This necromancer is going to seduce the beautiful girls who are already dead.

Chapter Sixty-Five: The Tyrannical King

The sun had just set, but not all the lamps in the royal palace of the Kingdom of Ossi were lit.

This was an extremely luxurious room, decorated everywhere with animal furs and the heads of various ferocious beasts. The floor tiles were high-grade colored ceramic tiles imported from the elven kingdoms, and some areas were even inlaid with gemstones of various colors. Yet, in such a magnificent room, only a dim oil lamp was lit, its severely insufficient light illuminating everything and casting dark, flickering shadows.

A warrior clad in full metal armor knelt in the center of the room, facing a large table piled high with various documents. A drowsy parrot perched on a shelf on the table. Behind the table sat a burly figure, his features strikingly similar to Princess Givia's, but with sharper lines and a hint of sinister intent. This man was none other than Kevin, now the sole legitimate king of the Kingdom of Ossi.

"My king, we have just discovered the death of another maid in the palace. She hanged herself in her room."

The soldier knelt on the ground, not daring to look up at the man sitting behind the table, and reported in a steady tone.

"Hmm, was her body properly disposed of?"

"Yes, my king, the maid's body has been properly buried, and her family will receive our compensation in a few days."

"That's good. If there's nothing else, you can leave now."

Kevin nodded slightly and leaned back in his ornate chair covered with bearskin.

“My king… I humbly request permission to investigate the nightmares plaguing the palace. Perhaps Your Majesty, being in such a high position, is unaware of the specifics, but so far, three maids have committed suicide due to the torment of these nightmares.” The warrior hesitated before speaking to the burly man behind the table. “I fear that if this matter is not addressed, the nightmares may endanger Your Majesty’s safety…”

“No need, Captain. You only need to protect the safety of the palace, and that’s enough.” Kevin interrupted the loyal warrior behind the table. “There seems to be some chaos in the palace lately, causing many people to be uneasy. I will send someone to comfort those who are having nightmares. Once their minds are soothed, I think the nightmares will get much better.”

"Are you sure you don't need it?" The captain of the guard was still somewhat uncertain.

“My orders are absolute, and I don’t think I need to teach you a second time.” Kevin’s voice was somewhat impatient. “I don’t think it’s necessary to waste time on some palace maid who has nightmares. Haven’t I made myself clear enough? I want to rest now, you can leave.”

The head guard dared not say anything more and stood up. He kept his head down, avoiding eye contact with Kevin: "Yes, Your Majesty, I will protect the safety of the palace."

"Very good, now go back to your post."

"Get back to your post, get back to your post!" the parrot called out at just the right moment.

Kevin gave the order calmly, which was a clear order for the head guard to leave. The head guard did not dare to disobey in the slightest. He respectfully backed away to the door, opened it a crack with his hands behind his back, stepped out, and then quietly closed it.

Leaving the dimly lit room, the head guard breathed a sigh of relief and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

He considered himself to have always been loyal and dutiful, and had never done anything to wrong King Kevin, yet he never dared to utter a sound in the king's presence. The reason was simple: King Kevin was extremely cruel and would kill at the slightest provocation. The head guard's question had already displeased him, and the situation was now extremely dangerous. The head guard knew perfectly well that he had just narrowly escaped death.

Just as the captain of the guards was about to leave and return to his post, he saw a thin figure walking towards him.

The newcomer was a man with a completely clean-shaven face, naturally fair skin, and a thick layer of foundation. The head guard recognized him; he was Abos, a palace eunuch. This sinister-looking fellow was close to Kevin, the new king who preferred darkness. The two often discussed things together, but no one had ever overheard what they were listening to; anyone who accidentally overheard was already dead.

Apos glanced coldly at the head guard, said nothing, and brushed past him as he hurried away.

Apos gently knocked on the door of the king's room with his knuckles, and his somewhat sharp and effeminate voice came into the room: "Your Majesty, I am Apos, and I have something to report."

