The Necromancer Commands Slaves, Not Undeads

25 – Winter and the Pursuer

We have chosen a route from the southeast province of Freud to the capital in the center of the kingdom. Abandoning the well-maintained roads for the purpose of shaking off any possible pursuer who may be following Dorothy and me.

We had enough supplies for our journey. We had stocked up on dry foods, and if we ran out, we could resupply in the villages along the way with money.

Our horse was strong and fast. We were accustomed to the road, therefore, making camp and scouting ahead went smoothly. There was no major problem.

We had thought that our journey to the capital would go smoothly, but the world is never easy.

Minor problems did occur.

The road from the southeastern province to the capital was horribly winding and confusing.

It was evident why people did not travel this way.

Dorothy and I were lost on this road, but we somehow found our way forward.

As time passed changing spring to summer, our journey came to a temporary halt.

Dorothy was sick, complaining of severe pain.

Fever, dizziness, shivering, and cold sweats. It appeared to be a summer flu, judging by the symptoms.

In this world, where there were no proper medicines, we could only hope for natural recovery.

What can I do for her, suffering on the horse… I was in deep thought when we saw a village.

Luckily, we were able to rent a room in the village. I decided to take a break from the journey and rest there.

I nursed Dorothy until she was fully recovered.

Without any medical knowledge, all I could do was place a cold, wet towel on her forehead and wipe her sweat-soaked body.

Apart from that, I could only serve her honey water.

Whenever I left her side, Dorothy would call out for me in a pained voice, like a child.

“Master… don’t go…”

Each time, I would take her small hand in mine.

“I’m not going anywhere.”

Seeing my assurance, Dorothy would close her eyes with relief and a smile would linger on her lips. It felt like having a needy little sister.

Being an atheist, I could not pray to a god for her recovery, but in my heart, I truly hoped for her quick recovery.

Perhaps my hopes reached the heavens because Dorothy’s condition gradually improved. About two weeks after our arrival, Dorothy was completely recovered.

Seeing Dorothy get up from the bed with a healthy expression and smile at me, I let out a sigh of relief.

With a recovered Dorothy, we set off towards the capital once again.

And thus, we got through the hot summer safely and autumn found us.

All through the autumn, we travelled diligently towards the capital. Time passed without any significant events.

By the time, I opened the map and roughly estimated that we were only about two weeks away from the capital,

Winter finally came upon us.

***

We gazed upon the gray-streaked sky. It was filled with dark clouds, almost as if the sky was shrouded in fog. The sun was nowhere to be seen, obscured by the clouds even though it was daytime.

“I wonder if it will snow.”

As I spoke, my breath came out in white puffs, signaling that winter had arrived.

“Yes.”

Dorothy could now fully speak in the imperial language. Her pronunciation was no longer slurred. She had not only mastered pronunciation but also the distinction between respectful and casual speech.

However, when she attempted to address me formally in respect, I resisted.

She pouted, asking why I was entitled to it but she was not, I adamantly refused.

It felt repulsive to have someone I had chatted with casually suddenly start addressing me formally.

Anyway, with the worsening cold weather, Dorothy and I…He was wearing the black fur coat he had bought at the last village.

It was reportedly made of the fur and skin of a black goat. He didn’t know if that was true, but it definitely kept him warm.

Nevertheless, his face and ears were painfully exposed to the biting winter wind, despite him wearing the coat.

Dorothy, who was holding the reins, had her hands red from the cold. She didn’t show it, but he could tell she was cold, and he began to think it was a good idea to pause the journey.

He unfolded the map on the horse.

“According to the map, there is a village nearby called the Celt village. We need to stay there until the weather warms up.”

Dorothy, behind him, spoke in a suspicious tone.

“You said it isn’t much longer now.”

“That’s right. But once it starts snowing, it will be difficult for the horse to run. Even if the horse can run, we could freeze to death if we camp in this weather.”

At my explanation, Dorothy nodded with a look that indicated her agreement.

“Therefore, it would be good to pause our journey until the weather has warmed up a bit more.”

With that being said, Dorothy behind me responded in affirmation.

“Yeah, I agree.”

I teased her jokingly;

“Dorothy, don’t you want to get to the capital and get your freedom?”

