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

"Then they'll still have to open my belly!" Leona exclaimed in despair.

"You're insulting my skills! I'm fundamentally different from that third-rate errand boy. I'm the best necromancer on the continent. Even if I open your belly, I can heal it in the blink of an eye without leaving a trace. I'm absolutely reliable!"

Abyss said confidently. This wasn't untrue. The necromancy Abyss had learned not only allowed him to resurrect corpses in various forms, but he also possessed a complete method for preserving corpses and the undead, and he had mastered it quite well. When he first learned corpse cosmetology from his master, his master initially suspected him of killing a living person to pass off as a result, which enraged him greatly. Abyss knew nothing about applying makeup to living people, but as soon as the subject was dead, he could instantly transform into a makeup expert.

"Impossible! My belly is a treasure of humanity, how could I let you touch it so casually!" Leona shouted, her face flushed. "Shameless necromancer, don't think that just because you resurrected me you can do whatever you want with my pure and innocent body!"

"Then let me ask you, is it true that you have an exceptionally large appetite and can eat the food of three adult men by yourself?"

When the direct approach failed, Abyss tried a different method to persuade him.

After hearing Abyss's words, Leona mysteriously stretched out her index finger and shook it back and forth: "Those are all rumors, just lies told by bards to fool ignorant commoners."

Abis was taken aback. If this information was false, then perhaps…

“Six,” Leona paused for a moment before saying smugly, “I can eat enough for six people in one meal. Saying it's enough for three is underestimating this princess!”

Abyss remained silent for a while, then turned to look at Flora. Flora gave him a helpless look, as if to say, "I didn't expect this either."

"Excuse my bluntness, but your appetite is probably beyond what an ordinary human could achieve. Haven't you ever wondered if there's a deeper reason behind your enormous appetite?" Abyss sighed and said to Leona, "Battle aura and magic are similar; they both originate from external energy sources, not from eating. Even a muscular ninth-tier warrior, no matter how large their appetite, should still be within the human range. But your appetite is already at the level of a two-headed ogre."

"Who are you calling a two-headed cannibal!" Leona's almond-shaped eyes widened, then she hissed thoughtfully, "It seems so, my appetite is indeed a bit outrageous."

"So you haven't even thought about this question yourself!" Abyss covered his forehead.

This princess seems to be a little slow on the uptake?

"Hmm... Let me recall... Oh, my sudden change in appetite seems to have started when I was twelve years old. After my birthday that year, I suddenly became very hungry, and my father always criticized me for it."

Leona sat down slowly, her legs dangling naturally and swinging back and forth. Her physical abilities were truly worthy of being called the number one genius in the world of martial arts. In just a short while, her joints seemed to have fully regained their flexibility. You should know that it took Flora more than ten hours to go from being completely stiff to being able to control her body like a healthy person. And that was only because she was warming herself by the fire and drinking herbs.

"Any other unusual sensations?" Abyss pressed, secretly relieved. Fortunately, although the princess wasn't the sharpest mind, her memory was still quite good.

“Nothing unusual happened, but since then, my abilities have been getting stronger and stronger. By the time I was sixteen, I was starting to lose control.” Leona looked at her dusty hands. “Back then, I often accidentally smashed things. Now that you’ve resurrected me, I feel like that control has come back. ABC, can you come here for a second?”

Abyss didn't ask her what she wanted to do and walked straight up to her.

"Boom!"

Leona's body suddenly erupted with towering flames of fighting spirit, and a straight punch with a loud sonic boom struck Abyss directly in the face!

Chapter Twenty-One: Methods of Proving the Curse

A bone armor instantly appeared on Abyss's face, protecting him the moment the fist made contact with his face.

The shockwave from the punch even caused Flora's clothes to cling to her body, showcasing her perfect figure. The entire hall echoed with the tremendous sound of the attack. Dust, centered on Leona's fist, was swept away in a huge circle by the fierce wind, and large amounts of dust still swirled in the air around the tomb. The coffin beneath Leona was already riddled with cracks, and fragments of stone had fallen from the platform beneath it. Nearby, Travik, who had been chanting a spell, stopped playing his cards, clutching his hand to his chest and chanting rapidly and intently, as if afraid the powerful impact would activate the magic circle.

