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The Necromancer in Shadow by TheOminousRain

Anime » Eminence in Shadow Rated: M, English, Horror & Humor, Cid Kagenou/Shadow, OC, Words: 548k+, Favs: 386, Follows: 387, Published: Oct 27, 2023 Updated: Aug 9

768Chapter 19: Donning Back the Mask

Chapter 19: Donning Back the Mask

"Are you sure that is even necessary, Mr. Lord Sir Gaunt? The freakin' Reaper Squad already engaged the Shadow Guardian people already. Hasn't your plan succeeded already?" Asks the man called Rex, arguing with his superior in said superior's office room within the spellsword academy.

"It's not enough. We must lure them all to this location." His superior, an old man who is the vice principal of the academy, answers sternly, uncaring of whether his plans would invite chaos to his current workplace or not.

"Heh. They're gonna come after you too, you know. While you're still frail and sick."

"Hmph. I'm not frail enough that I can't kill you right here right now, Rex." The old man threatens with a glare, which intimidates the much younger man despite his frail and old appearance.

"Whoa there! I get it, Mr. Former Rounds! Make sure to prepare me enough compensation when you get your seat back, alright?"

Rex vanished from the office as the vice principal grins sinisterly as he held an eyeball shaped Artifact in one hand and another claw shaped Artifact in another.

"Soon… I'll make you regret not dying back then, Necromancer." The vice principal swears, fully determined to eliminate his sworn enemy, the Necromancer.

Today, I'm assigned to guard Sherry again because Alexia couldn't stand my teasing any longer. Sherry's comfortable with me because I'm around her age group compared to other knights and because I'm already her friend so I can guard her while inside her lab instead of standing outside. I grab some random book to read. It's one of the old Artifact catalogues. Reminds me of the old days when I was still searching for information regarding Artifacts because I wanted to create my own. Needless to say that those efforts bore fruit.

"Claude? Are you interested in reading?"

Can't tell her that I'm something of a scholar myself. "Just bored so might as well read something."

"But that book is written in an old language."

"Yeah, I'm just treating it as picture book and these runes as art." I lied through my teeth. I can actually read this book.

"I see." Her mood dropped slightly. She probably wondered if she can be a bookworm buddy with me. Hmm…

"How's the Artifact's analysis?" I change the subject to distract her.

"I'm done listing the required ingredient to make adjustment to this Artifact. This Artifact is a Control Unit designed to work with another Artifact like you said." Explains Sherry.

"Hooh. With what Artifact is it?" I ask as I arrive at the page of the relevant Artifact.

"It's an Artifact called the Eye of Avarice!"

"Oh, you mean this one?" I show the page of the Eye of Avarice to her.

"Eh? You can read it!?" Exclaims Sherry in surprise.

"It's a secret, okay?" I wink at her and she just smiles happily as she has found a fellow nerd. Her smile seems to warm my heart. And my heart has been feeling warm a lot these past few days. Dammit sis.

"What's wrong, Claude?"

"It's nothing." I lied. I'm actually bothered by something. And it's not the magic signatures I detected which are infiltrating the school. Hm? Infiltrating? And I've barely noticed it until they're already here? Damn. I've been too relaxed these days. I must call upon my inner Necromancer back out.

"Uaghhh!" A pained grunt can be heard outside the room. The voice belongs to Marco Granger, a fellow Crimson Order member who's standing guard outside. His voice is followed by a thud. I unsheathe my sword as the door opens. A cloaked figure wearing a skull mask entered the room.

"That sword will not save you, boy. Surrender and give us the girl!" The robed figure says while brandishing his bloody blade threateningly.

"Hiiiii!" Sherry screams at the sight of the blood on the robed figure's blade, which seems to have triggered her.

"Sherry! Calm down!"

"C-Claude! Claude! Help…!" She's trembling and panicking. Perhaps the trauma of her mother's murder is resurfacing?

"Sherry! Look at my eyes!" I command with a stern voice.

"Look at my eyes! Look at my eyes… and sleep…"

"Ahh…" Sherry, falling for my hypnosis, fell asleep.

"A Curious technique. Now give her to us." The robed figure says. It is at this time that I summon my Necromancer robes and mask. His eyes went wide when he saw me donning the mask once more.

"Wh-What!? Lord Necromancer!?"

I stare at him in the eye and starts questioning him as a superior.

"Report."

"W-We have tracked the thieves who stole one of your experimental subjects, my lord!" The Reaper Squad member says after he immediately bowed down before me the moment he realized who I am.

"Which one?"

"N-Number 176, my lord!"

"Who are the thieves?"

"We captured one of the thieves and he said he was a part of Shadow Garden before he committed suicide by poison! But the tracks seem to deliberately lead to this school!"

"Shadow Garden wouldn't leave tracks that you could follow. Sir Gaunt is the one who operates here and he has a grudge against me. That man must've been one of his Third Children."

"T-That's what we thought too, lord!"

"Also, why do you want the girl?"

"We want to interrogate her due to her relation with Sir Gaunt!"

"Leave her to me. She knows nothing."

"Very well, lord." He was about to stand up and leave to continue his duties but I stop him with a question.

"Have anyone found out you're infiltrating?"

"N-No, my lord! We're being as discreet as possible!"

"KYAAAAHH!" A student's scream echoes throughout the school's hall, no doubt from seeing Marco's body who's bleeding in the hallway outside the lab.

"It appears that your presence here has been discovered."

