I Only Wanted to Raise the Dead, but Why Did the Hero Party Suddenly Start Caring About My Daily Needs?!

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The sound of footsteps on the muddy ground left by last night’s rain accompanied the gaze of the Elf girl. Her eyes seemed to scrape across every corner of the trunks and branches around her, searching for something—she knew it was there. Carefully, she stepped toward a narrow path hidden by thick undergrowth. One by one the bushes parted under her hands as she advanced with steady steps, and before her eyes appeared the ruins of a small, ancient temple. An aged symbol, worn by time, stood clearly on the wall the moment she stepped through the front entrance.

“…A worshipper of Sekred, huh? No wonder it feels familiar.”

Her gaze then shifted to a cracked tombstone beneath the symbol that looked like deer antlers on the wall. The Elf approached it slowly, staring with eyes heavy with pity mixed with a spark of anger no larger than a flicker of flame.

“In the end, no one mourns for you, not even the god you exalted so highly. How unfortunate.

“Exactly! Especially when you see a helpless Elf all alone in the middle of a forest like this. Hahaha!”

The voices of three men suddenly rang out behind her. The Elf turned and saw the three men carrying sharp knives, blocking the only way out of the temple.

“…”

“Usually an Elf shuts herself away and wastes her useless old age inside sacred forests, but it seems you’re bored. Don’t you know this forest isn’t a sacred forest—a comfortable place for Elves like you?” said the man who appeared to be their leader.

“And so what? I don’t see a problem,” the girl answered calmly.

“Then to save time, why don’t you just surrender? I don’t like ruining pretty things like you, hehe.”

“Relax, we’ll only rape you a little and then sell you at auction. If you behave, we won’t hurt you,” one of his underlings added.

The girl only sighed, unmoved by the threat. “Haah… you humans never escape that animal lust of yours.”

“Hahaha!” the men laughed without a shred of shame. “Looking at you like this—pretty face, body just begging to be explored—even a god wouldn’t be able to hold back from taking you,” one of them snickered.

“Yeah, yeah, enough small talk,” the leader tightened his grip on the dagger in his right hand and slowly stepped closer toward the cornered Elf girl. “Before we play with you, how about you give us a little introduction, poor girl?”

Like a pack of predators closing in on their prey, the muscular men advanced one step at a time, savoring the intimidation. Their eyes crawled over the body of the silver-haired Elf, who still showed no sign of being disturbed. The daggers in their hands were not mere decorations—they were real tools for taking what they wanted.

Yet the amber eyes half-hidden beneath the hood of her black leather jacket showed neither the fear nor the surrender they expected. No small smile curved her sweet lips, nor did the pointed ears that marked her race so much as twitch. All that could be heard was a low rumble from the vibrating tombstone behind the mysterious Elf girl.

“Valeria. My name is Valeria, a Necromancer.”

The name that left her lips—“Valeria”—became the signal for an incomplete spirit to rise from the tombstone. The soul of a past Elf who had worshipped Sekred floated around Valeria’s body, freezing the men’s steps in place.

“I already suspected the soul value of this spirit was far above normal. Good.” Valeria grinned as she watched the spirit circle her.

“Necromancer? You must be joking… There’s no way an Elf like you worships Hexter…” the leader said in disbelief.

“I never said that. But if you don’t believe me, maybe it’s time you felt it yourselves.”

Without chant, without magic circle, without any meaningful stance or gesture, the silver-haired Elf absorbed the spirit into her body through at no cost Soul Collection, then manifested it into a floating, transparent entity—legless, shaped like a small girl with long hair and no face—beside her.

“Phantom.”

The artificial entity born from the soul she had collected only needed to stretch out its small hands toward the barbaric men. A freezing cold air rushed out, locking their legs in place before they could do anything.

The lust-filled men could only widen their eyes in panic and fear when they realized they could no longer move. One of them tried to resist and threw his dagger at her, but the Phantom casually swatted it aside.

“How shameless,” Valeria said before hurling a spear of darkness that appeared in her palm at the man who had attacked her. It pierced his forehead and killed him instantly. She looked at the remaining two with a blank expression. “Anyone else want to try?”

“Let us go, you bitch! An Elf like you should—”

Ice crystals rapidly formed and sealed his mouth. His eyes bulged wide as he struggled to open it, but failed.

“So noisy. You humans sometimes don’t know when to stop yapping.” Valeria looked at the man with the red bandana. “Any last words?”

“…P-please spare me. I didn’t mean to bother you…” the man begged.

“What kind of bandit takes back his own words, huh? Didn’t you just say you were going to rape me? Where’s the proof?”

“I’m sorry for saying that! I’m truly sorry!”

“Sorry isn’t enough after the threats and harassment you threw at me.”

“Then we’ll do whatever you say, as long as you let us go.”

“Hmmm, is that so… Then I’ll give you a chance.” Valeria stepped closer, Phantom at her side. “Let’s play a game. Within one hour, you have to make this little girl laugh. If you succeed, she’ll set you free. If you fail, she’ll stab you and dig your guts out. How about it?”

“A-alright… I’ll entertain her properly.” The red-bandana man nodded frantically in fear. Meanwhile their leader, still unable to speak, only shook his head in disagreement, though Valeria paid him no mind.

“Yup yup, excellent. Then do your best!”

With that, Valeria turned and left the two bandits alone with the Phantom inside the ruined temple. She continued slowly along the path toward the east, walking through the endless forest. But she had not gone far when she stopped. The Elf girl sensed a dark aura around her—a scent she knew all too well.

“Viora.”

