I Became The Academy Necromancer-Chapter 268: The Strong Ones

“Hehehe.”

The sight of him tearing into the flesh while standing over a pool of spilled blood resembled that of a hunter savoring his trophy after a fresh kill.

However, considering the blood on the ground was human, a vampire might have been a more apt description.

At least, thankfully, he wasn’t eating human flesh.

Although the Azure Shield Mercenaries had launched a surprise attack, Lanhardt and his hunters countered them with ease, annihilating their enemies in turn.

It was especially impressive to see Lanhardt charging out, determined not to let any fleeing enemies escape.

It was truly rare to see something as unusual as a man running faster than a horse.

“Hey, you Dark Mage.”

Lanhardt, eating meat atop a skewered horse’s corpse, called out to me.

I was tending to Xiao Hu, so I could only spare him a glance.

I signaled for him to speak with my eyes, and he asked while waving the meat in his hand.

“So, what did you think of my performance just now? Do you still think I am a man who can’t handle the Ancient Dragon’s power?”

“If you’re looking for some sort of approval from me, just give up.”

I had no intention of validating him. I’d often heard that mercenaries prized their pride above all, so I wondered if this was a petty attempt to patch up his wounded ego.

But his gaze contained a certain seriousness and he asked his question again, this time with objective curiosity.

“No, it’s not about wanting approval. It’s just that you seem a bit different from the other Mages I’ve met so far.”

“...”

“Taking into account your knowledge about the guardian deities, I simply wanted to hear your perspective.”

“You?”

It wasn’t that he was humbling himself by lowering his head. Even now, he simply considered me as just another tool to further strengthen himself.

Offering advice to a man who wants to kill me, huh?

As ridiculous as it was, I didn’t hold back my words either. After all, we needed to head to Norseweden together.

“It’d be reckless to try and use the Ancient Dragon’s power right now. For now, it’s so faint you wouldn’t even notice it.”

“Hmm.”

“But as time goes by, the Ancient Dragon’s power will gradually start to eat away from within. As for the side effects, I can’t say for certain.”

“I heard that a guardian deity’s power weakens the moment they lose the place they protect.”

“It’s not necessary for it to be tied to a specific location.”

“Oh? Now that’s an intriguing story.”

He stroked his chin, subtly urging me to continue. Even in that, there was a faint sense of coercion.

“I’m sorry, but I don’t see any reason to elaborate.”

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I didn’t want to talk about the Setima residents and their angel nor did I want to give Lanhardt the opportunity to exploit their stories to fuel his greed.

“Is that so?”

Snorting, he stuffed more meat into his mouth and chewed heartily, ending his question there.

At that moment, I felt like he had surprisingly acknowledged me.

Rather than seeing me as a subordinate, he was starting to view me as an equal, someone who stood his ground against him.

So, this time, I asked him.

“You didn’t eat that to use the Ancient Dragon’s power, did you?”

“...”

Slowly, very slowly, his gaze pierced into me. He didn’t even bother to make a flimsy excuse, as if asking what I was implying.

Staring intently, he smirked.

“Are you perhaps using some kind of mind-reading magic?”

“It didn’t seem like you devoured the Ancient Dragon just to gain its power.”

“Heh, impressive.”

He stroked his chin again. It seemed to be a habit of his whenever he fell deep in thought.

“I’ve never met a man who exudes a presence like yours with just a few words.”

“That wasn’t my intention.”

A brief silence ensued.

With a smile still hanging on his lips, Lanhardt seemed to ponder something before speaking frankly.

“You’re right. I didn’t eat a mere Ancient Dragon just to gain its power.”

A mere Ancient Dragon.

How many beings on this continent could speak of a guardian deity with such disrespect?

“The reason I continue to devour the guardian deities is to create a vast vessel within myself, like them, so that I can consume souls.”

“...”

“I’m sure you understand what I aim to achieve.”

He murmured in ecstasy, as if he could already see millions of souls before him.

“A power so vast, it’s yet to be seen anywhere on this continent. I don’t know how Deus Verdi plans to use it, but I intend to consume it.”

Like the forbidden fruit laid before Adam and Eve, he was well aware he shouldn’t indulge, yet he couldn’t help but imagine its sweetness while licking his lips.

“Deus said he’d put them to rest to save the continent.”

I reminded him, but Lanhardt merely scoffed in response.

“How can I believe that? Who’s to say he won’t use that vast array of souls and the mana they contain for something else?”

