The life of a baron's heir lacks romance.
A rural borderland estate, barely acknowledged from the center.
Beneath a cloudless sky, windmills and mills turn vigorously, while cows and goats graze on vast pastures.
Tap. Tap.
On the opposite side, village men are busy with logging in the forest. Laughter erupts from Robert's witty remarks.
In this small territory, days pass in peaceful slow life.
Yet Simon finds himself quite content with this life.
"Simon, what do you think is the most important virtue a lord should possess?"
Richard, Simon's father, suddenly asked as they walked side by side.
Momentarily lost in thought, Simon quickly pondered.
"Um... Compassion? Maybe."
Richard grinned broadly.
"Not a bad answer."
"What would be a good answer then?"
Richard raised his arm slowly, placing his hand over his heart.
"A warm heart."
Simon blinked in surprise.
"...Really?"
"Like how leaves change with the seasons, virtues essential to a lord also adapt to circumstances," Richard gently stroked Simon's head. "A lord who treats people with a warm heart gains the power to connect sincerely with others in any situation. That's the essence of lord-vassal relationships."
"Milord!"
Richard and Simon turned. Several adult men were carrying a large log on their shoulders, looking rather burdened.
"Apologies for interrupting your walk! If it's alright, we'd like to request 'that'!"
"Of course. Charles."
Simon glanced at his father with a slightly tense expression.
Richard Follentia was an ordinary rural lord, but he had one unique aspect.
"Step back, Simon."
With closed eyes, Richard quickly chanted a few words, then spread his palm. A dark shimmer rose into the air, forming a magic circle.
Simon scanned his surroundings warily. As the circle activated, trees and bushes around them trembled.
'They're coming!'
The ground rippled and transformed into a black swamp, from which skeletal arms emerged, reaching for the sun like they sought deliverance.
These arms, devoid of flesh, each consisted entirely of white bone fragments.
Undead.
Monsters driven by blind aggression against the living.
However, here in this estate, the situation defied common sense.
Thud.
Thud.
Rising from the ground, skeletons rushed forward, joining the villagers in lifting the logs.
"Thank you, Milord!"
Not only did the estate's residents show no fear of the skeletons, they beamed with relief and joy, as if reborn.
"Keep up the good work."
Indeed.
Simon's father was a necromancer.
***
It has been quite a while since necromancers began ruling half of the world.
It all started with the Talhern Empire.
When the Emperor of Talhern sent an army of 50,000 soldiers to Keyzen, the stronghold of the necromancers, in an attempt to free himself from their influence, Keyzen sent only 10 necromancers in response.
Just 10.
And it was here that the historic event known as the "Rose Brigade" occurred, when the 50,000 soldiers heading towards Keyzen completely turned around and returned to the capital of the Empire.
All of them had turned into undead by then.
The capital of Talhern was reduced to rubble, and the Emperor surrendered to Keyzen.
Afterward, the throne of Talhern was claimed by the decaying corpse of the "once" emperor.
The imperial officials bowed their heads before the rotting corpse, and millions of citizens of the Empire were mocked for thirty years by the puppet show of a decomposing body.
A fragment of history that demonstrated the power and terror of necromancers.
As the necromancers rose to the mainstream, they gradually expanded their influence, and now they ruled over half of the continent. The other half was controlled by the "Priests", who stood as their only opposition.
Following the Hundred-Year War between these two sharply opposing forces, decades passed, and now the continent was experiencing a somewhat fragile peace.
'...I suppose this doesn't really concern our territory.'
To Simon, the history of this war seemed like a tale from a faraway land.
If he were to list the most significant events that had recently occurred in the domain he would one day govern, 'Leshill', it would be the two calves of Charles' cow, which had been born healthy despite the lack of news for a long time, and the incident where Calon, while scrubbing the wooden floor with a rolling pin, slipped and had to get three stitches on his forehead.
Simon let out a quiet laugh as he arrived at the manor.
Oh, of course, the name "manor" was something the villagers kindly called it; in reality, it was just an ordinary wooden house.
While poor lords usually built small fortresses to give themselves some semblance of grandeur, Richard, the lord of Leshill, was much more humble.
Creeeak.
"Mom, I'm home."
As Simon opened the door and stepped inside, the comforting scent of wood filled the air. The crackling sound of the firewood in the hearth echoed through the walls.
"Simon! You're back?"
A woman with gray hair wearing an apron popped her head out from the kitchen. She was Anna Follentia, Simon's mother.