"Come in." Kevin lay back in the chair, put his feet up on the table, and stared at the door.

The door was opened gently, and Apos's thin figure walked in with small steps.

"Your Majesty, the Dream Seekers have just sent word that Gylvia's caravan has just left Lavoisier. It seems they are carrying a lot of potions, presumably to use against our army." Apos walked to Kevin's desk and reported. Unlike the previous head guard, he seemed to have the right to look Kevin directly in the face.

"Hmm, is there any other information?" Kevin nodded slightly, seemingly not very interested.

"Also, it seems that the person who drove the previous Dream Watcher insane was sitting in the princess's carriage." Apos's voice was somewhat tense. "It seems that Princess Gylvia has indeed secured some formidable outside help this time. We dared not allow the Dream Watcher to conduct large-scale observations this time, so we only spied on the dream of one soldier in their convoy, and we didn't dare to continue for too long. I hope Your Majesty will forgive our cowardice."

"Do as you please." Kevin closed his eyes to rest. "Just get the message to me. How are the Nightmare Spirits?"

"The Nightmare Spirits are ready to attack this time. I've ambushed them on every path Gvia might take. The mission is foolproof," Apos said with a hint of pride.

"Don't make any mistakes. Make sure the Nightmare Spirits destroy as many of the potions they're bringing back as possible." Kevin's tone was devoid of any praise. "If anything goes wrong, I'll hold you responsible."

“Of course, my king, I have considered many possibilities, there will be no problems.” Apos seemed somewhat dissatisfied, but he did not show it on his face, only a strange light flashed in his eyes. “The Nightmare Spirits have many tricks up their sleeves this time, at least enough to severely weaken Gylvia’s rebel army.”

"Okay, you can go now. I need to rest."

"You can go now! You can go now!" the parrot repeated.

Kevin remained indifferent.

Apos bowed respectfully and then left the room.

Chapter Sixty-Six: Disgusting the Evil God

The convoy traveled smoothly along the road. The journey was going very well, and the group had now entered the territory of the Western Empire and was heading towards the secret base of the Restoration Army.

It was noon the next day, and Princess Gylvia was sitting in her carriage, intently reading a book about tactics. Abyss sat diagonally opposite her, with Rebecca beside her, and Flora holding Leona opposite them.

"Abyss, when do you think the Nightmare Lord's minions will come looking for trouble?" Leona couldn't resist asking. Gylvia had originally planned to share her books with Leona, but Leona wasn't particularly interested in books other than knightly novels, so she ultimately didn't accept them.

“This time, their target is likely the potions we bought back from the Eastern Empire,” said Jivia, putting down her book. “We must protect them no matter what. These things not only cost the Restoration Army a lot of money, but such a large quantity of military-grade potions should be very difficult to buy now.”

“Of course, leave this to me, Your Highness.” Abyss smiled at Princess Gylvia to reassure her, then turned to Leona and said, “I don’t know when the Nightmare Spirits will attack us, but they may already be lying in ambush on our path. We must all be on high alert.”

"You didn't sleep at all yesterday, huh? You look so energetic now." Leona looked at the now fully awake Abyss and asked curiously, "Is that potion that Rei made to dispel sleep really that effective?"

Rebecca, sitting next to Abyss, winked proudly at him.

“Yes, that’s right, it’s very effective,” Abyss said with a smile. “I think we could give Princess Gylvia a little tonight. Your Highness, would you like to try it?”

Gylvia nodded: "I've tried so many methods to get rid of my nightmares, so of course I don't mind drinking this kind of potion. Since you didn't have any adverse reactions after drinking it, what do I have to worry about?"

Princess Gylvia's nightmares were originally a very troublesome matter. Leona, needless to say, knew nothing about them; the Abyss's skill in illusion was not high enough to oppose a god; Flora could certainly use divine magic to dispel Gylvia's nightmares, but her identity as a divine magician could not be revealed to others. Even though Gylvia was a trustworthy partner, rashly helping Gylvia dispel her nightmares would inevitably attract the attention of others. Therefore, Flora had no choice but to harden her heart for the time being and not use divine magic on Gylvia.

