Having smoothly boarded the train without any trouble, I sat down in my seat, holding the bag in my arms.
I pondered over what to do upon returning to the academy.
"First, I should evolve Nickel as soon as I get back."
The success rate was 100%, so I wasn't worried about failure.
One thing that puzzled me was the existence of 66 different branches.
"What exactly does 'branches' mean?"
In my understanding, branches referred to different types. For example, the next tier of skeletons included the Soldier, Archer, and Magician, all of which were 2nd-tier skeletons but of different types.
"But 66 branches... That's a lot."
The number itself was quite significant.
Perhaps it was due to the influence of the Page of Sloth.
I would have loved to know what those branches entailed, but unfortunately, the system wasn't very forthcoming.
I wished for Nickel to evolve into a powerful creature that could help me in my journey.
Lost in thought, I was interrupted when the train made a brief stop at a station.
Despite the early morning hour and it being the weekend, there were many people bustling around.
As people boarded and disembarked the train, I was planning my next move when an elderly man approached me and took a seat right in front of me, leaning on his cane.
He had a kind and familiar face, reminiscent of a typical neighborhood grandfather.
But I confirmed his identity and immediately suppressed my emotions, not showing any signs of recognition.
Trying to maintain a calm demeanor, I pretended to observe the old man closely, despite feeling flustered inside.
"Moren Drwalsky."
Was he being so blatant about it?
What if he's followed by the Empire?
If they recognize me, they'll surely give chase.
Although his appearance was utterly realistic, lacking any discomfort in the game's graphics, it was the first time I had encountered a character like him.
He looked so ordinary that I recognized him right away.
Could it be that the real person has found me?
Is this how I die?
Just as I was contemplating his intentions, Moren spoke to me.
"Hey there."
"Yes? Me?"
I played it off as if I didn't recognize him.
"Yes, you. Are you feeling alright?"
So, he did come to find me.
But he didn't seem to be hiding his identity at all.
He appeared in front of me so openly.
Though I was surprised, I responded confidently, trying to match his casual demeanor.
"Yes, I'm fine. Sorry for the late greeting. I'm Adrias Cromwell. Sir."
"Oh, I see. Do you know who I am?"
"Aren't you the Patriarch?"
"Hehe. You're different from what I've heard today."
His kind grandfather-like appearance and laughter felt oddly comforting.
But it only heightened my wariness.
"Hey there."
"Yes, sir."
"Sorry about that."
As he suddenly apologized, I tensed up all over, thinking he might be preparing to attack.
Is he really apologizing?
But when I saw Moren apologize again, I realized it was just my misconception.
"Sir, I'm sorry, but I don't understand why you suddenly brought this up."
"Oh, it's nothing. Forget it. By the way, are you learning a lot from Professor Karon?"
As Moren abruptly changed the subject, it became even more challenging to understand the situation.
No, why did he suddenly apologize?
Even when I searched my memories, this was the first time I had encountered Moren.
But it felt like he was apologizing for something that had happened in the past...
"Family?"
Thanks to Sarem, I had learned something I didn't know before – that there was something big and complex involving the Cromwell family, something beyond my expectations.
"In the game, the Cromwell family had no influence whatsoever. Why is that? In any case, there's definitely something going on."
It seemed like Moren was somehow connected to that something.
"Are you always getting help from Professor Karon? I'm constantly disappointed in myself for not being up to par."
"Haha, looking at you now, it doesn't seem like you would disappoint anyone. By the way, if you think Karon will scold you when you return, you don't have to worry. I've laid a good groundwork with him."
"Thank you for your concern."
Is he here to kill me?
Why is he treating me so well?
But I still didn't let my guard down.
I had thoughts of smashing the train window and making a run for it if necessary.
"Hand..."
"Yes?"
"Can I touch your hand?"
I really couldn't make sense of it.
Is he a pervert? Is he attracted to me because I'm a male character?
After a moment's hesitation, I realized I had no other choice.
In the end, I cautiously extended my hand.
He took my hand and examined it for a while.
"Are you training in swordsmanship?"
"Yes."
"At a time when you're busy focusing on magic..."
Even though Moren was still holding my hand, he gazed at it intently.
I was just awkwardly smiling, trying to brush it off, but his gaze seemed almost paternal.
"Hey there."
"Yes, sir."
"I'm sorry."
The sudden apology made my muscles tense up.
Is he about to attack?
No matter how clueless Moren might be, he wouldn't act so recklessly in a crowded train.
"I truly apologize."
However, when I saw Moren apologize once again, I realized it was just my imagination.
"Sir, I apologize, but I don't understand what you're talking about all of a sudden."
"It's nothing. Never mind. By the way, are you learning from Professor Karon?"
Trying to divert the conversation, Moren made it even more challenging to grasp the situation.
No, what's with the sudden apology?
I couldn't recall any encounter with Moren before.
But it felt like he was apologizing for something that had happened in the past...
"Sir, isn't this dangerous? Walking around like this..."
"Hehe, don't worry. Adrias. I have over 3,000 people keeping an eye on me, watching my every move and listening to my every word. No one can follow or detect me. Anyway, take this."
Relieved by Moren's words, I let out a sigh internally.
Just as I was about to thank him, he rummaged through his belongings and pulled out a thick book.
"What's this?"
"It'll be helpful. And make sure to hide it from Karon as well."
Curiously, I opened the book, and there, recorded within its pages, was necromancy.
Alongside it, the system window appeared.
[Moren's Book of Necromancy]
"A skill book!"
Considering that system windows didn't usually appear for most items, this meant its exceptional quality had already been proven.
Especially when it came to books being recognized as items, most of them were skill books, and their numbers were not that great.
