Chapter 10. Awakening in Life (10)

Humans would happily rush in to break me. If I were alone, I would have simply discarded the wallet. However, the money in Rubia's wallet could be very useful. I could buy a sword, a spear, a shield, or I could rent a house to hide in.

Or maybe I should buy a weapon manual and study from it.

Clatter.

I laughed. This human woman could do many things for me. I needed her.

"

Ah...

I understand," I said.

Rubia picked up the money.

"This is... too much money, isn't it? Was he a merchant?"

Seventy-two roti was quite a significant amount.

"Who knows? We'll have to search more to find out."

I continued searching the corpse, as it seemed like we needed to investigate further.

"That's very proactive," she commented.

"Excuse me?"

"A skeleton searching a corpse..."

"I'd appreciate it if you called it practical instead," I replied.

I found a canteen in the hammer wielder's belongings.

Slosh.

I shook the canteen, estimating the amount of water inside. It was half full.

Creak.

I opened the lid of the canteen, then placed it on the ground to let the rainwater fill it up.

As she watched the canteen fill, Rubia asked, "Do skeletons drink water?"

"No, but you do."

"Even though it's raining like this... you're collecting water."

"Isn't it best to collect water when it's raining? Now, let me ask you something. How did you awaken me?"

Rubia told me her story. I didn't interrupt and listened quietly. Interrupting usually meant missing the best parts when a woman told her story.

***

Rubia's father was the former lord of Erast County. He was called Count Ray. Rubia's mother had died giving birth to her. While the Count attended to his duties, Rubia spent most of her time immersed in the castle's library.

Finding a book on necromancy, or a manuscript, was purely by chance. The castle's library contained thousands of books, as was often the case with a lord's library handed down through generations. Many of the books were so dull that no one would ever read them, even if they were bored. Rubia thought there were at least a hundred such books.

Regarding the Hair Color of the Emperors from the First Seiron to the Current Emperor

was one of them.

However, Rubia had a peculiar obsession. She was determined to read every book in the library. She opened that thick book with her ridiculous obsession. From there, she discovered a hidden manuscript containing records of necromancy inside.

The manuscript wasn't even listed in the library's catalog of books, which included correspondence collections. Rubia felt a sense of unease. The land she was in was naturally part of the Empire, which strictly prohibited black magic and necromancy. While her father was lenient in private, he was overly moral and honest in public matters.

What would happen if she told her father about this? He would report the discovered manuscript to the authorities. He would follow the procedures.

Nineteen-year-old Rubia thought,

If this document is revealed officially... Father might get into trouble.

Setting aside the authenticity of the necromancy manuscript, everything else was just her speculation. She knew that if her father found out she was reading something like this, he wouldn't allow it. But she desperately wanted to see it. That was how humans were at nineteen years old.

I'll take it as if it never existed.

Rubia stealthily hid the manuscript in her bosom. She was so worried that someone might steal it that she even sewed it into her clothing.

***

"A few weeks passed like that. Then, one day, a new emperor ascended to the throne."

For the first time, I interrupted her story. "That's the beginning of the tragedy, isn't it?"

Rubia flinched, and the rainwater from her wet hair splattered everywhere.

She asked with a surprised expression, "How did you know?"

"No matter how content people seem, who the ruler is seems to be very important to them," I said matter-of-factly.

It's a general truth.

In fact, I already knew the story.

I thought quietly to myself. A year after this current emperor ascended the throne, a war broke out on the continent. He would launch a massive invasion against the Free Confederation.

Nine years...

A brutal war would ensue for nine years.

I asked for confirmation, "Is the current emperor a war hawk?"

Rubia's eyes widened. She seemed genuinely surprised.

"Wow... How do you know such things?"

Did I act like I knew too much?

I wondered inwardly.

Rubia was greatly astonished.

She answered, "Y-yes. You're spot on. How do you know such things?"

Ding!

[Rubia's Affection increased by 3!]

[Rubia thinks you are a special skeleton.]

[You have succeeded in making your master think that you are a special being.]

[New title acquired: Special Servant]

[When fighting for your master, your combat power will increase by 20%.]

A servant? Is it also applied in the system? This woman is my master...

I felt somewhat guilty toward my other master, the succubus. But Rubia was the one who had awakened me now. I had nothing to say, even if I was perceived that way.

A twenty percent increase in combat power. If this was how it would be, her usefulness would be quite significant in the future. She was not someone I could simply abandon.

Oblivious to my inner thoughts, Rubia continued her story.

"As you said, the emperor is preparing for war. He has been constantly stirring up trouble. Conscription and military training have increased dramatically. He has begun granting titles to belligerent individuals."

She explained that in many cases, titles came with corresponding territories, making people that held titles like ticking time bombs. When people only received a title, they desired to have a territory of their own, so they "inherited" the territories of others.

Of course, the local lords resisted. Rubia's father, Count Ray, was no different. Although the imperial territories used the same currency, they were practically autonomous. Even the emperor could not do as he pleased.

