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Chapter 229: The Limits of Necromancy

“…Well, now that it’s come to this, I have no choice.”

Enma switched his expression.

From a doll-like smile to a ghastly grin.

Then, he slowly raised both hands—

“Kousan!!”

He shouted loudly.

“…Huh?”

What?

“I surrender! I’ve lost! No, I’m really defeated. I thought I could keep quiet until Jil-kun could project his spirit, but I can’t believe I got found out!”

Enma began laughing, saying how Jil-kun was so sharp and clever.

…Seriously, doing spirit projection in front of this guy is terrifying.

It’s true that if I were able to project my spirit and enter the spirit realm, he would have figured it out sooner or later.

The distance between the material world should be largely disregarded—

“…Ahaha. Please don’t be so wary. I truly love Jil-kun. So I would never harm you,” Enma pouted in a way that seemed offended, yet I knew all his expressions and actions were fake. There was no way I could let my guard down.

However, for the moment, he really doesn’t seem to want to harm me. It would be inconvenient for him to openly confront the Demon Race.

If he intended to attack me, it would be quicker to strike outright without all this theatrics.

…Still, Enma, who should fundamentally be a rationalist, tends to act emotionally unpredictable toward me, making it hard to lower my guard.

Thinking about it, the potential for high-speed communication was likely not just a spontaneous idea but one with ulterior motives behind it…

“…So, that means, if it’s just in spirit form, I could return from Evaroti to the Demon Lord Castle in an instant?”

Without loosening my vigilance against Enma, I carefully confirmed.

“Yeah. I guess that’s how it works. Once I detach from Claire, I get pulled back to the Demon Lord Castle really fast.”

…Even if defeated, my soul is well protected, and I can escape into the spirit realm and immediately possess a spare body hidden far away.

The Holy Church wouldn’t be able to exterminate it in a hundred years…

“Why didn’t you say anything?”

“Well, think about it. This would directly put us at odds with the Izanis Tribe and the Dragon Tribe.”

To my evident skepticism as a prince of the demon race, Enma answered ever so casually.

“If everyone in the Demon Race understood like Jil-kun does, it’d be a different story. But from the perspectives of confidentiality and importance, it’s an area where we Undead shouldn’t meddle.”

…His excuse somewhat holds up. A demon lord would likely choose to adopt high-speed communication for practicality, but the Izanis Tribe would likely retaliate fiercely.

‘This is a front, and nine times out of ten, it’s likely he was holding this card close to his chest.’

Ante said in a stiff voice. I agree with him.

If it were truly the case, pretending not to notice might have been the best move, but I wasn’t thinking that far… or rather, by the time I realized it, it was too late.

“Well, that makes sense.”

Without letting any inner thoughts slip, I nodded earnestly.

“The Dragons might be delighted that their chances of being summoned have decreased, but the Izanis Tribe—well, they still have some pride as messengers, you know.”

I don’t like that green tribe, and since relationships between the grand duchesses are bad, I’ll take this attitude!

“Ahaha. You say that, Jil-kun?”

Enma grinned.

“I might be seeing Jil-kun’s demon-side for the first time in a while.”

“Am I being praised or insulted?”

“Hehe. You saying that so quickly isn’t very demon-like, huh?”

…It’s fine since it’s me, but isn’t this guy making some pretty risky statements toward a demon!?

The psychological distance is way too close! Unilaterally!!

“Well, the demon race is all about meritocracy. If the Izanis Tribe takes a hit, it’s simply because they’re lacking in ability. I’d fully exploit Enma’s communication if it were me…”

I paused, appearing to understand why there might be backlash.

“I would happily be exploited by Jil-kun! …Or at least, I want to say that, but it’s not all-powerful, you know?”

With a vibrant smile and then a lazy troubled face, Enma switched expressions back and forth.

“You probably assumed I could jump anywhere in an instant, but I’m only set to return to the Demon Lord Castle in emergencies.”

…If taken literally, that means there’s only one spare body for emergencies. Although he probably has multiple prepared…

I was looking for what you could call Enma’s “main body.”

The faint thread of magical power extending from Enma before me. I had assumed the main body controlled the other bodies, but that was not the case.

