I Became The Academy Necromancer
Chapter 303: A Changed Man

Naturally, I was able to subdue the villagers who came to kill me without much difficulty.

Led by the two bishops, Harace and Uliana, they were now kneeling before me.

My plan was just to subdue them instead of killing. And while I assumed it might take me some time due to the absence of Findenai, that wasn’t particularly the case.

It seemed I had managed to reach a certain level of mastery in magic now.

“W-we’re sorry!”

“We fell prey to the whispers of a demon and were momentarily blinded!”

Watching the two bishops bow their heads—not to a god, but to me—I clicked my tongue.

“How convenient for you. Whenever you make a mistake, you can just blame it on a demon.”

The image of Velica, who had been with me earlier, briefly came to mind, but I brushed it aside and focused on the situation at hand.

“Lord Soul Whisperer, please! Just once, show us the same mercy you grant to the dead…!”

“Ha.”

I let out a hollow laugh in disbelief. Just moments ago, they were planning to kill me and burn my body to erase any trace of my presence in the village, and now they were begging for my mercy?

“You preach of honesty, justice, integrity, and innocence, yet it is your indulgence and love for luxury that truly stands out.”

Their shamelessness, at least, deserved acknowledgment.

“Mercy for the living is something you will have to seek from the Saintess.”

Whoosh!

The mana lingering in the souls of the drug-addled spirits drifting about the village was transmuted into magic.

Countless blue flames rose, dazzlingly illuminating the dawn sky.

They now roamed freely as flames, wandering the village in search of their fix.

“Ah, ahhh…”

“No! Please, spare us!”

It seemed they misunderstood my intention. They thought the flames were coming for them.

However, their sins would be judged fairly in a court of justice, not by my hand.

“This village now belongs to the dead.”

Yet, it was clear.

What I needed to do was deliver despair to them as thoroughly and destructively as possible.

“You, who sought to take everything from others, have no right to complain when you lose everything.”

A village that cultivated drugs and nearly brought ruin to the Griffin Kingdom.

Although I was still uncertain whether their actions were driven by faith, greed, or something else entirely…

[Aaaaaaagh!]

[Pleaaseee! I need it! I need it! I need itttt!]

[Give it to meeee!]

The lives ruined by drugs dispersed into the village, setting everything ablaze.

***

“Yawn.”

Eleanor woke up slowly after a sound night’s sleep. The morning sun was already shining outside, accompanied by the refreshing sounds of chirping birds.

“What’s this?”

Feeling something soft and cozy below her, she glanced down to find her classmate, Aria, asleep with her face pressed into her chest.

Being comparatively more endowed than Aria, Eleanor smirked as she gently pushed her away.

“Your jealousy is evident in your sleep, huh?”

“Hwah!?”

With just that one teasing remark, Aria jumped up in shock, abruptly lifting her head—and promptly ramming the back of her head into Eleanor’s chin.

“Ouch! Rockhead!”

Clutching her jaw, Eleanor rolled around on the bed, groaning, while Aria checked the chair where Deus was supposed to be sleeping.

“What the… Where did Professor go?”

[Outside.]

The response came from the other side of the room.

Leaning against the wall with her arms crossed stood the Dark Spiritualist.

Aria rubbed her eyes on seeing her, doubting what she saw, while Eleanor momentarily regretted having felt proud of herself earlier.

“What’s this? Have I finally gained spiritual eyes like Professor?”

“I can see her too.”

“Huh?”

[I used magic to allow you to see and hear me.]

The Dark Spiritualist had mastered the same magic Deus Verdi used, allowing her to reveal her form and voice to others.

The staff of Heralhazard clattered by her side, assisting the magic.

Though her sudden appearance seemed unprompted, the Dark Spiritualist continued calmly.

[Have you two felt something off about Deus lately?]

“…”

“Is this related to the recent incident? Well, he was indeed a bit… intense.”

Aria answered in place of Eleanor, who remained silent. Eleanor, however, shared the sentiment.

“Uh, what’s her name again? The one who was… pregnant?”

[Illuania.]

Nodding vigorously, Aria continued.

“That’s right, Illuania. He said this was related to her, didn’t he? Isn’t that why he’s been so sensitive lately?”

[I thought so, too.]

The Dark Spiritualist said as she gestured toward the window. The landscape, concealed by the warm sunlight, slowly began to reveal itself.

The place once filled with the villagers’ gardens and homes was gone.

Only then did the two girls realize that the sunlight wasn’t the only thing greeting them.

“Huh?”

“This is…!”

The entire village had turned to ashes, leaving only smoldering embers and searing heat behind.

The houses of those who had toiled day by day, living off their farms, had vanished overnight.

“You’re saying… Deus did all this?”

