Chapter: 491
Luca and the Followers of the Void took one cautious step after another, more carefully than before.
Just a moment ago, one of them had lost his mind and attempted to attack a comrade. He ended up with his neck and body separated, lying on the floor, and that was enough to make them cautious.
Thanks to that, their progress through the dungeon had slowed down further, but no one complained.
It’s true that the Followers of the Void were not afraid of death, but they weren’t about to embrace a foolish death either.
Ultimately, their caution turned into a double-edged sword. As the followers began to fear injury, the necromancers started moving more freely.
Those who became too consumed with thoughts became nothing more than easy targets for the opponent. It was only natural that another follower of the Void would soon have his eyes roll back.
As the follower began showing signs of losing his mind, Luca swiftly severed his head and fiddled with the dagger’s handle, noting the anxious expressions on the other followers.
“Should I just kill them all? It’s annoying to carry around such trash that can’t even be as bright as a firefly.”
Despite his annoyance, he had been willing to endure as they were supposed to be thrown away like lab rats for something Lady Allen had prepared, but the practical bother kept growing.
“Professor Luca, is there still a long way to go?”
“…Hmm. I think we’ve only passed about half of it.”
“Still?”
“It’s quite a complicated place here.”
The one leading the group of followers showed signs of dissatisfaction, but that didn’t mean he would rebel against Luca.
That judgment saved the group of followers. The moment any sign of rebellion showed, Luca would have killed everyone there without hesitation and moved on alone.
Amidst the increasingly heavy silence, they eventually arrived at a room.
In the center of a room filled with furniture that seemed to be lingering, a woman, presumably the owner, was seated.
Her appearance was quite nice.
Her round eyes radiated a child’s innocence. The faint smile lingering on her lips was gentle, and her overall posture exuded the dignity unique to a noble young lady.
However, there were several significant flaws about her. One was that her appearance was translucent.
Another was that the aura emanating from her was so overwhelming that even the followers of the Evil God broke into a cold sweat.
“Welcome, guests. Did you enjoy the hospitality of the mansion’s servants?”
With a distasteful greeting, one of the Followers of the Void jumped out.
However, his attack did not answer her question. The attack aimed at the woman was blocked by a necromancer.
“I’m sorry for the lack of preparation since this is a sudden visit…”
“…Terra?”
The necromancer who blocked the follower’s attack had a face that he recognized well.
There was no way he could be mistaken. How could he forget the face of someone he had worked with several times and had entered this dungeon with?
“Are you happy to reunite with your comrade? I heard you had many grievances left, so it was easy to make you into a necromancer.”
“How dare this crazy b*tch!”
Losing his senses, the man applied the Power of Void over his mask.
What he aimed to mimic was the appearance of the greatest warrior he knew.
Even in a space brimming with the Blessing of the Void, it would be impossible to perfectly recreate that, but it was more than enough to take this annoying girl down.
“…Grr.”
A spear conjured by the necromancers surged up from the follower’s feet and pierced his body. He tried to patch up the wound with his own power, but his body gave way even faster.
A life was extinguished, and another necromancer appeared beside the first.
“Oh dear. It seems this one also held many grievances. I didn’t expect him to become friends so quickly.”
The Followers of the Void trembled as they heard the voice filled with laughter. Always lurking in the shadows, they had some understanding of black wizards and necromancers.
They had several opportunities to cooperate with such beings, so naturally, they understood how heinous the actions of the necromancer in front of them were.
To subdue someone who should be filled with resentment toward them, and turn them into one of their own necromancers on the spot?
What on earth was that necromancer?
“Is that it?”
As the followers looked on in confusion, Luca’s voice cut through the air, and the woman smiled.
“Of course not. We have this prepared.”
The moment the woman snapped her fingers, necromancers began to appear here and there.
From the ceiling, the floor, the walls, and even from the furniture, they crawled out, all gazes fixed solely on Luca.
Luca understood why they were looking at him.
“Hello, failed products. I see you’re still lingering in this world?”
