Chapter 4: Funeral
"Memories are the worst. Even the happiness inside them agonizes you."
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Resen was a small town, inhabited by wilderness. Crops and farming were the main occupations here. Besides the harsh living standards, this town was infamous for its long last art of necromancy.
[Resen town. Hey, Severus tell me more about this town. Since you were the shadow knight of crown prince you would surely know about it] Noworry asked curiously.
Severus was reluctant to answer this question but after seeing the curious glow in the eyes of a bird, he decided to tell the story.
"Resen was once a flourished and powerful town. It was the town which once generated abundant revenue and paid hefty taxes to Rivera, despite all these, Resen was reduced to nothingness."
"Their legacy, their necromancy, their art, and their self-respect were shattered."
"Once a powerful town which never bowed, even in front of the main palace was now forsaken and loathed."
" No one knew why it happened"
"Just like that, one day the king passed a royal decree to never practice necromancy. Brought a bloody massacre here, killing all the necromancers. Only the ones who swore a blood oath to never practice necromancy were spared, rest were killed. As far as I know, they didn't spare even women and children. Everyone was slaughtered"
[Oh my, what a cruel monarch] Noworry cursed.
"But why did he raid Resen? Since Resen was practically feeding the entire kingdom so why did they carry out a massacre."
Gloom surfaced over Severus' face.
Why?
Do I know the answer?
Yes.
But am I sure?
No
Severus mocked himself.
"Who knows", Severus gave a monotonous reply.
Noworry detected something off from Severus, so kept his mouth shut.
"As far as I know, 30 years back, an extremely charming woman used to live here. She was the head of Frost Legion, the sole group of necromancers in Rivera kingdom. Though it was a small group, they were extremely powerful. Even the Onyx feared them", Severus explained.
[Who is Onyx]
"Onyx is the group of a priest who works directly under the main palace and is responsible for the luck and wellbeing of Rivera kingdom."
[o]
"Once, the king was traveling, he got injured so he was brought here in Resen town to heal since necromancers were skilled in medics. Here, he fell for the beauty, head of Frost Legion, and asked her to marry him and become his consort. Cynthia, the head of the frost legion denied his proposal."
"She asked him to make her empress if he wished to marry her. Alas, the king denied it because the current empress was his real love. King left the Resen town, and everything soon came back to normal"
"But the peace didn't remain for long. After six months, the news came out that the current empress died due to an unknown disease. King became mad after her death and somehow, he got the news that Cynthia was the one who plotted against the empress. When the king confronted Cynthia he saw that she was six months pregnant. The king was enraged when he saw her bulging belly and declared her as a traitor and brought death upon Resen."
"Somehow Cynthia managed to escape from the king and had a premature delivery. She birthed a boy, but she died. Performing necromancy took a heavy toll on her body so when she birthed the child she died. The king got the news that Cynthia died with a newborn baby."
[Did the king kill the baby] Noworry asked in a worried tone.
"Neeh.The king adopted the baby and recruited him in his army. He publicized the child's origin but never publicized the child, so although the child got loathe and hate from the entire world, at the least not many knew who he was."
The story was definitely saddening and Noworry who was god's beasts with no emotion too felt bad.
[I see, the king tortured the child without even touching him]
Severus was dazed for some time before gathering himself, "We are to going attend the Knight Severus funeral"
[What] Noworry shrieked.
[Why]
"To pay our respects"
[Aren't you alive. Why do you want to attend your funeral?] Noworry was flabbergasted.
He has never seen a person attending his own funeral.
[Hades....wtf is all these. Is this being the punishment you were talking about?] Noworry muttered.
"Today is the 9'th day of my death. I am sure the humble crown prince will surely hold a grand funeral for his best friend aka his shadow knight", Severus mocked.
[How are we going to sneak in the main palace]
"Who told you the funeral is in the main palace?"
[Isn't the funeral supposed to take place in the main palace since you were the knight]
"As per the royal rules my funeral is supposed to take place inside the main palace but since I was once his best friend, I think I will get some credits", Severus winked joyfully.
A handsome man in simple merchant clothes was walking towards a beautiful garden. He had tall legs, sturdy thighs, and even chest which didn't look bulky but on closer look, you could see the faint abdominal muscles. Even in his simple look, Severus' charm didn't fade away.
Noworry was soaring high in the sky. He had established a telepathic relationship between him and Severus so now, they both talked without opening their mouths.
[Ah...I see a very beautiful garden ahead. Why did you bring me to a garden?] Noworry asked joyfully. Since he was a bird, he naturally liked the garden and teres.
"It is not just a garden; it is the seven season's garden which contains flowers that bloom around the year. You would never see the garden barren. It's a beautiful garden", Severus spoke in a hoarse voice.
[It is really beautiful. All the flowers look so exotic and beautiful. If I can make a house for myself here. It's even cuter than most of the gardens we have in another world] Noworry chirped happily.
However, Severus had a longing expression.