Chapter 4: From the Netherworld

Right now, Xiahou Yan was completely dumbfounded.

It wasn’t that the effects of the Resurrection Technique were unexpected. When the young noble Eliot Igor was studying at the Mage Academy, he was renowned far and wide for his idleness and dereliction of duty. He failed almost every formal Magic class exam, yet Eliot harbored a peculiar curiosity for Forbidden Magic.

Things like Undead Magic, Curse Techniques, Demon Summoning Ceremonies...

That was probably why, before leaving Academy City, Eliot had actually managed to pilfer a massive bundle of forbidden books.

Back in Academy City, Eliot had actually attempted the Resurrection Technique from Undead Magic once before. Of course, he didn’t use it on a human, but on a dead cockroach.

The Casting of the Resurrection Technique that time was incredibly successful. Amidst a room full of brilliant light, a cockroach that had been dead for a full two days was resurrected into a... zombie cockroach.

Yes, death could not be reversed. According to existing Magic theory, a true "resurrection" did not exist. The so-called Resurrection Technique in Undead Magic merely reanimated a person into a zombie controlled by the Caster.

This was exactly Xiahou Yan’s goal. Since a zombie’s combat prowess was tied to their strength in life, applying the Resurrection Technique to the master Swordsman Alice would surely turn her into a powerful zombie, thereby supplementing the combat power the caravan desperately needed right now.

Turning a deceased person into a zombie was undoubtedly an unethical and immoral decision, but it was the only way out of their current predicament.

However, after Xiahou Yan mustered such immense resolve and finished chanting the Spell for the Resurrection Technique over Alice, he realized that something seemed a bit off.

According to the records in "Essentials of Necromancy", the sign that the Resurrection Technique had taken effect was the appearance of a phantom Death God above the target’s corpse. Based on Eliot’s memories, when he resurrected that dead cockroach, a black, hooded figure holding a scythe had briefly materialized in the air.

But this time, after he finished chanting the Resurrection Technique Spell, the figure that appeared above Alice’s body was completely different, yet incredibly familiar. Flowing robes with wide sleeves, a beautiful black beard, a beaded imperial crown...

Wasn’t this a fucking Lord Yama?! Xiahou Yan stared dumbfounded as this portly, black-robed magistrate appeared and vanished. He then lowered his head, blankly watching the wound on Alice Comstock’s throat heal at an astonishing speed, as if stitched together by invisible threads.

Then, the female Swordsman’s long eyelashes fluttered, and two teardrops rolled from the corners of her eyes.

His mind completely blank, Xiahou Yan reached out to wipe away the tears, only to see Alice slowly open her eyes.

They were eyes as azure as the ocean. Xiahou Yan’s hand froze in midair, not daring to move.

Then, he heard a voice as faint as a mosquito’s hum:

"Lord Eliot, I... I want to eat some dried meat."

BOOM! Xiahou Yan felt like his brain had just exploded. What the hell was this about dried meat?! And more importantly, could zombies even talk?!

Xiahou Yan stumbled back two steps, even dropping the "Essentials of Necromancy" onto the ground. He stood rooted to the spot, watching as Alice Comstock struggled to sit up from the wool felt mat and turned her large, azure eyes toward him.

"Um..." Xiahou Yan opened his mouth, not knowing what to say.

"Lord... Eliot?" Alice Comstock asked softly in confusion. Her voice was slightly hoarse at first but quickly returned to normal. "Where... is this? Has the zombie horde retreated?"

"This is... the caravan’s campsite," Xiahou Yan forced himself to answer, looking at this overly "vibrant" zombie. "We’ve temporarily shaken off the zombie horde... Alice? How... how are you feeling?"

"I..." Alice wanted to answer the Lord’s question, but feeling a bit muddled, she pressed a hand to her forehead. "I remember... I should have died in the zombie horde... Then, in the darkness, it felt like a voice said that my Lord wanted to resurrect me. After that, I woke up..."

