Chapter: 107
As I brought my mace down on Adri’s face, a myriad of objects floating around the mansion crashed to the floor in a chaotic mess.
I’ve seen this pattern about four times now, so it should be about time for her to collapse.
Just in case, I raised my shield, prepared for any sudden attacks, but Adri didn’t reappear.
Instead, the door leading outside the dungeon and a table filled with rewards came into view.
Is this really the end of phase two?
If I walk out now, the dungeon raid will be over, but I still haven’t rescued Adri.
Looks like I’ve got a few more tasks ahead of me.
Time was dragging on longer than I expected.
Going through each room took more time than I thought it would.
If I’d been able to skip the monsters popping out like typical dungeons, I wouldn’t have taken this long.
Now, it’s less about whether I can get a good night’s sleep before the exam and more about whether I can even get to the exam hall in time.
I don’t know exactly how much time has passed, but I sure hope I at least have time to wash up in the dorms.
[Can you hold on?]
‘Just about.’
Even if I falter, my skills will keep me going.
No matter how much I want to give up, I can’t.
Honestly, I reckon I could’ve held out even without my skills.
I’ve had enough training that the Alrn family instilled in me to withstand situations like this.
Sure, what Possell has us do is intense, but there’s definitely nothing pointless about it.
I passed through the entrance of the dungeon and headed to the spot where I raided this mansion’s dungeon before.
The iron door there was firmly locked, but when I inserted the key I received from Visi, it swung open weakly.
Almost there. Let’s finish this quickly and take a breather.
*
I was born into a family of necromancers. When I was young, I didn’t realize how strange this was.
Neither my mother nor father.
In fact, everyone in the family practiced necromancy, so how would a little girl who could barely walk know that this was odd?
When I first learned necromancy and showed it off, my parents were overjoyed.
They said I had talent. That I was a gem to bring glory to the family.
They smiled in my embrace.
So, I worked hard in necromancy to make my parents happy.
Usually, these kinds of stories involve a girl discovering her ideals after entering the world, but unfortunately, I never realized mine while I was alive.
Before I could figure it out, the knight order from the Church of the Lord came and burned our family down.
As a child back then, I had no clue what was happening and ended up trapped in the basement by my parents’ hands.
They promised to come rescue me once it was all over.
I held onto those words and blindly waited for my parents.
Life in the basement wasn’t hard.
I had water.
I had food.
Aside from having to stay alone without going outside, there was nothing wrong.
I was lonely, but I endured it.
Believing in salvation.
Hoping my parents would be glad seeing my grown-up self mastering necromancy one day.
A day.
Two days.
A week.
A month.
No twists, just nothing.
A child born to a necromancer family died alone in that necromancer’s mansion.
That was all there was to it.
Creak.
At the sound coming from outside the door, Adri opened her eyes.
Huh, I was just—
Adri jolted upright.
Images of the malevolent spirit hunting her flooded her mind.
No matter what attack she threw, it dodged effortlessly.
Despite being cursed, it smiled as if nothing was wrong.
That annoying grin that provoked her.
Then, without a moment’s hesitation, crushed her skull.
That monster.
Is it coming here?
What to do?
Where can I run away to?
Is running even meaningful?
If that monster shows up, it will surely chase me no matter where I go.
What is that girl even?
Adri despised that little girl. Loathed her.
But more than that, she was terrified of her.
She was afraid of a monster that shattered her common sense.
As the voices outside grew louder, Adri suddenly realized she had seen that face somewhere before.
‘Her.’
Huh?
Do I know that monster?
How?
She isn’t from my family, right?
She stands in direct contrast to a necromancer.
How…?
In her confusion, Adri tore at her hair and then realized a ribbon decorated her own hair.
This must be—
‘This is what I was looking for? Take it.’
…
And then it clicked.
She recalled the events that occurred after becoming a necromancer.
Being left alone amidst the ruins of the mansion without knowing why.
Searching for someone to play with out of loneliness, only to have everyone run away at the sight of her.
Then one day, Visi appeared and spoke to her.
The girl who eliminated the dungeon existing in this mansion and gifted her a ribbon.
With a sudden bang, the door flew open, and Adri spotted the girl casually grinning as she rested her mace on her shoulder.
“Lucy…”
Visi definitely called that girl like that before.
Did she never expect her name would be called?
The girl slightly raised her eyes, then curled the corners of her mouth into a smirk.
“Hehe, how curious. I thought that ghost lady had gone senile ages ago.”
*
“Who are you calling a ghost lady?”
Adri frowned, clearly not pleased with her title.
It was a familiar sight.
A girl with a grumpy, bratty personality who whined a lot.
Yet, she was exceptionally skilled in necromancy and taught users the craft.
Adri.
I thought I’d eventually meet her, but I didn’t expect it to be this soon.
I guess I should thank our miserly Evil God for this.
‘Do you remember everything?’
“Lonely ghost lady. Do you remember everything?”
“Who are you calling a ghost lady, you little brat?”
I get that you’re mad, but you’re definitely older than me if we go by age, right?
Combining my past and present ages, I’m sure I can call you an old lady.
