The Necromancer Commands Slaves, Not Undeads

23 – Feast and Farewell

From noble mtl dot com

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Suddenly, it was evening. I woke up from my sleep and rose from the bed. My right arm was hurting for some reason and when I looked, I could see why.

Dorothy seemed to be sleeping using my arm as a pillow. I shook her body to wake her up.

“Dorothy. Dorothy.”

Then, Dorothy, who raised her upper body gradually, looked at me sleepily.

“Yawn…”

“It’s time to go now.”

“Yeah…”

To be able to leave as soon as the feast was over, we each shouldered a backpack with our belongings. As we descended to the inn hall, the innkeeper spoke to us.

“You’re leaving already?”

“Yes.”

He looked at us regretfully. I left a generous 1 gold to the innkeeper.

Perhaps his regret was not for the loss of a relationship, but for the loss of money.

“Please return the remainder of the change.”

Our stay in the Freut area had not even been a week. After deducting the laundry, accommodation, and repair costs, he returned the remaining 4 silver.

I smiled at the disappointed him.

“If I come to Freut again, I’ll stay here again.”

“Thank you for everything.”

Dorothy and I bid farewell to the innkeeper, a stranger in the Freut region.

When we came out of the inn, the sky was dark. There were no traces of the sun in the sky.

As we look at the sky where the moon and the stars replace the sun, we moved towards the lord’s mansion where the feast was being held under the night sky.

On the way to the mansion, Dorothy opened her mouth.

“So, where is the next destination?”

Dorothy had naturally reached a point where she could connect sentences. I naturally reached towards her head at her improved vocabulary.

Answering her question, I stroked her head.

“I think it will probably be the capital. I plan to meet Leoric, the golden lion, who is known as a friend of the black wolf in the capital.”

Dorothy tilted her head.

“You said that Morz is in the good books of Axetium Clan. You can’t keep running away from him, can you? The guys want something that the master…””Considering it’s the wizard’s possession… I plan on negotiating through him by revealing the location and claiming to have retrieved the items.”

I had sold a considerable amount of the wizard’s belongings to a general goods merchant in the Domain of Ellia. And I left all the remaining goods in his hut.

These were all the old man’s belongings I knew of.

“What if they still try to kill us…?”

Dorothy looked at me with a worried expression.

Indeed, that possibility definitely existed. In such a case, it would be sensible to escape to a place beyond Exium’s reach.

After all, the Black Wolf had said they are a skillful group of assassins.

“In that case, we would have to flee to a kingdom or a republic.”

And if Exium Clan followed us even there, we would have no choice but to fight, whether it kills or feeds us.

“Well, don’t worry too much. Somehow we’ll get through it. Let’s not think towards the negative from the start.”

“Okay.”

We had this conversation as we arrived at the Lord’s mansion. Loud noises could be heard from inside the mansion. It seemed the party had already started.

“We’re a bit late. Let’s quickly step inside.”

In the mansion’s yard, the mercenaries and soldiers who participated in the suppression squad were drinking as they shared various stories and conversations.

In addition to those who participated in the subjugation force, many people, including top class merchants and those who seem to be in good terms with the Lord, attended the party.

Inside, the mansion’s servants were bustling around serving food and drinks, and everyone seemed to be enjoying and happy in the lively atmosphere.

While sipping wine at the high table and conversing with the guests, the Lord discovered Dorothy and me and left his conversation to approach us.

“The wizard and his assistant! You’ve finally arrived. We have plenty of food and alcohol, so enjoy.”

“Thank you for your consideration.”

As a formality, Dorothy and I bowed our heads in respect to the Lord.

“When the atmosphere matures, I plan to distribute rewards to the suppression squad, so don’t worry about it.”

The Lord gave me a hint.

Indeed, I wanted to receive my payment right now and leave, but I didn’t have the nerve to spoil the festive atmosphere.

Given the circumstances, it would be best to enjoy the party a bit before leaving.

“Understood. Is there a particular food you want, Dorothy?”

“A lot.”