“...”

“I don’t trust him. There’s no doubt that Deus Verdi, that bastard will be blinded by that power and wreak havoc someday. I’m simply going to act first.”

He didn’t view Deus as evil. Concepts of good and evil seemed completely irrelevant to him.

It was all about whether there was power or not.

That was it.

Instead of letting someone else use such power, he would rather claim it for himself.

Sensing his burning obsession with power, I asked him.

“Why are you so obsessed with power?”

Did he have a specific goal in mind?

Simply pursuing strength alone was futile, an empty goal.

After all, who could ever define the limits of strength perfectly?

Lanhardt burst out in laughter at my question, slamming his palm against the horse he was sitting on.

“Hehe, why am I obsessed with strength? Look at the world’s strongest!”

Suddenly, he raised a bone from the meat he had just devoured and pointed to the stars shining high above.

“Just like those stars, countless strong beings illuminate this continent! Yes! Among them, there will be a place for me, Lanhardt, and for you too!”

For the first time, Lanhardt’s voice revealed excitement, his face alight with fervor as he continued.

“They all became strong for various reasons. The War God Han So became strong to protect the Empire’s lands!”

“...”

“The guardian deities become strong to protect the very thing they guard from the rest of the world!”

Lanhardt’s boisterous voice resounded, drawing the attention of other hunters around him.

“Someone lost their beloved lover! Another admired the powerful protector who protected them! And yet another sought revenge for their family! Money! Or honor! Hahaha!”

Lanhardt burst into uncontrollable laughter mid-sentence.

His booming laughter was contagious, spreading to the other hunters.

“Hahahaha! Yes! Right! There’s always a reason! To be called strong, one requires perseverance, and to endure that, one needs a reason!”

“...”

Nodding vigorously, Lanhardt struck the horse with the bone in his hand.

“What bullshit.”

His voice, once filled with excitement and laughter, turned calm and cold, laced with contempt.

“All of that is merely a means to an end. People pursue strength for what they wish to achieve or for what they must do but strength itself isn’t the purpose.”

It wasn’t wrong.

Even I was like that.

I had saved the continent and created a place where the souls could rest.

Truthfully speaking, there was little reason for me to continue learning Necromancy beyond that.

However, it seemed that Lanhardt disagreed.

“How can someone with that mindset even call themselves strong?! Isn’t it brazen for those who see power as a mere tool to achieve their goals to condemn someone who seeks it purely for the sake of it?!”

He did not need a reason to chase after power.

If there was one, the pursuit of strength itself was the reason, the purpose, and the outcome.

“I, Lanhardt, need nothing else. Revenge? Honor? Wealth? Hah! Take it all! I have no need for it!”

Tossing aside the bone he was holding, Lanhardt looked at me. His gestures, tone, and expression showed he saw me as some kind of rival.

Raising his index finger, he then declared.

“Unfortunately, the title of the strongest on this continent is reserved for one person alone.”

“...”

“And I, Lanhardt, will claim it.”

Like a lion who loved to fight, he turned his gaze towards the horizon.

A fierce cold gripped the land.

The preparations to head to Norseweden were now complete.

***“Ah, it’s cold.”

Findenai was shivering at the peak of the Norseweden Mountain Range, inside an outpost built by the Verdi Household.

Although she had a natural resistance to the cold, she still couldn’t get used to the chill at the mountain range’s summit.

As she placed a cigarette in her mouth, the vice leader of the hunters, Whalebelter, hastily pulled out his lighter and lit it for her.

As she smoked in a familiar manner, Findenai wondered if she’d been smoking too much lately.

He probably won’t like it.

He’d likely hate it if she reeked of cigarette smoke.

“Ah, damn.”

With this thought, the taste of the cigarette in her mouth immediately turned sour.

Quitting smoking while waiting for a man who might never return, or who might never be able to, felt bleary.

She threw the cigarette at Whalebelter, who caught it and shot her an annoyed look.

“What? Got a problem?”

He immediately shrank back, unable to say anything to the imposing Findenai.

She then snapped at Whalebelter.

“Hey, when are those bastards coming?”

“T-they should be here soon. They’re riding Blood Horses—really fast ones.”

“Sigh...”

She didn’t know how many or who was coming, but—

“Hurry up and get here quickly. I’m bored.”

Filled with resolve to kill every one of them who set foot in Norseweden, Findenai let out a deep sigh.