Resurrect? Alice Comstock repeated the word in her heart and suddenly came to a realization.

"Lord Eliot?" Alice looked at Xiahou Yan in surprise. "Did you... resurrect me?"

She vaguely recalled that her Lord did indeed seem to be a Mage...

Speaking of which, could a Mage actually bring the dead back to life? Severely lacking in Magic knowledge, the female Swordsman was a bit bewildered.

"It was indeed me who... resurrected you," Xiahou Yan answered with difficulty, feeling a rush of heat to his face. "I’m sorry I couldn’t ask for your permission, but we really need you right now, so I tried using a Resurrection Technique..."

Alice blanked for a moment before breaking into a smile. She bowed her head to Xiahou Yan and said, "Lord Eliot, thank you! Captain of the Guard of Eagle’s Rest Castle, Alice Comstock, is more than willing to continue serving you!"

And to serve the Duchess, the female Swordsman added silently in her heart, feeling a surge of warmth in her chest.

Xiahou Yan finally breathed a sigh of relief. Focusing his attention, he carefully scrutinized Alice’s appearance.

The wound on the female Swordsman’s throat had been completely repaired by the Resurrection Technique. Through her torn collar, flawless white skin was visible, as if a fatal injury had never existed there. Propping herself up with one hand, Alice sat slanted on the sheepskin mat, her chest rising and falling slightly with her breathing.

Aside from appearing a little weak, the female Swordsman seemed no different from a normal person.

However, her face remained as pale as snow, entirely devoid of color.

"Please forgive me." After a moment of hesitation, Xiahou Yan approached Alice and reached for her face. When his fingertips touched her cheek, the female Swordsman trembled slightly but did not resist.

Pressing his palm firmly against Alice’s cheek, Xiahou Yan was instantly met with bone-chilling cold.

Without a doubt, this was not the body temperature of a living person.

"L-Lord?" Alice looked up at her Lord, forcing back her internal shyness and physical trembling.

Xiahou Yan pondered for a moment before lowering his hand. He asked in a deep voice, "Captain Alice, do you... have a heartbeat right now?"

Taken aback, Alice extended the index and middle fingers of her right hand and gently pressed them against her left wrist.

There was no pulse.

The female Swordsman stared blankly, lifting her head to look at Xiahou Yan.

Xiahou Yan reached out again, pressing his fingers against the side of her neck. Again, he felt no arterial throb.

Out of politeness, he did not test for a heartbeat on Alice’s chest, but he knew what the result would be.

"L-Lord Eliot!" Alice shuddered violently, asking in a panic. "W-what does this mean?"

Xiahou Yan’s mind was also a tangled mess. Choosing his words carefully, he slowly crouched down and looked directly into Alice’s blue eyes.

"Captain Alice, true resurrection does not exist in this world. What I Cast on you was the Resurrection Technique from Undead Magic. In theory, it should have turned you into an insensate zombie that obeys my every command. But as you can see, the Magic’s effect seems exceptionally... ’good.’ You still retain your memories, thoughts, and emotions from when you were alive. However..."

Xiahou Yan licked his lips and stated the difficult conclusion: "...However, you can’t exactly be considered a living person right now, either."

Alice lowered her head, carefully digesting her Lord’s words.

Just when Xiahou Yan thought this twenty-one-year-old girl, who had suddenly lost her body temperature and heartbeat, would burst into tears or become hysterical, she looked up and revealed a radiant smile once more.

"Lord Eliot, do you know the oath of loyalty I swore to your father when I first joined the Guard Team of Eagle’s Rest Castle?"

"What was it?" Xiahou Yan asked.

Recalling the scene from back then, the beautiful figure of Duchess Anna Igor surfaced in Alice Comstock’s mind. Looking directly at her current Lord, she smiled and recited:

"’I, Alice Comstock, do hereby swear to offer my loyalty to the Igor Family... unwavering in life and death.’"