I Became The Academy Necromancer-Chapter 260: The Slayer of the Ancient Dragon

“Help, you say?”

Having heard the Mountain Lord’s request from Deia, the family head Darius turned completely serious.

The Mountain Lord was a being with power far beyond human reach.

Even though its area of activity was limited and it may have a specific power source, it was still a being who possessed power that was difficult for humans to dare to gauge.

And that monster was now asking for their help?

“This seems impossible.”

Darius answered honestly, completely shattering the serious atmosphere.

“How can you say that you think you can’t do it so confidently?”

Deia snapped in disbelief. Feeling wronged, Darius protested.

“Hey! We’re talking about a guardian deity here! If someone out there can take down someone like him, our support isn’t even going to make much of a difference.”

“That’s why we’ve gathered here to think about it! Are we just going to tell the guardian deity to handle it on his own? He made a pact with Deus!”

“...Why is it always the second sons who cause trouble like this?”

Darius sighed as he smacked his forehead. He also knew that they couldn’t just ignore the Mountain Lord’s request.

However, he just wanted to complain a bit.

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“But can the Mountain Lord even die?”

Findenai asked as she placed a cigarette between her lips and protruding nose. Though Deia found it odd, she chose to remain silent for now.

She wasn’t a beast researcher, after all.

“I once fought something similar, you know? Horua from the Marias Great Forest.”

“They’re not just something similar; they’re both guardian deities.”

Horua, the guardian deity of the Marias Great Forest—A being who possessed the Great Warrior and invaded Griffin.

While it was indeed the same kind of being as the Mountain Lord, Findenai clicked her tongue and shook her head.

“No, back then, he was growing weaker with time after giving up ownership of the forest.”

“...”

“Even so, he was still powerful enough to give us a hard time.”

“That’s not exactly a comforting story.”

Ultimately, Findenai’s words meant that the Mountain Lord was that strong and a being capable of killing such a strong Mountain Lord was coming.

Darius wondered if she was deliberately trying to lower their morale.

“I’m just sharing what I know, alright?”

Shrugging, Findenai replied indifferently, which only served to frustrate Darius more, though there was nothing he could do about her.

Deus, the only one who could handle Findenai, wasn’t currently absent.

“Sigh.”

“Hmm.”

In the end, their discussion made no progress at all.

They couldn’t refuse the Mountain Lord’s request, as he was the guardian deity of the mountain range.

For those living next to the Norseweden Mountain Range, opposing the Mountain Lord was as good as declaring a fight to the death.

But still.

Would they even stand a chance against a being that could kill the Mountain Lord?

And would the sparks reach Norseweden as well?

There was no end to their concerns.

“At times like this,”

Watching the two grow anxious by the second, Findenai threw out a comment with a bitter smile.

“If Master Bastard were here, he’d have simply thrown out a solution bluntly.”

“...”

“...”

Both Deia and Darius turned their gazes to Findenai, who was practically lying on the sofa, staring blankly at her cigarette.

Deia realized that the cigarette was a gift Deus had specially requested a craftsman to make for her.

And the Clark Republic gained independence and freedom, Findenai managed to get them again by whining occasionally.

“He’ll probably find his way back.”

Deia clicked her tongue, sighing deeply. The chances of him having survived the one-on-one encounter with Raizel, the god of lightning, were slim.

However, they could only believe that he would return after solving the problem as usual.

Without that, none of them would be able to bear it.

***“...”

Rustle.

“...”

Rustle.

In a quiet laboratory, the lone sound of pages being turned created an intellectual atmosphere.

Erica Bright, who created this atmosphere all by herself, showed no change in expression.

While the assistants would normally be cautious around Erica due to her cold aura, making sure not to disturb her...

Today was different.

As the gentle sunlight streamed in through the window, her eyes followed the words on the page indifferently, and her expression remained unchanged despite the act of learning.

Her tied-up hair rested lightly on her shoulders.

Although her lips remained sealed tight, the assistants all thought of the same word.

If they were to describe the current Erica Bright in a single word...

It would be longing.

Knock knock.

A knock broke the silence.

Though the assistants didn’t say it, it was a welcomed interruption—not because they felt awkward in this atmosphere.

They could clearly see that Erica was struggling and simply wanted to shift their focus elsewhere, even if just for a little while.

When one of the assistants opened the door, a box about the size of a head was sitting there.

“Did one of the security guards leave this here?”

Taking a peek at the sender, they saw it was from the Magic Tower, signed by the Archmage Ropelican himself.

“P-Professor!”

The assistant brought the box to Erica with haste, but she just turned her head slightly without changing her posture.

“I heard the Magic Tower would send an award in recognition of your contribution. This must be it.”

“Wow.”

“From the Magic Tower? Isn’t the Archmage directly affiliated with His Majesty!”

“Professor Erica, you’re so incredible!”

“...Alright.”

After saying this, Erica simply gestured for them to open it and hang it as they saw fit, then returned to her book.

The assistants quickly gathered around the box, revealing a luxurious case with the award inside.

“Wow, amazing.”

“Is this made of gold?”

“For the service of protecting Graypond! Wow, it is incredible!”

The assistants weren’t just trying to lighten the mood; they were genuinely astonished.

The professors at the academy had mostly retired from actual combat, so their skills were undervalued at times.

However, with Erica’s direct contribution at Graypond, the standing of the other professors rose as well.

By having Erica, as their representative, receive a plaque like this, the other professors had essentially proven that they were not incompetent like they were made to be.

In fact, Erica had been the one to hold off Raizel for the longest and most consistently.

Rustle.

Once more, she turned a page in silence.

Still, what was the point of having that?

Even if the plaque had arrived....

