Chapter 7 – Gravekeeper
“Hmm….that’s interesting.”
While I was walking around with Leena, I observed the Dark Crests of people around us.
【Night Eye】 gave a blessing to visibility at night. 【Black Spear】 gave a boost to using a spear.
Just like the Crests of other attributes, there are those that don’t give a boost to magic here as well.
There was an old man among those I observed who had a Crest called 【Dark Clouds】, which gave a boost to not just Dark Magic, but also Wind Magic.
People here have quite varied Crests…
Along the way, Leena kept sneaking peeks at my face.
“I think we covered the entire grounds with this.”
“Oh, is that so. Thank you for the help.”
“So, how was it? Did you find anyone good?”
It’s not like I planned on choosing a servant solely on the merit of their Crests.
It’s not like anyone had a Crest that would be especially suited to working as a butler or maid either. Though there were quite a few that would be nice to have as a bodyguard.
For the time being, I was planning on going around and asking everyone if they would want to become my servant.
While being aware of my circumstances of course.
“I would be fine with anyone, really…. There is a possibility that no-one would want to become my servant as well….hmm?”
At that moment, I noticed someone else in a nun habit.
There was a large open field surrounded with a fence, where a lot of cross or T shaped headstones marked the position of graves. It’s a place where Leena left out from the tour.
Someone with a nun habit was digging there with a shovel.
“Is that…..”
Looking closer, her features were different from a human’s.
She had a large nose and a pig-like face.
Her body was also quite rotund and short like a child.
She must be an orc, or a demon born to a human and an orc. People wouldn’t let a monster in here, so she’s most likely a demon.
Leena opened her mouth to say something.
“That’s Elysia-san. Gravekeeper Elysia.”
“She takes care of the cemetery?”
“Yeah. Apparently, she was already working here before I came to this place. Are you interested in Elysia-san?”
“Huh? Oh, I was just thinking that I haven’t seen her Crest yet.”
“Aah. I’ve heard that Elysia-san’s Crest is not Dark, but a Holy one instead.”
That must be the reason why as a demon she has to live at a place like this.
Leena’s expression brightened as if she just remembered something.
“If I remember correctly…..she had a 【Holy Knight】 Crest!”
Even among the Holy Crest, that one is a rare and powerful Crest that stands on the same level as the 【Sage】 and 【Saintess】 my brother Ruivel and my fiance have respectively.
“While she is working like that she has somewhat of a scary face on, but she is a good person. Though the temple people tend to badmouth her frequently. When I talk to her she is always smiling.”
“I see.”
She must be used to getting badmouthed.
Depending on the conditions, she might accept being my exclusive servant.
“Okay, I will go and talk to her then.”
“Ah, wait a moment. That place is dangerous!”
“Huh?”
“That place is a cemetery where monsters, demons, and people with Dark Crests like us are resting…. Perhaps because of that, undead tend to pop up often there….See?”
Slowly, a small ball of fire appeared within the cemetery.
That’s an undead called Wisp.
The Wisp was moving towards Elysia, who was still digging.
“Look out!”
“It’s fine.”
Just as Leena said that, Elysia turned around and shot a light from her hand.
When exposed to that light, the ball of fire slowly disappeared.
Elysia then turned back to continue digging as if nothing had happened.
As a 【Holy Knight】 I guess she can use Holy Magic. It must also be the reason why she has worked here as a gravekeeper for a long time already.
Leena turned to me.
“I don’t think Elysia-san would agree to leave, you know? Apparently it’s due to her hard work that undead don’t appear more often here.”
“Even so, I think I’ll talk to her, even if it will end with only-….ugh”
The moment I stepped inside the cemetery’s perimeter, I felt like my body was being crushed by a huge pressure.
When I focused, I felt the Dark mana seeping out from the cemetery’s ground.
Depending on the location, free mana could have some kind of attribute already. Volcanos would have Fire mana, while the ocean would have Water mana floating around for example.
“No wonder undead come out here…..”
Dark Magic is well known for being able to summon undead.
I don’t know if it’s caused by some kind of tool or what, but the undead here must be created by using this Dark mana.