And you know what?
No matter how much you complain, there’s nothing I can do about it.
It’s the mesugaki skill calling you a ghost lady!
‘Let’s go. Visi’s waiting for you.’
“Quit whining and let’s go, ghost lady. You need to meet your granddaughter.”
“Fine… you know, I understand now why Visi doesn’t like you.”
Adri sighed, revealing those words she might not have said upfront in the mansion.
After all, there aren’t many who have suffered because of me like Visi has, so it’s only natural she might have some complaints.
“Hey, brat.”
‘What?’
“What’s up with you, lonely ghost lady?”
“Everything that happened here today is a secret from Visi. Especially about me.”
At first glance, it sounds like a nonsensical request, but I knew exactly why Adri insisted on this.
In front of Visi, she puts on a disguise.
To be precise, before she became a pillar of this dungeon, she had no recollection of her living days and naively roamed about.
And now that she’s regained all her memories, she still wants to act innocent in front of Visi.
She genuinely considers Visi her friend.
‘Got it.’
“Okay. With you shivering and pleading, I won’t mind.”
“When did I! Ugh!…”
Watching Adri mimic hitting her chest in frustration, I was relieved she was a ghost.
If not, with her age, I bet she’d have high blood pressure.
After finishing our brief exchange, I took Adri and we exited the room.
Until now, Adri was the boss of this dungeon, but now she isn’t.
Having regained her memories post-necromancer, she’s just a grumpy kid cherishing her one and only friend.
So now, all I have to do is take her outside the dungeon and introduce her to Visi, and this ordeal will be over.
Then, it’ll be time to take my exam.
Just as I reached the front door while ignoring Adri’s continuous grumbles about being called a ghost lady.
– Ding.
The sound echoed in my ears.
No need to wonder who it was.
In that moment of utmost relief, there was only one person who’d want to stick a dagger in my back, right?
[Agra is glaring at you.]
Hello there, you miserly Evil God.
I was wondering when you’d show up.
Wasn’t it odd that you’d stalk me every day until I raided the dungeon near the academy, and now you’re just waiting for the climax?
Honestly. Whether the deity is an Evil God or a rightful God, none of them seem to act properly.
Oh, wait. My bad. Since Lord Armadi has actually been doing his job, he doesn’t count.
Must have gotten into the habit of lumping him in with the others unconsciously.
Evil gods are all awful, I tell you!
As the message popped up before me, the entrance leading out of the dungeon and rewards vanished, revealing armored spirits at the mansion’s front door.
They looked completely different from the knights who initially blocked my path.
The blood-soaked armor they donned and the way they wielded their weapons revealed that these beings were distinct.
Their formation was precise, and the intensity in their eyes as they stared at me held nothing back—these were people who truly deserved to be called veterans.
“Damn those Church of the Lord’s knights.”
[Tsk. Those knights of the church have become spirits, huh? How pathetic.]
Wait, those people are from the Church of the Lord that attacked my family?
No wonder they wouldn’t budge even when they saw the holiness imbued in my mace.
– Child blessed by the gods, step aside before the spirits.
– Necromancers must be wiped from the world.
– If you don’t move, I will brand you a heretic.
A heretic? Me?
Hearing such nonsense made me chuckle unconsciously.
How could I be a heretic when I’m Armadi’s apostle?
No matter what I do, my actions will reflect the will of the gods more accurately than any of you.
“What on earth are you saying?♡ Pathetic knights♡ who’ve never even heard the voice of a god! You’re so bold!♡”
I may have hurled an insult, but I can’t say for sure if I could overcome them.
Sure, they weren’t as daunting as the alchemist I’d faced before, but they weren’t exactly easy either.
If it were a one-on-one, I’d be willing to grit my teeth and fight back, but not against those numbers.
Knights trained in the art of fighting as a unit aren’t just a simple mob.
They’re a nightmare, harboring an intent to hunt me down as one.
Knowing too well how fierce they could be from my training in the Alrn family.
If they set their minds to it, taking me down would be a piece of cake.
No matter how much I focused on my strengths… this was too much for now.
But still.
Hmm.
I can’t retreat.
After suffering the whole night without gaining anything, you expect me to admit defeat?
Sorry, but I’m too petty for that and refuse to back down at a loss!
So, as I resolved myself and swung my mace, the scattered objects that had turned the mansion into a shambles began to levitate one by one.
“Hey, brat. I assumed you’d run, but you’ve got more determination than I expected. I’ll give you credit for that.”
Hearing Adri’s voice from behind, I couldn’t help but stare blankly at her face.
It wasn’t so strange.
After all, Adri remains the pillar of this dungeon.
Even with the powers she once possessed as a boss, nothing has changed.
Except…
This never happened in the game.
A variable.
The variable that threatened me every single moment since entering this world.
The variable that had continuously played tricks on me.
And now, that variable is trying to lend me a hand for the very first time.
“What are you staring at, you cheeky brat?”
‘You talk a lot for someone who just got wrecked.’
“Bragging about being beaten by a pathetic old lady, your arrogance is amusing! I’m not aging, I’m being majestic!”
This is not too shabby at all.
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