This is a short story by the same author as Home of the Zerg that I decided to do for my birthday. So I hope you enjoy this birthday release from me.
-Addis
Chapter 10: Necromancer’s Side Job
Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations
Editor: KarateChopMonkey
Although selling special potions made from incubus blood was a quick way to make money, the growing food consumption at the Mage Tower was staggering. After losing blood, Brand either got hungry very quickly or his ass got hungry very quickly, sometimes both at the same time. As the provider of semen, Alphard’s frequency of eating also increased significantly; otherwise, fainting accidents would occur several times a month.
As a result, the bi-monthly bread delivery service couldn’t keep up with their consumption rate. Brand eagerly volunteered to take on the procurement task, going to nearby villages and towns every fortnight to purchase food and household items, even helping Alphard pick up some small deals along the way.
Alphard scoffed at this. Who in those small places would want to trade with a necromancer? They probably wouldn’t even need those strange magical potions. Brand didn’t have much knowledge of magic.
“You can go. I’ll give you a one percent cut if you can sell things.”
“Really? Yay… wait, one percent?” Brand’s excitedly waving incubus tail drooped to the ground after calculating this ratio.
“You haven’t even finished the last step of fixing the window, and you’re thinking of going out? And you expect me to give you money?” Alphard sneered.
“Uh…” Brand scratched his head. He could have finished the last piece of the wall long ago, but to avoid being kicked out of this warm place, he insisted that a few pieces of the last adjoining bricks needed polishing because their shapes didn’t match, delaying completion.
Wonder how long he could drag it out… Brand glanced at Alphard, who was reading a book with his head down and thought to himself, if he delayed a bit more, he’d be hibernating soon. During hibernation, he couldn’t work. Alphard wouldn’t throw his sleeping self into the forest, would he?
He couldn’t drag himself. Brand proudly thought to himself as he descended the mountain, pulling the wooden cart he had bought recently and loaded with a large sack, wrapping his horns and tail like a true carter, humming a countryside tune.
Alphard’s crow circled high in the sky, watching the fool happily humming away into the distance, and it wasn’t until half a day later that he returned to the Mage Tower.
Closing the book, barely flipped through, Alphard walked to the wall with two gaps still leaking drafts and cursed under his breath. If you want to stay, just say it. It’s so obvious. Does he think I haven’t noticed it?
Brand could hibernate in the attic in winter, but Alphard had to endure the cold wind on the second floor. What a brilliant idea. He opened the window, and outside, the hanging flower beds were arranged with a row of animal skulls of various sizes. Their tops were hollowed out, filled with mud except for small holes, packed with thick soil, becoming eerie and alternative flower pots.
Alphard didn’t know what seeds Brand had planted from the back mountain, but this guy was enthusiastic, remembering to water them daily without doing any other work. If everything went smoothly, the answer would be revealed next spring. Alphard wasn’t very interested in the answer but was still prepared to wait and see. There might be some surprises.
A week later, Brand returned with surprise and shock. In addition to food and daily necessities, two people were on the cart. The skeleton dog moved around the cart, observing. Alphard looked at the young man and woman trembling before him, pointing at them with a dark face, then turned to Brand.
“…What did you pick up?”
Brand opened his mouth to explain, “It’s not ‘picking up’! I happened to stumble upon them having a secret meeting outside the town. They’re a couple with a huge class difference in their families, wanting to elope— isn’t it romantic?”
“So?” Alphard’s face grew darker. Brand living here was already annoying enough; did he think anyone could live in the Mage Tower? Alphard felt a growing sense of unease.
Before Brand could explain further, the young girl nervously said, “I heard that the magician could make potions that induce a false death state. I’m willing to offer all these; I no longer need them! I just hope to elope with my lover…”
She trembled as she held out her hand, presenting various expensive jewelry. The girl was obviously from a wealthy family, probably hopelessly in love with the poor boy beside her.
Blind love… Alphard glanced over the valuable gemstones and gold, realizing that their worth far exceeded the market price of the potion, inducing a false death. Unfortunately, the young couple seemed oblivious to where to find a magician’s circle or market.
Indeed, it could be a profitable opportunity. Alphard cast a skeptical glance at Brand. This guy wasn’t very intelligent but had a knack for making money. Even going down the mountain to buy food could lead to such opportunities.
“Wait here,” Alphard left coldly, leaving behind those two words, and went inside.
The couple looked at Brand, puzzled. Was that it? Wasn’t the mage concerned they might use the potion for nefarious purposes?
Brand didn’t think much of it and cheerfully said, “That means he agrees.”
After a tense wait, Alphard emerged with the potion.
“We…” the young couple’s faces lit up with joy, wanting to further explain or express gratitude, but were interrupted.
