From Hogwarts to Strixhaven.

Chapter 665 Wei Heng Brothers
"You can turn those two traitorous brothers into your gravediggers!"

After Erabes left Ivy's office, Zecarius in the snow globe immediately offered his advice.

"Warriors of the Spirit Tower, the strongest and most loyal guardians. These gravediggers, blessed by the Spirit Tower, gain power far exceeding that of ordinary skeletons and zombies. However, only souls of sufficient resilience are worthy. We are fortunate to have two worthy corpses in your dungeon. We will resurrect them, subdue them, and make them serve the Crusaders once more!" Zechariah shouted in a malicious yet gleeful voice.

“I do intend to make them serve me, but using necromancy to subdue them will always be the worst approach.” Ivy tossed aside her work and prepared to stretch her body in the dungeon. “I want them to serve me willingly.”

The bodies of the Wei brothers were left unattended in the dungeon.

Their once bright eyes had turned into four pale, fleshy lumps, yellow teeth protruding from their shriveled lips, and a putrid stench clung to their bodies. Swarms of flies buzzed around the two dead dwarves, eager to lay maggots in their flesh.

Ivy didn't rush to use necromancy to awaken the Wei Heng brothers' corpses, because Stauton Wei Heng's soul was still in her hands. If she didn't put his soul back into the corpse, she would only end up with a walking corpse.

Like a thin mist, souls drifted out of the Grimoire of Destruction. Staunton, now only a soul, stared blankly at the two corpses below. It took him a moment to recognize that they were himself and his younger brother, Jolan.

“You killed me, and you killed Joran! What more could you possibly want?” Staunton’s spirit turned in mid-air, glaring at Ivy below. “Let me go! I’m dead! Death Maglin is waiting for me; he’ll take me to face Farasma’s judgment! I’ve had enough of the trials in the Crusades; no one will ever look at me with pity or disgust again. Whatever you want to do, my answer is only one—go to the abyss! Don’t even think about using me!”

“You are both a hateful traitor and a pathetic prisoner, Staunton.” Ivy ignored Staunton’s roar and said slowly, “Fortunately, your latest betrayal did not cause me or the Crusade too much trouble.”

"Are you going to dawdle like a woman for so long? What do you want?" Staunton shouted angrily, his anger and hatred drawing attention, but it did not affect Ivy in the slightest.

However, his tone wasn't exactly respectful. It's just that Ivy had long since stopped getting angry at provocations and vulgar language. He knew perfectly well that the other person's profanities would never become reality; they were merely pathetic attempts by some weaklings to gain an advantage through words.

Unfortunately, Zecarius, trapped inside the snow sphere, didn't think so: "Are you just going to let this pathetic dwarf spout nonsense here? What kind of Death Lord is this? Should I teach you a spell or two that works on the soul? I guarantee he'll immediately kneel down and beg for mercy."

Ivy sighed. "I don't want to threaten you, Zecarius, but if you keep talking, you'll find out whether I have any magic that works on the soul."

As a lich who knew how to read the situation, Zechariah wisely kept his mouth shut.

But then it was Staunton's turn to mock: "I will never yield to your magic! You're welcome to try, you evil wizard!"

“I don’t believe that someone who would be crushed by the disgusted looks of others and betray them again can withstand my spells.” Ivy glanced at Staunton. “I’m here to give you a chance to serve me and return to the Crusades. Maybe you can even make amends for your mistakes.”

If the dead could spit, Stoutton would have done so long ago: "Pah! I will no longer accept any judgment from the Crusaders! I have paid the price for that bitch queen's hypocrisy! I owe no one! Nothing! Only Farasma can judge me!"

Ivy laughed: "No one owes you anything? What about Jolan? A promising master blacksmith, who served in the army of condemned criminals for nearly a hundred years alongside his brother who had lost his city, and who even left the ranks of the Holy Order for you, venturing into the demon-occupied city of Favor, just so he could be with you in your final moments. Unfortunately, he never expected that what awaited him was not his brother's embrace, but your blade."

"You're lying!" Stoutton roared, glancing at Jolan's corpse on the ground. "I died in Kanaburi long ago! Jolan couldn't have come to Jubilee City because of me!"

"Do you remember who you betrayed the Crusade for a second time?" Ivy asked with interest. He had long since moved beyond the low-level pleasure of insults; he enjoyed destroying people's spirits more, especially those who had spoken arrogantly to him not long ago. "I can give you a hint: a demon without eyes... wearing a red dress..."

“Enough…stop talking…” Staunton closed his eyes in despair.

“You did indeed die cleanly from my magic, but the Mina Gu escaped. I’ve never seen a demon so adept at running away.” Ivy wasn’t the type to be bossed around; his smile remained unchanged as he continued, “Guess how she escaped? That’s right, that Litu Demon burrowed into your body and manipulated it back into the abyss. Now you should know why Qiao Lan appeared in Juanze City, in this dungeon, right?”

"Stop talking...stop talking..." Large, grayish-white tears slid down Staunton's face, turning into a puff of smoke and disappearing before they even hit the ground.

Ivy still wasn't going to let him off the hook: "Qiao Lan is truly your good younger brother, but you've never been a good older brother. Don't you understand your brother? Maybe not. But you've never considered him when making decisions. Qiao Lan, who understands you so well, was indeed initially deceived by the Mingna Gu disguised as Stouton, but after arriving in Juanze City, he quickly realized something was wrong."

Staunton was too exhausted to say anything more. He could only kneel on the ground, helplessly covering his face, but his gray tears continued to turn into smoke and flow out from between his fingers.

