The Blue Mage Raised by Dragons

by Virlyce

  “Don’t want to,” Vur said and crossed his arms, hugging the bishop’s clothes tighter. “I’m king.”

  The crowd fell silent as Tafel and Vur stared at each other.

  “You can’t just declare yourself as king,” Tafel said.

  “I just did. I performed a coup d’état.”

  “A coup can’t be done by a single person!”

  “Why not?”

  “Because a single person can’t … fight against a whole nation,” Tafel said. Her voice trailed off as she hung her head.

  “But I can,” Vur said and tilted his head.

  Tafel opened her mouth to speak but shut it a second later. She sighed. “You’re right,” she said after a pause. “But it still feels so wrong.”

  Vur smiled and wrapped his arms around Tafel. The people in the crowd exchanged looks with each other, but no one said a word as they ruminated over everything that transpired.

  “Can… can I keep my land?” Raffgier asked.

  “No. You’re a traitor,” Vur said without looking up. “Anyone else wish to express their displeasure about their new king? No? Good.”

  “Vurrrr,” Lillian cupped her hands over her mouth and shouted from behind the crowd. “Can I be a duchess?”

  “Hm? Sure, why not?” Vur replied back with his voice amplified by wind magic.

  Lillian beamed at her cousin and grandfather. “I’m so glad we became friends with him.”

  Vur cleared his throat. “Since a lot of people are gathered here today,” he said as he released Tafel, “I’d like to declare today the day of my coronation. I’m also renaming the nation to Konigreich the Second.” He adjusted the crown on his head. “There. I just coronated myself.” He waved his hand at Gale. “You can carry on with the memorial and what not now.”

  Gale’s body twitched as he was broken out of his stupor. “Y-yes. Of course.”

  Vur grabbed Tafel’s hand and led her towards the cushioned seat which was reserved for the king.

  “You’re just going to go with it?” Michelle whispered to Gale.

  Gale nodded. “Of course. He gained the approval of our god,” he whispered back. “If I don’t listen to them, then who else would I listen to?”

  “Hey,” Vur said out loud. “Are you around, golden thingy?”

  “Um, Your Majesty,” Gale said as he dipped his head towards Vur. “The spirits don’t just appear when called for.”

  Vur snorted. “If you don’t come out, then I’m going to eat you the next time I see you,” he said towards the sky.

  Five seconds passed before a golden outline materialized in the sky. Smoke gradually filled the interior and a feminine sigh rang through the air as a frowning face appeared in the smoke. “Yes?”

  “Nothing,” Vur said and waved his hand. “I just wanted to see if you were there.”

  A vein appeared on the woman’s forehead as she smiled at Vur.

  ***

  Lindyss dropped her knitting needles. “Vur did what?”

  Mr. Skelly cleared his throat. “He performed a coup and became the king of the humans.”

  “Why would he do something like that?” Lindyss asked and picked up her fallen woolen article. “It’s not really an issue, but it would’ve been nice to know he was planning something like that.”

  “Perhaps he was bored?” Mr. Skelly asked and cackled.

  “That really may be the case. Well, this works out pretty well,” Lindyss said and rubbed her chin. “If Tafel’s the demon lord and Vur’s the humans’ king, then the continent is pretty much united. I just hope he doesn’t break anything important. Our spies did mention something about a weakening spell formation, correct?”

  “Yes,” Mr. Skelly said. “Unfortunately, the humans don’t know what it does either. I don’t get why they don’t just ask their god.”

  “They wouldn’t exhaust their energy just to answer a few measly questions,” Lindyss said and snorted. “They have their pride, you know?”

  41

  Vur’s eyes shot open as a short scream woke him up from his dreams. He sat up and wrapped his arms around the sitting figure in his bed. “Tafel.”

  Tears fell off Tafel’s face, staining her silken pajamas as she let out muffled sobs. Her body shuddered, and she buried herself in Vur’s embrace. “It’s not just a dream,” she said, her voice cracking. “I can still hear them blaming me. Cursing me.”

  “Really?” Vur asked. “Can you see them?”

  Tafel shook her head. “I can sense them. It wasn’t always like this,” she said. “It started when we came to the human capital.”

  Vur frowned. “Hey, golden thing. Get out here.”

