The Exiled Necromancer Wants To Create a Bone Dragon

2 – To the center

Ed Prozenbon had taken an impulsive action that even he thought was un-necromancer-like. If tenaciously cursing Grey and Demoness to walk a thorny path for life by swearing vengeance was a typical necromancer response, Ed had made a slightly different choice from the typical necromancer, matching how he was different.

Disappearing in a flash.

Eating jerky on the train, Ed thought this decision had likely been influenced by the death knight Arang.

‘I’m doing what Arang always told me, “Move as your heart leads” after leaving the battlefield.’

Necropolis currently prohibits making summons from unauthorized humans. But summons made illegally or in the past continue to be passed down, and the death knight Arang Ed had briefly possessed was a death knight made in the past.

Unable to find a lord to serve in the eastern continent and coming to the center to clash blades madly with knights, Arang had died to a necromancer, an unknown existence to him. And with Arang’s anger built up, he became good material for a death knight and was managed as a Necropolis death knight.

Of course Necropolis only knew death knight #14 handled swords well, but with Ed’s limited range for handling summons, he was able to communicate a little. The individual with a weak ego unlike ordinary skeletons influenced Ed, making him a necromancer with some impulsive thinking as well.

‘But I seemed very cold-hearted with Demoness yesterday.’

Demoness, who he had slept in the same bed with and whispered sweet nothings just yesterday, turned out to be Grey’s mistress. Despite needing to be quite shocked that the house in the center he rested at was actually Demoness and Grey’s honeymoon home, he had been extremely calm. In an ordinary situation, venting thick anger at the two would seem to be the proper response, but Ed could use ice magic after receiving the Prozenbon surname. Of course, if he had harbored the full anger and used magic against Grey, he would have lost in the end since he had no summons, but the reason he simply watched without lifting a finger seemed to possibly be that.

‘So I don’t lose a third time.’

Looking back, it would be one loss to the Bodimir family, and one to Grey, but taking another loss just for pointless venting didn’t sit well with him.

“The snow stopped.”

Snow had been falling since he boarded the train, but the scenery had completely changed at some point. Unlike the north where they had to find warmth in the barrenness, the center had leaves fluttering crisply. There was no need to focus to find the overflowing warmth here.

-Fwish.

A divine barrier briefly swept over and past him. Though necromancers could move freely in the north and Necropolis, other places still classified necromancers as ill-omened beings. As a northern soldier who had fought monsters, Ed did feel slightly put out, but also understood to some extent, considering what necromancers had done in the past.

“So now what do I do to make a living?”

It wasn’t like the 27 million enel would vanish, but it was woefully insufficient to live on for a lifetime. Having graduated top of his academy class and hunted monsters in the north for 4 years, Ed thought his brain had become a bit dull. He listed what he currently possessed in his head.

1. 7th class necromancer license containing 27 million enel.

2. Physical abilities and swordsmanship rivaling a knight.

3. Decent ice magic.

“At least my looks don’t inspire disgust.”

Ed examined his reflection in the train window. Silver hair tinged with blue, blue eyes; he had often been asked if he was some noble’s illegitimate child because of his hair and eye colors. He recalled a particularly extreme senior had even taken his blood to check, but he’d gotten the uncomfortable answer of being mixed-blood. He’d retorted to the senior that true noble blood wasn’t actually blue.

“I can probably do anything.”

Ed raised his hand to the food cart worker pulling along boxed meals on the train. For some reason the boxed meals sold on the train were delicious, so he always bought and ate them when going between the north and capital. He’d have to try the boxed meals going to the center to see how tasty they were.

*

Compared to the north where Ed was headed, the center of the continent was quite chaotic.

The massive northern region was occupied by the single nation-like collective of Necropolis. The six noble houses of Necropolis divided up and ruled that huge north, governing by passing on the authority to manage some regions to representatives they selected, so ultimately major affairs of the north were decided at the council of the six noble houses. The necromancer code of conduct that changed was also decided at the council of those six noble houses, so it had to be seen that not only the Bodimirs, but at least three other houses had plotted against Ed.

