I Defeated the Guide Angel and I Became a Necromancer ~ I Feel Like I'm Playing a Different Game from Everyone Else, but I'm Doing Fine ~ - Chapter 6

Chapter 6: The Forest is Full of Dangers

◆ Rinne and Perseus, in the Southern Forest of Tarlash ◆

“Take thisssssssss!!”

“Perseus (Lv.11) dealt 197 damage to the Forest Goblin (Lv.15), defeating it Experience gained: 330.”

“Grunt, Aaargh!!”

“No good, no good!!”

“Perseus (Lv.11) used [Maiden’s Charge], dealt 271 damage to Forest Goblin (Lv.15), and defeated it. Experience gained: 330.”

“Donta (Lv.7) dealt 315 damage to Forest Goblin (Lv.15) and defeated it. Experience gained: 495.”

Well, we’ve reached the forest. Donta and Pers-chan are strong, incredibly so. Donta leads the kill score in this forest, with Pers-chan in second place. The ratio is approximately 6 to 4? As for me, zero. Zero kills. I’m practically a living statue. Thank you very much.

“You seem pretty relaxed. Maybe it’s time to take on some more powerful monsters.”

“Waowao (I’m weak).”

“You two are just too strong, I believe.”

“They say that! Once we leave the forest, we’ll go to the city of Jeed and handle some things there. Then, we’re heading to another city. We can only walk, so let’s make it a relaxed trip—just walking around and hunting monsters a bit.”

“Well, let’s ride through the forest on Donta.”

“Can I ride too!!???”

“Wauun!! (I’ll carry you!)”

“Come on, it’s okay, get on.”

Besides, in terms of experience points, this forest is a bit mediocre. It would be inefficient to earn 300, 400, or 500 here when you need over 20k (20,000, 1k = 1,000) to reach the next level.
“Rinne, in this game, there’s still no system for riding vehicles or pets. It’s limited to carriages and horses. No system for riding pets has been found!”

“Oh, really? But Donta is big, so it wouldn’t be strange if we could ride him. Isn’t it like being able to ride large monsters?”

“Being able to ride large monsters… I see. If we find a large pet, we might discover a pet riding system. Oh, Don-chan? May I ride you?”

“Wao (Sure!)”

“Surprisingly comfortable to ride, but it might be better to crouch to avoid being thrown off. There is probably collision detection with tree branches, right? It would definitely hurt.”

“Indeed, that’s true! But is it okay for two people to ride…?”

“Wao wao (Sure, up to two people is fine!)”

“Yeah, it can handle two people.”

“In that case, I’ll take the front seat! Just hold on tight, okay?”

“Hmm…”

…With that settled, let’s quickly get through this forest. Since it seems okay for Donta to carry two people, I’ll sit behind Pers-chan, holding on tightly to prevent any chance of being thrown off. If we encounter monsters that appear suitable for hunting, I might shoot Curse Spear.

“Donta, run straight ahead. Watch out for low branches, and if there are strong monsters, either evade them or dismount and engage before they detect us. Understand?”

“Waawaa… (Lots of instructions, it’s hard, but understood!)”

“…Wargs should be intelligent.”

“Kyuuuun… (I’ll do my best.)”

“If it can understand human language, it’s already quite smart, don’t you think?”

“…Indeed!!! Donta, you’re amazing! You’re so clever!”

“Wauuuuun… ♡”

Donta is so handy, incredibly handy. I forgot that it’s amazing in itself that he understands commands in human language. Yes, he’s named Donta because he’s so blunt that he almost matches my dullness. I had set my expectations too high for Donta. I should reflect, reflect… His charm lies in his silly cuteness and fluffiness. Now, go, Donta! Let’s get out of the forest!

◆ ◆ ◆

The Southern Forest of Tarlash was perfect for those with special circumstances. The monsters were weak but plentiful, making them hard to avoid, and the forest was bustling with noise. Typically, there is hardly any good reason for someone to willingly navigate through such a troublesome forest. Hence, it served as a convenient haven for those seeking to hide and evade pursuers.