  A sigh echoed through the room as a shimmering gold light appeared at the foot of their bed, bathing the dark room with a soft glow. “Do you need us to fetch you water again?” a distorted voice asked as a female face started to form.

  “No. Actually…,” Vur said and tilted his head. Tafel pinched him. “Never mind. Can you see any other spirits in the room?”

  The golden figure nodded. “There’s a ton around you two. They seem very resentful. Very dark and depressed looking.”

  “Did you see them before?” Vur asked as he narrowed his eyes.

  The figure scratched her cheek. “Err… No?” she asked. The rune on Vur’s forehead shone with a black light, counteracting the spirit’s glow. “I mean yes! Yes! Please stop glowing like that.”

  “Why didn’t you say anything earlier?” Vur asked as his rune dimmed. “They’ve been here for a while, haven’t they?”

  “We noticed them the first time we saw the demon girl,” the spirit said. “It’s not our responsibility to take care of a demon. Human souls wouldn’t possess someone like that unless they really resented them during their death. If anything, she deserves it.”

  Tafel’s nails dug into Vur’s back as her body tensed. Vur glared at the golden spirit. “Get rid of them.”

  The spirit took a step backwards. “We can’t do that,” she said and took another step. “It’s not within our capabilities. Honest.” She raised her hands above her chest. “Please don’t eat me.”

  “Why?” Vur asked. “Aren’t you a bunch of spirits mashed together? Why can’t you take them too?”

  “Mashed is such a crude description…,” the spirit said and hung her head. “There are certain requirements for spirits to join us; these spirits don’t satisfy them. They’ve already attached themselves to a corporeal object, and they’re filled to the brim with resentment. You’d have to placate them and convince them to leave the demon girl alone.”

  “How?” Tafel asked. Her eyes were red and puffy, but at least the tears had stopped.

  “Well, it depends. What did you do to them?” the spirit asked as she flew closer to Tafel and made grabbing motions at the air around her. “We’re a bit curious. We haven’t seen such resentment since the village massacres.”

  Tafel bit her lip.

  “If you did do something similar to a massacre, then there’s not much that can be done,” the spirit said as she made a releasing motion and flew back to the foot of the bed. “They’ll haunt you until you die, and then they’ll try to consume your soul.”

  “Can’t we just force them to leave?” Vur asked.

  The figure snorted. “Do you know a necromancer?” she asked. “Just finding one is like finding a needle in a haystack and you want to have him cooperate with you?”

  ***

  Tafel and Vur stood outside of a wooden door with the golden spirit floating behind them. “Go inside and wake the person up,” Vur said to the spirit. Tafel gripped Vur’s hand.

  “Why me?” the spirit muttered as she passed through the door. “Even relegating me to be a humanoid rooster now.”

  Tafel and Vur disappeared in a silver flash of light and reappeared outside of the castle-like building. Tafel asked, “Should we really wake Auntie up like this?”

  “It’ll be fine,” Vur said as the two backed away from t
he building.

  A thunderbolt, that was as wide as a person was tall, struck the building and turned the night into day for three seconds. A terrified wail echoed through the air as the golden spirit rushed towards the sky through the hole left behind by the lightning. A massive hand made of hellfire shot out after her. She let out another shriek and dove towards Vur and Tafel. “Save me!”

  Vur nodded. “Wait right here and I’ll stop it,” he said. The spirit hid behind them, and the black flames approached the trio on the ground. Vur squeezed Tafel’s hand and she nodded. Her horns flashed, and the two of them disappeared, leaving the spirit behind.

  The spirit whimpered as the flaming hand grabbed her, burning away her body until she was the size of a small bean. “Never again,” she said as golden tears streamed down her cheeks. “I never want to see him again. Someone else can deal with him.”

  In the castle, Lindyss’ was standing by the window with bloodshot eyes, glaring at the spirit in her spell’s grasp. A vortex of black flames surrounded her body. She snorted and the flames dispersed. Moments later, Tafel and Vur appeared in her room.

  “Hi, Auntie,” Vur said with a smile.

  Lindyss kicked him. “Auntie my ass. I told you to call me Lindyss,” she said. “And don’t send flamboyant glitter spirits to wake me up ever again. I’ll destroy it for real next time.” She crossed her arms and plopped onto her bed. “What do you need?”

