Michael fell silent. The revelation had certainly been unexpected.
To think that the Netherworld would hand him someone who originated from the same world as himself. It was surprising. But only surprising.
The universe was unimaginably vast. Strange coincidences and impossible encounters happened every day somewhere across its countless realms. pared to some of the absurdities Michael had already witnessed since awakening, this hardly qualified as the most unbelievable.
The Skeleton Chief, however, seemed to misunderstand the reason for his silence. Her violet soul flames flickered uneasily.
"You…"
She hesitated before speaking again.
"…Senior."
Michael looked at her.
"If you know Aurora…"
"…does that mean you also came from there?"
Michael neither confirmed nor denied it.
The chief continued, her voice noticeably softer than before.
"If that is true…"
"…can you take me back?"
For the first time since their conversation began, Michael heard something resembling genuine longing. Even after more than half a century, the desire to return to the world where she had once lived had never truly disappeared.
Michael's expression remained calm. Internally, however, he found the situation rather ironic.
Take her back?
He had already decided that she would bee part of his legion. Whether willingly or unwillingly, she would eventually leave the Netherworld with him.
Unlike her incapacity to leave the Netherworld, with the nether gate of his Mausoleum of Endless Dominion, traveling between Aurora and the Netherworld was little more than opening a portal. For her, leaving this realm might be nearly impossible. For him, it was merely inconvenient.
"…It is possible," Michael answered truthfully.
The violet flames within the chief's skull trembled violently.
"…Really?"
She instinctively tried to rise but was immediately forced back into a kneeling position. This wasn't Michael's intentional action.
Michael paid little attention to it. Instead, another thought quietly surfaced in his mind.
This is troublesome.
Until now, every undead under his mand had been fundamentally different. Aside from Jester, even though all of them possessed remarkably high intelligence, they were merely babies with only one year of memories. Their personalities had gradually developed after their resurrection.
Outside of their abilities, instincts, and individual preferences, there was very little true identity to speak of. They were, in many ways, perfect soldiers. Loyal. Reliable. Entirely centered around him.
This Skeleton Chief was different. She carried decades of memories that had absolutely nothing to do with Michael. With such intelligence, Michael would have to guard his secrets more carefully, even if she turned into his undead and was loyal to him.
That won't do.
He trusted his authority over undead. pletely. But trust and caution were two different things.
The Skeleton Chief was unlike any undead he had manded before. If she were to join his legion, some precautions would have to be taken. pletely erasing her memories would be wasteful, but allowing her to retain unrestricted knowledge of his own secrets would be equally careless.
The safest solution was to seal only the memories related to him and his greatest secrets. Everything else could remain intact.
Michael nodded inwardly. That should be enough.
Only then did he look back at the kneeling Skeleton Chief. Without realizing it, her fate had already been decided. It couldn't be helped.
Though he had softened his gaze a bit after discovering she was a fellow human from the same realm as his, her value as a Three-Star Epic grade creature was too great to pass up.
The Skeleton Chief remained kneeling. Although her body could not resist his authority, her mind remained clear. That clarity allowed her to notice the way Michael's gaze had changed.
Her violet soul flames trembled faintly.
He's planning something…
At first, she had believed this mysterious existence merely wanted information. Now, she wasn't so certain anymore.
This senior undoubtedly possessed some connection to the arts of necromancy. How else could thousands of undead obey him with such unquestioning loyalty? How else could he mand an authority that every undead in the settlement instinctively submitted to?
Her gaze involuntarily drifted toward the guards and citizens still kneeling throughout the settlement. Not one of them had dared move. Not one.
He mands the dead.
No, the dead obey him naturally.
That realization made her soul grow colder.
If he truly is some old necromancer monster, then what value does an undead like me, with special properties, possess?
The answer was obvious. An invaluable servant. Or an equally invaluable material.
The Skeleton Chief had survived for more than fifty years. She had no intention of ending as someone's tool.
No. I can't accept that.
Even if escape was impossible, she wanted to try one final time. Her thoughts moved rapidly.
This senior knows Aurora. He knows the Federation. Perhaps he isn't pletely heartless.
If there was even the slightest chance, if she was to mention that person's name, would this senior perhaps help her?
With how talented that person was, after five decades they should be even more impressive than they were years ago, if they were still alive. In any case, if this senior did not know that person, or if they were enemies, then she would just accept her fate.
The Skeleton Chief remained silent for several moments before speaking again.
"…Senior."
Michael looked at her.
"You said… you came from Aurora."
"I did."
"Then…"
The violet soul flames flickered uncertainly.
"Do you know someone named Brian Copper?"
Michael paused.
"…I know two people named Brian."
The Skeleton Chief's soul flames brightened slightly.
"However," Michael continued, "I don't think either of them would be related to the person you're referring to."
The faint hope within her eyes dimmed.
"Tell me about him."
"He…"
The Skeleton Chief seemed to hesitate, as though organizing memories she had not spoken aloud for over fifty years.
"He specialized in fire magic."
Michael's brows twitched.
"…Fire?"
"Yes."
"He possessed exceptional talent with flames."
"He was considered one of the greatest geniuses of our generation."
"…"
Michael's expression gradually became strange.
A Brian. Gifted in fire.
That description was being increasingly familiar. The first person who came to mind was Brian, his former classmate. The second, Teacher Brian. Both of them specialized in fire.
…Coincidence?
There were countless people named Brian. There were countless fire mages. The overlap should not have surprised him. Yet something about the timing and circumstances made him strangely uneasy.
The Skeleton Chief noticed the subtle change in his expression. Her soul flames flickered violently.
"…Senior?"
"You know someone, don't you?"
Michael did not answer immediately. Instead, he asked,
"Can you tell me what he looked like?"
The skeleton then requested his permission to use projection magic, which Michael allowed since this method was much better.
The Skeleton Chief slowly raised one skeletal hand. The violet crystal atop her staff emitted a soft glow. Wisps of pale spiritual light drifted into the air.
Gradually, an outline began taking shape.
A tall man. Broad shoulders. Short hair. Sharp facial features.
The image was somewhat blurred. Still, the general appearance was unmistakable.
Michael stared at it and his pupils contracted.
"…"
The Skeleton Chief anxiously watched his face.
"Senior?"
Michael did not respond. He simply continued staring at the floating figure.
The man appeared younger. His face lacked the faint wrinkles Michael remembered. His bearing was less mature. But despite those differences, there was no mistaking him.
"…Damn it."
The curse escaped his lips almost instinctively.
The Skeleton Chief froze.
Michael slowly exhaled. His expression had bee unusually plicated.
Teacher Brian. It's actually Teacher Brian.
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