novelraw Chapter 65
Chapter 65
Ch.65 “I, too, actually…”
A clear day.
—Bang!
At the sound of a gunshot splitting the sky, a penguin far in the distance collapsed with a thud.
“Hit!”
I lowered the barrel of Equality, which I’d been using to snipe, and shouted triumphantly.
Selena, watching the fallen penguin through binoculars, gave me a baffled look.
“Why on earth are we doing this?”
“There’s a reason for everything.”
The boss mob guarding the Trident of the Sea God was a fairy known as the Queen of the Ocean.
Though she stood barely ten centimeters tall, she wielded the power of the sea to attack, making her extremely difficult to defeat.
When tidal waves crashed down, landing a shot with Equality at close range was nearly impossible.
That’s why we were hunting penguins in preparation.
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“I still don’t understand why I’m doing this. So… how many do we need to hunt?”
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“Hmm… probably around a hundred?”
That’s why we were hunting penguins in preparation.
“I still don’t understand why I’m doing this. So… how many do we need to hunt?”
“Hmm… probably around a hundred?”
The one we’d just taken down was only the second.
Just thinking about the dozens more we’d have to kill honestly made me feel lazy.
“Oh! There goes another one.”
At her words, I looked ahead.
A penguin flapped its large wings and advanced toward its fallen comrade.
I aimed and pulled the trigger.
—Bang!
—Thud.
Watching the penguin collapse lifelessly, I muttered,
“Where on earth is the penguin flock?”
In Destiny, penguins were undeniably annoying mobs.
Individually, they weren’t particularly strong—
just slightly tougher than goblins.
But they vastly outnumbered goblins, boasting an absurd population.
While a typical low-level dungeon housed about 20–30 goblins, penguins came in the hundreds as a baseline.
The Arctic had opened as a region between the conclusion of the ‘Dragon War’ DLC and the release of ‘King of the Dead.’
In other words, for players coming here, anything less than a hundred mobs would be considered too easy.
“Do penguins really move in flocks?”
I nodded at Selena’s question.
“Yeah. They’re social animals.”
They had to be nearby.
I stood up and gathered the dead penguin’s corpse.
“But can we even fit a hundred on the sled?”
I scanned the empty, desolate snowfield where no penguin flock was in sight and shook my head.
“No. We’re not loading them onto the sled.”
Originally, I’d planned to resurrect them using Levi’s Dagger.
“Then how are we moving them? Aren’t you hunting them to take somewhere?”
“That’s true, but…”
Then it hit me.
If I turned the penguins into undead using Levi’s Dagger, would Selena start disliking me?
Necromancers weren’t welcome here.
If I admitted I was a necromancer, all the hard-earned goodwill I’d built with her might crumble. The thought alone froze my tongue.
What should I do? Should I casually bring it up later?
“Why’d you stop mid-sentence?”
“I’ll tell you in a bit.”
We loaded the penguin onto the sled and moved on.
We searched for the penguin flock until sunset but returned to our tent empty-handed.
Lying still, all sorts of thoughts flooded my mind.
What should I do? I really need to talk to her about the Concept Artifacts.
But if she asks how I know about them or what I plan to do with them, I’ll have no good answer.
Sure, Selena and I are sort of dating, but I’m not sure if I can trust her with this secret yet.
After all, isn’t that the nature of ‘sort of dating’? It could fall apart at any moment.
If the existence of the Concept Artifacts got out, it wouldn’t be good for anyone.
Lost in thought—something cold touched my cheek.
“Ah! Cold! What is it?”
Selena, holding snow in her palm, had rubbed it against my cheek without me noticing.
She grinned playfully.
“What’s got you so deep in thought?”
“Oh, just planning ahead.”
I couldn’t possibly tell cheerful, smiling Selena that I was hesitating because I didn’t trust her.
“Thinking ahead is good—but how about eating this while you do?”
She handed me a bowl of soup.
“Thanks. I’ll enjoy it.”
Selena had recently taken over cooking duties.
Thanks to her natural talent, our meals were no longer a problem, making our journey much more comfortable.
“The soup’s red today?”
She nodded at my remark.
“It’s borscht—a soup commonly eaten in cold regions.”
The vivid red broth looked incredibly spicy, so I asked cautiously,
“Is it spicy?”
She covered her mouth and giggled, apparently amused by my wariness.
“Hehe… No, it’s not spicy. The red color comes from beets, not chili peppers. It’s a soup I used to eat often as a kid.”
Beets resembled onions in appearance and had a slightly sweet taste.
Relieved, I took a sip—the sweetness and tanginess blended into a surprisingly pleasant harmony.
“It’s not bad at all.”
I’d braced myself for lava-level spiciness, but just as Selena said, it wasn’t spicy at all.
“How is it? You’ve never eaten food like this before, right?”
I smiled back at her proud expression.
“Yeah, it’s really delicious. I’ve never tasted anything like this in my life.”
Once, I’d lived lavishly as a wealthy noble, but those meals couldn’t compare to this.
Because this… was made with love!
That’s why it moved me so deeply.
“Tch, you’re exaggerating… But I don’t mind hearing that.”
Seeing her radiant smile made me happy too.
Should I just tell her about the Concept Artifacts? No… What if someone else finds out by accident?
There were many underground organizations and evil people here trying to resurrect the King of the Dead.
What if the Concept Artifacts fell into their hands?
The original story would be completely derailed.
Even if I trusted Selena now, what if our ‘thing’ fell apart?
Sighing inwardly at the returning dilemma—
“Aren’t you going to eat? I don’t know what you’re worrying about, but eat first—your soup’s getting cold.”
Noticing my distress, Selena pouted.
“It’s just…”
Should I just confess I’m a necromancer?
That actually sounded plausible. I turned to Selena.