“I don’t care about your story. Give me the money and never come back here again.” Alphard coldly took all the jewelry from the woman. What happened to the couple after they eloped was not his concern. He was utterly indifferent to their touching love story.
Brand probably already knew everything about the couple from head to toe. He could listen to Brand recounting the story during meal times if he wanted to know. …Of course, even if he didn’t want to listen, Brand’s chatter would reach his ears.
Not long after the couple left, Brand started organizing the goods and couldn’t stop talking to Alphard about how he “accidentally” encountered the couple’s story. Rather than coincidence, it seemed that when the two were in a small grove outside, embracing and shedding tears, Brand happened to pass by and, instead of avoiding trouble, rushed over to inquire loudly about their difficulties.
Alphard forcefully closed his eyes. He knew it. Brand would enthusiastically greet every creature he met on the road. He had already experienced the terrifying power of this enthusiasm when he used the crow’s vision to monitor Brand’s descent from the mountain.
“They’re also a pair of fools. If I were an evil villain and you were my accomplice, they would have died in the wilderness by now, leaving behind neither money nor life,” Alphard said coldly.
“But they’re lucky they encountered us,” Brand’s eyes sparkled as he chuckled.
Alphard glanced at him. “Who said ‘us’?”
“Okay, fine, it’s you and me… By the way, Alphard, don’t you need to study necromancy today? Why have you been sitting on the ground floor all day? Do you want me to pour you some fresh red tea?”
“…No need. I’m about to go to the basement.” Alphard slammed his hand on the table and stood up, leaving the table with an irritated tone.
“Uh, oh…” Brand, carrying things in both hands, watched Alphard disappear into the entrance of the basement stairs. Was Alphard sitting on the path he often traveled back and forth just now because he wanted to chat with him?
Brand shook his head in confusion, flicking his tail freely again after seeing off the guests. If Alphard wanted to chat, he could have just said so. Brand had plenty of things he wanted to talk to Alphard about.
Alphard initially thought this deal was a small accident, an unexpected extra income. However, he quickly realized that he found new business opportunities every time Brand went down the mountain to restock.
Like the lovesick villager who couldn’t bear to let his wife “eternally preserve her beauty,” like the old woman who wanted to turn her deceased cat into a bone specimen to display at home, like the petty man who wanted to efficiently kill off the crops in his neighbor’s private garden…- Alphard had earned quite a bit of money recently. Although Brand wasn’t given the promised one percent of the profits, he was still happy to help him run errands and introduce these trivial businesses.
As he watched everyone’s problems being smoothly solved, Alphard also moved closer to the ritual of that resurrection magic, and Brand couldn’t be happier.
“Hey, Brand. Where are you pulling all these strange commissions from? You didn’t post any announcements in my name on the bulletin board, did you?” After the odd commissions kept coming up, Alphard had to ask Brand, who was wary.
He didn’t want to become famous as a renowned mountain general store, disrupting the peaceful life in Mage Tower with ignorant people…
“I haven’t specifically looked for business, nor have I mentioned you intentionally, have I?” Brand showed a look of innocence. “I’m just chatting with everyone I meet… I didn’t realize everyone had so many difficulties until now. And many are things only your magic and skills can do.”
Chatting with everyone he met… Alphard felt a slight dizziness wash over him. Alphard raised his hand to stop Brand’s incessant murmurs – his head was starting to ache.
“Can I continue to do this in the future? I just want to help… If you don’t want me to waste your time, please tell me…” Brand didn’t know if he was causing trouble for Alphard. These small businesses in the villages and towns didn’t earn as much as providing mass-produced potions to big merchants.
Seeing him hunched over, his massive frame curled up, looking crestfallen, Alphard sighed inwardly. “Sure. Anyway, you’ll soon be hibernating, won’t you? It won’t be long before you can’t fuss anymore.”
Brand blinked, then his eyes lit up brightly as he pounced on Alphard, causing him to stagger and sway, “Can I hibernate here? Really!?”
Alphard, looking disgusted, tried to push away his overly close face, but his strong arms held him in place, struggling to break free, and he found himself engulfed in Brand’s soft muscles.
“That was your idea all along, wasn’t it? Don’t think I’m as stupid as you.” Alphard struggled in vain, raising his voice in annoyance, “Let go of me and fix the wall now! Those last two bricks should have been replaced long ago. When it’s done, you’ll sleep in the attic, and I’ll be stuck on the second floor in the cold?”
“Okay, okay, no problem! Haha, I love you so much!” Brand exclaimed excitedly, holding Alphard’s face and planting a kiss firmly on his cheek before bounding up the stairs, eager to complete the task Alphard had assigned him.
Alphard slowly raised his hand, cradling his now burning cheek that had lacked warmth for so long, and cursed Brand harshly in his mind.
He is falling in love