Necromancer Survival

that he had been too arrogant, blindfolded by consecutive successes; that he had ignored or was indifferent to the signs; or that his skills were lacking… Did the seeds of doubt eventually lead to serious misgivings?

      So, no matter how successful his revenge was and how miserably he killed those that betrayed him…Seo Dawon might be afraid that he would fail again.
Therefore, he paid close attention to any small or trivial injury that might befall me–he probably considered those injuries ominous signs.

     That must be why Seo Dawon felt vaguely anxious every time I got hurt.
Even though he had metaphorically wrapped me tight in bubble wrap, I would often escape the reaches of his control.
Every independent step I took was a disaster for him.

     I didn’t connect the dots until today, but Seo Dawon’s unstable appearance added confidence to my theory: the Mage was going crazy from his inability to control me.

     “Even if I bleed–even if I don’t block you with my commands–you won’t be able to harm a single hair on my head… Just why should I be wary of you?” I dropped my ‘command,’ my control over my servant.

      I wasn’t trying to ostracize the Mage nor manipulate his feelings.
I just wanted to show him something.

     No, I needed to show him.

     “A small amount like that–“

     “No.
No matter how much of my blood sprays out, you won’t kill me.
Your cravings for blood are just a means for a Necromancer to control you.
Currently, the gap between our levels is too wide, so you can take as much as you please… You’ve had similar thoughts, right?”

     I needed to show him how to accept his role in this Necromancer and Servant relationship.

     “That’s why you’ve exploded now.
A servant should be obedient, but you’re attempting to dominate me.
That’s where it went wrong,” I said.

     “What?”

     “You don’t have to take responsibility for everything.”

     The Mage raised his head.

     Facing his gaze head-on, I continued to speak, “When you were alive, you were the face of the [Red Lotus] guild.
You were the brain, moving people around as you desired and making all the calculated decisions.
That’s why you thought that you needed to continue that role after you were resurrected–that’s a misunderstanding.”

     “You……”

     “However, you don’t.
You’re just the best servant I have.
And, to speak objectively and cold-heartedly, when you’re ‘inoperable,’ I still have Kim Olim and Jung Garam.
Woo Ragi and Choi Kyung-sik can move independently as well.”

     With that said, I looked straight into his eyes.
“In other words, as long as I exist–even if none of you can act–our mission hasn’t failed.”

     “……”

     “That is to say, Seo Dawon, you only have to do what you can.
You can’t control me.
Accept that.”

     “……”

     “That’s my ‘command.'”

Rring–

     As soon as I finished my ‘command,’ a system message notified me with an alert.

[Due to your startling and amazing accomplishment, your level has risen significantly.]

[How unbelievable–you’ve exerted your control and overcome the large gap between you and ‘Seo Dawon’, instilling obedience in the Servant.]

[Your domination over the Servant, ‘Seo Dawon,’ has risen significantly.]

[Your Servant’s, ‘Seo Dawon’s,’ attack power has increased.]

[The duration in which you can summon your Servant, ‘Seo Dawon,’ has increased.]

[Congratulations! As your bond has deepened, you can now access your Servant, ‘Seo Dawon’s,’ [current mood].
Once a day, don’t miss your chance to read your lovable servant’s inner feelings!]

     The Mage slowly closed his eyes as I finished speaking.
Then, after leaning on me, he collapsed.
Startled, I dragged him into my embrace, but I was able to sweep away my worries.
He had only briefly lost consciousness.

     Seo Dawon’s face, which looked peaceful–as if he were in deep sleep–and the Mage’s even breathing made him look relaxed.
Perhaps that’s just my biased perspective though.

     I stared into Seo Dawon’s face for a long while and swept back the bangs on his forehead.
A deep, complicated sigh tumbled out from my mouth.

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