But now that Rebecca has joined the team, this genius alchemist quickly came up with a feasible solution.

Potions ultimately use the power of magic, and Princess Gylvia's nightmares were caused by an evil god, so it was impossible to fight against it. However, this did not stop Rebecca's thinking. Her idea was simple: if the nightmares could not be eliminated, then why not just eliminate sleep?

So, when the caravan stopped to rest, she concocted one of her earlier inventions (using a simple alchemical apparatus and materials purchased from a city she passed through). This potion could eliminate fatigue, rather than simply boost alertness. It could switch the brain to a relaxed state, operating at lower power, and could replace a certain amount of sleep. Although it would slightly reduce reaction speed, it was still very worthwhile overall.

Abyss drank some of this potion last night. He didn't need to sleep much to begin with, but after drinking it, he didn't need to sleep at all. He was energetic all night and played cards with three girls who also didn't need to sleep. He was still full of energy when he set off again this morning.

Since it works for Abyss, it shouldn't be any less effective for Gylvia. Abyss plans to have Gylvia drink some of this tonight after an hour of sleep, which might replace sleep.

The Lord of Nightmares had told the Abyss that He wanted Princess Gylvia to succumb to fear. Although the Abyss knew that His entanglement wouldn't be easy to shake off, He was willing to annoy Him as much as possible.

After all, the Abyss and this arrogant evil god were now locked in a life-or-death struggle, so the Abyss felt it was necessary to make its enemy suffer a bit more.

The only thing to worry about right now is the Nightmare Spirit, whose whereabouts are unknown.

The existence of Nightmare Spirits is extremely difficult to detect. Even the Abyss must release its heartbeat detection to confirm whether a known target is non-human. How they approach it remains a mystery to the Abyss.

The Lord of Nightmares seems to have a way of distorting people's perceptions, allowing nightmare spirits to sneak into groups without anyone noticing, including the Abyss.

This time, after entering the Eastern Empire, the Nightmare Spirits sent by Kevin did not attack. Abyss did not believe that these guys were on vacation; they must be hiding somewhere preparing to attack the convoy.

“Givya, if the Nightmare Spirits start attacking the caravan, you must protect yourself,” Leona said with some concern. “Those Nightmare Spirits are mass-produced; there’s no point in fighting them head-on. If they try to attack the potions you bought, try not to stop them. Your life is more precious than the potions.”

“I will.” Jivia nodded solemnly. “I believe in your strength. If the Nightmare Spirits attack the caravan, I will do my best not to hold you back.”

“Leave it to us.” Flora looked at Gylvia gently. “Since we intend to travel with you, we will definitely protect your life and these precious potions. Every additional potion means one more chance of survival for your warriors, and we all know that.”

Abyss nodded; he was well aware of the importance of these potions to Gylvia. Rebecca could certainly brew these potions, but the Restoration Army needed a huge quantity, which required a proper potion factory. Even if Rebecca had eight arms, she couldn't brew enough on her own.

Rebecca, however, remained silent. She seemed to have a sudden inspiration and was writing something in a small notebook. Abyss did not disturb the inventor as she recorded her precious inspiration.

The five people inside the carriage continued chatting as the carriage traveled further and further along the road, eventually arriving at a dense forest.

“It’s that kind of forest again.” Gylvia lifted the curtain of the carriage, glanced outside, and said seriously to Santos outside, “Just a reminder, everyone be careful of enemy ambushes.”

"No, everyone scatter quickly, the enemy is here!" Abyss interjected at this moment. "It's mercenaries again, they're lying in ambush in the nearby mountains. Leona, prepare to attack!"

Chapter Sixty-Seven: The Cowardly Mercenary Group

"Boss, Princess Gylvia's convoy is here. Can we launch our attack now?"

