Re:Animated, Reliving Life in Another World From Zero

by Tall-Gothic-Guy

A Necromancer is easy to describe, but what people rarely ever know about them is that Death is their final wish above everything else. To return to dust and Rest in Peace in the Afterlife. Give a Death Mage the Curse of 'Return by Death', however, then Emurdol Viandegroc will eventually realize that dying in another world is easier said than done. (Graphic and Mature content)

21. Mace and Whitesteel

It's completely natural that he would hate the sun shining down on any part of his body, particularly his bare and scarred upper body, including his face. He can last for so many days, even weeks, without sleep, but when he does sleep, he makes sure he sleeps. Anyone who would dare wake him up from his dearly beloved sleep will suffer worse than a mana burn.

But now, it's even more precious to him, especially when he wakes up with the woman he loves and the daughter he treasures sleeping by his side on the guest bed of the House of Karsten. If possible, he would love to stay like this for good, feeling that only the three of them exist in the world, thinking about nothing except the moment together, and hoping that it never stops.

And it seems Rem is already awake as well, seeming to have been staring at his sleeping face for quite a while. She had her head lying atop a pillow and looking to the side, her left hand caressing his cheek and his lips with delicate fingers for some time as he slept on his side next to her, her right side occupied by a shirtless Meili, little leg and arm cuddling Rem's petite and nearly-naked body to herself.

She flashed him a cute smile, a sight to see first thing in the morning. "Good morning, Ser Emurdol. It seems we are graced with an ugly morning today."

He huffed in amusement, finding himself falling in love all over again for her consideration. "I love you, Rem."

He raised his upper body just slightly to hover over her, his white hair flying upwards to avoid ticking her face, and he took her soft lips to himself, giving her a morning kiss that's about to become routine. This time, Rem didn't hesitate in wrapping her arms around his head to deepen the kiss, letting her tongue meet his own, battling for dominance, especially after their little session last night. It was the first time she has ever done it together with him and Meili.

He never thought that she would climax from it. Even his daughter's peak is a lot tamer; a simple shudder and a deep breath.

After an unknown number of minutes, they finally parted their lips. His eyes glowed green in the intimacy and her cheeks went bright red, and it got even more redder when he trailed kisses from her lips, cheek, eye, and to the center of her forehead, the entry of her horn.

And she let out a quivering moan when she felt a trickle of mana flow into her core from his lips, her light blue eyes glazing over from the mind-blanking pleasure. She tried to resist the sensation, but she found out it was much harder to talk straight, "S…Ser Emur—ul! No….not again~ Not so earlyyyy~~"

One last mana-infused peck to her forehead, he then hovered his face over her again with love-filled eyes, "I won't listen." The voice in her head was so amorous and hungry that she knew instantly that there was no persuading him otherwise. "And I don't feel like letting you leave this bed."

And he went for her weakest spot, below her ear.

She barely covered her mouth from letting out a rather loud moan, her glowing horn sprouting out of her forehead. He had her free hand in his own, passing mana through there as well, relaxing her arm muscles and adding to the stimulations of both soothing and nigh-orgasmic.

Tears flowed freely from her eyes, overwhelmed by the sensations, her white petite body trembling under the peppering of kisses that Emurdol's warm lips relentlessly brought down, adding that with her coat muffled moans, her reactions is enticing her lover to do more to her, to try every nook and cranny of her body and see what kind of cute response he would get out of it.

Her tear-soaked eyes shot open when she felt a weight pressure down on her abdomen, bringing attention to a now-awake Meili straddling her, blushing hotly and breathing heavily, olive green eyes glowing sensually as both her warm hands gently grabbed on to her bountiful breasts, her nipples hidden under her small palms, draining her mana from them and causing the taken energy to seep out of her tiny form, which is drained back to Rem with her horn. "You're so beautiful, Remiiii…"

Draining, grinding, kissing, holding, squeezing—multiple sensations at once, amplified by the mana she was given, and Rem was about to lose it. Her eyes rolled to the top of her head, the hand covering her mouth slowly losing its strength and allowing her sweet moans to be heard with more clarity, reaching the two's ears and giving them the incentive to do even more, wanting to hear it again and again until their nigh-bottomless satisfaction is met.

For a moment, Emurdol halted his rain of affections on her neck and collarbone, relieving her of a certain level of intensity, once again hovering his face over her panting and overwhelmed mien, looking down with unfathomable amounts of love found in his eyes, messages of unlimited fondness and desire sent to her through a simple gaze. Amidst all of these sensations that was becoming laced with warmth and not just lust, her heart burned with every happiness in the world and she experienced euphoria once again.

She was loved and cherished. That's it. A simple fact, something that people experience in a certain point of their life, and like a child, she treated it like it was the greatest blessing in the world she ever received, especially when it came from him, including his daughter. Meili carried the same emotion in her eyes as well amidst the luscious hunger—mature yet pure feelings of affection reserved for a sister, mother, and lover, condensed into a single clump of sentiment that no one can understand, uniquely belonging to her and her alone, and generously given to Rem without price.

Emurdol slowly leaned in, his lips about to meet hers again. Meili reversed her actions, passing her favorite maid her own mana, sending strange but sensually stimulating sensations. Rem's free right hand interlocked fingers with the wyrmm's own, and she awaited the Necromagus' kiss with very little patience, her eyes slowly closing, submitting herself to another climax just like the one she experienced last night, her body tingling, her nether regions quivering—

It stopped.

Feelings of affection and lust, sensations of surging mana, and the warmth of her beloveds, suddenly gone, denied an orgasm.

The abruptness of it all forced her eyes wide open, looking at the two in shock and disappoint, and she quickly noted the darkening look in their features. Anger, spite, and immeasurable hate—their eyes burning brightly with fiery emotions that threatened to sear a hole on whatever they are looking at, concern immediately overpowered her mind, "Meili, Ser Emurdol, what is wrong?"

With their left arms, they reared it towards their right, both of Rem's held hands relinquished from their individual grasps, and they swung it backwards to the door behind them, with the wyrmm ducking down under her father's hand in the same motion, large snake fangs flying out of their palms and sticking midway into the wooden portal, splinters flying from the impact.

"WHUAGH!" From the sudden act of violence, a familiar voice yelped outside the door.

Before she even noticed it, Rem's hand suddenly did the same gesture, pointing a palm towards the door and shooting an ice version of a snake fang towards it, its entire length nearly slipping past the 3-inch wood.

"EEK! HEY! No need to react that badly, meow!"

With an ear-piercing scream so loud it cracked the glass windows and forced Rem to cover her ears, Meili enacted an onslaught towards the door and became a wrathful Shroud, slipping under the tiniest crack under the portal and immediately caused a panic once outside of it.

"WHooaaagh! What the hell!? What'r—stop!" It didn't take long before the sounds were driven far away from the room door, lots of crashing and yelling ensuing from the well-deserved punishment handed out.

Rem stared, blinking for a couple seconds before sagging against the bed in relief and disappointment. Then her face burned when she realized that she was actually heard moaning and even reacted by violent force, unbefitting of being Roswaal's maid.

"Mmmmnn…..!" Whining in defeat, she looked up to the sound of yawning before Emurdol gently set himself down next to her, his left arm lying atop her soft belly and his head resting next to hers on another pillow, a provoked look clouding his features as he closed his eyes.

She can see that he lost the mood to continue and has devolved to simple cuddles and sleep. But as someone who knew him for a while now, it takes a simple thing to light up a spark. It's when Rem initiates a kiss instead of him, which she rarely does.

And she did just that, rolling on her side and giving one to his lips, shocking him awake. It was brief but she made sure she left him wanting more.

And she managed the intended reaction out of him. He pulled her close, her breasts pressed up against his chest as both his arms are enclosed around her petite form and returned a much more passionate kiss to her. It didn't come with mana infusion but she still enjoyed it.

Then he suddenly parted, the kiss being too short for her liking, drawing out a rather cute whine, which she didn't mean to let out and her cheeks burned again upon realizing. Emurdol smiled again and nipped her upper lip, "Meili will throw a tantrum if she finds us doing this without her."

"Mm…." She reached up to place a hand on his cheek, caressing the warm surface of his skin. She smiled, "….Rem thinks Rem is taking her away from you. She's been getting much more lovey and affectionate with me since yesterday."

He huffed through his nose as a laugh, taking her hand to kiss the palm and nibble on it, "As long as I'm still here, she will remain a love rival. I will not suffer defeat from her."

Rem giggled, from the thought and from the ticklish sensation of his kisses, "You two don't have to compete. Rem loves you both equally, with heart and soul."

He let out a very pleased sigh at her words, his hot breath blowing into her palm. He pulled her close again, shifting just slightly to make his lips level with her forehead before he kissed it and said, "Let's sleep a little more. It's not like you have any errands, do you?"

"Um….There is not, so Rem would like to sleep with you some more."

Just as she was making herself comfortable, he suddenly said, "And Rem?"

"Mm?"

His embrace tightened, "Just remember that I love you, with all of my heart and soul. Even if Meili would always be the first, there is a spot in my heart that is reserved only for you. No one else can have it. I can no longer imagine the future without you in it anymore."

