It was my first time seeing a drowned corpse.
I had heard stories.
The older slaves liked to scare the younger ones. Because of that, I knew plenty of stories that were a bit too mature for a child, and I was well aware of how grotesque a drowned body could be.
But seeing it with my own eyes was far more horrifying and disgusting than any description I had ever heard.
As the violet energy entered into the corpse, it began to move on its own. Its swollen limbs moved as it swam toward the shore.
“Is this… something you did, Master?”
Avana removed her hand from the water’s surface. Then, as if exhausted, she sat down and murmured,
“This is the first time you’ve seen my magic, isn’t it?”
Calling it my magic meant it was her specialty.
“Don’t tell me… You specialize in manipulating corpses?”
“Mm-hmm. More precisely, I study death. It’s called death magic. Hmm. You look surprised.”
Of course, I was.
I never imagined she could use such a terrifying type of magic.
“I had no idea you could use magic like that. You never gave any hints.”
Avana gave a faint smile.
“Because it’s heavily shunned. The power to manipulate corpses is too dangerous.”
“……”
“That’s why I have to hide it completely. I can’t afford to let even a trace of death magic leak out. If anyone finds out, it’s basically a death sentence. Even factions that have been fighting for centuries would unite against a death mage. I didn’t tell you until now because of the risk.”
And the fact that she was telling me now meant she intended to teach me death magic.
The strongest, yet most forbidden magic…
“Anyway. Since this is a large lake, I figured there would be at least one sunken body. Luckily, I was right. Now, using this thing, Undine, and the properties of the water I’ve gathered so far, I’ll perform the spell. First, we need to head to the Manya Plains. They should be in the middle of preparing for battle. I just hope we’re not too late…”
After taking a few deep breaths, Master rose to her feet and began walking again. I followed silently and asked,
“It’s water magic, right? What kind of spell are you casting?”
“I’m going to make it rain.”
I thought I misheard.
“R-rain? You’re going to make it rain?”
“Mm-hmm.”
She said it so casually, as if manipulating the weather was no big deal. There was no trace of joke in her expression.
Creating ripples on the water, conjuring fire from her hands, and even raising the dead—those were things I could accept.
But controlling the weather?
Was that really possible?
“Are you serious?”
Avana looked at me with a curious smile on her lips.
“Hmm. Why? Do I finally seem impressive to you?”
“Yes. Truly. Making it rain from a clear sky… That’s practically godlike.”
She reached out and gently ruffled my hair.
“I like that admiration in your eyes, and I’d love to keep it that way. But I’d rather not disappoint you later, so I’ll tell you upfront—yes, I can make it rain, but only for a short time.”
“For how long?”
Avana stroked her chin in thought.
“Hmm… About ten seconds?”
“…Ten seconds? Just ten seconds?”
Was she joking?
She spent over a month preparing just for that?
Avana chuckled.
“Disappointed?”
“N-no, not really. It’s just…”
“Just what?”
“How does making it rain for ten seconds help the Count?”
“Ah, right. You haven’t been in the New Continent for long. I suppose you wouldn’t know.”
“……”
“If I told you everything now, it’d be boring, wouldn’t it? Just wait and see how your Master helps Count Furst.”
Judging from her expression, she wasn’t going to tell me anything.
So, I had no choice but to follow in silence.
Aside from the faint stench of rot coming from the walking corpse behind us, it wasn’t a bad hike.
We walked and walked until we reached the edge of a steep cliff.
“Oh? Looks like it’s already started.”
Far in the distance—so far that I had no idea how far—it spread across the open plains. A single blue line and a single red line were drawn across the land.
And at times, flashes of light flickered, followed by the rising black smoke.
“Wow, they’re fighting quite fiercely.”
At the mention of battle, I widened my eyes and took a closer look.
Then, I finally realized that each of those lines was actually a formation of uniformed soldiers.
I could actually see this?
I wasn’t sure if it was because elves naturally had good eyesight, or if becoming a mage somehow improved vision.
“They must be soldiers from Baritone and Frenche. Is it because this is the New Continent? Things are quiet back in the mainland… Ah, so it’s not a war between nations, but a battle between corporations.”
Avana pulled out her staff.
“Well, I don’t know much about that. What I do know is that I need to help the blue side. In other words, I need to make it rain on the red side. Now do you understand?”
Make it rain…
I focused all my attention on the battlefield.
The flashes of light, the rising smoke, and the deafening sound of gunfire—
Of course. They were using gunpowder.
“Ah! Muskets! So that’s why the rain—!”
Avana grinned.
“Now, watch closely.”
She casually waved her left hand. With a pop, a grimoire appeared in midair.
At its center was a massive, two-horned skull. The skull’s ribcage crossed over the front and back covers, locking the book shut.
Didn’t she use a grimoire made of leaves before? Was I imagining things?
She brought her staff close to the skull. Immediately, violet light flowed from the skull’s eyes, and its ribs slowly spread open, one by one, like fingers opening up.
When she tapped it lightly with her staff, the book flipped open, its countless pages trembling.
A shiver ran down my spine.
My instincts told me—
The number of lives sacrificed to create that book must be at least a thousand.
“Don’t misunderstand.”