  “Tafel has a lot of spirits haunting her,” Vur said. “The golden thing said that a necromancer could get rid of them.”

  Lindyss nodded. “I can, yes,” she said. “I just need a suitable host for each spirit.” She closed her eyes and shuddered. A wave of mana washed over Vur and Tafel. After a minute passed, Lindyss opened her eyes with a frown. “There’s too many spirits following you—at least five hundred, but I’m guessing a lot more. I can’t get an accurate count.”

  “What’s a suitable host?” Vur asked.

  “A corpse or skeleton without a soul lingering nearby,” Lindyss said. “I don’t have that many spares, and animal bodies won’t work either unless they were imprinted during life.”

  “Then we have to kill people to get rid of resentment caused by killing people?” Tafel asked and furrowed her brow.

  “Eh? Just go raid a cemetery or two. Maybe ten,” Lindyss said and smiled. “I’m pretty sure the humans entomb all their clergy.”

  “Isn’t that wrong?” Tafel asked and bit her lip. “It’d be like blaspheming the dead.”

  “It’s fine. They’re dead,” Lindyss said and waved her hand. “And Vur is king after all.”

  ***

  Vur, Tafel, and Lindyss stood in front of a one-story building. Its walls were smooth and painted white, pillars adorning the sides with vines and leaves sculpted on them. The door was made of a light-blue metal that reflected the moon. Tombstones were propped up around them, marking the end of a person’s journey.

  “Do you have the key?” Lindyss asked.

  Vur shook his head. “Keys are unnecessary,” he said and pushed on the door. The wall next to the doorknob cracked and shattered as the mithril-plated door swung open. Tafel sighed as pieces of the wall fell to the ground. The trio stepped inside the dark room. Upon entry, a light flashed and a golden spirit appeared.

  “Intruders will be—,” the spirit’s voice trailed off. It opened its mouth and a trembling male voice came out, “What are you doing here, Your Majesty? Only members of the clergy may proceed beyond this point.”

  “Says who?” Vur asked and tilted his head. The spirit took a step backwards and gulped.

  “It was decreed long ago by us,” the male spirit said. “All the bodies preserved in this mausoleum may not be defiled. Each person entombed here had the qualifications to join us as god.”

  “It’s not like you need your bodies anymore,” Lindyss said with a smile. “Is it just your pride speaking? Nothing is eternal. Thinking you can preserve your bodies forever, so naïve.” She shook her head.

  The spirit glared at Lindyss and crossed his arms. “What do you intend on doing here?” he asked and narrowed his eyes. “An elf doesn’t have the qualifications to be in the cemetery, much less the mausoleum.” It snorted at Tafel. “A demon has even less of a right to be here.”

  “They’re with me,” Vur said and took a step forward.

  “You also do not belong!” the spirit said with a shout. He thumped his arm across his chest and a golden tower shield materialized in his hand. “I, Sir Magnus, am the designated guardian of this place! Do not underestimate me. While I was alive, I was able to deflect the attacks of a phoenix. Now that I’m dead, I’m even stronger with the help of my comrades. The others may call you god eater, but I’m not afraid.” His knees knocked together as he trembled.

  Lindyss snorted. “So tell me,” she said as the air around her crackled, “how strong am I compared to a phoenix?”

  “Come!” Sir Magnus shouted and slammed his shield against the ground. A web of golden light spread out from the shield and enveloped the room.

  Lindyss closed her eyes and spread her arms out to the side. Rumbling sounds filled the air as a vortex of wind surrounded the mausoleum while red clouds formed in the sky, crackling with black electricity. Dust rained down from the ceiling as the walls shook. Sir Magnus gritted his teeth as goosebumps formed along his body.

  Vur tugged on Lindyss’ arm, and the vortex stuttered. “I thought the corpses had to be intact,” he said. “Why are you trying to destroy them too?”

  Lindyss’ eyes opened as the red clouds dispersed. “Oh. I forgot,” she said and scratched her head. “I think I’m still a little grumpy since someone interrupted my nap.”

  Magnus cleared his throat. “So, you’re leaving?” he asked, still bracing his shield. “Please?”

