Chapter 41: Revelation

The cold desert wind whispered through the streets, brushing past beige houses where curtains fluttered, and clothes swayed on drying lines. The city lay still, its silence broken only by the distant hum of flying patrols. Under the moonlight, Eryuentiu bathed in an ethereal glow, a beauty the daylight could never quite capture.

One window was opened, and through it, a man gazed at the stars, lost in thought while the world around him slept. No matter how he tried, sleep eluded him as though something deep within refused to let him rest.

One thing he knew for certain: he was back among the living.

'Strange. I can feel the wind passing by, but I do not feel its cold breeze.' Gazef mused as he leaned out of the window.

Just hours ago, he had faced Ainz Ooal Gown in battle. The moment of his death felt both like an eternity and the blink of an eye before he was resurrected. What lay beyond death remained a mystery, but wherever it was, it held no place for conscious minds.

He was unsure of the reason he was brought back. In the face of the Sorcerer King, he had been utterly powerless—less than an insect before a storm. He was nothing more than an ant in his way. Mankind had no chance against such a foe.

The kingdom had its problems, but it was still his home. Without it, he felt a hollow void that he wasn't sure could ever be filled. He could find another king to serve, but it wouldn't be the same. He could attempt to rebuild the fallen kingdom, but such efforts would meet resistance from its occupiers. As for the remaining princess, Gazef felt no loyalty to her.

He blinked, and when his eyes opened, a shadow loomed over him.

Gazef recognized his visitor as Evileye of Blue Rose.

"What brings you here this late of day?" He asked casually.

It seemed the masked magic caster hesitated for a moment before she continued.

"I'm here for you. The big guy wants to talk to you." Evileye replied, gesturing toward the sky where the floating city of Eryuentiu hovered.

"What would he want from me?" Gazef inquired. He had just arrived at this inn to regain his strength, and now he was being summoned again? It didn't sit right with him, especially at this late hour.

"It's… important. I think you might want to know." Evileye answered, her tone serious. Gazef understood then that he had no real choice in the matter.

Evileye moved closer, placing a hand on his shoulder, and in an instant, the world shifted. Gazef found himself standing in the grand halls where his resurrection occurred.

This was the ancient home of the Eight Greed Kings, something he only knew because Brain had told him.

The enormous form of the Platinum Dragon Lord loomed over him, yet Gazef felt surprisingly calm in the presence of such a creature. Until yesterday, he had never thought he would meet a true dragon, but here he was nonetheless.

"Greetings, Gazef Stronoff." The deep voice called out his name, full of authority and a feeling that whoever spoke witnessed centuries pass by. "You are probably asking yourself why you are here, correct?" Gazef almost believed the dragon could read his thoughts, or perhaps it was simply adept at reading his expression

"Yes. And I still don't know." He answered.

"We… have something to tell you." Evileye said, yet went no further as she awaited the Dragon Lord to continue.

Her tone didn't appeal to Gazef one bit, as if she was bearing bad news. A killed king, a destroyed kingdom, and murdered civilians he swore to protect. What would be next?

"What's so important?" He demanded, not bearing the mystery the two were keeping from him. He was not a man who wanted to be held in the dark, but this time, he should've stayed in the shadows.

The dragon's gaze bore down on him, and Gazef could almost sense the gravity of what was about to be revealed.

"You were resurrected, correct?" The dragon asked an obvious question, making Gazef raise a brow.

"I believe so. What about it?"

Tsaindorcus glanced over to Evileye as the two exchanged looks.

"There were complications in your resurrection."

The Dragon Lord's statement seemed without jest. Gazef could tell he wasn't lying. But he was still confused by his words.

"Complications? Didn't I return from the living, even against my will? I believe it would rather be the opposite." Gazef stated. While he was clear about not wanting to be resurrected, he had no choice here. He knew his friends would've missed him dearly, and a chance at reviving him would not go untried.

"What do you feel right now?"

Again, Gazef thought hard about the meaning behind the dragons' words, blinking at the mythical creature in silence.

"Nothing. Should I feel something?" He replied, hoping to find answers.

"Just now, I used a fear-invoking ability on you, but you felt nothing." The dragon revealed, but Gazef still failed to understand, something the Dragon Lord noticed. "Check your pulse. Perhaps this will clear things up."

Gazef hesitated but did as instructed, placing his fingers against his neck. He waited for the familiar rhythm of his heartbeat.

It never came.

"What- How is that even possible?" Gazef's voice wavered as he tried to understand what was going on.

"You are dead, Gazef Stronoff. I regret to be the bearer of bad news." Platinum Dragon Lord declared solemnly, making the Warrior Captain's eyes widen.

"What… What do you mean? Am I not here talking to you? Isn't this real!" He called out in disbelief.

"Ainz Ooal Gown had cast a powerful curse on you, making it impossible to revive you with the magic Lakyus possesses. I attempted to circumvent it. At first, I believed I had succeeded, but I only allowed you to return as something other than truly alive. It was Evileye who first informed me of the truth." The Dragon Lord explained, yet it all felt numb to Gazef's ears.

"I didn't want to break the mood, so I kept it for myself first. I'm sorry to what happened to you, Gazef." Evileye said, her voice heavy with empathy.

"... You tell me that I'm nothing more than a husk…A creature that hates the living and kills relentlessly?" Gazef felt betrayed, used, miserable, and many other things. To become such a creature was nothing he would expect to happen. He had fears of something like this happening to him. But he never thought to see them fulfilled.

"Not exactly. You are somewhat of a rare case since this never happened before. You're not like other undead." Evileye stated.

