The Necromancer Who Was Despised

It seemed like she was suspicious because other guys had tried to lure herself and Athena.

“That’s not impossible, but it doesn’t matter as long as it benefits us.”

“…It sounds a bit bothersome…”

If it really is as Kyla suspects, there’s nothing we can do about it.

But there was no need to worry about that.

‘After all, Cereo ended up creating a mercenary in the future.’

There could be related forces, but it was unlikely to be a trap.

“It’ll be helpful to you, so bear with it this time.”

“Me?”

When I asked Anelise, I gave her Kyla’s name. Especially when it came to the sword, I said I would go to Kyla…

‘She should know.’

“You know I have quite a lot of information, right?”

“Yes. You don’t tell us the sources, but that’s true.”

From the beginning, there were so many cases where we were told not to ask about the sources, so the group didn’t ask me about the sources of my information.

Of course, they must have had their own doubts. Maybe they even talked to each other about it.

But that’s all.

‘I never intended to talk about regression anyway.’

In the first place, I’m the one who knows the location of the dragon’s body that not even the kingdom knows about.

I didn’t actually show it to them, but the group believed the information, and if they know that kind of information, they’ll probably think it’s the same with other information.

In fact, based on the information I had, we were able to retrieve an artifact and an experimental log from another dark mage’s dungeon.

“By any chance, is there something around here too?”

“…I thought you came here because it’s a convenient place to operate and gain fame…”

“Honestly, I didn’t think I’d move this quickly, but I got a chance.”

“I guess they contacted you first.”

“That’s right.”

Kyla still looked suspicious.

“There’s a monster tribe that has an artifact.”

I told Kyla the same story I told Anelise.

“A sword and armor….”

“If you get both, I was thinking of unsealing it and giving it to you.”

“What I have now is more than enough….”

It was made by the dwarf, Mutrou. Of course, the quality was good.

“Your thoughts might change if you try it out?”

“If you give it to me, I won’t refuse, but if it turns out to be dangerous….”

“It’s worth pushing yourself a little. They called it just an artifact over there, but it’s not just any old artifact.”

“Those are ancient relics.”

Kyla’s pupils dilated at the words ‘ancient relics’.

“…I had decided not to ask, but at this point, I can’t help but wonder what you did in the past.”

I just chuckled lightly instead of answering.

I couldn’t say that I was a dimension traveler and a regressor.

“If it’s an ancient relic… my thoughts will definitely change.”

There are various types of artifacts.

Artifacts made by modern wizards are the lowest level of artifacts, and the temperature-controlled magic tent or the boundary stone that we used before fall under this category.

Of course, there are some that are outstanding.

However, those are really just a small fraction, and most of them don’t even reach the epic level of the so-called ancient relics.

Ancient relics are also artifacts in a broad sense, but they are called relics to distinguish them from those made in modern times.

They were usually discovered in ruins and given such a name. They were of a level that the current wizards could never create, and some even said that they were artifacts made by dragons.

There are also ranks among relics. They are usually classified as epic, legendary, and mythical, and the reason for these names is that the artifacts that are called relics often have similar functions to those used by figures who appear in folk tales or legends.

Folk tales and legends were often passed down orally, so it was common for the tradition to be broken, and relics were often found scattered around, making it difficult to identify them. However, the names that were initially established remained unchanged, and they are still called that way.

Similarly, there are also dungeon-excavated artifacts, but of course, they do not come from a wizard’s dungeon.

Those that come from fairly old dungeons are sometimes treated as relics, but the dungeon-excavated artifacts I’m talking about are those found in the cracks of dimensions.

‘In the past, even the cracks in dimensions were treated like some wizard’s dungeon.’

Later, it was revealed that the cracks in dimensions appeared naturally, and the misunderstanding was cleared up, but this was also a name that had already been established, so they were still called dungeon-excavated.

Dungeon-excavated artifacts have a strong tendency to be hit-or-miss. Since they are made with techniques from other dimensions and different systems, some of them have performance that rivals ancient relics, while others have performance that is even worse than the low-grade artifacts made by wizards.

“For reference, the estimated rank is legendary.”

“…Legendary?”

“Yeah. They’re sealed, so it’s hard to tell, but that’s probably it.”

Legends are often broken, but the rumor I heard was that a legendary sword and armor had been found, so it must be right.

“…This is also… Of course, I thought it would be epic….”

Only three mythical artifacts have been discovered so far, and their legends are clear.

In fact, you could say that legendary is the highest you can get.

“Of course, it’s a secret. You have to treat it like a normal artifact.”

By the way, the Wind Dragon’s Fang that Artina obtained is currently showing epic-level performance, and it’s at the mid-level of epic. However, considering Artina’s current skill level, Rithild’s explanation, and the materials, it was too early to determine its limits.

‘My staff is the same.’

Right now, it’s epic. And it’s at the low level.

‘It’s not fully restored, and considering the materials, I’m sure it will be legendary the moment I become a high-ranking black wizard.’

“…Of course. At that level, it’s worth taking a risk. And with something like a minotaur….”

“But the location is the problem. That’s why I got a partner.”

“You said you needed someone who knows the area well.”

“Yeah. We were originally thinking of taking our time to find someone, but we got lucky.”

