Suspected Necromancer - Chapter 23 - Epilogue

Chapter 23 – Epilogue

Luciana stood in front of the palace gates.
The palace guards found it strange to see an elderly court mage standing alone, but they refrained from speaking to her.
Eventually, a red-eyed female mage wearing a white hood appeared from nowhere, spoke to Luciana, and the two of them disappeared into the palace.
The palace guards quickly forgot about the female mage in the white hood.

“Is Rato’s condition really that bad?”

Luna asked Luciana.

“It was never good to begin with. He’s getting older, you know. I think he’s held up quite well.”

Both Luciana and Rato were around 70 years old. They had lived long enough by any standard.

“This way.”

Luciana led Luna to the throne room.

“I’ll clear the room. It’s His Majesty’s, Rato’s, final request…”

Luciana looked at Luna, her eyes filled with a mix of sadness, affection, and jealousy.
And then Luciana disappeared while Luna entered the room.

“You’re late.”

Rato sat on the throne.
His appearance exuded dignity and authority. His face had aged somewhat, but there was still strength in his blue eyes. He didn’t look anywhere close to death.
And he was smiling like a child boasting about his accomplishments.
However, Luna sensed that the magic power circulating through his body was considerably weak. He probably couldn’t even stand up by himself anymore.
Rato was determined to put everything into his final moments.

“Yes, I kept you waiting.”

“I forgive you, I’m a generous man.”

Rato retorted, still as irreverent as ever.

“Why didn’t you marry?”

Luna asked. Despite knowing it was for her own sake, she couldn’t help but ask.

“If I got married, I felt like I’d never see you again.”

Rato explained. He was likely right; if he had gotten married, she probably wouldn’t have appeared like this.

“I wasn’t worth that much. Tying your life to mine like that…”

Luna cast her eyes downward. She used to think she was valuable, but what Rato had offered her far exceeded that.

“What are you saying? I showed you my dreams. I changed the world. That means you were worth it. There’s no one who valued you more than I did, whether it’s Khan or anyone else.”

“Why bring up my master?”

Rato mentioned another man’s name to emphasize his own superiority, it seems he had not lost his lack of tact.

“You’re a terrible person, aren’t you? And making me promise something like that…”

Luna had made a promise with Rato not to drink the blood of other humans. She had kept that promise.

“Oh, so you actually kept your promise?”

Rato seemed surprised. Having witnessed the torment of bloodlust up close, he probably didn’t believe she could hold back. He then smiled with satisfaction.

“Yes, it was a promise with a jealous King. Of course I kept it.”

“Well done. As a reward, I’ll let you drink my blood.”

“…I have to ask, do you want eternal life?”

Luna already knew the answer. But if he had said, “yes”, it would have been both joyful and sorrowful.

“It’s an enticing offer. But I’m a King. Not just any King, but the legendary Martial Lord. If such a King were to live on as a vampire, it would be a bit unbecoming.”

It was the expected response. Luna was relieved but also profoundly lonely.

“Your response reminds me of Logan. Men are all like that, whether they’re legendary sorcerers or great kings, they act like children with their bravado.”

“What are you talking about? I’ve reached the same level as the legendary sorcerer. That’s how great I was.”

Rato was as stubborn as ever. Luna found comfort in his unchanging nature.

“In that case, I’ll just have a sip of your blood. Where would you like me to bite you from?”

Normally, vampires bite their victims’ necks. When Luna had suffered from bloodlust, she had been tempted to bite into the neck as well. However, in the end, she had only bitten Rat’s left arm.

“That sounds good. Do as you please. You’ve been patient enough.”

Rato granted Luna’s wish. At this point, it didn’t matter where she left her mark; there was no need to be concerned about it.
Luna approached the throne and gently brought her face closer to Rato’s neck.

──

The following morning, the death of the great Martial Lord, Ramunato, was confirmed. He had died of illness.
However, strangely, there were marks on his neck. It was as if someone had kissed him.

Author’s Note:

Thank you for reading until the end.

That’s really it for this time. It’s a slightly more serious story compared to my second one.

I had this story in mind before my third novel, but I couldn’t quite put it together, so I postponed it. The revision process went faster than I expected, so I wrote it during the Golden Week holiday.

Now that I’ve finished writing it, all I feel is anxiety.

I hope that even one person finds it interesting.

Thank you for your evaluations, feedback, and reviews of my previous works.

I’ve read your feedback and reviews multiple times, and they’ve been a great source of motivation.

I’m thinking of writing a longer story soon, but I might write a story of this length again before that.

Lastly, I have a request. Even if you give it a low rating, I would appreciate it.

*Planning to publish as a book.