"Sob, sob, aaaaah!"
Suddenly, Angela screamed, twisting her body and crying out.
"What on earth did you do?"
With those words, Angela flipped her eyes and collapsed. The sudden event left me unable to react in any way.
"...Hey, are you okay?"
I tried speaking just in case, but she remained unconscious as if she had fainted.
In this unfamiliar situation, I revisited the characteristics I had chosen.
[Evolution]
-Unique
-Transforms a subject from lower to higher level with sufficient experience
-Applicable to all non-hostile targets
An enhancement and complement to the Necromancer's traits and weaknesses, with excellent overall versatility.
Most of the unique traits were generally useful, so there was no disadvantage in choosing any of them. However, there was no better trait than this in the situation I found myself in.
Of course, since I had recently acquired it, I couldn't know the exact usage or how much it would improve through evolution. It seems that the oath Angela swore regarding her family a while ago meets the second condition. As I looked at Angela, who unintentionally became the first sacrifice for my trait, another message appeared.
[Angela Lucifer]
[In the process of evolution...]
[Remaining time: 167 hours, 41 minutes, 03 seconds]
Nearly a week's time was displayed.
I thought it would take this long, but I was grateful for buying some time. I had to leave for a day because of the task entrusted to me by Charon. During that time, who knows what Angela might say to Charon. It was better to keep her in this unconscious state, eliminating such concerns.
As I checked the time, it was already late at night. After quickly organizing things and checking Angela once again, I returned to my dorm room.
When I returned to my room, I immediately checked my schedule.
"Of all times..."
If I wanted to visit the Vin Hartz National Cemetery as Charon instructed, I had to leave right away to make it in time. The problem was that I might miss some classes scheduled for tomorrow afternoon.
"Is attending those lectures more important than life or death?"
Actually, they were important. Very much so.
As you know, the Adrius family is in dire financial straits, drowning in debt. In this struggling life, with my late father being a former viscount, I qualified for a scholarship. Thanks to that, I was barely able to cover my tuition with the scholarship benefits. If I were to miss class without permission, even that would disappear.
My mind was in turmoil, but my body was already prepared for going out. Just in case, I packed a disguise in my bag and dragged it along.
"Let's resolve this as quickly as possible. If I'm lucky, I might be able to return by tomorrow afternoon."
I planned my route in my head and immediately took action. As it was late at night, there was no one passing by outside. However, the Mana Railway Station near the academy, which operates 24/7, was brightly lit.
"Ah."
When I took out my wallet to calculate the ticket cost, I found that I barely had enough for a round-trip ticket.
"That Charon, that dog. At least he should give me some pocket money for running errands."
I cursed silently and finally paid for the ticket, then boarded the Mana Express. Come to think of it, Charon had always given me tasks without paying me. During that time, Adrius had learned black magic for free, so he probably thought it was natural for me to pay for everything.
"I'll bring it up after I return this time. I can't even afford to buy food."
On the train, I stared blankly at the boxed lunch being sold and only satisfied my appetite.
During the train ride, I took a short rest and read the book I brought along. Of course, it was just a book I borrowed from the library the day before.
"I can't make sense of this nonsense."
But I forced myself to read it. I had to wake myself up even if it meant familiarizing myself with words or terms.
After about six hours, I arrived at Heartbell Station, where the national cemetery was located. As soon as I got off, I headed straight towards the cemetery. Actually, I wanted to take a carriage near the station, but I had no money.
'This damn money. I have to solve this first.'
In the game, I rarely worried about money. I simply used my character's talents to earn money, but now, as a talentless person like Adrius, I had to find another way. Fortunately, I had made various notes while playing the game, so even a character like Adrius had enough ways to solve the problem.
'The problem is that I don't even have initial funds.'
The more I pondered, the more I couldn't escape the feeling of being a pitiful character. But what can I do? This is who I am now.
I hurriedly ran with all my strength, dragging the carrier to the graveyard, as the way back was urgent. And not even five minutes passed before I felt my breath filling up to the edge of my throat.
'I should exercise regularly too.'
Physical stamina is essential for survival. But my stamina was poor, as if I were not a magician. No, if that's the case, I should have some talent for magic. After a fierce struggle lasting almost an hour, I barely managed to reach the entrance of the graveyard.
The sky had already dawned without my notice.
"I'm from the Jenice household. The third grandson."
"Do you have the flowers?"
"Yes, I brought thirteen blue sky butterfly flowers."
"Alright. Go inside."
After exchanging the designated words with the gatekeeper, I entered. Although the Black Sorcerers' society was hidden in the shadows, their power itself was by no means insignificant.
Here, the Vin Hartz National Cemetery was already one of the places bought by the Black Sorcerers.
Passing through the main gate and entering inside, I saw a spacious outdoor area with hundreds of gravestones and one gravedigger.
I approached the gravedigger who was working.
"Mr. Fireman."
"Charon's errand, right? You came early."
"Yes. He said it's Bayden's grave."
"Yes. I've already prepared. It should be over there."
As if he had received prior instructions, he pointed in a direction where an unburied coffin could be seen. Or maybe it was a coffin that had been taken out.
"Thank you."
