Chapter 111

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Translator: Wjin

Chapter: 111

Chapter Title: Fairy and Uninvited Guest (3)

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"Whoa..."

After defeating the basilisk.

A surge of intense elation washed over me.

Proof that my tier had risen.

But this time, it felt even stronger than before.

It was like I'd jumped not just one step, but three or four at once.

'Nice.'

Part of me wanted to savor the afterglow of victory.

But there was no time for that.

I was worried about my men.

I decided to check on our casualties, starting by seeking out Bear and Connel first.

"Sir Bear, Sir Connel. You two okay?"

"Yes, perfectly fine."

"I'm good."

Bear and Connel were dealing with some muscle aches and a few scratches, but otherwise, no issues.

On top of that, Bear had even received a new battle tattoo from Werzo during the fight with the basilisk.

"Want to see it?"

Bear looked thrilled, practically beaming.

He stripped off his tattered chainmail.

Then he tossed his padded armor and undergarments to the ground as well.

Finally, his muscular upper body came into view.

A new tattoo was etched across his chest.

'It's similar to the one he got from killing the troll, but different.'

On Bear's right pectoral was the tattoo from the troll kill.

I'd seen that battle tattoo a few times before.

But what caught my eye was his left pectoral.

A brand-new tattoo had appeared there.

It was a geometric pattern of straight lines, just like the one on his right, but its shape was distinctly different.

'Is it letters instead of a picture?'

The thought crossed my mind.

But I set it aside and congratulated Bear instead.

No point dwelling on something I couldn't figure out.

"Looks badass."

"Thank you!"

Bear seemed in high spirits.

I glanced back and forth between him and Connel before asking,

"Everyone's tier went up, right?"

"Yes!"

"That's right."

Bear and Connel answered my question with enthusiasm.

Me included, we'd all leveled up from this battle.

A satisfying outcome.

"Rest up for now."

After confirming Bear and Connel were fine,

I went looking for Pergal next.

He was leaning back against a tree trunk, taking a break.

"Pergal, you okay?"

"Not okay. I still didn't die this time..."

"Hearing you say that tells me you're just fine."

Pergal, who'd been sent flying into the tree, had only minor internal injuries otherwise.

Lucky break.

No one in the group had suffered severe wounds.

At least, not among the living.

My summoned servants were utterly wrecked.

'This is bad.'

Gilbert.

Six undead knights.

And the golem, Giant.

All eight summons were heavily damaged.

The silver lining was that they weren't human.

No matter the damage, as long as I had enough mana, I could repair their bodies with magic.

"Why aren't you surprised?"

I'd gathered the remains of my summons in one spot.

As I said that to Cedric, who'd helped with the task, he tilted his head and asked back,

"Uh... Is there a reason I should be?"

"You know all the knights except Sir Bear and Sir Connel are undead. Doesn't that creep you out or anything?"

"Nah, I've known for a while."

"Really?"

"Yeah. They never eat or sleep—that's a dead giveaway. The other guys figured it out ages ago too."

In truth, I hadn't gone out of my way to hide that Gilbert and the knights were undead.

Trying to micromanage them to act fully human was more hassle than it was worth.

So I'd let it slide, and apparently, that made it easy for the men to spot.

"How's everyone taking it?"

"Great, actually. They love that the knights stand watch all night so we can sleep easy."

"Good to hear."

I was grateful the men weren't making a fuss even after realizing I was a necromancer.

It meant they truly followed me.

So I'd entrust them with a task this time too.

They'd obey my orders just as loyally.

Of course, I'd reward their dedication properly.

Once this journey ended, I'd load them up with gold.

"Cedric, you remember the way we came?"

"Of course."

"Head back to the forest edge, gather the group, and bring them here. All the gear too, obviously."

"It'll take time. To avoid breaking the wagon wheels, we'll have to go slow."

"Doesn't matter."

"Got it! Heading out now."

Cedric turned and left at once.

I watched his back for a moment before turning toward the basilisk's corpse.

That was the exact reason I'd sent Cedric to fetch the men.

'Dissecting this thing will take a lot ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠of hands.'

The basilisk was known as a dragon sub-species.

And it wasn't just hype—it truly harbored mana within its body.

Its bones, flesh, blood.

All prime magic materials.

The perfect chance to upgrade my summons.

I couldn't let it pass.

"Heros, thank you so much!"

Then, a girl's voice rang out.

I turned toward the sound and saw the child who'd asked me to chase off the uninvited guest.

She'd vanished when we entered the cave, only to reappear right after the battle.

Unlike before, she was smiling now.

But I couldn't return the smile.

Not after suddenly facing a basilisk.

Time to hold her accountable.

"You didn't mention the uninvited guest was a basilisk."

I stared straight into the girl's eyes as I said it.

She averted her gaze.

She knew she'd messed up.

Still, I couldn't just let it slide.

I planned to squeeze every bit of compensation out of her.

"So, what's this reward you mentioned? I'd like it right here, right now."