All those bodies with Enma’s will are part of Enma’s main body… and this connection of magical power merely supplies energy like the dragon vein does.

“You probably thought that if there were multiple high-ranking necromancers, they could call each other and communicate instantly, right?”

…This kid really jumps ahead of me.

“However, there’s no way to convey the crucial ‘when do you want to be summoned.'”

Hmm? I considered the idea of having a ghost nearby to act as a signal, and if that ghost vanished after being summoned, it would be a signal to get in touch—but wait, those in the material world can’t be summoned.

The only souls that can be summoned are those in the spirit realm.

“Plus, someone as skilled as me wouldn’t mind entering and exiting the material and spirit realms repeatedly, but if the shell of the soul isn’t solid enough, it’ll wear out each time.”

…So, ‘messenger’ would require skill levels similar to Enma’s.

“I see…”

Hmm. If it wears away but is considered disposable… no, if the person isn’t motivated, they would simply vanish the moment they’re released into the spirit realm.

But, on the flip side, wouldn’t Enma be fine? He said it’s impossible to convey when he wants contact, but if it’s a regular check-in, that resolves the issue.

If I prepared multiple clocks set perfectly, indicating when I’m in the spirit realm, they can summon me whenever. If there’s no need, they just won’t summon.

…Actually, if there are several like Enma, representatives could summon everyone for a meeting of souls.

If there’s a problem with this method, it’s that, if used as messengers, Enma might become overwhelmingly busy.

If he only checks in once a day, and an incident occurs right after the check-in, he would have to wait a whole day to report it.

In that case, a dragon that can fly from the front lines to the Demon Lord Castle within half a day is better. If we want to take advantage of the speedy communication, it would need to check-in at least every half-day, or even every few hours. If possible, every hour or even thirty minutes would be ideal. The shorter the interval, the better.

…If this were implemented within the Demon Lord Army, several higher undead like Enma would become swamped with work just as messengers.

In that sense, Enma might not have wanted to reveal this card. If I were the Demon Lord, I’d definitely make sure that would happen, and if the current Demon Lord thought of it, he would definitely do it.

Perhaps I could propose it to the Demon Lord and have him adopt it, right? The relations between the Undead and the Izanis Tribe would worsen, and Enma’s high-ranking subordinates would become useless…

‘That sounds quite interesting, huh?’

I feel that way. But weakening Enma’s faction would significantly boost the Demon Lord Army instead.

The plan was to defeat the Demon Lord and instigate a rebellion in the autonomous area while the demon race was in disarray—but if advanced communication allows for nimble coordination, that would be a disaster.

No matter how politically chaotic it becomes, the Demon Race Warrior Corps won’t completely disappear, and if reports come in from the front lines, the chaos of the fallen Demon Lord might just unite them against external threats.

The Demon Lord Kingdom is bound to decline, but if they push back firmly, the allied folks could end up spilling unnecessary blood.

‘However, it could also heighten the chaos, you know?’

Of course, that possibility exists. But there’s also a chance it won’t happen. I can’t assume Enma will still obediently follow the Demon Race then.

…There are too many uncertain variables. For now, it might be best to keep it as just one of the many plans.

In any case, since Enma is not voluntarily revealing this matter, it’s better not to pry further. I have no idea what kind of great snake might jump out if I poke around too much.

At the very least, Enma is currently being very submissive—

“Hmm, I’m starting to want to try spirit projection myself!”

I said cheerfully, expressing something I didn’t truly mean.

“It sounds interesting. I’m also curious about what the spirit realm really feels like.”

“…I just said if you don’t protect your soul properly, it will wear out, you know?”

Enma, even in response to my words, couldn’t help but smile wryly.

“Well, I know it’s dangerous, but… still. My intellectual curiosity prevails.”

“Hmm, I really love that about you, Jil-kun.”

Enma purposefully rested his chin on both hands at the table, pouting as if trying to show off. I resisted the strong urge to draw out Adamas.

“Haha. I’ve always been born curious… So, if any exciting information comes in from the front lines, make sure to let me know secretly. I won’t tell anyone.”

I winked, hoping my eye would rot on the spot.