“I’m actually a necromancer.”
Her dark eyes widened in surprise.
“Huh? Out of nowhere?”
“Yeah. I was planning to turn the penguins into undead to help find the artifact.”
Caught off guard by my sudden confession, she stammered,
“Oh… I see.”
Her lips moved as if she wanted to say something but couldn’t.
What’s wrong? Does she not even want to talk to someone like a necromancer?
“I’m sorry I hid it until now. But you know how badly necromancers are viewed, right? I was afraid you’d hate me, so I couldn’t bring myself to tell you.”
She stared straight into my eyes—as if trying to read my heart—her gaze filled with bewilderment.
But why bewilderment?
“Thank you for telling me, even now.”
“Uh… yeah.”
“And you don’t have to hide anything from me. I… won’t dislike you just because you’re a necromancer.”
As if her earlier unease had vanished, she quickly offered a shy smile.
“Still, thank you—for telling me, even if it’s late.”
Her cheeks flushed slightly.
Ah… Could Selena truly be an angel?
Someone who wouldn’t discriminate against a necromancer—she was no different from a real angel.
“I, too, actually…”
Selena’s lips trembled.
Did she have something to confess as well?
I waited patiently for her next words.
***
Throughout cooking, Hans seemed lost in thought.
What’s wrong? What’s got him so troubled?
We’d hunted penguins smoothly during the day—already at seven, which felt like decent progress.
Yet Hans wore a stern expression, clearly wrestling with something.
We’d known each other for nearly two months, but I’d never seen him like this.
Should I leave him be?
I didn’t know what he was worried about, but it must be important.
By the time dinner was ready, I called out to him.
“Hans? Dinner’s ready.”
He didn’t respond, lips pressed tightly together as before.
“Hey, time to eat!”
Still no reaction. Sighing, I slipped outside, scooped up a handful of snow, and rubbed it against his cheek.
He finally jolted awake.
“Ah! Cold! What was that?”
His flustered reaction made me smile unconsciously.
“What’s got you so deep in thought?”
Hans hesitated before speaking.
“Oh, just planning ahead.”
“Thinking ahead is fine—but how about eating this while you do?”
I handed him a bowl of soup.
“Thanks. I’ll enjoy it.”
He stirred the soup with his spoon.
“Red soup today?”
He swirled the broth with his spoon as he spoke.
He was an Imperial noble—and the Empire, where he’d grown up, was a much warmer region.
Though borscht was popular in the north, it would be unfamiliar to him, so I explained,
“It’s borscht—a soup commonly eaten in cold regions.”
He looked concerned.
“Is it spicy?”
Ah—did he assume the red color meant lots of chili peppers?
Not all red soups are spicy—tomato soup, for example, is red but mild.
Yet Hans stared suspiciously at the soup as if challenging it.
It looked oddly amusing.
“Hehe… No, it’s not spicy. The red comes from beets, not chili. It’s a soup I used to eat often as a kid.”
He cautiously took a spoonful.
“Not bad at all.”
Then, to my surprise, he began gulping it down eagerly, clearly delighted.
Watching him enjoy it made me feel full myself.
“How is it? You’ve never eaten food like this before, right?”
“Yeah, it’s really delicious. I’ve never tasted anything like this in my life.”
Hans was originally a noble holding a baronial title in the Empire and the head of its largest trading company.
He must have dined at countless famous restaurants.
As confident as I was in my cooking, I knew I couldn’t compare to those places—so his praise felt like an overstatement.
“Tch, you’re exaggerating… But I don’t mind hearing that.”
My lips curled up involuntarily.
Honestly, it felt good.
Where’s a girl who wouldn’t be happy hearing praise from someone she likes?
But soon, Hans’s expression hardened again.
What’s on his mind now?
He’d always avoided worries before—yet here he was, deeply troubled.
Was the sun going to rise in the west tomorrow?
Still, seeing the food I’d prepared go cold bothered me.
“Aren’t you going to eat? I don’t know what you’re worrying about, but eat first—your soup’s getting cold.”
Hans looked at me, his lips trembling as if he wanted to say something but couldn’t.
Curious, I waited patiently.
“It’s just…”
Finally, he spoke.
“I’m actually a necromancer.”
Huh? He’s been openly carrying Levi’s Dagger this whole time—and only now admits he’s a necromancer?
I couldn’t grasp what he was saying.
“Huh? Out of nowhere?”
He looked like a child confessing a fault, guilt written all over his face.
“Yeah. I was planning to turn the penguins into undead to help find the artifact.”
I’d known all along he used necromantic abilities—after all, the Prophecy Scroll stated Levi’s Dagger could resurrect the dead.
But was this really something that required such long hesitation to confess?
Though I already knew, I feigned surprise awkwardly.
“Oh… I see.”
But he seemed to take my reaction differently.
“I’m sorry I hid it until now. But you know how badly necromancers are viewed, right? I was afraid you’d hate me, so I couldn’t bring myself to tell you.”
What? Was he really that anxious about me hating him?
Pfft… How cute.
His feelings for me felt overwhelmingly genuine—half shyness, half sheer adorableness.
That he’d agonize so much over something so trivial…
It just meant he cared about me deeply.
“Thank you for telling me, even now.”
“And you don’t have to hide anything from me. I… won’t dislike you just because you’re a necromancer.”
Seeing him look so dejected—as if awaiting a judge’s verdict—made me smile unconsciously.
“Still, thank you—for telling me, even if it’s late.”
Now… maybe it’s time.
Now that I know Hans’s secret… maybe I can share mine.
Maybe I can finally tell him about our organization.
Carefully, I began,
“I, too, actually…”
—Kyaaaak!
—Kyaa!
—Woof! Woof!
At that exact moment—as if fate itself were playing a prank—noisy commotion erupted outside.
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