|What the hell is this thing supposed to be - a parasite - an oddly shaped growth...!?|
Zoemi was looking up and down the headmaster's body and tried to figure out what was going on – at first glance, at least as the black-haired boy could tell, there was nothing wrong with the body itself - but in the end, no matter what his eyes would always end up staring at something slightly behind the large man's back...
"Of course... lor... lady... lord...?"
The black-haired boy was doing his best but he literally couldn't figure out what he was seeing – he most definitely never encountered a being like that in his entire life and had a hard time adjusting to the situation on the spot...
"..."
"..."
The atmosphere sure grew rather awkward between the black-haired attendant and the red-haired headmaster and considering that neither of them wanted to be the one to speak first just in case the other one would turn hostile at the breath's notice - they entered quite the standstill...
|He knows - he definitely knows and is already thinking how to get stealthily get his hands on my corpse puppet and drain it of all of the mana that I injected in it through all those years to keep it fresh...!|
Aspakeony kicked her feet against the padded drawer and bit her fingernail already considering her options – of which the first and the most accessible one was to escape the country as she already was forced to do in the past...
...though, of course, even though it was the most accessible one, it was also the one she did not want to pick...
|...should... should I try to check that thing with my shadow...? No... better not, what if it will attack me if try that...?!|
Zoemi thought, staring at something above Vereq's large shoulder...
"..."
In the end, as the silence between the two prolonged itself, the black-haired boy ended up giving in to his curiosity and focused on the inner world where the shadows danced – the headmaster's shadow was most prominent as it ruined out that he was continuously using some spell – or rather a ceratin spell was continuously being used on him – Zoemi gulped down his saliva and let his own shadow shyly reached towards the peculiarly shaped growth attached to the headmaster's shadow, and gave it a little tap to see what will happen...
"!!!!"
|Wha... whoa... what?!|
The headmaster didn't seem to notice a thing but the black-haired boy flinched and his eyes widened in shock.
|Ne-necormancy?! There is really a spell that allows a mage to control a dead body?!|
The black-haired boy gasped internally in excitement as the knowledge about the spell suddenly entered his mind.
|Wait! Our headmaster is actually an undead?!|
With another realization dawning upon him, he shook his head in absolute confusion – and was about to ask it out loud – but then something happened.
...as if someone played out a movie - a vision of a gray-haired dark-skinned girl who looked far too young to have gray hair because of an aging process showed up in his mind.
The girl was leaning down and patting his head with an affectionate smile that honestly made the black-haired boy's heart start beating faster – then, she picked him up and hugged him...!
|Wait, what...? She picked me up...? How big was she...? And when did this happen...?!|
Zoemi furrowed his brows and thought to himself, actually forgetting about the situation he was in...
|Oh no...! Why is he looking like that?! Is he trying to contact the Ghosts?!|
Aspakeony felt a cold chill running down her spine and she started sweating nervously.
"Have you heard about the Marigotiee Kingdom?"
"!!!"
The headmaster asked suddenly and Zoemi flinched.
|I knew it! I knew it! The ghosts are back and they chose this boy to become one of them! I am so screwed...!|
Aspakeony started rolling inside her drawer while pulling on her hair as she dreaded the thought of being on the run for another two hundred years...
...although she couldn't be farther away from the truth...
|The Marigotiee Kingdom! One of Miriette's bad endings was being married to the ruler of that city-state! And it was that ugly fat man! Is it time!? Crap! Crap! Crap! This world might not be a game but the event's keep on happening!|
Zoemi cursed internally, gritting his teeth at the mere memory of the certain endgame illustration...
|No – wait – the bracelets are gone – so no one can actually force Miriette to do anything...! HUH?! No, seriously, wait...! Is that why this corpse came here today?!|
"...!"
He flinched in realization and straightened his back, looking straight at the red-haired man, making him flinch nervously as if he expected the boy to charge at him at any moment.
"Sir Vereq, do you, by any chance, want me to convince my master to agree on marrying the king of Marigotiee Kingdom?"
Zoemi furrowed his brows and asked in a grim voice while clenching his fists, bracing for the possible affirmative answer that he certainly didn't want to hear.
"What?"
The headmaster asked taken aback and blinked repeatedly in confusion.
"What, what? That's why you came here, right? The fat... the ruler of the Marigotee Kingdom offered a peace treaty to our kingdom under the condition that my master, lady Espine, will marry him since their city-state has a long tradition connecting them with the wind attribute. And since the ancient bracelets that could stop magic got ruined, the only way a condition so ridiculous could be met, you all need my lady to agree willingly – hence, you want me to help you convince her to sacrifice herself for the good of the Bellcephora kingdom."
Zoemi scoffed and pointed out angrily, raising his left hand and tapping his palm with his right hand.
"Wait.. .what...? No! I mean, a ridiculous offer like that was indeed put forward but..."
The headmaster gasped and shook his head – and the necromancer controlling him did the exact same thing too.
|...is he playing with me or...?|
Aspakeony furrowed her brows and fidgetted, grabbing onto one of her pillows and hugging it closely for comfort.
"So... you don't know what happened...?"
Vereq asked raising his hand and putting it to his mouth...
"What happened with what...?"
Zoemi furrowed his brows and looked around as if expecting someone to suddenly jump out and tell him that it was all just some really odd and unfunny prank...
|What the hell!?|
|What the hell!?|
Both Zoemi and Aspakeony ended up literally stunned in confusion.
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