For a couple more hours, Rem rested in her lover's arms, weeping tears of heavenly joy, content and being the happiest woman in the world.

~~~~~ « ҉ » ~~~~~

With Felix thoroughly reprimanded by Crusch for eavesdropping on something extremely private, a vengeful Meili had been dissuaded from throwing out her full wrath on the demihuman by Wilhelm, the same old senior with a Soul of love hovering around him.

That fury still boiling, the wyrmm immediately demanded the old butler of the Karsten House to exchange blows with her just so it could be vented out before somebody else becomes a victim of it, not giving a thought about going back to her favorite maid's company.

The old gentleman had no objections.

For the next two hours, a pair of dull bone sickles clashed against a waster. As it turns out, Wilhelm happened to be a very skilled fighter despite his age, quick as a thunderbird and hits like a stone troll. His movements indicated finesse and decades of practice and experience, and proved to be more than a match against a creature moving in blurs and tending to hit low.

The relief is visible on Meili's face, as her fierce look slowly became uplifted with thrill and madness with every increase of intensity in the series of striking and defending, even if she's suffering rather harmless blows from Wilhelm more and didn't get to hit him back much. If fortune favors, she might not snap at Felix the next time she sees him.

But Emurdol is certain that her frustration is clearly coming from her failure yesterday at the parade grounds of the Castle. Reinhardt had visited the Karsten Mansion during the night simply to check up on her and mention his apologies. It ended on a good note. Meili even kissed his cheek and embraced him, giving him 80% of her mana as a parting gift.

Emurdol doubted that the sincere courtesy from the Knight of Knights was enough to quell the bitter embers deep inside despite her affectionate gesture.

It was clearly the case, judging by the new pattern of movement Meili was using against Wilhelm, completely different to what she used on the Sword Saint yesterday. She's reconfiguring her style. Instead of being methodical, she's being inconsistent. Her attacks don't follow a flow of rhythm, constantly changing at random intervals, and it's even forcing the old gentleman to put on more effort in his defense.

It's a style nearly similar to Mother's.

Reinhardt had actually made Meili leave that mock battle stronger than ever. She's creating a pattern that suited her body's limits, her height, and her set of weaponry she could utilize in a flurry of attacks.

The wyrmm is even accommodating Void Walk into her arsenal, deforming the shape of her body and making her attacks appear randomly from wherever parts of the inky-black cloud. It's almost as if Wilhelm was fighting a millipede with its many pairs of legs built like stabbers and cutters going for his head.

It was an ingenious technique that landed more than a few good blows on the old gentleman before her mana ran out, turning her body solid again and left herself open to his turn of the offensive.

Had it been any other opponent, they'd be dead within the first 10 seconds.

Meili left the yard with dirt and grass all over her, sporting a few bruises and such, but she left smiling and exhilarated, earning lots of praises from Viandegroc, Rem and Emurdol that have been watching from the side for the last couple dozen minutes.

Changing into her black shoulder strap dress, capelet and leggings, the Necromagus family and maid enjoyed breakfast with the Lady of the House and her Knight without trouble. Meili maintained a polite demeanor around Felix, the latter returned the courtesy in her own way that managed to annoy the child even more, and then eventually, the demihuman proceeded to tease Rem and Emurdol about their early morning honeymooning.

The maid was all blushes and stutters, but the Necromagus didn't hesitate in sending out death threats, such as melting his tongue with the Emurdol Venom if he doesn't shut up. Crusch graciously but sternly silenced her Knight before it got any worse, especially with the aroma of Sally's vapors about to fill the entire dining room.

Aside from that, breakfast passed by without any more trouble. The food was delicious, he can admit. When they were through, Meili quickly left the room while pulling Rem by the hand, eager for another outing, hopefully without any more neck twisting through the Link. Emurdol and the Flesh Golem stayed behind.

Downing the last of the water in his mug, Emurdol gently set it down and stood up, facing a seated Felix, "Felix."

"It's Feli, mew know!?"

Emotion Suppression was at play, blocking off all annoyance from showing on his exterior, leaving only a straightforward and no-nonsense demeanor. "Are you occupied during the day?"

"Huh….um, I guess." Felix shrugged, "Lotsa patients are needing Feli's care so yeah, I'm gonna be busy. Why do ya ask? Are you needing some sweet, sweet attention from me? Oh, Emewdul, you cheating man~"

"Regarding the healing of my body. It's going to be an operation, and likely going to last for more than six hours. So I would like you to reserve time as soon as possible so you can be prepared for it."

Felix quickly deflated, knowing that he will not draw the desired reaction from the stony man, "Yeah, I meow. Lady Emilia told me about the nature of your condition. I arranged for the operation to begin tomeowrrow so you're gonna have to wait for now. I just gotta handle a few appointments in the Capital first."

"Did she tell you that I have surgical skills?"

"Yeah." He turned a mock stink-eye towards Sally, who stood at the corner of the room since she arrived, holding her pipe in her hand while impersonating a statue. "I hear that your Brother can do the same, meow. And did I hear her right when she said that mew operated on yourself?"

Slight disbelief was present in his voice.

"Countless times, Felix, with my most recent being a month ago or so."

"It's Felis!" He insisted.

"I can operate on anywhere in my body below the neck. But I can do nothing about the Rot in my throat, especially without your magic." Emurdol stared deep into Felix's amber eyes, a hint of severity in his green orbs amidst the dullness, "Tell your assisting surgeons that I will be taking the lead of the operations."

"What!?" Felix suddenly shot up to his feet and knocked his chair backwards, shock clouding his features, "You are gonna what!? Emewdul, do you even know what the heck you're saying!? You can't be awake while I'm operating on you!"

"Remember what Roswaal said in the chambers. My body is fundamentally different in structure. It is nothing like a demihuman's. You know that yourself when you touched me. I have other organs normal humans don't, and my body is built to repel any form of sedative you give me, including those of magical-make. You cannot make any progress without my guidance."

"But! B-b-but!" He eventually groaned, scratching his flaxen head, "Can't you just give me a briefing of what I should do instead?"

"Educating you about it will take even longer than the operation would, and I do not intend to impose on this house for too long than I have to. Besides, the procedure is very simple. We get rid of the decaying flesh, and you follow after that by restoring them. I merely need to advise. However…" Emurdol placed black skeleton fingers against his scarred neck, "….regarding this area, this is something I cannot handle. I could have fixed this long ago, but the Rot has managed to find its way here as well. It needed a truly specialized sort of healing magic. And that is where you step in. It is built exactly as that of any human so you can handle it yourself."

Felix was conflicted, his face contorting across varying emotions, from confusion to conflicted, unsure how to take in his demand.

"Why not humor him, Felis?" Crusch, silent since the conversation started, finally suggested.

"Lady Crusch…."

"Emurdol Viandegroc is quite confident in his words, and I can see the experience in his eyes as he stated them. It is quite audacious to say this, considering I am no master surgeon myself, but just like he said, he has much more knowledge in what's to come compared to you."

The Death Mage nodded gratefully to the Duchess, "You simply have to follow my lead. It will not be too demanding, I assure you." He gestured with a skeleton hand to Sally's direction, "That is why he will be involved as well. He will handle any difficulties or complications in case they arrive."

The Flesh Golem finally became mobile from her frozen state, nodding to the demihuman as she took an unused seat on the table and gracefully sat down on it, "Not me myself but the other one. He has as much surgical knowledge as the both of you."

"Now if you will excuse me, my daughter and I as well as our dear maid will be having an outing in the Capital." He nodded to Crusch and Felix, "I will be back before dusk, hopefully with some gifts. If you have any more questions, Felix, you can ask him."

"For the last time, it's FELIS!"

A shit-eating grin made its way to Emurdol's face, "Felix."

"Grrrr…."

He nodded to the Duchess, "Madam Crusch."

"Emurdol Viandegroc." She returned the courtesy and nodded back.

Arms crossed behind his back, his open vest that left the middle of his scarred white torso and most of his scars bare slightly flying from his spin, he walked out of the dining room and closed the door behind him, his thudding footsteps receding into the distance until it's gone.

"I believe none of us have properly met yet." Suddenly, what was supposed to be a voice glazed with seductive honey was instead a masculine, soft and very polite intonation, belonging to a brown-haired handsome young boy that now sat in Sally's place.

Nodding respectfully to each person, first to a stone-faced Crusch and then to a gobsmacked Felix, he began the introductions, "Salutations, Lady Crusch Karsten and Master Healer Felix Argyle. My name is Viandegroc, his Brother. If you have any questions, I am happy to answer them within reason."

~~~~~ « ҉ » ~~~~~

"Hiiii!" Meili greeted with enthusiasm as she ran up to Raeburn that waited in the same ruins around the abandoned districts again, grabbing both his held out hands.

"Hello again, Little One." He smiled gently, squeezing her cold little hands back through their interlocked fingers. "You look adorable in that dress."

"I was wondering what had happened to you yesterday, but I was glad to hear the good news." Zakurah mentioned, stepping up and placing a metal hand on Meili's silver head. "How are you now? Feeling any better?"

"Yeeeaaah." Meili turned to the Holy Knight, releasing Raeburn's hands before removing her glove to clutch the whitesteel-covered fingers on her head, rubbing her small thumbs on it. She sighed pleasantly, "So fluffy. Yeah, I'm feeling greeeaat. Also, I have a surprise for you twwooooo!"

"Oh?"

"What does the Daughter of the Hero has in store for us?"

Meili wore a big smile full of pride, twirling away from the two, her skirt flaring in the motion and sliding to a stop, her outstretched left hand pointing to the alleyway she came from. "Introduciiiiiing…..! Papaaaaaa!"

They waited for a short amount of seconds, then their expectant faces went blank when the owner of the thudding footsteps of odd quality finally arrived from the darkness and stepped into the decently-lit open.

