41 – Beside the River

"So, that's what you mean?" Emily walked behind me through the forest trees at night. "You use a mare and a shapeshifter to create the illusion of a resurrection of the dead."

"That's more or less so." I glanced at that woman and smiled. This is one of my strategies. I will not hide anything as much as possible, so my subordinates will always believe in me. "Do you disagree with my method?"

"Not really." The supreme undead responded. "Like I said. I'm not necessarily good or evil. And you did it to those bastards in the temples of Lyra."

"When you joined me, you knew the risks, right? I am a demon lord, after all."

A small chuckle escaped Emily's mouth. "Hey, I trap people to pick up a metal thing, then give them tests. Not much comes out of it."

"Ah, you're right." I stopped beside a calm river.

"Ah, I remember this river." She crouched down and then touched the surface of the river. "May I bathe here, my lord? It's been over five hundred years since I have done it."

It took me a while until I could respond to her. "But it's nighttime, Emily. The water here must be freezing."

"I'm used to the cold, Your Majesty." She stood up. Even though her face was wrapped in bandages, I could tell she was smiling. "I am the undead. I don't have the warmth in me like a living being."

"I see..." I don't know how else I should respond.

She chuckled again. "Not that I'm going to ask you to take a bath with you or anything. If you excuse me, please move, so you don't see me naked. We can still chat."

"Okay." I moved behind a large rock with a sigh of relief. Well, to be honest, I'm also a little disappointed.

"I'll keep an eye on you."

"You should really watch over me then." I sat on the ground, leaning against the rock.

"Of course."

Silence came to us. It took a few seconds for her to speak again. "So, what made you take me for a walk at night like this, my lord? Surely you didn't just stay away from Jude to explain the 'miracle' to me, right?"

"I just want to know about your past, Emily. I want to get to know you better as a comrade. All my generals and troops were created by myself, after all. They have no past. Even me too." I answer. "I was afraid it was sensitive for you, so I took you away from the base."

She fell silent again. All that could be heard was water splashing from the river.

"Like I told Garthur, my old master was a genius. She is an excellent necromancer and blacksmith." The woman started talking a few moments later.

"She ordered you to guard the cave?"

"Not really." The supreme undead sighed. "Ah, I have to tell it from the beginning…. In short, I have died on a battlefield, and she is the founder of necromancy. resurrect me."

Unfortunately, I can't come face-to-face with Emily. Surely the screen depicting her story has appeared above her head.

"Your master must be so noble-hearted that she is willing to resurrect you," I responded.

"Actually, it's not like that either..." She was silent for a few more moments. "My master conducted an experiment to resurrect humans with intact minds. She did it to dozens of humans before me. I'm just one of her successful subjects." There was the sound of water falling, a sign that she had climbed to the ground. "Don't look at me just yet. I still want to dry myself."

I laughed again. "Relax."

The woman continued, "My memory and personality are still intact. After that, I swore to be her bodyguard. She gave me a second chance, after all. Even though she didn't specifically resurrect me."

"Ah, in the past, Necromancy wasn't forbidden, was it?"

"Not at all. The government even sponsored my master's research." She answered. "But everything changed when the influence of the temples of Lyra came to the palace."

I could feel her tone of voice becoming bitter.

"So, after that, they banned the things they considered black magic, huh?" I asked again.

"That's right." She laughed bitterly. "My master who fought them was branded a criminal. She was being chased to be put to death."

"Did you accompany him on the run?"

She came out from behind the rock, already wearing her tight bodysuit again. After tossing her damp hair, she sat down next to me. "Yeah, I stayed with her until she died. She ended up being killed by her pursuers."

Weird. I didn't see any screen above her head. Is she lying? Or is this a glitch? Maybe she didn't tell me everything?

Or is this game hiding something?

"You know, my lord?" She hugged her knees, looking up. "She is a bit like you…. Not that her face is masculine, nor that her body has terrifying tattoos."

I'm laughing. "If a woman looks like me, she must be scarier than I am."

She laughed along, but it was only for a moment. "There are many memorable moments from her that I remember. One of them was when she gave all the sleeping bags to all her subordinates."

"Ah, she's amazing."

"Imagine, my lord. She chose to sleep on the cold ground as long as they could sleep warmly and comfortably. Things like that didn't happen just once, but many times. She thinks highly of her subordinates." The woman moved to kneel before me. "I see that quality in you too. Even though your title is demon lord."

Well, to be honest, I did all that just for their loyalty. I don't have any thoughts behind it.

"Even that goes down to your men, Ritor." She looked at me with a deep gaze. "He shared the best parts of his pork roast with Garthur. It may be small, but it is enough to show me his worth as an individual... Well, I haven't counted his idiotness."

"His idiotness is not from me." I grinned.

For the umpteenth time, she laughed. "Well, I think so too."

We fell silent again, exchanging glances. This time, I couldn't guess what expression she was making.

"And, of course, I will never forget your great sacrifice for this eye." Her face approached me.

When our lips touched, I felt the coldness. Either because of the bandage or because it's just her nature.