Even that north was a very easy to explain place compared to the center of the continent. In the center of the continent, there was a group called the Divine Alliance. Considering the divine barrier spread out when leaving Necropolis, it could be seen the center was not so favorable to necromancers, and so they valued priests with divine power effective against necromancers. Though there was a Pope and Papal See said to be the highest of those priests, they could not become the center. Anyway, each kingdom and village in the center believed in different gods, so they could never become one in the end.

‘Necromancers don’t really believe in gods anyway. That’s good.’

The reason that strange Divine Alliance could currently maintain balance was because the Divine Academy had been established in the location of the Papal See a few years ago. As the nobility of the Divine Alliance attended the academy and graduated after gaining some understanding of each other, peace in the center was maintained by the younger generation.

Of course, they couldn’t fight openly and grandly, unable to ignore the possibility Necropolis could bring down an army of undead.

‘I don’t know much about politics, so that’s not exactly right.’

Thinking he was heading to the center blind and getting his nose bloodied because he didn’t know, Ed made a self-deprecating laugh as he looked out the window, then picked up his train ticket.

Necropolis -＞ Rica Coast

“Why did I buy a ticket to Rica Coast, where the Papal See is?”

Even heading from the north and buying a train ticket to the center seemed quite impulsive to Ed, so going specifically to Rica Coast, location of the Papal See, felt a bit excessively impulsive. He was voluntarily headed to a place full of priests hostile to necromancers. But in his current situation without even skeletons, he thought just looking like a northern noble without actually being one would be fine.

“It’s time to go once.”

Ed’s train journey continued.

***

The position of 7th Squadron captain was vacant. It was because the elite necromancer Ed Prozenbon, who had graduated the academy and enlisted immediately, then been explosively promoted, had been demoted to a 7th class necromancer and vanished without a trace. Though there was a vice-captain, without orders from above she could not formally take the captain’s seat and was temporarily managing the squadron. Of course, the biggest topic of conversation in 7th Squadron with their disappeared captain Ed Prozenbon was the disappeared Ed Prozenbon.

“I heard it’s not desertion. They don’t even let 7th classes enlist in the first place? It seems he’s considered to have never existed.”

A soldier who had been contacted by an acquaintance working in central Necropolis relayed information likely to arouse the curiosity of other soldiers as well. The atmosphere was that ‘It’s not desertion since 7th class necromancers can’t enlist in the first place’.

“That guy becomes ‘never existed’ to the military? Sheesh.”

Another soldier said in disbelief at those words. It was true the changed license exam had been disadvantageous for Ed receiving a high rank. Because of that, the soldiers had great friction with Ed at first, but Ed had perfectly seized control of the squadron with might and naturally rose to captain. If they listed the things 7th Squadron had accomplished with former captain Ed Prozenbon after that, it made other units seem like they just played around everyday to the point it was reluctant to think about.

“But what about the vice-captain? She wouldn’t have heard this news, right?”

The soldier who brought the news looked around the barracks while speaking. It could be seen at a glance the vice-captain with her noticeable looks was not in the barracks.

“What can you do? With no captain, she’s gone drinking again.”

At that story, another soldier pointed outside with his thumb.

“Ugh. What’s the point graduating the academy first as a woman with a fiance, then enlisting, just to end up like this?”

“I don’t understand the vice-captain’s feelings. There’s less work with the captain gone too, so she should think it’s comfortable. With no captain, our 7th Squadron’s fighting strength is cut in half.”

Though there were nearly ten 3rd class or higher necromancers, the words that they had lost half their fighting strength with Ed gone made the other soldier nod in agreement as well. They thought that if the opponent had the might to overcome the advantage of necromancers, quantity, the former captain was stronger than any necromancer. They had also heard the academy in Necropolis was planning to cultivate a new paladin-type talent, partially borrowing the former captain’s combat methods.

“I wonder who the next captain will be?”

“Yeah, that’s the most important thing for us now.”

7th Squadron now wanted to live quietly.

*

“I’m Grey Bodimir, elite necromancer. From now on, I’m 7th Squadron’s captain. Vice-captain, you’re fired.”

Grey being assigned as 7th Squadron’s captain just days after Ed Prozenbon became ‘never existed’ was an event that happened not long after.

“Shut your mouth, Grey. I quit.”

And that day, the 7th Squadron vice-captain submitted her letter of resignation.