As I said that, I happened to see a grave that the gravedigger was in the process of burying.
"The gravestone of Lifehill? Lifehill, Lifehill..."
I felt like I had seen it somewhere, but I couldn't remember it well. It probably wasn't that important, so I moved my steps towards Bayden's side.
When I opened the coffin, I saw a neatly laid out corpse of a knight who seemed to have died not long ago. Although I felt a physiological aversion, I casually lifted the corpse.
"It's disgustingly heavy."
It was the second incident that made me keenly realize the necessity of exercise. I placed the corpse in the carrier I brought. Since the carrier was meant for transporting bodies given to me by Charon, it had a small space expansion magic, so it fit comfortably.
As I put the corpse in and straightened my back, I suddenly realized the identity of the corpse the gravedigger was working on.
"Lifehill! Nickel Lifehill!"
It was actually one of the Easter eggs in a not-so-important game.
The story goes like this. A man who idolized the Aura Master suddenly began training with his sword for decades. Cutting off worldly ties, he trained only with the sword every single day. Eventually, he became an Aura Master, but the moment he became one, he succumbed to a fatal illness.
It was a strange story of an ordinary man without talent for the sword who achieved the status of an Aura Master through his effort and died in the end.
Aura Masters in this world are truly extraordinary beings. It's absurd to become such a monster and die at the moment of becoming one.
So, it's an Easter egg, after all. And this Easter egg is just another story that's floating around in Great Sin.
But why bother creating such an Easter egg?
"Apparently, he was a real Aura master. Otherwise, why would he go through all this trouble to create an Easter egg?"
However, I didn't pay much attention to this insignificant Easter egg. Even I, who meticulously played the game, couldn't immediately recall it.
"But Nickle Lifehill."
My heart raced. The fact that Nickle Lifehill became an Aura master was never officially announced before his death. It was only rumored in the village where he lived.
Honestly, it was an unimaginable death considering the image of an Aura master. So, the value of that corpse is probably unknown to anyone.
'The abilities of a resurrected summoning creature correspond to its abilities in life. If I were to create something like a Death Knight with it...'
Of course, even Charon, let alone me, couldn't create top-tier summoning creatures like a Death Knight. But it was obvious that if I used it to create something like a skeleton, it would far surpass the level of an ordinary skeleton.
Just then, the gravedigger, with Lighthill's crown in his hands, wiped his forehead sweat and looked at me.
"Are you done?"
"Yes, I've got it."
"Good. Say hello to Charon for me."
"Yes, Mr. Fireman."
As we naturally passed by each other, I discreetly threw a glance.
"Oh, by the way."
"Huh? What is it?"
"I also want to start creating my summoning creature soon. Is there any way I can get assigned a corpse?"
"Hmm, how many years have you been here?"
"It's been three years now."
"Ha! You're still a rookie with lofty ambitions."
"Is that so? Haha."
As I pretended to laugh coolly, he wiped his forehead sweat once again and spoke.
"I understand your feelings, but first, get permission from Charon. That's the fastest way."
"Of course, that makes sense. I understand. Thank you for the advice."
...Did you think I would say that?
I had already discovered the corpse of an Aura master with my own eyes, and moreover, a corpse that no one even suspected to be an Aura master.
I couldn't let it go like this. I hesitated for a moment, but ultimately made up my mind. I took off the ring I had on my hand and said to Fireman.
"Mr. Fireman."
"Why again? Why aren't you leaving?"
"Could I possibly take this corpse with me using this ring?"
Fireman's two eyes widened as he looked at the ring I offered. But quickly hiding his emotions, he casually replied.
"As I said before, you can't do it without Charon's permission. If I get caught giving you a corpse, it will put me in a difficult position too."
"Don't worry about that. I'm confident that I can manage it without getting caught."
"Hmm. Really? It's still a bit problematic..."
"Please, Mr. Fireman. This is the only ring I have left. But as a necromancer, my achievement is a priority. Please accept it."
"Oh, this shouldn't be happening..."
In the end, he couldn't resist and took my ring pretending to be helpless. He probably thought he had caught a complete sucker, right? He probably thought that, because that ring was the signet ring of Count Cromwell.
"It's just a ring. I can earn money later and get it back."
Right now, securing any resources I could manipulate, even a little, was a priority. After all, compared to the corpse of an Aura master, that ring was nothing. If I used that money to acquire the corpse of an Aura master, it would be much more profitable.
"Alright. You said you wanted this corpse, right? Take it."
"Thank you."
We both concealed our true intentions and took advantage of our own gains. Perhaps Fireman would be delighted to sell the body of an old man who wasn't even a young knight for a high price.
Although the Cromwell family was known for their noble lineage, it was still a high-ranking noble's signet ring.
Nevertheless, compared to the corpse of an Aura master, it was just a drop in the bucket. No matter how much money you have, you can't obtain something like that. If people knew it was the corpse of an Aura master, they would grab it by the neck and collapse.
When we opened the lid in the pit, I saw an old man who appeared to have recently died with his eyes closed.
"Take care. My first subordinate."
I delicately lifted the body as if handling a baby.
It was exhausting, but to me, it was something that no treasure could compare to, so I couldn't help but smile.