“I-It’s impressive that you can go in there, Alec.”
“Yeah. But I think you should stay out there, Leena.”
“O-okay! Be careful!”
I started walking towards Elysia by myself.
“Uhm, Elysia?”
“Yes? You are….”
Elysia turned in my direction.
Just like Leena said, she was indeed wearing a smile. However, I could see that her expression was not entirely honest.
“I’m Alec.”
“Alec-sama….”
When Elysia noticed the insignia on my chest, she moved to kneel right away.
“Stop, no need for that here.”
“But….”
“It’s fine to stay standing like that, really. I’ve come to ask for something today.”
“Ask for something?”
“Indeed. I would like you to become my exclusive servant.”
When she heard what I said, she stopped moving like she was frozen in time.
“Elysia?”
Even when I called out to her again, she kept restlessly looking around.
“Me, as a servant for a member of the imperial family? Why, would you ask me?”
Elysia looked at me with a frightened expression.
She must be afraid that she might end up used in some kind of experiment.
…..I should just show her, rather than just trying to explain.
“There was no one that was willing to become my servant, thanks to this Crest.”
“That’s….a Dark Crest.”
It must be because there are a lot of people here with Dark Crests that she doesn’t react negatively to it.
It seems Elysia understood the situation. Those who possess a Dark Crest are hated in this society. That must be true for me as well.
“I understand. If that is your highness’s wish, then I could never-”
“I won’t try to force you. If you agree to the terms and conditions outlined in this contract and you also understand that I’m a prince with a Dark Crest, then that’s fine.”
“No need for terms and such, but….your highness. I don’t think the temple would let me leave.”
“The temple?”
“Yes. If I’m not here, in time the undead would overflow outside this cemetery. There is so much Dark mana in this place that even if I were to go all out, even with the help of the temple, we wouldn’t be able to wipe it all away.”
Indeed, the ground around here is thick with Dark mana.
“In that case…..I will clear out this Dark mana myself.”
“Huh? But, you are-”
“I think I can do it….most likely.”
I held out my hand towards the ground.
Then, all the mana covering the ground rushed at me at once.
“T-the mana!?”
It seems Elysia noticed the mana moving as well.
An enormous amount of mana, coming straight at me like that….
If I make a mistake in handling it, it could deal a lot of damage to the capital.
That was the amount we were talking about here.
So, I put the mana away into my 《Pandora’s Box》. The Dark mana was gradually siphoned out of the ground.
“The ground is….”
Looking at our surroundings, Elysia was shocked.
That ground that used to be filled with Dark mana has turned brighter in the blink of an eye.
Holy Magic can only erase Dark mana.
However, by using Dark Magic, it’s possible to move Dark mana.
It will only take a few more moments to store away all the Dark mana…hmm?
I noticed some mana that I couldn’t store away.
It was writhing underground, then finally jumped out of the soil.
“That’s-!?”
What came out was a giant intact skeleton.
It was a so-called Skeleton Dragon, a dragon turned undead.
“Run, your highness!! I will-!!”
Elysia readied her shovel to fight.
However, it was me that caused this one to come out.
I pointed my hand at the Skeleton Dragon circling us in the air.
It was starting to gather some kind of purplish light inside its maw.
“That’s some powerful magic, but…. I do have this.”
I opened my 《Pandora’s Box》 and let out the Dark mana I’ve just put in and gathered it in my hand. If I convert more of the mana from the area into Dark mana as well….
“──《Black Ballista》!”
A pitch black wave shot out from my hand.
The Skeleton Dragon retaliated with his own purplish light against my wave, but….
“Your highness, that’s reckless….huh!?”
Elysia said as her shovel slipped out of her fingers.
The Dark Magic I shot at the Skeleton Dragon either managed to completely erase it in a single moment…..or it pushed it so far away into the sky that it couldn’t be seen anymore.
Elysia was not the only one that looked at the scene with open mouthed astonishment.
(°0°)!!
Hahahaha these dark crest starts to sounds like chuuni crest, if the ‘get taken by demon’ part was not include of course