Even if honor came her way....

Even if gratitude from the other professors poured in....

The one she was waiting for had not returned.

So she continued waiting.

The assistants, who had been making a fuss, naturally quieted down when Erica, the person involved, barely reacted.

They were about to tidy up and discuss where to place the plaque when—

Knock, knock.

There was another knock at the door.

“Yes?”

Wondering if something else had arrived, the assistants opened the door looking confused.

Standing there with disheveled pink hair was Erica’s colleague, Professor Fel Petra.

“Uh, um! Could someone help me with this?”

There was a large box behind her.

She was sweating profusely, having brought it this far with difficulty.

“Fel?”

Erica finally put her book down upon seeing her friend. The box Fel brought was about the size of a person, at least taller than both Fel and Erica.

“I-I thought you may be having a tough time, so I brought a gift!”

Fel’s unusually energetic demeanor puzzled the assistants, but they didn’t care.

They were hoping that she had brought something that would lift their professor’s spirits.

“...You don’t need to worry about me.”

Erica replied calmly, but Fel shook her head, her hair swaying.

“I can’t do that! I can’t just stand by and simply watch while you are struggling, Professor Erica.”

“...”

“And I think you’ll really like my gift once you see it.”

With a cheerful smile, Fel opened the box wide.

Inside it was Deus Verdi.

“...”

It wasn’t just Erica who was stunned and speechless; the assistants, too, stared at the incredibly lifelike figure of Deus Verdi with their jaws hanging low.

“Do you like it? Look here!”

Fel pressed down on Deus’ chest.

- Long time no see.

To everyone’s amazement, Deus’ voice rang out!

“Amazing, right? Cool, isn’t it? And if I spray the scent I made from the fragrance in Professor Deus’ office...!”

Spritz, spritz!

She pulled out a small bottle from her pocket and sprayed the scent on the body. It was slightly different but very close to the real Deus.

“Ta-dah! Now, until the Professor returns, you can use this to ease your loneliness ...!”

“...”

“E-ease the loneliness...”

“...”

“Um... well.”

Fel glanced at Erica’s expression nervously.

“Did I... just make a mistake?”

The assistants all nodded simultaneously.

Fel cautiously reached out and pressed the chest of Deus’ figure again.

- I am sorry.

* * *“Eat up.”

How many hours had gone by?

Opening my eyes slowly, I found Xiao Hu sitting across me with a steaming plate of egg-fried rice.

I thought I was simply closing my eyes instead of sleeping, but it seemed that more time had passed than I thought.

“Do you know you slept the whole day? Sitting there just like that?”

No wonder.

Looking around, I noticed dusk was gradually turning to night. And though I hadn’t really fallen asleep, my mind felt much clearer.

“I can kill you whenever I want, so you should really be careful.”

“Then why didn’t you do it?”

I adjusted myself and picked up a spoon. Although I didn’t need to eat, surprisingly, the act of eating itself provided some comfort.

“You have to wait for the perfect timing to show your teeth, you know?”

And while I was taken aback by her claim of being careful about timing, I decided to let it slide, thinking she was being serious in her own way.

“So what will you do now? Just know that I’ll be following you around, looking for an opportunity to kill you.”

“Of course, I need to return.”

“...Huh?”

Xiao Hu stared at me with wide eyes, clearly surprised by my statement.

“W-Weren’t you planning to chase down the people who killed the Great Ancient Dragon?”

“Why should I?”

Killing the Ancient Dragon was indeed a serious matter, but if you thought about it, I had no reason to pursue them.

After all, they had killed the very target I had intended to kill.

Even if they were annoying, there is no need to make unnecessary moves with my current body.

Besides, I could also do that after Deus’ body stabilized.

After all, in the first place, I didn’t even know what the Ancient Dragon had been guarding. And it wasn’t too challenging if the enemy had incapacitated the Ancient Dragon before hunting it.

Being able to kill the Ancient Dragon was indeed a big deal, but—

This also meant that their level of danger would vary depending on the strategy employed.

“Ah, no! They killed the Great Ancient Dragon! I mean, uh!”

It seemed that upon further reflection, Xiao Hu realized that I had no real reason to pursue the dragon slayer. Nevertheless, she wanted to say something, even though it lacked persuasive power.

I kept eating the fried rice, giving her some time to come up with a reason.

Thud, thud, thud, thud!

The floor shook with uniform footsteps as the door to the Lanlan Diner burst open with force, and security personnel flooded in.

“That’s the one!”

A man’s shout echoed from behind, and almost immediately, the security team extended their restraints toward me.

“Huh? Huh? Huh?!”

Startled by the sudden chain of events, Xiao Hu could only gasp in shock.

I remained silent as they led me away in cuffs. I needed to understand what was happening.

“Why are you arresting me?”

Despite my polite inquiry, their grip was rough.

I could clearly feel the disdainful gazes of the entire security team directed at me.

“You are being arrested on charges of serial murder and the murder of security personnel.”

The accusation coming from the man walking in front of me was one I was already familiar with.

The serial murders that had occurred in the alley.

The sins of the people killed by the Human Ghost had fallen squarely on my shoulders.

But more importantly—

My gaze remained fixed on the man in front of me.

He had a slim build, but he seemed agile and quick instead of looking frail.

His slightly tanned skin and attire, which appeared to be several levels above that of the other security personnel, stood out.

A triumphant smile played at the corners of his mouth, as if he had successfully cornered an opponent.

Unfortunately...

Hm.

I, too, recognized him at a glance.

The human presence I had sensed back when I went to the underground waterways in search of the Ancient Dragon.

So, this is how we meet.

The dragon slayer had come right to me of his own accord.