Leona herself looked like a warrior who had emerged from hell, her whole body burning with dazzling orange-yellow battle aura flames. Her silver hair, which was originally tied into twin ponytails on both sides of her head, had its hair tie, which had been tied on her head for more than forty years, destroyed by the aftershock of the punch. Her beautiful, snow-white hair was draped down and intertwined with the battle aura flames, adding a touch of wildness and unruliness to her petite figure.

Abyss stood still, and with a crack, the bone armor on his face suddenly cracked open with countless fissures, then crumbled, revealing his somewhat surprised face.

“I originally planned to embed you into the opposite wall, but you managed to withstand my punch without moving an inch?” Leona withdrew her hand, and the flames of her battle aura instantly disappeared. “I felt from the beginning that you were an extraordinary guy, but I didn’t expect you to be this extraordinary.”

“Likewise.” Abyss shrugged calmly, his bone armor melting away like ice and snow. “This is the first time I’ve ever seen anyone who could break through my bone armor.”

"My thinking is correct. After being resurrected by you, I can indeed control my power properly."

Leona used her leather-shoes to kick the Abyss away from her, then jumped off the coffin. The poor coffin, having already experienced the recoil, finally shattered into pieces with this powerful leap, becoming the final straw.

"Ah... the plan to send her back if we fail to complete the mission won't be possible," Flora sighed softly.

"When I finally... when I died, I did feel my fighting spirit break through some kind of barrier, and then all my organs suddenly felt stiff. Before I could even cry for help, I lost consciousness. What kind of curse is this? Making me so big of an eater? I can't have died from overeating, can I?" Leona frowned at Abyss. "ABC, I'm asking you, explain yourself?"

"We still don't have enough information. Instead of guessing... could I... please let your belly..."

"Don't even think about it!" Leona slapped away Abyss's hand, which was about to touch her stomach. "You rogue mage!"

“If that’s the case, I have an even simpler way!” Flora said, appearing at some point.

Abyss, whose mind was filled with Leona's belly, thought for a moment and then showed a knowing expression.

"Let's eat something and see!" the two said in unison.

"Eat something?" Leona put her hands on her hips and nodded with satisfaction. "That's a much better idea. I'm hungry right now. Oh, hey, Flora, can you cook? Get me something to eat, and if it tastes good, I'll reward you with a thoroughbred!"

Seeing that Flora seemed about to agree, Abyss quickly rushed forward and stood in front of her, saying, "I'll do it. I'm a great cook."

Abyss knew perfectly well that Flora couldn't possibly cook. The Holy Maidens of the Church received only theological and artistic education, with absolutely no training in practical life skills. She couldn't even sweep the floor (without using Holy Light). To maintain her complexion and figure, the Church provided her with strictly supervised, low-calorie meals daily, including various harmless alchemical drugs. While this diet was beneficial, the taste was absolutely appetizing, ensuring the Holy Maiden never experienced the pleasures of food. Making the Holy Maiden cook was akin to making a dwarf write poetry, a halfling guard a treasury, or a dark elf abstain from sex—ultimately, nothing would end well.

"If we're going to do it, let's hurry up and get started!" Leona cheered. "Where's the exit? Take me out, I want to have a picnic outside!"

……

While the ancient creed of necromancers holds great respect for both the living and the dead, it does not require those who follow it to completely abstain from human food. The indiscriminate slaughter of animals is forbidden, but it is permissible if it is for sustenance: the food chain is also part of the natural cycle of life and death, and the Abyss is grateful that its ancestors considered everyone's appetite when establishing the creed—even though many necromancers have almost lost their sense of taste because they are constantly surrounded by corpses.

Abyss avoided the villagers, hunted a half-grown wild boar in the nearby woods, and used magic to start a smokeless fire.

