I Became The Academy Necromancer-Chapter 271: A Heavy Footstep

“Huh?”

A short gasp escaped Deia’s lips as her grip on the shotgun gradually went slack, and the barrel lowered.

Her wide-open eyes, quivering faintly, stared directly at me.

“S-say that… again.”

A gentle smile tugged at my lips as I watched her stammer.

I sensed that she had almost figured it out.

Even though it should have been impossible for her to recognize me in a different body, with a different voice and manner of speaking.

Still, she asked me again, just in case.

Just that alone made all my previous worries seem ridiculous.

“What should I say?”

“Hey, you jerk! I told you to speak to me properly!”

Stammering as she got closer, Deia looked unexpectedly cute in a way I hadn’t seen before.

“H-hurry! Anything! Y-you know, something like what that bastard usually says!”

She was almost certain now. I wondered how she had figured it out, but I pretended to be clueless.

“What kind of way of talking?”

I had changed my manner of speaking to clearly distinguish Kim Shinwoo from Deus within me, but saying it while in Kim Shinwoo’s body felt rather awkward.

“Oh, come on! You know, like… right? Like that!”

And now, she’d set the shotgun on the floor and was gesturing wildly in front of me, imitating various ways of speaking.

“The living should not cross the boundary of the dead recklessly, happy birthday, things like that, you know that!”

“Pfft.”

“Hey, you jerk! That’s something you said!”

Was she always this adorable?

Seeing Deia, who used to grumble constantly, now blushing and looking at me so earnestly stirred my emotions as well.

“Please? Just say it! Y-you can even say something like ‘go easy with the shotgun once’ like before!”

Unable to touch me directly, she just stood there, not knowing what to do, pushing me for a response.

“Deia.”

I called her name softly.

“Ah…”

Tears began to pool in Deia’s eyes and naturally, the overwhelming feeling flowed into me as well.

I was grateful.

I knew that it would take me some time to explain it properly.

I thought I’d have to present evidence if I were to reveal that I was Deus—maybe even share some of our hidden memories.

However, none of that was necessary.

Just saying her name was enough.

“YOU BASTARRRDDD!”

She had recognized me.

Wham!

Deia threw herself at me, wrapping me in a tight hug and burying her face in my chest. Unable to hold back any longer, she started sobbing, venting her resentment.

“Where were you all this timmeeeeee?! I-I thought… I thought you were deadddddd!”

“I’m sorry.”

“Because I… because I was unable to do anything! I was right there with you! And in the end, I couldn’t even help you, and because of that…”

But did she even do anything wrong?

After all, Raizel, the God of Thunder, was not a being who could be stopped with something crude like a shotgun.

I hugged her gently.

Even though I couldn’t feel her warmth because of my artificial body, I still felt an illusion of her warmth.

“You jerk! You jerk! You HORRIBLE JERRRRKKK!”

“I have no excuses.”

After listening to her cry for a while, Deia, somewhat calmer now, raised her head slightly, still clinging to me.

She looked at my face and mumbled something under her breath.

“What did you say?”

I couldn’t hear her clearly even though she was right next to me.

Curious, I asked, and Deia lowered her head even more before speaking up.

“T-that… is that your real face?”

“Ah.”

I scratched my cheek and nodded.

“Yeah, this is how I originally looked as Kim Shinwoo. Professor Fel Petra’s artificial body seems to take on the form that matches the mana of the soul within it.”

“…”

I felt her grip tighten around me. My waist even bent a little, so I guess I was right.

Sensing this was a good opportunity, I asked her something I’d been genuinely curious about.

“How did you know it was me?”

My appearance, voice, and even my mannerisms were all different from when I was Deus; it would have made much more sense for her to see me as a completely different person instead.

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However, Deia recognized me the moment she saw me. It was something beyond rhyme or reason.

“I just… knew.”

“…”

“It simply hit me all at once. I just felt like the person I’d been waiting for had finally returned.”

“I still don’t get it. Are you really okay with something that vague?”

As I responded honestly, Deia pulled her head back a bit and bumped her forehead against my chest lightly.

“What do you want me to say then? You’re a Necromancer, yet you’re arguing over logic.”

It seemed that she found it annoying that I, someone who dealt with things beyond rational explanation, would ask for a logical answer.

“Just understand it as ‘it is what it is.’ You really have trouble reading the mood. That part of you is definitely like Deus.”

“D-De-De-Deus?!”

At that moment, an astonished squeal echoed across the mountain. As I turned towards that shriek, Deia naturally looked in the same direction while still clinging to me.

“I forgot about her for a moment.”

I was about to apologize to Xiao Hu for forgetting her in the excitement of the reunion, but I noticed Deia frowning deeply. This time, she squeezed me so tight, it felt like my waist might actually break.

“Some things never change, do they?”

“…Wase up a little! You’ll break my artificial body.”

“Huh?”

Deia looked like she was asking for an explanation, but Xiao Hu eagerly interrupted with a question.

“W-wait! A-are you really talking about Deus Verdi?!”

Annoyed at the sudden interruption as we were sharing a sibling moment, Deia gave Xiao Hu a cold glare, then poked me with her chin.

“Yeah, he’s Deus Verdi.”

“So you accompanied the hunters planning to kill you?!”

“…So?”

Their eyes turned to me, but I simply shrugged.