“How mean of you, Valeria. Those humans only wanted to play with you. Isn’t that the same as playing with demons like you usually do?”

A girl with long black hair and blazing red eyes appeared out of thin air in front of her. She sat with her legs crossed, revealing smooth pale thighs beneath the hem of her aristocratic black skirt. The corner of Viora’s lips curved upward in a mischievous smile directed at the Necromancer before her.

“Don’t bring that up. Intimate matters like that are only because I was bored and had nothing better to do. Besides, I’d never accept the filthy parts of those lustful humans.” Valeria slowly shook her head.

“Hmm, it even seems you couldn’t be bothered to collect their souls after your Phantom exploded, huh? Your hatred for humans is truly extraordinary.” Viora’s red eyes glowed faintly. The pair of black tails matching the horns on her head swayed eagerly. “But I can sense… sadness and longing…? Could it be that His Majesty Velgor is so great that he managed to shake your feelings?”

“None of your business.”

Viora chuckled softly at Valeria’s cold reply. “Oh, poor Valeria… if only ambition hadn’t blinded his eyes, maybe by now you’d already be warming his bedchamber and wouldn’t have to bother lifting your ass for this useless task.” She smirked, twirling a strand of her hair. “I could help you, you know. But of course, terms and conditions apply, fufu…”

“No, thank you. A foundling like you has neither the power nor the right to decide anything about His Majesty Velgor. Besides, a filthy creature like you should be grateful he bothered to save you from the ruins that night. It wouldn’t be funny if a beautiful, elegant demon ended up as a public toilet for humans, would it? Or maybe… that’s just the literal instinct of a Succubus?”

The harsh words left her mouth without any brake, because she had been there and knew exactly how cruel humans could be. The air between them grew thick and choking. The wind dared not stir the leaves, and even sound seemed unwilling to lighten the atmosphere.

Viora’s smile faded, replaced by a sour expression and a freezing stare. “I never expected words like that to come from the mouth of a debauched Elf like you, Valeria.” She walked toward Valeria, slow but certain, as if stalking prey with a gaze cold as ice. “I feel like tearing your mind apart right now and rearranging that shallow brain of yours so no more stupid remarks come out.”

“Experience outweighs everything, Viora. Let’s say this is a privilege that allows me to declare something like that.”

For a moment the two of them stood locked in heated stares before Viora finally took a slow step back. She knew who she was, and she knew the difference in their strength. Even if the demons considered them equals, Viora was fully aware of who stood before her now—and that was enough to make her lower her ego for the moment.

“Tch! You’re lucky His Majesty Velgor is on your side. Otherwise there might be nothing left of you but that empty, pretty dumb body.” Viora folded her arms and pouted.

“Thank you for the compliment. So why did you come looking for me, Viora? Surely not because you missed me?”

“Ah, right… Zanetsu asked me to pass on a message to you.”

“It’s not like him to care about other people like this.”

“Who knows. Maybe because that person once lived in the Kingdom of Estoria, so he feels some sort of obligation to tell you something.” Viora shrugged.

“Hmm… is that so. Then what does he want to tell me?”

“In that case…”

Viora’s red eyes shone brightly as she stared deeply into Valeria’s. With her power she easily entered Valeria’s mind, delivering the message she carried like words pressed directly onto the surface of her brain. For several seconds they only stared at each other, until finally Viora showed her wicked smile again.

“What do you think, Necromancer? Interested in delving deeper?”

“…”

For a moment Valeria only stood there frowning, before finally slipping both hands into the pockets of her hoodie, hiding the way her fists had clenched tight.

“Of course. This is useful information, so I won’t waste it.” Valeria answered firmly.

“Heh, I didn’t expect you to be this enthusiastic. Well, don’t forget your original mission from His Majesty.”

“No need to worry. My mission from him and my original goal are aligned, and I’ve already accounted for that. I’m prepared for anything—even if it means sacrificing everything.”

“Hahaha! You really are an extraordinary Elf, Valeria. No wonder His Majesty likes you so much. So, what will you do after this?”

“Continue the journey, of course. The sooner the better.”

“Is that so? Then I’ll go look for a little prey around here as well.” Viora walked past her, then stopped to pat Valeria’s shoulder. She whispered, “Too bad, but I’ll be the one warming His Majesty Velgor while you’re gone~ ♡”

Before Valeria could do anything, Viora vanished into thin air without leaving a trace. Her arrival had been like an uninvited storm—noisy and irritating.

Valeria sighed and shook her head slightly. “…That bitch. Next time I’ll punish her.”

She tightened the straps of the cream-colored backpack on her back, then slowly continued walking east. Even though her steps felt a little heavier after the encounter with Viora, she could no longer turn back. The oath and promise she had made to “that person” and to her king gave her a clear purpose—a purpose she had to fulfill for as long as she could still draw breath.

With her power she was certain she could do anything, destroy anything, yet her king’s ambition was not like that. She respected him, loved him more than herself. His words were absolute, and she would gladly obey them, even when they went against the wishes of this Elf girl’s heart.

Roughly three hours later she continued her journey, and the sun now stood directly overhead. Valeria stood at the edge of the forest, looking out over a wide expanse of green plains with a clay path running through the middle. The road was large and wide, ending in front of a magnificent wooden gate shaped like a half-circle. Gray concrete walls stretched endlessly to the left and right, with guard posts on top ready to rain down arrows and cannonballs.

Valeria drew a long breath. It had been a long time since she last set foot openly in the middle of human territory. No matter how strong she was, the girl could not completely hide the mixed feelings rising inside her.

“So this is the Kingdom of Estoria?”

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