Emurdol matched their gesture, keeping his face tame under a neutral visage, but his mind took in the details, one by one.

The man, no taller than below his neck, looked generically ordinary. Emurdol would take a simple glance at this boy, and he would easily forget him the sooner he looked away. He was another thread of the tapestry, easily disappearing in the crowd, just another random face—average length black hair, simple tanned-skin, standard height, normal brown eyes, as young as 17 turns, and wearing an attire of a tunic and leather trousers that you would see from any other commoner.

Ordinary to the core.

But Emurdol cannot forget him, especially after what the two of them did together in Pandemonium. No matter how many years, the chapter they shared in life will never left his mind.

This bastard was the one who taught him the meaning of fighting alongside a living being, and it involved the traditional act of murdering each other on first sight.

If he had his voice by now, he would have chuckled. So he only let out a huff and an amused grin.

The break of the monotony took away the blank expressions of the man and the knight behind him, the latter smiling ironically, "Surprised to see me in this world, Necromancer?"

His green eyes flashed, a fiery emotion flaring up inside, but it was not anger. "Now I remember why I wanted you dead the sooner I saw you. You're still as annoying as the day I nearly beheaded you."

The man didn't seem surprised by the grisly voice in his head, "Well, if I actually left a mark on your memory, I think I'm gonna consider that my personal achievement, considering your reputation."

A shiny black sickle suddenly appeared in Emurdol's black skeleton hand, "Care to continue where we last left off of?"

The man held the long hilt of his weapon that stood out behind his right shoulder, an obvious club seeming to stick to his back without any form of attachment or harness, "If your head's ready to go bald from the frustration, I'm ready for you any time, Necromancer."

The prompt was given, and Emurdol took it without hesitation, dashing like a black blur towards the young man and swinging the sickle to behead just like their first meetings.

And the past from 3 years ago seemed to repeat itself.

His spine bending backwards in a remarkable angle of flexibility in his dodge, the curve of the sickle passed in front of his face, and he snapped back up like a bamboo stalk. Accompanying his straightened posture was the drawn-out club he held one-handed, a gothic mace and an octagonal length lined with studs and spikes about to meet his mug.

And it didn't go any closer than an inch away from his temple, the wind blowing Emurdol's hair back and veins bulged on the arm holding the weapon for a brief moment.

As they held themselves like that, with the club close to the Death Mage's face and the sickle pointing to the side post-swing, one consistent detail that the two shared and was noticed by the women were the angry smiles on their faces.

"Don't you remember?" The boy asked, "It's not going to work. Your head nearly came off last time. And you don't have your other arms with you as well."

Green orbs glowed bright in intensity, inwardly sighing for having the Mutual Suffering Curse nullified by him once again. "It has been a long time, boy, long enough for me to grow. Don't expect the same old tricks."

"Same here, Necromancer." The growing pressure of his presence destroyed the average image of his appearance, large enough to come off as a very enraged Hellspawn titan. "I was raised in Hell like you, and now I got a taste of another this world has. 5 years of it, and a few more back in Pandemonium before I was forced here, and I still came out a winner. What do you have to match?"

Everything. That was Emurdol's answer. As simple as that. From the day he saw the Above-World for the first time, to the day he was taken away from it and into this world.

But he doesn't need to say it. This boy just needs to look at him in the eyes, and he'll see it. The Necromagus can see it in him as well. If he was to turn the question back at the young man, the same kind of impression he'll make in his brown orbs will match.

This boy, however he lived in this world for the last five years, has become strong since they last saw each other.

Then suddenly, the smile on the man's face was no longer angry, now genuine and free of all initial hostilities, willing to let bygones be bygones and start anew. He moved his weapon away from the Necromagus' face and rested it on his shoulder before letting go, the heavy head making it slip off and then stuck to his back.

He stepped back and held out a hand, "You never bothered to know my name, did you? Well, people who know my skills call me Raeburn Cursebane. When it comes to friends, they just call me Raeburn or Ray. It feels odd for me to say it but it is quite refreshing to know that a prominent figure in Pandemonium is in the same situation as us."

Hiding his sickle back into the void, Emurdol took his hand with his skeletal own without hesitation, making sure it's not tight enough to hurt but just enough to express the same sentiment towards somebody else in the same situation as him, "Whoever or whatever I was in Pandemonium, it stays in Pandemonium. In this world, I am simply Emurdol Viandegroc. I never truly expected to see you here, Mace."

They shook hands rigidly, smidges of resentment lingering in their grasps but the willingness to know the other overpowered such emotions. Raeburn was a lot more enthusiastic in his handshake compared to Emurdol, causing the skeleton hand to blur in such intensity under the boy's hand, "Lucky for me, because I wanted to thank you for not killing me back then. You changed the way I see you and your kin. I appreciate your mercy, Necro."

Emurdol huffed at the nickname, willing to tolerate the abbreviation. They parted their hands, "You don't seem to be any different than the last time I saw you. Do you ever age?"

Raeburn shook his head, looking distastefully at the memory, "Not anymore. The Cult's magic made me like this. I've passed 24 turns and everybody still thinks it's my 17th. Speaking of age dissonance, look at you. I know you're young but you look like you're about to reach the 59th."

"I'm younger than you, Mace, and I already have a child." The voice was quite deadpan, with a hint of annoyance.

"Well, you changed compared to me, Necro, and not just in the growth aspect. I thought your kind never get scars." He gestured to his many scars all over the revealing places of his white upper body wearing a black vest. "What caused them?"

Emurdol sighed, looking away with a visible scowl on his face. Raeburn realized quickly that he just touched on a sensitive subject again and promptly shut up.

Meili held his skeleton hand, drawing her father's attention, looking down on his daughter holding out her other arm towards him for a hug. Without delay, he quickly placed a forearm under her thighs and lifted her up. Looking behind him, he beckoned for Rem with a free hand, and the little maid happily sauntered to his side, interlocking fingers with his skeleton hand.

Though it was already clear from yesterday, seeing a Necromagus flanked side by side by their loved ones was something Raeburn never thought he'd see in his life. Common belief and propaganda never humanized them in any way, nowhere different compared to any other hellspawn that kills for the sake of killing, having no humanity in any way or even family.

With his right arm hugged by his beloved, the other holding up his daughter against his chest while she caresses a remarkable scar on his chest from the opening of his vest, he replied to the boy, "These scars are very special. Their origins hold significance to a special chapter in my life, and I intend to wear them proudly until the grave."

They were only human, just like him. Raeburn fully understands that now.

He pursed his lips, frowning for half a second before it turned into a look of admiration, "That's nice. You must be blessed, having these beauties as your family."

Meili giggled, her brown hand patting Emurdol's hair that ran down his back, "Thank you, Misteeeer."

Rem bowed politely to him, a blush adorning her cute face, "You're too kind, Master Raeburn."

Emurdol nodded to him gratefully, then turned his attention to the Holy Knight that had awaited her opportunity to address him or be addressed by him, and he noted her appearance with interest.

The Holy Knights were never subtle in their appearance, clad in whitesteel armor sanctified by holy water and the blessings of the Cardinals, proudly worn and flaunted over the masses, making them easily identified from even afar, but even this sort of getup is new. The typical shine of light that will glow from the steel even in the darkness is present, but the aesthetic and size is different. While it's decently bulky, it has more emphasis to the ease of movement than protection. Additionally, the cross on the chest plate is upside-down.

This 'warrior of God' had shining gold hair, done in a braid to make sure her locks doesn't bat against her face and fashioned into a small tail so it doesn't get easily grabbed. Her eyes were a shining blue, far brighter than Rem's own, prominently so against her pale and fairly attractive face that denoted dignity and strength of will, quite similar to Crusch.

Instead of appearing like any other Holy Knights he met before her, full of zeal and fire-eyed self-righteousness, so eager to take his life without a second thought, this one was hesitant.

And it threw Emurdol off. Never in his life, would he ever see a Holy Knight lack any sort of confidence, ever.

"You…." Her voice quivered as she spoke, as if she was having difficulty in finding the right words and the strength to force them out, "….you….are him…..you are actually him….! Emurdol Viandegroc, Slayer of Envy, Eradicator of Gluttony, Conqueror of Greed, Abolisher of Pride, son of the Ivory Queen…..and Hero of Pandemonium…!"

The ground shook.

The woman suddenly fell to one knee, shattering the ground, her sword planted to the ground, the hilt held with both hands, she neared her forehead to the cross-guard as a form of salute before looking back up to his bewildered gaze, "I cannot express how much it is an honor to meet you in person. Pardon me if I come across you as an annoyance but this is actually the greatest moment of my life. My Master spoke so much of you, I believe you know him? Pericus?"

I have a fan? And a Holy Knight at that?

Not once in his worst nightmares would he ever think that it was possible.

Letting go of Rem's hand, he approached the kneeling Knight and held out his skeleton hand to her, "Did he accomplish what he promised me?"

She nodded earnestly, "He did, and he died doing so. May God rest his Soul in Peace." She took his hand and rose up to her feet, but she did not let go of the other. "In his place, I have reformed the Holy Knights and reshaped our Creed. No longer are we the instruments of the Archangel Michael, we now follow the ways of Humility that befit the Apostles of the Lord."

Emurdol's eyes glowed coldly, and, sat on his left forearm, Meili's eyes glowed in the same impression amidst her impassive visage as she looked into the Knight's blue orbs. "Does that earn you redemption? Does such a thing absolve the sins of the Order and wipe the blood of the innocents staining your hands?"

