The misadventures of the necromancer

Tevat walked with quick, agitated steps, feeling the heat of the redness rising on his face. A normal symptom whenever he grew nervous. And right now, he was furious.

“This is going to cause trouble, and your father will not be pleased,” declared Fendat, walking at his side.

The tall, lean man kept pace without showing the slightest fatigue or difficulty. As was to be expected—despite his carefully maintained clothing revealing nothing, Tevat knew he carried at least two knives beneath it. Weapons, the man knew how to wield well; otherwise, he wouldn’t be his bodyguard.

Tevat still remembered the day his father had introduced the former bandit to him and explained that, to atone for his past crimes, this man would now serve their family.

“Don’t you think this is an insult to him as well?!” Tevat demanded. After all, they were ridiculing him, and by association, his entire family. If this were allowed, they would be the talk of the town. And what would that do to his father’s good name?

“I highly doubt your father cares about the affairs between two children. But that’s not my concern. My only duty is to keep the young master safe,” Fendat replied curtly.

For a moment, Tevat thought of turning to argue with him. But as the inn ahead came into view, his mind snapped back to the source of his current rage.

With that, he strode through the open doors of the inn, where he was immediately greeted by a servant.

“Good morning, young master Tevat. What can we do for you today...” the servant greeted with a broad smile, though it failed to hide the tension in his eyes at Tevat’s arrival. “...perhaps you’d like to try our dish of the day? We have a delicious cheese soup...”

Though the inn offered all the usual services, its real business was in serving food—especially to the wealthier and more important people in the area. After all, who else would pay for such things?

It was clear the servant was trying to act calm, pretending nothing was amiss. Yet his eyes carefully avoided the staircase leading upstairs—where, besides guest rooms, several private dining halls could be found.

The most likely place for them to be.

That realization made Tevat push his way past the servant.

“My lord!!? What are you doing?” the man cried, still feigning ignorance, but raising his voice at the end, as if to warn someone.

In Tevat’s head, the words screamed: How dare you. Which was all the more reason to shove the useless man to the ground before snapping, “Are you sure you want to get in my way?”

The silence he received was all the answer he needed. Without another word, he strode upstairs, ignoring the stares from the patrons in the main hall.

At the table closest to the stairs was the only person who looked more concerned about calling the waitress. Not that he cared about the plain-dressed, dark-haired young man, as he started his climb.

Even the murmur of voices behind him meant nothing—he could always put them in their place later.

Straight to the first door, he went, flinging it open violently. Empty. He moved to the next, with the same result.

The third revealed a group of men about his father’s age, their shocked expressions ignored as he left without pause and opened another.

At last, he found what he didn’t want to see, but had expected all along.

“Tevat, what are you doing here?” Ena demanded, rising swiftly from her chair. Her long dark hair, bound in a braid, swung behind her back with the sudden movement, while her green eyes fixed on him with sharp disapproval. Her beautiful face carried her unmistakable irritation.

Which only fueled his rage further, driving him to shout, “I’m here to put an end to this nonsense!”

“Oh, oh—calm down there,” exclaimed the brown-haired boy opposite Ena, standing up as well.

His clothes were of good quality, though less refined than Tevat’s—made more for comfort and practicality than style. The gold rings on his fingers, however, revealed that his identity was not simple. Likely a wealthy merchant newly arrived in town.

But what did that matter? Tevat thought bitterly before yelling, “Shut your mouth, you wretch! Who do you think you are?!”

The other’s face flushed red, fists clenching at the insult, unwilling to let anyone treat him so.

“And who do you think you are, to cause such a scene here?” Ena shot back, raising her own voice.

“Your fiancé!!” he retorted, barely keeping his composure.

“Says who? I never agreed to that...” she exploded, jabbing a finger at the merchant. “He is my boyfriend.”

The merchant looked utterly bewildered, muttering in a low voice, “What the hell is going on here?”

To Tevat, it could only mean this was all a ploy to enrage him. He knew perfectly well she hadn’t liked the fact that he’d gone straight to her parents to make them see how marrying into the town’s leading family simply made sense...

“Boyfriend? How can someone who just showed up be your boyfriend?” he argued, struggling to calm himself and to end this foolish game of hers. Though he did like her fiery spirit, at times it was exhausting.

“I’ve actually come here several times, and we’ve known each other for a few years now...” the merchant said, still sounding confused, before turning to her. “But... you have a fiancé?”

“I already said no!!” she shouted back at him, then turned to Tevat again, declaring, “Get out! I’m not your fiancée. I don’t even like you.”

That nearly made him see red. He advanced on her, only for the merchant to step in front, even placing a hand on his chest.

Unable to hold himself back, Tevat slapped the man hard while shouting, “Do you know who you’re dealing with?!”

The fool just stared for a moment, stunned—then clenched a fist, ready to fight.

That was when Ena seemed to realize the consequences of what she’d started. She grabbed at the merchant, pleading, “No, don’t! He’s...”

But this little merchant didn’t seem to hear her. He grabbed Tevat by the collar—only for Fendat to stride into the room, his voice cold: “That wouldn’t be a good idea.”

“Two against one... cowards,” the merchant spat, as if Tevat would ever dirty his hands with the likes of him.

With a nod, Tevat signaled his bodyguard to act. Fendat lunged forward and drove his fist square into the merchant’s face.

Ena panicked, forcing her way between them—not hard, since none of them wished to harm her, though Tevat certainly felt tempted after this.

Once outside the room, she began shouting: “Help, help! They’re attacking us!”

It looked like she was trying to make things worse by getting him in trouble with his father. Who would be displeased by this growing scandal. So, Tevat followed after her.

As he left, he ordered Fendat—who was looming over the crouched merchant, still looking off, from the blow: “Teach him a lesson in how to behave.”

Then he went after her. Ena was fast, already at the stairs and running down, still calling for help. As if anyone would dare act against him.

When he reached the top of the stairs, he could see her at the bottom, begging for someone to intervene. From there, he could also see the hall below. Every patron ignored her cries, staring intently at their plates as if they were the most fascinating things in the world—though almost none were actually eating.

Even the servant at the foot of the stairs looked aside, pretending not to notice her.

At last, she let out a frustrated scream: “Cowards!!!” and turned to flee toward the exit.

But by then, he was upon her, seizing her arm and yanking her toward him. His strength was such that she stumbled past him—straight into a serving maid who seemed to appear out of nowhere, carrying a smoking tray.

The maid barely had time to turn so the tray’s contents wouldn’t spill on Ena. But as the two collided, the steaming pot on the tray flew into the air, crashing down behind the maid.

It landed on a patron who had been calmly eating at a table—the only one seemingly unbothered by all the commotion.

That ended the moment the pot struck, its boiling contents spilling across his back.

With a thunderous “Ahhhh!!” he leapt from his seat.

The dark-haired boy in the dark robe across from him also jumped to his feet. Even from this distance, Tevat could see the worry on his face as he reached out to his friend and cried:

“Nero!!!”

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