The misadventures of the necromancer

Chapter XLIII

Upon hearing this new voice, she turns around. She can't deny feeling curious about seeing this figure. That worries the two young men so much. But, upon finally laying her eyes on him, she can’t believe what she sees.

The mysterious leader of this group is also a boy, seemingly around the same age as the other two. Not only is his age surprising, but adding to the absurdity, the firelight reveals that he appears to be dressed in rags. How could this boy hold such power over the other two that they’re terrified of waking him?

"Nero," Seres whispers beside her, confirming the identity of the boy who just appeared.

Nero seems about to say something but ends up covering his mouth with one hand, his body slightly hunched over. It looks like he’s about to vomit. Confirming Seres and Adar when they had mentioned that Nero was sick. More exactly, they had said he was injured, specifically burned, yet she couldn’t see any signs of such injuries. In fact, aside from seeming nauseous, he looks completely healthy.

"Damn! This just won’t go away. Apparently, potion poisoning doesn't wear off in real-time either," Nero grumbles as he straightens up, seeming to have recovered from his discomfort, and clarifies why he bears no visible wounds—he had taken potions. She remains a bit confused about what he means regarding "real-time."

"But anyway, I asked a question. What’s going on here?" Nero continues speaking calmly. As if waking up to find his camp full of armed men isn’t something important.

"Well..." Seres begins, looking between Adar and Nero.

"Hmm," Adar sounds on his turn while also exchanging glances with Seres. "We don’t know."

Nero raises an eyebrow in doubt, prompting Adar to continue.

"I’m serious. The two of us were getting ready to sleep," Adar gestures to Seres and himself. "When the girl appeared, crying and asking for help." Adar starts explaining while pointing to her. Behind herself, she notices Seres nodding in agreement.

"And then these guys showed up." Adar finishes, casually gesturing with his thumb toward the armed group behind him.

"How dare you! We are the guards of Riversong. Show some respect!" Aden growls, clearly enraged by the disrespect towards his family.

But Nero merely raises his eyebrow again and asks in a curious tone, "Riversong?"

Having asked the question, he turns to Adar as if expecting an answer.

Adar takes a small step back before speaking hesitantly. "I don’t know. I’ve never heard of such a place or thing." While talking, he gestures toward his friend before continuing with more conviction. "We’re not from around here. You can’t expect us to know the local stuff."

"I know. But you might have heard of it." Nero says while shaking his head, utterly indifferent to the men on horseback. "After all, a ridiculous name like that must be well-known. Are people fans of Doctor Who, or do they just like singing by some river?"

Though she doesn’t understand what he means by "fans," she is shocked by the utter disrespect toward the most powerful lord in the region. And she is not the only one, as Aden urges his horse forward.

She fears Aden will attack Nero, but the mule steps in front, blocking the horse's advance. When the horse realizes this, it rears up, nearly throwing Aden off. Fortunately, he demonstrates his riding skills. Managing to stay on and regain control, though only by backing away from the travelers.

"What’s going on with the horses?" Asks one of the guards, who had earlier experienced a similar problem.

"They’re unlucky enough to be smarter than the idiots riding them," Nero responds dryly, causing more than one guard to sit up straighter, clearly displeased by the insult.

From her position, she can see Adar cracking a smile at the remark. While shrugging as if to say, "Well, he’s not wrong." She turns to Seres beside her. Who is also smiling, showing himself to be amused by the insult.

"Step back a bit. You can let one of them through for now. But only one." Nero says, keeping his eyes fixed on the group in front of him. She feels confused about whom he might be instructing, since only the mule responds, stepping back slightly to allow someone to approach.

"Boys, I recently had a run-in with someone tougher than I expected. And it seems that you're about to make the same mistake. So why don’t you just leave, and I can get back to resting?" Nero speaks calmly, almost coldly, as if none of this really matters. But she notices, that for some time now, Nero has been subtly opening and closing his hands as if preparing for a fight.

She’s not the only one who sees this. Because she can hear Adar whisper, "Seres," while nodding in Nero's direction. Immediately, she feels Seres grab her hand and say, "Let’s go."

"It seems to me that. You are the one that is about to make the same mistake again." Says a voice from behind the guards, belonging to someone the fire isn't revealing. But even so, she recognizes the voice of Cien, commander of the Riversong guard and the finest warrior in the region.

