Became a Medieval Fantasy Wizard

TL/Editor: raei

Status: 5/week mon-fri

Illustrations: none

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"But I thought you didn't know?"

"Yeah. Earlier I didn't."

"So now you do?"

"I think I'm starting to understand."

Belenka stared intently at Ian for a moment.

But his face showed no signs of deception.

Though some flaky wizard might put on airs with ridiculous boasting, Ian had no reason to do so.

While Belenka didn't know magic herself, she understood how difficult it was to learn.

Magic wasn't something you could just pick up like loose change on the street as Ian seemed to do.

But Ian had done exactly that.

He truly was disgustingly talented.

"Master Wizard..."

The other thieves looked worriedly at their possessed companion.

"Stand back."

First, Ian decided to try speaking to the ghost.

"[Spirit, can you hear me?]"

"He-hehehe..."

There was no response.

As expected, Ian's necromancy ability wasn't complete yet.

Once completed, he could invest his remaining skill points to upgrade its performance.

But with the skill itself incomplete, there was nothing he could do.

[You've detected a friendly mystery of death nearby!]

'This must be it.'

The condition for learning magic was, as always, communication with mystery.

To fully acquire necromancy, he needed to find the mystery of death.

"No choice then."

"Master Wizard...?"

"Someone carry this friend. We're going deeper."

"B-But...!"

The thieves nervously glanced at each other, thoroughly frightened.

The dungeon was already crawling with undead and ghosts... was it really right to go even deeper now?

"What are you doing! Didn't Master Ian tell us to prepare to go down!"

Baron Mud scolded the thieves.

"Shining gold awaits you! With the wizard here, are you really going to pass up treasure!"

"W-Woohoo..."

The thieves cheered weakly.

As expected, a thief best understood thief psychology.

They were all here for money, so how could they turn back with treasure right in front of them!

"Don't worry. Below, there's a spirit who will help us."

"...? Master Wizard, how do you know that..."

"You idiot! The wizard just said so!"

"Right! Idiot!"

"How pathetic!"

Ian led the thieves deeper.

Though they faced skeleton attacks and ghost possessions along the way, Ian's group managed to endure.

In a dark dungeon, a party centered around a skilled dark wizard would never fall apart.

'We've already reached the bottom!'

Baron Mud was genuinely impressed by their incredibly fast pace.

As a professional grave robber, he knew better than anyone how impossibly fast this was.

With the group united in their trust of Ian at the center, they achieved an amazing speed.

"Ian. The treasure room is ahead."

"If the map is right, you mean?"

"...Yeah."

Ian opened the door without much expectation.

He was confident he wouldn't be disappointed even if the treasure map was wrong and there was nothing inside...

[Woooooah!]

[Ohhhhh!]

"?"

Ian was slightly taken aback.

As soon as the door opened, he saw two spirits tangled in combat!

The spirits were even visible to the thieves who had no connection to mystery.

"G-Ghost~!"

"Oh mighty Heaven, protect me with your radiant light..."

Baron Mud joined the thieves in reciting prayers.

Belenka drew her sword and quietly glared at the spirits.

"Ian. Can you cast magic on me?"

"Magic?"

"Yes... just cast magic on me and stay back! Ian!"

Belenka's voice carried 100% sincerity.

Her stance clearly showed she meant to fight the spirits.

But Ian calmed her down.

"Belenka. Let's try talking first..."

"Talk? Do you really think those evil spirits can be reasoned with!"

"?"

Evil... spirits?

Ian blankly looked up at the spirits.

[Today's the day I'll smash your head and make it into a drinking cup!]

[I'll skin you alive and use you as a carpet!]

The spirits clashed while spitting savage threats.

But...

'They're not really scary.'

Already familiar with all sorts of modern horror, Ian wasn't particularly frightened by the spirits' grotesque appearance.

He even had a quasi-necromancy skill.

He could understand most of what the spirits were saying.

"Kyaaaah!"

"Gack! Gack! Gack!"

But to normal people without necromancy skills, the spirits' wails were literally like the sounds of hell itself.

"Eek! I haven't done anything wrong! Please spare me!"

