Chapter 184: Our Neighborhood Archlich (4)
Undead had undeniable advantages in battle. But in everyday life? Most of those benefits diminished.
—And then there's the matter of supplies.
On the battlefield, reducing a massive supply corps to a handful of necromancers was incredibly beneficial. But in civilian life? Granaries existed in every village, but powerful necromancers capable of maintaining an undead workforce were rare. It made absolutely no sense to summon a rare necromancer just to kill off a bunch of workers and replace them with undead.
—That’s like calling a mage to cast Fireball when you could just use flint to start a fire.
It was simply far more practical to feed and work the living than to rely on undead labor.
—Even the fact that undead follow orders perfectly isn't a real advantage outside of war.
On the battlefield, no matter how strict military discipline was, there would always be deserters. After all, fear of death was one of the greatest fears a person could have. But in everyday life? If someone disobeyed, you just beat them until they complied.
—And even the undead's endurance isn't really an advantage.
Undead didn't tire, but the necromancer controlling them did. Unless they were in life-threatening situations, the living were just more efficient than the dead.
—If you keep them alive, you only need to feed them to put them to work. Why waste necromantic energy killing them first?
Listening to the conversation, Leven pointed out something odd.
—That’s not entirely true, is it? They could handle dangerous tasks that humans find difficult, right?