Chapter 81. To me, it's a bracelet, but not to you.
Under normal circumstances, I should consider the morale of the mercenaries, but there's no time for that.
'Morale is only useful when our side is safe.'
What good would high morale do if the 4th Base Camp collapses?
"Indeed, I understand. Then, let's do it that way. Still, can we take a short break?"
"Of course. Let's have a proper meal and then set out."
In response to my words, Fiksher immediately issued orders to the mercenaries of Abiot.
I watched him quietly, and then someone approached me.
Over the past few days, this was the first time Flen had spoken to me.
Out of curiosity, I glanced at him.
"I apologize for the late greeting. The brothers of Victima. I am truly grateful for allowing me to witness their final moments."
It seems he realized that I was the one who had left the 2nd Base Camp as it was.
"To be honest, I did resent it. I wish I could have given the brothers a more peaceful rest sooner. And..."
"Why did you show me such a terrible sight?"
Flen answered sheepishly and gave a bitter smile.
"But after some thought... I'm glad I saw it. After all, they were comrades, for better or worse. I should have seen how they went. And..."
"To make those bastards suffer the same pain."
Flen's eyes glinted coldly.
He didn't try to hide his expression.
I didn't tell him to hide his murderous intent, as it wasn't directed at me.
"That's enough, stop there."
I patted Flen's shoulder.
He was much taller than me, so it didn't look good, but it didn't matter.
"You seem to want to talk about dealing with the rats. It's not over yet. Save your words."
Flen answered and shut his mouth.
After saying everything, an awkward silence fell.
In such conversations, words are often unnecessary.
Just understanding each other's feelings and expressing them with a few words is enough.
'It's not that we're awkward with each other.'
"Hmm, well. Then, I'll... go."
"Uh, uh. Yeah, go ahead."
I awkwardly saw Flen off.
At that moment, a voice came at just the right time.
The voice belonged to Shain.
I looked at him with a blank expression.
[Come here for a moment.]
"I'm already here, aren't I?"
[There's something I want to ask. Come with me for a moment.]
Shain, who usually spoke in a casual tone, now sounded unusually serious.
He soon said what he had to say and walked away, his heavy armor clanking.
I watched him for a moment and then followed.
The place Shain led Aster to was the outskirts of the 3rd Base Camp.
It was a deserted hut right in front of the wall.
Shain, who had arrived at the hut first, sat quietly on a bed and looked at the door.
Soon, a face, or rather, a mask, appeared as the door opened.
"What is it? Want to fight?"
His tone was the same as usual.
He was still rude, generally not serious, and his words invited a fight.
However, the light in Shain's helmet was extremely calm.
[There's something I need to tell you.]
Shain von Remang, who was uncharacteristically serious, made Aster narrow his eyes and look at the Death Knight in black armor.
[While moving here, I checked... well, my condition.]
[It seems... my time is not infinite.]
An unhelpful explanation.
However, Aster's reaction was calm, as if he had expected it.
"I don't know much. I just had a hunch."
Or, as commonly known, Undead.
When you think of Undead, you think of immortal beings that don't die even when killed.
However, nothing is eternal.
What is the reason Undeads constantly seek out living beings?
To steal their life force and maintain their existence.
"Even for Undead, I thought an energy source would be necessary. It seems I was right."
[...Hmm, then the story will be a bit faster. I'm a layman in this area. Listen and judge for yourself.]
Shain calmly explained his condition during the journey.
Death Knight. A body already dead, but his voice didn't seem to have much feeling, as if he had already sensed his end.
Shain looked at Aster with flickering flames.
"Let me summarize for a moment."
"When you kill a monster, you regain some strength, right?"
"Is this similar to naturally occurring Undead? Anyway, next..."
[I tried the Aether Breathing Technique just in case. It had some effect.]
What kind of breathing technique can you do when you can't even breathe?
However, Shain laughed at Aster's reaction as if it was amusing.
[The core of the breathing technique is not 'breathing'.]
[Ultimately, it's a matter of 'will'. The body is not what accepts mana and stores aether. It merely serves as a vessel. Breathing is just an action.]
[You won't understand it all at once. You're not a mage, are you? Just remember that it exists. Anyway...]
"Right, then. So, the Aether Breathing Technique had some effect?"
[But the efficiency was poor. It's not as good as when I had a body. The speed at which aether accumulates is less than a hundredth. And even that...]
"Would be depleted in an instant."
It seems aether is used as an energy source.
If the accumulation speed is minimal, it would be consumed as an energy source on the spot.
Aster crossed his arms and thought.
