Chapter 89. The Mine (2)

Dwarves.

The short folk.

Befitting their name, these people with an average height of less than 120 cm being skilled artisans and technicians who handle gunpowder has become a stereotype in almost all works of fiction.

Besides that, the fact that they dig tunnels deep in the mountains and build mining cities, that they are crazy about gold and gems, and that they love beer and meat are also clichés.

The dwarves of ‘Warlord Conquest’ also borrowed all those clichés.

These short but tough dwarves live in a federation in the large and small mountain ranges scattered across the eastern wastelands.

Their interaction with the Empire is quite active.

According to the lore, trade through land routes was almost cut off after the Orc flood, but trade ships still come and go constantly through the two rivers called the lifelines of the Empire.

Their culture of being crazy about gold combined with their precise technical skills even led them to set up a bank within the Empire.

The check I received from Archduke Gabir before was also issued by the Dwarven Federation Bank.

“Dwarven-made gunpowder, you say?”

“Yes.”

For reference, the dwarves of this world have one more characteristic.

They are very skilled gunpowder experts.

They have been using gunpowder for mining for centuries, and 150 years ago, they began to weaponize it in earnest.

The Kashutal's Amulet was also created because of the dwarves' cannons.

Over time, gunpowder technology has flowed to humans, but the dwarves' gunpowder technology is still unparalleled.

These technologies are a top secret even in the Dwarven Federation.

Of course, my question to William was half a joke.

No matter how capable he is, unless his father is a dwarf….

“I've come across it a lot in literature. I don't have much experience handling it directly, though.”

……Huh?

“You’ve handled it directly?”

“Yes, well, I haven’t touched it that much. Cannons, time bombs, mining explosive charges, that sort of thing….”

“Is your father perhaps a dwarf?”

“No, he is not. But am I really that short?”

“No, no.”

William’s height is 165 cm.

The average for this era.

It's just that I, Olif, and old man Brol are a bit on the tall side.

“Where on earth did you encounter Dwarven-made gunpowder?”

I asked just in case, but.

“Haha… I’m sorry. Even for you, Your Lordship, that might be a bit difficult.”

He just scratches the back of his head sheepishly and trails off.

“No, forgive my impertinence.”

Well, it doesn't matter.

It's not that important where he learned it.

What's important is the possibility that he is at least a named hero.

Up until World Scenario 3.0, there was no priest hero named William.

Furthermore, there were no Imperial heroes who had ‘directly encountered’ Dwarven-made gunpowder technology.

“…Your Lordship?”

It’s highly likely that he’s a hero newly added in Scenario 4.0.

I recorded it in the notepad in my head and took out the bundle I had prepared under my desk.

“It’s a Dwarven-made mining explosive charge.”

“Huh? Yes? Really?!”

This time, William was surprised.

“Where on earth did you get this?”

“I found it.”

“Don’t tell me you threatened or killed a dwarf…?”

“No, really.”

“Your Lordship, no matter how much you like to fight, you must never incur the grudge of the dwarves. They are the kind of people who hold a grudge for a very long time, sharpening their knives and biding their time to pay it back over and over.”

“I like to fight? Where did you hear such a ridiculous rumor?”

“Baron Olif said so.”

“……”

That Olif.

***

It took a long time to convince him that the mining explosive charge was a safe item.

In the end, when I honestly told him that I had ‘accidentally’ obtained it from an abandoned warehouse in Berenburg, William reluctantly acquiesced, although he looked at me with suspicious eyes.

‘Can this be mass-produced?’

‘It’s possible. However, it’s been a long time since I’ve handled it, so it might take some time to research.’

I told him he could take as much time as he needed.

The original plan was to have Bart, William, and the technicians sent by Count Maenenwood work on it for over a month.

If the technology could be kept from being exposed to the outside technicians, it wouldn’t matter if it took a little longer.

Three days later.

William came to see me.

“Your Lordship, the research is complete.”

“Hmm?”

“If you provide the equipment and manpower, mass production is possible.”

“You didn't happen to kidnap and torture a dwarf somewhere, did you?”

“Yes? Your Lordship, did you kidnap a dwarf?”

“…No.”

Just because the analysis is complete doesn't mean mass production can happen in a snap.

First, people need to be taught.

No matter how capable William is, since he has two hands and one body, it would take ages if he made them alone.

Bart was a great help in the education.

Our capable administrator also had a knack for teaching.

William and Bart taught the high-difficulty work processes, such as mixing samples, producing delicate metal parts, and complex assembly procedures, in an apprenticeship style.

All the technicians were to be selected from the existing Viscount's army's artillery corps.

Naturally, this was because Dwarven gunpowder technology is top secret.

Mobilizing outside personnel would be a foolish thing to do.

To prepare for any possible leaks, even if they were soldiers under my command, the education and production process would be conducted under strict security.

A few days later, when the manual was created and production began, William came to see me again.

“It will take about a week to complete mass production.”

There is some time to spare.

Just then, the priests sent by the archbishop reported that the purification work in the forest near the abandoned mine was finished.

I headed to the forest alone to confirm.

After confirming that the contamination around the mine had been cleanly removed, I stopped by the clearing on my way back.

The very clearing where the battle with the beastmen had taken place a month ago.

I looked around.

‘Kkumteuli.’

‘Welcome back to the Kkumteuli Shop, customer.’

For the work from now on, I need my second identity.

***

What is necromancy?

Some say it is a wicked ritual that embeds demons from hell into a dead body, while others say it is a sorcery that traps the soul of the deceased in an empty shell.

To get straight to the point, neither is correct.

The former is completely nonsensical, and the latter should be seen as depending on the case.

