Necromancer’s Evolutionary Traits Chapter 16

Episode 16. Volorik Territory and Incident

As I was quietly reading a book on a moving train, Hazal, who was sitting in the front seat, suddenly stuck out his head.

His narrow eyes gave the impression that he was hiding something.

“Are you studying?”

“Yeah, well… … .”

“As expected, because you put in that much effort, you have become a talent that His Majesty Cloche is also interested in.”

I don’t know what he was thinking, but he smiled awkwardly at the unexpected Geumchil.

I wouldn’t be able to say that if I knew that the book I’m reading right now is the basics of basics.

“Did I by any chance disturb you?”

“no.”

“Actually, it’s my first time doing something with a wizard, so I tried to be friendly with my fellow Adrias classmates, so I made a fuss, haha. “You know how I feel, right?”

“Me too. “I hope you stay safe.”

Of course I know how you feel, you crazy fanatic.

Despite his true feelings, he smiled and nodded.

Because Sinclair showed interest in me, all the crazy people flocked to me.

The Zephyr Church is a group of fanatics that plays a significant role in the main quest.

Of course, Zefar is real, so it is not a pseudo-religion.

The only problem is that Zephyr is a devil, not a god.

‘That’s a pretty vicious devil, too.’

Unlike the image of a devil, Zephyr had the appearance of a fairly normal human, but the problem was his abilities.

All humans who encounter Zephyr forget their shame and become lewd. Perhaps because of this ability, the cult’s fanatics were also not in their right minds.

Their ultimate goal is to bring Zepar into the world and create a harem kingdom.

In some ways, it’s a childish and funny story, but the fact that it’s actually possible makes me laugh.

“What do you think of this request?”

“I guess I’ll have to go and see for myself first, but I don’t know.”

The destination of our train was a small village located in the southern Barony of Volorik.

It wasn’t a place of any particular importance in the game, but was simply the destination for this request.

The random request we picked before departure contained a riddle-like content.

‘A rumor spread that the landowner of the forest village belonging to the Barony of Bolorik was murdered. Baron Volorik dispatched investigators to investigate the incident, but there has been no news for over two weeks. Accordingly, an investigation request was entrusted to the mercenary guild.’

In some ways, everyone in the group was happy about what seemed like a simple solution.

But I noticed something strange.

First of all, there was too little information.

It was said that the landowner was dead, but the six and a half principles were non-existent.

We only know who died, but we don’t know whether the culprit was a human or a monster, when he died, or the specific location or time of the incident.

Since we don’t know the culprit, we don’t know the motive and we don’t know how he was killed.

Of course, we were going there to investigate, but the whereabouts of the investigators the Baron had sent first were also extremely suspicious.

‘It would be good if it wasn’t complicated or dangerous.’

Hazal continued to talk, whether he knew how I felt or not.

“From my perspective, I think we can solve this problem as soon as we get to the village. Of course, it may take some time to investigate, but it is much better than other groups’ quests to subdue monsters or catch thieves.”

Of course, as he said, there was a higher probability that it was nothing special.

At best, it must be a big deal since it happened in the baronial territory.

Maybe I’m overestimating it.

As I lost concentration, I looked around and saw that only a few people were awake.

No, Vivian was awake, but looking out the window and lost in thought.

The rest, Christopher and Ivy, were sleeping while snoring, and they looked so peaceful that it made me laugh.

okay.

Nothing much will happen.

* * *

When we arrived at Bolorik Estate, the only train station in the Barony of Volorik, we decided to visit the Baron’s family first.

As we boarded the carriage waiting for guests near the station, we soon appeared in a fiefdom that was a little too small to be called a city, but too big to be called a village.

“First, let’s organize our questions.”

“What should I ask first?”

The conversation was mainly led by Hazal and Christopher.

Vivian had a very quiet personality, and Ivy did not voice her opinion since it was her role as a director.

And since I was the only member of the Magic Department, I had little influence, so I kept quiet.

Not wanting to come forward also played a part.

“First, we need to know the information about the murdered landowner. “That way, we can confirm things like a grudge relationship.”

“I will do that. “Are you asking for information from investigators about a missing person?”

“Let’s ask that too. “The more information the better.”

Hazal, who had said that far, soon turned his head and asked me, who was just listening.

“Do you, Adrias, have any other opinions?”

I thought for a moment and said.

“I want to know if there have been any other rumors recently. “A monster appeared or something unusual happened.”

“yes. “Let me ask you that too.”

While we were talking, we arrived at the main gate of Yeongju Castle.

After paying for the carriage, I approached the guard and he asked what I was doing.

“What did you visit for?”

