‘A necromancer? Me?’

Why? Why me? Why do I have to see ghosts? I never wished for anything like this! Yulia covered her ears and groaned as the distant screams filled the air, overwhelming and maddening.

Aslan, Charlotte, and Sylvia all appeared fine. Only I could hear this voice. They all looked at me as if I were strange.

‘I don’t want to hear it! I don’t want to see it! I want to go back to the time when I couldn’t hear or see anything!’

Why is it me? Out of all the countless people, why does it have to be me? Isn’t this ability usually awakened in a child who wants to talk to ghosts? I have never wanted this!

‘Ah. Could it be because I wished to understand those murmuring voices...?’

Did I wish for it at all? No, that wasn’t quite right. The incessant murmurs that had kept Yulia awake and restless. At first, she prayed for them to disappear. But later, she wished that if they wouldn’t go away, at least she could understand them.

Could that have been the cause? Now the murmuring voices that troubled Yulia’s sleep had vanished. In their place, the spirits of the dead were clearly visible and audible. This isn’t what I wanted!

‘I don’t want this. I hate it. But... it seems so pitiful...’

Even though I hated it, as I listened, a sense of pity welled up inside me. The spirit lamented how the dwarf king had killed him out of jealousy, how he should have completed his last holy sword before dying... The fear was still there, but at the same time, sympathy surged uncontrollably.

‘If I want to make it go away, I guess I have to help it ascend?’

It was terrifying, but there was no other choice. If I wanted to remove it from my sight, I had to help it ascend first. Would I just need to release its grudges? Just as that thought crossed my mind, Aslan muttered in disbelief.

“Do you think a necromancer is just a counselor listening to the grievances of ghosts? Just capture them and use them as a source of your power.”

“How can I do that to someone who is crying out in injustice...?”

“Do you still see it as a person? At this point, unable to leave this world, it has become a malevolent spirit. If you leave it like this, you don’t know what harm it might cause.”

“Then that’s all the more reason to help it ascend quickly!”

“Ha...”

Aslan burst into laughter. Yulia couldn’t understand what was so funny. Did this man not grasp the seriousness of the situation at all? I was terrified and had even shown a rare display of tears... how embarrassing...

“If that’s what you think, go ahead. I’ll help you a little.”

“Really!?”

“However, I will only help a little. After all, you’re the only one who can communicate with the spirits. This means that everything important must be done by you alone.”

“Ugh...”

Me? Alone? With that ghost of a dwarf who had lost its arms? Yulia suddenly felt a chill run down her spine, causing all the hairs on her body to stand on end.

But just at that moment...

“It’s okay! I’ll be right here with you!”

“Charlotte...?”

“I can’t see or hear anything, but I’ll stay by your side!”

Charlotte grasped Yulia’s small hand tightly. With that, Yulia felt her tension ease just a bit. She smiled shyly.

“I’m sorry, but I don’t think you’ll be much help.”

“Uwaaaah!”

Even if it wouldn’t be helpful, it was still comforting. Thanks to Charlotte, the tension had lessened, and that was good enough.

“Phew. Ha. Alright. I’ll try to have a conversation. I’ll find out why that dwarf is making such a fuss in this world!”

Yulia finally gathered her courage. She had overcome fear many times before. She had walked alone down a dark hallway to the bathroom, hearing the creaking of the floorboards. She had listened to Yulia’s scary stories without blocking her ears.

So there was nothing to be afraid of! Although I really, really didn’t want to admit it... Aslan was right; I was a necromancer. A necromancer shouldn’t be afraid of ghosts!

[Do... I... show myself...?]

“Y-Y-YOU SPOKE! You talked to me! Uwaaaah!”

“Didn’t you say you were going to try to talk to it...?”

In an instant, Yulia dashed toward Aslan and threw herself into his arms. Ugh. What a hit to my pride. Why do I keep turning to this man when I’m scared...?

“What? To summarize, your grandfather is making a ruckus in the streets, and my slave is trembling in fear, so you want me to help him ascend? Since your grandfather’s lingering feelings revolve around completing the last holy sword, you need to finish it.”

“...”