While Gylvia's convoy was still moving forward, a group of mercenaries dressed in rags were waiting on a nearby hill. One of the mercenaries, dressed in light armor and a scout-like appearance, asked another, who looked older, in a low voice.

"Have they spotted us here?" The mercenary, referred to as the leader, did not make a decision immediately.

"Probably not. We've hidden ourselves very well. Unless they're gods, how could they possibly find us?" the scout said confidently. "The traps are all ready. We can launch an attack whenever the boss thinks it's appropriate."

The other mercenaries nearby also looked over, waiting for their leader to give orders.

“Listen up, lads. Our target this time is Princess Ghivia, the leader of the Restoration Army of the Kingdom of Ossi, but our employers haven’t given us much money. Our mission is to harass this convoy, kill as many as we can, blow up as many carriages as we can, but absolutely do not risk our lives for it,” the leader warned the other mercenaries beside him. “We’ll only attack once, and then retreat immediately, because they’ve only paid enough for one wave.”

"Understood!" the other mercenaries replied in hushed tones.

This group was different from the dwarven mercenaries who had attacked the caravan earlier; they were a true ragtag army. Such ragtag soldiers were very reasonably priced, but they were also much more willing to risk their lives than well-trained high-ranking mercenaries. They were one of the mercenaries hired by Apos, and they happened to be positioned to guard the road where Givia's caravan was passing.

They had already laid some rockfall traps and explosives with detonators along the way, and each person carried a light crossbow and several bolts. Of course, the most important thing was horses; each of them had prepared horses so they could escape quickly after firing a single attack.

Because the target this time is Princess Ghivia, such an important figure must have several powerful guards around her. If they are discovered, why not run away? Are they going to fight head-on with those powerful experts who are qualified to be the princess's guards? They only do what they are paid for and don't want any unnecessary trouble.

"I can hear their wheels... Get the explosives ready." The leader listened intently to the sounds coming from the foot of the mountain for a while. "Those preparing the boulder traps, get them ready too. I'll count to three, and you all need to activate the traps together. The rest of you, when you hear the explosions and they're thrown into disarray, rush down and unleash a volley of lit crossbow bolts on them in the chaos. Once you're done, run away. No objections, right?"

Everyone shook their heads in unison: "No objections, boss!"

"Alright, everyone get ready." The leader licked his slightly dry lips, loaded a bolt into his light crossbow, and strung it. The others followed suit, pulling back the strings of their own crossbows.

The sound of the carriage grew closer. Based on his years of experience, the leader estimated the distance to the enemy, his lips moving slightly as he silently counted.

"One, two, three!" he suddenly exclaimed.

Some of the mercenaries cut the ropes beneath their feet, while others used already lit charcoal to ignite the fuse of the explosives.

"Remember, don't be greedy for credit, your lives come first..." the leader warned the other mercenaries, while also waiting for the explosives buried in the road below to detonate. The explosives were quite powerful; if they detonated right under the carriage, they should be able to blow all the potions on it to smithereens. If there were any people on board, well, sorry, they'd be blown to bits too.

Ten seconds passed, then twenty seconds, and the mercenary leader finally realized something was wrong.

The sound of the explosives detonating did not ring out, nor did the shouts and neighing of horses that should have been heard when the rolling stone trap fell.

"What's going on? Didn't I tell you to light the fuse? And you guys, why didn't the rolling stone trap activate? What are you doing?" He glared at the mercenaries in charge of the trap and questioned them.

“We did activate it… Should we send Tim out to scout out what’s going on?” a mercenary in charge of the traps said, sounding aggrieved.

"There's no need to go down. Your traps are useless. We have a mage who has eliminated all your traps."

Just then, a girl's voice, as clear as a silver bell, reached the ears of the mercenary leader.

The leader was startled and looked in the direction of the sound. There stood a pretty little girl with silver hair, who seemed to have appeared out of nowhere. The little girl looked lazy, and it was she who had just spoken.

The other mercenaries immediately noticed the extra person between them and quickly raised their nocked crossbows at the silver-haired girl.