Necromancer 61

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61. What I Aim For

In one of the royal castle's chambers—

 I, having returned, was summoned by the king to discuss the future.

"Reinforcements, you say?"

 "Indeed. First, we are considering dispatching our nation's heroes to a demon lord army unit invading the neighboring country's borderlands."

The king said.

"I'd like to hear your opinion on this."

 "Let's see... I agree."

I replied without hesitation.

"Oh?"

 "We have a limited number of heroes on our side. Therefore, I think it's better to defeat the demon forces in small-to-mid-scale battles, rather than engaging in large-scale warfare."

 "In large-scale battles, even our mighty heroes run the risk of being overwhelmed by sheer numbers."

 "Exactly. In smaller-scale battles, we can settle things purely through strength. And one more thing—"

I said to the king.

"My skill allows me to turn defeated enemies into undead and add them to my forces. By focusing on winnable battles, I can build my army and strengthen our forces while progressing our strategy against the demon lord's army."

 "Minimizing risks while simultaneously strengthening your forces... and increasing the odds of victory as a result,"

The king said, nodding repeatedly.

"Yes, I think that's a good approach."

Alright, in that case, we'll proceed with this plan for now.

I will become stronger.

Both I and my army.

"Deploying to another country?"

After the meeting with the king, I was discussing things with Nayuka in the lounge.

"Yeah, the demon lord's army is invading other countries, too. We’ll crush them one by one."

 "...So the fight against the demon lord's army is finally intensifying?"

Nayuka looked uneasy.

"Yeah. Still, I’d like you to use your [Foresight] if you can."

 "Understood... but it’s a bit scary."

Her voice trembled.

"Maybe... I don’t want to think about it, but there could be sacrifices again, like Tanaka and Suzuki..."

 "This is war... It’s true that there’s always a chance someone might die. But that’s exactly why I want to know."

I told Nayuka.

"If we know in advance who might die, we might be able to take steps to prevent it."

 "You want to change the future... is that it?"

 "I don’t know if it’s possible. But if there’s a future where one of our classmates dies—then I want to stop it."

This time, for sure.

 Thinking of Tanaka and Suzuki, who had died, I declared firmly.

"No more losses. Let’s all return to our original world together."

 "Yeah, I’ll do what I can too. I’m no help in a fight, but..."

 "Your [Foresight] has been a huge help."

I smiled at Nayuka.

"We each have our strengths. Let’s give our best in our respective areas. Leave the fighting to me."

 "Thanks, Shigure."

Nayuka smiled warmly.

"That makes me feel so much better. You’re kind, Shigure."

 "Eh, really?"

I thought Nayuka was the kind one, though—

"I’m glad I can be with you..."

 "Huh?"

 "Ah, n-not in a weird way! I mean, um..."

Nayuka's face turned red.

If it’s not in a weird way—then what kind of way?