“You fucking green-blood orc noble! Fat pig of hell! Come at me and see if I don't shove a fucking stake up your shiny white fag asshole!” Violet screamed at Artmer.
The both of us looked at her as she cursed Artmer heavily, somehow her cursing vocabulary is even better than mine. However, Violet only cursed Artmer, when she looked at me, her eyes were filled with doubt.
"Shut up slave! You speak again and I shall order the guards to mark your tongue with hot iron." Artmer bellowed, angered by her curses.
But after his threat, two gazes burned through his skin, one was Violet’s, while the other was mine. Even still, neither of us said a word.
Artmer noticed my gaze and coughed twice awkwardly.
“As I was saying. This is the slave, Violet of Low Terrace. Eleven years old this year. We captured her soon after the Veritas Kingdom fell a few months ago… However, no matter how she was trained, she never behaved and was labeled as a defective product. We also couldn’t separate her from her mother, since this girl would attempt suicide every time we tried.” He explained, and the turned to her mother. “Her mother is Mary of Low Terrace, previously a baronet from Veritas. During the invasion of the kingdom by one of the Doom King’s subordinates, the Lady of Agony, her mind was affected by a demonic spell and broke. Now, she’s just a human doll.”
This entire story seemed very sad, although I don’t really feel sad, but all of that made me certain of my choice.
There are three requirements to advance a level as a necromancer, before receiving a Dread Trial.
First, cap all of the undead, both normal and special.
Second, reach the pinnacle of fifth rank by accumulating death energy essence.
And finally, create a Lord-class undead, that will grow along with the necromancer. The Lord-class will also need to pass the dread trial.
That is the reason willpower is the most important for a Lord-class. All of the trials depend heavily on willpower, so without a good Lord-class, a Dread Lord can’t advance to the next level.
However, I don’t intend on keeping slaves. Not because I think it’s wrong (But I do), however, I know how this slavery thing ends, and how it impairs social relationships as well as capitalism.
The world is, after all, made of people and money.
Which is why, I took a step forward, looking at the loli in the eyes.
“Violet. I don’t want a slave, but a warrior. Follow me, and I will make you strong, maybe one day strong enough to avenge your homeland. I have… Special methods that can train even someone like you.” I explained calmly, although I was inwardly despising myself for trying to make a little girl fight for me.
But she would become a great Dread Lord, and if I want to combat overpowered protagonists, I need to have special cards.
“You think I would work for you?! Are you insane?! Did the stinky whore you ate last night literally fuck your brains out?!” But her answer wasn’t very positive, and the doubt in her eyes disappeared. Little did she knew, that I wished for her curse to become true, lest I become a Grand Magus.
“Please, calm down and let me finish. I don’t want you to become my subordinate for free. I will in exchange cure your mother. I won’t force you into anything, but if you accept, it will be good for both of us.” I proposed, hoping for a positive answer.
When Violet heard that I could heal her mother, she was doubtful, but still held some hope deep inside her heart, so I had to strike while the iron was hot.
“My friend here is young master Artmer of Black Gold, whose father is the heir to the Bosta Merchant Guild. He has great healers under him, and we have a good relationship and he already agreed to heal your mother. I swear under my Surname that I will uphold my part of the deal.” I pledged.
Swearing by your surname isn’t something to be taken lightly. Whomever breaks an oath on their surname would be affected by a cursed luck, that is caused by one of the gods from this world it seems.
Violet wasn't as doubtful as before, when she heard that the one by my side was the young master of the Black Gold Family, combined with the pledge under my surname, Violet seemed to believe me.
“Okay, Lord Pervert of the Child Army. If you can cure my mother, I will be your warrior. But only after healing my mother!” She said, looking at me with disgust.
Artmer was also looking at me with a weird face. Having a little girl soldier is definitely a weird and uncommon fetish, even in a world where lolicon isn’t uncommon, but I didn't care that they misunderstood my intention.
“Good. Art, release her from her bindings. Please, also do me a favor and clothe Violet and her mother with decent clothes.” I asked Artmer.
He ordered guards nearby to release her and change her clothes, while Artmer and I teleported to the entrance of the warehouse.
Vincent gave me the Golden Card; it seems I can get gold coins from any branch of the Merchant’s Guild. (Lore on the Merchant’s guild and the transcendent powers on General Happenings)
Soon after, Albert came from the hotel. We waited a little more and both, Violet and Mary, came escorted by the guards.
I nodded at the now clean and well-dressed Violet; the only thing that made her less cute was the scars on her body. How can someone treat a good and cute loli this way?! Are there no men of culture in this world to protect this loli?!
