“Rena, is anything wrong with your body?”
“N-no, I’m okay, Father. I’m just a little dizzy from waking up…”
Rena seemed confused, unable to grasp what had happened to her.
It’s no wonder, since she woke up in an unfamiliar place.
“Good. It doesn’t seem like there are any aftereffects. I have things to do, so please wait here for a bit.”
Master Gaine gently stroked Rena’s head and turned around.
“Luke, if you need Zylas’s research materials to bring that woman down, I’ll help you search.”
“I appreciate it, Master.”
In the hidden room where Rena was imprisoned, there was a bookshelf and a desk, holding dozens of books. I think this is probably the main area.
Since there seem to be several other rooms, let’s split up and get as much information about [Thanatos] as possible. That will be solid evidence of Empress Camilla’s wrongdoing.
“Rena, I’m sorry. You must be hungry, right? Could you eat this and wait for me?”
I took out the cookies my mother had given me and handed them to Rena.
“Ah, thank you, Brother…!”
Rena’s eyes sparkled as she accepted the cookies.
“Brother? I’m the same age as you, Rena.”
“Eh? You seem so mature, I thought you were my older brother.”
“I see. I’m Luke, I’d be happy if we could be friends.”
“Luke, got it. Yes, nice to meet you!”
Rena gave me a radiant smile.
Wow, she’s such a sweet and honest girl.
I never had the chance to make friends my age, so I’m incredibly happy.
Next time, I should introduce Rena to Diana and we can all play together.
Diana would surely be happy too.
“Rena, Luke is the one who saved your life. You should thank him properly.”
Master Gaine said while searching through the bookshelf.
“R-really…?”
“Yes, he’s the prince who saved Rena from being put to sleep by a bad sorcerer.”
“Eh, a prince!?”
At that moment.
Suddenly, the ceiling collapsed, and several figures fell down. Moreover, they were chanting an irritating spell.
Could this be…!
“Zylas’s accomplices!?”
Master Gaine tried to attack with his sword, but their magic activated faster.
“[Thanatos]”
“Rena!”
In a split-second decision, I created the [Dispel Sword] with zero attack power from my hands and feet, piercing myself, my master, and Rena.
“Gahhhh!?”
However, Jack, who was outside the room, didn’t have enough time to be protected by the [Dispel Sword]’s magic defense.
Jack collapsed, clawing at his throat.
“How surprising, little boy. So, that sword does indeed have the same effect as [Dispel]?”
The four men who landed on the floor spoke the same words in unison.
Their faces were decaying and crumbling, and the arms peeking out from their robes had exposed bones. Moving corpses. These guys are undead.
“Eekkkk!?”
Rena screamed in terror.
I shielded her behind me and readied the [Dispel Sword].
“Could it be [Combined Magic]? To reach that realm at the age of seven, which one would normally only be able to set foot in when approaching old age, is truly fascinating.”
From their elderly tone and the fact that they immediately recognized the effect of the [Dispel Sword] upon seeing it, it clicked.
“…I see, so the woman I defeated first was also an undead you were controlling, Zylas!”
“Zylas!?”
“That’s right. Master Gaine, this guy is a [Necromancer]!”
A wicked sorcerer who turns corpses into undead and controls them is a [Necromancer].
“Indeed. You’re quite perceptive, little boy, but even so…”
The four undead simultaneously stared at the fallen Jack.
“The Tamer is dead. Hahaha, it’s finally, finally complete! An undead army that wields instant-death magic. This is the culmination of my forty years of research!”
The undead burst into simultaneous cries of joy.
“With this power, I can surpass my master—that immortal monster, Saint-Germain!”
“Tch!”
Master Gaine became a whirlwind and slashed at the four undead controlled by Zylas. They were blown away by the impact.
“How naive. No matter how much we are cut, it doesn’t hinder our magic incantations.”
But the fallen undead began chanting the [Thanatos] spell as if nothing had happened.
Furthermore, a large number of undead jumped down from the ceiling.
“This place is disadvantageous! Let’s escape outside!”
“Luke!?”
I picked up Rena and tried to escape outside the fortress.
If we fought an undead army wielding instant-death magic in a confined space, we wouldn’t have enough lives, no matter how many we had.
However, the undead that sprang up through the floor blocked our exit.
“Get out of the way!”
I created the [Dispel Sword] from my feet and slammed the blade into them with a kick. The enemy was immobilized by the blow, but another enemy quickly filled the gap.
Moreover, several newly appeared undead began chanting [Thanatos].
This is bad…
If I used the [Titan’s Sword], I could mow down the enemies in one fell swoop, but that requires concentrating all my Magical Power into one point, making it impossible to use it simultaneously with the [Dispel Sword].
If we were sandwiched between the enemies behind us and the ones in front, we would be crushed by the sheer number of them.
“Luke, take Rena and run! I’ll hold them back!”
Master Gaine became a wall, pushing back the undead attacking from behind.
“Father!?”
Master Gaine, swinging his sword furiously, seemed willing to sacrifice himself to let us escape.
My master has no way to defend against [Thanatos].
“We finally reunited with Rena, what are you thinking!?”
“Just go! It’s the least I can do to atone for my sins!”
“Are you trying to make this girl an orphan!?”
In my previous life, my mother disappeared when I was six, and my father died when I was a high school student.
I can’t let Rena experience the sadness of losing her parents like that.
“It’s better than all of us dying! Go!”
Damn it…
To escape this predicament, I have to find and defeat Zylas, who is controlling the undead, right now.
According to my game knowledge, the [Necromancer] should be hiding near the undead they are controlling.
But I don’t know exactly where that is.
What should I do? What should I do…
‘Listen, Luke? [Necromancers] build their bases underground, close to hell, in order to enhance the effects of their necromantic magic even slightly.’
At that moment, my mother’s magic class came back to me.
I remember it being interesting because it was a setting not mentioned in the game.
…Then, it’s all or nothing.
“Uooooooo! [Titan’s Sword]!”
I created a super-large [Dark Edge] in my right hand and thrust it down towards the basement with all my might.
“What!?”
Zylas’s undead stopped chanting [Thanatos] with cries of surprise.
The floor shattered, and we fell into the basement along with a large number of undead.
“Eekkkk!?”
“It’s okay!”
I hugged the screaming Rena with my left arm and landed in the basement.
“T-thank you… Luke.”
For some reason, Rena’s face was flushed red.
Master Gaine also landed safely next to me.
“I wondered what you were suddenly doing, but so this is it?”
“The magic steel floor!? T-that just now…!”
There was an elderly man with a pale face, who had collapsed to the floor.
Unlike the undead, he had a healthy complexion. He was undoubtedly a living human.
“You’re Zylas.”
“Y-you…”
I approached the man.
The [Necromancer]’s fighting style is to leave the fighting to the undead and not show their face. Once their hiding place is discovered, it’s checkmate.
“…My servants, kill them!”
But Zylas desperately sent the undead at us.
Furthermore, he began chanting [Thanatos].
“You bastard, you’ve done whatever you wanted!”
Master Gaine cut down the swarming undead.
“Zylas, this is the end for you!”
I created the [Titan’s Sword] again.
With it, I slashed Zylas along with the countless undead standing in my way.