At this, Dorothy shook her head in response, saying in a nonchalant manner,

“I like being with my master more than being on my own.”

I smiled at Dorothy who sounded as if she was simply paying lip service.

“Even if it is just talk, I appreciate it.”

Regrettably though, his hands were occupied, preventing him from stroking her hair for those nice words. Dorothy tugged at my clothes from behind.

“I will be with you forever, Master.”

“Yes~ Yes~ I got it.”

“I really will.”

And so, we held a trivial conversation while heading toward Celt village.

Fortunately, we found Celt village before sunset. We led our horse towards the entrance of the village.

A middle-aged gentleman who appeared to be in charge of the village appeared.

“In the middle of winter, an unusual visitor. I am Philip, a village elder. What’s your purpose to visit?”

Philip, a surprisingly young man for a village elder, asked about my business.

“I am a wizard from the Freud region. This is my assistant Dorothy. We are looking for a place to stay until the weather clears.”

At my words, he stared into my hidden eyes and Dorothy, then showed a surprised face.

“Are you the Bone Commander who subjugated the manticore?”

I laughed wryly at the vibes of the village elder who seemed to know me.

The news that the punitive force in the Freud region had defeated the manticore had swiftly spread across the empire.

It would be natural that my fame had also greatly increased, as there weren’t many who could subdue such a monster that controls beasts.

However, one thing was surprising that such a distant village from Freud also knew about it…

There must have been some gossipy old women who were good at gathering the grass root level news before the winter season.

“Yes. That’s correct.”

I answered to the village elder, and he deeply bowed to me with respect, saying that he is honored to meet me.

“Honorable. I’m privileged to welcome the Bone Commander to such an insignificant village. We will swiftly provide food and prepare a room for your stay…!”

And then, the village elder ordered the villagers to take the horse to a stable, and guided us to an empty house.

Dorothy and I followed him. One resident who had previously lived there had recently died, turning it into a vacant house and we were invited inside the wooden and brick building.

He explained that we were free to use the vacant house as our liking, and I expressed my appreciation for the village elder’s consideration.

Dorothy handed over a gold coin to the village elder. He then declined the offer quite dramatically, but he quickly pocketed the coin.

It reminded me of a corrupt official who would appear to refuse a bribe but would accept it with both hands, rejoicing secretly.It was a sight as perfect as a circle.

“Then please rest comfortably!”

With that, the village chief left and we removed our coats, sitting on the bed with a sigh.

“It looks like this journey is coming to an end, Dorothy.”

“Yeah. What will you do after arriving in the capital?”

“First, I have to meet the Golden Lion and resolve the issue with the Excitium Clan.”

“No… I mean, besides that…”

Dorothy shook her head. Hadn’t she been asking about that?

Once again, Dorothy parted her small lips in response to my curious gaze.

“When we left on our journey, you and I saw it. People here live by farming, and merchants live by trading…”

“What are you going to do after you arrive in the capital?”

“That’s what I wanted to ask.”

Silenced by Dorothy’s sharp question, I realized I’d never thought about it, too preoccupied with various matters until now.

When I was wandering the slums as an orphan, I thought it was enough to just live. When I lived as a wizard’s assistant, I thought it was enough to live as an assistant.

And when I inadvertently left to travel with her to live as a wizard, I thought it would be enough to simply survive.

I had lived to survive. I never thought about living for anything else.

“Well, that’s possibly the most difficult question I’ve ever been asked. What should I do once the issue with Mors gets resolved?”

I rubbed my chin in deep thought. Dorothy then stared at me intently.

“If you don’t have a proper plan right now…”

Just then, a knock on the door interrupted her. A lively voice followed.

“We’ve brought food!”

I emerged from my thoughts and got out of bed, feeling rather hungry.

“Since I don’t have a perfect plan, I suppose I should eat first.”

As I walked towards the door, Dorothy puffed up her cheeks, shooting me a dissatisfied look.

“You’re an idiot, master.”

Dorothy turned her head away from me. Huh…? Did I make a mistake just now?

“Dorothy?”

She ignored me. I scratched my head while looking at her.

With that, we ended up staying in the Celt village for a while.