Necromancer Survival

Chapter 412

Dawon seemed a little surprised when I stroked his head, but he soon smiled and hugged me once more. I was delighted at his childishness on one hand, but I felt guilty on the other.

‘I have to focus on the Vengeful Ghost memory, but… I want to keep seeing what he was like when he was young…'

Moreover, in the [Vengeful Ghost Memory], Dawon was so attached to his hyung–he seemed to love me dearly. Even if he spoke in a dignified manner, he always looked my way as if to seek my acknowledgement or approval. This [Vengeful Ghost Memory] was almost a little too pleasant.

‘Are they trying to make sure that I won't want to ‘escape' this time around?'

While immersed in thought, I mindlessly and gently pinched Dawon's cheek.

Then, I noticed a large round window on the right side of the room. Through it, I could see bamboo and ornamental rocks. Curious, I took Dawon’s hand and walked over to the window.

‘So pretty…'

Outside the window, there was an adorable inner-courtyard. Perhaps it was a little too big for an in-house courtyard, but when I looked past it to see more walls in the far distance, I realized that the house itself must be quite gargantuan. 1

Was this place perhaps a palace? Or something similar?

‘Is the setting this time around ‘fantasy'?'

I glanced back at the servant who still had their head bowed silently. Then, when I saw beneath their feet, chills ran down my spine.

‘The shadow…'

The shape of the servant's shadow was a little peculiar. I looked at the servant's head before staring down at the shadow again.

‘How come… I see a string above their body?'

Every joint was connected by a thin thread, but there was clearly nothing above the servant's head. Far above, though visible in the shadow, was a cross brace manipulating the threads. 2

Jingle–! Jingle–!

As I kept looking back and forth between the shadow and the servant, the servant slowly approached me, as if aware that I was staring at them. I watched the shadow's cross brace move sluggishly as the attendant came closer.

"Do you want to order it to do something? Hyung-nim?"

"Ah–no…" I shook my head. The approaching servant returned to their quiet position. Of course, the attendant's actions were separate from the shadow's movements.

‘Is that… really a person?'

I tried to search for anything odd in the bowing servant's appearance, but frankly everything seemed strange, so I found it hard to trust my own judgment.

Still, I was aware I was within a [Vengeful Ghost Memory], so I tried not to show that I was flustered. However, I needed to carefully judge whether this was a key aspect of this [Vengeful Ghost Memory] or if I should continue pretending not to notice this disparity.

‘Perhaps Dawon as well…?' I suddenly looked at Dawon's shadow. Fortunately, there was nothing out of the ordinary.

"……!" The problem, though, was my shadow, which was standing side by side with Dawon's shadow. At first, I couldn't see them well, but there was startlingly a cross brace above my shadow's head–like that of the servants'. I looked at my arms, where strings should be attached.

‘I can't see anything…'

Also, I've never felt that something or someone was controlling me. Nothing felt off as I swung around, moving my arms and legs. My body moved as freely as I desired.

However, I was concerned by the way the cross brace above my shadow was spinning alongside my movements.

‘…I have a bad feeling about this.'

I looked down at Dawon–the only person with a completely intact and normal shadow. But, I wasn't sure I could ask him about this disparity.

"Dawon-ah… Shall we go out to play in the garden?"

"What?"

"It's… such a good day…" So, I tried to first coax Dawon-ie in order to figure out what this location may be. I wanted to go outside in order to gauge how big this place might be or find another person.

However, Dawon, who I thought would immediately agree, was surprisingly hesitant, "I would be alright, but… Does Hyung-nim have the time today? I thought you were always busy…"

Though Dawon-ie was quite mature for a child, his eyes–moistened with anticipation–clearly showed how much he wanted to be by my side.

‘He's seriously too cute…'

So, I couldn't help but abruptly hug Dawon and lift him into the air. Dawon looked at me with wide eyes; his startled, round eyes were just too adorable.

"Of course. Today… I'm taking the day off."

