Chapter LXIV

  Fedor looks at Alcar, who seems to freeze momentarily in front of him. This sts until Alcar moves, turning around to face the new voice that had appeared out of nowhere.

  He attacks the necromancer with his sword, apparently assuming that the threat behind him is the greater danger.

  The necromancer avoids the bde by stepping back, saying, "Hey, be careful! I don't have any more clothes."

  The rexed attitude of this poorly dressed, unknown young man makes Alcar hesitate. Seemingly struggling to assess the real threat the young man poses. This brief pause allows the necromancer to reach out and grab the sword's bde.

  Alcar tries to free the weapon, but to everyone's surprise, the young man manages to hold onto it. This shouldn't be possible, even if Alcar hadn't kept his sword razor-sharp—which Fedor finds hard to believe. Despite the situation, Alcar doesn't back down and lunges at the young man, headbutting him in the face.

  Shocking the necromancer and making him release the sword. But Alcar can't take advantage of this, as the necromancer immediately returns the headbutt. While the young man seems to emerge from the attack unscathed, Alcar isn't so lucky. From the blood running down his face, it's clear his nose is broken.

  This, in turn, allows the necromancer to grab the sword again, ripping it from Alcar's hands. Seeing the fight turn against him, Alcar throws himself at the young man, tackling him to the ground. They start grappling on the floor.

  Seeing the sword on the ground, the first to snap out of the shock of the chaos. Is Princess Irina, who lunges for the weapon.

  Fedor has only a few seconds to decide what to do. Should he support Alcar, or solidify his betrayal by helping the necromancer? The princess rises with the sword at the ready, seemingly unsure of what to do. Considering she doesn't seem to know that the young man is Nero the necromancer, this is understandable. She turns to Fedor, clearly doubting what action to take.

  On the ground, Alcar keeps punching the young man, but this only seems effective in preventing the necromancer from counterattacking. That's when the princess finally understands what Fedor said earlier. "Nero!?"

  Seemingly realizing exactly who the young man fighting the guard is. And starts approaching with her weapon raised. This finally prompts Fedor to act. He quickly moves towards the two grappling on the ground, hearing Alcar mumble, "Damn it, what are you made of? Stone?"

  Up close, Fedor confirms his suspicion, that this fight is being much tougher than it should be. He wraps his arm around Alcar's neck and whispers, in his ear, "Give up, Alcar, just give up."

  But of course, the valiant Alcar would never accept that. Instead, he stops his attack and tries to break free from Fedor, forcing Fedor to tighten his grip on the stubborn guard's neck.

  "Sorry, my friend. But I don't see another way," Fedor tries to expin to the other man, which is the absolute truth, considering he doesn't believe anyone would trust him if he tried to expin now, what happened. Worse, he suspects the necromancer hasn't even used all his powers yet.

  Looking at the slightly surprised face of the necromancer as he stands, Fedor becomes even more certain of his guess. The necromancer doesn't have a single mark on his face, even after being headbutted and punched several times. In fact, Alcar's fists, now gripping Fedor's arm, are in much worse shape.

  As Fedor tightens his grip on Alcar's neck, he thinks about what Alcar just said—that hitting the necromancer was like hitting a rock. This makes him think, of Seran the Rock. A mage known for his magic that makes him as hard as stone. Fedor can't help but consider that the necromancer might know a simir spell.

  This would expin the seemingly arrogant way he's dealt with potential physical threats, like when he accompanied Fedor alone almost to this camp.

  Finally, Alcar stops struggling and passes out.

  "Is he alive?" the necromancer asks, looking at Alcar's body as it falls to the ground—something Fedor himself isn't sure of, and the interest puzzles him.

  That is until he remembers that the other man is a necromancer who might be contempting using poor Alcar's body. This makes what Fedor just did even more chilling.

  But when Fedor leans down and feels Alcar's breathing, he can only say with relief, "He is. He's still alive."

  "Good," the necromancer states seriously, to Fedor's surprise, leaving him unsure what to think.

  "Nero. Sorana's Nero?" asks the tired but firm voice of the princess. Looking at her, Fedor sees that she's now pointing the sword at them, her gaze a mixture of doubt and hope.

  "Sorana's?" the necromancer says, clearly displeased with the princess's phrasing.

