The Commander's Taste of Victory
It had taken Simon's Legion barely two days to strip an entire orc-infested mountain range bare.
"Pier! Please clear out the boss monster at one o'clock!"
[Kuh-hahaha! On my way!]
"Erzsébet, lead ten corpse spiders and seal off the escape route behind the village."
[Your command shall be obeyed.]
Simon felt something new stir within him here.
The feeling of a commander — deftly leading a great undead host, reading the shape of the whole battlefield, deciphering his enemy's every movement, and finally seizing victory in his grasp.
So this was it.
This is what it means to be a necromancer.
Watching the orc village burn under the Legion's encirclement, Simon's heart pounded in his chest.
When every battle had finally ended, Simon entered the village.
Erzsébet bowed her head in a courteous greeting, while Pier stood with his greatsword planted in the ground, snickering to himself.
[It is thanks to your fine command, Legion Commander, that we claimed victory.]
"You and Erze did all the work, honestly."
At that, Erzsébet's eyes went wide.
[Wh-what did you just call me?!]
"Uh, huh? That I said you did all the work?"
[Before that!]
"Erze?"
[Ahhh...!]
She closed her eyes and pressed her hands together.
[At last, you have granted me a pet name! I feel as though I could take flight! We have grown closer than ever before!]
...It was less a nickname and more of a call sign — combat was just too frantic for full names.
Still, it hardly seemed worth shattering her joy over it, so Simon decided to let it slide.
[Now then, boy! Time for you to work!]
Pier pointed off to one side. The corpses of the gray orcs felled in battle lay heaped in a mountain off to the edge of the village.
[Raise every last one of them as skeletons! With this, the Legion will grow stronger still!]
"......"
Suddenly, Simon felt the ground tilt beneath him.
"Could we... just burn them instead?"
[You madman! I said make them soldiers!]
"...Ah, come to think of it, I never actually learned that yet."
[Learned what?]
"The dark magic that raises corpses."
Up until now, Simon had simply assembled and deployed the ready-made 'Skeleton Sets' sold on the market — the ones that already came with the summoning spell inscribed inside the skull.
Pier's ability, too, was to 'Legionify' Summoned or Natural Undead; raising fresh corpses directly into his Legion lay beyond its scope.
[...Ha. Right. I do keep forgetting, now and then, that you're a mere Kizen freshman.]
Pier crossed his arms.
[But it is an age where even corpses fetch coin, no? It would be a waste to simply toss them away.]
In the end, Simon sent a letter to the lord's castle asking them to handle the cleanup.
The moment Lord Raymond received Simon's message, he was so astonished that he rode up to the mountain range himself to see the situation with his own eyes, then came all the way to the inn where Simon was staying to offer his thanks.
"Those wretches have been a thorn in our sides for far too long! On behalf of all the people of my territory, I thank you!"
Raymond retroactively converted the affair into an 'official commission,' paid Simon an additional bonus, and promised that the orc corpses would be properly processed with the full proceeds sent to Simon.
[Guh! My soldiers...!]
Pier grumbled as if he couldn't bear to part with them, but when Simon said he'd use the money to buy new undead, the old skeleton's mood improved considerably.
Then, the next morning, Simon left the inn early.
[Crowded! Too! Croooowded!]
"Just bear with it a little longer."
Simon crammed Pier, Erzsébet, and some thirty-odd corpse spiders into his subspace pocket and headed back to the rendezvous point where he had first arrived by teleport.
At the meeting spot, he spotted a figure draped in a black robe, sitting utterly motionless in the shade of a tree like a corpse.
Simon approached, but the man showed no reaction whatsoever. So Simon fished out his Kizen student ID and held it out to him.
Whoa!
The ID vanished from Simon's hand.
In the blink of an eye the man had cast an appraisal spell on it, leapt to his feet, and bowed at a perfect ninety degrees.
"We have been awaiting you, Simon Polentia, sir."
"Ah, right."
So this is what a Kizen henchman is like.
Simon gave an embarrassed little laugh as he took back his ID.
"This way, please. I will begin the guidance at once."
"Thank you."
Simon watched as the henchman cast his dark magic, and moments later a clear teleportation circle bloomed across the ground.
"Congratulations on your safe return. Have a wonderful day."
"Thank you very much."
The commission had been a success, and he'd earned plenty of spending money for school life besides. Simon stepped onto the magic circle feeling lighter than air.
Let's go home. Back to Kizen!
Having returned to Roc Island via the teleportation circle, Simon made his way safely back to the Kizen campus.
Haaah.
Simon drew in a long, deep breath.
It's been a while, Kizen!
He found himself lingering over the familiar school buildings, a warm, tingling feeling rising in his chest. To think that only a few days away would make this place feel so dear.
Because he'd returned a day early, the school was quiet. Only a handful of students were visible — a few chattering as they passed, others sitting on benches reading.
The change in environment really hits home now.
Out on his mission, Simon had been Kizen all by himself — waited on, catered to. Here, that wasn't the case at all. Every student here was Kizen too, and he would have to fight tooth and nail against all of them to survive.
Still, he was ready for it now. All Simon wanted was to reunite with his friends and get to the next class as soon as possible.
[Boy! What manner of reverie has you so entranced? We must be off to the ruins!]
Haha, right, coming.
Simon was just turning his steps toward the Forbidden Forest when—
"Simooon!"
He spun around at the sound of his name, and there in the distance was Camibarez, waving both hands as she ran toward him.
"Kami!"
Simon broke into a bright smile. After only a few days apart, the sight of her felt strangely welcome.
"I'm so glad you're safe! I was worried when I heard you'd taken on a difficult mission."