"Yes, I was helping with the logging work in the village."
"Did you eat yet?"
"...We had lunch just earlier."
"I baked some bread with the leftover dough. Have it with some jam."
Anna was the type of person who felt compelled to feed others, as though possessed by a ghost of someone who died from hunger. She would often insist on feeding anyone nearby, no matter the time.
Simon pointed to the tray on the table, pretending not to notice.
"Mom, what's this?"
"I brewed some Lehark mushrooms."
Lehark mushrooms were poisonous mushrooms often found in the southern mountains, and just leaving them in water would cause a greenish, oil-like substance to float on top.
If consumed, one would suffer from abdominal pain and diarrhea for a week, but if handled by Anna, it was a different story.
Rolling up her sleeves, she approached and placed her hand over the water where the mushrooms had been soaked.
Whoooosh!
"Wow!"
Simon gasped in amazement as he watched.
The white light that emanated from her hand began neutralizing the poison. The green impurities floating on the surface vanished like a picture, leaving only the mushroom's nutrients behind.
The white aura that emanated from her body as she purified the poison. This was the power commonly known as "holiness", a symbol of the Priests.
Indeed.
Simon was born to a necromancer and a priest.
Simon never really understood what had happened between his parents.
He only knew that they had shared a forbidden love, like something out of a fairy tale, and as a result, he was born.
"Simon!"
Anna's voice called out, though Simon hadn't noticed when she had returned to the kitchen.
"I baked an apple pie, have some!"
"...Alright."
As usual, the day passed. Simon, exhausted, lay down on his bed.
Leshill was quiet today, and it would be quiet tomorrow as well.
He believed, without a doubt, that this peaceful life would never change, and with that belief, Simon drifted off to sleep.
But.
Flap!
The change had already begun.
A letter flew in through the window and slapped against Simon's face.
"Ugh."
Simon raised his arm to remove it and opened his eyes.
"Hello?"
A voice he didn't recognize made Simon blink.
By the window, bathed in the pale light of the moon, sat someone.
The girl, with beautiful silver hair that reached down to her legs, radiated an otherworldly, almost mystical aura. It was as if he were looking at a forest fairy straight out of a fairy tale.
"It's time."
Her voice, sweet as honey, stirred Simon from his sleep.
For a moment, he stared in stunned silence, then quietly pulled the covers over his head.
"Don't pretend you didn't see me!"
The girl jumped down from the window sill, her face full of emotion.
"You saw me! Get up, hurry!"
Simon reluctantly kicked off the blanket and sat up, looking disheveled.
"...How did you get here? Did you get lost? Where's your mom?"
The girl sighed softly, then smiled again as if regaining her composure. The moonlight shone through the window, making her silver hair glow even more magnificently.
"I came here on purpose. I'm here to see you, Simon Follentia."
Simon's face filled with surprise.
She knows my name.
"...Me? Why?"
"Read the letter."
Her voice, unusually serious for her age, was firm.
Simon cautiously peeled open the seal and removed the envelope. The sound of crinkling paper filled the air, and a stiff, folded piece of paper appeared.
Suddenly, the door slammed open.
"Simon!"
"Simon! What was that noise?"
Richard and Anna rushed into the room, and the moment they entered, their eyes met with the silver-haired girl.
"Ah...!"
"Lady Neftis!"
It was clear from their expressions that they weren't meeting for the first time. The couple's faces lit up, and the girl smiled, waving her hand.
"It's been a while! Richard, Anna!"
The three of them began chatting eagerly. Simon, feeling suddenly left out, watched them from the side.
His father, Richard, looked as excited as a boy, while his mother, Anna, was already in a frenzy, saying she'd prepare a meal right away.
"Simon. You should greet her properly."
Richard said.
"This is Lady Neftis Arkbold."
Wait a minute.
That name sounds familiar.
Neftis Arkbold.
Neftis Arkbold.
Could it be...!
Neftis Arkbold of Keyzen!
The pinnacle of all necromancers ruling Keyzen.
The one responsible for the "Talhern Crisis", where she turned an emperor into a puppet corpse.
The 300-year-old Witch of Death.
Is that girl her?
Then what's this?
Shaking, Simon pulled out the letter.
"I'll make the official proposal. Simon Follentia."
The voice of the girl echoed like a song in Simon's ears as he read the letter.
[Keyzen Admission Notice – Simon Follentia]
"Come to Keyzen."