Chapter 344
Chapter 344: Transform! Transform Right Now!
Night was crushed apart by a red sun, and dawn breathed out the light of morning.
The buildings within the territory, bathed in the soft radiance of the early light, looked as weightless and crystalline as gossamer.
Auréliane was up early, and boarded a Carriage together with Grand Duke Balo.
This morning, she was to tour the territory alongside her grandfather.
Auréliane sat inside the Carriage, the muffled rumble of the wheels rolling over stone roads filling her ears.
And when her gaze happened to drift across the empty seat beside her, she couldn't help pressing her lips together—a small note of disappointment settling in her chest.
Every morning, Teacher Viktor practiced swordsmanship with Master Gwen.
They had kept this habit for a long time—day after day, rain or shine, almost without exception.
At least there were still the Knights of the company guarding Auréliane's side, ensuring the Princess's safety.
So she turned to look through the Carriage window, her dark eyes drifting out toward the distant reaches of the territory.
She had returned far too hurriedly last night, and so Auréliane had not yet had a chance to properly look at her grandfather's territory.
Everything before her now—the buildings, the scenery along the roads—was completely different from the night before.
The city at dawn was nothing like the stillness of the night. It was as though several heavy layers of veil had been stripped away, and the city's true face had been revealed.
The streets were busy and alive with people, the calls of shopkeepers and the chatter of passersby rising and fading in waves.
The clatter of hooves echoed down the roads. Sunlight pierced through thin morning mist and fell across the stone pavement, spreading a warm golden light.
The human breath of daily life—as though it had slept through the brief night and awakened again—brought warmth to this otherwise cool city.
As the Carriage made its way along the streets, the pedestrians spotting the Balo Family Crest hanging from it quickly stepped to one side, bowing, their eyes filled with boundless reverence.
Auréliane could find no trace of resentment in any of their expressions.
It seemed that her grandfather's governance had earned him a considerable measure of the people's approval and affection.
Looking at this lively city under the sunlight, the dead-silent territory of the night before felt like it had no right to exist here.
Of course, Auréliane understood why.
Last night, their procession of Carriages and horses had traveled entirely within the Dead Zone.
Everything around them had been swallowed by that green-tinged smoke, and so naturally all they could see was dead silence.
When they finally returned to the real world, they were already inside Grand Duke Balo's Manor.
Which meant the enormous undead city they had passed through—at its core—was actually the reverse side of this living city. A reflection of it, existing within the Dead Zone.
And when that Dead Zone was flipped back over, it became this city, so full of life and noise.
And yet the procession—the Carriages and the horses, so many of them, so many people crossing through the Dead Zone—had not managed to affect the real world at all.
Which in turn confirmed the words Grand Duke Balo had spoken.
The dead should not trespass into the domain of the living.
Given that—would her grandfather agree to what Count Laurien had asked?
Turning this over in her mind, Auréliane thought she might try testing the waters a little.
She hesitated for a while, and in the end gathered her courage and said carefully:
"Grandfather, can a Necromancer truly resurrect the dead?"
But Grand Duke Balo did not answer her right away. His hands rested quietly on his walking staff, his eyes closed, still as a statue, unmoving.
After a long pause, he finally spoke:
"Yes."
Auréliane was a little surprised. She hadn't expected her grandfather to answer so readily.
So she pressed on, tentatively:
"Do you know Count Laurien?"
When Grand Duke Balo heard that name, his eyes slowly opened, and his gaze fell sharp and weighty on Auréliane's face.
His eyes were deep and carried a murky authority, and the cold aura that emanated from them naturally made Auréliane pause.
But she continued regardless:
"The evening we arrived in the kingdom, Count Laurien hosted us."
"He……"
"Don't say any more."
Grand Duke Balo stopped her with unhurried calm. The atmosphere inside the Carriage turned cold in an instant.
She was perceptive. She immediately recognized the shift in Grand Duke Balo's mood.
And besides—if resurrection were truly so simple, how could there be so much separation between the living and the dead?
And there was also her mother……
"……I understand."
Auréliane's brows lowered. She gave a quiet, slightly helpless nod.
Grand Duke Balo drew a slow breath and closed his eyes again, as though unwilling to say anything further.
The atmosphere inside the Carriage warmed slightly. The goosebumps that had risen across Auréliane's skin from the cold dispersed a little, and slowly faded.
Then, a low voice sounded quietly:
"Laurien has asked me more than once. But my answer has never changed."
"I will not resurrect his daughter."
He opened his eyes again, his gaze turning to look out through the Carriage window. A faint shadow of melancholy and regret passed through his eyes.
"It would be a desecration of the dead—and a disrespect to the living."
By now the Carriage had driven out into the open fields of the territory.
A number of farmers were pressing their feet into the earth, swinging hoes, sweat catching the bright morning light and glinting.
With each swing of their tools, perspiration would follow the motion of their muscles and fall into the soil.
One farmer straightened up, caught his breath, and called out to a friend in the distance, waving his arm.
The wrinkles on their faces came together, and they smiled broadly in the sunlight.
Looking at these farmers, the Grand Duke slowly spoke:
"These farmers all know one another, all recognize each other. They live the same life, day after day."