As she passes by Nero while being pulled by Seres, she lets out a small. "Oh no!" As the trouble she’s caused for these poor strangers becomes clear. But she doesn’t know what to do. Perhaps it would be better if she surrendered.

"Nah, I don’t think so, buddy. I’m pretty sure the ones getting into trouble here are you guys." Nero replies to Cien, unaware of who he’s dealing with. His tone remains calm, with a hint of dry humor.

"Oh really? And why do you think that?" Aden asks, his voice mocking, knowing his mentor is about to intervene and put an end to the discussion.

"He's getting ready to destroy them," she hears Seres whisper as they meet up with Adar not far behind Nero.

"Good thing we got out of the way." Adar agrees. Hearing this absurdity makes her look at the two, but their faces show total conviction in what they’re saying, making her feel pity for them. Because she’s certain, they’re about to witness Nero’s destruction.

"Dude. How could I think otherwise when the smarter ones among you are trying to escape while they still can?" Nero says, looking directly at Aden. No one can doubt that he means the horses. And though the amusement is gone from his voice, the seriousness with which he says this must be all the worse for the young noble. Who’s probably never heard anyone speak to him like that.

Aden charges at Nero again while Cien’s reprimanding voice rings out, "Aden!"

But it’s too late. Aden charges at the other young man. She raises her hands to her face in terror. Nero, slightly hunched over and dressed so poorly, looks weak and defenseless, with the horse towering closer and closer. Meanwhile, Aden stretches out his arm, pointing his spear at Nero.

Through her fingers, she sees Nero close one of his hands, and a faint, almost imperceptible glow surrounds his body. Before she can comprehend what she’s seeing, Nero moves.

He steps aside from Aden’s approach, using one hand to grab the spear's blade as it nears him and the other to grip the shaft. Holding the spear, he seems to begin pulling on the handle with one hand while firmly holding the blade.

Perhaps due to the shock of seeing someone do this, Aden lets go of the spear, leaving it in Nero’s hands. Meanwhile, the horse seems to have once again become uncontrollable as it nears the mule, forcing Aden to rely on his riding skills to avoid falling.

"I was planning to knock you off," she hears Nero’s slightly disappointed voice before he shrugs and finishes with, "Too bad."

Still struggling to stay on the horse, Aden shouts, "Bastard!"

"I didn’t know he could do that." Seres says in amazement. Beside her, Adar murmurs, "That idiot’s going to end up killing all of them." And part of her believes the young man might be right.

When Aden finally regains control, he yells in fury, "Guards!"

"Stand down!" Shouts, the much louder voice of Cien as the man advances closer to the firelight, allowing everyone to see him. He rides his gray horse, wearing leather armor, and his hand grips a spear.

"Wow," Nero says. He sounds surprised as he sees Cien for the first time. She can only assume he recognizes the famous warrior.

"If the Lord permits. I believe we can discuss this matter civilly," Cien speaks formally and politely, bowing his head slightly as he addresses Nero, showing respect.

"Cien, what are you...?" Aden begins to speak, or rather, yell.

"Silence, boy," Cien commands. His voice doesn't rise, but the sternness in his tone forces Aden into obedience.

"And the true villain reveals himself," everyone hears Nero say. Even the usually stoic Cien appears confused by this remark, blinking as if trying to understand what the young man means.

"You’re the big villain, right? After all, with a mustache like that..." Nero's comment leaves everyone uncertain about how to react. When she looks at his companions, even they don’t seem to know what to do.

But the most affected is undoubtedly Cien, who begins touching his long mustache. Though thin, the mustache is a good four fingers wide on each side. She had heard that he took great pride in his mustache. Going into battle with a mustache like that was only possible due to his combat prowess.

Seeing the confusion around him, Nero starts to speak.

"Come on, you all get it. Right? That is like the second most evil kind of mustache that exists." He looks around and then lifts a curved finger just above his mouth, covering only the area under his nose. "Only this one is worse. You know, a Hi..." He seems about to say something more, but after glancing around again, he falls silent.

"If... If that's the Lord Mage's opinion... Then I offer my apologies..." Cien struggles to say, clearly uncomfortable with what he’s saying. The man seems to be battling with his words. "...for my mustache."

The shock of what the proud warrior is saying is so great that she takes a few moments to grasp something very important. 'Lord Mage' — that's how Cien is referring to Nero. Meanwhile, Nero simply watches the knight on his horse.