"No." The answer was instantaneous, not in reflex but in conviction, resigned to the truth long ago. "We do not have the right to forgive ourselves nor do we deserve the hand of forgiveness from those we have hurt. Only God can forgive us, and until it is given by His messengers, I will not rest for the sake of the Church's redemption."

He looked at the upside-down cross on her chest plate, knowing the connotation of humility behind it, and knowing the man Pericus, he definitely would have raised this girl into what the Holy Knights should have been. That was his promise.

He had faith in that bastard; he was an earnest kind of bastard, full of duty and honor unlike any other. One of the fewest Above-Worlders he ever held confidence towards. It wasn't certain if Holy Knights are the same no matter their morality but he cannot doubt the kind of mindset this woman had, this woman who is undeniably called Zakurah. She carries her Master's legacy in her person, from his sense of duty to the fire in his eyes.

Perhaps, for the very first time, he will finally give the Holy Knights a chance. He didn't think it would happen outside Pandemonium, however, or while he is still alive.

He shook her hand steadily, and he leaned downwards, with Meili pulling the Knight close by the shoulder until she was forehead to forehead with him, passing onto her his mana through the contact before parting. A gesture of Peace from a Priest of the Serpent. "I commend your will, Zakurah. It seems my friend raised you well."

The elation on her face was magnificent, having received such words she'd never expect to hear from her idol, especially when she was ready to be spited for being one of the enemies that ever slighted him his whole life. "Thank you. Thank you so much, Lord Emurdol. You don't know how much this means to me!"

And suddenly, his skeleton hand broke apart under her grip, the empowered durability unable to withstand the strain of the intensity of her handshake. Emurdol only raised an interested eyebrow at her strength.

"Oooooh….." Meili was quite impressed by her feat, considering that the structure of the hand enabled it to crush rocks instantly.

"There goes your good impression." Raeburn wryly remarked, crossing his arms with a cheeky smirk.

"Oh my goodness, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to do that!" Her panic was quite composed, but the terror in her eyes could not be hidden, as if she had just incurred her idol's wrath. "Forgive me for my lack of restraint, but I was unable to contain my—"

"Stop that. Please." He levitated the shattered parts on the ground back and reconstituted his black skeleton hand together, the cracks disappearing under the glow of green emanating from the gaps. "It's disgusting to see a Holy Knight acting like this. Where is the fire and self-righteousness and the zeal? You and your lot used to be so arrogant to the point of hypocrisy, treating your fellow man with subhuman handling for the smallest of slights, alleged or not."

"You must understand, Lord Emurdol." Zakurah half-pleaded half-pointed out, troubled by the mention coming from him. Anyone else and she can take it in stride but him? He was a special case. She greatly admired this man, and though it was well-deserved, she didn't wish to be disliked by her Master's friend. "This is penance for our sins. Thinking back about what my predecessors did brings no limit of shame to my heart, and I cannot see myself acting as I wish while my hands are not clean, therefore we must act the part."

His skeleton hand held her shoulder, and his green gaze held a certain amount of intensity that demanded her cooperation, "Your obligations are your own, but you must understand that this world is not Pandemonium. Act however you wish, simply remember that the people here do not know that you or your Order exists. Seeking forgiveness in this place is useless, for none of them suffered from your hands."

"Speaking from experience, Necro?"

A baleful scowl made its way to the Necromagus' face, not liking how unexpected Raeburn's deduction came, "Unfortunately. Continuing to think that the world is against me did more harm to my own being than it saved." He released Zakurah's shoulder and looked her squarely in the eye, "I'd like you to not harm yourself by continuing a mindset that doesn't matter here."

"Plus, it's gonna give you wrinkllllles." Meili reached over and booped the woman's nose with her brown finger, feeling cotton from the fingertip, "Just a friendly advice from the two of uuuus. Like Papa said, you can still act how you like."

"Understood." With full seriousness, Zakurah heeded his advice without hesitation, bringing a baffled look on her companion's face, "I will keep your words to heart, Lord Emurdol and Miss Meili."

"What? Okay, this is ridiculous." Exasperation spilled from Raeburn's mouth, "I've known you for weeks now, and you only take half my advice regarding your profession. You met him for only a couple of minutes, must I remind you, and you instantly heed his advice without questions! Am I missing something here!?"

Emurdol and Meili turned around, one laughing on the inside while the other giggled delightfully as they returned to Rem's side, ignoring the steadily-rising squabble behind them consisting of a former cultist pawn and a friend's promised apprentice.

It could just be the start of a beautiful friendship, or the start of a wonderful disaster. Emurdol can accept both. A bit of spice in life will make things a bit more interesting.

~~~~~ « ҉ » ~~~~~

"Jeez, you truly aren't one for questions, aren't ya?" In a casual intonation, Raeburn dodged and blocked the series of vicious swipes and stabs that aimed to end his life as quickly as possible. Judging by the strength behind each strike, they would have been enough to either bisect him completely or leave a gaping hole in his body if they ever landed.

He jumped before his last position with his opponent got riddled with spikes that suddenly came out of the ground. Had he been too late, he would have suffered one straight up the ass. The Necromancer didn't jump away, however, instead the trajectory of the bony spikes were inches away from every part of him.

Then they flew upwards, breaking from the stem and darting straight to him, where he is completely incapable of movement except falling from gravity.

"HA!" He swung his club at one spike, rendering it to dust, and the rest followed the same fate, the mana propelling them suddenly wiped out. "Didn't see that one coming, did you!?"

He spoke too soon, as a boulder from the side suddenly careened to his face, courtesy of a Rock Golem he failed to notice standing way far back into the forest that it couldn't be noticed by the Souls.

"SHIT!" In reflex, his club swung at the base of the boulder and it was decimated to dust and tiny pieces, but the momentum behind it is passed to his body and it blew him straight to the wall of the building. Roughly bouncing off the surface and landing back on his feet, he coughed out the rock dust he ate and rubbed his eyes, "Damn it, I didn't see that com—"

He rolled to the side as a bone spear nearly impaled his face, and he walked right into the Necromancer's range. A sickle was about to behead him and a kris followed close behind to destroy both his kidneys. The opportunity to dodge was too late, but the maneuver to escape death is still usable. The point of the curvy tool lacerated his neck as he evaded it and the wavy knife grazed the back of his waist.

When he evaded the worst of it, he jumped back as far as possible, bumping his back into the giant double doors of the Cathedral, where the Ritual was happening behind it. Raeburn dabbed his fingers on his neck, seeing that it was bleeding heavily. He didn't try to look at his waist but he can tell he's leaking badly there as well. "Well played, Necromanc—"

"AAAAAAAARRRGGGHHHH!‼" The pale Death Mage howled demonically at him, green eyes blazing brightly and his hair fanning out, framing his face terrifyingly like a shrieking banshee, baffling Raeburn for a split-second as he never knew their kind to be so loud, and under the glare of the full moon, his eyes found round shapes rising up to the sky and arcing down on his position in the edge of his vision.

He only had a second to figure out what they are and gawk before his exasperation reached its limit, "Oh, you've GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!"

At the end of his indignant shout, the 43 boulders that were thrown to his location decimated the Cathedral to the ground, burying the cultists inside.

~~~~~ « ҉ » ~~~~~

"How did you survive, Master Raeburn?" Rem asked, taken in by the story. He did talk about it during their first meetings yesterday but he mentioned very little details to her and Meili.

"Bastard escaped the barrage. I compliment his speed, however." Emurdol answered in the middle of drinking his glass of fruit drink, "After the landing of one boulder, he used the dust as cover and hid out of sight."

"Then he forgot I existed," Raeburn added, now onto his third burger, his current one halfway from being placed in the void in his belly. "He and his Golems just ran into the rubbles to confirm the bodies if they're dead."

"I didn't forget, Mace." He firmly pointed out, glaring at the boy across the table. "I had my awareness planted on you the entire time. You simply were not my priority."

"Destroying the cult was my priority as well, Necro. It's not my fault nor yours that we didn't realize what they were actually doing in there." He paused, taking a drink of water. "I was their most valued soldier but it didn't mean they'd share their plans with me. I was just their tool."

"Questiiiooon," Meili raised up a hand.

Raeburn's face warmed up instantly as he faced the little one seated beside her father, "Yes, what's your question, child?"

"What were the cultists actually doiiiing?"

"Ah." Raeburn looked at Emurdol, who strangely didn't answer the question this time. Since meeting him on the ruins and now eating in the same place Meili collapsed in yesterday, the Death Mage has been very proactive in answering every question relating to their first meetings, constantly cutting him off. "Right."

He nudged the woman beside him.

Quietly listening on the exchange of stories the whole time, having changed into her civilian clothes that presented her rather lean but slim physique, Zakurah watered down her meal with a drink of water and answered, "They were actually creating a Dracolich from the remains of the dead. The five hundred and nineteen bodies Raeburn stole for them made up the whole of the creature."

"Dra-co-lich?" Meili never heard of the word itself but she's getting the hint that a dragon was involved.

"Could that be the catastrophe you meant, Master Raeburn?" Rem asked, seated at the head of the table and beside Emurdol's left.

"Yes, indeed, Rem." The boy rested his elbow on the table and pinched his forehead, thinking back on the day, "A dead dragon brought back to life with necromancy and given a vessel of flesh by the bodies of the dead. It is as big as the cathedral itself, it could cover 20 houses under each of its rotten wings—it could even fly. Those wings makes up the majority of the stolen flesh compared to the rest of it. Just one flap of them would rip 50 trees off their roots."

