Necromancer 2.1

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2. Mirage, the Knight of Illusions

"Follow me and slay the enemy."

In response to my command using the [Necromancer] skill,

"Understood, Master."

Mirage drew his sword and charged straight into the pack of Dungeon Wolves.

"H-Hey—"

This is too reckless, no matter how you look at it.

Outnumbered, there’s no way this could work.

The moment I thought that—

Shing.

With a sound like chiming bells, Mirage swung his sword in a flash. In that instant, every Dungeon Wolf fell.

Each one had its head severed.

"I have slain the enemies, as ordered."

Mirage, with its blood-stained sword in hand, walked back toward me.

To take them all down in a single stroke—and in an instant too— As I suspected, this guy’s strength was off the charts.

"If there are any additional orders, speak." 

"No, you saved me."

I thanked it.

"Just to confirm once more, you're going to follow me—you’ll listen to my instructions and commands. Is that right?" 

"Indeed."

Mirage nodded.

"I... was betrayed by my comrades, and left behind in these ruins."

I gave a brief explanation of the situation to Mirage.

Saying it out loud brought back a surge of bitter feelings.

I was betrayed by my classmates. They abandoned and gave up on me.

There was anger and sadness, and a deep sense of loss. And a loneliness, from not being acknowledged as one of them.

"I see... You’ve suffered much."

Mirage’s voice carried a tone of sympathy. There was a warmth in it, a concern for me.

Despite being an undead monster, its voice sounded unusually human.

"Is something the matter, Master? You seem perplexed." 

"No, it’s just... the way you talk, it’s almost human." 

"I am what is known as a Living Mail. My body is this knight’s armor... but it holds the will of its former owner."

Mirage explained.

"If my speech sounds human, it may be due to the lingering thoughts of that owner." 

"The former owner..." 

"Likely, they were a hero. I have faint memories of fighting against the Demon King." 

"I’m a hero too."

I told Mirage.

"Your former master might have been a hero from a previous generation—or even earlier." 

"That’s quite possible." 

"So, you're my great predecessor. Haha."

I cracked a small joke.

Mirage didn’t laugh. It probably doesn’t have those kinds of emotions.

But still, somehow—the atmosphere seemed to soften slightly. It felt like he was matching the tone of my words.

Even though it’s an undead monster... it felt like I was communicating with more subtlety than with actual humans.

"I want to get out of here."

But I couldn’t relax forever. I shifted the topic.

"Will you help me, Mirage?" 

"I am your servant. Command me as you will."

Mirage’s response was reassuring.

After being looked down on so much before, it felt nice to have someone like Mirage who respected me as its master, and also treated me as an equal partner.

It made me feel... like I was being acknowledged as a person, which gave me a little boost in self-esteem.

In my usual class, there’s no way I’d ever feel something like that...

"Alright, let’s head for the surface. Can you use any [Detection] type skills?" 

"I am specialized in combat. I’ve only learned skills related to battle." 

"This ruin is like a maze inside. How do you think we should escape?"

I consulted Mirage.

"Hmm..."

After a brief pause...

"There are various types of monsters wandering this labyrinth. If we defeat one, and make it your servant, it could guide us." 

"Make a monster... my servant?"

I instinctively asked back.

"But most of the monsters here are low- or mid-tier. My [Necromancer] can only command the lowest-tier undead—" 

"[Necromancer] is an extremely powerful skill. The idea that you can only control the lowest-tier undead is simply not true."

Mirage said.

"There may be some kind of limiter on your skill." 

"A limiter..." 

"There’s an item on the lowest floor that can unlock it. We might want to head there first."

Mirage continued.

"I know the way to the treasure vault on the lowest floor. If you wish, I can guide you." 

"...Isn’t it dangerous on the way to the vault?" 

"It is."

An immediate answer, huh?

"The further down you go in these ruins, the more dangerous the monsters become."