Suspected Necromancer

Chapter 6 – Rato and Killian

I first met him on my way back from shopping.
He had blonde hair, blue eyes, and was tall. His face wasn’t bad, but he had an annoyingly arrogant expression.
He was standing in the middle of the road, blocking the way. Alongside him stood a younger, more obedient-looking black-haired boy. Both of them were well-dressed.
The arrogant blonde called out to me.

“Hey, girlie, can we talk?”

…What a terrible way to approach someone. Even if he’s a kidnapper, he could at least be a bit more polite.
So, I decided to ignore him.
I moved to the side of the road, intending to pass by that foolish guy.
Then, he said:

“Wait a minute! I’m talking to you, your hearing bad or something?”

And he grabbed my shoulder.
Touching a woman you’ve just met is very rude.
If I had brought a skeleton with me, I would have turned him into materials without hesitation.
But well, I’m a lady, so I responded politely.

“It’s not that my hearing is bad, it’s that your head is bad. And your manners too. I kindly ignored your rudeness, yet you don’t even appreciate my generosity. You’re so clueless, you might as well start over as a cockroach in your next life. Oh, and could you let go of my shoulder? You should’ve learned by age 3 to not touch a respectable maiden like myself that you’ve never met before. The moment you laid hands on me, my value started decreasing and won’t stop until you let go. So, please remove your hand now?”

And you know what? He looked astonished and froze in place.
Then, the black-haired boy gently removed his hand from my shoulder, apologizing.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry.”

So, I tried to leave, but the foolish guy regained his senses.

“I’m telling you to wait! No way, were you talking about me just now?”

“Huh? Did you think I was talking to myself? Of course, I was talking to you. Maybe you couldn’t comprehend such sophisticated speech? Well then, let me explain it in a way even a fool like you can understand—get lost.”

I don’t really like guys who are so full of themselves. Usually, they are nothing but snobs who boast about their status. Those kind of guys can’t do anything on their own.
Luciana said the same thing.
‘Overconfident men are usually worthless.’
I totally agree.

“No no no, what the hell did I do? I just spoke to you, didn’t I? Let me tell you, every woman I’ve spoken to has been happy, got it?”

I was starting to feel pity for him. He was like a sheltered aristocrat who hadn’t yet been exposed to the real world.
That’s why I replied:

“Actually, no woman in her right mind would be delighted by your approach. Think about it, what value do you have? You’re probably just someone with a noble family and money. Any woman who appears to be happy when you talk to her is only pleased by your family’s status or wealth. You, yourself, aren’t even worth a single copper coin. There’s no girl out there who would be happy just because you talk to her.”

Then, he stood there with his mouth hanging open, utterly dumbfounded.
The black-haired boy seemed a little lost and unsure of what to do in the situation. It was kind of cute.
So, I took the opportunity to leave. I thought that with the protection of my amulet, he would forget about today’s encounter by tomorrow.

But the next time I went shopping, something happened.
After delivering some medicine to the store, I was telling Luciana about the incident with the blonde idiot. She seemed quite entertained and listened while smiling.
Then, as I was about to leave after buying some more stuff, guess who I saw? The stupid guy.

“…My name is Rato.”

He said with a sulky look.

“I am Killian.”

The black-haired boy next to him introduced himself as well.
Maybe Rato got scolded by his mother or something.
When speaking to someone, the first thing you do is introduce yourself, isn’t it? Well, those are the basics.
But I wondered why my amulet didn’t work on them.
I mean, it would make sense if it was just one person, like Luciana. Then it would just be a coincidence. But for two people to both be unaffected by the talisman, that’s no coincidence. They both carried swords, so they didn’t seem like mages either.
Maybe the amulet lost its effect?
I absentmindedly held it and examined it closely.

“Oh, that amulet doesn’t work on us. Don’t worry, it’s not broken or anything.”

Rato said awkwardly.
To say “the amulet doesn’t work” means they are using some method to block its power, is what I understood.
If you know the trick, it’s not impossible to do.

“Oh, I see. I’m Luna.”

I introduced myself since he had told me his name. It’s just proper etiquette.

“Um, well, how about some tea? I’ll treat you.”

Rato asked hesitantly.
But you know, tea… It’s tea. Sir Knight seems to hand out tea freely, but it’s actually quite expensive, right?
Not that expensive? Well, it is for me, a commoner.
I thought I might as well go along with him if I got to drink tea for free.

I’m surprisingly easygoing?

That’s not true! Girls are weak to that sort of thing.
…Especially me, since I’d never had outside food and drinks. I wanted to try it once.

“If that’s the case, sure, I wanted to try that place over there.”

I said, pointing to a trendy store Luciana had told me about. It was a store I had wanted to visit for a while.

“Sure, I don’t mind.”

Rato replied, seeming relieved, and he walked into the store.
I followed him, and Killian came in after me.
The store was lovely, just as Luciana had recommended.
The interior was stylish, the chairs were comfortable, and the staff treated us with respect. It made me feel like a little noble.
I was delighted and ended up ordering various teas and sweets.
They were quite expensive, but Rato didn’t seem to mind.
Rato sat across from me, and Killian stood behind him.
I wonder if both of them were used to those kinds of stores, as they only ordered tea and didn’t have any sweets.

“So, what do you want from me?”

I cut to the chase since he treated me to tea.

“Well, I heard there was a female mage around. I wanted to see what kind of girl you were.”

Rato said, still seeming a bit nervous. I guess my harsh words had an effect on him.

“Why? Are female mages rare?”

“They are. And on top of that, you’re an Asuran with red eyes. It’s natural to be curious about you.”

It seemed that Asurans were rarer than I had thought. I had assumed I was unremarkable thanks to the amulet, but it appeared that rumors about me had spread somewhere nonetheless.

“Really? But it’s nothing special. Although my magic power seems to be higher than average, it still takes time to master and control it.”

“How long?”

“Over ten years, at least.”

“What? That much time!?”

Both Rato and Killian were surprised. It seemed that they had thought Asurans could cast incredible magic effortlessly.

“That’s just how things are. Mastering anything takes time.”

I said something that just sounded like a plausible explanation.
But they both nodded deeply in agreement.

“So, what kind of person is your teacher?”

Rato seemed interested in my master too.
…I just realized, Sir Knight and Rato are asking me the same questions, aren’t they?
Well, whatever.
As a token of my appreciation for treating me to high-end tea and sweets, I decided to share my life story with them. Or at least some of it.
It’s a little service, you know? But I kept the necromancy part a secret.
Using magic on corpses isn’t something society approves of, after all.
I told them everything, but they both looked solemn and got immersed in my life story for some reason.

“What a life. You never knew your parents, were raised by a slave trader couple, sold to an unkempt mage, and had no choice but to begin learning magic…”

Killian nodded gravely at Rato’s words. Somehow my life story got so dramatized.
It really wasn’t a big deal, though.