Suspected Necromancer

Chapter 9 – The Search

Conrad organized the information in his head.
Most of the stuff Luna told him was irrelevant, but some of it was quite important.
The mage named Khan was indeed a necromancer and seemed to be capable of using fairly high-level magic.
While Luna mentioned that Khan couldn’t control Bone Dragons, there was a possibility she wasn’t aware of everything he could do.
He might have reached even more advanced levels of necromancy but had just kept it hidden.
Conrad also learned about Khan’s mansion.
The garden was filled with ghouls that would attack anyone who entered without permission.
What a terrifying trap!
Inside the mansion, there are three skeletons called ‘Grim Reapers’.
They are advanced undead that wield scythes. It’s uncertain if the knights could defeat them in combat.

Conrad concluded that it would be dangerous to force their way into the mansion.
To reach Khan safely, he needed Luna’s cooperation.
So, he approached Luna and got to the point.

“Luna, there’s a possibility that Khan’s life is in danger.”

“Master’s life? Why?”

Luna asked curiously. She doesn’t seem to know anything about the situation.

“Currently, the Rama Kingdom is embroiled in a rebellion. But the rebels have the upper hand. The citizens in the capital haven’t been informed about the dire situation to avoid unnecessary chaos and panic.”

The Rama Kingdom, once a vast nation, started to show cracks once the King fell ill. Rebellions erupted in various regions, and they became united under the Anti-Rama Kingdom banner, creating a massive force.
The Kingdom’s army had suffered repeated defeats to the rebels, who had superior numbers. The war situation looked very disadvantageous.
However, the fighting at the front line is quite far from the royal capital. Therefore, the citizens here have little idea what is happening.

“Haa.”

Luna sighed immediately. She probably thinks the distant rebellion has nothing to do with her or Khan.

“But the situation has changed. A single mage has repelled the rebel forces, using an army of the undead.”

Actually, unknown to the general public, the once dominant rebel army was almost completely annihilated by the necromancer and their undead army.
The rebels covered up their defeat to try and hide their devastating casualties. The Rama Kingdom similarly did not publicize this incident because it’s bad to look like you’re relying on the undead. As a result, this information was not widely known.

“And you think that mage is my master? But controlling an army of undead seems beyond his capabilities, doesn’t it?”

Luna tilted her head in confusion.

“We don’t know for sure. However, I find it hard to believe that the undead are targetting the rebellion on their own. There must be a necromancer with considerable power behind them. Furthermore, we’ve confirmed the existence of Bone Dragons in the army. They are formidable opponents that cannot be easily defeated by regular forces. Now, both the Rama Kingdom and the rebels are desperately searching for that necromancer. One, to protect, and the other, to kill.”

Bone Dragons are very powerful undead. They lack the overwhelming firepower of living dragons, but regular weapons do minimal damage to them unless they’re specifically designed to slay undead.
Of course, the army can’t equip every soldier with such specialized weaponry. Therefore, it can be said that Bone Dragons are the most troublesome enemy to deal with.

“I kind of get it, but aren’t there many other necromancers out there? My master isn’t the only one, right?”

“Actually, necromancy is still forbidden. Only mages who have received formal education are aware of the fact that merely learning necromancy itself is a crime. That’s why you won’t find many mages willing to teach necromancy.”

“Necromancy is forbidden? Is that true? I didn’t know that at all!”

Luna put her hand over her mouth as her eyes widened in shock.

“That’s not all. You said that Khan went out about a month ago and was away for a long time. About one month ago, there was a great battle between the Rama Kingdom army and the rebel forces. The rebels suffered a crushing defeat due to the appearance of the undead army. I don’t think this timing is a coincidence. There’s a good chance that Khan controls an undead army that he hasn’t told you about.”

Conrad locked his hands together in front of his mouth as he stared intently at Luna.

“Of course, we don’t intend to charge you with anything. Luna, you haven’t received a formal magic education, so it’s understandable that you didn’t know necromancy was forbidden. Besides, it’s true that necromancy has saved Rama Kingdom. Even if Khan is not the necromancer we’re looking for, he will not be punished.”

“So, neither I nor my master will be punished? That’s a relief.”

Luna let out a sigh, feeling reassured that they wouldn’t be arrested.

“No, it’s not that simple. Even though we won’t hold you accountable, there are factions within Rama Kingdom who detest necromancers. Opinions are divided on how to handle necromancy. Additionally, it’s certain that Khan is being targeted by the rebellion. Regardless of whether he’s the necromancer crushing them or not, they will try to dispose of any suspicious mage. And since necromancy is forbidden, they won’t hesitate to kill anyone practicing it. Either way, Khan’s life is in danger.”

“What should we do then?”

“Lead us to Khan. We’ll protect you.”

“Shouldn’t I discuss this with my master first? I can’t just bring someone to the mansion without permission.”

“No, it’s not possible. We need to hurry. I’m worried about this person called Rato. The reason he was so desperate to separate you from Khan might be that he suspected Khan was a necromancer.
I honestly don’t know much about Rato. As part of my duties, I should be aware of all the important figures in this capital, but I’ve never heard that name before. On the other hand, the name Killian is too common to pinpoint. Even our Knight Commander has that name. He’s in his sixties and quite old.
For this reason, there’s a chance they could be members of the rebellion. Or, even if they are from the Kingdom, they might be people who don’t tolerate necromancers. If that’s the case, they might contact you to extract information about Khan. If they find out he’s a necromancer, they could be planning to dispose of him.”

“Rato? He did seem interested in my master, but that can’t be true.”

“Remember, I’m just saying it’s possible. To be honest, the Rama Kingdom has been in decline since the King fell ill. The King expanded our territory greatly in a fairly short span of time, which created many vulnerabilities and cracks in our governance.
Even within the Rama Kingdom, some people have chosen to side with the rebels because they looked to have the upper hand. For those traitors, a powerful necromancer that has obliterated the rebel forces is a very threatening existence. It would be a disaster for them if the Kingdom, whom they betrayed, were to regain strength and consolidate its territory. So, there aren’t many people we can trust, even among those within the kingdom.”

Conrad grasped Luna’s shoulders and looked into her red eyes.

“Please, trust us. We’re trying to help you!”

After a moment, Luna let out a small sigh.

“Fine, I’ll guide you to master. But can we go right away?”

“No problem. The two of us and my two subordinates here will go. I trust them completely.”

“So, there’s no one else you trust?”

“Unfortunately, no.”

Conrad smiled bitterly.

“But don’t worry. Both my subordinates and I are skilled knights. No matter what happens, we’ll protect you.”

After saying that, Conrad went out of the room to call his subordinates.

“No matter what happens…”

She repeated.
Luna felt her shoulders where Conrad had touched.

“I really can’t trust such easygoing guys.”

She murmured, in a voice that did not reach Conrad.

──

Conrad and his two subordinates armed themselves and draped cloaks over their attire.
They carried mithril swords, known to be more effective against the undead than iron ones, just in case.

“Sorry for the wait, shall we go?”

Conrad called out to Luna, who had been leaning against the door, waiting.

“Yes, I suppose. My story was quite lengthy, so it made us late.”

As they opened the door, the outside scenery was dyed in twilight.