"……" Dawon gave a startled laugh. I held Dawon–who had both arms outstretched–to my chest before quickening my pace outside.

"I…I can walk…" Dawon mumbled quietly, still clinging to me. Because he wanted to not feel like a child, he looked a bit embarrassed even though he was clearly happy. I pretended not to hear and continued to hug him.

‘I think I understand why Dawon always hugged me and carried me around.' I thought to myself.

Then, I glanced at the shadow connected to my feet; I was still bothered–lingering unpleasant feelings remained, but I felt a little better than before.

‘I don't think it's life-threatening…nor does it cause pain…'

As I pondered, we had already arrived at the brightly lit corridor. I was somewhat surprised to find myself in an open corridor after I was brought back from the depths of my thoughts.

"Wow…"

I admired the view from the corridor for a moment. The small pond, the rocks, and the beautifully blooming flowers made the garden look stunning. "Wow…."

Dawon rubbed his face against my neck. When he heard my ardent admiration, he looked at me joyfully, "Do you like it?"

"Hm?"

"I heard you like summer gardens, so I made this with care…"

When I saw Dawon's expression–which seemed to beg for praise, I quickly stroked his head. Then, before I said anything, I felt something off with his statement. "Y-you made this? This garden?"

Dawon answered my question, his tone slightly disappointed, "Yes… You don't like it?"

"N-no, that's not it… How did you make this? You made this all by yourself?"

"Yup. All by myself."

As I stood in the corridor, I looked across this garden which must be at least hundreds of pyeong wide. 3 Then, I turned my attention back to the little Dawon that was still in my arms.

‘How on earth did he make this garden with these little paws of his?' 4

Then, I recalled the jewel fish that Dawon had gifted me earlier.

"Ahh! With the shikigami?"

"Yes…"

"Wow… That's… Mmn. Really impressive?" At first, I had only thought these things were like wind-up dolls, but it seemed that these Shikigami far exceeded my imagination. I abruptly stopped speaking, however, since he might notice something strange if I didn't know much about these shikigami.

However, Dawon must have thought I had given him an insincere compliment. He looked even more sullen as he said, "Of course, it might be nothing too impressive in Hyung-nim's eyes…"

"Huh? N-No. I think it's super amazing."

"……"

"In my eyes, you're the… best shikigami creator I've ever seen."

Of course, the only person I met with this ability was this memory's Dawon.

Dawon listened to my words before burying his head in my arms as if he were simultaneously happy and embarrassed. Then, in an incredibly vulnerable and sincere voice, he whispered, "I have a long way before I can follow in Hyung-nim's steps…"

‘…Huh?'

Could it be that Dawon was saying that ‘I' could make such shikigami too? I stared at my hand for a moment before swallowing and asking him, "Then, Dawon-ah, which of the shikigami I've made do you like the most?"

If I could also control shikigami, that ability might help me complete the [Vengeful Ghost contract] more quickly.

Without hesitation, Dawon-ie opened his mouth, "Seo Dawon… I like ‘me' the most."

"…What?"

"You made me with the most precious of materials….right?"

"……"

"You love me the most, right? Hyung-nim?"

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TL: Hi hi~ I'm back from vacation!

Denali burned down while I was there RIP. Call me to your area if you want a natural disaster coming your way haha. This always happens while I'm on vacation.

1. Inner courtyard–aka a small outside area WITHIN the house. This is some rich people stuff…. Ancient noble homes in Korea often had this.
2. The exact word here is controller. I kinda know it as ‘joystick' tbh… but that doesn't exactly fit. Supposedly, though, a cross brace is what moves stringed marionettes or puppets.
3. A pyeong is the traditional measurement of floorspace (within a home) in Korea. I believe the term was coined after Japanese occupation, so it's similar to their ‘tatami' measurement. A single pyeong is 3.31 square meters.
4. So, 고사리손 (bracken fern hands), are cute ways to call children's hands. Bracken ferns don't look especially cute to English readers, I feel, so I decided to localize this as paws.

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