The place Simon followed Benya into was a small pub in Rochest. The inside of the old, soot-stained wooden building was thick with the scent of dark beer. It was a place with a lived-in, welcoming feel, its atmosphere more suited to townsfolk enjoying a pint than to Kizen students.
But the moment Simon stepped inside, a table erupted in cheers.
"Welcome, Simon!"
A bearded man raised his beer mug in a cheerful salute. Two others at the same table waved enthusiastically.
"Ah!"
The faces were familiar. They were the undead craftsmen from Vanilla who had created his marine undead, ‘Deimos’, when he had visited the fish market with Benya.
"Diego! Marco! Rodrion!"
The memory of them scolding him as he worked on magic circles was still vivid. A wide grin spread across Simon’s face as he hurried over. Diego, the leader, stood and opened his arms, and the two embraced warmly.
"Hahaha! It’s been a while! You’ve gotten taller, haven’t you?"
"Have I?"
"It’s good to see you, Simon."
"Hey, friend, don’t ignore us!"
The joy of their unexpected reunion was palpable. The four of them chattered away noisily.
"Am I invisible? Honestly, you old men."
When Benya approached from behind, the craftsmen addressed her as ‘Miss’ and greeted her with the utmost courtesy.
"I’m so surprised!" Simon exclaimed. "What brings you all to Roc Island?"
"We had some business with Kizen and decided to stop by," Diego explained. "And..."
He jerked a thumb over his shoulder.
"The person who really has business with you is over there."
A man was approaching from between the tables. He was middle-aged, wearing an old-fashioned, fallen-leaf-colored coat and a fedora, which he removed to bow politely.
"It’s been a long time, Simon. You remember me, don’t you?"
"Of course! It’s great to see you!"
It was Gellen Eclipse, the subspace craftsman—the man who had created Simon’s exclusive ‘Overlord Subspace.’ Simon looked at the assembled group, slightly bewildered.
’For everyone to be gathered here like this...’
Whether it was his subspace or Deimos, everyone here was a craftsman who had provided him with technical aid.
"I came to deliver this to you," Gellen said, placing a small, ring-box-sized case on the table. He tapped it once with his finger.
’Pop!’
The box opened, and a shimmering subspace bloomed in the air. Inside it rested a heart, emitting a soft, bluish glow that seemed to magnify its magical aura.
"The Heart of Herseva, as ordered."
"Ah!"
Simon’s eyes sparkled. An item worth 25,000 gold was right in front of him.
"Life Vessel hearts require extreme caution during storage and transport," Gellen explained. "That’s why we move them in subspaces like this, where we can control the temperature and humidity. And one more thing."
He handed the heart, subspace and all, to Simon and pointed to the object beside it.
"This is Herseva’s skull. It’s useless if it isn’t linked to the heart, so the seller included it for free."
"Oh! Thank you."
Gellen offered a small smile.
"Of course, you’ll have to return the subspace when you’re finished."
"Naturally."
"Are you making good use of the Overlord subspace I made?"
Simon held up the ring on his left hand and grinned.
"Yes, this little guy has gotten me through countless crises."
Now Diego, the leader of the Vanilla craftsmen, stepped forward.
"These are for you."
He began to lay out several wooden boards inscribed with magic circles. Simon’s eyes widened.
"Wh-What is all this?"
"You’re making a lich, right? I heard what you were planning and prepared some setup circles for you. All you have to do is infuse them with your Jet-Black."
Simon’s eyes filled with emotion.
"Thank you for being so thoughtful!"
"Eh, it’s nothing special," Diego said, scratching his head in embarrassment before his expression turned serious. "To be honest, we’d all love to stick around and help, but you know how it is. Lich creation—"
"—must not be tainted by another’s Jet-Black. Yes, of course, I know."
Aaron had taught him that. It was the reason necromancer shops didn’t sell pre-assembled liches. A Life Vessel had to be forged with a single, pure type of Jet-Black. If any impurities were introduced, the Jet-Black conversion rate would plummet later on. This was an undead he had to create entirely on his own.
’I’m nervous.’
He had received help from these craftsmen before, but now, he had to manage it all by himself.
"Thank you! I’ll do my best!"
Still, Simon felt a surge of energy from the camaraderie in the pub. The craftsmen clapped and cheered him on, shouting words of encouragement.
"Well then, I’ll be on my way!"
Simon bowed politely and left the pub. The necromancer craftsmen settled back at their table with weary grunts.