"I got lucky in a lot of ways."
Camibarez, unlike Simon, had chosen the strategy of accepting a Roc Island commission, finishing it quickly, and spending the rest of her time studying at school.
"Simon, Simon! Look at this! Ta-da~"
She twirled around and showed him her back. Behind her Kizen uniform, a pair of adorable little bat wings fluttered.
"I got my uniform repaired! Hehe."
Watching her show off her uniform with that childlike grin, Simon couldn't help but smile himself.
"It looks way better than before."
"Right? Right?"
"Mm. Say, want to grab a coffee at the shop over there? My treat."
"Huh? Oh, no, that's okay. I can pay with my own—"
Simon flashed a grin.
"My treat. I made a lot of money on the mission."
And so he treated a classmate with the fruits of his commission, just this once.
After waving goodbye to Camibarez as she headed back toward the library, Simon passed through Kizen's front gate and entered the Forbidden Forest.
[Legion Commander. That woman from before — who might she be?]
"Ah! You startled me."
Erzsébet had materialized from the subspace pocket at some point and was walking behind him.
"She's just a classmate."
[For a mere classmate, she wore a rather... irritated look whenever she gazed upon you, Legion Commander.]
Simon's expression stiffened slightly.
"You remember our pact, don't you? Without my permission—"
[Touch no harm upon any person. Of course, my lord. This girl shall wait quietly in the ruins with Pier until you come for her.]
She was so meekly obedient that it was almost unnerving.
She smiled slyly.
[And since you are the master and I the servant, do speak to me as casually as you please. The formality displeases me.]
"Ah — sure. In that case, then..."
Simon scratched his head and nodded.
"Also, I know this is the Forbidden Forest, but guards and other people come through here now and then. Erze, you'd better stay in the subspace pocket."
[If the eyes of others are the concern, then would this not solve it?]
She brushed a fingertip against her chest. At once, the wine-colored dress she wore rippled and transformed into spider silk — as though her bare body had been wrapped snugly in a web of gossamer threads.
So that whole outfit was actually just spider silk?
Simon marveled anew. When she touched the silk once more, its color and texture began to shift.
A white blouse, a red-toned necktie over it, a black jacket, a skirt, even the shoes. She had reproduced the Kizen girls' uniform down to the last perfect detail.
Sweeping a hand through her bubble-like hair, she smiled.
[Does it please you?]
"...The craftsmanship is genuinely impressive."
[Should you ever need an errand-runner to come and go through Kizen, simply summon this girl. No surveillance spell in existence can catch me.]
Erzsébet was a specialist in espionage. Beyond reshaping her own appearance, she possessed her own unique stealth techniques that could slip free of any watchful magic.
That was why she was the only undead capable of traveling between the ruins and Kizen. And of course, the spider legion under her command excelled at ambushes and infiltration too.
Bringing her into the Legion was the right call. The more I think about it, the more useful she is.
While Simon was nodding to himself, Erzsébet drew out more silk and spread it over her head as well. Curiosity piqued, Simon quietly watched to see what she would do next.
[How does this form strike you?]
"...!"
Simon recoiled in horror. Erzsébet had transformed into Camibarez.
The puppy-like, gentle smile and even the pointed fangs characteristic of the vampire clan — everything was flawless.
[Hm, hm.]
The voice was still Erzsébet's own as she began loosening up her neck.
[Kya-hak! Keeyik! Kehek!]
"......"
Her neck-loosening routine left something to be desired.
Then, a moment later, she turned her back to him and said:
"Simon, Simon! Look at this! Ta-da~"
"......!!"
Erzsébet was fluttering the bat wings behind her back, speaking in Camibarez's very voice. Simon's face burned scarlet as he flailed his arms wildly.
"Stop! Stop it! I've seen enough — that's more than enough!"
"Fufu."
She gave him a bewitching smile.
"With this power, I do believe I could bring my Legion Commander a great many... pleasures."
[Ah, shut your mouths, all of you!]
A fragment of Pier attached to Simon's uniform shouted.
[Stop fooling around and let us be on our way! These blasted spider whelps keep crawling all over my body and whining!]
"Pier's getting angry. Let's hurry."
The two of them set off again.
Erzsébet, evidently savoring Simon's flustered reaction, remained in Camibarez's form.
"...Erze."
"Yes~ Master~"
"...Don't call me Master in Kami's voice."
[As you command.]
She returned to her original voice and chuckled. She was definitely enjoying herself.
"Let's talk Legion business. We've only got about thirty corpse spiders right now, don't we? If we want more numbers, what do we do? Do we have to head out to the continent and collect more spiders, or..."
[Worry not, my lord. The Queen Spider — that is, I — need only lay eggs.]
Simon's steps halted dead.
"Wh-what did you say...?"
[I need only lay eggs.]
Her face suddenly flushed crimson, and she made as if to grasp and lift the hem of her skirt with her fingertips.
[The act of laying eggs is rather shameful, but for you, my lord, I could bear to show—]
"GYAAAAH! Aaagh! Change back right now! That's an order!"
Watching the whole spectacle unfold, Pier's fragment clicked his tongue.
Just as he had expected. He'd known Erzsébet would be far too much stimulation for the current Simon to handle.
In the end, Simon opened the subspace pocket and ordered Erzsébet inside. She put on the most pitiful expression in the world, but it no longer worked on him.
"...Ah, wait a second."
The flush draining from his face, Simon's expression hardened into something serious.
"Erze."
[Yes, Legion Commander.]
"Can you, by any chance..."
Resting his chin on his hand, lost in thought for a moment, Simon continued in a grave voice.
"—turn into a Priest?"