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After being repeatedly assured that it was indeed written in the local language he was even more under the weather.

'Was it possible that Renal couldn't read? No, he was after all a magician apprentice, not a good one but he wasn't totally useless. If so why did I learn the spoken part but not the written part from his memories?' The first big setback of his new life felt huge, sure learning to read should be easy since he knew the spoken and knew how to write in other languages. Also thankfully it seemed to be a phonetic language rather than a pictorial representation, he had learned both types before but pictorial doesn't carry over between languages in the same way. Somehow he felt happy an reassured that there was at least something not going his way, it again was another conflicting feeling. Looking up he saw that Erica had rejoined them inside.

"Can you help by teaching me to read?" He looked towards Nina.

"No, sounds annoying." He got an immediate reply from Nina and Erica, who had gotten inside as soon as he got the book, seems to fidget as if she doesn't know herself.

"Please?"

"Why? No reason for me to help you."

"I can help once we camp for the night, or you can ask that escort of yours." He heard Carl call out when he started to get annoyed at her. "Need to look out for bandits and holes in the road now so can't help now though."

"Thanks, I appreciate it. I was about to go crazy at the idea that she refuses to help with something that's this easy for no reason."

"No reason to do it is a good reason." She muttered.

"You said, bandits? Heard Teres say that this plane is covered mostly by wilderness and occupied by monsters?" Renal said quickly to force the conversation away from getting into an argument.

"You shouldn't listen to everything people say, especially people that don't know the place, besides monsters usually never attack unless we get close to their nests. Also this far into human lands the strong ones have been hunted down." Carl quickly helped with a reply. "But also border encampments like your former masters gets attacked a lot. Stationary targets can be stalked and assessed more easily by them, or longer treks through wilderness might also be followed and surrounded. We only really need to worry about other humans here, a lot more tricky to handle them though."

'Yea that makes more sense, why would they randomly attack an unknown prey.' Noticing Nina seemed to have calmed down he picked up the book again.

"What kind of book is this even? Is it written by a kid, the letters change shapes all the time. Or is the alphabet you use huge?" He was a bit baffled, you generally didn't waste paper with bad writing unless you were very rich or in a hurry.

"It is Renal's journal." Nina replies quickly with a smirk, then continued. "You know a diary where he writes down all the moronic things he has on his mind. Thought it might help to be him if you read that, didn't expect the proud and annoying you would be illiterate though."

'At first, it sounds like she is trying to help, and that tone and smirk makes me almost certain she is messing with me. Again ignore it, a journal should be good to read even if she is hiding something about it be it content or bad handwriting.'

"And if you're planning to have that escort of ours help you learn reading use some other book, there are some damning evidence about necromancy in that." Nina said in a totally disinterested voice. "The fact that they come out here to pursue their creed against necromancers is against a lot of agreements but what can we do? They are backed by a strong empire, although far away, and we are only a small kingdom."

"Necromancy isn't banned here?" Renal had read a lot of books and travel journals but it was pretty universal that necromancy was a big no-no.

"No, it isn't. It is forbidden to use corpses of nobles, forbidden to bring the revived into habited areas, also lastly forbidden to steal serfs bodies without the consent of their noble. The last one can be fudged by being hostile to them but otherwise, it is set in stone. Although not even attacking your enemies with undead is allowed. Also, we that work for nobility get some protection." And then she shrugs. "But in reality, they only buy crime-slaves and hunt bandits, cheaper and less of a hassle. Sometimes with their consent, they use their own serfs' corpses, after all, what use is your corpse after you die when you can instead sell it so your family can get something? But obviously necromancy is rare, not many can stand the idea of moving dead bodies. I can't stand the smell, but it is also common to get sick."

"But..." He really couldn't put his finger on it but necromancy was a bit too extreme for him to accept.

"What is the harm in it? You're not using the life-force of the dead but rather only the body that will waste into nothing in the earth, or get burned into ashes. And since they can't come into habited areas you won't see your dead friend walking. But even then a large firestorm up close is probably even more frightening to see rather than a walking corpse you can recognise. In reality, necromancy is the only school of magic facing as many rules, while also being one of the least dangerous."

While being a bit overcome by the fact that walking dead wasn't considered wrong here he skimmed through the journal and found some crude magic inscriptions. 'Is this all this world's magicians can do or is it a self-made spell? Even for a beginner's spell isn't it too crude?'

"So what does this say?" He hoped Erica could at least read some words, he felt uncomfortable asking Nina more questions. Though she DID reply to each question he had apart from getting help to read she seemed more and more angry at him.

"She has stolen that book enough times to try to learn reading that it shouldn't be an issue." Erica turned red and looked down on the floor at Nina's jeering while hearing Carl laughing outside.

"It's a practise diagram where you are supposed to correct the flaws." She muttered so quietly that Renal could just hear it.

'Ah that makes some sense, but it also means that this is close to good enough for them. Then magic here is indeed rather crude, the things I saw in Teres tent now seem like a dream.'

 

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