I Became The Academy Necromancer
Chapter 318: The Talk About Future

“Ugh.”

Valenta, a new employee at the Wellington Trading Company, was sweating as she busily carried heavy loads.

She had joined the company during its recent expansion and was assigned to the evening shift for loading and unloading duties. It was the first job she had taken on after overcoming the sorrow of losing her father in the Romuleus incident.

“Whew.”

And despite the work being strenuous for a woman, the company gave her an opportunity, and she was doing her utmost to live up to their expectations.

However, just like how the tentacles had snatched her father away, life often struck people with unexpected events.

“You bastards! Freeze! We’ve received intel that you’re smuggling drugs from the Clark Republic, and our badass Soul Whisperer has personally come to inspect!”

The harsh shout made everyone working alongside Valenta freeze in their tracks.

A woman wearing a somewhat revealing maid outfit and wielding a threatening halberd was barking out orders.

Seeing her, everyone was left dumbfounded as it was well known that she was one of the maids of Soul Whisperer Deus Verdi.

“Drugs? Smuggling?”

The Wellington Trading Company?

Valenta’s face began to darken rapidly at the thought. Would she really lose this recently acquired job just like this?

The moment they saw Deus Verdi follow behind Findenai and step inside, she couldn’t help but resign herself halfway.

Deus Verdi was like her benefactor.

He was the one who had allowed her to bid her father a final farewell.

She held absolute trust and gratitude toward him.

And if he was investigating the company with such conviction—

“Looks like there’s no need to question it, then.”

Valenta set down her load and raised her hands, signaling her lack of resistance.

In fact, her mother had expressed concern when the company started hiring anyone they could find.

I should’ve listened to Mom.

The moment Valenta smiled bitterly at that thought…

[Kihahahahaha!]

[Search! Check everything! Leave nothing unchecked!]

[On it!]

It was a voice filled with resonance—a noise almost impossible to believe that it came from a human. As the souls covered the sky, blocking any escape routes, Valenta wasn’t the only one struck by a sudden bolt of fear.

“Eek!”

“W-what’s going on?”

Though they had human forms, their overall appearance was shrouded in darkness.

And rather than resembling the souls that had once saved people, they looked more like vengeful spirits straight out of a horror tale.

“I-It’s kind of scary…”

The spirits began inspecting everything, starting with the goods inside the carriages to the stacks of cargo yet to be loaded.

Countless spirits moved in perfect unison, as if they knew exactly what they had to do.

Soon, one of the spirits approached the load Valenta had set down near her feet.

Its pitch-black form made it difficult to see it as a human soul, yet it tore through the goods as if possessed, silently and roughly.

At first, Valenta tried to dismiss it.

However, the familiar shape of its back as it crouched to inspect the fallen cargo caught her eye.

It reminded her of the sturdy figure she clung to as a child…

“Dad?”

She called out to it hesitantly, but the spirit gave no response. It merely inspected the cargo Valenta had carried in complete silence before moving on.

“Dad, it’s you, isn’t it…?!”

However, Valenta was sure of it.

The person who had just examined her luggage was her father, who had been with her since childhood.

“Dad! Dad!”

Valenta cried out desperately, but there was no response. And the reactions of those around her only solidified her certainty that she wasn’t mistaken.

“Zalen?”

“My child! W-Where are you going? Your mother is right here!”

“You brat! Pay your respects!”

As the pleas sounding like desperate cries came in from all directions, Valenta realized that she wasn’t the only one seeing a familiar figure.

Forcing herself to look away from her departing father, she turned her gaze to the necromancer controlling them.

He was her benefactor.

Valenta, too, had been saved by the souls he had summoned during the Romuleus incident.

She was also grateful for the brief opportunity he had given her to bid farewell to her late father.

A dark mage.

To be precise, a necromancer—she could now view them without prejudice.

However,

However…

“This isn’t right!”

Valenta’s eyes turned bloodshot as she screamed, tears streaming down her cheeks in anguish.

“Those souls! My father! You can’t just use them as you please!”

Her steps grew heavy with determination.

Exhaling heated breaths of frustration, Valenta rushed toward Deus.

He seemed different from the man she had seen before.

Unlike the dignified and impressive figure he once was, there was now an oddly unsettling air about him.

Not a Soul Whisperer, but a necromancer.

A title that suited him perfectly now.