“…What?”
“If I studied death by killing people myself, why would I live so close to a city? Why would I come to a battlefield? I won’t say I’ve never taken a life… But I’m not some deranged murderer, Ran.”
Did my expression give me away?
Avana raised her staff high and began whispering an incantation as she read from the book.
The violet glow from her staff gradually shifted to blue.
The blue light scattered into the sky but soon gathered into a single direction.
Ssssss…
I turned at the sound.
Smoke was rising from the corpse.
At first, just wisps. Then, the amount increased exponentially. At the same time, the body trembled.
By the time Avana finished her chant and lowered her staff, the corpse had dried up completely.
Nothing but skin and bones remained.
So this is the cost of magic…
Avana suddenly staggered. I quickly supported her and was once again reminded of how unnaturally light elves were.
“Thank you.”
She sat down, exhausted.
I looked up. The blue light had already disappeared into the sky.
“Did it work?”
“Rain will start falling over there soon.”
I shaded my eyes with my hand and gazed out over the Manya Plains.
Though I couldn’t yet see the rain, I could confirm that no more lights flickered from the red-uniformed formation.
At the same time, soldiers in blue uniforms surged forward, emitting even more flashes of light than before.
The sudden downpour had rendered the Frenche soldiers’ muskets useless.
“It’s my homeland, in a way.”
“Oh? I didn’t know that.”
“I don’t really care. I have to kill the king there anyway.”
“Why?”
“It’s a personal grudge.”
My mother only ever told me to repay kindness with kindness.
But I added my own rule—hatred must be repaid with hatred.
I could accept that my father died because he couldn’t keep his lust in check, but executing my innocent mother? That, I could never forgive.
Master Avana asked no further questions.
Perhaps she sensed that I didn’t want to answer.
“Once the battle ends and night falls, we’ll head down. At least a thousand must be dead by now, so you shouldn’t have any trouble creating your familiar. If we’re lucky, we might even gather various materials.”
“……”
Using the corpses from battle to create my familiar?
Surely not.
Master soon entered meditation, while I sat quietly, studying Psychokinesis.
I needed complete focus, but nagging doubts kept creeping in.
A familiar made from corpses.
Was that truly right?
Then, something caught my eye.
“Hm?”
It was a flower that glowed with a deep purple hue, as if mixing red and blue light.
I had memorized every kind of herb that grew around here.
But this purple flower was something different.
“This is… I can’t even tell what species it is. From the roots to the leaves—it’s just too unusual.”
I carefully plucked it and tucked it into my robes.
Would Psyche like it?
After that, I continued my studies, waiting for Master.
Night soon arrived.
The distance from the cliff to Manya Plains was farther than it looked.
It took us an hour to get there on foot.
Scattered all around us were the corpses of soldiers in red uniforms. Beasts with yellow eyes buried their mouth in the flesh, ravenously tearing into the dead.
Tiny birds pecked out eyeballs, and insects of all kinds crawled over the remains.
It wasn’t a pleasant sight, but it wasn’t enough to make me look away.
Just mildly unpleasant.
“You’re surprisingly unfazed.”
“I’ve rowed boats through fields of corpses before. Still, I’ve never seen this many dead at once.”
“The Yura Continent must be quite peaceful, then?”
“Not exactly, but there aren’t any wars. This place is truly lawless.”
As we walked among the bodies, Master Avana came to a stop.
“Hmm. This is the strongest spot.”
“For what?”
“The aura of the dead.”
“The aura of the dead? Like… death itself?”
“Not quite. It’s the desperate will to survive in the face of nearing death. Even after a person dies, not every part of them perishes instantly. The parts that don’t yet realize they’re dead still struggle to live. Those forces. That will. That magic. This place is their core.”
“……”
Master had never spoken in such a chilling tone before.
Every word felt like it could pierce bone.
“Now then, let’s use this aura of the dead to create your familiar, Ran. I can hardly wait.”
So it was true.
I had to ask.
“Master Avana, does that mean my familiar will be made from a corpse?”
Her expression hardened.
Perhaps she sensed the emotion in my voice.
“Technically, we call them undead. What, do you dislike the idea?”
I sighed. The stench of gunpowder and rotting flesh was overwhelming.
“I’d rather contract with an Undine or a Salamander instead of using a corpse.”
“……”
“I do have a choice, don’t I?”
Master Avana crouched down.
Meeting my gaze directly, she spoke.
“Necromancy is powerful. So powerful that all other magicians shun it.”
“……”
“Don’t you want to be strong? There are countless mages with familiars like Undines or Salamanders. But if you take a familiar here, every necromantic spell you learn will become vastly more powerful.”
I could understand now.
Necromancy was immensely strong.
By killing enemies and turning their corpses into servants, I could wield their power as my own.
If I raised the dead and commanded them, I would be an army unto myself.
But.
Something deep within me whispered.
No—whisper wasn’t the right word.
It was a strange sensation.
Now was not the time.
Not as a familiar.
It was as if my very soul was gently warning me.
I met Master Avana’s gaze and firmly declared,
“Master, I appreciate the offer, but making a familiar from a corpse doesn’t feel right. I’m sorry.”
Master Avana’s eyes slowly softened.
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