One day, there was a group who sought refuge in this forest. The pursuers lost track of them, and as the sun set, they began to lose their sense of direction. Before the pursuers completely lost their way out of this forest, they retraced their steps, and the group managed to escape… or so it seemed. Here lay the corpses of that group. They should have had the strength to defeat the monsters in this forest, so why did they die here? Their bodies were ravaged by goblins, and there were no traces of fatal wounds.

When you encounter these skeletons with such a story behind, you might find it intriguing and want to unravel the mystery behind their death.

◆ ◆ ◆

“Stop, Donta.”

…I caught a glimpse of a strange cutscene; is this some kind of quest? Indeed, there it is, a white skeleton. However, there are no remnants of items, there’s just a white skeleton.

“…Ah, yes, I recall now. This is the ‘Mysterious White Skeleton.’ It’s a quest with a limited number of attempts, and it concludes once someone successfully completes it.”

“Hmm…”

Well, attempting to clear a quest like this definitely seems more challenging. It would be different if there were some evidence or items left behind, but as it is, it seems impossible.

“Are you curious?”

“I am indeed. And as mentioned in the cutscene, they were strong, right? If we wake them up, they might be useful.”

“Wake… them up?”

“Ah, you’re right. This is quite unusual.”

Typically, in quests like this, you can’t move the white skeletons. However, there’s a slim chance that it might be possible. If they were reasonably strong in their past life, it would be incredibly fortunate if we could wake them up. Perhaps at least one of them will come to life.

“Rise.”

“This white skeleton cannot be used.”

“Rise.”

“This white skeleton cannot be used.”

“Rise.”

“This white skeleton cannot be used.”

“Rise…”

“This white skeleton cannot be used.”

Hmm, it seems impossible after all. The only one left is this small white skeleton…

“Rise…”

“………… (Clatter)”

“It… woke up!”

“Oh, it woke up!”

It moved, it moved! Seriously? It’s okay with just this one, yay!

“★Skeleton Witch has become your follower. It has been named — its name is 【Aurelia】】”

It got a name on its own… Oh well, maybe it’s the name from its past life. And Skeleton Witch… She was a witch. Oh, there are various things that would suit her perfectly.

“Your name is Aurelia. Like a witch. Aurelia, now that you’ve become my follower, you’ll have to work for me.”

“(Nods)”

“Ah, wow… So this is how you create undead beings. And you can even make them from NPCs; how convenient!”

“For now, a weapon and armor.”

“(Surprised)”

Witch’s robe, under-armor, witch’s hat, mage’s staff, leather boots. With a complete set, she gives off a mysterious witch vibe from behind! Although, from the front, she’s unmistakably a skeleton.

“Wauu!!”

“Oh, there are goblins ahead. Aurelia, try taking care of them.”

“(Nods)”

“I’m excited to see the magic you’ll use.”

Now that a suitable opponent has appeared, let’s see Aurelia’s abilities, shall we? What kind of magic will she use?

“………..!!!!!!!!!”

“What? What are you doing? Goblins are here.”

“Oh? What’s the matter…?”

“(Shakes vigorously)”

“Why is she shaking her head so much?”

“Wuun?!?! (Aurelia can’t fight! She can’t speak the activation words!)”

…Magic, right. Oh, I see. The activation words…

“Whaaaaaaat?!?!?!”

“Wauuun!!!”

“Donta (Lv.7) dealt 384 damage to Forest Goblin (Lv.15) and defeated it. Experience gained: 495.”

“(Peck, peck, peck, peck)”

“Aurelia is really apologizing… A witch who’s lost her magic abilities, what a remarkable revival. So, she can’t utter the activation word and is perpetually in a silence-state. Huh, is Aurelia completely useless? Is she more of a hindrance than anything?

“…………Donta, you’ve got a junior who’s even dumber than you. Congratulations.”

“(Peck, peck, peck, peck)”

“Wauuun!! (Evolve, wait?)”

“Oh, evolution… evolution, huh?”

“Evolution? So, if she evolves into a higher species, there’s a chance she might escape this condition.”

“I hope so… Well, since I woke her up, I should raise her… Hmm…”

Unlike Donta, who became an instant force, Aurelia might be a late bloomer or potentially just an unnecessary addition. What should I do, what should I do…

“Wauwa!! (I’ll do my best for Aurelia too!)”