"The monster equaled the might of a Hellspawn Titan." Emurdol chewed his steak slowly, remembering just how much of a struggle it was to kill it. He was on short supply of bones that day, and most of the dead bodies he needed were already taken by the creature. "The damn thing was too high in the air for me to reach, and much harder to kill since it was already dead."

"What are Hellspawn Titaaaans?"

"Well, child, you can call them the worst of the worst monsters to ever rampage across Pandemonium, second to the Supreme Sins." Raeburn answered, his eyes dulling for a few short seconds. "You can compare them to the Great Witchbeasts, especially the White Whale."

"Aaaah, okay."

Father and child did not miss the slight strain on the boy's voice when he mentioned one of Pandemonium's Titan equivalents. At some point during his five years in this world, he had history with one of the Three Great Witchbeasts.

Raeburn leaned forward, covering his mouth and whispering to Meili, "Back on our world…." He then leaned back, speaking in a normal volume, "…..they are not limited to being gigantic and dangerous, some could be as big as a house or even a man, but the damage they leave behind is catastrophic. The worst of it is that we don't know how many there are or where they are hiding besides the Uncharted Areas of the map."

"Only my Mother could kill a Titan with little difficulty." Emurdol remarked, the light of pride and slight envy glowing in his eyes. He remembered from other sources amongst his people that she could fly too. "Compared to me, I needed proper preparation before I could kill one. And even then, it wouldn't be enough, as they are very unpredictable. There is no such thing as one Titan similar to another. They are never the same, and it makes them difficult to counter. It vexes me."

"If I may ask, Lord Emurdol, how many Titans have you killed?" Zakurah asked, her eagerness to know expertly veiled.

He frowned slightly, "It is hard to tell, considering that it is quite difficult to classify what's a Hellspawn Titan and what's not."

"So you have vanquished so many Hellspawns that you never bothered to know if they are a titan or not? That's impressive, Ser Emurdol! Rem is impressed!"

He found himself falling in love again for Rem's sincere praise, even if it came off as biased. "I wish I could live up to your expectations, Rem, but no. If my memory serves, I have only killed 7 Titans, including the Dracolich."

"Only, Necro?" Raeburn parroted exasperatedly, looking at the Death Mage as if he was some kind of lunatic, "You say that as if you expect regular humans like us to have killed at least ten in a single lifetime."

"My kind tend to kill at least five as if it was protocol, Mace." For the first time in a few months, Emurdol was being smug. The sight of it even threw Meili and Rem off, as they have never seen it before. "I admit that I have been too proud and got carried away with my killing sprees in the Uncharted Areas."

"What?" Disbelief clouded the boy's tone.

"Why would you do that?" Zakurah paraphrased the question her friend was trying to convey, showing disbelief as well amidst the controlled tone of her voice.

"I wanted to see if Titan bones would make for good armor or soldiers." Factually, he answered the Holy Knight. "They did wonders in my attack against Greed and his armies."

There was a certain implication in his words that Zakurah noticed, and her interest was piqued.

Raeburn was the one to mention it, "Don't tell me you raised every hellspawn you killed there as your minions and marched them straight to Greed's army."

Emurdol wore a shit-eating grin.

"I raised every hellspawn I've killed there as my minions and marched them straight to Greed's army. There were also Titans among them as well and the enemy was annihilated under no more than 3 hours." Lucifer crossed a line, and the Hell Emurdol brought to his castle gates and within was more than well-deserved. For the first time in his life that day, he never thought the concept of war that he first thought useless was now cathartic.

"I remember my Master's stories about it." Zakurah mentioned, rubbing her thumbs together, "My Master was involved in that war alongside Kozam Ironhand in the army. He told me that most of the enemy soldiers were just draftees and simply following orders. My Master had a difficult time trying to convince you to spare the ones who are not fighting back, Lord Emurdol."

"Indeed." Emurdol could still remember the day. It was outright impossible to ever forget about it, as he came very close to killing his friend out of frustration. "Bastard nearly died for even suggesting I spare my enemies' lives when they would not do the same. Not only that, I was clouded by rage that day. It was by miracle that I was able to see his logic in sparing the ones who yielded or surrendered."

"They were victims too." Raeburn mentioned, having known the story himself from the Holy Knight a week or so ago. "They either obeyed orders out of fear or they didn't have a choice at all."

Zakurah added up, "My Master and Lord Kozam was able to rally them together to fight back against the corrupt King that was Greed, fighting alongside Lord Emurdol's undead army."

Inwardly, Emurdol wished she used the term 'Army of the Dead'. The horde he led that day was something to remember in the Order of the Serpent's history.

"When I breached the castle gates, the defectors made the right move of evacuating the civilians out of the Kingdom. The coming battle between me and Greed will warp the very area into a hellscape, and no one will be spared, friend or foe. It was left to my own hands to kill Lucifer, for good."

Emurdol's face became grim, looking back at that horrid memory where he turned the Kingdom into a Dead Zone with his thousands of his worst curses and toxins he exhumed to the air. One of the many aftereffects he left behind from that long, long battle.

"To my slight surprise, he actually destroyed my army singlehandedly. Even when he killed the last construct, he was more than ready to take me on afterwards. That battle lasted for a whole five days."

"You fought Greed, for five days straight?" When Raeburn asked that, there was no emotion in his words, as if he was holding back either his disbelief or his exasperation.

"I did not confront him unprepared, Mace." A strong aura of seriousness permeated out of Emurdol, gazing intensely at the boy's eyes, "I never underestimated the other Sins before him. Envy himself was a dangerous monster. Even if he could be killed like any other human, his zombie army was worse than him. They were all lethal and dangerous, but Greed was the very strongest in terms of strength and power. He was nigh-indestructible, second to Pride. Not even my unified strength with Mother could match up to him. In the aftermath, I nearly died, again."

"…..how did you kill him?" Raeburn hazarded.

The answer was laced with cold spite, "I pulled out the most hateful Souls of the Spirit Realm that held an everlasting grudge against Greed and released them on his flesh. Those Souls were the very same people he has done wrong, and he reaped what he had sown."

Zakurah nodded earnestly, his tale matching up to the ones told to her by her Master. There was a certain detail she knew the Hero was omitting, the one thing that powered his urge to kill the Supreme Sin in the first place, and she respected his silence, "And while you were recovering from your wounds, my Master did the handiwork of cleansing the Kingdom from the Taint you left on it. The only thing he couldn't clear out were the spots you marred with your very worst curses. The civilians took as long as you were sleeping to return to their homes when you were needed to get rid of it, Master said to me. Was that true, Lord Emurdol?"

He would have audibly harrumphed if he had his voice, but he nodded to affirm her inquiry anyway, "Your Master disturbed me from my slumber, and if he had actually lost his head that day, I might have not felt bad about it, regardless if he earned my respect as an equal and as a friend."

Zakurah smiled fondly, "Yes. You swung a sickle at his neck. If it wasn't for God's protection over him, he would have died."

"No one disturbs my sleep, Golden Child." Emurdol mentioned the one warning he should have told to Pericus before Greed died, hoping that his apprentice is not going to repeat the same mistake. "I don't care if the people want their homes back. I killed their oppressor, one of the worst humans to ever exist in their individual lifetimes. The least they could do is allow me my sleep."

The Holy Knight chuckled good-naturedly, "My Master told me he didn't actually want to do that, Lord Emurdol. But the people were left out in the open, and there were too many of them. He, warrior Kozam and the defected soldiers can't protect all of them from hellspawn attacks, and even if joined with some civilians having combat experience, it still cannot suffice. He had no choice."

"Fucking bastard."

Despite the rather derisive reply, Zakurah as well as Rem smiled from it.

Actually bothering to go through with the request despite his need of sleep and rest belies his true character. It purely reflected their image of him as a good man underneath the image of darkness and death he usually lets out with his presence.

Meili patted his arm, calling for his attention, "Hey, you didn't finish the story about the Dracolich thiiiing. Keep it going."

"That will make us likely last another hour here." He looked out the door, squinting slightly from the bright sunlight reflected by the stone floors and the canvas of passing carriages, seeing that midday is about to come in a couple of minutes. "It seems lunch is on the way. Do you wanna eat now, An'k?"

"Sure!"

He placed a white hand on her silver head, stroking the silky locks with his thumb, "Did you already apologize to the proprietor for giving him a fright yesterday?"

"I diiid. He freaked out because he thought the food poisoooned me. It would be bad for his busineeeeess." It drew a breathy chuckle from Emurdol before he kissed the top of her head and she went around the table, trailing a hand across Rem's shoulders as she did, and leaned forward in the space between Zakurah and Raeburn, arms crossed behind her back while her hair hung downwards. "So, what do you want Meili to treat you, hmmmm?"

"Wait, what?" Zakurah was caught off-guard by the repeated offer from yesterday.

"There she goes again with being the adult among us." Raeburn faced the father, "Seriously, Necro, how did you raise her?"

Emurdol smugly held up his hands in a form of a shrug, grinning lightly, "All I ever do is spoil and love, exactly as a father should. Training aside, what she does without my directions is outside my control."

"I appreciate the offer very much, Miss Meili, but I cannot. Surely, you've done enough?" The Holy Knight told humbly.

"Yes." The boy agreed, turning back to Meili, "I don't think my adult pride could take too much of your generosity, child."

"Another serving of a vegetable dish and three more burgers, coming uuuuup!"

"Hey, wait!"
"H-hold on!"