Leona, who had been starving for forty-two years, couldn't resist the sight of a fresh wild boar being dragged back by the Abyss's undead warhorses. She searched the surroundings, found a tree of suitable size, and with a single chop, sliced ​​it in half. Aura of the fourth rank or higher not only provides powerful momentum but also exhibits various characteristics depending on the martial arts style learned. Leona's aura clearly possessed the sharpness characteristic; noble children like her were trained from a young age to fight on horseback with swords and while mounted on walls.

Leona is a ninth-tier Qi Master, but that doesn't mean her strength is the same as other ninth-tier Qi Masters. She's ninth-tier simply because the highest evaluation standard on the continent goes as far as that. Those who set the standards in the past probably never imagined that mortals could actually reach a higher level. With a single chop from Leona, the cut on the tree was as smooth as if it had been polished.

This finally made the surrounding environment somewhat befitting of her princess status. She sat down contentedly and, seeing that there was still an empty seat next to her that could accommodate another person, patted the tree stump and beckoned Flora over.

"Flora, you are a former saint of the Holy See, so you are qualified to sit in the same chair as me. Come here!"

“I can cook for Abyss,” Flora said, glancing at Abyss.

As Abyss sent the boar's soul to its resting place, he considered the potential consequences of Flora helping in the kitchen and decisively refused her help: "No need, I can do it all by myself. You can sit and rest with Leona."

Having said that, he stroked the ring on his hand, and a green catfish slowly swam out of the ring, wriggling its body in mid-air. Without Abyss giving any command, the catfish opened its mouth towards him, and he simply reached out a hand and put it into the catfish's mouth.

"What are you doing!" Leona asked unhappily.

"What else could I do? Of course, I'll show you what I've got," Abyss said with a mysterious smile.

Chapter Twenty-Two: The Necromancer's Knowledge of Spices

Leona didn't recognize the catfish with its mouth wide open next to the Abyss, but Flora was very familiar with it.

This is one of the few companions of the Abyss that wasn't created from a corpse—a magical catfish. This fish was created by the Abyss using magic, combining the spatial spells of a typical mage with his practical experience of discovering the Underdark, resulting in a magical pet.

Most mages have magical pets created using magic, but the pets of the vast majority of mediocre mages are at best just pets that don't need to eat, drink, defecate, or sleep. Only a small number of mages with a unique understanding of magic can create magical pets with special abilities.

Some magical pets can participate in battles, some can assist in spellcasting, some can give their masters a full-body massage, and some mages with special hobbies even have magical pets that can provide special services.

Abyss, of course, wouldn't have any bold ideas about a catfish; his magical catfish has far more amazing functions.

Where did Flora's suffocating and flamboyant dress go? Where did all the money she earned go? The answer is simple: it's all inside this fish's belly.

The magic catfish has an infinitely large stomach, which can preserve anything placed inside indefinitely. Out of curiosity, he even put a ghost inside, and the ghost stayed for a full hour before coming out, saying that it had just gone in and was pulled out without even seeing what was inside—meaning that time does not flow inside.

Abyss only needs to remember the approximate shape of the object placed inside to avoid the hassle of rummaging through drawers and cabinets, and can accurately and elegantly retrieve the desired item from within.

Flora watched with amusement as Leona stared in disbelief as the Abyss pulled various bottles and jars out of the catfish's mouth.

"What's the purpose of this fish? What kind of treasure is it?"

“This is my magical pet. If you have anything you don’t need, you can put it in its mouth and keep it forever.” Abyss said to Leona leisurely as he arranged the bottles and jars in a row. “By the way, you really need to change your clothes. I’m going to buy you a new one. The Imperial Royal Family will never like someone running around with their dead princess.”

"Whatever, I don't like this outfit anyway. I hate formal dresses." Leona said nonchalantly, her eyes fixed on the row of small jars next to Abyss. "What did you take out?"

“These are all top-quality spices and wines,” Abyss said, rattling off the list with ease. “Palm wine from the Eastern Empire, frankincense from the Kingdom of Ossi, fennel from the elves, basil from the Western Empire, and cinnamon from the Kingdom of Tammy…”

"Why would a necromancer like you carry so many spices?"