"What she means is that I kept your soul connected to your body, and what happened was that your soul was "resurrected" and your body wasn't. You are controlling a corpse through your own being." The Dragon Lord explained, yet it all seemed too complex for the Warrior Captain to grasp.

"So, am I dead now? Would it even matter?" Gazef asked hopelessly.

"In a sense, yes. Your soul is being powered by the magic I infused in you. But since you are not a natural Wild Magic user, you will run out sooner or later and turn into either a corpse or a mindless undead. I am still unsure of the outcome." Tsaindorcus explained.

For Gazef, he wasn't sure what to think about this. Confusion rose inside him, which turned into anger.

"I don't get what you are trying to say! If I am destined to die once more, why bother talking to me!" Gazef shouted, his restraint from before gone.

"There is a way to delay the inevitable." The Dragon Lord claimed. A light appeared before Gazef, forming a ring that hovered in the air. "If you wear this ring, you will be kept "alive" for about five human years. Think of it as a reservoir that slowly drains over time. Once the ring wears out, you'll either need a new one or face your end." The Platinum Dragon Lord stated.

Gazef looked at the ring with curious intent. What would he do in those five years? What could he even do? He had no other life goals, ambitions, or dreams that he still wanted to fulfill. The life of a warrior suited him just fine, and he missed it already.

"Sometimes, people need to accept when things are over. I believe my time passed when Ainz Ooal Gown defeated me in that duel." Gazef replied. But then he recalled the two friends he had left. Climb and Brain. The three of them had gone through much, and he was sure they would miss him if he decided to disappear again. "I wished to die a warrior's death, and so I did. But now I am left without any semblance of a goal and don't know what to do…

…I'll take it for now, solely for the sake of my comrades. I'm not sure what I will do with the time I have left, perhaps enjoy life's beauty… or keep fighting as I'm used to…I'll think about it."

Gazef gazed back at the dragon as he grasped the bronze ring and put it on one of his fingers.

"You are free to do whatever you want from now on. You are not bound by king or country. But I have one request." The Dragon Lord said. "Tell me, what is Ainz Ooal Gown like? You have the most experience with him by far, so you must know what his characteristics are like."

Gazef seemed to ponder for a while before responding.

"He is someone who keeps his word. I did not see him as a monster, maybe someone greater than life, but someone you can talk to. I believe he follows his justice and honor. Even if he may seem brutal, I am sure he has principles. He is not unreasonable. If he had, he wouldn't have helped me at Carne Village in the first place. But perhaps that was one of his many plots. But still, he honored the duel between us and did not take the weapon for himself that he wished to gain after the fight. Heck, he even wanted me to join his side!" Gazef's words seemed to open a new perspective for his listeners, almost as if he were praising the Sorcerer King.

"Perhaps he found you rather interesting, as you are unlike any other human he encountered. He wanted to sway you to his side, possibly to appear likable among the human population in his country. He is cunning and undead. His every move and word are carefully selected and executed." The Dragon Lord surmised from Gazef's words.

"True, I wouldn't trust any undead like that. He's pretty expansive and massacred thousands of people from Re-Estize simply to make a message." Evileye added.

"Maybe I was tricked. But I always considered myself a good judge of character." He replied, a fiddle smirk visible on his face as he remembered the first time he met Ainz Ooal Gown, the mysterious masked magic caster that had saved Carne Village in his stead.

"However he may appear, he is a threat. He killed your king and your people. We need to stop him." Platinum Dragon Lord ended the discussion with facts Gazef couldn't decline.

"True, but I don't believe taking revenge for his Majesty is what he wanted. The time of Re-Estize is over. While the people were innocent, revenge would not lead to peace." Gazef said as if he buried it long away, thinking of it as nothing more than a pleasant past that wouldn't return.

"Revenge is not the point. Survival is. Do you think he's going to let us be!" Evileye interjected as she tried to make a point.

Gazef looked at the ground as he waited for the right words to say.

"It is now up to you if you want to stop him. I have given you all the information I have about him. And I do not believe I could help you fight him. If that is all, I would wish to return to the inn." Gazef requested.

"Very well. But, if your companions want to go adventuring into the Sorcerer King's borders, will you follow or let them walk into their doom?" The dragon asked an important question, testing Gazef's future intentions.

"If Climb and Brain want to make a last stand or rescue the Princess, I won't stop them. Since I am already dead, what is there to fear?" Gazef responded.

"Mmh, very well. Evileye, take him back to his room. I believe we are finished here." The Dragon Lord said as he then turned to Gazef. "I wish you good luck in the rest of your life. Savor it."

Gazef heard those last words before he found himself back in his chambers again. They almost sounded like a threat or a very harsh warning.

"You did good. And hey, telling your friends about your… condition is up to you. They won't notice it unless you tell them." Evileye stated.

"They'll surely be sad when they know I won't be able to drink beer with them again." Gazef said with a faint smile.

"I know- I mean, being undead has its burdens, but you also gain strengths. Maybe you'll find yourself in touch with them." She tried to cheer him up, yet he remained unfazed. "I'll just leave now. Bye."

The masked magic caster was gone, leaving Gazef alone to ponder in his room. He looked at his hands, his once olive-tanned skin pale.

'So it wasn't a dream.'

discord . gg / h6cpJ5d3xh

Here's my discord invitation code. Join if you're interested in becoming a proofreader of my next chapters, or you just want to hang around. Both work.

There it is! Gazef wasn't really resurrected! Wild Magic and Tier Magic don't work well with each other. So when PDL tried to remove Ainz's status effect on Gazef's body, he accidentally made Gazef undead.

Can he use his martial arts? Not sure. Since martial arts used the focus and training of the warrior's body, Gazef shouldn't really be able to use them at all or at least not be able to improve himself. Give me your thoughts on this one.