These were the unfortunate souls Luca had pushed to their limits in the past. They were the discarded scraps, sacrificed to create a light that would surpass the Sword Saint.
Listening to their curses, Luca raised his lips into a smirk.
“Bemem, Ral, Ruda. I also have some apologies for a few others. Back then, I was still inexperienced. You could have shone much brighter.”
He apologized to those who had fallen due to his mistakes as an artisan, then turned his gaze to others and openly laughed.
“However, not everyone was so fortunate. Given the chance to become stars, you chose to fall as mere trash. Why should I feel sorry for you?”
With Luca’s laughter, their resentment surged even stronger, but Luca showed a disappointed expression regardless.
“Is your plan to trouble me with such failed creations, Lady Allen? I’m truly disappointed.”
The power of a necromancer is generally directly connected to the abilities they had when they were alive. They could become stronger or weaker, but the difference would not be drastic.
Thus, no matter how strong their resentment was, it was impossible to stop Luca. How could broken failed products, who had succumbed to their trials, defeat Luca?
“You should have acted the moment you noticed. If you had, you might have been able to convey your desperation to me. But now you’ve wasted your time and given me a useless breather.”
Luca grabbed two daggers in each hand, humbly acknowledging his shortcomings.
“So, I guess it’s up to me to clean up the mess.”
The instant he took a step forward, he cut through all the necromancers and arrived right in front of the woman.
Utilizing the gained momentum, he swung the dagger towards her neck.
He didn’t know precisely what kind of being she was. However, it was certain that she was cooperating with Lady Allen.
If one of his companions died due to something he hadn’t anticipated, Lady Allen may become a bit anxious too.
As Luca thought that, he momentarily questioned the woman’s response.
She should have been bewildered by the sudden ambush, yet she was smiling as she watched the dagger fly toward her. Was she not seeing it swing?
No way, someone at her level couldn’t be that oblivious.
Then maybe a trap? But nothing seemed off at face value?
With a sudden doubt, Luca stepped back, and the woman openly chuckled, followed by the other necromancers joining her laughter.
The ominous laughter of the necromancers filled the room.
“What’s so funny?”
“Ahaha. But hey! Seeing someone who was flapping his gums like he was all that gets played by a little kid’s predictions is just too funny!”
“…Little kid? Lady Allen?”
“Yeah. Oops. That’s right. The young lady from the Allen family.”
The actions I took were predicted by Lady Allen? What does that even mean?
“To share what she said verbatim: Cough. The perverted professor is sloppy, and if he makes itself known, he’ll run away. He’s a pathetic human who doesn’t even trust himself.”
…She’s provoking me right now. So I can’t fall for it.
“If you hear this, you’ll think it’s deliberate provocation and just keep quiet, right? You’re a real pathetic human. For all that, you think you’re something special? It’s astonishing how a loser like you became a professor.”
Luca, having been played by the woman’s words, remained silent and simply tightened his grip on his daggers.
“So, was Lady Allen correct?”
“Haha. I didn’t know the young lady would care so much about me.”
“To respond on behalf of Lady Allen, you’re just overly self-aware, aren’t you? Pathetic professor. Who would care about such a minnow like you? Sure, I might feel pity for you as a jeweled artisan, but there’s no reason to pay you any interest.”
Luca once again charged forward, cutting through the derisive laughter of countless necromancers, but the woman didn’t respond and instead sunk into the ground, disappearing.
Other necromancers did the same. They hid behind walls and simply laughed, refraining from attacking them directly.
“Professor Luca, what should we do?”
“…Stalling for time.”
“What?”
“Don’t pay attention to what they say. They’re just trying to slow down our pace to reach the inside.”
If anyone fell for their provocation like just before, they would surely make a move.
“This isn’t a dungeon. It’s merely a place where ghosts toy with the living.”
Luca raised his voice to shake off the unease of the Followers of the Void, but what the woman had said earlier lingered in his mind.
“Let’s keep moving forward. It seems it’s too late to go back now.”
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