Chapter 185: Chapter 185

I had returned to last night.

I couldn't endure even a single day.

Did I make a grave mistake in going straight to Erast? Was trying to enthrone Rubia as the lord that absurd?

I had died too quickly and meaninglessly. I didn't even feel like bursting out of the coffin this time.

Yet, as if to goad me on, the translucent system messages filled the air around me.

[Succession Complete…]

[Necromancer's Lover+ (New!)

You have given your life three times for a particular necromancer.

— Greatly stimulates the necromancer's talents.

— The necromancer's Necromancy proficiency, linked to your servitude, now increases 15% faster.]

Not a bad gain, I suppose.

In the end, maybe it was worth the struggle. As the system sounds continued, other status windows appeared in succession, reflecting the stats I had earned from killing around thirty humans. Both my Strength and Agility soared well past eighty, each cycle of life and death pushing them even higher. There were times I considered repeating the regressions for this alone, but that wasn't a path I could choose.

Amid the rain hammering my bones, I heard Rubia's voice. "Dead one!"

Perhaps each time I died, she'd be forced to live on in a parallel world where she could never protect me. When I thought of it that way, I had no choice but to claw at life to the very last breath, until this woman's safety was secured.

Rubia called out once more. "I have awakened you!"

Of course, Rubia's surprise was entirely within my expectations. I'd become used to it.

I reached out lightly to steady her so she didn't touch the ground. Her face flushed crimson in the flickering light. Even for a necromancer, it was natural to scream and flee in terror if I emerged . It helped that the basic perk gave me an Affection of thirty, softening her fear.

"Uh... well... I... I chose—no, summoned—you!" Rubia stammered.

"You summoned me?" I asked.

"I mean, I woke you up!"

Lightning flashed in the sky.

Rubia's wide brown eyes were filled with astonishment. "But how... how do you know my name? Y-you can even speak?"

Beneath the tremor in her eyes, I saw a fierce curiosity about me.

"Let's go," I stated.

"Ah... y-yes! Let's!" Rubia replied instantly.

I hadn't even told her where we were going.

I took Rubia's hand and quickly headed for the cave. I even considered picking her up and running, but something held me back—I had failed to protect her even for a single day in my previous life.

Reaching the cave didn't take long. Perhaps the fact that I could speak had lifted Rubia's spirits.

"I..." Rubia started sharing her circumstances without any prompts.

Nothing was different from before. In my previous life, I had killed Kirk Ray and installed Rubia as lord. Yet, in this life, her circumstances were still the same. Her father had still been murdered, and her uncle still became the lord. She still had to flee Erast in haste. Making her the lord wasn't the real change.

After making Rena the T&T branch manager, the regression point had finally reset. Her name even disappeared from the Necron ledger.

What would it take to trigger such a transformation in Rubia's past?

"Um... what are you thinking about?" Rubia asked.

"I'm not sure," I replied.

Too many thoughts swirled in my mind. What mattered was what I would do next.

"I'm... weak..." Rubia croaked.

"It doesn't matter," I said softly.

"Thank you... for rising..."

Drowsiness weighed on Rubia's brown eyes, and then they softly closed. The tension that had gripped her slipped away.

Where do we go now? Definitely not Erast.

There were dead, unique spirits hiding there.

The investigator, was it?

The red-eyed woman had known that the emperor was a fake. Moreover, those assassins had descended to this area and waited. They had known that something would appear.

Could the imperial family have known about my arrival? How? Why me?

I shook my skull. I found it hard to believe that those elite members were in that southern rural region because of me. There was no way a mere Skeleton Soldier like me would be recorded in the imperial secret archives.

Just a coincidence, surely. But how long do those assassins plan to stay here?

I sifted through my memories. They hadn't appeared during the tournament. Perhaps because I'd come and gone quietly without causing a ruckus. Still, I couldn't be certain they hadn't been waiting in Erast even then.

Until I was ready, I needed to treat it as a danger zone. Those assassins seemed to be the finest among even the elite.

Especially that red-eyed investigator.

I wouldn't stand a chance unless I was at least the level of a marquis.

The target is too strong…

I would need to be three or four times stronger than I was now. Without that, it was impossible to keep Rubia in the Erast lord's seat.

I was deep in thought when it happened.

At the cave's entrance, I sensed two humans. They were far from where Rubia and I rested. They stumbled and hesitated, unsure of their way. If they'd stayed calm, they would have realized this cave was a labyrinth designed to confuse them.