Hwa-ruk! As Jacob gazed at the furnace, which had begun to burn and bubble for the first time in a while, he let out a deep sigh. He swallowed the words, ‘Wouldn’t it have been nice if you had just said that from the start?’

“My slave, commendably, overcame his fear and succeeded in talking to your grandfather. He even learned the location of the incomplete holy sword from him. He also discovered that the way to resolve your murky mana state is through mana cultivation techniques, and he obtained details about those techniques from your grandfather. All this information was acquired because my slave worked hard and made commendable efforts.”

“...”

How many times can one be commendable? I see, I understand that you love your slave very much. Jacob clicked his tongue as he sat down on the floor as instructed by Aslan.

The foundation of mana cultivation is meditation. The core idea is to empty the mind, concentrate on the flow of mana, and purify it. Of course, just knowing the basic principles doesn’t mean everyone can practice the techniques.

“Block the flow of mana on the inhale and let it flow out on the exhale. Turbid mana and pure mana have different properties, leading to a difference in flow speed. If you keep blocking the flow, the pure mana and turbid mana will gradually separate, forming layers. This will make it easier to separate them.”

Detailed know-how... This was advice that only someone who had mastered mana cultivation could give, wasn’t it? Aslan Vermont claimed he didn’t know how to handle mana, so he probably hadn’t practiced the techniques.

‘Is it really... really my grandfather?’

The name of the legendary blacksmith Zain felt like it belonged to someone else for Jacob. He had died when Jacob was just a baby, so he had no memories of him.

The only trace of his grandfather left to Jacob was a small forge. However, Jacob couldn’t bring himself to continue the legacy of his grandfather and father. Both had been killed because of their abilities, and didn’t the people of Vermont look at him with suspicion too?

In that case, he should completely distance himself from blacksmithing. Thanks to his grandfather’s legacy, he had enough money to live comfortably without working for the rest of his life. Since he apparently had no talent, it would be best to live quietly, like a mouse, without drawing attention.

‘I’ve resolved to live like that, yet here I am...’

Every time he passed by the dusty furnace, he felt an inexplicable pull. Every time he saw the forging hammer, his hand would move involuntarily, and he had even shoved it away into a place where it wouldn’t be seen. Having gone to such lengths to avoid blacksmithing, was he now going to embrace it?

Jacob let out a bitter laugh as he felt the pure mana coursing through him.

‘It feels so natural. It’s as if this cultivation method was made for me from the start...’

Was mana cultivation really this easy? Was it really possible for someone as hopelessly turbid as him, someone who had been told he could never handle mana, to purify it so easily? It would have been impossible without a method tailored to Jacob and the know-how to realize it. It felt as if someone who knew Jacob well had been watching him closely and crafted a personalized cultivation method for him.

Jacob began to compress the purified mana into a single mass. Though this was his first attempt at mana compression, it felt oddly familiar. Was it true that blood couldn’t lie?

“Mana power...!”

Sizz! A spark flared at the tip of Jacob’s raised finger. Soon, a green flame erupted.

Mana power. A technique that burned mana with oxygen to produce extreme heat, allowing mana to be infused into metal. This technique, which only a select few could use, was igniting at Jacob’s fingertips. Jacob’s mouth dropped open, filled with exhilaration.

“What are you dawdling for? Get to tempering it already.”

“Yes!”

Though it was his first time doing this, Jacob clearly envisioned what he needed to do in his mind. Without hesitation, he poured his mana power into the furnace and began to heat the incomplete holy sword. He hammered the heated sword, repeating the process of heating and hammering. This way, the remnants of burnt mana would seep into the metal particles, making it even stronger.

Depending on the arrangement formed by the remnants of mana, the type of holy sword would change. Until now, this sword had merely been an ordinary hunk of metal. But now, right here, the seventh holy sword was being completed. Jacob smiled, feeling satisfaction like never before in his life.

“Ah, ahh! I understand! I get it!”

“Yulia?”

Boom! The forge door burst open, and Yulia rushed in. She looked distressed, as if tormented by something. Aslan’s expression turned grim as he exuded a palpable aura.

“Has this malicious spirit gone mad...?”