“Good. Art, you can go back to Bosta, while I will go cure Mary. I’ll see you later.” I bade Artmer farewell and took my leave. Albert was carrying Mary on his shoulder, I cast Cat’s Dexterity and Avril’s Leg Impulse, all three of us ran fast like the wind. Violet was suspicious since we left Artmer, since I said the Black Gold family would cure her mother, but she knew that no matter her opinion, I can kill her anytime I want.
We walked for a while, before leaving the town and arriving at a forest in the outskirts of the town. After finding a good spot, I asked Albert.
“Give me the spellbook.”
He nodded and handed me a thick book. This is the spellbook I brought with me from Lord Angus’ manor, I copied many spells into this spellbook before leaving.
“Let’s see… Yes, these two will do.”
I gestured thrice and cast Draw Lesser Spell Circle to draw the two magic circles, this magic is one of the miscellaneous spells I learned, which is actually almost mandatory for every Magus.
The two spells I drew were Underground Shelter, a two-layered spell; and Misleading Barrier of Isolation, a three-layered spell.
When the two spells were cast, a tunnel leading downwards appeared, and a magic barrier extended a hundred meters around me.
With the help of the spells, the three of us fell on the deep hole, unaffected by the fall… Although the fall wouldn’t have hurt Albert anyway.
After falling on the hole, I saw myself in a stone room that was exactly ten meters long and wide, as well as three meters tall. The room was also lit by green ‘ghost fires’. Underground shelter is a pretty nifty and wide-spread spell because of its convenience, it was even remodeled to the point there were five versions for each level of Magi to a total of twenty-five versions, but I only used the two-layered first level version.
“Okay. We are here, so let's start the ritual.” I said, taking a piece of chalk from my pocket.
“What ritual… Wait! Don't tell me you are a Demon Lord?!” She said, after thinking about how I was so secretive and even walked outside of the city, a while ago, she also noticed I was under the effect of an illusion spell, although she can see right through it.
“No, I am a Dread Lord.” I answered matter-of-factly.
“Fuck you! You lied to me! You are going to turn me and my mother into mindless undead, won't you?! You piece of thousand-year-old donkey shit! Perverted Necro-pedophile!” She said trying to struggle out of Albert's grasp.
“I didn’t lie. I will cure your mother and won’t turn her into a mindless undead. I will only turn her into a ghoul that I can’t control. After having her body bathed in necrotic energy, her mind will heal along with all her wounds.”
Hearing that, she calmed down, either because she believed me or because she wouldn't be able to do anything if it wasn’t true. But Violet kept kicking Albert's 'Man weak spot' with her feet, even though he doesn't feel pain, he still twitched every time she kicked him. It seems his instincts as a man didn’t disappear.
Albert put her mother on the ground, and I started inscribing many runes on her body, making a weird spell circle. After that I punctured my finger with a dagger, and even though it was just a tiny scratch, I cried out in pain. I had already done this ritual once before, with many people at the same time, but my pain tolerance is still shit.
A single drop of blood landed on her body, and then I started making the gestures. It was much longer than the Raise ghoul spell, not only because it was a ritual spell but because it was a spell just as complicated as a five-layered Magus spell, but it was still classified as a one-layered necromancy spell.
After finishing the gestures, I touched the center of the circle on her navel. I had already closed my eyes since I knew that my concentration would go to hell when I saw Mary, who needed to be naked for the ritual, and Albert had to guide me to where her navel was by speaking “higher!”, “Lower by an inch!” and so on.
After I transferred the Necrotic Energy to the circle, its lines started shining with grey light and Mary’s body started convulsing and the lines on her skin started to disappear.
The process continued for a few minutes; Violet's face was already covered in tears. Even though her mother's expression was still as dead as before in the beginning, her screams started to become unbearable after the first minute and she was rolling on the ground while grabbing her head, her screams were like the howling of a dying animal. If it weren’t for the intense battle that time, the screams of the fifty men would have filled the forest.
When she finally stopped screaming, her skin was as pale as Albert's. She had already become a ghoul…
Mary got up from the ground, the wounds on her body had already disappeared during the transformation.
When she stood, her previous dead eyes were filled with the light of intelligence, she looked around the room and I ordered Albert to release Violet.
Both of them looked at each other, neither knowing what to say, so I was going to speak first…
But before I could speak, Violet ran to her mother's embrace while crying, Mary hugged her while ignoring the other two people on the room. Mary repeated “It's alright, It's alright…" While patting Violet's head and caressing her head.
Right then, I could only remember my time on earth when I too was just a kid, and my mother would act the same way when I was bullied at school and came home crying.
I had already forgotten about what I had to say then, I just cried along to that warm scene.
It seems my poker-face and non-crying policy were being broken way too often in this new world...