Meili ran away from the two before they could stop her, drawing a lot of chuckles from the other patrons that were watching a pair of adults being treated like grandchildren.

A grotesque chuckle full of pride and mirth erupted inside the two's heads, drawing their attention back to the Death Mage that rested his check against his black skeleton fist, a genuine smile adorning his features. "Oh, I love my little girl so much."

"She's gone a long way thanks to you, Ser Emurdol." Rem pointed out with a cute smile, then she eagerly leaned forward to her lover's direction, an invisible tail wagging behind her. "But Rem won't mind if you give me praise for being a minor component of her growth."

Even if her role in his daughter's growth was downplayed, it still warms his heart to see that Rem's self-esteem has improved immensely compared to weeks ago where she cannot even accept a celebration set up by him and Meili, dedicated to her Birthday.

Emurdol didn't hesitate in spoiling her, taking one of her hands resting on the table and leaned close to give her a short but passionate kiss to the lips, leading to her other hand placing itself atop his.

Zakurah and Raeburn took a while for them to fully acknowledge that the temperamental Hero before them is truly in love with the incredibly cute little blue-haired maid. His face completely looked amorous, and it's something they never thought would see out of him.

Behind the Hero that liberated Pandemonium from the worst of Humanity's Sins, he is only a man.

~~~~~ « ҉ » ~~~~~

Once Meili arrived with a tray loaded with the many dishes she personally picked for her company, steak for her father, bean soup for Rem, a different kind of vegetable soup for Zakurah, and a neat pile of three hamburgers to Raeburn, they finally went on to continue the tale of the day the Dracolich was slain.

For one thing, by the time Raeburn was busy gawking at the spontaneous creation of the creature after ambushing the Death Mage searching the rubble, that was the biggest mistake he ever made in Emurdol's presence. The most poisonous knife to ever exist went deep into his unguarded side while he was distracted.

Much to the Necromagus' shock, Raeburn's body withstood the toxins that could have killed 100 men instantly. His time in the Cult augmented his body greatly besides giving it incredible strength, speed and stamina as well as the lack of visible age, making him immune to most poisons except the very worst kind.

The sneak attack didn't entice retaliation from the boy, however, instead it led to him calling a truce, suggesting that they work together to kill the Dracolich before it reaches any human settlements or cities. Begrudgingly, Emurdol had no choice but to comply, as it was his business to stop the Cult's schemes before they've done something irreversible. Killing something very big and flying in the sky was outside what he was expecting, and he has no means of reaching it.

At the time, Emurdol didn't have any idea that the boy was trying to annihilate the cult himself as well with a set of traps and spanners thrown in the works done to sabotage the ritual. Therefore, it was a heavy gamble the Death Mage took to ally with an enemy whose intentions he didn't know.

Raeburn's idea of reaching the flying monster was by the same means Emurdol used to catapult the rocks that destroyed the Cathedral: with giant skeleton arms built like trebuchets. This time, the boy will be the rock.

Emurdol was very suspicious of the idea, as it could be a trick to throw the boy towards the Dracolich, which could possibly be his minion, but the Death Mage knew a lie from a trick, and he saw none of both. The look of fear on Raeburn's face managed to convince him, so he complied, promising that if this was actually a trick, he will never let the boy's Soul reach the Afterlife and condemn it to a place worse than Hell.

With a speed that baffled Raeburn, the bony trebuchet blasted him towards the fleeing undead dragon, landing directly on its back and he acted quickly with his club in hand the sooner he had footing: destroying one wing. If it weren't for his enhanced strength that he received from the Cult, he never would have pulled it off under 10 bashes against the base of the appendage, especially while the creature was trying to fling him off.

When the wing fell, so did the Dracolich, screaming like a giant banshee as its large body sent out a shockwave that nearly tipped back the trees of the forest it crashed upon. Raeburn was falling after it, his club raised high above his head, aiming for a certain spot on his target right beneath him, and he caved in the monster's skull when he reached ground level, utilizing strength, momentum and weight into a single devastating strike.

He survived the fall, the shockwave of the creature's landing as well as his superhuman fortitude working in unison to keeping him alive, but the creature was still moving, not caring about the giant hole on the top of its head and instead fixed on a new target, him.

There was another horrifying detail about the creature that he was too late to discover: it was draining mana from every source of life around it, from plants to living beings, including Raeburn. His club that could wipe out mana with every hit wasn't enough to do any sort of progress if it kept refilling its strength with his own pool of energy. The more he fought the monster, the more his body began to wane.

Raeburn thought he was done for when he was down on the ground, his form weighing like a mountain, about to get crushed by its raised claw, but Emurdol's timely intervention cut his meeting with death short in the form of a giant bone spear piercing right through one of the monster's eyes and exiting out the other one from the side, rendering it blind.

From the dismembered wing, Mother created a small batch of 20 club-wielding skeletons, made to be stronger and faster than regular constructs, and they bashed repeatedly on the Dracolich's exposed bone joints, intent on depriving it of any means to attack.

While his soldiers did its job on occupying the monster, Emurdol quickly supplied Raeburn hefty dose of his mana, energizing the former back to his feet, and the Death Mage mounted the undead Titan's shattered skull, putting himself and the creature in a clash, contesting in who can drain the other to the point of death.

Emurdol had maximized his ability in mana draining, but the Dracolich was a large beast, and it took massive mouthfuls of energy compared to him siphoning from a straw. They were on equal ground in terms of strength, but Emurdol's rage will not stand for the abominable practice of necromancy that was the creature's existence, created solely for the twisted whims of an evil Cult. No matter how much it struggled, writhed or bucked to get him off, he never let go, screaming a demonic roar the whole time, mixing together with its banshee-like shrieks.

Because of the clash between a Master of the Dead and an Undead Beast, the theft of mana and life force was isolated solely on each other, sparing anymore plant life and living being in the vicinity from becoming a shriveled husk, and that allowed Raeburn and the skeletons to break the creature apart, piece by piece. Thanks to Raeburn's mana-burning club, the monster was weakening in its fight, slowly becoming limbless, wingless, tailless, and eventually headless.

The boy didn't believe that it was fully dead and the Death Mage thinks so too, having planted the strongest Curse of Weakness on its entire being before dismounting off its skull and back to ground level, and their suspicions were proven right when the monster began recycling its dismembered parts to recreate itself, only to be unable to carry its own weight.

In the Spirit Realm, there is no such thing as weight. Nothing heavy nor light exists. Enforce that Rule in the land of the Living, and you will no longer be able to carry the weight of even your own hair. The Dracolich is made of hundreds of dead bodies, and that became its own downfall, effectively destroying itself to pieces.

When it was nothing more than a pile of extremely fragile flesh and bones that could easily crumble to literal dust just by blowing on it, Emurdol slightly regretted that he couldn't take control over it instead. With a Dracolich minion, he would be able to kill Titans easily as well as get to faraway places under a short period of time. Damn the negative connotations it'll make if seen.

Thankfully, he has the grimoire they used to create it, excavated from the pile of Cathedral rubble while he was finishing off the cultists that were still alive thanks to their highly-enhanced physical durability. It would one day become useful when he faces Greed or Pride.

Seeing that the fight was over, the Cult finally dead and their twisted ends thwarted, Raeburn finally let go, allowing his body to succumb to the poison tainting his system thanks to Emurdol's knife. He's highly resistant to many toxins, but the Death Mage's concoctions were extremely potent, overpowering his defenses and effectively about to take his life.

But he had no regrets.

The Cult held his village hostage, for many years at that, tormented them as well, and Raeburn's choice to be their tool was the only way they could survive, especially when they are abandoned by the Holy Knights and the world. Now they are free of their wicked clutches, no longer needing to live in fear, and can now go on with their ordinary lives.

The Death Mage, who was his murderer, listened to him patiently and attentively as he told him his story before his time runs out, telling him his name, his supposed plan to destroy the cult within, what led to his situation, and what became of his village due to unfortunate circumstances.

Raeburn only had one request, and that is to tell the village that they were free. That's it. He didn't ask for a memorial or to be remembered or anything. It was a simple message of assurance.

And just like that, he closed his eyes and lost consciousness.

However, Emurdol did not allow him to pass on. At the time, he didn't know what came over him when he did it. He simply had the urge to do so, and he obeyed it, not daring to question why. He passed his blood onto the boy and put the body into stasis, keeping it from ever decomposing or dying completely no matter how much time passes.

Instead of having his skeletons do it, he personally carried his body to the greatest healer he was acquainted with, traveling for as long as 15 days. The High Priestess of the Southern Clergy. She was an elderly woman blessed by God and his Seraphims, granted the sacred gift of Healing, capable of restoring limbs and organs from nothing, and cleanse away even the most violent disease that no average physician could cure.

There was no exchange that happened between the Priest and the Priestess, only indicating that a near-dying boy needs her help and dropped his corpse to her doorstep before leaving her monastery as quickly as he arrived, leaving her clueless as to what happened.

That boy's business is not Emurdol's business. If anyone is going to tell the village that they are free, it's Raeburn, not him.

But he won't forget this day, the one day where working with an Above-Worlder actually brought a good result.

Now, next order of business, read the grimoire, learn the secrets it held, and then siege Greed's Castle.

As the tale concluded, Emurdol realized that the women were giving him very admiring smiles. Whenever he tries to downplay his altruistic actions with practical reasons, they knew better.

Raeburn followed up by saying that he was actually bedridden for many months, his legs immovable and his nervous system compromised. He couldn't feel pain or even anything he touched. His body had to be manually moved from time to time to avoid arthritis complications that could lead to death since he cannot do so on his own. Despite the High Priestess' skill and efforts, the symptoms kept coming back whenever she successfully managed to purge out the toxins of his system.

The only possible cure was the all-power Rejuvenation Elixer, extremely rare and extremely expensive. It took so long, but the High Priestess managed to get her hands on one, given to her by an anonymous source, and finally freed him of the Emurdol Venom, giving him back his original body functions, never appreciating pain, touch and taste so much in his life.

All eyes immediately went to Emurdol's direction.

Innocently, the Death Mage questioned why are they staring at him so strangely.

What's more bizarre is that his inquiry is actually genuine. It's up on the air whether he was the one who sent that rejuvenation elixir or not but they aren't going to address it. They will leave it at that.

Continuing on his tale, Raeburn had sent letters to his village about their tormentors being dead and gone during his recuperation, and now that he is finally able to walk again, he would have disembarked from the High Priestess' Monastery to the village after giving her heartfelt thanks, but he was suddenly forced into this world before he could, into the Empire of Vollachia.

After a series of complications, he ended up being a prisoner, a suspected spy or saboteur, and due to the philosophy of the Nation, he had to fight for his freedom in the Gladiator Islands of Ginunhive. It took him 5 grueling years, fighting and killing endlessly, every single day, not knowing if his life was going to end right then and there or maybe the day after.

Now, he's living happily in Lugnica for the last couple months, doing what he always wanted ever since he was a kid: playing musical instruments and singing songs for those who would like a bit of joy in their daily lives.

And he makes this very clear to Emurdol, leaning forward with a rather intense flare in his eyes, destroying his outward appearance as another face amongst the crowd once again and turning him into the person he was that survived 5 years in a Gladiator Arena, fighting to the death every single day, and won.

"Take note, Emurdol Viandegroc, I may have been the greatest enforcer of the Cult, and I may have gotten stronger thanks to the Hell I went through in that Nation, but that doesn't mean that's all I am."

His voice was very casual and non-hostile. It only made his words have more weight in them, especially with the growing strength of his presence and the look in his eyes.

"I am Musician first, and a warrior second. I play music, sing songs of the Old World, that's it. I don't fight unless I had no choice."

Emurdol only grinned at him, green eyes glowing brightly in his sockets, "I can make the fighter the dominant part of you whenever I like. Kindly remember that, Raeburn."

Instead of taking the bait, the boy only deflated and softened his features, now back to being a face in the crowd, "I just don't want to remember that I was made into something I didn't ask for. It all happened because I was gifted with getting rid of curses."

"Be thankful, either way." Sagely, Emurdol told him. "You wouldn't have survived there otherwise, and now you can use that gift for the sake of good."

"I know. I know. I am being unreasonably hostile, I'm aware but….." He sighed, "….I simply wanted to assert that. Not to you or anyone, really. More to myself, rather. I just want someone to hear it."

Emurdol wasn't sure if the boy still has lingering regrets, or has some form of insecurity, "Is your friend not enough?"

Raeburn smiled to Zakurah, softly smacking her arm with his fist, "She's far too understanding for that. I wanted somebody that would bite back at me."

Meili nudged her father with her elbow, and the former answered accordingly, verbalizing their shared thought, "My daughter and I are always welcome to help you with that, Mace."

"From you, sure. But her?" He gestured to the cute child smiling invitingly at him, daring him to try and use a biting sentence on her, "Nah, no way. I don't wanna get cut down by anything from her."

"Awww. I won't bite haaaard. I promise."

Raeburn chuckled softly, placing a hand on her silver head, gently stroking it. "I'd rather not. As sweet as you are, I don't wish to know what happens when your fangs are bared."

Without excessive movement, Meili suddenly grabbed his hand with her gloved one, pulled it down in front of her face, and took his digits into her mouth, pointy white teeth bare harmlessly digging on the flesh. All under a single second.

Raeburn's only reaction was to widen his eyes.

Her red tongue lapped his fingertips, catching the taste of the hamburgers he ate before she drew back, still connected by a trail of saliva. Meili cut the string with her left index finger, licked it salaciously with her red tongue, and smiled coquettishly at him, "See. I didn't bite hard."

Zakurah and Raeburn instantly lost their appetite.