I fudged the details a bit. I had pretended not to know in front of Anelise, so I needed to add a bit of spice.

‘If I knew the location, I wouldn’t have a reason to bring them in.’

Since I couldn’t explain that the revenge was due to a grudge from a previous life, I had no choice but to resort to this method.

“The problem is that they’re untrustworthy….”

“They’ll never be found out on the surface.”

“You said it was sealed away….”

Kayla nodded.

“It’s certainly worth doing.”

“Even so, you were a bit hasty. Even though there is a promised time, if something like this happens, I would like you to move more slowly in the future.”

The promised time was the two years I had mentioned.

Well, I’ve already wasted a month visiting the Necromancer’s dungeon….

It seemed that he thought I was being hasty because of the time limit.

“Although the artifact is in the possession of a monster tribe, and we don’t know what will happen, safety is paramount.”

Prioritizing safety is my basic attitude, but sometimes my actions seem a bit dangerous.

‘Kayla wasn’t like that before….’

I couldn’t tell if it was because of my influence or because she was growing explosively right now, and needed time to develop that kind of attitude.

“Don’t worry. I’m not being hasty. I just took an opportunity when it came up.”

“Well, then….”

Kayla nodded as if that was a relief.

Following Kayla, I also informed Athena and Baldur and got them on board in advance.

It wasn’t certain yet, but the chances of them refusing were low.

“This kind of information should be shared sooner….”

I shook my head at Athena’s words.

“As I said, I was originally planning to do this after things had settled down a bit. I just happened to get an opportunity. Besides, you figured out that I had more than one piece of information, didn’t you?”

In fact, in addition to this, there was a dungeon, ruins, and a dimensional rift that appeared later, among other things.

“Well… yes.”

“There are other places I need to go besides this. This is just a fraction.”

It was something they could have guessed even if I hadn’t said it.

When I set the time limit to two years, they must have expected something like this.

That’s why they didn’t say anything more.

After all, I had already explained that it was something that had come up suddenly for me.

“So, who are these people who came first?”

“A party led by someone named Cereo. There are six of them in total. A woman named Anelise made the first contact….”

Just as I was about to explain.

Someone knocked on the door of my room.

It was the voice of the innkeeper.

“A man named Cereo and a woman named Anelise are here to see you. Do you know them?”

“…Send them up.”

As the sound of the innkeeper went downstairs reached my ears, I shrugged and said,

“It would be faster to go see for myself.”

I had thought it would be unlikely for them to decline, but I didn’t expect them to come this quickly.

Shortly after, there was a knock on the door, and I replied to come in.

The door opened, and two people entered the room.

Anelis, a young and fairly beautiful woman, and Kereos, a man in his early 30s with an ordinary face.

Both of them were familiar faces to me.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Kereos, leader of a small party.”

“We’ve gathered. I’m Anelis.”

The two bowed their heads in greeting.

“I’m Dohyun. Please call me Inha. For now, please take a seat.”

I smiled and offered them seats.

The two thanked me and sat down in the seats that I offered.

Kereos and Anelis’s gazes were focused on me.

Kereos had a slightly stiff expression, while Anelis gave a small smile.

Seeing this, Athena and Kayla’s gaze turned to Anelis.

My gaze was fixed on Kereos’s face.

“I heard you have a big request.”

5 gold

It was by no means a small sum of money.

Half the price of the captured troll.

The troll extermination request for senior mercenaries was 20 silver…

‘They say they’ve learned the Breathing Method, but they’re still intermediate mercenaries. Even if they split it six ways, 5 gold is a lot of money.’

They could also change to better equipment, and for those aiming for the Breathing Method, it was a large step forward.

“It seems you’ve heard the story…”

“I have no shame in asking for the artifact. There’s no way we can handle the Minotaur.”

It may be possible later, but not now.

I knew that Kereos would later become an Expert who even used Aura.

“In that case, would it be okay to receive the request through the Mercenary Guild for the record?”

“You’ll have to pay the fee. Is that alright?”

“We’ll take care of it.”

He seemed a little uneasy.

‘Well, even if there have been good rumors lately, it must be a little unsettling to have to work with a dark magician.’

I understand.

“If that’s the case, I’ll accept the request.”

“All the party members have agreed.”

“That’s good news.”

I replied indifferently to Anelis, who had interjected.

Kereos’s eyebrows twitched at Anelis’s friendly demeanor.

However, since I was the client and there was a big difference in our abilities, he didn’t say much.

If I thought about how it would have been in the past, a small laugh escaped me.

When I laughed, curious gazes gathered, but as we moved on to business, everyone stopped paying attention.

I asked them about what they had to do, the special terrain, and even the latest monster distribution.

Cereo answered my questions without hesitation, and I consulted with Cereo about suspicious areas and the order of places to visit.

‘The people who were active here are definitely different.’

Since the distribution of monsters changes frequently, there was a lot of information that could not be known unless they were active.

Nevertheless, Cereo answered my questions without hesitation, and I nodded in satisfaction.

After the conversation ended, we made an appointment to see each other tomorrow.

Cereo and Anelise left, and as soon as the two left, the party asked me.

“By the way, what was that woman? Could she be the one who approached you… ”

“That’s right. It’s Anelise. At first, she approached me without knowing that I was a warlock.”