His gaze slowly turned to meet Valenta’s. His black eyes were so cold, that they almost seemed to shimmer with a faint, icy blue hue.

Valenta froze in place.

Even though all he did was look at her, her legs trembled, and she was unable to speak.

Her tears had already stopped, and she didn’t dare to approach him recklessly.

However…

“Deus Verdi!”

The head of the Wellington Trading Company, Victor Wellington, charged in, his eyes bloodshot.

He was so enraged, that his gestures as he flailed his arms through the air were also violent.

“Have you lost your goddamn mind?! Can you even handle the backlash if you conduct such an oppressive and unilateral raid?!”

Without any regard for the other’s emotions, Deus’ gaze pierced straight through Victor. as he responded indifferently.

“Is everything ready?”

His deep, low voice instantly sent a chill through the air.

His sharp and intense words momentarily froze even Victor’s burning rage.

“This! You should understand that taking action recklessly won’t benefit anyone! We have an affiliate contract with the royal family! So even if His Majesty himself has allowed this, we should have been given prior notice!”

“No, His Majesty does not know about this. This is something I have undertaken on my own authority.”

“Ha!”

As his mind seemed to have already completed its calculations, Victor shouted confidently in response.

“You’ve gone mad! Absolutely insane! This is a clear overreach! You’re encroaching on His Majesty’s authority now! After being praised for saving the continent, now you’ve truly crossed the line!”

Pointing a finger accusingly, Victor stepped forward. His secretary behind him drew a collapsible baton, preparing for potential confrontation.

Boom!

But the secretary was soon sent flying by a sudden kick from the maid. And it wasn’t even a proper strike—just a shove of her foot—but the secretary tumbled across the ground like a helpless scarecrow caught in the wind.

“Hey.”

With the frosty halberd slung over her shoulder, the maid declared coldly.

“Who do you think you’re pointing at?”

Her blood-red eyes resembled those of a wolf fiercely guarding its territory.

A chilling warning.

Victor bit his lip and let out a sigh tinged with regret. He realized that he couldn’t even go past the maid protecting Deus Verdi, let alone confront the man himself.

In fact, Victor had never expected that someone would come at him with such overbearing force.

“Damn it.”

Running a hand through his bangs, he couldn’t help but exhale a bitter breath of frustration.

***

It was nearly dawn by the time I returned to my room in the royal palace after inspecting the Wellington Trading Company.

Because of me, the Wellington Trading Company’s wagons were delayed for almost eight hours, causing them to naturally accumulate significant losses.

Additionally, since I had personally revealed their connection to illegal drugs, thanks to my public credibility, the company was likely in a state of emergency.

No matter how well-prepared Victor Wellington was, it didn’t matter.

Right now, it was as if I had plunged a dagger into my own back while embracing them.

Victor Wellington probably never expected me to charge in so aggressively and recklessly.

“…”

Of course, this was only the beginning.

I knew this would be a harsh and filthy battle, but I didn’t feel tired in the slightest.

Honestly, Victor Wellington and his company were nothing more than a stepping stone, so I felt very little emotion toward them.

“You’re tired, right?”

Acting unlike her usual self, Findenai took my coat, hung it on a hanger, and asked in a surprisingly warm tone.

Her unusual kindness made my expression harden involuntarily, but words still escaped my lips.

“It is just a trading company. It is nothing, really.”

Compared to the opponents I’d faced before, they were rather insignificant.

“I’m not talking about the Wellington Trading Company.”

However, as always, Findenai’s sharp intuition managed to pierce right through me.

“It’s tiring because of that girl and the other staff who were with her, isn’t it?”

“…”

“You look exhausted. Why did you deliberately summon souls they knew?”

“You noticed?”

“With all of them crying their eyes out and calling the names of the dead, it would have been strange if I didn’t notice them.”

Just as Findenai pointed out, I had deliberately summoned and controlled the souls the staff of the Wellington Trading Company knew personally.

I even altered their appearances to make them look like evil spirits and gave them strict orders not to speak.

“It is what those souls wanted. They were worried that their loved ones might be involved in drug trafficking.”

And so, the souls busied themselves searching through the cargo their loved ones were handling or in the vicinity.

Perhaps not realizing this before, Findenai’s eyes widened slightly. Then, she subtly moved closer, sitting on the edge of my bed.

