Chapter 460: The Golden Shaman (1)
“Keek! Kehk!”
As Duncan released his grip on his throat, Claude fell to one knee, coughing violently.
Watching this, the corpse puppet Duncan chattered his teeth together sharply, making a noise as he spoke to Oliver.
“…What is he saying?”
“He’s asking if he can hit him just once. It seems he didn’t like being restrained by the magical thread.”
Oliver translated for Fourth. Like First and Third, Fourth had also been trained by the House of Angels staff and could speak reasonably well, but when his emotions ran high, he would let out a characteristic cry.
“Ah, I’d prefer if he didn’t. It could be fatal if it goes wrong.”
“That’s why I told him not to hit him. Fourth, could you bring that spider-corpse puppet over here?”
Oliver asked to divert Fourth’s attention by giving him a task.
Although Fourth seemed unwilling, he complied with Oliver’s request regardless.
“Ha… Impressive.”
“They’re all impressive. The corpse puppet is remarkable, and so is the creature controlling it from within. What’s its name? How did you create it?”
“It’s called Child. I—”
Oliver stopped mid-sentence. He had noticed an interesting coincidence. Child was created thanks to Puppet.
Truly, during the cleanup in Zone F’s contaminated area, Oliver had stumbled upon Puppet's research on artificial souls and used it as inspiration to create Child.
He had added vitality to the existing minion made purely from emotions and refined it a little further.
“The name ‘Child’ was something I came up with in just two seconds, simply to differentiate it from the minion.”
A memory resurfaced suddenly. Realizing that Child had turned out exceptionally well for the effort he put in, Oliver acknowledged his own good fortune.
“Here.”
Just then, Child-Fourth dragged the spider-corpse puppet over and placed it in front of Oliver.
Fourth looked disappointed at being unable to hit Claude, and Second, who was inside the corpse puppet Durans, quietly sided with Fourth.
The two still seemed resentful over not being rescued from the House of Angels staff.
“Second, Fourth.”
The slight change in Oliver’s tone made Second and Fourth flinch. He continued.
“Thank you.”
Oliver belatedly expressed his gratitude to Child for turning out so well despite the time, effort, and resources invested.
Second and Fourth seemed slightly surprised, exchanging glances before their feelings of resentment dissolved, and they waved dismissively as if it was no big deal.
“Ah, touching.”
Claude remarked, only to be met with a kick to the mouth from Fourth.
“Oh, I’m sorry. Are you alright?”
A flustered Oliver apologized, and Claude reassured him.
“It’s fine. I’m alive, after all. Though it does hurt a bit.”
“I’m really sorry.”
Oliver apologized again and then cautioned Fourth before sending both Fourth and Second back into their original flasks.
The corpse puppet, now deprived of its operator, collapsed like an unconscious person. Oliver then used shrink magic to reduce its size and tucked it away while bestowing a special enchantment on it.
He made it so it could emerge immediately upon command.
“So that’s how it operates. Not bad. Although the mana consumption for maintaining the shrink magic and enchantment would be quite high, the sudden appearance of the corpse puppet could catch opponents off guard regardless of its power. Of course, it would be even better if it were strong... Could I use this method too?”
Claude asked, and Oliver tilted his head in response.
“…? Of course. But is it necessary to ask for my permission? If something is useful, shouldn’t it be used?”
Oliver spoke sincerely. After all, that’s how he had lived his life.
The minion was an imitation of Joseph’s creature, the Eater, while both the artificial soul and the corpse puppet were also based on Puppet's creations.
There were countless other examples, so seeking permission didn’t make sense to him.
“Is it customary to ask for permission?”
“No, not really. It’s just that asking is better when dealing with someone stronger than me. Also, I wanted to change the mood a bit.”
“Ah... Is that supposed to be a joke?”
Oliver asked. Thanks to his habit of reading humor books for an hour daily, he could now discern jokes more confidently.
“Hm... You’re quite an unusual person.”
Claude commented sincerely. Possessing such skills yet having this kind of personality—he had heard rumors, but seeing it firsthand felt different.
“If it’s about skills, I’ve heard you’re quite accomplished too, Claude.”
Oliver responded genuinely.
Since a corpse puppet required utilizing the inherent abilities of the materials, it wasn’t just a matter of casting a few black magic spells and being done. It demanded the necromancer to directly control the puppet’s every movement, including limbs, enchantments, and combat techniques.
It was almost like manipulating a marionette.
Thus, for an ordinary necromancer, handling two or three puppets simultaneously was usually the limit. Even those with talent struggled to exceed double that amount. Yet, Claude controlled at least six confirmed puppets.
Regardless of whether it was talent or effort, his skill was remarkable.
“Dave is even more amazing than me.”
“Is that so? I think you have more expertise in corpse puppetry than someone like me who resorts to tricks with Child.”
“It’s because I can’t use such tricks that I do things this way.”
“Well, then why not try this method too?”
“Oh, I’m afraid I don’t have much talent for creation, even if I am skilled with manipulation.”
Oliver had no words. The idea of different talents and difficulties by category was an unfamiliar concept to him.
Seeing his reaction, Claude asked half-jokingly.
“Would you teach me how you enhanced the corpse puppet? It’s not the usual output from an ordinary one.”
An astute observation. Oliver replied.
“It requires knowing magic.”
“Oh, that’s intriguing. I have some experience with magic myself, though it’s a bit unconventional.”
Surprised by the unexpected response, Oliver took out Big Mouth from the leather case on his back without hesitation.
He then asked Big Mouth to retrieve a few books and notes related to life magic.
Big Mouth, observing the situation with its multiple eyes, promptly complied and retrieved the requested items.
“Squeeek-!”
The books and notes fell to the ground. Oliver picked them up himself and handed them to Claude.