The emperor acted recklessly, but he had limited control over the military forces.

However, something surprising happened.

Rubia said, "One day, lords who opposed the emperor's will began to disappear one by one."

They were found as corpses in their own castles. Rubia's father was no exception; he had been stabbed to death. As Rubia spoke of Count Ray, tears welled up in her eyes.

"A lord's castle shouldn't be so easily infiltrated."

"I don't know the cause. There were only rumors about the Swordmasters or the Azure Wizards."

After several crises, Rubia ended up here.

"My uncle took the title. He's the worst man for the job. He had been imprisoned for ten years on charges of human trafficking."

Tap.

I found two cards in the hammer wielder's belongings at that moment.

Rubia asked, "What are those?"

"They look like mercenary ID cards. They're quite large."

I checked the front side first.

[Benson Pretcher

Class: Close Combat Fighter

Issued: 1143. 7.

Rank: D

Pylon Mercenary Guild]

The ID card was simply written like that. The back was blank.

I asked Rubia, "What date is it today?"

𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

"It's January 20, 1147."

It was issued four years ago.

I checked and kept the ID card issued by the Mercenary Guild. The hammer wielder had another ID card in his possession. That ID card... was different.

A detailed portrait.

The ID card was red. It had a detailed portrait of the hammer wielder, Benson Pretcher.

No name, though.

Pretcher's name wasn't written on it, but at the bottom of the ID card, it read:

Necron Shrine Society

.

A shrine society?

I had never heard the words "shrine society" before. It was hard to guess what it was, but I put both cards in my pocket.

At that moment...

Ding!

A window popped up as soon as I put the hammer wielder's ID card in my pocket. In the window, there was an unmistakably significant word.

[Quest — Uncover the identity of the Necron Shrine Society.]

[Quest — Visit the Pylon Mercenary Guild.]

A quest?

It was a familiar word. As familiar as it was, it was a frightening and dreadful word.

I often heard heroes saying it.

The heroes who defeated a Demon King and raided dungeons often used the word "quest." "Quest success" or "Quest failure" were common phrases.

"Defeating five Skeleton Soldiers is such an easy quest, isn't it?"

"I just want to keep doing quests where I get to screw succubi."

They would talk like that. "Quest" seemed to be referring to tasks specifically for the heroes.

But I'm receiving quests now?

I had never been the subject of a quest before. I had always been the target of quests. I’d be the one to be broken, trampled, and disposed of. In many ways, this was an unprecedented situation. Besides the quest, unknown status windows appeared before my eyes.

Pondering quietly, I came to one of two conclusions.

One is that I've gone mad.

The other possibility was that something meant for the hero was, absurdly enough, being applied to me, a Skeleton Soldier.

I pushed the quest window aside for now.

Blink.

The window blinked in the lower right corner and then disappeared.

Looks like I can ignore it.

There was nothing I could do immediately, whether it was uncovering the identity of the Necron Shrine Society or visiting the Pylon Mercenary Guild.

Hmm.

There didn't seem to be a need to search the corpse further. With the ID cards, I had probably gathered everything I could from this person named Benson Pretcher. I wrapped up various items in Pretcher's outer garment.

As I tried to move with the bundle, Rubia said, "I'll carry it!"

"It's fine..."

Rubia had a slight smile on her face. "Don't worry, I won't run away with it."

"Well, then."

I handed over the bundle.

Next, I went to search the crossbow wielder's body. He was also a member of the Pylon Mercenary Guild. He was an E-rank mercenary, one rank lower than the hammer wielder. From the crossbow wielder's body, I found another card issued by the Necron Shrine Society. The card emitted a faint red glow.

Magic?

Rubia came closer and murmured,

"What do you think that card is? It gives off a very ominous feeling."

She had noticed the red glow too.

"I think so too. We'll need to find out."

"Right..."

I continued searching the crossbow wielder's body.

What's this?

I found a thick notebook in his possession.

It's filled.

I opened the notebook and found it was densely packed with writing on every page. At the top left of each page was a woman's name. Next to it were grades like A or B, along with prices.

Lena, Grade A, 10 seiron...

The details were written in this format:

Name, Grade, Price.

Below were notes on what had been done, how training was conducted, and so on. I was familiar with human customs. I had visited many human villages ravaged by war, so I knew how human males treated females. I understood the meaning of those words.

"This is—!"

Rubia's eyes widened.

As she looked at the notebook, she shouted, "A slave ledger!"

"It seems like it. If you had been caught, your name would be listed here too."

Or perhaps you would have been tortured and killed to eliminate future trouble.

I looked up at Rubia, but her expression remained unchanged. She wasn't trembling any more than she already had been. Her face was pale from the cold, and she shivered in the rain.

Damn.

I acknowledged I had been too insensitive. I needed to be considerate of how she was a human with flesh and blood.

"Anyway, let's get out of the rain first. I know a cave nearby. Follow me."

"Why did the slave traders come after me?"

"The

why

is hard to determine. We need to find out how they tracked you down."