“That was the fastest way to get back to Norseweden.”

Besides, the hunters would have come after me regardless.

“Joining a march meant to kill you…”

Xiao Hu’s jaw dropped in disbelief, but seemingly pleased with my answer, Deia loosened her grip.

“Right, you had to return as quickly as possible.”

After that, a quiet silence settled over us as the wind blew coldly.

Xiao Hu looked at me, I in turn looked at Deia, but Deia pretended not to notice.

Our gazes, shifting from one to the next, ultimately landed on Deia, but she remained silent.

“Let’s go see the Mountain Lord.”

I had gently asked Deia to step back, but she pretended not to hear me.

Given the situation, I wasn’t actually in a bad mood. After all, my younger sister, who usually complained, was now greeting me in this manner.

And she had accepted me as Kim Shinwoo, not as Deus.

It was definitely a good thing, but still, there were things that needed to be taken care of.

“…”

But despite my words, Deia showed no sign of letting go. Instead, she tightened her grip again.

“Is it… okay to remain like this?”

Seeing me struggle, Xiao Hu finally spoke up, subtly suggesting that this wasn’t how things were supposed to be.

But even after hearing Xiao Hu’s words, Deia still refused to let go.

Well, this was probably part of my role as an older brother.

“Give me a minute. I can at least indulge in my younger sister’s childishness after such a long time.”

Thud!

Just as I thought I’d give her some time, Deia suddenly pushed me away and stepped back.

Did she perhaps not like being called childish?

I wondered if I’d made a mistake, but Deia immediately turned to grab her shotgun and snapped at me coldly.

“Let’s go, Mr. Kim Shinwoo.”

“…”

“The Mountain Lord will recognize you, so let’s go.”

Her sudden coldness was a dramatic shift from her earlier behavior, like a reed bending in the wind.

“Y-you’re kind of scaring me now.”

“Why? Did I say something wrong?”

Xiao Hu, who had moved closer, grabbed my sleeve in fright.

And just as we were about to resume our climb up the mountain to meet the Mountain Lord—

“…!”

My head instinctively whipped towards the entrance to the Norseweden mountain range—the very spot where Darius and Findenai were in the middle of a battle against the hunters.

And from that location, a massive surge of power began to cover the sky in an instant.

***

Kaang!

Findenai’s Snow White and Lanhardt’s spear collided with each other, resulting in a tremendous shockwave.

Lanhardt felt that the first attack was somewhat lackluster compared to the momentum she showed earlier.

Hence, he assumed it would be over after a few exchanges, but—

“Ugh!”

However, just a moment later, he was caught off guard by Findenai’s assault.

With the passage of time, her attack even grew stronger.

This was the first time he’d ever faced such a woman.

Facing Findenai, who relentlessly swung her white blade as if she had no limit to her stamina, Lanhardt realized the scale of victory was gradually tipping against him.

“Unbelievable.”

And amid the struggle, Lanhardt felt a strange heat from within his chest.

It wasn’t just a feeling or a random sensation.

Throughout the battle with Findenai, he sensed the fragments of the Ancient Dragon he had devoured were starting to change.

Is it because of the life-threatening danger?

If the Ancient Dragon’s power now saw Lanhardt as something it should protect, didn’t that mean he would be able to wield the true strength of a guardian deity?

Lanhardt grinned at the thought.

“Is this funny?”

However, his opponent didn’t even allow him that.

Having leaped forward, Findenai was already swinging her halberd right in front of Lanhardt.

She’s gotten even faster!

He had never imagined she could become even stronger from this point.

There isn’t enough time to wield my spear!

It was already too late to raise his spear, so Lanhardt raised his left arm instead, prepared to sacrifice it.

He thought it would be less detrimental to give up his left hand rather than his neck.

CLAAAANG!

“…!”

“…!”

Even though Lanhardt’s left hand made direct contact with Findenai’s halberd, it remained unscathed, emitting a metallic clang as if it were made of steel.

Though the impact forced him back and caused him to topple over, his hand glowed with a soft golden light.

“What the…?”

Be it Findenai, who had struck him.

“This is…”

Or Lanhardt, who was struck.

They were both surprised by what just happened.

Realizing that the power from the remnants of the Ancient Dragon was starting to manifest, Lanhardt allowed a faint smile to form at the corner of his lips.

“Looks like the tide of this battle is about to change.”

He knew that Findenai was strong, but he was confident she was no match for the power he had gained from the Ancient Dragon.

Lanhardt was sure of this.

“How ridiculous.”

Findenai sneered, thinking to herself, how much could he possibly change in such a short span of time?

Even so, both of them remained vigilant, keeping their eyes locked on each other.

Thump!

Without disrupting the atmosphere, something appeared without any warning or foreshadowing. However, because of that, it carried an overwhelming presence that dominated the crowd.

“A door?”

Lanhardt wore a strange expression as a purple door suddenly appeared between them. He didn’t like how the life-or-death intensity of the battle had dissipated with its arrival.

On the other hand, Findenai’s eyes trembled.

Could it be?

Had her heart ever raced this quickly before?

Holding her breath, Findenai stared intently at the door of the general store.

And the moment it began to creak open, a massive wave of mana, one that even the continent could not withstand, began to gush out from the door.

Thump!

A heavy footstep landed, directed towards the /genesisforsaken