Chapter LXXV

  Kina immediately turns to the figure that appears out of nowhere, his comment still echoing in their ears: “A bit excessive! Don’t you think!?”

  She tries to decipher what he means by that while gauging his reaction to the spectacle around them.

  Nero on his part is observing her carefully. He’s wearing a new green coat over his tattered clothes. She can only assume it’s the coat his companion Grumpy worked so hard to buy at the inn.

  A strange silence settles. One that neither Kina nor her aides feel comfortable breaking, considering what they know about the mage standing before them.

  Thus, Nero is who speaks again as he looks around at the hunters’ bodies on the ground. “You know, I just expected to have a little chat with them. Maybe throw a fireball or two to make them see reason.”

  He gestures toward the bodies on the ground, adding, “This was hardly necessary.”

  Turning his gaze to Kina, he ends with a small smile, “That’s usually when they start with the 'my lord'.”

  His tone is friendly. And Kina can’t help but notice how he references the little slip she made while they were talking at the inn. Unfortunately, the way he studies the situation suggests he’s not particurly pleased with what he sees.

  “I think we need to consider...” he begins to say in a still friendly tone. But he stops mid-sentence as his eyes lock onto Kina—more specifically, the Ra’tel in her hand.

  Her heart skips a beat as she realizes he might recognize the weapon, revealing the Valley’s interest in the mage—a huge blunder. And one with entirely unpredictable consequences.

  Nero tilts his head slightly, as if pondering something. “A... a... Raquel,” he finally says, confusion on his face.

  Kina remembers that previous reports of encounters between Valley agents and Nero suggested he had trouble saying Ra’tel. Whether that was genuine or just an act wasn’t clear. But he seems to be maintaining the condition now.

  Seeing no way to deny it, she csps her hands—still holding the Ra’tel—and offers a formal greeting to the mage. “Lord Nero!”

  She assumes her two assistants mirror her, as she hears the same words echoed behind her. But that’s the only attention she can afford them—the mage before her is what matters.

  “Nintar!!” he excims, still clearly surprised.

  A small and dangerous smile spreads across his face as he begins speaking. “And here I thought you worked for Sorana and her little friend. But in reality, you’re on the other side!” As he finishes speaking, the smile vanishes and his gaze turns cold.

  His lips move slightly, mouthing something she can’t hear or understand. But a pale light begins to glow in his hands, quickly enveloping his body. He has cast a spell.

  Noting that he’s still visible and nothing has exploded, Kina can only assume it’s a spell that grants him physical resistance to endure a sword strike—or at least she hopes, since she doesn’t know all the spells the mage may have.

  But this confirms things are taking a very bad turn. Nero clearly assumes they are here in service to the royal house of Figor, and therefore here to attack him. And though she can't understand why he would have been so hostile when he thought she was working for Princess Irina, considering what she has already done in her service, this new misinterpretation could mean the end of Kina—and future problems for the Valley. Something that must not be allowed to happen.

  For a few breaths, Kina grips the Ra’tel in her hand and starts thinking about how to fight this mage. After all, the distance between them isn’t too bad for hand-to-hand combat.

  But looking at the bodies around her, she remembers: even though they haven’t yet seen any necromancy from Nero, he is supposed to be a powerful necromancer. Signifying she is in the worst possible pce to fight him. A fight that was already nearly impossible to win becomes completely impossible.

  With no alternatives left, she kneels and bows her head while still holding her hands in a salute deciding to expin herself while mentally begging her ancestors that Nero believes the truth.

  “Lord Nero. We are not here in service to anyone.”

  “Oh no?” he excims, his doubt loud enough for all to hear. “Then what are you doing here?”

  She rexes slightly—just slightly—because at least he seems willing to listen. That alone is already quite something.

  She releases her hands from the salute position and, in the most respectful and noble motion she can muster, slowly pces the Ra’tel on the ground. Without daring to look directly at the mage, she gestures toward the knife on the ground saying in an almost ceremonial voice, she can “Can you recognize this?”

  She hears a rather arrogant “Hmph,” followed by, “Of course I can!”

  “I just said... It’s a knife, a Raquel, or something like that.”

  For a moment, Kina nearly chokes on the urge to sp this arrogant and disrespectful bastard. But he continues speaking. “Seems to be missing the little red lines on the bde that show it’s been bonded to its user.”

  And with that, her eyes rise to look directly at the mage. Because despite his apparent disrespect, as far as the Valley knows, this strange and unknown young man is absolutely correct.

  “And how do you know that?” she asks, hopeful in obtaining such valuable information, even if perhaps a lot easily and she thought.

  “This feels like déjà vu. The other group of Nintar asked me the exact same thing.” He sounds somewhat bored, and looking at him, she sees a bit of tension forming—likely not helping his already high alertness.

  Fortunately, he continues talking. “And as I said before, I know because I had one. And when I say one, I mean one bonded. After all, why would anyone want one without the bond?” She can see in his eyes that his st comment was made to provoke a reaction from her more than anything else.