“Donta will do his best for Aurelia. Let’s do our best as her seniors.”

“That’s fine, isn’t it? It seems that party features come with a party bonus, so the experience points actually increase!”

“Oh, it’s not a split based on the number of members?”

“That’s right! Until now, it was a 321% split between the three of us, but with four people, it’s a 440% split, making it 110% per person!”

“Oh, I see. Then there’s no downside to increasing the number of members… Oh, Donta can only carry two people.”

“Woof woof wauwau!! (Aurelia is light because she’s just bones, so it’s fine!)”

“Well, if it’s fine… Aurelia, work hard to evolve! Aim for a body with flesh!”

“(Nods, peck, peck)”

There doesn’t seem to be any downside to adding Aurelia, so let’s add her to the party. Now, from here… hmm?

“…………”

“Ah… they were companions, huh? Should we give them a proper burial?”

“………… (Peck, peck)”

“Woof!! (I’m good at digging holes!)”

Aurelia seems to want a burial for her companions, so let’s do that. I’ll leave the hole-digging to Donta, and I’ll look for something like a suitable-sized stone to act as a gravestone.

“Woaoon!!!! (I found something!)”

“Hmm? Donta, what did you find?”

“!!!!!!!!!!”

Oh, wow, Donta did a great job! He found a necklace covered in gems. It’s definitely valuable and can be turned into money. Good boy!

“Obtained Necklace (Unidentified)”

“…………”

“Was it Aurelia’s? This necklace.”

“……….. (Shaking)”

“Can I have it then?”

“(Nods, peck, peck)”

Obtaining an accessory is fantastic, but having it in an unidentified state leaves me in the dark about its performance or effects. Even if I equip it, it’ll just be labeled as an ‘Unidentified accessory,’ but I hope it still has some noticeable effects. It would be nice if it’s the type of equipment that exhibits its effect even in normal circumstances.

“Equipped Necklace”

“The necklace is cursed!!!!!!!”

“Cannot remove the necklace”

…Oops. I messed up…!!!

“Oh? Rinne? Is it possible that you’ve just put on cursed equipment?”

“…………Yes, that’s exactly it!”

“Oh my! And it’s unidentified! We don’t even know what kind of effect cursed equipment might have, right!?”

“Yes, that’s it!!!”

“Wauu…”

“It’s not your fault, Donta. It’s my fault for putting it on carelessly.”

“(Peck, peck, peck, peck)”

“Aurelia, too, it’s my fault… Oh, it’s inconvenient that you can’t talk!”

“(Peck, peck, peck, peck)”

It turned out to be cursed equipment, that necklace… It’s not surprising that a necklace buried in the location of a white bone corpse might be cursed! Especially with all those gems, precious metals are easily associated with grudges! Sigh.

“Anyway, it’s not draining my HP or MP automatically, and my stats aren’t decreasing either… So, let’s see, Curse Spear! Alright, it works. Seems fine.”

“It could be the type of cursed equipment that you just can’t remove. There are cursed items that have no negative effects other than being unremovable, so it might be that type.”

I don’t know what kind of curse is on it, and I can’t take it off, so I guess I’ll just have to wear it. But seriously, how do you identify things?

“Hmm… I hope so. By the way, how do you identify items?”

“Other than asking an appraiser in a city… When we arrive in the next city, Lorelei, I’ll appraise it. I have a lot of premium items from the item gacha that I can use. You’ll have to bear with it since you can only identify it in the city.”

“Hmm… Is it not possible to do it in Jeed?”

“Lorelei is the home of the guild I belong to. There’s a guild house there, so I can appraise items without anyone seeing. It’ll be safe there.”

“Okay! Let’s head there!”

“Yes, definitely!”

The identity of the gem-laden necklace will have to wait until we reach Lorelei. For now, I just want to get there. So, once again, on Donta, let’s go to Lorelei!

【Aurelia】

A girl formerly known as the witch Aurelia. She met a mysterious death in the Tarlash Forest alongside several companions.

She now serves as a follower of the necromancer Rinne. However, her inability to speak hinders her from utilizing the magic she once commanded in her lifetime. Naturally, her physical attacks are also feeble, to the extent that she might be on par with Rinne’s strength. Presently, not proving very useful.