The necromancer, draped in a tattered robe, hovered off the ground, rapidly floating towards the depths of the castle with EeDeChi in relentless pursuit.
Occasionally, the necromancer turned to cast a few spells in a futile attempt to stop EeDeChi, but it was completely ineffective.
The ferocious dark magic only scattered a few clouds of gray mist on EeDeChi, who used the necromancer's brief spellcasting pauses to close the distance between them.
Quickly, the fleet-footed adventurer captain leaped several times, closing in on the fleeing mage with a speed unattainable by ordinary people.
Her giant sword swung up and struck the floating necromancer like a badminton shuttlecock, the sound of bones cracking sharply echoing in the air.
The necromancer, or rather the badminton shuttlecock, was sent crashing into the ceiling, creating a large dent before plummeting to the ground like a discarded rag, motionless.
Before long, adventurers Barrett, Sean, and Stella arrived, panting heavily.
"Taken care of?" Barrett glanced at the necromancer's corpse on the ground, unsurprised by the outcome.
Bending over, he placed his hands on his knees, gasping for breath. Carrying a large steel shield, he had to exert all his strength just to keep up with EeDeChi. Any slower, and the three of them would have been left behind in this eerie castle by their captain.
This superhumanly strong orichalcum-level adventurer moved with incredible speed, completely disregarding the struggles of his three teammates trailing behind.
Now, the necromancer was nothing but a lifeless corpse. As rumored, perhaps due to dabbling in forbidden magic, his limbs and hands were shriveled and devoid of flesh, his head was nothing but skin and bones, completely bald.
He lay face down on the cold floor, his filthy mage's robe covering his body, with his hands and ankles exposed, presenting a rather pathetic sight.
Barrett scrutinized the necromancer's body carefully. Contrary to his expectations, despite the tattered and bloodstained condition of the robe, it was not the dark and gloomy type. Instead, it was a richly adorned and exquisite garment.
Barrett made up his mind to loot the mage's body later, hoping to find something valuable.
Nearby, Stella stood up and cast a Divine Magic spell to restore the stamina of Barrett and Sean.
During the final stretch of chasing EeDeChi, Sean carried Stella on his back to ensure she wouldn't fall behind, making her the least exhausted of the three.
After finishing her spell, Stella cautiously approached the necromancer's body lying on the ground. She half-squatted and used the bottom end of her magic staff to gently turn the necromancer's head.
Seeing someone act before him, Barrett frowned inwardly. Even the pretty cleric girl had learned to search corpses for loot; it seemed she had taken another step forward on her adventurer's path.
Stella's eyes showed a hint of panic as she bent down to closely examine the necromancer's face. Suddenly, she dropped to her knees, supporting herself with her staff, tears streaming down her face. "Master Simon! How could it be you!"
Still panting, Sean quickly came over, and EeDeChi, who had killed the necromancer, also stepped forward. They discovered that the necromancer's gaunt face indeed bore a striking resemblance to James Simon, the mage.
Stella found a magical emblem inside the necromancer's robe, confirming that the necromancer EeDeChi had slain was indeed the old mage James Simon, whom they had briefly met at the inn a few days ago.
"No, this can't be! Master would never study necromancy!" Stella clutched her teacher's golden emblem, kneeling on the ground, letting James' head rest on her lap as tears fell like rain.
James had greatly helped and lovingly guided her in her magical studies. Although she had to leave her magical path due to family issues, she always remembered her teacher's kindness.
Moreover, they had just met a few days ago. The kind old man was now lying dead before her, reduced to a withered corpse, leaving her heart filled with confusion and immense sorrow.
"Ahem," EeDeChi cleared his throat, her expression indifferent. "He chose the dark path himself; you can't blame me for being ruthless."
Barrett was also shocked. He had seen plenty of hypocrites who said one thing and did another, but with his understanding of magic, it was impossible for a cheerful old man to transform into a necromancer, almost a skeleton, in just a few days.
But regardless, the castle's master was dead, and everything in the castle now belonged to whoever found it.
Barrett thought about this as he rubbed his hands together and looked around. Earlier, while EeDeChi chased after the suddenly transformed Mage James, the three of them had been racing after EeDeChi, unknowingly entering what seemed like a drawing room in the castle.
All four walls of the room were lined with towering mahogany bookshelves, packed to the brim with books. At a glance, most of them were leather-bound magic tomes.
To Barrett, who didn't understand magic, these books were of little value. Even if he sold them, there was a risk that a mage might recognize them and trace them back to their original owner, causing trouble for him.
"How could this be?" Suddenly, Stella, who was kneeling on the ground, exclaimed. Her staff was glowing with magical light, and in the flickering shadows, a black soul mark on Mage James' corpse appeared and disappeared.
Seeing the skull-shaped magic mark, Barrett's expression grew serious. This black magic soul mark indicated that the necromancer had no free will and was merely a high-tier undead controlled by someone else. Though it could cast spells and had some intelligence, its essence was no different from the low-level undead they had previously slain.
This meant someone had killed Mage James and then used black magic to turn him into an undead.
Barrett felt a chill run down his spine, and his heart began to pound in his chest. He wasn't angry about Mage James' death; he was terrified of the person who had killed him.
He remembered that James was a high-tier mage with dual talents in Arcane Magic and Divine Magic, capable of casting 4th Tier spells.
To kill such a powerful mage and then transform him into an obedient undead servant required immense magical power. Was the murderer a wielder of 5th Tier magic? Or 6th Tier, or even 7th Tier?
It was known that humans who mastered 5th Tier magic could enter the legendary realm of "heroes." The guardian of the Baharuth Empire, the most powerful mage of the empire, Fluder Paradyne, who had lived for over two hundred years, only mastered 6th Tier magic!
Could such a terrifyingly powerful and ruthless mage be lurking in this manor, watching them?
Sean also realized the gravity of the situation. He straightened up, stood beside Stella, gripped his short sword tightly, and looked around with a serious expression. Stella, who had discovered all this, remained kneeling on the ground, holding Mage James' head and sobbing quietly.
Luckily, we have EeDeChi. I wonder if she can handle this. Barrett thought, glancing at the only person in the room who still seemed relaxed and composed.