The Betrayed Necromancer - Chapter 1
Sudden Betrayal
"Crow. I'm sorry, but we've decided that you're going to die here."
When these sudden words were spoken, I pulled my mouth away from the water canteen I was drinking from and let out a pathetic "Eh?"
My name is Crow Hornet. I am a member of the adventurer party
Right now, we are on our way back from that grand adventure. We plan to camp at this spot today and make our triumphal return to the royal capital tomorrow. There, we would be blessed by many people and recognized as heroes.
Yet, right before that happened, the leader, Hero Ares, pronounced "death" upon me.
"Y-You're lying, right, Ares? We've been getting along so well up until now! Sure, I might be weaker than everyone else... but saying you want me to die is way too cruel!"
"Sorry, Crow. This has already been decided. Please accept it."
Ares casually dismisses my plea with a gentle smile on his face. The smile that used to be so dependable now feels terrifying. Is this really the justice-driven Ares I knew? It feels like I'm dealing with a heartless monster.
"R-Right. You guys think this is weird too, right!? You think it's crazy to want to kill me, right!?"
I look toward the companions I’ve traveled with up until now. Companions who shared this arduous journey with me. Surely, everyone will take my side. Thinking that, I cry out for help, but—
"So noisy. I'm already sleepy, so stop talking to me."
"Haha♪ So desperate, hilarious.""How pathetic... At least let's kill you painlessly."
"You're unsightly. If you're a man, silently accept your death."
"Really? If you don't resist at least a little, it's no fun, right?"
"Hey Ares, you didn't need to go out of your way to explain, did you? Let's just finish him off quickly."
"That's right. Let's just hurry up and kill a Necromancer."
My companions all gaze at me with cold, blank eyes.
Gaoran the Pugilist, the dependable big-brother figure.
Renala the Fire
Mage, always bright and cheerful.
Marina the Priest, merciful and
kind.
Donphan the Heavy Knight, the dwarf warrior who always protected
us.
Elsa the Dual-Wielder, a dependable big-sister type.
Zack
the Thief, a specialist in traps and poisons.
And Anastasia, the
beautiful elf princess.
Not a single one of the seven companions protected me. On the contrary, some wore grins of anticipation, eagerly waiting for me to die. It's impossible. We are supposed to be heroes who saved the world. Why, why...
"Why do I need to be killed!? I'm just a powerless
"That's right there, Crow. That's your flaw. A
"No way...!"
The
Yet everyone in Dragon Tail treated me as a companion. That's why I loved this party and all my friends. And yet...!
"Then why did you make me a companion!? If you hated Necromancers so much, you shouldn't have let me join!"
"Crow's power as a Necromancer is ugly and evil, but it was useful for subduing the Demon King. It allowed us to neutralize the Demon King's undead army. But now that the Demon King is dead, you've served your purpose. We can't have a Necromancer be celebrated as a hero who defeated the Demon King. An oracle was handed down: execute you now that you are no longer needed."
"T-That's...!"
An oracle is a divine revelation. The Church worships a single god and occasionally receives words from above. That is an "oracle." Oracles are absolute and can never be overturned. In other words, my execution has already been decided.
"His Majesty the King also agrees with your execution. That means there is nowhere left for you to belong."
"Even His Majesty...!"
I am cast down to the depths of despair. Even the King wishes for my death. Wh-Why? I've never done anything wrong, so why do I have to die just because I'm a Necromancer?
"I... I don't want to die..."
I don't want this, I don't want this, I don't want this. As I wonder how to get out of this predicament... suddenly, a sharp pain flares up in my stomach.
"...!?"
Then I vomit blood, coughing out a sharp "Gah!" My head spins, and my consciousness fades away. This state isn't normal. I realize that I've been poisoned.
"This poison, could it be..."
"Ah, it's me. I don't care about Necromancers and stuff, but I'm getting paid for this."
Zack the Thief laughs smugly. Come to think of it, the canteen I was drinking from earlier was handed to me by Zack.
"That poison is a special blend I concocted. Even though it has no taste or smell, its fatality rate is 100%. You're already dead... Just give up."
"Ugh... Ga...!"
