Roen blinked in surprise.
He clearly hadn't expected her to ask that.
Then, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, he pointed to the enormous coffin strapped to his back and replied:
"Of course, I'm going to wait until he dies, then put the body in the coffin."
"What else would I do, eat it?"
"That's all?"
Elaina's voice rose slightly at the end, tinged with incredulous disbelief.
"What else could I possibly do?"
Roen gave her a strange look.
"Encountering a corpse and properly preserving it is the basic ethical code of a necromancer."
Elaina shook her head.
"You don't even know him. Who knows what you'll actually do to his body."
Roen tilted his head in confusion.
"What could I do? Aside from admiring it?"
"Is his corpse supposed to be special or something?"
Elaina stared at him in disbelief.
"Admire… the corpse?"
Roen nodded seriously.
For a moment, the air itself seemed to freeze.
A soft breeze stirred her silvery-gray hair, brushing strands across her pale cheek and gently relaxing her furrowed brows.
The fingers gripping her wand loosened slightly. The glow at its tip dimmed in response.
She had met the dying old man by chance during her journey. His plea, combined with a few gold coins and a guilty conscience, had led Elaina to break her long-held rule: to bear witness, never interfere.
Her conscience wasn't so cheap that she'd take money and walk away. And delivering a letter was hardly difficult.
Drop off the message. Return and inform him. Let him pass in peace.
That was all she had planned.
As a traveler accustomed to watching from the sidelines, Elaina knew she shouldn't meddle with the fate of others. But she never withheld small acts of kindness, especially when they cost her so little.
Like digging a grave with magic for a dying stranger.
Like erecting a simple headstone so someone could rest with dignity, even in the wilderness.
She had planned it all before coming back.
It satisfied her conscience and honored his payment.
With a flick of the wand, it would be done. Easy for a witch.
Delivering the letter was a job.
The burial, that would be her gift.
She nearly moved herself to tears with her own generosity.
I really am such a kind and beautiful witch.
But all of that, every bit of her goodwill, depended on this weirdo not messing it up.
A person deserves dignity in death. Not to be left exposed to the elements. Not to have their remains stuffed into the coffin of some suspicious lunatic.
Who knew what might happen next?
Elaina's sharp gaze swept over Roen… and that coffin that seemed almost tailor-made for him.
Everything about this so-called necromancer had been off since the very beginning. And now he was saying things like "admiring corpses" without flinching.
And that title, "necromancer", wasn't one taken lightly. It conjured up stories of forbidden rituals, desecration of the dead, and unholy magic.
Could he be planning to use the still-warm corpse for some twisted ritual?
And yet… the way he spoke just now, so calm and sincere, made her hesitate.
Elaina considered herself a fine actress. She had seen countless liars on her travels. But none had ever delivered a performance with such authenticity.
As she wavered, Roen simply pointed behind her.
"Do you need anything else?"
"If not, I'm going to collect the corpse."
Before she could respond, he stepped past her without ceremony and walked toward the old man's body.
"Wha- ?!"
Elaina let out a startled gasp.
Her thoughts were still tangled in speculations about dark magic and evil plots. The sudden shift in reality caught her completely off guard.
She spun around, eyes locking onto the old man's form beside the shallow mound. Her heart rate quickened.
Roen knelt by the body.
He reached out, gently placing two fingers beneath the man's nose, so delicate it was almost reverent.
No breath.
The old man was gone.
Roen drew back, opening his right hand and holding it, palm-down, just above the man's forehead.
His lips moved, chanting softly.
The language was one Elaina had never heard. The syllables were old and weighted, completely unlike any incantation she knew.
In fact, it didn't even sound like a spell.
With the way Roen's voice rose and fell, with the solemnity etched across his face, it felt more like a eulogy, a mournful farewell delivered with quiet dignity.
The whole scene had an odd kind of professionalism to it. Not the chill of a dark ritual, but the calm grace of a seasoned priest, giving his final benediction to a departed soul.
Sunlight filtered through the sparse canopy, casting dappled patches of light over Roen's focused face… and the old man's serene expression.
After a while, Roen's chanting ceased.
He gazed at the body and smiled softly.
"So extravagant… to have all of spring buried with you."
Then he gave a small, sideways wave of his hand, like drawing a line in the air.
In that moment, something wondrous happened beneath the warm spring sun.
A faint, nearly transparent silhouette rose slowly from the old man's chest.
It was vaguely humanoid, shimmering like mist.
It glanced back at its lifeless body with gentle confusion… then turned toward Roen and gave a subtle nod, tinged with relief, and… gratitude.
And then it dissolved.
The shape burst like a dandelion caught in the wind, scattering into countless glowing particles that shimmered like starlight and vanished into the breeze, gone forever.
Roen stood up.
With practiced ease, he slid the massive coffin from his back and lowered it to the ground.
It opened soundlessly, lined with a dark, soft fabric.
Roen bent down, threading his arms under the old man's shoulders and knees, lifting him with surprising tenderness.
He placed the body inside with the care of someone tucking a loved one into bed, even adjusting the posture for comfort.
Then he closed the heavy lid.
Click.
The lock slid into place.
Roen hoisted the coffin onto his back again, the motion fluid and unburdened, as if it weighed nothing.
Elaina stood frozen, watching the entire process.
Her heart felt… clenched. Like an invisible hand had seized it, tightening with a strange heaviness.
She couldn't quite breathe.
Yet despite witnessing such a direct moment of death… despite seeing a stranger placed into the coffin of another stranger…
She wasn't disturbed.
In fact, after seeing Roen's solemn ritual, its reverence, its care, the sorrow she'd felt for the old man quietly gave way to something else.
Something gentle.
Something… peaceful.
He must've passed without pain.
And his soul… seemed at peace too.
That thought drifted unbidden into Elaina's mind.