“A necromancer who controls souls as he desires! It’s the perfect villain.”

“It is not bad, right?”

“No, your acting was downright horrendous. I was actually worried for you.”

I couldn’t respond to her sly grin. After all, I’d never been confident in my acting skills.

It felt like I was participating in some ridiculous farce.

And the more I did it, the more I felt I shouldn’t let it prolong.

[Should I help you? I used to be quite the fearsome dark mage.]

[You, senior?]

[…It seems I’ll have to teach you while asserting some seniority.]

Though the Dark Spiritualist and Stella chimed in briefly, Findenai, unable to hear them, continued speaking.

“I don’t know how long this pathetic play will go on, but every role has its purpose, right?”

“…”

“Master Bastard, you should just shove your hands into your coat pockets and remain silent. That alone should be enough to create a threatening atmosphere around you.”

“That is…”

“I’ll be the one to play the bad girl role, okay? And you saw it today, didn’t you? I made a real mess of things.”

It was true—Findenai really did have a knack for this kind of thing. In the game, she had been a boss monster opposing Aria.

I felt a bit more at ease.

Though I didn’t plan to leave everything to her, it felt like I’d met a companion on a difficult path that even bent my own convictions.

“What will you do after all this is over?”

It was an unexpected question.

On the contrary, Findenai’s silent pressure implied that the answer to the earlier conversation had already been decided.

Though her tone was somewhat coercive, I slowly lowered my gaze and replied.

“Originally…”

If this hadn’t happened…

“I would have raised Owen, passed on the position of the Soul Whisperer to him, and quit teaching at the academy.”

There was no longer any reason for me to remain at the royal palace. So when the main story reached its conclusion, I had no intention of staying there.

“And after that?”

“I would probably return to Norseweden and maybe try farming.”

“Huh?”

Upon hearing my unexpected answer, Findenai quickly turned her head, staring at me with a dumbfounded expression.

“I have already traveled.”

I originally wanted to travel the continent but somehow ended up doing so unintentionally.

Well, I might want to visit the Han Empire once more or some other place later, but not anytime soon.

“What would someone with a weak body like you even know about farming?”

“Well, that’s true.”

Honestly, I hadn’t really given it much thought.

If I stepped down from my position as the Soul Whisperer and the main story was over, all the goals I had would disappear.

Tap.

Findenai casually rested her head on my shoulder.

Not reacting to it was the best response I could give, and she slowly smiled.

“Don’t raise anything weird. Let’s grow fruit instead.”

“With the limitations of Norseweden’s climate, what crops can we grow?”

“Oh, really?”

But maybe she didn’t like my answer, as Findenai immediately sighed with irritation.

“Hell, do I look like I don’t know? I’m just trying to have a conversation because the atmosphere was nice! Should I suggest we grow cigarettes or something instead? Oh, I’d love to just grow cigarettes and spend the whole day puffing on them. Is that what you want from me?”

“…”

“This human is so dense, he can’t even sense mood. Come on! If I said I like fruit, you could casually talk about the future, then slyly approach my lips, place your hand on my chest, and undress me. ”

“…”

“Then when I get morning sickness, I’ll say I’m craving fruit. Then you’ll say, ‘Ah, I’m glad we grew fruit,’ and go outside to pick it. Something like that, you know?”

“Are you drunk?”

Findenai chuckled at my question. It seemed she also found what she’d just said to be funny.

“No, it’s just that your reactions are fun.”

She bumped her forehead against my shoulder again, this time pressing in a bit deeper.

“The Mountain Lord said you’re in danger.”

Was I the only one who felt like I couldn’t keep up with Findenai’s conversation pace?

I wanted to ask Stella and the Dark Spiritualist, but they had long disappeared.

It seemed the Dark Spiritualist had gone to assert her seniority over Stella.

“The Mountain Lord, you say?”

“Yeah, he said that. But looking at what you’re doing now, isn’t this exactly what you want?”

“…Yeah, you are right.”

I didn’t really understand what sort of threat it was, but I knew it meant that fate was unfolding.

“Well, when has it never been dangerous? I just let it slide. After all, I’m right here, so what’s there to worry about?”

Her tone was light, but the meaning was heavy.

“Yeah.”

So, I simply replied,

“Thank you.”

By expressing my gratitude.

“Well done.”

Findenai smiled again, clearly pleased.

***

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