Necromancer 44

Test

44. The Class Hierarchy Changes

With the addition of the Reaper as my new servant, my status changed like this.

***

Name: Shigure

Strength: 70 → 93

Speed: 85 → 107

Endurance: 66 → 80

Magic Power: 204 → 255

Additional Skills

[Slash]

[Shield]

[Mapping - Beginner]

[Flying Sword]

[Fire Buster]

[Recovery]

[Extend Arm]

***

Two new skills, [Recovery] and [Extend Arm], have been added.

[Recovery], as the name suggests, is a skill that restores health.

Meanwhile, [Extend Arm] is likely the skill the Reaper demonstrated, 'extending its arm to attack.'

When I use it, it might look a bit creepy, but... there's no doubt it remains a powerful attack skill, and I'll use it.

――After that, Ran was captured while unconscious and imprisoned.

To be honest, I didn't expect him to be thrown into a cell so suddenly, but it seems even the king deemed Ran a serious threat.

Or, perhaps there's another reason...?

In any case, what happens next is for the king to decide.

I've heard that the prison holding Ran is equipped to seal hero skills, so it seems even Ran will find escape difficult.

"Sealing skills... The kingdom has such technology?"

There's no guarantee that this technology won't someday be used against me or my classmates.

I need to keep that in mind.

As these thoughts swirled, I made my way to the lounge.

I thought it'd be nice to chat with Nayuka for the first time in a while, but unfortunately, she was nowhere to be seen.

Several classmates were in the lounge.

"......!"

"Shigure――"

The moment they saw me, their expressions stiffened.

For some reason, they looked frightened.

"? What's wrong?"

I tilted my head.

"Ah, if I'm in the way, I'll leave――"

"N-no, no, no! There's no way Shigure-kun is in the way!"

"Yeah, if anything, we'd be the ones to leave if we're bothering you!"

"???"

What's going on with everyone?

Their behavior is clearly different from usual.

"Fufu."

A laugh echoed.

Huh? I turned around,

"Everyone has a new appreciation for you, Shigure-kun."

A female student spoke to me.

Stunning beauty—this is probably the right phrase.

She had chestnut-brown hair cascading down her back, an undeniably beautiful girl――.

Her name is Tsukishiro Hazuki.

I had no interactions with Hazuki, and we’d hardly spoken until now.

"A new appreciation? For me?"

"Well, you defeated a mid-tier demon, and even beat Ran-kun."

Hazuki stepped closer.

"To be honest, I’ve also gained a new respect for you, Shigure-kun. We didn’t have any opportunities to interact before, but I’d like us to be friends from now on, okay?"

As she spoke, she clung to my arm.

"Hey... wait."

"Huh? Are you embarrassed? You're shyer than I expected."

Hazuki laughed.

Despite her statuesque features, her smile made her surprisingly approachable.

"Hey, if you'd like... would you join our group?"

Hazuki asked.

"Eh?"

"After all, you're stronger than Ran-kun, right? Oh, and I heard you defeated Kensaki too. Sounded like it was a total beatdown, wasn’t it?"

"Well, 'beatdown' might be an exaggeration... I only did it to protect others."

"I'm not blaming you. I'm complimenting you, really."

Hazuki smiled brightly.

"...I don't think it’s something worth praise."

"Is that so? Defeating both Ran-kun and Kensaki within the class is praiseworthy strength."

Hazuki leaned closer, peering into my eyes.

"Don’t you think so, Shigure-kun? When you defeated them, didn't you feel superior? Didn't it thrill you?"

"What are you saying..."

I felt confused. That wasn’t what it was about.

"I fought Kensaki to protect Nayuka. I fought Ran to protect everyone around me. It wasn't because I wanted to beat them down."

I stared back at Hazuki.

"I see, so that's the type of person you are—hmm."

Her gaze felt as if she were appraising me.

"Okay. In that case, that’s fine. But, let me ask again... won't you join our group?"

With that, she took my hand.

"Sorry, but I don’t fit well with any specific group."

I shook my head.

"Hm... understood. That's a shame."

Hazuki stuck her tongue out playfully.

"Still, group or not, let’s be friends. We haven't interacted before, but I’d like to talk more with you from now on, Shigure-kun."

"If that’s all, I don’t mind."

"Great. Nice to meet you then."

"Likewise."

Even as I said it, a part of me remained cautious.

Hazuki――felt somehow unfathomable.

I couldn’t bring myself to fully trust her.