"To confront the demon and reclaim one's brother—what a touching scene... It's just a pity that all he received was a blade from his own brother. The demon manipulated your body and killed your brother with his own hands. And all of this happened because of your betrayal once again." Ivy smiled as she characterized Staunton's betrayal.

"Think about Staunton. You were never alone in enduring the Crusaders' scorn. Jolan always stood by you, yet you ignored it all. Did Jolan owe you something? He was just Staunton's brother. Did he deserve to waste his time in the Condemned Army because of his traitorous brother? Of course not, because he was a noble man. It's just a pity that the brother he cherished never appreciated it, never cherished his own life, never cherished his brother... After everything happened, after everything had settled, you shed tears. How pale, how powerless... I think tears shed in this state probably have no taste, neither bitter nor salty..." Staunton had almost lost all strength from crying. He lay on Jolan's corpse, trying again and again in vain to lift his brother, but to no avail.

"The matter is settled; the fate of the Wei brothers is sealed. Only the greatest wizard can rewrite their destiny, and he gently offered you a chance, which you failed to cherish, instead spouting nonsense—oh, poor Qiao Lan, I truly feel sorry for you..."

Suddenly, Staunton stopped crying; he could hardly believe what he had just heard.

The dwarf warrior crawled toward Ivy, trying to reach the hem of his robe, but found himself helplessly unable to get close.

“I’ll do anything… Wizard… Please, save Joran… I don’t deserve forgiveness, but he was a qualified Crusader…”

“I offered such a generous proposal, and you wouldn’t even address me as ‘Sir’.” Ivy smiled genuinely; he knew he had achieved his goal.

“My Lord Wizard… I accept your generous offer… I am willing to give everything for Joran, even my soul… even if you are a demon, it doesn’t matter…” The strong dwarf had completely broken down. For so many years, he had been trapped in the Crusader’s sight, trapped in his own anger, thus neglecting his only brother. Only when he truly lost everything did he realize that he had not been completely without anything in life.

Almost everyone makes similar mistakes, only to regret it when it's too late.

“Then remember this well, Staunton Weyhen. The man standing before you is no ordinary wizard, but a legendary spellcaster who traverses countless worlds, Ivy Doom. I have many other titles, too many to recount… From now on, you will serve me as an undead warrior, pledging your allegiance to me until the debt is paid off.” Ivy took the golden goblet from his waist, from which a clear liquid poured continuously into Joran’s corpse. “And the advance payment you received was the life of your brother, Joran Weyhen.”

The blessed water flowing from the golden cup repaired the wounds of the corpse, expelled the worm eggs inside, revitalized the decaying flesh, and allowed the departed spirits to return to the world.

Jolan Weihen gasped for breath, then began to gag loudly from the stench of decay in the dungeon.

“Jolan…” Stoutton’s soul finally stopped crying and looked at his brother in silence.

"Damn it..." The master blacksmith rubbed his face and got up from the ground. "How am I alive again? Staunton? Is that you? Could this be some kind of devil's trick?"

“We’ve taken Juanze City. It’s time to serve the Holy Order again, Joran Weyne,” Ivy said simply. “Now, you can chat with your brothers and then return to your post. There are many knights in the city waiting for your service.”

“Juanze City…Stauton…” Jolan, who had just been resurrected, was clearly still unable to accept reality. “My brother is dead, and I am dead too…but…”

“Stop talking, Jolan.” Staunton’s soul tried to embrace his brother, but only managed to pass his arm through his body, causing the latter to shiver. “All of this was of my own volition… I accepted Lord Doom’s offer to serve him in exchange for your resurrection. You could die for me, and I could endure the Crusaders’ scorn once more for you… This is what you always called brotherhood, remember?”

“But…” Although dwarves’ heads are always as stubborn as stone, that doesn’t mean they’re all fools. Jolan frowned and asked, “In that case, wouldn’t everything be back to the way it was before? We still haven’t accomplished anything…”

“It’s different,” Ivy interrupted him. “Stouton is dead. He has paid the price for his actions. In other words, he has no connection with the Crusaders anymore. He serves me, not the Crusaders. I will ensure he has the most basic dignity.”

Qiao Lan breathed a sigh of relief: "Then... will Staunton come back to life too?"

“Of course not.” Ivy immediately gave the answer. “The reason you can live to continue working for the Crusaders is because he became an undead and served me. This job has no end, it lasts forever.”

“No! No way!” Jolan protested vehemently, almost jumping up. “I will never watch Staunton fall into another abyss! If that happens, I’d rather die again! Don’t worry about me! Staunton, I’m willing to die for you, and I ask for nothing in return!”

Ivy didn't speak, she just smiled.

“That’s a pretty generous deal, Jolan,” Staunton said wearily. “If Lord Doom wanted, neither of us could defy his power… This is a good enough ending for me, at least you’re still alive and have time to enjoy life.”

“No, no, no, I absolutely refuse to accept this! If something can get better, it can definitely get better! You did make a mistake, but you shouldn’t bear such a heavy punishment! Wizard? Lord Doom? If you really do this, how are you any different from that hypocritical queen?” Jolan pleaded. “You should at least give Staunton a chance, at least a chance to be free! If there’s anything on me that you want, you can take it! Even if you take my soul, it doesn’t matter!”

“I must say, I really admire you, Jolan.” Ivy laughed heartily; controlling other people’s fates was indeed addictive. “Alright, then I’ll give you brothers a chance, a chance to amend the terms. Based on your performance in the Fifth Holy War, after this Holy War, the Wei brothers will have one opportunity to amend the terms of service. In the best-case scenario, if the Holy Crusade achieves final victory and there are no more Holy Wars, then I might even consider resurrecting Stoutton and letting you return to your homeland to live in anonymity.”

(End of this chapter)