The girl thrust both hands toward me confidently upon hearing my words.

A book materialized in her palms.

A plain brown-covered tome.

Incredibly, it was a grimoire.

"You said you'd give me what I need. This it?"

"Yeah, you always crave grimoires, right?"

"True, but..."

The grimoire the girl handed me.

Its name was the Little Farmer.

The moment I learned the book's title, the cover flipped open on its own, and the pages began turning.

Soon, the back cover appeared.

And then?

The grimoire crumbled to dust and vanished.

In that brief moment, I'd acquired a new spell.

The name of the magic I'd learned was...

'Stone Picker?'

It was earth magic that plucked stones from a user-designated area.

"What do you think?"

The girl asked, eyes sparkling.

Her face full of expectation for a glowing reaction.

But I couldn't give her what she wanted.

The reward fell short.

"Killing a basilisk for just one grimoire? Come on. And it's not even offensive magic—it's support."

Was she shocked by my words?

The girl's eyes went wide.

Then she mumbled, her face full of panic,

"But that's all I have to give..."

The fidgeting girl soon slipped something off her finger.

It was a flower ring made of white wildflowers.

"How about this?"

"What's that?"

I'd thought it was a magic tool, but no mana emanated from the flower ring.

"An offering from my last devotee."

"Where's that devotee now?"

"Dead long ago."

She gazed down at the flower ring as she spoke.

After a long moment, she handed it to me with a teary, pitiful face.

"Here, take it. It's my most precious possession."

Tears welled up in the girl's eyes.

From our talks, I knew she looked like a child but had lived far longer than me.

Even knowing that, it was hard to take it.

I felt like the bad guy.

"Don't make me the villain."

I quickly returned the flower ring to her.

As I did, I pondered her true nature.

Our conversation had dropped hints.

'She said it was an offering from a devotee.'

Who gets offerings from devotees?

A god, in my book.

Which meant the girl ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠before me was a deity.

"You're a god?"

"Yep."

The girl, who'd gotten her flower ring back, slipped it on and beamed before answering my question outright.

Her casual attitude caught me off guard—I almost didn't process it.

She could just admit to being a god that easily?

The doubt was fleeting.

A great idea popped into my head.

'Might as well ask everything I can while I have the chance.'

For slaying the basilisk, my reward would be answers.

A direct line to a god? No way I was passing that up.

"That grimoire you gave me. Did you make it yourself?"

My first question was about the grimoire's origin.

"Obviously."

The girl answered briskly again.

"So you made all the other grimoires too?"

"Nope. They all have different names, right? Means different creators."

Who makes grimoires?

That mystery was solved at last.

So all those voices I'd heard while devouring grimoires were their creators'?

The thought sent a chill down my spine.

I'd treated them way too casually.

Time to be more careful from now on.

"The grimoire you gave me was the Little Farmer. But that's not your real name, right? What's your true one?"

"Can't tell you."

"Another promise with someone?"

"Uh-huh..."

The girl nodded vigorously.

She'd given a similar answer before.

Said she couldn't interfere too much in this world.

Some promise she'd made.

'Who the hell did she promise?'

As I mulled over our past talks,

The girl suddenly spoke to me with a frightened look.

"Please, no more questions about us. The usurper doesn't seem happy about this."

The usurper.

I knew who that was.

The Cumulonimbus Grimoire had mentioned him.

Master of thunder and lightning.

'Is he the one she made the promise with?'

The suspicion arose.

But I couldn't ask.

She clearly wouldn't answer.

Best to leave it as a hunch for now.

"Got it."

That ended our chat for the moment.

No more questions allowed, after all.

Then I remembered something I'd forgotten.

'Hold on. If she's a god, couldn't she fulfill the Underground Manager Grimoire's request?'

The Underground Manager Grimoire's demand was this:

Breathe a god's breath into a corpse's flesh.

I'd had no clue what "god's breath" meant.

But if it literally meant a god's exhalation?

No metaphor?

'Time to test it.'

With that thought, I called Gilbert over.

His body had melted from the basilisk's poison, leaving his bones grotesquely exposed.

Still, it didn't hinder his movement much.

"Can you breathe on Gilbert?"

Once Gilbert arrived, I pointed at him and asked the girl.

She tilted her head.

"My breath?"

"Yeah, something I want to check."

"That's easy."

The girl took a deep breath.

Her cheeks puffed out like balloons.

A moment later,

She exhaled toward Gilbert.

"Hoo!"

At that instant.

A gentle breeze from somewhere caressed my hair.

Fresh green leaves began sprouting along its path.

The land, devastated by the basilisk's rampage, turned lush in moments.

"Good?"

As I marveled at the sudden miracle,

The girl, having emptied her lungs, looked at me and asked.

I nodded eagerly.

Then, the Underground Manager Grimoire's voice rang out.

I pulled the grimoire from the bundle slung over my shoulder as I heard its voice.

And gazed down at it.

Right after those words,

Shurarak!

The Underground Manager Grimoire's pages began flipping on their own.