Desperately supporting my collapsing body, I somehow manage to stand up. No good. I need to switch gears. The people in front of me are no longer the dependable companions I knew. Right now, I have to think about surviving.
Run! Anywhere is fine, just run somewhere I can hide!
"I'm surprised you can still run after taking Zack's poison. As expected of a Necromancer... You're tough. But I won't let you escape."
When Ares snaps his fingers, everyone stands up and pursues me. I desperately move my legs to run, but my physical stats are lower than everyone else's, and on top of that, I've been poisoned. At this rate, I'll be caught in no time. If so...
"Summon: Bone Soldier!"
Consuming the magical power within my body, I activate necromancy. From out of the ground, about ten skeletons wielding swords appear. Each one individually isn't that strong, but with this many, they should at least buy me some time.
"Haha, do you really think something like this can stop me, Crow!"
Saying that, Gaoran the Pugilist punches a skeleton and blows it away. Although human, Gaoran possesses strength surpassing a beastman, easily shattering the skeletons to pieces and reaching right up to me.
"I've always thought about this. I wanted to punch your lights out at least once. I despise creepy, gloomy bastards like you!"
"What... Gha!?"
Suddenly punched in the stomach, I roll across the ground, scattering vomit. It h-hurts... It feels like there's a hole in my stomach. It hurts as if my internal organs have been flipped inside out. I want to lie down right here, but if I do that, I'll die. Putting my hands on the ground, I somehow try to get up.
"I-I have to stand..."
I somehow manage to get up. I have no idea where I am right now, but I try to move far away. The moment I do, a flaming arrow pierces straight through my body.
"Gha...!?"
Once again, I collapse on the spot. Then, the mage Carmilla appears before me. Multiple arrows made of fire are floating around her. That's Carmilla's specialty spell, Fire Bolt. It looks like I was just hit by that.
"Fufu... You're trying pretty hard, Crow. I wonder how many hits you can take ♪"
Leaping sideways, I somehow dodge another incoming Fire Bolt. The spot where the Fire Bolt hit throbs with pain, threatening to make me lose consciousness. But if I pass out here, I'll really die. I have to run, I have to run...
"Not letting you escape."
"Ah..."
Right before my eyes, my former companions appear. I turn on my heel to run away, but I am easily captured.
--- From that point on, it was hell.
My body was beaten, slashed, burned, and tormented over and over again. No matter how many times I cried out that it hurt or begged for help, those words didn't reach them. I was continuously abused while being mocked and laughed at.
It was only a matter of a few minutes in time. But to me, that time felt like an eternity.
"That's enough."
When Hero Ares says those words, everyone's violence stops instantly. Every part of my body hurts, and my tears have long since dried up. Looking down, my right arm has been cut off, and other parts of my body are battered and torn to shreds. Bleeding profusely, I'll likely bleed to death in a few minutes at this rate.
"Hey Ares. This was getting good, why'd you interrupt? We could finally kill this creepy bastard."
"I told you, Gaoran. Crow is a Necromancer. Even if we kill him, we don't know if he'll truly stay dead. Just to be safe, we have to make sure."
Saying that, Ares easily lifts my body up and starts walking. A few minutes later, the forest ends, and a giant "hole" reveals itself.
"Th-This is..."
"You know about it too, right, Crow? The 'Abyss' in the center of the Great Forest of Nemo."
I certainly know about that place. A hole so massive that the entire royal capital could fit right inside it—that is the Abyss. Inside the Abyss, which is so deep its bottom cannot be seen, "miasma"—the most harmful substance to living creatures—is filled to the brim. It is said that any living thing entering it rots away down to its very soul.
"The miasma filling the Abyss rots not just the flesh, but the soul as well. No matter how much of a Necromancer you are, if your soul rots, you won't be able to come back to life, right?"
Saying this, Ares grabs me by the neck and thrusts me out over the Abyss. If he lets go, my body will plummet straight down into the Abyss. Seeing my pathetic display, Gaoran and the others clutch their stomachs and laugh. It makes me sick to my stomach to think I ever considered such insane people my companions.