Dorothy swallowed as she looked at the meat dishes placed on the pristine white tablecloth.

“Then, let’s go enjoy ourselves.”

After speaking to the Lord, Dorothy and I piled our plates with extravagant dishes, unthinkable for an average meal.

Finding a suitable table, we began devouring the food, quite literally.

Now that it was dinner time and feeling totally drained from fatigue after returning to the territory, we hadn’t had the time to satiate our hunger.

Dorothy and I proceeded with our feast remarkably. Seeing each other devouring food seemed somewhat amusing, that we ended up teasing each other for the first time.

“Don’t eat like you’ve been starving for three days, master.”

“Wipe the sauce off your mouth before you speak.”

Having jabbed at each other, we burst into laughter upon making eye contact. Then, someone approached us.

The one who approached us was none other than the Black Wolf. With his flushed face showing signs of intoxication, he sat down next to me while emitting a strong smell of alcohol.

Seeing his state, he felt oddly endearing, like a local middle-aged man.

“Congratulations. I heard rumors that you’ll receive a knighthood. Seems like the Lord here is quite greedy for talent.”

“Probably because the number of knights is low considering the domain’s size. I was lucky. But I’m not sure if a mercenary like me can work well under someone.”

I patted his shoulder and said,

“You will do just fine.”

“You talk like there’s a magic fountain of words.”

“It just shows how much I recognize the Black Wolf’s ability.”

The Black Wolf and I shared a soft laugh. He stared at Dorothy, who was diligently eating her meat.

“Dorothy, your performance in this operation was far beyond my expectations. My guess is…””A few years from now, surely no one will be able to match you one on one.”

Dorothy momentarily stopped her hands and looked at the black wolf.

“But don’t be too arrogant. A swordsman should always be humble.”

“Understood.”

With that, the black wolf finished his parting advice as the master who had taught her for a short period of time.

“Are you leaving now?”

“Yes. I am going to meet the Golden Lion you told me about.”

“May luck be with you.”

He patted my shoulder and got up from his seat. I realized in that moment that this was our farewell.

“Take care, black wolf.”

The leader of the mercenary guild who had traveled with us from the Ellia territory to the Freud territory got up and returned to the place where his subordinates were.

When Dorothy and I began filling our stomachs with food, the atmosphere of the party gradually ripened. The lords began calling out the names of those who participated in the punitive force.

They praised the mercenaries for their hard work and called them true warriors.

They distributed gold coins among them, acknowledging their efforts and also distributed gold coins among their own soldiers.

Finally, they named the people who had played major roles in the punitive force one after another.

Knight Leonard, who fought bravely one on one with the manticore and captured slaves from the rear, managed the mercenaries and was given a horse as the lord had promised.

The black wolf blocked the wolves that came rushing with his mercenaries at the forefront of the punitive force. The lord acknowledged his merit for fending off dozens of wolf packs and killing seven wolves all by himself.

The lord offered the black wolf a knight title and asked if he would be an honorable man to protect the Freud territory under him.

“I pledge my allegiance to Freud here and now.”

With that, he became the second knight in the Freud territory.

Eventually, the lord mentioned Dorothy and me. The lord looked at Dorothy and talked about her achievements.

“Dorothy, you participated as a magician’s assistant in the punitive force and rescued the center of the force at the edge of extinction. You also killed four bears. Thanks to you, my soldiers and I were able to survive. Let me express my gratitude first.”

The lord handed Dorothy a hefty pouch of gold coins.

“There are 100 gold coins. If I may, I would want you to stay in the territory, but you are serving someone else.”

Dorothy softly nodded her head while looking at the hefty pouch of gold coins.

“Everybody, cheer and applaud for this strong and brave female warrior!”

With that, the crowd burst into applause and cheers towards Dorothy. Everyone in the punishing force knew of her contribution.

“And finally, I will give a generous reward to the person who led the punitive force to a decisive victory.”

“The unnamed wizard, come forward.”

From noble mtl dot com

I stepped forward, leaning on my staff.