hadn't grown much yet.

This might not be as tough as expected.

"The undead don't leave the mine unless approached, and they don't show themselves otherwise."

Gerald preferred to grow in hiding.

So he'd only flash undead as warnings—his real legion hidden deep inside.

Showing the faces of the mine's former occupiers served the same purpose.

A silent threat: challenge me, and even in death, you won't rest.

It was working, to some extent.

"...So, how are we assigning entry teams?"

One elderly senior knight, face grim, finally spoke up.

The other senior knights chimed in one by one.

"Rumors are flying in the knights. Undead fighting with lifelike skill? What do you all think?"

"Rumors say getting bitten turns you undead too... Is that really just talk?"

"We need to minimize risks. No friendly blades turned on each other."

"Then... what if we all enter together?"

Like they'd rehearsed, the senior knights quickly aligned.

The gist: everyone through entrance A.

Diren and Beth seemed ready to go along... but that would let the black mage slip away.

Gerald knew the entrances and their positions.

First thing he'd do after seizing the interior: scour it with undead, finding every hole.

Given his personality, he'd bolt at the first sign of trouble.

Plus, the biting rumor spreading through the knights felt off.

Obviously, a bite didn't instantly turn you undead.

Creating them required precise black magic.

For such rumors to circulate already meant...

I didn't like stepping forward, but no choice.

"That'll let him escape."

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

I raised my hand, cutting their talk short.

All eyes turned to me.

"A, B, C, D, E. Need guards at each."

I scanned the room slowly as I spoke.

These people—at least senior knight level—needed one per point.

"Plus one more exit beyond these five. Needs blocking too."

I pointed to a section marked as a wall on the map.

Activate the hidden mechanism there, and a passage opens through the wall to a mountain path outside.

I marked the rough exit and stopped.

Glances around the room weren't friendly.

"...Knight or wizard? Heard you're a wizard, but you don't look it."

"Does it matter?"

"Of course it does. If you're butting into adults' talk, match our rank. Know your place as a half-baked nobody and shut it."

Sharp backlash.

Diren and Beth's guilds got Rockhart Merchant Group backing.

Not direct knight ties, but they leaned toward the knights' way.

But this wouldn't work.

We had to catch Gerald here, and this plan guaranteed failure.

Time for drastic measures.

"Scared?"

"...Scared?"

"Believe the rumors, and you'll play right into their hands."

"Ha! What do you know of battle...?"

"I understand this battle better than you."

I pointed to the black mage marked at the map's center.

"Black mage raising undead ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠with lifelike skill. Miss him now, there might be no next time. Once his undead horde swells, it'll swallow the kingdom."

"Ha! That's why we're going together! We don't know his power—caution's obvious!"

The elderly senior knight ranted.

His words would've held in normal times.

But we needed Gerald captured now.

"The rumor about zombie bites turning you undead instantly. Who started it?"

"...Huh? Rumors spread like that."

"Then why believe it?"

"Heh. What nonsense."

The old knight scoffed in disbelief.

Instead of answering, I drew my staff and gathered mana.

"...Wizard. What are you doing?"

Sensing it, a knight raised his own aura.

The old knight's eyes flashed, ready to draw steel.

The others rose stealthily.

Ignoring them.

"Last question. Who told you that rumor?"

I spoke calmly, my final words hanging in the air.