Chapter 82

Chapter 82

Spendthrift Necromancer (82)

Second Arrangement (8)

Slaughter, then more slaughter.

It was a true festival of slaughter.

In barely half a day, they'd killed close to three hundred monsters. Yet Kern hadn't even broken a sweat.‘My god.’Merhen knew he was good with a sword.

But fighting people and hunting monsters were completely different fields.

Plenty of knight candidates who dominated at the Academy failed to perform properly in real combat. That was why she'd been a little worried.‘……

Amazing.’Simply amazing.

It felt as though he were toying with the monsters.

Rapid advance.

Before she knew it, they'd already passed the midpoint of the Demon Forest.

Kern found a suitable cave and looked at Merhen.

“We can camp here.”

“Okay.”

She gathered branches and used a tool to start a fire.

Crackle.

Crackle.

The food they'd brought cooked over the campfire.

“Eat.”

Kern handed her a thick piece of meat. As they ate.

Merhen looked around and tilted her head.

“Was it always like this?”

“What?”

“The demonic energy feels thicker than a year ago.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. Look over there.”

She pointed toward a tree horribly twisted by demonic energy.

It was curled like some kind of spiral candy.

“I heard you only see things like that much deeper inside this forest.”

The demonic energy had grown thicker.

Minwoo recalled what he'd read about the Demon Forest.

Apparently there was some kind of passage through which energy from the Demon Realm flowed, contaminating the forest. But since the contamination wasn't particularly severe, they'd left it alone for now.‘As for exterminating the monsters that gather…….’The Academy's annual practical examination served as a kind of routine purge.‘Not bad for the Academy either.’It gave the students quality hands-on experience.

And he'd heard the Academy received a certain level of compensation from the Empire for the extermination.

There was a reason they maintained this forest despite the danger posed by demonic energy.

“If there's more demonic energy coming out, doesn't that mean the passage is getting larger?”

“Huh? You know about the passage too?”

“I've read some books.”

Merhen nodded.

“Usually, yes. The larger the passage becomes…….”

“The greater the chance of a Monster Wave appearing. Right?”

“Yeah. Because the chances of something coming out of the Demon Realm increase. Then monsters gather together and form a Wave. So…….”

Merhen glanced at him.

“……

S-Shouldn't we go back and tell the professors?”

“That a Wave might be coming?”

“Yeah. I'm a little worried.”

“The tree looks bizarre, but is that alone enough to say for certain?”

“No. It only means there's at least some danger…….”

Merhen mumbled and scratched her head.

“……

Maybe they wouldn't believe us?”

“Who knows whether they'd stop the exam. But do we really need to tell them?”

“Huh?”

“We can just handle it ourselves.”

“……

Huh?”

“Would be a waste. That's all just points waiting to be collected.”

Wasn't a Monster Wave basically an experience-duplication event?‘I need to feed the Necromantic Sword some blood anyway.’If they obediently ran back and reported it, the Knight Order and Magic Corps waiting on the outskirts might mobilize.

He'd heard they were both solidly above average even by Imperial standards.

They could probably deal with a Monster Wave to some extent on their own. Then all the experience and points would go up in smoke.

Why bother?

“……

K-Kern, your way of thinking is a little unusual.”

“Someone will probably go tell them even if we don't. Right?”

They had pushed deeper a little faster than everyone else, but before long, the top-ranked students would naturally reach this area too.

After all, the system awarded points for killing monsters.

Naturally, there were more monsters deeper inside.

“……

Hmm. I don't know. Even if they see it, would they turn back in the middle of the exam? What if the test keeps going and that guarantees last place?”

“Doesn't the same apply to us?”

“Uh…… you're right? We've already earned some points, so I don't think we'd place last, but…….”

“You'd be satisfied with just that? You were already dead last.”

“…….”

Merhen fell silent.

Kim Minwoo casually said.

“Still, if you want to go back, Merhen, I'll go.”

The second Arrangement.

His highest priority here was his relationship with Merhen.

Nothing could come before that.

Obtaining a Legion Commander.

Wasn't that the entire reason he'd come to carry out the Arrangement?

So even if Minwoo wanted something, he couldn't force her into going along with it.

That would be losing sight of the big picture for a tiny gain.‘I only need to make her understand the situation.’Wouldn't someone else report it anyway?

What if nobody did?

Then why should they be the ones?

That was roughly the idea he'd led her toward.

Surely she'd understood.

Of course, if she still said they should return after hearing all that, Kim Minwoo intended to turn back without hesitation.

Leveling and feeding the Necromantic Sword blood?

He could do those things after leaving.

His relationship with Merhen, on the other hand.‘I can only build that here.’No stage existed without a reason.

If all he needed to do was stop her from becoming undead.‘There'd be no reason to show me this much of her past.’They could simply start with Merhen screaming before the evil Death Lord.

Then Minwoo could immediately smash headfirst into the Death Lord.

But that wasn't what happened.

Instead, he'd been given quite a lot of free time.

Why?[This is a fragment of the past created from the human-life regrets of ‘Banshee Queen Merhen’!][The player enters.]‘To resolve Merhen's regrets…….’Because the player necessarily needed a certain amount of time.

Kim Minwoo believed this period existed so he could grow closer to Merhen.‘Build a relationship.’Nothing else really came to mind. Surely it wasn't time meant for him to request reinforcements.‘They wouldn't win even if they came.’He wasn't the Imperial Emperor, just a duke's son. How many troops could Kern possibly bring?

If the Death Lord were something mere reinforcements could handle, he wouldn't have conquered this continent in the first place.

Conclusion.