“These are spices I learned from local customs, used to treat corpses,” Abis laughed. “Smell yourself; you definitely have a hint of cinnamon on your skin.”

Leona was struck dumb. She quickly rolled up her sleeves, smelled her arm, and her expression rapidly changed from surprise to despair.

"I won't eat it! I don't want to eat spices used to preserve corpses!"

"They weren't scraped off corpses; I bought them directly from farmers in the production area, and they're of very good quality."

"I don't care! I'd rather starve to death than eat a single piece of your flesh!"

……

"It's so fragrant!"

Leona smelled the aroma of the Abyss roast meat and exclaimed in genuine admiration.

The wild boar that had just been captured had now been perfectly butchered by the Abyss, and a skinned pig leg was being spun around on branches over the fire under the Abyss's control. The fresh meat, marinated in various spices and honey, had a beautiful rose color and sizzled on the flames, releasing its oils and enticing aroma.

"Do you want to eat now?" Abis sprinkled another handful of sea salt on the pork leg.

“I’ve changed my mind. I refused to eat these spices because they’re used to treat corpses, which clearly violates ‘heroism,’ one of the eight virtues of a knight!” Leona solemnly raised her index finger to the sky. “As a glorious female knight, I’ve decided to accept this challenge. There’s nothing wrong with tasting your food!”

Flora, standing to the side, timidly raised a hand: "Abyss... I want to eat too..."

The poor saint was controlled by the papacy's daily diet and never enjoyed freedom. She had never smelled such delicious roasted meat in her entire life.

"No rush, everyone gets a share." Abis slowly turned the pig's leg.

High-ranking undead don't need food to survive. They absorb some of the energy they need from external magic and aura, and some from the Abyss's necromancy. If it were an ordinary necromancer, after resurrecting a warrior of Leona's caliber, they wouldn't need to do anything else; maintaining her activities would already be exhausting, and they'd eventually be drained dry by her. However, the Abyss doesn't care about this; with his magical power, this expenditure is negligible.

The fact that they don't need food to survive doesn't mean that high-ranking undead can't eat. What they eat is digested just like normal living things, and it won't harm their bodies in any way. In fact, because their five senses are enhanced, high-ranking undead are even more sensitive to delicious food.

The pork leg was finally cooked. Abyss fanned it, and after confirming that the smell was fine, he held the still-hot pork leg in both hands and walked up to Leona: "Your Highness, please see, your pork leg."

Leona glanced at her legs subconsciously. Although they were short, they weren't thick. Only after confirming that the Abyss wasn't trying to insult her in some other way did she accept the pig's leg: "Very well, I accept your offering."

Leona took the pig's leg and casually cut off a piece for Flora with her hand, then grabbed the exposed bone from the pig's leg and started gnawing on it.

Compared to Flora, who was praying before cooking, Abyss thought to himself, "This eating style is comparable to that of a two-headed ogre."

"You've definitely been thinking something very rude, I can tell!" Leona mumbled, her mouth stuffed full of crispy, tender meat, but she quickly abandoned her questioning of Abyss and continued to devour the pork leg. "Mmm! Delicious! Delicious! I never knew roast meat could be this good! Compared to this, the royal roast pig in the palace is utter garbage!"

Abis calmly explained, "Each country on the continent has its own unique methods for preserving corpses. I've combined the best of each method to create a perfect blend of spices. The corpses I preserve not only..."

"Shut up!" Leona kicked Abyss. "Don't talk about pickled corpses while I'm eating!"

Abyss obediently shut his mouth, watching Flora eat the meat in small, ladylike bites, while Leona devoured the roasted meat like a demon from hell, until the two of them finished their food, which was in completely different portions.

“Excellent, absolutely delicious! I’ve decided, I’m hiring you as my personal chef, to cook for me for the rest of my life!” Leona said, licking her fingers. “I’m finished, about half full, but a lady should eat less. Now what do we do?”

"Finished eating?" Abyss warmly handed over a handkerchief. "Now throw it up."