"P-Please have mercy, my lord!" He bows his head lower than before, pretty much in a dogeza pose.

"Tch. No matter. Sir Gaunt's forces should be limited due to the incident with the Saint years ago. Make sure to continue the search and kill every single one of Sir Gaunt's men you come across. But before that…." I stare at him straight in the eye. "You will forget about meeting Claude Normann here. You will forget about my true identity. There is only Necromancer here." I command him with my hypnosis.

"Yes, my lord…" With that, he left.

I remove the Necromancer garb I'm wearing with magic and with my sword, give myself a slash wound on my chest in order to make it look like I was fighting.

Sir Gaunt. I valued your villainy highly and thus I'll be disappointed if this is all that you've got, especially since Shadow Garden aren't here yet. Come on. Show me what schemes you've been cooking.

"Rex reporting! The Reaper Squad is here!" Reports Rex towards his superior. This time's meeting does not occur in the vice principal's office anymore but in an underground passageway underneath the school.

The superior, instead of an old man, is now an imposing armoured figure who stands at the center of the room surrounded by several cloaked figures who are members of Third and Second Children, the only ones he had left under his command numbering about 40 people. Behind him is a cage containing a monster whose features is obscured by darkness.

"Too early. Shadow Garden aren't here yet, are they?" Says the armoured figure.

"Looks like it's time for plan B, eh, Sir Gaunt?" Rex says, excited at the carnage that is about to commence.

"Indeed. Commence the attack on the school." Commands the armoured figure as he activates the eyeball shaped Artifact he held in his hand.

"And this… this Artifact costs me a lot of fortune to find and acquire. You'd better be here for it, Necromancer." Mutters the armoured figure as he activates another Artifact which is shaped like four fingered claw whose size and shape is similar to a certain flower shaped Artifact. The two Artifacts worked together to form a barrier that encompasses the entire school.

"Uhh…" I woke up in my desk. I must've fallen asleep while reading… though I had a scary dream about a man with black cloak and skull mask entering the room.

"C-Claude?" I look around the room. He's not here.

"Claude?" I call out again.

"I'm here." He enters the room with a slash wound on his chest.

"C-Claude! You're hurt!"

"I'm fine. We're under attack. You mustn't stay here. Take the Artifact and anything you need and go somewhere safe." He says while sounding…. colder and more distant than usual… as if my friend… who was so kind to me has been replaced by a stranger wearing a familiar face.

"Y-Yes!" I obey immediately in panic due to his cold demeanor.

I collected the Artifact and the tools needed to adjust it… But before I could leave, suddenly the window crashes and an evil looking man entered through it.

"My name is Rex, the Riveting Rebel! I am from the Shadow Garden thingy! Ha ha ha!"

Shadow Garden? I heard of them in passing. But what are they doing here!?

"You're a poor excuse of a villain. Fit to be a mere pawn." Claude says coldly while facing the man.

"What did you say, pretty boy!? You have no idea the situation you're in, ain'cha!?"

"I know full well of the barrier that currently encompasses the school."

"That's right! Which means you got no magic and can't escape from here!"

"Huh!? T-Then the Caging Unit of the Eye of Avarice is active too!?" I shout. If the Caging Unit is active, that means not only will our magical energy be absorbed, we will be unable to escape the barrier that the Eye of Avarice made too!

"Ho hoo! You're surely smarter than this boy, girlie! Tell you what. Help us with the Artifact and not only will you be allowed to live, we'll also let everyone else in this school live! Except you, pretty boy!"

"Heh… HA HA HA HA HA!" Claude laugh scarily… scarier than the evil man called Rex.

"What's so funny, damn brat!? You gone crazy!?" Shouts Rex angrily.

"You're funny." Claude states with full confidence, which angers the man more.

"Now you've done it! I'm so gonna kill you!"

"Sherry. Run!" Claude commands.

"Y-Yes!" Obeying his words, I ran away as fast as I can, passing through a wounded Crimson Order member.

Claude… I hope you'll be okay! I hope… you'll return to being a kind person and remain my friend. I don't know why but… I'm scared of you changing… especially before I could repay your kindness. Please…

Author's Note:

And so he wore the mask again. Peaceful school days are over.

J-More: Enjoying the story very much 3

Answer: Thanks for always enjoying it.

Zero: I can imagine the fight between shadow and Necromancer fight be like two role players in a anime festival pretending fighting each other but this time they have actual power it hilarious and exciting but both of them are having fun. It best for Necromancer to recruit Sherry as his subordinate to her revenge role against shadow.

Answer: Indeed. Shadow's still gonna punch Necromancer in the face though. And yes, I have plans for Sherry.

Soulbow109: Didn't expect Charl to play matchmaker between Claire and Claude. Wonder what kind of funny events we can get out of this. Though it is hard to imagine any events happening too not just because of Claudes disinterest but Claire being a brocon. Well if anything does happen at least Claude has experience dealing with girls like Claire. Heck I can see him being ok having Cid as an in-law too lol. F*ck suddenly I can't help but imagine how funny it would be if the two guys did become family due to their other identities. Feels like it would a funny sitcom or something lol.

Answer: What if Claire did the same to Charlotte and Cid? :thinkingemoji:

Claire x Claude likely not happening yeah. Claude may be fine with marrying whoever but he has ambition so he would aim for Alexia, but not by wooing her but through political marriage, which is why he didn't bother wooing her, though she would hate him more if he started wooing her. But the thought of Cid and Claude being brothers in laws is pretty funny.

Chapter 603 - 22