“We are students from Rodlen Academy who came after confirming His Excellency Volorik’s request.”

“Please wait a moment.”

The guard immediately went to deliver the news.

A moment later, he reappeared accompanied by a figure who appeared to be a butler.

“Nice to meet you. My name is Ivan Edlin, and I am the former butler of House Volorik. We welcome students from Rodlen Academy to visit us. “Please follow me.”

As I followed him into the castle, I saw a shabby interior befitting an ordinary country baron.

The place the butler guided me to was the reception room, and Baron Volorik was already waiting in the reception room.

“You are an unexpected guest. Welcome. “I am Evans Bolorik.”

“Meet His Excellency Volorik. “My name is Ivy Claire, and she leads the students.”

He had a thin, hysterical appearance.

His complexion was pale and he didn’t look in good condition.

The attitude towards us didn’t seem very welcoming, but maybe this was my mistake.

After exchanging formal greetings, we sat down and started asking questions in earnest.

“I want to first hear information about the landowner who was murdered.”

“He is my cousin. I understand that my uncle was my father’s son, held the title of baronet, and had no family. And it’s still just a rumor, so we’re not sure if he was murdered.”

After that, he described the landowner’s age, impression, and appearance, but there was no information of any particular note.

“Did you ever have a grudge against him?”

“I don’t know about such private matters. Actually, it’s been quite a while since he and I met in person… … .”

I asked all the questions I had prepared in advance, but even after that, no clues came out.

One thing that puzzled me was why investigators were dispatched only once during a month.

When I asked him about it, the Baron answered:

“I didn’t pay much attention at first because it was just a rumor. However, when the collector who went to collect taxes in the village did not return, investigators were eventually dispatched. And in the end, they couldn’t come back either. “As a collector, we have already checked it twice, so we asked the mercenary guild to prevent damage to innocent lives.”

I looked at things like the other person’s breathing, gestures, and habitual reactions.

I looked at everything, including the slight tremors of his muscles, and realized that the Baron was lying or hiding something.

‘There’s nothing suspicious about the content itself, but it smells.’

What are you hiding?

While he was wondering, the butler next to him checked the time, approached the Baron, and whispered something in his ear.

Then the Baron stood up and said:

“I have some business to do, so I’ll just get up now. “I hope you can resolve this well.”

When he left, the butler stayed behind and explained.

“I am very sorry for the lack of cooperation. In fact, our master is unwell, so His Excellency is personally taking care of him. “I would like to explain in advance that this is the case, just in case.”

“no. “It can happen.”

As Hazal smiled cheerfully, the butler also lowered his head with a relaxed expression.

“If it’s okay with you, how about staying here for the day? “There are many rooms for guests in our residence.”

We exchanged opinions for a while, but I expressed my opposition, thinking it would be better to resolve it as quickly as possible.

Fortunately, the other group members seemed to have no idea and followed my opinion.

“We will go to where the incident occurred right now.”

“If you leave now, you will probably arrive by sunset. Rather, it would be better to just stay and leave tomorrow… … .”

“Thank you for your consideration. But it’s okay.”

“It’s dangerous at night. So please stay and go.”

“We don’t have much time, so I’ll decline.”

Then the butler glared at us with an expression that said he didn’t like something.

It seemed as if he was angry because he had been denied a favor, but it also seemed like he was angry because he didn’t get his way.

I thought it was really strange, and after rejecting the butler’s suggestion again, I came out.

“It’s a little cheap.”

“Which part is that?”

When I opened my mouth first, Hazal asked.

“I thought the Baron was lying. Or he’s hiding something.”

“yes? “Did you do that?”

Hazal and other personnel looked at me strangely.

I was afraid that if I explained about breathing or habitual behavior, I would be treated as an even weirder person, so I just shook my head.

“no. “I think it was just a feeling.”

“Well, the butler’s expression and attitude when he left at the end was unusual. “You can definitely feel that way.”

With that said, we found a carriage heading to Surim Village.

However, Christopher looked slightly reluctant.

“Isn’t this too hasty?”

“There’s nothing more to find out. And is there anything special about our skills?”

Christopher appeared surprisingly cautious, but Hazal patted him on the shoulder and said it was okay.

However, as if he was curious, he asked Vivian for her opinion.

“Vivian, what do you think?”

“… … I don’t know.”

Hazal smiled bitterly at the answer and then asked about my intention.

“What about your classmates?”

“I think it would be better to go to the village like we did the first time.”

In the end, we decided to visit Surim Village as agreed by Hazal and I.

To be honest, I felt uneasy based on the information I had received so far, but I trusted Ivy.