However, the thought of warm, fresh blood just ahead had driven them wild.

They'd been lured in by the idea of spilling Rubia's blood and entered blindly. Soon enough, they'd tear each other apart and starve in the dark.

Who will put a knife in whose back first?

Benson Pretcher had the edge in combat strength, but if the crossbow bolt found its mark first, the victor was anyone's guess.

Shall I help them along?

"What kind of cave is this? We're going to get lost."

"You made me work this hard... if you disobey, I'll rip your eyes out."

"If you don't move that waist properly, I'll chop you up bit by bit."

"Don't shush me—heugh!"

The Fear skill was always useful. When he first saw me, Benson Pretcher had swung his hammer without hesitation. Now he stood frozen, shivering violently.

I reached out to disarm him, then crushed his hand with his own hammer. Blood, bone, and flesh spattered everywhere. Even his nerve strands clung to the cave floor. Although I moved leisurely, neither man dared to flee.

After crushing Benson's foot, I took hold of the crossbowman's hand.

I bent all five of his fingers back at once, from pinky to thumb.

A rare, raw shriek echoed through the cave, as if torn from the deepest part of their souls. "Gah-heeeeegh!"

At least the cave's shape kept the sound from escaping outside.

I gathered what I needed from their gear, outerwear, weapons, and anything else of value.

"I'm going. Enjoy your time together," I calmly said.

Then, I left the two men twitching in terror. They'd deal with each other from here. I had no reason to waste more time.

When I returned to Rubia, she was deeply asleep on the rocky ground, her breathing soft and even.

I felt a faint sense of relief. Spreading out a fur I'd taken, I gently laid her down on it.

With a stolen dagger, I summoned a blade of flame, tracing a large circle near Rubia. I made it tighter around her waist and legs, leaving more space around her head. The heat began to dry her wet clothes.

Afterward, the dagger cracked and warped itself.

Bones along aren't enough, huh?

It was dangerous, but even bone could spark fire if forched.

What about a proper flame blade?

Still, it was no use.

[Requires Sword Energy Lv. 5 or higher!]

[Current: Sword Energy Lv. 3]

So it's impossible for now…

A sense of regret tugged at me.

Absorb the marquis' essence again, maybe?

I considered it, but that had only worked through a series of coincidences. The marquis had defied the imperial family and been disposed of in secret. I also had Naneow Tropin's help to slip through hidden passages.

I could try, but now wasn't the time. I needed to think of the next move. If I wanted to grow stronger through dungeon knowledge, I'd have to go to Lime. Even though they served Purson, they'd planned my growth path safely and effectively. Since I already knew their temperament, it wouldn't be hard to win their favor.

That path would expose me to the Demon Kings. Besides, the Lurium circuit running through me bore the mark of Malphas. Lime was too risky.

The second option was to seek help from Naneow Tropin, the founder of T&T. She had hidden passages, along with a small but powerful group with prophets and mages. While I couldn't gauge Naneow's combat prowess, they were also in a desperate situation.

T&T had already been overrun by Purson's faction. Even if Naneow liked me, they probably wouldn't be able to provide me with a full intelligence network.

Let's postpone that idea as well…

The third option came to mind.

One thing was certain: she would absolutely like me. A lot—almost unbearably so, all thanks to my Necromancer's Lover perk. Her nature meant that she wouldn't be able to hold back the moment I went to her.

But I have to keep her alive.

I needed to meet her. She had given me the Epic skill of Essence Absorption, so I couldn't leave her to die. To stop the emperor's assassination and save her, I had to tell her to walk the path of Lindbrum's dream.

However, the deeper I thought, the more complicated it became. Even if I could endure her intense affection physically, there was Rubia.

How would the Gith-Za-Rai treat a human woman like Rubia? She could do anything. Tʜe source of this ᴄontent ɪs noveⅼfire.net

I didn't want to imagine it in detail. Gith-Za-Rai could be surprisingly gentle, but it was far too ambiguous. I should go alone if I wanted to see her.

That left only one choice: the city of weapons, Grassmere. For now, it was the only place I could go. For at least a year, until the lord there was consumed, Rubia would be safe. Besides, it was the perfect place to obtain weapons and armor, too. The Chandler family's weaknesses was a crucial asset I'd gained through my regressions, so I'd be a fool not to use it. Rubia could probably gain political influence there.

Isaac Bel'Homec would temporarily possess Rubia's body, but if I let him find his, I could reverse the possession.

Not bad. At least a year of safety.