  And yes, this confirms the previous reports, encouraging her not to fall into the trap she thinks he’s trying to set.

  “And may I ask!? How did you get a bonded Ra’tel?” she asks, being as respectful as possible. At this point, it’s not even to avoid an attack—but because she’s getting the answers she so badly wants.

  “How else!?” he replies, sounding almost incredulous. “I went to the Forge of the Skies in Nahun. And with a lot of effort, managed to convince the bcksmiths to make me one! How else do you think I could get one?” In the end, he sounds slightly mocking. But that’s exactly the question she has. How else could it be done?

  “And do you remember the steps required?” she asks hopefully.

  He stares at her very seriously before replying. “Yes, yes. Of course, I do. Just one little thing first…”

  She nods eagerly, barely able to believe she’s about to learn how to make bonded Ra’tel so easily.

  “Can you tell me what you ate, exactly a year ago today?” The sarcasm in his voice doesn’t escape her, and her heart sinks. “Do you seriously think I’d remember something like that? Do you have any idea how many years ago that was? And do you think I was at the forge working with them?”

  Looking at her, he seems to soften a little before continuing more gently, “Look, as a rule, I only do what I’m asked—and this was one of those times.”

  Kina bows her head in disappointment, struggling to keep the frustration off her face.

  “But why are you so down? Isn’t it a good thing, that I don’t know? That way I can’t tell anyone.” He sounds to be trying to cheer her up.

  “But we need to know!” she whispers, afraid to speak louder. Admitting such a weakness of her people is unimaginable—but it slips out, faced with her shattered hopes.

  “Look, don’t worry. It’s not like anyone can copy them without elements that are only found in usable quantities in your ruins,” he reveals in a way that makes her suspect he thinks she’s trying to trick him. As if she’d attack him just for admitting to knowing the Valley’s secrets.

  But another question comes to mind. “But if you don’t know how to make Ra’tel, how do you know that?”

  “That’s fairly common knowledge,” he answers without hesitation. Which leads her to suspect he’s being honest. But this ‘common’ knowledge is something she didn’t know— meaning he knows more than he’s saying.

  “Then what else do you know about the Ra’tel?” she tries, hoping for anything more. Any piece could be useful.

  “But why does it matter to you? It’s not like the Nintar don’t know how to make their own branded weapons!” he excims, sounding fed up with the conversation.

  But the silence that settles over the clearing is more telling than a thousand words when Kina decides not to even attempt a lie.

  Realizing this, Nero freezes, mouth slightly open and eyes wide.

  Once again, he breaks the silence. “Really, really! But how does something like this happen!?”

  A good question that Kina decides to answer honestly—even if it reveals something her people would rather keep hidden. But she’s convinced that based on what the necromancer has said so far, he is their best hope for help.

  “Time, the passage of time. The number of disciples worthy of a Ra’tel kept decreasing. And with that, so did the number produced. Eventually, only a small number of the oldest bcksmiths knew how to make them. And then, they died without fully passing on the knowledge,” Kina says, a solemn tone in her voice as she admits the weakening of her people.

  “Eventually, when we tried to recreate the Ra’tel, we simply failed.”

  Nero seems to listen closely. Then he allows silence to once again fall over the clearing. He looks around, lost in thought. Kina doesn’t feel capable of interrupting him—partly because of the threat he poses, but mostly to win his goodwill.

  Finally, he lets out a heavy sigh. “So I can assume that while you’re struggling with this, you’ll keep following me. Hoping I know something more.”

  Not the perspective she would prefer. But also one she can’t exactly deny—at least not convincingly.

  “In that case, I have no choice but to try to help. Right?” For a moment, she almost tries to disagree. But the way he just spoke suggests he believes he can help.

  His voice calmly returns. “In that case, the only way I can help you is by telling you something. But I’ll say this now: I’m not sure if what I’m about to say is still valid. Understand?”

  He’s speaking to everyone, but once again Kina doesn’t care about the others’ reactions—she just nods. This is potentially the closest they’ve come in decades to learning how to remake the Ra’tel.

  “Okay then. In that case, in the ruins in the valley below Nahun—you know that tilted tower to the east?” he begins.

  “Uh... Lord Nero? The Tower of Suffering is west. Definitely west.” Kam interrupts. This causes the mage to pause, looking at his hands as if trying to remember directions.

  In the end, he shrugs and continues speaking. “Right, whatever. What matters is, you know the tower, right?”

  Kina simply nods.

  “Good! You can reach it, right? The monsters around the tower are a bit annoying,” he asks, looking thoughtful.

  Kina wonders how he can call them “a bit annoying.” These are monsters she knows to be extremely deadly. But if that’s the only way then they’ll have to face them.

  “Well, actually, it doesn’t matter. You don’t need to fight them. You only need to reach the side of the tower. Especially since your goal isn’t the tower—but rather, the stone wall near it. More precisely, a pile of rocks leaning against the wall.” Hearing this, Kina recalls seeing the pile of stones he’s referring to from a distance. Somewhat validating what he’s saying.