In fact, most necromancy does not require a soul.

The core of necromancy is the body.

Generally, necromancy is one of two things.

First is to amplify the residual thoughts left in a dead body with the mana of necromancy.

Second is to possess it with a separately prepared resentful spirit as needed.

What I'm about to do is the first.

[[Earth Flow Reversal] is deployed.]

I changed my appearance to Tribus and turned over the soil of the clearing.

[[Earth Flow Reversal] is deployed.]

Since I buried them quite deep, one spell is not enough to reach them.

Only after using [Earth Flow Reversal] three times did I see the half-rotten beastmen corpses inside the overturned pile of dirt.

About one thousand five hundred of them.

The corpses of the beastmen defeated in the last battle.

The day after the battle ended, I gathered as many corpses as possible here and buried them underground.

It goes without saying, but the area around this clearing was excluded from the priests' purification work.

On the pretext that there were too many beastmen corpses, so I would burn and purify them myself with a spell.

It was a moment where I thought I did well to get the honorary paladin business card.

‘He’s a complete swindler. He’s my master, but sometimes he’s scary…….’

What is it saying?

It’s not like I completely lied.

I did cover the surface of the clearing with purification magic.

I moderately ignored the heckler's nagging and took out the skull staff from the subspace, pointing it at the pile of corpses.

[[Spliced Death] is deployed.]

Mana drains out in a chunk.

The mana, flowing like ash carried on the wind, dug into the buried corpses.

Before long, the residual thoughts in the corpses began to greedily devour the mana of necromancy.

This is the most crucial moment.

I controlled the swollen residual thoughts and focused them on the location of the head.

The residual thoughts, which had been wriggling as if in rebellion at first, gradually stabilized around one point.

And a short while later.

Wriggle.

In an instant, the corpses began to clump together on their own.

Crrreak! Craaack……!

Bones arrange themselves haphazardly.

Sinews wrap around them.

Appropriate organs, flesh, and pieces of skin stick to them, increasing their bulk.

A scene like rewinding the butchering process of a dead prey in reverse.

However, the more it rewinds, the more it creates the image of a monster patched together with corpses, not a living creature.

A few minutes later, one Necro Ogre was completed.

It was the moment my mana was on the verge of depletion.

“Phew…….”

I took a moment to catch my breath while drinking a mana potion.

The consumption is certainly large.

[Spliced Death] is the first necromancy trait I have obtained.

Although I have learned countless vampire school spells so far, this is my first time with real necromancy.

I obtained it by defeating a resentful spirit in the Berenburg sewers, and its characteristic is that I can create a Necro Ogre on the spot as long as there are corpses.

Considering that the creation of undead itself requires a very long time and a complex process, unless it's a simple type like a zombie or a skeleton, it's a groundbreaking trait.

[Spliced Death] ignores the time and cost involved.

Of course, there is a price.

The mana consumption, which is well over ten times more, is the reason.

That’s why a mana pool that can cast a 6th-level spell is nearly depleted just by creating a mere 3rd-level unit.

My mana has fully recovered.

I stood up from my seat.

As I approached the next corpses, the newly born Necro Ogre standing by the pit tilted its head at me.

…Aung?

“……”

Is it trying to act cute?

With that bulk and appearance?

Probably not.

[[Spliced Death] is deployed.]

This time, I kneaded together one-third of a Minotaur's corpse and the corpses of two Unhorned Ones.

It took a little more time, but the mana consumed was similar.

For reference, the skull staff I'm currently using was also brought from the underground of Berenburg.

‘Lumer Gravedigger's Staff,’ I believe.

It has no special effects, but it saves a little bit of mana when using necromancy.

I obtained it easily thanks to the mad witch of fire.

[[Spliced Death] is deployed.]

After that, it was repetitive work.

Empty one potion bottle, create one Necro Ogre.

It requires a high level of concentration, so it's not boring.

Above all, each Necro Ogre created like this is all my military strength.

One of the advantages of necromancy is that although it's difficult to create, once created, there's almost no mana consumption.

In other words, it’s a trait that creates a free army as long as there are potions and corpses.

By the time I emptied all the mana potions I brought, a total of ten Necro Ogres had been created.

I dug a deep pit with [Devouring Purgatory] and ordered them to enter.

Uong…?

“Get in.”

Uung…….

I poured dirt on top of the ones that went inside the pit.

In fact, there are already about two hundred Necro Ogres buried under this clearing.

It is the result of continuing this work once every two days for the past month.

Considering the rate of decay, if I consume all the remaining corpses, I should be able to make about three hundred of them.

‘Three hundred Necro Ogres. Master, how about trying for the title of Vampire Viscount while you’re at it?’

The nonsense that Kkumteuli always spouts is not entirely wrong.

One Necro Ogre is equivalent in strength to a low-ranking knight of the Imperial army.

With three hundred of them, I would probably rank within the top ten among the necromancers belonging to the Vampire Duchy.

Of course, the best-case scenario would be not having to use them.

However, you never know what will happen in a person's life.

Especially since the difficulty of the world I've fallen into is the absurd Inferno difficulty.

There will surely be a situation that deviates from my expectations at least once.

“……”

It's a form of insurance for that time.

I covered them well with the remaining dirt and deactivated Tribus' form.

For camouflage, I sprinkled a blessing on the surface, just enough not to harm the undead, and then purified my own body with a blessing.

When I returned to the city, it was getting close to sunset.

My stamina was greatly depleted from work and undead manufacturing, but I had no intention of wasting time.

After a simple meal and rinsing my body with just water, I headed to the training grounds.

“Viscount Ash?”

There was a prior visitor.