‘I’m accompanying someone who will become the youngest Auror Master, so something’s going to happen.’

Since Ivy has insurance, at least her life is guaranteed.

And even in my gameplay memories, there wasn’t a single episode related to Baron Volorik.

Of course, I don’t know what happened in the past, before the game started, but if something big happened, I would definitely know about it, like the terrorist attack that happened at the academy.

Without any worries, I took a carriage to the forest village and left.

“It’s farther than I thought. “First of all, I need to find an inn as soon as I arrive.”

“If that were the case, wouldn’t it have been better to sleep at Bolorik?”

“Because we don’t have much time. “While I’m gone, I need to research the surroundings in advance.”

Before I knew it, the day was getting darker.

As I looked at the forest road as dusk fell, I felt an inexplicable pounding as I headed toward the village.

‘what?’

unrest?

no. Rather than that, it has something to do with my heart… … .

okay! It’s mana.

Mana showed signs of going wild little by little.

I looked at the expressions of others due to the sudden strange phenomenon, but they were all calm.

‘Why am I the only one like this? ‘Did I eat something wrong?’

And not long after I felt something was wrong with my body, the carriage suddenly started running wild.

widely! widely!

“mister! “I’m not in a hurry, so please drive slowly!”

Even though Hazal pounded on the wall and shouted at the coachman, the carriage did not stop shaking.

Feeling puzzled, Christopher opened the sliding window that allowed him to talk to the coachman, and saw the coachman struggling strangely and whipping the horses.

“hey! “What are you doing now?”

Christopher shouted, but the coachman did not respond and continued to behave strangely.

It was only then that everyone noticed something strange and went on alert.

“Why are you doing that?”

“If this continues, the carriage will overturn.”

Christopher immediately opened the carriage door and threw himself into the driver’s seat.

Then, as he looked at the coachman, his expression became strange.

“what’s the matter? What?”

“Are you smiling?”

When everyone tilted their heads at the unexpected remark, Christopher turned the driver’s body and showed us his face.

The coachman smiled with a bizarre expression and his body swayed as if he was dancing.

“hey! what’s the matter? Wake!”

“You’re out of your mind. It was fine until just now… … .”

While everyone was confused, the carriage with its reins loose began to run away.

Not only was the driver strange, but the horses seemed to have gone crazy and started running around in a strange manner.

Eventually, Christopher began driving the carriage himself.

“Even the horses are crazy! “Something is strange!”

At Christopher’s words, everyone inside the carriage looked at me.

It seemed like they were looking for a solution from me, the only wizard, but it wasn’t like I had any clues.

“For now, try to slow down as much as possible.”

In the end, that was all we could say to Christopher.

I don’t know what Christopher’s carriage driving skills were like, but fortunately, the speed started to slow down.

Thanks to this, the risk of the carriage overturning was safely overcome.

The coachman continued to sob even though Christopher had taken his seat, but suddenly he got up and jumped out of the carriage.

“crazy!”

When we saw the coachman who had jumped in fright, he got up and danced bizarrely, his face covered in wounds and bleeding.

Rather than looking like they were jumping around excitedly, it felt like I was watching a live-action horror movie.

Eventually, he continued dancing until he disappeared from our sight inside the carriage.

“What on earth was that? “Is that person strange?”

“It’s a village! “They’re all here!”

At that time, I heard Christopher’s cry and when I looked out the window, I saw a small village.

And at the same time, the mana fluctuations in my heart began to intensify.

As the phenomenon worsened the closer we got to the village, it seemed like the village was the cause rather than eating something wrong.

Fortunately, rather than being painful, the fluctuations had a positive effect, filling me with a sense of uplift.

‘Why on earth are you doing this?’

At that time, I couldn’t judge this phenomenon even with my gaming knowledge.

Christopher’s trembling voice was heard.

“Well, what are they doing now?”

At his words, everyone looked out the window.

There, I could see all the villagers coming out and dancing strangely.

That image, along with the darkened sky, created an atmosphere of fear.

“What on earth is that…?” … ?”

“Is it a curse? hey! San! What on earth are they doing? “If you’re a wizard, you probably know that much!”

As soon as the carriage reached the village entrance, Christopher forced it to stop.

Even though the carriage had arrived, the residents didn’t pay any attention and were dancing with smiles on their faces that seemed to tear their mouths apart.

With no torches lit, it felt like a bizarre festival was taking place in a dark village.

I couldn’t say exactly what this phenomenon was because I didn’t even see it in the game, but in most cases, it was one of three things.

One is Mana Anomaly and one is Magic.

And finally.

‘Dark magic?’

fantasy,