"The beer’s gone warm."
"Order another round!"
"Craftsman Gellen, please, sit and have a drink with us."
"Ah, are you sure?"
The four men chattered away boisterously. Just then, Benya, who had been sipping beer at the next table, approached with flushed cheeks.
"Well, this is a surprise."
"What is it, Miss?" Diego asked.
"Coming all this way just to see Simon, even lying about having business with Kizen."
"Ahem."
Diego’s face flushed as he cleared his throat, and the others roared with laughter. He had handed Simon the magic circle boards as if it were nothing, but in reality, he had stayed up all night to make them.
"Why go to such lengths for him? Is it because he’s Kizen’s Special Admission No. 1? An investment in a future power?"
"Hahaha! Miss!" Diego laughed heartily, waving his hand dismissively. "You may not seem like it, but sometimes you really show that Vanilla blood. We necromancers are a different breed. We’re fanatics. We don’t care for such calculations."
"Then...?"
"They say a master sword chooses its owner. What about the one who forges that sword? It’s no different. There’s nothing better than having someone I admire use my creation. I don’t do it expecting a reward."
Simon had a way of drawing people to him. Wanting to help him out of sheer admiration for his character wasn’t an act of charity, nor was it a calculated move.
"If you’re not expecting a reward... then what?"
Diego spread his arms wide.
"What else could it be but self-satisfaction!"
"Hahaha!"
"He’s already drunk!"
’Thud!’
Benya burst out laughing along with them and squeezed into the middle of their drinking party.
"Alright, alright! I’m going all out tonight, too!"
She raised her beer mug high above her head and shouted.
"To our proud junior, Simon Polentia!"
"Cheers!"
Five mugs clinked together.
Having completed his preparations, Simon entered ‘Pier’s Ruins’. Tonight, in a place where he would be undisturbed, he would create his lich.
"[Lord Commander!]"
Erzebet was the first to rush to his side.
"[You have returned, Young Master.]"
Akemus greeted him with a deep, polite bow. Prince, who had been in the middle of a card game, looked up irritably.
’Why were you so late!’
"[Mwahaha! You’ve come, boy!]"
Pier approached, his cloak billowing behind him. Simon offered a faint smile and followed him to the central altar.
"This brings back memories," Simon remarked, placing the subspace from Gellen and the various setup magic circles on the stone slab. "I assembled Pier right here, just after I first enrolled in Kizen."
"[Mwahaha! Indeed you did!]"
Simon set down his materials, took a slow, deep breath, and centered his mind.
"[Are you sufficiently prepared?]"
"Yes. I can create the three bands now. I’ve practiced on experimental hearts."
"[Good!]"
The four Ancient Undead formed a circle around Simon, keeping a slight distance.
"I will begin."
There was no more time to waste. First, he unwrapped the ‘Crystal Mage’ he had won in the after-school BMAT.
’Shwick! Clack!’
He laid out the contents and began assembling the skeleton as if building a tower. Assembling skeletons was Simon’s forte, and he completed the frame with practiced speed.
"[Lord Commander! Will you use a crystal skeleton for the skull as well?]" Erzebet asked, assisting him closely.
"No, for that..."
Simon retrieved Herseva’s skull, which rested beside the heart in the subspace.
"Let’s use this."
He had originally planned to construct the entire body from crystal, but since a better material had presented itself, he had changed his plans. Placing the plain-looking skull atop the sparkling, crystal-encrusted skeleton created a somewhat jarring contrast.
’Now for the summoning magic circle.’
He drew a large magic circle on a sheet, then took out all the boards he had received from the craftsmen. As he examined the inscriptions, he was deeply moved. They had called them simple setup circles, but several were of a considerably high level.
’Thank you so much, everyone!’
He poured his Jet-Black into the circles on the boards. Thanks to the craftsmen’s help, he completed the summoning magic circle in a fraction of the time, conserving a great deal of his concentration and energy.
"Alright, please get ready!"
But the core of a lich, above all else, was its Life Vessel. Without it, the body and the summoning circle were useless. Only by completing the Life Vessel could he raise the undead known as a lich.
Simon took the heart from his subspace ring.
"[Oh!]"
"[Impressive.]"
The Ancient Undead murmured among themselves. The mere act of removing the heart from the subspace filled the ruins with a brilliant light and a palpable surge of mana. What kind of lich would this create?
His own heart pounding, Simon flexed his hands.