Their daylight hours were spent almost entirely on the land. Only the scant time in the evenings could be kept for family and friends.
They were almost like mechanical gears—turning without stopping, day after day after day.
There was rarely anything new in their lives. Only the occasional trivial trifle might become the small talk over a meal.
"If one of these people were to suddenly die—what do you think would happen?"
Auréliane listened to her grandfather's words and fell into thought, a scene gradually taking shape in her mind.
Perhaps one night, a family member would lie down in bed and never open their eyes again—their body losing all warmth.
The family would gather around the dead, deep in grief.
Friends would come together to mourn them.
And yet life would not stop for a single person's passing. They would still have to tend to the day's farmwork.
When an elder died, the next generation would step up to replace them—and take that same repeating road all the way to their own deaths.
"But what if they came back to life—and returned among these people?"
That would be something out of a horror story.
Perhaps their family would feel great joy—even overwhelming excitement.
But within society, that person had effectively already been erased.
Everyone had accepted their death. But this dead person had then lifted the lid off their coffin and crawled out of their grave.
No one would accept a resurrected undead.
"The dead should stay properly silent."
The Grand Duke spoke slowly.
Auréliane listened and gave a nod—but then turned her head, a slight puzzlement rising in her.
"But…… if you say the dead should not trespass into the domain of the living, then why did you help Count Laurien—keeping his daughter's soul in the Manor?"
Auréliane had entirely given up hope.
She was simply curious. If things were as Grand Duke Balo described, then didn't the soul of Count Laurien's daughter directly contradict what her grandfather had just explained?
"The Retainers within Count Laurien's Manor all know of Priscilla's existence. Allowing her soul to remain within the castle does not disturb the outside world."
"But resurrection is different."
Grand Duke Balo's tone was detached. He spoke unhurriedly:
"Auréliane, you must remember this."
"Once you open that door, what follows will be nothing but more trouble."
And furthermore……
He continued:
"If what Laurien wants is his daughter—and not an obedient skeleton—"
"Then he should never have come to ask me."
Auréliane blinked, as though she hadn't quite processed that yet.
At that moment, Grand Duke Balo looked out through the window.
The Carriage was drawing near the Manor. Seen through the window, the tall castle-like structure had already risen above the perimeter wall.
"We're almost there."
"What would you like for breakfast?"
***
After eating, Auréliane settled into a wooden chair in the Courtyard.
Looking at the vivid clusters of flowers, she thought over how she might go about learning Necromancer magic.
Xiangyilan stood respectfully at her side, wearing a faint smile.
Auréliane extended one hand toward Xiangyilan.
Her eyes were fixed on Xiangyilan, but her gaze was not truly focused on her.
Inside her mind, she was working hard to recall the Necromancer magic Grand Duke Balo had used.
She remembered—Necromancer magic required connecting to the Dead Zone.
But she had no idea at all how to enter the Dead Zone.
And moreover, the Necromancer magic her grandfather had used required no Formation construction whatsoever. Her ability to learn things at a glance couldn't pierce through its mysteries.
Still, if she could learn Necromancer magic, it would mean becoming even stronger—and earning even more praise from her teacher and her father.
She might not even need her grandfather. She could resurrect Count Laurien's daughter herself, and repay the favor Teacher Viktor had promised on her behalf.
That was right—the reason Auréliane cared so much about this matter was precisely because it was something Teacher Viktor had agreed to.
If she could help Teacher Viktor, she absolutely had to try.
Auréliane was only 15. Even if she displayed a maturity beyond her years on the outside, there would always be a certain naivety to her thinking.
And the most naive of all her thoughts was this—finding a way to help Teacher Viktor.
But Auréliane herself didn't realize that.
She was thinking through the Necromancer magic her grandfather had used yesterday, her palm open, as though feeling for the sensation of it.
Staring at Xiangyilan, the Magic Power within Auréliane surged.
Then, Auréliane aimed at Xiangyilan—and suddenly shouted:
"Transform!"
"Mrrp?"
The onrushing Magic Power and Auréliane's shout gave Xiangyilan a fright.
But nothing happened.
Seeing this, Auréliane lowered her hand and let out a somewhat deflated sigh.
Sure enough, mastering Necromancer magic was still a long way off.
Well, of course. She had only just reached the stage of 'seeing how it's done'—she hadn't gotten anywhere near actually eating the pork yet.
Perhaps some day when her grandfather could teach her again, she might be able to pick it up.
She reached out and rubbed Xiangyilan's head, soothing the fragile heart that had just been startled.
At that moment, a foreign affairs minister came trotting over in a hurry, as though looking for someone.
He glanced around—and the moment he spotted Auréliane, immediately rushed over.
"Your Highness the Princess, thank goodness I found you!"
"Hm?"
Auréliane was a little confused.
Why the urgency? Had something happened?
Seeing the Princess's puzzlement, the minister quickly explained:
"Your Highness, have you forgotten?"
"King Auguste specially invited you to attend today's auction in the Royal City. You already agreed yesterday!"
"I've already informed Count Viktor—he should be ready by now……"
Before he could finish, Auréliane stood up and said directly:
"I know. Let me go get ready."