“The books cover essential basic knowledge, and the notes describe methods for enhancing corpse puppets using that knowledge. I believe you’ll be able to master it on your own, given your skill.”
For the first time, Claude, who had been smiling even while Duncan held him by the throat, looked serious.
He appeared unable to accept the situation, his expression filled with intense suspicion.
Curious about his reaction, Oliver asked.
“Is there a problem?”
“No… It’s nothing, really. It’s just that it feels like a trap. Are you really just giving me the knowledge and techniques you’ve built up?”
It was a natural response. Both mages and necromancers regarded knowledge as their greatest asset and power. Even formal mages with systematic educational systems were reluctant to share their knowledge, let alone necromancers.
It was common for them to be stingy with their teachings, even to formally accepted disciples.
Yet, Oliver was now offering such valuable information to someone who had just recently been his adversary, or perhaps not even that.
In such an irrational situation, Oliver asked with genuine curiosity.
“Is it strange?”
“Usually, yes. Though I asked, why are you teaching me? It’s unsettling.”
“Hmm…”
Oliver hummed, lost in thought. He had been asked this question before and inevitably gave the same answer.
“You want to learn, and I can teach. Is there any other reason needed?”
For the first time, Claude’s expression lost its composure. The answer was far outside the bounds of common sense.
His expression only returned to normal when he spoke again.
“Ah, and it’s not completely for free.”
“Well, that’s a relief… Sorry, but I don’t have the authority to vote.”
“No, I meant I’d like to keep the zombies and corpse puppets we defeated.”
Oliver pointed at the spider-corpse puppet.
The puppet, which was constructed by combining the bodies of four mages, had an upper human torso and a lower body resembling a spider, with three torsos fused together, eight legs attached, and an additional four arms on the upper half.
“It’s fascinating. I’ve never seen a form that blends a corpse puppet with a golem. I’d like to study it.”
“It’s an inferior version compared to your techniques.”
Claude answered while swiftly skimming through the notes Oliver handed over. His understanding of life magic, which involved cell fusion and using it to enhance corpse puppets, was apparent.
Indeed, it wasn't entirely incorrect...
The spider-corpse puppet involved a physical amalgamation of bodies, whereas Oliver's enhancement method utilized a chemical fusion through cell manipulation. The superiority of one over the other was clear.
“Nevertheless, I find it intriguing. I’m also interested in that corpse golem over there.”
Oliver pointed to the corpse golem that had been struck down by Durans’ bullets.
It was the most complete corpse golem he had ever encountered.
“Hmm… I have no reason to refuse. It’s a favorable deal for me. But may I impose one condition?”
“Please, go ahead.”
“Would you leave those ladies over there behind?”
Claude gestured towards the five corpse puppets: a black magician, a mage, a druid, a mana user, and a magically-equipped corpse puppet.
“They’re my most cherished companions.”
“Understood.”
Oliver agreed without the slightest hesitation. His real interest lay in the spider-corpse puppet and the corpse golem, so it wasn’t much of a concession.
“Thank you.”
“No, I should be the one thanking you.”
As soon as the deal was sealed, Oliver asked Big Mouth to collect the spider-corpse puppet and the other zombies.
Big Mouth opened its mouth wide like a snake, swallowing the spider-corpse puppet, which appeared to be six times larger than a normal corpse puppet. It then gulped down several wolf and hound corpse puppets in one go.
The real issue was the colossal size of the corpse golem.
Just when Oliver thought he might have to cut it into pieces to make it fit, Big Mouth began to stretch its mouth even wider, slowly engulfing the massive corpse golem like a snake swallowing prey.
It was a sight Oliver had never seen before, and he tilted his head in curiosity.
“Big Mouth wasn’t supposed to be able to swallow objects larger than its own mouth… Could it be because it absorbed three other devouring pouches?”
Oliver speculated to himself. It seemed plausible; in fact, it was the only reasonable explanation.
The only difference between the current Big Mouth and the previous one was precisely that. If true, it was regrettable that he hadn’t tested its capabilities sooner.
As Oliver pondered this with a hint of regret, Big Mouth trembled slightly and shot him a reproachful glance.
Just as Oliver was about to voice his thoughts, Claude interrupted with a question.
“Are you really sure about this?”
“Pardon? What exactly are you referring to?”
“Are you really fine with giving me this knowledge... I don’t usually ask such obvious questions, but I can’t help it this time.”
“I didn’t just give it away for nothing, did I?”
“Ah, let me rephrase. Are you really okay with sharing this kind of knowledge with me? What if I develop it further and end up with better techniques than yours?”
“That would be great. Then I can learn from you.”
Oliver answered without hesitation because he was sincere.
In fact, it was what he hoped for. Meeting someone more skilled than himself would allow him to learn even more, which was a joy for him.
This mindset, so different from the norm, wasn’t a bluff but genuine. Realizing this, Claude let out a bitter laugh. To encounter another person with such an outlook...
“No, even my master is different in his own way, I suppose.”
Claude compared his master, Puppet, to Oliver. At that moment, Oliver spoke up.
“But Claude, could you now share that interesting information you mentioned earlier?”
“Ah, right. I almost forgot. You have a good memory.”
“It’s part of the job.”
Oliver responded, and Claude began to speak.
“The interesting information I was referring to is none other than—”
...
“—Are you saying they’re trying to summon a demon here in the New World? The red-skinned black magicians?”
At the mansion, Edith repeated in disbelief. Oliver nodded.
“Yes, that’s what I’ve heard. And there’s a bonus piece of information too. Apparently, the whole incident was triggered by a shaman who can turn people into gold. It’s the same rumor you mentioned last time, Edith, but I’m not sure what it means.”