"I will begin!"
The creation of a lich’s Life Vessel was a solitary endeavor. It was a battle against oneself. The process was incredibly difficult, and the probability of failure was high even with expensive materials, which was why most summoners never even attempted it.
However...
"[Lord Commander! I’ve stitched the magic circle here!]"
The Ancient Undead were all around him, assisting. They shared Jet-Black with their Lord Commander, and all four were now emanating Simon’s own dark blue energy as they worked. It was a loophole only a true commander could exploit, and each had honed their unique skills for this very moment.
Erzebet was weaving Jet-Black-infused spiderwebs over the magic circle Simon had engraved on the heart, fixing parts of the formula in place—a high-level technique called ‘securing’ that she performed with her own innate ability.
"[How long do I have to keep this up?]"
"[You may take your time, Young Master.]"
Prince and Akemus held the floating magic circles in perfect stasis.
"[I shall refine the circuit.]"
Pier intervened, subtly adjusting the flow of the Jet-Black circuit. Following his lead, Simon engraved the runes and continued the formula.
’I can do this!’
He had come this far with the help of so many. Even now, creating this lich, he was not alone. Sweat dripped from his brow as he meticulously drew a microscopic magic circle.
Hours melted away.
’Now, to link the heart’s magic circle with the summoning circle.’
’Flash! Flash!’
Light ignited in both circles simultaneously.
’The first band!’
The magic circle pulsed, spewing forth a stream of Jet-Black that coiled into a band and encircled the heart.
’The second band!’
Soon, two bands orbited the heart. Cheers erupted from the Ancient Undead.
"[You’re doing great!]"
"[Keep it up!]"
The figures of Prince and Erzebet wavered at the edge of his vision, and Simon wiped his eyes with the back of his hand. A wave of dizziness washed over him, but he couldn’t rest.
’Thump-thump. Thump-thump.’
The heart was beating. Once removed from the subspace, the process had to be completed quickly. The longer it took to transform the heart into a Life Vessel, the more its power would degrade.
’Now, the third band!’
He focused all his consciousness into a single point. His mind expanded, his emotions soared, and his vision bled to gray. The Heart of Herseva before him began to beat in slow motion. All sound submerged into a muffled, distant thrum, as if he’d sunk to the bottom of a deep sea.
He was in a state of perfect immersion. The heartbeat, powered by black magic, and the counter-rotation of the two bands were rendered with impossible clarity.
’Now! I have to do it now!’
His arm moved. He was so focused that Aaron’s specific instructions on forming the third band had vanished from his mind. Yet, he knew exactly what to do. His hands moved on their own, a blur of instinct and precision. Conscious of the two bands and the thrumming heart, he endlessly drew and paused, drew and paused, tracing the small third band in a pattern that perfectly matched the cardiac rhythm.
It was a battle of concentration so intense that he lost all sense of time.
’Phew.’
After several more hours, Simon finally withdrew his hand. Three shimmering bands pulsed in the air, complete. The very form Aaron had shown him was now before him.
’Now for the final step!’
Simon drew one last, simple magic circle in front of the heart. It was nothing more than a ‘button’.
He chanted the spell.
’Summon Lich’
Then, he activated the circle.
All the elements spun into motion like the cogs of a great machine. The heart beat, the bands rotated. The skeleton he had assembled earlier stirred, moving on its own to lift the heart. Prince yelped and jumped back.
"[Whoa! What’s that?]"
"[Mwahaha. Just watch quietly!]"
The skeleton opened its own rib cage and carefully cradled the heart within its center.
’THUMP! THUMP! THUMP!’
The heartbeat echoed like a war drum. Mana from the air was drawn into the two rotating bands, flowing through them like blood through veins. The moment it passed through the third band and the heart, it turned a deep, abyssal black.
’It worked!’
The conversion of mana to Jet-Black was a success.
As the newly forged Jet-Black coursed through the crystal skeleton, the construct stood on its own legs, its arms moving with newfound freedom. Finally, the moment the energy reached the magic circle inscribed on its skull...
’Fwoosh!’
A ‘mind’ ignited within the lich.
"[Hmm.]"
A human voice emanated from the skull’s magic circle.
"[Ah, ah?]"
The skeleton creaked as it moved its crystal-covered body. It tilted its head, its empty sockets fixing on Simon.
Simon stood frozen, trembling with anticipation. The lich’s jawbone slowly opened.
"[So, you are my creator?]"

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