  “Hmm? Of course not,” Lindyss said as she pulled a bat skeleton out of her pocket. “I wonder how strong this minion will be if I use a spirit that was qualified to be a god.” A shadowy tendril shot out of the bat skeleton and wrapped around Sir Magnus.

  “What is this?” Magnus asked as he tried to grab the tendril. His hands passed through it. “Necromancy!? You’re the Corrupted One!”

  Lindyss smiled. “I’ll be using your spirit to reanimate a corpse,” she said as the tendril dragged Magnus towards the bat skeleton.

  “This is impossible! I’m a god!” Magnus said as he dug his shield into the ground, attempting to break away. “You can’t do this!”

  “Sure I can,” Lindyss said as the bat skeleton opened its mouth and sucked Magnus inside, shield and all. “The living will always be stronger than the dead.” The skeleton flew on top of Lindyss’ head and buried itself in her hair.

  Tafel tilted her head. “Do you always carry a bat skeleton around with you?”

  “Of course. You don’t?”

  “N-no,” Tafel said and shook her head. “I’ve never found myself in a situation where I thought, ‘I could really use a bat skeleton right now.’”

  “Then you haven’t been in too many situations,” Lindyss said as she pulled another bat skeleton out of her pocket. “You can have this one. You never know, it may save your life one day.”

  Tafel raised an eyebrow. “Thanks, I guess?”

  “I don’t get one?” Vur asked.

  “No. I doubt you’d ever be in a situation where your life was threatened,” Lindyss said as she walked deeper into the mausoleum. “There’s a stairwell going down. I’ll use the spirits around Tafel to reanimate the corpses as we go.”

  “They won’t try to kill me?” Tafel asked as she held Vur’s hand and followed after Lindyss. A single torch illuminated the spiral staircase.

  Lindyss shook her head. “They’ll be under my control,” she said. She pointed at the skeleton in her hair. “See how obedient this bat is?”

  “Mm. This place is massive,” Tafel said as she gripped Vur’s hand tighter. Rows upon rows of sarcophaguses surrounded them on a marble floor. Each sarcophagus had
a crystalline cover that revealed a pristine corpse resting on red silk within. Plaques with epitaphs hung on the foot of each sarcophagus.

  Lindyss nodded. “According to that spirit from earlier, there should be corpses from before the humans landed on this continent,” she said as she placed her hand on a sarcophagus and gazed at the corpse within. “I wonder how long it took Charon to transport all of this over here.”

  The group walked in a spiral pattern, reanimating each corpse along the way. The zombies lay unmoving with their eyes open. An hour passed in this manner, but they had only reanimated half the corpses.

  “It’s fine if we just leave them here and have them pretend they’re dead,” Lindyss said. “There must’ve been a thousand bodies, but I still can’t get an accurate sense on the number of spirits haunting you.” She poked the skeleton on her head. “Is there another floor?” It chirped and nodded. “Well, we still haven’t fully gone through this floor. We’ll hit the way down eventually.”

  ***

  Gale’s eyes widened as he sat up in bed. Sweat soaked the back of his shirt. “What is this feeling?” he asked himself as he shivered and looked around his room. He had moved into the previous pope’s living quarters in the temple after he was promoted. He climbed out of bed and lit a torch while equipping himself with his staff. The halls were silent; the only sounds were his padded footsteps and ragged breaths. He muttered to himself, “The basement?”

  He made his way to the bottom of the temple, finding nothing amiss along the way. He stopped in front of a mithril door and gulped as he retrieved a key from his necklace, unlocking the door. The door screeched as he pushed it open. A baleful aura washed over him, causing his knees to tremble and his teeth to chatter.

  “The formation?” he asked. “How? What’s happening?”

  The once white runes that were engraved on the floor were cracked with black spots dotting them. Wisps of dark smoke rose out of the cracks, condensing into a ball at the center of the room. Gale slammed the door shut and dashed down the hall. “I need to get to the vault. This can’t be good.”

  ***

  “And we’re done with this floor. Nearly all the spirits have hosts now, just a couple left,” Lindyss said as she exhaled and sat down on top of a sarcophagus. A ball of water materialized in her hand, and she took a sip. “I need a break.”