Awesome Shut-In Necromancer

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After everyone had left, we shared stories that had been piling up for a long time.

Most of them were mainly about the events that happened in Thebes after I had left.

“…The teacher was sort of a suppressant, you know. For a while, the atmosphere was quite chaotic.”

I heard that neighboring countries, wary of my presence, began to engage in psychological warfare, and the strong ones who had been waiting for an opportunity also started moving.

“So you all filled that void, and then you tried to shift dimensions again by meeting Serejia?”

“Exactly. It’s all thanks to someone who left the planet without a word or a single explanation.”

“……”

There were many things I felt guilty about regarding that, so I discreetly turned my gaze away.

“Still, I can’t imagine they would have easily agreed to help, right? Dimension shifting isn’t an easy task.”

“Well, after pestering them for a few days, they finally decided to help.”

“…I can imagine the general vibe.”

Even so, it was quite an achievement.

In front of me, Serejia had acted weak, but originally, she was a being powerful enough to be called a demigod.

Even if it were a request from friends of mine, she likely wouldn’t have agreed easily.

So, the fact that it was possible means that……

‘These two must have improved to a level that even Serejia didn’t look down on.’

Indeed, during the fight against the two of the Seven Stars, they didn’t seem to feel much of a crisis.

Maybe they were still hiding a few trump cards.

“Oh, speaking of which, I have something to ask.”

“To us, teacher?”

It was a question I had been pondering for a while. It was about the leader of Hades.

“…So, they know about me from Thebes.”

“Even if you say that, I can’t pinpoint anything.”

“…Yeah. The teacher doesn’t usually talk about himself much.”

It seemed Henesia and Astrid didn’t have any useful information either.

I sighed and posed my last question.

“Then, do you know anything about the name Gideon?”

It was the information Lee Ji Cheol had passed on earlier, regarding an ancient being that Hades was attempting to summon.

The moment I mentioned that name, the expressions of the two suddenly changed.

“It seems like you do have a clue.”

“Of course… No, more importantly, don’t you know anything, teacher? You can’t not know…?”

Henesia’s reaction was even more intense and odd than I expected.

When I looked at her with a confused expression, Henesia continued speaking with a look of disbelief.

“Gideon, that Gideon. The legendary Necromancer.”

“Legendary?”

Hearing that, I felt like something was coming to mind.

I hadn’t particularly paid attention, but there were indeed several notable necromancers known enough to be featured in history books.

In other words, Gideon was certainly one of them.

However, her words didn’t stop there.

“No, how can the person who destroyed Gideon’s relics forget about it?”

“What did I break? Me?”

“…Yeah. You definitely broke it, mumbling something about the strongest necromancer being nonsense.”

With their certainty, I began to ponder my past. Though the memories were still hazy, I felt something similar must have occurred.

“Well, I must have broken a lot of things….”

“That’s shocking. How much chaos did that cause? They even sent attackers from that faction for a while, claiming it was blasphemous.”

“…Huh?”

I finally remembered a bit. The two were right. It was definitely something I did.

“Ah, the origins of northern-style necromancy. Was that guy’s name Gideon?”

It wasn’t something particularly memorable, so I hadn’t recalled it.

Well, why would I remember the name of a long-dead historical figure?

Anyway, one thing was now clear. The leader of Hades was certainly a necromancer who came over from Thebes, just like me.

“Wait, does that mean they’re trying to resurrect Gideon? Is that really possible?”

“…This could be quite a big deal.”

“A big deal? If he resurrects, it’ll just be a fight.”

Despite my words, the two didn’t seem reassured.

“But Gideon is truly a mythical being that only appears in books.”

“…There are tons of related legends.”

The two began to recite his life story from when they were young.

About how Gideon lost his loved one and burned down a palace, hunting many monsters, including a three-headed dragon, and eventually meeting the king of hell to say his final farewell to his lover, and so on.

“Besides, they say he changed day into night with just a gesture, created an island on the sea, and commanded undead greater than the empire’s castles…”

“Ugh, it’s so noisy. It’s all just stories. And besides, I can do most of that.”