As I received the book, Moren calmly told me to put it in my bag.
I followed his instructions and expressed my gratitude.
"Thank you?"
Unintentionally, my gratitude came out in the form of a question.
Come to think of it, Moren had no reason to give me something like this.
If anything, he could have attacked me.
But I accepted it gladly for the time being. Why did he give it to me?
"That's right. Work hard."
With those words, Moren, holding his cane, stood up and walked away as the train began to move again.
Wasn't he going to explain anything?
Maybe there's a bomb spell hidden in the book?
I took the book out again and examined it, but there was no trace of anything like that.
"I have a headache."
Maybe it's because I couldn't sleep.
Everything that happened today felt like a dream.
From Sarem to Moren.
I felt a growing need to learn more about the Cromwell family.
It was already evening when I finally arrived at the academy.
It still looked the same, bustling with people, probably because it was the weekend evening.
Come to think of it, I successfully returned within the weekend, just as Karon said.
"I'm hungry."
Although I had a simple snack on the train, that was all I had eaten the whole day, and my stomach growled in hunger.
But I held back my hunger momentarily, thinking of the bag I was holding.
I should leave it with Nickel first.
But before that, let's try evolving.
Thud
Translation:
Nickel, immediately summoned, appeared to be in good condition.
"Nickel, are you okay? Is there anything strange?"
He nodded in response to my question.
Then he solemnly wrote something in the air.
Training.
Training? What does that mean? What should I do?
Ignoring me, Nickel began swinging his sword.
I didn't know whether to be relieved that he was consistent or to scold him.
"Nickel, let's stop training for now and focus on evolving."
[Skeleton Soldier (Legendary) - Evolution Possibility: 100%]
[Upon evolution, there are 66 different branches.]
[Would you like to proceed with evolution?]
As Nickel looked at me with a questioning gaze, I chose to proceed with evolution.
[Skeleton Soldier (Legendary)]
[Evolution in progress...]
[Time remaining: 55 hours, 6 minutes, 12 seconds]
It takes longer than I expected.
But it didn't feel like a bad thing.
The longer it takes, the higher the expected value.
Thud.
After a moment, Nickel looked around his body and then nonchalantly started swinging his sword again.
Does being a skeleton mean he doesn't feel any pain?
He can continue swordsmanship training even during evolution if that's the case.
Since I've initiated evolution, I should dress Nickel first and then change my own clothes.
Then, with an excited heart, I rummaged through my bag to check on Tirmur and Mirinae.
When I opened the bag, the book that Moren had given me caught my eye first.
"Maybe I should read this before checking on Tirmur and Mirinae?"
My current skill proficiency in necromancy is only at the beginner level.
Moreover, I've only learned the skill of summoning skeletons.
"Tirmur is fine, but it might be challenging for Mirinae, a fairy."
If I were to use the Skeleton Summoning skill on Mirinae's corpse, there was a 99% chance of failure out of 100.
It seemed more promising to summon her as a Banshee or Ghost, which completely eliminates her physical form.
"Yeah. Let's put the corpses on hold until I finish reading this book."
Since it's a book given by Moren, the master of necromancy, it couldn't be ordinary.
Though it might be challenging to learn from it, it was a generous gift considering I had nothing before.
"Alright. Let's start by reading the book. It's not like the corpses will run away."
Curiosity got the better of me as I opened the first page of the thick book Moren had given me.
"Grandpa Moren."
Inside a serene room made of marble, an old man and a middle-aged man faced each other, sitting on chairs.
The old man was enjoying a cup of red-colored tea, and the middle-aged man was sitting in a slouched position, reading a book.
Salrem called out to Moren.
"Can I ask you something?"
"Hmm? Go ahead and ask."
"You told me that you found someone diligent but lazy, right? So I went to find that person, but there was someone else who fit the description."
Salrem looked at Moren, who was calmly drinking his tea.
Moren smiled, his worn-out eyes filled with a sense of longing.
"Adrias Cromwell. The son of Cain Cromwell."
Salrem recalled his memories of Cain for a moment as he spoke.
"I know that Cain entrusted you with something. But it seems that there is a deeper connection between the Cromwell family and all of this. Honestly, at first, I thought it was because of Professor Karon. But when I saw you giving up the corpses to him, my thoughts changed."
"Salrem."
"Yes?"
"Why do you keep talking about yourself? You must have guessed it by now."
"Adrias Cromwell. It's about him, right? The reason why you became a necromancer?"
"Hehe. Well, I'm not entirely sure anymore."
Moren ended his sentence and fell silent.
Salrem decided not to pry any further.
"So, in summary, knowing that there is a connection between the Cromwell family and not just Cain is enough, right? Alright then. I wasn't blaming you for leaking information anyway, especially since I had some fun with this incident."
As the conversation seemed to come to an end, Moren poured himself another cup of tea.
Salrem couldn't help but laugh surprised at Moren's unexpected words.
"Hah! You're quite romantic. But what's the point if you're just playing with corpses?"
"It is true. But that's the origin of necromancy. Whether you believe it or not."
"So, what does that have to do with the current conversation?"
Moren lowered his gaze and looked at the cup of tea in his hand.
He struggled to read the regrets hidden within the tea.
"Well, I'm not quite sure anymore."
With those words, Moren fell silent.
Salrem decided not to ask any more questions.
"Anyway, it's enough to know that there is a connection between the Cromwell family and all of this. Got it. Besides, I had some fun with this incident, so I wasn't blaming you for leaking information."
As the conversation seemed to come to an end, Moren poured another cup of tea.
Salrem couldn't help but smile mischievously as he thought of Adrias.
"Adrias. He's going to become even crazier than me. I'm already looking forward to that."