Even Eleanor was stunned. Surely the villagers and bishops involved in the drug trade should be arrested, as their crimes, if carried out, could have endangered the entire Griffin kingdom. They were truly deserving of punishment.

Eleanor honestly agreed with that, at least in principle.

However, the fact that Deus had been the one to exact this judgment unsettled her.

“H-He’s not the sort of person to do something like this…”

The scene before them could only be described as devastation.

A place ravaged by flames, leaving nothing but ruin.

[It’s not just because of Illuania.]

The Dark Spiritualist continued speaking with conviction.

[It seems like… Deus is moving with some kind of purpose in mind.]

Yet, there was a faint trace of fear in her expression as she added.

[However, I also think there’s another possibility.]

“Another possibility?”

Until yesterday, it seemed like Deus Verdi had a specific reason for his actions, one he did not find necessary to share with them.

That was what the Dark Spiritualist believed. However…

[Right now, there are billions of souls residing within Deus’ body.]

Watching him raze an entire village to the ground this morning made the Dark Spiritualist entertain another possibility.

[There’s a chance that those souls are changing… or rather corrupting him.]

“What?”

Just hearing those words made Eleanor’s stomach churn. The idea that the souls dwelling within Deus could invade his mind…

It meant that Deus they knew might cease to exist as a person.

[Especially since Deus… isn’t the original Deus.]

The body’s original soul always held precedence. When fighting Magan, it was the original Deus who took control, leaving Kim Shinwoo unable to surface.

[Deus’ body is being used as a vessel by Kim Shinwoo’s soul. But now, with countless other souls residing in it… it won’t be a surprise if he’s changed.]

“Wait a minute.”

Aria interrupted the Dark Spiritualist’s grim speculation. Though her face was tense, she voiced a more skeptical view.

“Are you underestimating Professor’s mental strength? I don’t think that could ever happen.”

[I don’t want to believe it either. But just look at the tragedy outside. The Deus we knew would never have done something like that.]

The Dark Spiritualist’s words caused Aria to bite her lip. Yet, she still found a way to counter.

“…No. The Professor you and Eleanor know wouldn’t have done something like this.”

Aria Rias was the only one on this entire continent who knew this.

“The Professor I know… has done far worse.”

After all, she had seen Deus’ descent into madness firsthand in the first cycle.

It took roughly 30 minutes.

Aria Rias never expected to recount her past in a place like this, let alone reveal the truth to anyone other than Deus.

However, the mere possibility that Deus might start walking a path similar to his first-cycle self terrified her deeply.

So, with significant resolve, she briefly summarized the events of the first cycle.

“It all makes sense now. It did seem unrealistic for someone my age to be that skilled.”

[Is that why Deus pays so much attention to you?]

Oh.

Yet, after her explanation, Aria was caught off guard by how little interest the two women showed in her story.

“So what you’re suggesting is, Deus is acting out because he’s anxious or because his plans have gone awry?”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

[Hmm.]

To the two of them, Deus’ current state was more concerning than the fact they were living in a second cycle.

Aria could see why.

Knowing about the continent’s impending doom while being stuck helplessly in a hospital room would push anyone to the brink.

“I think Professor is being chased by something again. That’s why he’s—”

[No.]

The Dark Spiritualist interrupted Aria with a raised hand.

[I think that doesn’t make sense at all. Why would Deus feel rushed? The Kim Shinwoo of the first cycle you mentioned and the Kim Shinwoo of today are two completely different people.]

“But there’s still something pending! Even after the Dante incident, there’s definitely one more event that should take place!”

[The Dante incident was supposed to happen in your fourth year, wasn’t it? But you said it’s already been resolved, and you’re only in your second year now. That gives him a two-year head start.]

With more time on their hands, Deus had no reason to feel hurried.

The Dark Spiritualist stood by her argument, but Aria disagreed.

“Timelines can be altered more easily than you think! Resolving the Dante incident two years early could’ve thrown everything off the rails!”

The conversation continued to go in circles.

The Dark Spiritualist believed the countless souls residing in Deus’ body were clouding his judgment or destabilizing his mind.

Aria argued that the upcoming incident had been distorted, causing him to revert to his impatient first-cycle self to resolve it.

Eleanor, caught in the middle, thought.

Both arguments sound plausible.

Carrying billions of souls without any change would be strange in itself.

Conversely, Aria’s point held weight as she had personally witnessed the broken Deus firsthand.

“But where’s Saintess Stella?”

Knowing she was among the souls accompanying Deus, Eleanor wanted to hear Stella’s perspective.

Aria also nodded, curious to know the former Saintess’ opinion.

[Ptuh.]

Unexpectedly, the Dark Spiritualist imitated spitting and replied.

[She’s no longer a Saintess.]

The Dark Spiritualist’s deeply irritated visage seemed somewhat worn and haggard.

***

https://ko-fi.com/genesisforsaken