In reality, it wasn’t a false statement. I also had a history of demolishing at least one kingdom.

Remembering that, their expressions subtly shifted.

“…Of course, the teacher will also likely be recorded in history someday.”

“Why does it sound kind of insulting?”

“Maybe it’ll just be described as a walking disaster?”

After a moment of contemplation, Henesia opened her mouth with a genuinely puzzled expression.

“Honestly, if you fought with Gideon, I can’t even begin to guess the outcome.”

“What do you mean? Of course, I’d win.”

No matter how impressive he might be, Gideon is a figure who has faded into history.

I don’t know for how long, but surely several hundreds to thousands of years must have passed, so naturally, he would be stuck with outdated knowledge.

Moreover, I had already surpassed the level of knowledge that all necromancers left behind and reached a much higher state.

A necromancer who can use necromancy better than me?

I can confidently say that such a person cannot exist.

“As far as necromancy goes, there’s no one better than me.”

As I made this somewhat arrogant claim, Henesia and Astrid gulped nervously while gazing at me.

A subtle magic aura and death energy that had become almost tangible.

Seeing the two in front of that, I threw one final line.

“Well, that’s great. I’ve also been quite curious about it for some time.”

“……”

“Just how much of a difference there is between the necromancy of the legendary necromancer and what I’ve completed now. Huh.”

While I continued speaking, I suddenly felt a wave of nausea rise up and flailed my arms while collapsing onto the sofa.

And I panicked.

“W-what’s happening? Huh?”

I had forgotten for a while, but the sensation was vividly clear in my memory.

It was the symptom that struck when dimension shifting had side effects.

‘But I definitely turned the ring on…?’

As my blurry vision shifted towards my finger, I spotted the Mental Stabilization Ring, which had cracks all over it.

And then, it broke apart terribly, scattering its fragments across the floor.

Boom─!

Crash.

“…Teacher? Are you okay?”

“What’s happening?”

The two approached in shock, but I waved my hand dismissively and turned my gaze away, managing to utter just one word.

“Ugh. I’m fine. Just, ten meters out….”

In that moment, I found myself crawling back under the blanket to survive after a long time.

#

“Brother? Are you feeling a bit better?”

“…Sort of.”

I curled up in the bed, and Seo Ha approached me with a worried look.

“I’ve roughly explained things to the two. For now, just rest well. I’ll work with Helena to find out about the artifact as quickly as possible.”

Indeed, that seemed like the only option for now.

However, I had finished pondering and shook my head in response to Seo Ha.

“…Ah, no, it’s fine. I don’t need it anymore.”

“Huh? But just now…”

“I can’t keep doing this.”

After handling immense power through necromancy for a while, I began to remember part of my mindset as a former lord.

When did I become such a weak being that relied on just a tool?

Without realizing it, I was becoming dependent on artifacts, slowly getting used to that sensation.

But this was not the right answer.

At least, I hadn’t lived so poorly since being sent to Thebes on the Day of Change.

If I continued to depend on something like this to solve side effects, that weakness would root itself in me for a lifetime, making it difficult to disappear.

‘…Surely, now I can withstand more than I could before.’

This was merely the first time I experienced side effects in a while; I had just failed to calm down, but the intensity had certainly diluted.

If I faced it head-on from now on, I would surely begin to overcome it gradually.

“It’s time to shake this off.”

With that resolve, I immediately threw off the blanket, opened the door, and reached out to Astrid, who was peeling a tangerine.

“Alright, grab on.”

“…Teacher?”

“Yeah. Just do it quickly.”

Even now, surprisingly, communication was still possible. If that was the case, then I could surely endure physical contact as well.

Whether she realized my intention or not, Astrid tilted her head and pulled me into her embrace.

And then.

Pat pat.

Thud!

“Ugh. Uwaaaaah…”

With far more contact than I had prepared for, I had no choice but to spend a considerable time in the restroom feeling queasy.