  “In the middle of that pile, you should find a vertical shaft that you’ll have to descend…” Appearing to have a new thought, he adds, “You’d better take a rope.”

  He stops and looks at them intently before starting to scratch his head and speak. “Well... this is the slightly tricky part.”

  “When you go down the shaft you should end up next to a gate. If that it's open, well...” he hesitates slightly, then shrugs and finishes with, “Too bad! Forget everything and leave.”

  “What?!” she and the others excim simultaneously.

  The necromancer takes a small step back as if surprised by their reaction, before continuing.

  “Look at it this way... If that gate is open, then the corridor you’ll have to cross is connected to the interior of the tower. Making it full of ghosts.” He scratches his head again, seemingly reluctant to keep speaking.

  But fortunately—or not—he looks at her and continues. “You see, if you already have trouble with the monsters outside the tower, then facing the ghosts inside... Without one of those Raquel's of the necromancers...” Kina assumes he’s referring to a Ra'tel whose user has followed the path of Sekellos, which is supposed to grant the Ra'tel a series of necromantic properties.

  “Well, in that case, anyone who tries will be sughtered. It takes real firepower to deal with those ghosts,” he concludes, seeming to be recalling something, while Kina suspects that this necromancer has more than enough power to get through the tower.

  Even though this news isn't as optimistic as she would have liked, she asks the obvious question: “And if the gate is closed?”

  He shows a smile like he was expecting the question and says, “In that case, your chances are good. Really good.”

  With renewed energy, he continues, “You’ll have to follow the corridor in front of you. You'll just have to be careful to avoid the room to the...” Again he stops talking. Looking at his hands, one at a time, as if trying to remember which direction to take.

  Finally, with slight irritation, he speaks again. “Look, you know what? It doesn’t matter. Avoid all the rooms, especially the one that looks like a forge.”

  “Why?!” asks Kam’s voice from behind her.

  “Because inside there’s a named ghost of some bcksmith. If you’d have trouble with the other ghosts then what do you think a named one would do to you guys...” Nero responds as if it were the most natural thing in the world. But Kina has never even heard the term named ghost before.

  It’s quite clear that it must be a cssification for a ghost more powerful than normal ones. Something Kina takes care to mentally note. That, and the fact that this necromancer knows such details.

  “What matters is that you keep following the corridor until the end. It’ll end in a spot where there’s been a colpse. Among the rubble there, you should find a metal cabinet.” he expins slowly. While Kina remains amazed, by the number of details he’s giving.

  “Now, if that cabinet still has things inside, when you open it, at the back of the top shelf you should find a cube.” tilting his head, a smile appears on his lips.

  “And that’s what you want. For some ridiculous reason, someone decided it made sense to write the entire recipe for your weapons on this cube. Now don’t ask me in what nguage. But if you manage to decipher it, it should have everything you need.” he finishes saying this and looks again at Kina.

  “That’s all I can give you. So you won’t need to look for me again, will you?” His voice is calm but contains a strong intensity. Leading Kina to nod in agreement.

  With that, he turns around, but before leaving adds,

  “If you need ingredients for the knives, take the other things from the cabinet—they should be useful. Just avoid the bottom shelf, especially the hammer.” There’s a slight humor in his words.

  “That is... unless you want to meet the bcksmith’s ghost...” with that said, Nero takes a small step forward and vanishes. Clearly having cast his invisibility spell.

  Kina, on her part, is grateful to already be on her knees because at that moment she loses all strength in her legs. Because when she saw the poorly dressed young man vanish into thin air, she had understood something. Something potentially very important and dangerous.

  “Did you hear that?” someone excims behind her. Kina doesn’t even try to figure out who.

  “This could change everything.”

  A sentiment she can agree with. Though she is thinking of something else. Deciding to impose some order, she looks at the bodies around her and commands,

  “Silence. Focus on cleaning this up.”

  That should now be their concern because it wouldn’t be good for anyone if these 'hunters' were discovered like this. It would raise too many questions. So it’s better to make the bodies disappear. Which the boys get up to do.

  Meanwhile, Kina tries to recover some strength. But the image of Nero disappearing doesn’t leave her mind, nor does the conclusion she has come to.

  Something that perhaps only someone like her would consider. Someone who looks a good ten years younger than her twenty-five years of age. And that is—what is this young man’s real age, the one who knows far more than he should?

  Everything Nero just expined, clearly came from his memory and not from stories he might have heard. So he must really have explored the ruins in the Valley, and somehow acquired a Ra'tel. But that would be impossible in the st hundred years.

  And if Kina were to bet, she’d bet that Nero was remembering from well before that date. This means, that even though he looks young, this necromancer must be old—very, very old.

  This is something the elders of the valley must know. That one of the ancient monsters doesn’t just live—but walks among them.