He needed to become closer to Merhen.

There was probably some advantage built around that.

That was how Kim Minwoo saw it.

“What do you want to do?”

“……

Th-Then let's sleep for now…… and go a little deeper tomorrow? We're not certain yet…….”

“If that's what you want.”* * *Merhen and Kern headed deeper into the forest. More grotesquely transformed monsters appeared here and there, along with horribly twisted trees.

There were several dangerous moments along the way.

Naturally, Kern wasn't the one in danger.

Merhen.

She nearly died several times. The Saber Tiger hiding in a tree had been especially dangerous.―Grrraah!

The monster lunged in an instant with its claws extended.

Merhen's heart pounded violently.

It felt ready to burst.‘Please……!’Despite her desperation, there was no sign of manifestation, much less a spell.

Slash!

“You okay?”

Fortunately, Kern saved her life.

She saw deep claw marks carved into Kern's arm.‘……

He even got hurt because of me…….’Merhen anxiously stamped her feet when she saw his wound.

“S-Sorry. Because of me…….”

“It's fine. This much is nothing. Doesn't even itch.”

Kern laughed as though it were no big deal and poured a potion over the wound.

Strange.

The Saber Tiger was already dead.

Thump.

Yet her pounding heart still wouldn't calm down.

Especially whenever she looked at Kern.

She hurriedly turned away.

Kim Minwoo, who had poured the potion over his arm, looked at Merhen.‘This is pretty serious.’The danger just now.

He'd already known through Snowy that the Saber Tiger was hiding there.

He'd deliberately allowed the ambush to happen.

Obviously not because he wanted her to die.

He'd heard that manifestation often occurred when someone's life was in danger.

But even after deliberately creating several dangerous situations, she'd shown no sign of manifestation. Her Mana hadn't even moved.‘This isn't going to work.’He understood now.

A simple threat to her life probably wasn't enough to trigger manifestation.‘Makes sense. If it were that easy, she'd have managed it already.’Merhen must have tried her own methods over the years. He should give up on using threats to her life as a trigger.

They continued deeper for another day and discovered several changes.

The demonic energy was growing thicker.

Monster tracks from various locations were converging in one place.

Merhen's expression gradually hardened at the sight.

Until now, she'd known the demonic energy was worse than before, but she hadn't been able to feel certain that a Wave would occur.

Now it was different.

The monsters were gathering?

That was an unmistakable sign of a Wave.

“Kern. It'll be dangerous if we go any farther.”

“Yeah. Looks like the Wave's going to start soon.”

“Let's go. We have to tell them.”

“Merhen.”

“Yeah.”

“I'll send Cedric with you. Go ahead first.”

“……

Huh?”

He looked seriously at the puzzled Merhen.

“Soon all the monsters will gather here. The students are scattered throughout the forest, so a lot of them will die at this rate.”

“Th-That's why we need to run!”

“Someone has to stop them.”

“B-But…….”

It doesn't have to be you.

Merhen barely swallowed the words.‘D-Did I pressure Kern into this?’The thought suddenly crossed her mind.

Thinking about it.

She had been the one insisting over and over that they needed to report the Wave.

And Kern?

He'd been skeptical.

If you insist, I won't stop you, but do we really need to?

That had been his attitude.

He wanted the points.

And since there hadn't been any definitive evidence until now, even Merhen had kept making the argument without committing and had continued following Kern deeper.

But the instant clear evidence of a Wave appeared, his attitude abruptly changed.

Now he was talking about protecting everyone.

Surely he wasn't planning to solo the entire Wave just for the points.

No matter how she thought about it, her own attitude was the only possible reason.

Merhen hurriedly spoke.

“I-If it's because of me, you don't have to. I don't care at all. Everyone's selfish anyway.”

What if the other students had reported this abnormal phenomenon?

If even two or three groups had done so, the rescue team would've already departed.

Magical flares would have filled the sky.

Even this far inside the forest, they would've at least been able to see them.

But not a single magical flare had appeared.

The top and middle-ranked students.

Not one of those front-running groups had gone back to report the abnormalities.

Of course, Merhen and Kern hadn't either, so she had no right to criticize them.

She'd simply realized once again.

People lived for themselves.

There was no reason Kern needed to sacrifice himself.

Why should he take responsibility for an accident he hadn't caused?

Merhen urgently grabbed Kern's sleeve.

“C-Come with me. It's not too late. If we run…….”

Then.

The ground began to tremble as though thousands of creatures were charging.

Merhen's eyes went blank.

Violent vibrations.

The Wave had already begun.

“It's coming. This way.”

“Ah…….”

Kern extended a hand.

He spoke to the summoned Cedric.

“Take her.”―Very well.

Cedric grabbed Merhen's arm.

“No! Let go! Kern! I'll stay too…….”―……

Come quietly.

Cedric hoisted Merhen onto his shoulder and ran.

Merhen grabbed his skull and shook it violently.‘……

Annoying.’Cedric sighed inwardly.

This woman knew absolutely nothing about his master's true ability.

That was why she was going insane over one little Monster Wave.

Part of him wanted to snap at her and ask why she was making such a fuss.

But if he did, Master might beat him for months.

Kim Minwoo was meticulous.

There had to be a reason he wasn't showing his true strength.

Seeing his former comrade thrashing around on his shoulder, Cedric could roughly guess why.

Nine times out of ten.‘He's trying to score points with her.’“Put me down!”―Would you stay still?

Cedric pulled the fingers lodged deep inside his skull free and sighed inwardly.

Was this really the same cold, aloof Banshee Queen?

It was enough to give him an existential crisis.