“Ah! That’s not it! The spirit grandfather isn’t tormenting me, so please calm down! ...Okay!”

“If that’s not it, then what’s going on?”

“Right now, he says I’m tempering it all wrong, and he’s going crazy from frustration, telling me to go in and talk to you... Huh? What? He wants me to possess my grandson’s body? There’s no way I can do that!”

Yulia babbled while looking into the air. Just as Aslan was ready to unleash his skill, “Touch of Death,” to exorcise the ghost, Sylvia approached and patted Yulia’s shoulder.

“Why not give it a try?”

“Try what? How can I attempt a spell that isn’t even in the textbook?”

“Was my ‘Bang’ magic in the textbook?”

“No...”

“There are probably more spells in this world that aren’t in textbooks than there are that are. What’s important when casting magic is to feel the voice of your heart. Just do what your heart tells you.”

Good. Well done. Aslan applauded inwardly. With Sylvia’s guidance, Yulia gathered her courage and reached out. Listening to her heart... It wasn’t the form she had seen in the textbook, but a strong urge to cast magic filled her.

“I don’t know if this will work, but I’ll give it a shot!”

Mana began to concentrate heavily at the tips of Yulia’s fingers. This time, it wasn’t just a portion being separated, but she was mobilizing all her mana.

With that, Yulia’s hair stood on end. Sylvia gasped in surprise, her eyes widening. What was this amount of mana...?

“Did... did it work?”

As the energy of the condensed mana vanished, Yulia’s body slumped, exhausted from mana depletion. At first glance, it seemed like nothing had happened, and the surroundings fell silent. However, something had certainly changed.

The sound of hammering that had been clumsily hitting became rhythmic: thunk! thunk! thunk!

“You useless brat. Even with my blood flowing through you, is this all you can do? The arrangement is completely ruined. At this rate, it will become a lump of mana instead of a holy sword.”

“Ah! Spirit grandfather!”

“...Don’t call me that.”

A glimmer of warmth appeared on Yulia’s face, almost as if she were happy to hear his voice. Her tone had shifted from Jacob’s to one carrying the weight of experience. It was the unmistakable magic of possession. The spirit of the legendary Zain had temporarily taken over his grandson’s body.

“Zain, is that you?”

“Do you really need to ask, noble sir? I am but a pitiful soul destined to vanish once the holy sword is completed. Leave the little lady’s wish to me; I’ll complete it and disappear.”

Zain did not concern himself with anything else but continued to hammer the sword. He showed no interest in anything else. He worked tirelessly, solely focused on completing the last seventh holy sword.

“That’s just how malevolent spirits are. They’re obsessed with what they’ve left behind, unable to think of anything else. For me, not being able to create the last sword was my lingering regret. I waited here in this world solely for this day, to complete the seventh holy sword.”

“...”

Was that really all? Had he completely disregarded the grandson left alone? As Aslan fell silent for a moment, the longsword that had been heated to a high temperature was submerged in oil and began to radiate a brilliant hue.

“This... this is...!”

Sylvia’s mouth dropped open. Even Aslan, who knew nothing about swords, was taken aback. Charlotte, who had entered the forge, was also mesmerized, unable to tear her gaze away from the sword.

“It’s the seventh holy sword. Thanks to all of you, I was able to complete it, so I’ll present it as a gift. Perhaps it could be considered a bribe, in hopes that you’ll take good care of my grandson... I have now released all my lingering feelings and will soon disappear. What should I name this sword? Hmm.”

“A gift? Then can I take it!? I’ll name it the Awesome Awesome Sword!”

“Whaaaat!?”

As Charlotte rushed in and grabbed the sword, the color of the longsword began to wrap in pitch black. In an instant, it was engulfed in a wave of blackness.

The beautiful, shimmering color of the holy sword vanished without a trace. Only the ominously glowing, pitch-black longsword remained. Zain clutched the back of his neck and collapsed.

“No, my holy sword!!! How could it have turned into a cursed sword in the hands of that devilish child! Oh no! Oh no! Uwaaaaah!!!”

“Spirit grandfather... It’s disappearing...”

It was the moment when the legendary Zain finally released his lingering feelings and ascended.