To be honest, forbidden magic, especially necromancy, is not his field.
Especially, the realm of high-level Undead like Death Knights is not something even a necromancer can easily handle.
'And I haven't even resolved the sins of the Thirteen yet.'
Shain's disappearance would be a painful loss of strength.
[At most, about two weeks.]
Shain's question made Aster shake his head.
"I don't know any methods."
"At least, I think you can be useful until we deal with the Black Mages."
Shain looked at Aster with a cold flame, a very selfish statement.
[What a piece of trash...]
Aster looked at Shain with a lecherous eye.
"In my current state, I have no way to help. In my current state, that is."
Shain asked with a hint of expectation.
At that moment, Aster took something out of his pocket.
"Do you know what this is?"
What Aster took out was the bracelet the Golden Mages used to control Shain.
He kept it after freeing Shain, thinking it might be useful.
Shain was right, but Aster shook his head.
"To me, it's a bracelet, but not to you."
It might seem absurd for a Death Knight, one of the most ominous beings, to feel ominous, but Shain truly felt a chill at that moment.
On the other hand, Aster smiled brightly.
His cheeks puffed up, and his mask slightly lifted.
"You, my slave... no, companion."
"Then, I'll grant you the dream of extending your life."
I learned about the bracelet's function relatively recently.
The knowledge I read in my previous life.
It contained a lot of information about forbidden magic and artifacts, including this.
A list of artifacts he knew.
'At the time, I thought it was just an idea notebook.'
A plan to create an artifact with such and such functions.
However, there was this one.
Fortunately, my memory wasn't bad, and I vividly remembered its appearance.
I had memorized it well out of a desire for revenge.
'Who would have thought it was this bracelet?'
Now, I realize it wasn't just an idea sketch.
It was a list of artifacts the Golden Mages possessed.
Why he had a list of other people's artifacts is unknown, but the important thing was the ability of the 'Subjugation Bracelet'.
'To subjugate a single Undead.'
It didn't matter what it was.
It could subjugate naturally occurring Undead, and if certain conditions were met, even Undead controlled by a necromancer.
It seemed the Golden Mages gave it to the Death Knight when lending him out...
[...So, you're saying I should be subjugated again?]
"Hehe, subjugation, no, companionship. Let's say we're forming a friendship."
I made a joke in response to Shain's cold voice.
Of course, I understand his feelings.
The Golden Mages who awakened him from death. His hatred for them was not ordinary.
He probably doesn't want to return to such a state.
"Think about it. The two weeks you mentioned. Honestly, is that when you do nothing but breathe?"
[...I don't breathe, but I assumed it would be while receiving energy from monsters.]
"Then, how can you take revenge in such a state?"
Even if you barely kill monsters to extend your time,
"Would you have time to chase monsters? Even if the Great Forest of Hameln is overrun with monsters..."
I waited for his answer calmly.
Of course, some might think,
If it's such a powerful artifact, why not just force subjugation?
'To do that, I'd have to learn forbidden magic, but getting an Undead for that... it's not worth it.'
That's why Shain's consent is needed.
For Undead with a self, a contract can be made with mutual consent.
[...Then, if subjugated, is the dream of extending life... possible?]
Shain, realizing there was no other way, asked with a hint of expectation.
It's a summoner's duty to take care of the summoned.
But perhaps he couldn't make up his mind.
Shain fell into thought again.
"This is a pretty good artifact. Subjugation doesn't mean becoming a slave. I can even give you the right to refuse orders."
Of course, I'll use you as a slave.
"Is that all? If you allow it, I can use your mana. Wouldn't that give you more freedom?"
Of course, I won't allow it.
I tried to persuade Shain with various sweet words.
Finally, Shain's consent.
'The mana used as an energy source is a bit wasteful, but...'
What does it matter to have a Master Knight... no, a complete companion.
[But, there's a condition. If you guarantee that part, I'll accept.]
"...Alright, let's talk about it."
Shain grumbled, seemingly finding the feeling of subjugation unpleasant, but it was a good thing for me.
'This much... the mana consumption is manageable.'
Perhaps the purity of the mana affected it.
When the contract was made, mana flowed into Shain, but the amount was minimal.
"Take care, slave... no, companion."
I smiled and extended my hand.
Of course, Shain also smiled.
Though a Death Knight, he was definitely smiling.
After all that, I finally brought Shain under my command.
"...There! The 4th Base Camp!"
We arrived at the 4th Base Camp.
"...Well, that's the 4th Base Camp?"
The 4th Base Camp before us was on a different level from the Base Camps we had seen so far.