I Became The Academy Necromancer
Chapter 331: Eternal Rest

The biting cold surging from below seeped into Erica’s body, sharp and unrelenting.

Even amidst the paralyzing chill, Erica’s gaze remained

fixed on the being inhabiting Deus Verdi’s body.

An artificial body?

Her mind began to race feverishly, working through all the possibilities, the cold forgotten in the heat of her thoughts.

The artificial body of Deus, gifted by Professor Fel Petra, was still in her lab.

At first, she thought an evil spirit had possessed it to mimic Deus’ role.

However, more than anyone else, Erica had seen Deus’s artificial body numerous times before.

“That is Deus’ body.”

Unlike the artificial body, this one was unmistakably breathing. Someone was using Deus’ real body to manipulate other souls.

“You’ve finally come.”

Then, Deus’ lips slowly curved upward. There was a hint of joy in his faint smile.

“So, you are the one who will punish me.”

“The one who will punish you…?”

At last, Erica realized the true reason behind Deus’ request to come and kill him. It was because of this man before her.

“Not an eternal, meaningless punishment, but a death that can save the continent.”

With a feeling similar to stale dust lingered in his eyes, the one who possessed Deus’s body slowly raised his staff.

“And with that, you will become the great mage who will bring an end to the one chosen by Deus.”

“Who are you exactly…?”

The more she thought about it, the less sense it made.

Even if it was Deus’ body, the person controlling it was wielding Black Magic.

Which implied that the soul itself belonged to a dark mage.

“Two hundred years ago.”

“…”

“I was unable to atone for the sins of the great massacre, but offering myself as a sacrifice to save the continent today is the best penance I can make…”

The great massacre from 200 years ago.

A story that every citizen of the Griffin Kingdom knew all too well.

“O you, through the death of the sinner burdened with karma.”

The staff he held began emitting white steam, drifting to settle behind Deus.

And not long after, it took the form of a demonic monster, gazing down upon the land.

Deus—No, the soul inhabiting his body, Luaneth Luden Griffin, spoke to Erica with a prayerful plea.

“Please, guide this land to the right path.”

***

“It was necessary to make a distinction.”

I said as I poured hot water over the finely ground coffee beans. The rich aroma of coffee slowly filled the room, but the Dark Spiritualist and Stella stared at me in silence.

Nevertheless, since this had been something they had been asking me about for a while, I continued my explanation while brewing the coffee.

“Alive, yet should not be alive. What do you think was the first thing I distinguished?”

As I asked like a professor, the two of them sighed and eventually turned their gazes away from the window and answered.

[I don’t know.]

[…It was the distinction between Deus and Kim Shinwoo.]

Unlike the Dark Spiritualist’s carefree response, Stella gave a thoughtful answer after some deliberation, and it was correct.

“That’s right. We needed to confirm whether the ‘inevitable being’ spoken of referred to Deus or Kim Shinwoo.”

And I was able to find the answer thanks to the artificial body created by Professor Fel Petra, something that everyone was aware of.

“It’s ambiguous.”

[Huh?]

[…]

However, that was the answer.

It was ambiguous—There was no way to further elaborate.

I was both Deus Verdi and Kim Shinwoo. In essence, the ‘inevitable being’ that fate spoke of referred to the both of us.

“Do you remember when I went to meet Aria?”

[After God Velas came and told us that you and I had become inevitable beings?]

[Thanks to the artificial body Deia had brought, you were able to go find Aria right away.]

They quickly recalled the events and responded, proving themselves to be quite good students. And thanks to their quick learning, I didn’t face any hurdles while explaining and was able to proceed smoothly.

“At that time, I checked. Even though I left Deus’ body, the souls within Deus remained asleep.”

Even in an unconscious state, the souls could remain dormant inside the body.

However, in that case, questions were bound to arise.

“Then was the inevitable being that fate spoke of Deus?”

I had left the body and become Kim Shinwoo. I was just a soul inhabiting an artificial body.

Deus’ body was alive, but in a state of unconsciousness. It could be seen as being in a state of coma.

“It’s strange. Did fate define an unconscious body as an inevitable being? It was something to consider. We shouldn’t just think of fate as a series of cascading crises.”

[Ah, my head hurts.]

Walking quickly, the Dark Spiritualist came close and glanced at the coffee I had made.

Seeing as she couldn’t even drink it, I wondered what she was doing.