~~~~~ « ҉ » ~~~~~

"Big doggiiieee." Meili remarked, seated on her father's lap while looking at a big black and red wolf that sat on its haunches rather nobly beside its master, "What's his naaame?"

"Tank, my brother and partner." Raeburn introduced, scratching the large canine's head behind the ears. It maintained a dignified and stoic demeanor under the pets but its tail wagged rather energetically. "It took a while but he and I eventually grew to have each other's back. Standard procedure would be to raise them as pups. I got him when he's teenaged so the first meetings weren't ideal."

"He's quite distinct from one of the few Ligers Rem has seen." Rem commented, seated on an ivory chair next to Emurdol. "They are more light-colored."

"Indeed. He's quite special, actually." As he answered, Raeburn adjusted one of the many knobs of his rather uniquely-designed guitar, "Lots of people in Vollachia are black-haired, some like their mounts to share the same color-scheme too, though you'd be hard-pressed to find even one Liger there. They aren't common there so Tank's one of a kind."

"Kararagi has lots of them, I thiiink." Meili mentioned, adjusting the hoody worn on her head while Emurdol's hand stroked the fabric and dislodged it slightly again. "Though, if Tank comes from Vollachia, he's probably for military uuuuse."

"Not anymore, he's not." Raeburn pointed out with a smile, strumming a chord on his guitar, testing the overall tune of the strings. "In my care, all he gets to do is eat fat meat, sing songs with me, and keep the bad guys off my back. He's not risking his life anytime while I'm his master."

"He can siiing?" Meili asked excitedly.

"Oh yeah, he's got an amazing voice." Raeburn boasted bombastically, grinning very widely. "And the people love him, possibly even more than me. If it weren't for him, money won't easily come flying to the hat while I'm jamming."

"I envy you, Mace." Emurdol told, looking at the big black wolf with visibly jealous eyes. Now he's in an impasse whether he should invest in a Liger or a Ground Dragon.

"Ha! Coming from you, that's actually an honor. Gonna make it one of my biggest achievements yet." The Musician strummed the strings again, trying every chord possible, and he nodded approvingly. "Alright, we're ready. Since today's a special day, I'm going to play something you will definitely recognize, Necro."

"Oh?"

"I specifically picked this one as a sort of dedication just for you. It involves zombies….." He began with an intro, plucking a few notes. "….and sentient plants." And he repeated the sequence, eyeing the Death Mage's incoming reactions.

To formalize the beginning, Tank released a low and haunting howl, his song reaching as far as 5 blocks.

Then feelings of a very, very ancient memory, belonging to someone young or bored, and enjoying the simple concept of defending what's yours, came flooding back to his head. He instinctively knew it came from the Old World, one of its countless memories now recurring back to his consciousness.

His arms wrapped around Meili's waist tightened, as if to keep himself from crumbling apart, and his eyes glazed over from the many, many sensations rushing across his head—a powerful surge of nostalgia.

Meili looked up to her father's face, suddenly feeling refreshed and melancholic at the same time due to the Link, noting the look on his face. She held her gaze on it, half her attention on the sound of the guitar going through the verse and the remaining half on the foreign emotion of nostalgia in her heart.

Raeburn's instrument is the typical guitar, clearly handcrafted with care and love, adorned with white ink designs that's compared a rippling fire. But its design was outside the norm, for it had two fretboards and the half of a harp with five strings merged above the base.

A harp guitar but with two fretboards, in layman's terms.

Raeburn's handling of the instrument was godlike. As if he's not even paying attention to what he's doing, his hands practically flew across the strings and the frets, plucking string after string in a very causal and practiced flare, every sound blending perfectly to create a very enchanting song that Rem, Meili and Emurdol never heard before, even if it was a song of the Old World. It was very reminiscent to playing a piano.

Not only that, he was whistling too, a clear and smooth toot that was impressively loud without being too grating to the ears. It was so loud it could possibly be heard from a mile away if he tried. While his guitar played a repetitive sequence, his mouth produced the melody of the song, completing the one-man ensemble.

The song gave off the feeling of a haunted land, free of life or noise, silent as the grave, but carrying the omen of a certain disaster about to happen, silently crawling—shuffling towards its prey, and nothing can stop them unless one takes it upon themselves to fight back.

Emurdol's breathing quivered, his eyes closed as he was overtaken by the plethora of emotions going through him. There was dread, competition, determination, care, fear, dread, and enjoyment. His mind unconsciously wandered to a fantasy about a horde of zombies descending upon a lone man's home, their rickety bodies shambling on his green lawn and—

"Papa, look."

Broken out of the rapture he was going through, he was about to berate Meili but immediately held back when he noticed something unexpected.

The Souls that had been following Raeburn around ever since they met him were dancing. A disfigured waltz or a solo routine, they danced to the tune of Raeburn's haunting song. They were going through the same plethora of emotions Emurdol was going through and they expressed it with a simple dance.

Simply looking at them compelled Meili to dance along with them, the magnitude of their feelings amplifying the urge, and thanks to the Link that doubled the sensation, Emurdol was beginning to be inclined to do the same.

They didn't simply dance, they were surging the mana of the atmosphere to Raeburn and his audience, but the former takes up much of the bounty for being the primary source of their entertainment. Posted in a shaded part of the Lugnica Capital's park, many bystanders were already gathering to the show, drawn to the alluring sound.