I understood that the rest of my companions were scumbags. But why did Ares decide to kill me? Not having heard his true feelings yet, I somehow manage to force my voice out and ask him.
"A-Ares, why..."
"...Honestly, I think we were too scared of Necromancers. I don't think anything you do would cause even a single scratch to the Holy Order Church of Orden Seraphia."
After saying that flatly, Ares adds, "However..."
"His Majesty the King told me that having a filthy Necromancer standing next to me as a hero looks bad. I agreed that he was right."
"T-That's..."
To decide to kill me for such a trivial reason... Ares looked like a heartless monster to me. This world is truly messed up if such a terrifying monster is adored as a hero.
"Well then, farewell, Crow. We'll say you died after suddenly betraying us during the battle against the Demon King. Well, as a Necromancer, you were of use to me, the Hero. You have no regrets left, right?"
"Kidding... Gha!?"
A heavy pain felt right in the center of my body. Looking down, Ares's holy sword was deeply impaled in my stomach. Sacred light baked my body from within, and I let out a voice that wasn't quite a scream.
"Gah, Aaaaaahhh!!!!!!"
Seeing me scream, my companions cackle loudly. I can't forgive them. These guys... I will never forgive them.
"I'll... kill you...!"
Hearing my words, my companions blink in surprise before bursting into laughter all at once. You can laugh all you want for now. No matter what it takes, I'm going to kill you all...!
"Fufu, thanks for making me laugh at the very end. Well then... See you, Crow. Bye-bye."
Smiling just like he always did, Ares lets go of his hand. Pulled by gravity, I fall into the Abyss. Perhaps because I've lost too much blood, I no longer have any strength left in my body.
As my consciousness fades, the emotion that wells up endlessly within my heart is——a strong, intense rage.
"I won't forgive you..."
The former companions who tormented me. The king who ordered my execution. And above all, the hero Ares who killed me for a trivial reason. I can't forgive them. I can't forgive them, I can't forgive them, I can't forgive them... [repeated 20 times]
Every single one of them, I will never forgive. I'll kill them. I'll definitely kill them. I'll make them experience the pain and suffering I went through multiplied by a thousand. I'll inflict pain on them until they beg, "I'm sorry for being born, please kill me."
Revenge. I must have my revenge. I won't be satisfied unless I kill those bastards with my own hands.
I will change. I... No, I will throw away my weak and cowardly self from this very moment and turn into a ruthless avenger. And I will definitely make them suffer a gruesome fate. ——For that sake as well, I must survive.
"Ugh..."
The miasma filling the Abyss gradually eats away at my body. At this rate, I'll crash into the bottom of the Abyss, and my body will be smashed to pieces. Furthermore, due to the effects of the miasma, I won't even be able to resurrect and will just rot away as I am.
Normal methods won't work. Amidst my fading consciousness, I think desperately and come up with a way to survive this situation.
"I'm going to... survive...!"
Placing my remaining left arm over my heart, I concentrate. Then, I desperately knead my magical power and activate that necromancy spell.
Forbidden Art: Soul Rebirth...
Black magical power is released from my hand, being sucked straight into my heart. It hurts... but I can endure this. Compared to the pain when those bastards tortured me, this is nothing at all.
Strictly speaking, the forbidden art Soul Rebirth is not a resurrection spell. Resurrection spells return a dead body to a living state, but this spell is a technique to be reborn into a brand-new body. Moreover, during the rebirth process, it absorbs surrounding elements to make them its own power. Therefore, it's more accurate to call it a reincarnation spell.
With this spell, I might be able to absorb the miasma and turn it into my own power. There's no certainty; the probability of failure is practically higher. Above all, this spell is a forbidden art, I've never used it once, and I have no guarantee it will activate properly.
Even so, it's better than doing nothing.
"I'll definitely, definitely kill you...!"
The faces of the ones who dragged me down are firmly engraved in my mind. I can't afford to die until I exact my revenge on them. I'll definitely come back to life and plunge them into the depths of despair.
Carving that into my heart, I fell to the bottom of the Abyss—and with a wet, squishing sound of crushed flesh crashing into the ground, what used to be me scattered into countless pieces of meat.
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