[…]

On the other hand, Stella continued to ponder. With her arms crossed, it seemed she was trying to come up with an answer of her own.

However, as I watched the chaos unfold outside and Erica’s Light Spear rising high into the sky, I didn’t wait for an answer and continued speaking.

“And fate is also the one that gives us the strength to resist those harsh circumstances. Actually, I am not fond of the word ‘fate.’ It’s just a scenario that has to grab people’s interest, and for that to happen, the balance of power has to be equal on both sides.”

If the enemy was strong, the character controlled by the player must be equally strong.

The game [Retry] was terrible in terms of story. However, in terms of game elements, it wasn’t really bad. The overall leveling and balance of enemies were well executed.

If the armies from all over the world came pouring at me, it meant that I would be given the strength to resist them.

However, if only Deus’ body was the inevitable being, then one body being in a coma should have been enough to overcome it. But that was impossible.

On the other hand, I had also rapidly gained an overwhelming amount of mana and achievement in terms of magic.

In the end, fate, or rather the scenario, had split the role of the protagonist between the two of us.

[So that’s why you said it was ambiguous.]

“Right.”

Now that she understood, Stella nodded slightly. In the end, even though we were different, fate saw Deus and I as one entity.

[So, is that why you handed Deus’ body over to Luaneth?]

The Dark Spiritualist, who had been staring at my coffee cup all this time, finally interjected, saying she had understood something.

“Yes, he might have called me cruel, but when I explained the situation, he actually welcomed it.”

[I see.]

The Dark Spiritualist’s expression turned dark. The staff that was tied to her had already left our hands and was now being used by its original owner.

[Then, if Deus’ body dies and you survive, will it mean that you, too, died but somehow survived in the end?]

The Dark Spiritualist asked with a subtle expression, she probably thought it was a simple solution.

“That’s what I think.”

Because, as I mentioned earlier, it could only be called ‘fate’ in this world, but in the end, it was just a script, an episode of sorts.

To untangle those complicated episodes, it was necessary to push forward in a somewhat forced manner.

“We must first clearly understand the intention behind it. Everything is for the purpose of presenting something.”

If this so-called fate sought to let the story it desired unfold across the continent, all we needed to do was play the roles that fit its design.

And what it desired was a “story” that ended with the tragic death of the protagonist.

It meant the focus wasn’t on the “protagonist’s death.”

[That’s a bit sad.]

Everything was done to present the story. It could be seen as quite an extreme tragedy.

“It is a cruel thing. But thanks to that, we can end it easily.”

Saying so, I sipped on my coffee. As the hot liquid touched my tongue, I furrowed my brow briefly.

[I don’t think it will be that simple.]

Stella, who had been listening quietly, had a dark expression on her face. I knew she would catch on.

She knew who was taking the heaviest role in this plan, even though

I had intentionally not spoken about it aloud.

[What will happen to you if Deus’ body disappears?]

“…”

[You have entrusted the fate of having to die to Luaneth. For him, who needs atonement, it is practically an act of salvation. I understand that much, but…]

Stella, who looked like she was on the verge of tears, clenched her hands tightly and asked.

[Then what about you? Do you really plan to keep living in that body which has no warmth?]

I slowly placed my coffee cup down.

Only after taking a sip did I remember that I was inside Deus’ artificial body in Erica’s lab.

A body in which I couldn’t feel the warmth or taste of the hot coffee.

[If Deus’ death was to finish the final story, then you not dying is to stop the souls from bursting out, isn’t it?]

“…”

[And for that to happen, you must become a body that cannot die. It means that you’ll have to keep living forever.]

“Stella.”

I looked at her with a bitter smile.

“Everyone on the continent can be considered a victim of the story. Because even without their knowledge, they were moving to bring a story and joy to some unknown person.”

This wasn’t a concept that only applied to humans. Even the gods, who acted compulsively according to fate, were the same.

“Then, someone has to take responsibility, don’t you agree?”

I gave a small smile and gazed out the window.

There was just one person on this continent—the only perpetrator, the foreigner— who had enjoyed all their stories.

“I have helped countless souls find their rest, and that is enough.”

In this land, Death was called Eternal Rest.

“I am a Necromancer.”

If a place to rest after death had been prepared for those who lived fiercely on this land…

“I don’t need eternal rest.”

There was no room for me to lie down in that place.

***

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