  The princess wisely corrects herself. "Lord Nero, I'm just asking if you're the mage my friend Sorana spoke of?" Though Fedor can't help but notice that here, Nero is a mage, not a necromancer.

  "Sure, sure. Help a girl once... and now it's 'Sorana's'." the necromancer mutters, starting to approach the princess.

  "I apologize for my choice of words, Lord Nero. I just needed confirmation of your identity," the princess continues, expining herself as diplomatically as possible. Fedor can only imagine what she must have heard from Lady GrassStone.

  The necromancer doesn't seem to pay much attention, nor does he care about the sword she keeps raised, as he approaches. The princess, seeing him so close, lowers the sword—not that it would be much use, as Alcar's fight just proved.

  When he reaches her, he kneels and starts lifting the hem of her dress. Confused, she excims, "Lord Nero!!"

  He remains unfazed, revealing the ankle shackle that binds her to the chain. He grabs it with one hand and murmurs something that sounds like "Lucky lock."

  Immediately, the shackle pops open, freeing the princess. Without saying anything, he stands, now face-to-face with a flustered and blushing princess of Figor.

  "Ah... Thank you!" she decres, looking at her now free leg.

  The necromancer starts to walk away, and she says, "From what your companion said, Sorana convinced you to help me."

  "Why else would I be here?" the necromancer replies, heading toward the tent entrance.

  "Yes, of course. But why did you say you were surprised your companion kept his word?" she asks, recalling what the necromancer had said when he appeared.

  "Because I am surprised he kept his word," he responds, turning to her as if expining something very simple to a child.

  After a brief moment of reflection, he continues, "He..." the necromancer points at Fedor, "...was part of the force that captured you. But he was captured himself. So, he made a deal for his life, agreeing to lead me to you in this camp."

  Here, the bastard forgets to mention that he threatened to turn Fedor into an undead if he didn't cooperate.

  "But if you didn't trust him, why..." the princess starts, clearly confused by the story—a sentiment Fedor himself shares, and he appreciates that she asked, as he would like to know too.

  "Because either way, it was expected he'd end up here," the necromancer interrupts. Seeing their persistent confusion, he continues, "Either he'd come here willingly, as agreed. Or he'd come when they wanted to know more about me—from the only person they could ask."

  "Either way, he'd end up here, saving me the trouble of searching this stupid camp under an invisibility spell. This is much easier," decres the necromancer, revealing his pn and showing that Fedor never had any choice in what happened. Also, it confirms that the bastard had indeed been following him.

  Strangely, this brings some comfort to Fedor—at least he wasn't going crazy. It's just that the necromancer's surveilnce methods were different from what he thought.

  "I see. And now?" asks the now calmer princess, possibly because she's realizing that everything is going according to the necromancer's pn.

  Turning again to the tent entrance, he sighs, and says, "Now there's the problem. This spell is useful, but it's not meant to be cast on others."

  Looking back at the princess, he continues, "That means you'll have to escape under everyone's noses."

  "How!?" Fedor blurts out, intrigued and confused by the current pn. "We're right in the middle of the camp, and Alcar is here unconscious. Sooner or ter, someone will come to check what's going on. Besides, by now, everyone must recognize the princess."

  Listing out loud all the problems he sees brings little comfort to Fedor, and the necromancer simply nodding in agreement doesn't make things any better.

  "In principle, everything you said is true," the necromancer says calmly.

  "But...?" the princess asks, noticing the necromancer's rexed demeanor.

  "But, I think I can ensure they'll be very busy for a few minutes, during which they won't notice many details... And even if they do recognize the princess. Most will be easy to persuade that she's simply being moved." The st part is said directly to Fedor. Making it clear this will be his responsibility.

  He starts walking to the exit again, saying, "Head north—that's where Sorana is. Once you get out of the camp, you should be safe."

  "And if someone shows up?" Fedor asks, looking at Alcar's unconscious body.

  "You'll have to figure it out," the necromancer replies with a slight shrug but without bothering to turn back.

  "And how will we know it's time to act?" the princess asks.

  At the entrance, as he's about to leave, he turns back with a smile. "Oh, don't worry. If you have any doubts whether it's the distraction, then it isn't."

  And casting a look directly at Fedor, he adds, "Rex and assume I'll be watching."

  With that, he seems to murmur something before simply vanishing, as if he'd never been there. Leaving Fedor and the princess exchanging looks of astonishment and concern.