"Cien, how can you..." Aden begins, seemingly not grasping the important part of what Cien just said.

"Aden, shut up and learn," Cien snaps angrily, possibly venting some of his frustration on his young apprentice.

"Even now, he’s holding your spear by the blade," Cien gestures toward Nero. Who is indeed gripping the tip of the spear without suffering any injury. Realizing this, Nero adjusts his hold, grabbing to the shaft.

"Do you know how many people in the world, can do what he just did?" Cien asks, not just addressing Aden. By the way, he looks at the other guards, this question is meant for them too.

Without waiting for anyone to answer, Cien concludes his thought. "He’s one of the Rock’s disciples."

Upon hearing this, his conclusion suddenly makes perfect sense to her. The unshakeable confidence of Nero's companions and even the arrogance Nero displayed fits the profile of a powerful mage — especially one trained by someone like Seran the Rock.

Nero on the other hand, looks around with an expression that reveals nothing. Then, tilting his head to the side, he looks directly at his companions and asks, "The Rock???"

The question leaves her disoriented. How could he not know who the Rock is? Even young children have heard of him. Looking at Seres, she can tell he is also startled by the question, as his beautiful eyes are wide open. But unlike her, he’s not left speechless.

That's when she hears Adar’s voice, which doesn’t seem fazed by the question. "Seran the Rock is one of the Five."

Nero listens quietly, and when Adar seems to have finished. He gestures with his hand for him to continue speaking — something even more unbelievable. It seems Nero not only doesn’t know about Seran. But also has no idea who the Five are. She can’t comprehend how this is possible. Especially if Cien is right and Nero is a mage.

Now it’s Seres who responds to the implied question Nero has asked. He speaks more hesitantly than his companion but still explains, "Well... Nero, the Five are the five most powerful mages. You really didn’t know that?"

Nero remains impassive in the face of the question. He actually turns his back on Seres, seeming to ignore them entirely now that he’s learned what he wanted. He faces the guards in front of him once again.

Cien, on the other hand, wears an inscrutable expression, having just discovered from this conversation that his belief Nero was Seran’s disciple was wrong. She grows worried about what this might mean for her. Even though she hadn’t had much time to get to know people in Riversong. She doubts they would challenge someone like Seran the Rock for her.

"You said only a disciple of this Seran could do what I did, right?" Nero asks Cien. Still seeming deep in thought, Cien merely nods in response. She can’t help but notice that Cien is no longer trying to be as cordial as before.

"Hmm... Maybe you're thinking of Ortan's Shield... School of alteration, then... Generally not something used much in fights," Nero mutters, seemingly thinking aloud, completely dismissing the threat the armed men pose.

"Hey, Mustache..." Nero starts again. The way he addresses Cien makes the warrior’s eyes widen. She thinks the shock at this disrespectful treatment is the only thing keeping Cien from trying to kill Nero. But Nero continues speaking casually, "That Seran... would he be an old, skinny guy, about a hand taller than me?" While speaking, Nero uses a hand to indicate the height, lowering it to a point just below his shoulder. "And white hair down to about here?"

Beside her, Seres whispers to Adar, "He can’t possibly be describing who I think, can he?"

"And the asshole punches like a truck." Nero continues describing, even if she doesn't quite understand what 'truck' is. But she thinks she knows what he means.

Hearing the question, Cien straightens up more in his saddle, causing his horse to shift a little. After regaining control of the animal, he speaks with evident pride in his voice. "I truly had the honor of seeing Seran in person once. And that description fits."

The other guards look at Cien with pride, after all, not everyone has the privilege of seeing such a figure. But from the description, it seems like Nero may have as well.

"Damn! That's just the description of an old man; how many could fit that... Anyway, another old guy using alteration..." Nero seems to be thinking again, ignoring them once more. "Yeah, makes sense the old man was that Rock guy. And him having disciples would explain the group of clowns watching the show."

The more Nero speaks, the more convinced she is that he truly met Seran the Rock. Perhaps the young man had the luck to learn from the powerful mage without knowing his true identity.

"No way, can’t be. If that’s the case, then your so-called Five most powerful mages are... kinda weak." Hearing this, she turns her head sharply toward the young man speaking. If she had been shocked by Nero’s earlier questions, now she can’t even find words to describe what she feels.