“Ooo, I can’t win against you, Jil-kun… Of course, I’ll tell you! ♡”

Together, we propped our chins on the table, smiling at each other with a “ufufufu.”

“So, what’s the deal with Evaroti?”

“Of course, I’m going!”

Enma boldly declared, putting on a triumphant face.

“Rather, there’s no need to hide anymore! I’ll follow you openly! …Oh, of course, only if Claire is okay with it.”

Enma glanced at Claire.

“—Do you think I could refuse this flow?”

With an expression of perpetual exasperation, Claire said.

You wretch, forcing Claire like that…!! I simmered with quiet fury.

†††

And so, I successfully escaped from the Undead King’s palace.

The air above ground tastes amazing— even if it’s from the Demon Lord Castle at midnight.

I was in the mood to see the morning sun, but the unfortunate half-moon quietly looked down on me.

Still…

‘He’s deeper-rooted than I imagined.’

Indeed.

He might be more troublesome than a Demon Lord, who theoretically could be defeated if one simply increased their strength.

At least I could, albeit vaguely, see the structure behind switching bodies… but still. How exactly does he set it so that he “returns to the Demon Lord Castle in emergencies”?

‘Hmm… Might he be preparing an Undead specifically for summoning Enma?’

Ante said, unusually serious. I felt the demon god within my soul adjusting his posture with a gentle shift.

‘An Undead that constantly opens a gate to keep summoning Enma throughout the day— just leaving the bare minimum of intellect required to chant the summoning spell and stripping away the ego would make simple tasks easy.’

I see! That’s a smart idea!

That explains why upon entering the spirit realm, he gets “quickly pulled to the Demon Lord Castle.” After that, he just has to switch to another body…

Logically, that means his emergency evacuation point is really fixed at the Demon Lord Castle…

“…………”

I looked down at my feet.

Deep underground— the enormous Undead King’s palace, of which not even the full extent is known.

That base is, Enma’s strongest stronghold, and at the same time, his vital point.

While the Undead can gather up magical power to a degree, they cannot produce it themselves. Even the weakest human or beastman generates weak magical power simply by existing; yet the Undead consumes magical power just to maintain their existence.

Thus, if their sources of magical power were cut off, they would immediately feel the strain.

The vast Undead forces of the Demon Lord Kingdom are sustained by pure magical power that wells up from the dragon vein beneath the Demon Lord Castle, along with dark magical power supplied by the demon race.

The reason Enma now obediently follows the demon race is that, until the common enemy, the Holy Church, is destroyed, he needs the strength of the Demon Lord Army, and he also needs to feed their monstrous quantity of Undead.

Whether riding in a skeletal carriage or commanding service-type Undead—

The demon race provides dark magical power as either compensation or fuel.

If there were no demon race, even Enma wouldn’t have been able to deploy such a large scale Undead army.

Unless there was a power spot like the dragon vein beneath the Demon Lord Castle, where vast magical power gushes out, the issue of not being able to stray too far from the power spot would arise.

In other words…

If he found himself in a situation where he couldn’t use the dragon vein, his troops would certainly weaken.

I haven’t forgotten.

The enormous stone columns supporting the grand hall of that palace.

If I were to break them all, the palace and the Demon Lord Castle would collapse together—

Enma wouldn’t die, but if the underground base is destroyed and he can’t access the dragon vein directly…

It would take an unbelievable amount of time and effort to excavate and rebuild.

And if the Demon Lord Kingdom declines and the supply of magical power from the demon race ceases…!

“Oh, welcome back, Master!”

While I was lost in those thoughts, I had returned to my room. Garunya greeted me with a smile.

“Woof woof!”

Liliana, who had been left behind, rushed over.

“Whoa, were you a good girl?”

I picked up Liliana and began to pet her. I also petted Garunya beside her.

“Rumble rumble rumble… But before that! I need to notify you of something!”

Garunya began to rumble excitedly, but suddenly snapped back to attention.

“The item you ordered from the Dwarf workshop has been completed!”

—It has come.

…It has finally arrived.

“That’s exciting!”

I smiled.

As I caught the gaze of Liliana, who tilted her head in confusion, I thought,

Thank goodness I included functions against the Undead…!!

Get ready, Enma!!

…I will definitely destroy you someday.

 

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