From this, Emurdol found out that this man can talk to Souls just like him and Meili. The phenomena of them giving him mana for satisfying their hedonistic urges is the evidence of that. Those who cannot see them can never do the same.

Just by sharing eye-contact, Raeburn knew that the Death Mage and the wyrmm knew what he can do besides swinging a club and playing the guitar. The Musician only grinned again, switching to another song as Tank howled to indicate the transition, "And now, my friends, allow me to reintroduce to you, Grasswalk."

One hand on the strings of the harp, the other hovering over the fretboard, he began. A slow and simple start, his right hand plucking the low strings of the harp while the left fingers hammered on the frets, and he followed up with the melodic whistling, calm and gentle in tempo. Then the verse eventually came, as enchanting as the first song, accomplished by the skilled handling of his instrument, dexterous use of his 10 fingers, and the toot of his mouth.

Eventually, Meili couldn't take it anymore. She detached herself from Emurdol's lap and arms and let herself go to the song. One of the lone Souls got lucky in being her dance partner before anyone else could, eagerly hovering in front of her and taking her hands, shoulders, hip, and thighs. With a bright smile that was luminescent from her beautiful face, the wyrmm performed an otherworldly waltz with the dead. While flavored with a common choreography seen from festival dances, the Soul made her body perform bizarre positions and forms, from balancing on the tip of her toes to bending her back fully backwards that her upper body is parallel to the ground. Additionally, her hair was swaying against unseen waves, as if she was performing underwater.

The bends and angles of her body and limbs seemed to defy the natural laws of physics, gyrating and swaying in a grace that could only a snake or a sea dragon swimming across the depths could do, as if she little amount of bones in herself or it was made of water.

It was unsettling, spine-tingling, even repulsive, but it was incredibly hypnotic, impossible to look away from. Despite the eerie factor of her waltz, it was undeniably beautiful. It fit well with the theme of the song.

Immediately, the Souls began tipping her mana for adding spice to the entertainment. Not just the Dead, even the Living were taken in by the darling girl's dance, rewarding her with an enthusiastic round of applause.

Emurdol and Rem were left breathless, bewitched by her. Raeburn himself mindlessly played his instrument, his eyes magnetized to the child's liquid-like body, his whistles turning into a drone.

The only one to have the presence of mind to simply admire and wonder about the background of Meili's dance was no other than Zakurah herself, who have arrived after a short errand she had to do back in Raeburn's house. "Truly amazing." She whispered, standing beside the parents and crossing her arms.

Having known the Musician for a while, she's well-acquainted with a few of his secrets. For one thing, she knew he can talk to Souls and he plays songs not just to get income but also to replenish his mana from them. While he bears great physical power, he is comparatively incapable of casting magic on his own. From what he told her, his gate is very productive but completely defective, unable to release the mana building up inside him out his body. This would have killed him via mana-poisoning, if not rendered him ill for life, but he counteracted the consequences by regularly burning it out during his more physically-oriented job, bounty-hunting. With every strike and defense, his body becomes superhuman with the mana empowering it.

His club was a masterpiece from the greatest craftsmen of Vollachia, lined with pyroxene crystals containing useful and situational magical algorithms. Devices called Metia's were also attached to the weapon, another means of compensating his lack of magical affinity. Considering the origins of the weapon, its combat utility is purposely worth an entire army.

As a Holy Knight, she can detect the presence of negative emotions, useful in knowing when Restless and Vengeful Souls are present and needed to be pacified. She was once against him when she thought he was denying the dead their rest, but he gently assured her that these Souls come to him of their own volition, free to come and go whenever they liked. Compared to her, he can understand their language to a certain degree while she can't, so she has no way of knowing how they feel in their situation.

Unlike other times, however, the number of Souls today have grown considerably alongside the audience. The number of emotions present were quite overwhelming too, and he could feel joy coming from Meili's proximity, indicating that she was dancing with one. Not a far-fetched assumption, considering her kind. The elation on her face was a sight to behold, an image of the things that mattered in life, something to protect. Looking to the side, the maid and the Hero looked on with pride, subsiding from their awe and relishing in the child's performance. With a rather upbeat melody now playing, Raeburn bobbed his head to the beat and smiled at his impromptu dancer's rise in tempo.

Money in the hat was beginning to overflow, so did everyone's mana pool, and eventually, a jolly festivity began in the afternoon of the plaza, where the citizens of Lugnica, Living or Dead, human or not, danced together. When his daughter insisted, Emurdol ended up joining the fun, partnered with his beloved. Rem's natural grace and elegance was enrapturing, and he was mediocre compared to her, dancing the simplest choreography he knew, but he enjoyed all the same. His family was with him, and that's all that mattered.

The only regret was that Emilia wasn't here, and that Mother wasn't a living being. The former would have loved this, and the latter would have completed everything. Ram and Roswaal? He honestly wished they were present as well, just so he could see what kind of moves they'll make. Ram would definitely mirror her sister, and the Lord might do something simple yet quite regal. Considering the character of the clown, it's a likely possibility. He will not forget Beatrice as well. Meili has the power to make that bipolar runt relent to her whims.

When the end finally came, an hour after the song dedicated to the Hero of Pandemonium was played, the Souls were satisfied and the people went away happy. Raeburn ended up being rich, the populace were rejuvenated with their boosted mana, Zakurah witnessed one of the most sublime things in life, and the family of three were smiling.

And amidst the joyous conclusions, 30 pairs of eyes of the same color and of the same shape and design were locked on to a single person amongst the crowd, one with silver hair.

~~~~~ « ҉ » ~~~~~

"Can't believe you, Emewdul, meowking a party in the plaza with everybody invited yesterday." Felix commented beside him, walking alongside the soon-to-be patient as they walked across the Karsten House corridor. "Mew should've told Feli, I would have taken Lady Crusch for a dance as well."

"It simply happened." Emurdol replied, "An acquaintance of ours played a song, my daughter began to dance, and everyone else did what came naturally."

"Simply happened, eh? Sure it's not some kinda public stunt for your Lady Emilia, meow?"

"I would rather she be there to enjoy it along with the people." The answer was left ambiguous thanks to that, "By the way, why must the procedure happen in the Karsten House?"

"Well, considering you're some kinda VIP, your dear Feli's gonna give mew some special treatment." Felix answered, "I also brought a few hands with me to help, meow."

"Have you taken notes on what you should do from the Idiot?"

"Idiot? Oh, you mean that half-dead pretty boy, meow? Yeah, I did. And fine, we'll do it your way. Make sure you use simple words, 'kay?"

"I'll guide you steadily."

"Oh, that reminds me: why were you, Viandegroc and Meowli outside during the night, sitting around doing meowthing? It was raining and there was quite a breeze too." Felix would have missed their forms in the dark of night from the hallway window if it weren't for the flash of thunder that briefly exposed their very still forms, not a single shiver or blink of two pairs of brightly glowing eyes.

"Private business. The rain and wind was a great convenience, for it relaxed our nerves."

"And you're not cold in any way, meow?"

"Meili and I hardly felt the cold. We simply felt the sensation of water pattering on our cloaks and faces. Quite soothing, I urge you to try."

"Uh-uh, no thanks. My fingertips meowght get shriveled up." Emurdol inwardly scoffed, his outward features betraying nothing of the sort. "I'm a lot meowre surprised you aren't canoodling with your dearest Rem instead."

"She has better things to do, and I must prepare for the days to come in the Royal Selection."

Last evening in the yard during the rain, he had gathered every Soul that had congregated in the festivities and conversed with them for hours, gathering as much information as possible, from the change of activity in the Capital to the incoming prospects thanks to the situation of the Kingdom.

The details were more worrying than he thought. And he dreaded of things to come, especially when he is part of Emilia's faction. Meili, who joined in the segregation of information, also discovered something harrowing, but it was unrelated to the Royal Selection, something unique. The horror and dread on her face told him just how critical it was. Whatever she learned or saw, it was not good.

She was left disconcerted and apprehensive ever since. In this hour of the early morning, she was still in bed with Rem, the latter doing her best to comfort his child from whatever was haunting her. She was crying as well, quivering and wailing on her favorite maid's chest. Fear and despair clouded her mind. He doesn't need the Link to know that it was something he must address as soon as possible, because it's potentially going to affect everyone. The fact that she told him nothing about it was another reason for it to be worth his every concern.

And he will. In time, he will. The sooner his body is operated back to its healthiest state, he will certainly tackle whatever demons were prowling about that Meili saw. He'll deal with it, and hurry back to the Mansion. Emilia's existence is now known, and prospects aren't too bright now because of that, especially with what he learned from the Souls.

After minutes of silence, Felix and Emurdol finally reached the room they will be working on. A cleared-out guest room, the former described, and steps were already taken to simulate a sterilized Operating Room. Twisting the door knob, they were greeted by the sight of Viandegroc conversing with a group of six people, all wearing white surgical gowns.

"Brother, we were just talking about you." Viandegroc nodded to him, still wearing his robes and putting on the guise of a handsome boy.

"Surgeons." Emurdol nodded to the robed individuals, his mouth miming the voice in their heads, and they nodded back to him, replying with courteous greetings. As he removed his vest and handed it to the Flesh Golem, revealing his lean but lanky torso of pure white that resembled a corpse, he sat on the edge of the operating bed and spoke, "While introductions should be in order, I would like to get this over with as soon as possible. Sit down for a while and listen, for we will briefly review on what we should do. For starters, I will be your patient, Emurdol Viandegroc."