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry for not listening to the priest and rarely going to church!"

The sight of torn-skinned ghosts making hellish sounds!

It was so horrifying it made even the brave knight Belenka's knees shake.

"...Damn it. Ian! Snap out of it!"

"? I am in my right mind though?"

"Then hurry up and use magic!"

Hmm. Is it that bad?

Ian figured he'd better do as told rather than say that and actually get hit by Belenka.

He was planning to use magic anyway.

As Ian stepped forward, Baron Mud grinned.

"Ooh! Behold! Our Ian Eredith Raven! Not a trace of fear!"

"Woohoo~! We believed in you~!"

"As expected of Master Wizard!"

'?'

Ian tilted his head.

Were medieval people really scared of this?

But everyone except Ian was trembling.

When everyone's a cyclops, even someone with two good eyes should pretend to close one as a courtesy.

"[Hello there!]"

Ian called out in a loud voice.

His pronunciation was so clear and powerful that it came across less as 'hello~!' and more like 'who dares~!'

The thieves actually interpreted it that way.

"The wizard is scolding the spirits!"

"[I am the wizard Ian!]"

"He just said 'Ian'!"

"He must be telling them to go back to hell after hearing his name!"

"[Sorry to interrupt your busy time, but could we talk?]"

"The wizard is speaking! Get on your knees and beg for mercy, you wicked demons!"

"Yeah! You demons!"

"How pathetic!"

"...Baron Mud. Make those bastards all shut up."

Baron Mud immediately covered the thieves' mouths.

"Which bastard dares interrupt while the wizard is casting spells! Want to die?!"

"W-We're sorry!"

The thieves held their breath and watched Ian communicate with the undead monsters.

'Wonder if they'll understand.'

Ian was slightly nervous too.

According to Ian's intuition (or status window), these mysteries of death were 'friendly' mysteries.

Though the chances of communication were high...

Seeing them fighting so intensely made him think they might ignore him.

[Hm?]

But contrary to his worries, the spirits quickly noticed Ian's presence.

[Oh. Who's this?]

[Haha! The 'look over there!' trick? You tried that 50 years ago!]

[No! There really is a human there!]

[Hmm...?]

Having been dead for so long, they didn't immediately recognize human presence.

It was difficult for beings of the spiritual world to perceive beings of the material world.

It was the same principle that made humans and ghosts unable to see each other.

But Ian had the [Necromancy] skill.

"[Pleased to meet you.]"

In the underground dungeon where only small torches burned dimly.

Only Ian's voice echoed, low and eerie.

"[I am the wizard Ian.]"

[Oh...! A visitor!]

[My word. To think someone would come all the way here!]

The two spirits looked at Ian in surprise.

To think a human had made it to the deepest part through the undead-infested underground!

And with just a handful of people, not an army!

[It's been so long since we've seen a living human, I'm not sure how to speak...]

[I know! Let me go first!]

One spirit spoke to Ian.

[Hello there! Human! I am Bjorn! A warrior!]

[Ah. Right... I'm Junken. I was a warrior too.]

Bjorn and Junken. He'd heard those names before.

'The ones mentioned on the map.'

The one who stole House Dufel's treasure and the one who chased him.

'Is that why they were fighting?'

"[If I've interrupted a sacred duel...]"

[Duel? Haha! This is just play!]

[Yeah. When you're stuck in this horrible underground, boredom is scarier than death]

"?"

Ian was slightly puzzled.

"[You two aren't enemies?]"

[Ah. You thought that because we were fighting?]

[Not particularly. We were enemies when alive, but not anymore.]

Bjorn and Junken explained.

Though they had fought to the death as fugitive and pursuer, after being trapped in this gloomy underground for so long, they'd somehow become best friends. 𝖗

[The only reason I haven't gone mad is thanks to this friend.]

[Same here. Having someone to talk to kept me from becoming an evil spirit.]

Bjorn and Junken grinned simultaneously.

Though there had been various issues while alive, none of it seemed to matter after death.

"[But why haven't you ascended to heaven?]"

The two spirits looked at each other.

Bjorn spoke first.

[Well. Because of the goddess's picture book.]

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