Suspected Necromancer

Chapter 12 – Khan, the Solitary Mage

The dying Khan’s eyes had lost their luster. His life, his memories flashed through his head.

Khan’s father was a mage, so Khan had received a magical education from a young age.
Because of his aptitude for magic, he wasn’t treated like an ordinary child and was forced to focus all his efforts learning magic.
Eventually, as Khan grew and surpassed his father as a mage, he sought greater heights and entered the tutelage of the Archmage Logan.
Khan had never encountered a mage greater than himself, so he held absolute confidence in his magic and intended to surpass Logan someday.
However, Logan’s magic far exceeded Khan’s imagination. This was partly due to inherent differences in talent and differences in how they approached magic.

“I won’t be able to surpass Logan at this rate, even if I dedicate the rest of my life.”

For Khan, magic was his raison d’etre. For this, he had cast everything else aside. Now, there was no turning back.
In order to surpass his master, Khan sought more time, more lifespan.
He eventually thought to use necromancy.
Becoming a vampire would grant him eternal life. Furthermore, becoming an Immortal King would bestow him with magical abilities beyond that of humans.
With that in mind, he believed it wouldn’t be difficult to surpass Logan.
While necromancy was considered taboo among mages, it meant little to Khan. He left Logan and dedicated himself to researching necromancy, establishing a residence in his homeland, the Kingdom of Rama.
Khan’s father was both a mage and a wealthy aristocrat. So when he passed away, Khan inherited a large amount of money and was therefore never in financial trouble.
Khan threw himself wholeheartedly into the study of necromancy.
Through his research, he discovered that to become an Immortal King, he needed to sacrifice the life of an Asuran.
Since eternal life was his primary goal, becoming a vampire would have been sufficient. But he was also interested in the boost to magical abilities he would get if he were to become an Immortal King.

“I need someone of Asuran blood.”

As one of the materials, Khan thought of obtaining an Asuran somehow.
However, slavery was outlawed in the Rama Kingdom.
Therefore, he sought information on slave traders dealing with Asurans in other countries.
Khan was not accustomed to socializing, but as a former noble and a renowned mage, he had some connections.

And through the introduction of a certain noble from another country, he encountered Luna.
Khan swiftly traveled to that country and went to the slave trader’s mansion.
The slave trader, who introduced himself as Mason, was a talkative man. However, Khan was only interested in Luna.
Red eyes, pale skin, and golden hair.
They were the characteristics of Asurans that Khan knew well. They clearly indicated her Asura heritage.
Khan paid the price set by Mason and took Luna away.
The price was high, but for Khan, money held little meaning. And it wasn’t an amount he couldn’t afford using his father’s inheritance.
If he ever ran low on money, he considered making and selling potions. Potions made by mages were expensive, so many independent mages made their living that way.

Having acquired an Asuran, Luna, Khan still needed her to fulfill the conditions of a sacrifice.
Young and lacking in magical abilities, Luna didn’t possess enough magic power. She needed to be raised as a mage to a certain extent; she had to become a ripe fruit before she could be consumed.

Luna was a chatty girl.
After being asked repeatedly about why he bought her, Khan said it was to take her as his apprentice.
It wasn’t a lie; he intended to make her his apprentice and raise her as a mage, then sacrifice her.
Then, Luna began to call Khan ‘master’.

“Master?”

Although Khan had been an apprentice before, this was the first time he had taken on an apprentice.
When he thought about it, he realized he had never taken care of anyone before.
A slight change began to stir within Khan. However, it was a very subtle change.

Luna, who had been brought to the mansion, suddenly said to Khan, “I have a favor to ask!”
Khan wondered if Luna wanted to leave. Of course, he had no intention of allowing that since he had purchased her as his material.
However, Luna’s request was to clean the mansion.
Indeed, the mansion was in great disrepair, but Khan thought it posed no issue for his pursuit of magic.
Yet, Khan was aware that his sensibilities were not normal, so he permitted her to clean.
It would be a problem if Luna wanted to leave just because the mansion was dirty.

Luna worked diligently. With her small frame, she cleaned the entire mansion, organized things, and neatly arranged books.
Whenever she felt like she might do something unauthorized, she sought Khan’s approval.
Initially startled by the undead, Luna soon realized they wouldn’t harm her. She began using them as servants, skillfully handling them even better than Khan.
Khan was impressed, thinking, ‘She handles things quite well.’

A month after Luna arrived, the mansion had become splendidly clean. Although Khan hadn’t minded the mess, he couldn’t help but feel impressed when he saw how the girl single-handedly accomplished this.
However, there was one thing that bothered him.
Occasionally, Luna would gaze at Khan as if trying to gauge his reaction.
Khan didn’t quite understand the reason behind this.

After cleaning the mansion, Khan believed they could finally move on to magical education. However, Luna had one last favor to ask.

“Please let me shave your beard.”

She explained she had learned to shave beards during her time with the slave traders.
He had no interest in that. He really didn’t. However, Luna continued to gaze at him intently.
It was a gaze that seemed like a mix of fear and apprehension.
Finally, Khan realized.

‘Ah, this child has nothing’, he thought.

She didn’t have much confidence in herself. Therefore, she always looked at Khan, seeking validation.
But Khan didn’t know what to do.
Khan had dedicated his entire life to magic and felt no interest in interacting with others.
Seeing Luna, his hand holding the razor shook.
…It was very dangerous. Physically dangerous.
However, she seemed confident in her shaving skills.
Khan realized that the only thing he could do was to accept it.

(I could die.)

For the first time in his life, Khan felt the fear of death. He questioned why he, who sought eternal life, had to face danger just for this girl’s whims. Yet, in the end, he entrusted himself to Luna.
Seated on a chair, Khan let Luna stand on a platform, and she shaved his beard with evident delight. She was good at it.
Khan didn’t feel bad at all. He realized that this child needed trust.

From then on, he began teaching Luna magic as her master. With her Asura blood, her magic power was high, and she learned quickly. She also showed great interest in magic, and was always eager to learn.
While it might have been to get Khan’s approval, Luna’s efforts were undoubtedly genuine.
Khan wasn’t good at praising people, but Luna always beamed and smiled happily with just a few words of praise.
And as Luna grew as a mage, Khan began looking forward to seeing her improve.
Khan himself was surprised that he was interested in anything other than magic.

However, about ten years after Luna arrived and had blossomed into a beautiful young woman, Khan noticed a change in her behavior.
On days when she went shopping outside, her mood seemed to brighten.
Though she seemed unaware, there was a clear difference between days she went shopping and days she didn’t.
‘Could she have found a lover?’ Khan wondered, but he couldn’t bring himself to ask Luna about it.
If she had found a lover in town and went to be with him, Khan would be alone again.
The thought terrified him. He couldn’t imagine a life without Luna.

Khan had already given up on the idea of using Luna as a sacrifice.
Instead, he realized that an attachment to Luna had taken root within him.