Chapter 14

“Is something the matter with my scent?” Lady Zahradnik asked.

“It’s not as strong as it was before,” Ilyshn’ish answered. “It’s barely even there. It’s as if you have a scent, but it vanishes shortly after leaving your body…the only people that I know who are like this are Lady Shalltear, the Vampire Brides and Miss Yuri…”

And they were all Undead. But the person before her was supposed to be a Human. Lady Zahradnik released a sigh, and her lips turned up in a self-deprecating smile.

『As expected of a Dragon – there’s no fooling your senses. I suppose I’ll need a way to make up for my weak scent from now on. Maybe that’s why Lady Shalltear and her Vampire Brides use perfume…』

“W-what? This again! Is…is this telepathy? Hejinmal said something about pets getting telepathy. Since when did you turn me into a pet?!”

『Relax, it’s an ability unrelated to your being a pet. What you probably suspect is true, however – I’ve become one of the Undead. But I was like this when you found me in that hut with Gudrun. How come you didn’t notice back then?』

How could she just casually talk into her head after such a revelation? Did she feel nothing over becoming one of the living dead? Perhaps it was a part of Lady Shalltear’s nefarious schemes…

The Human – no, the Undead woman rose to her feet. Ilyshn’ish took another step back, and the Baroness gave her a hesitant look.

『I have no intention of harming you. Not that I could do much if it came down to a fight, as you’ve just demonstrated.』

She held out a hand towards Ilyshn’ish.

『Here: you may sniff and poke and prod me until you’re satisfied. I have no wish for this to negatively affect our relationship.』

Ilyshn’ish eyed the proffered hand but made no move to investigate.

“Why do you keep talking to me like that?”

『Because it is a secret that I’ve only revealed to a select few. The roof opens up to the city beyond, and you never know who might be listening. A noble of the Sorcerous Kingdom becoming one of the Undead is probably something to be expected, but at the same time, it’s probably too soon for most people to know. Fears that they, too, will be transformed, may start a panic amongst the citizenry.』

Ilyshn’ish tentatively reached out to grasp the Baroness’ hand. It was warm and soft, feeling no different than it had before. If she truly had become one of them, it was of a kind unknown to any of the lore that she had studied. Aside from her constantly vanishing scent, she was a living Human by every other indication.

Lady Zahradnik’s fingers gently closed around hers.

『Let’s head up to my solar for a bit more privacy, hm?』

Preoccupied with coming to grips over the Baroness’ new state, Ilyshn’ish allowed herself to be led up the stairs. Was there any way for her to prove that the Undead woman was the same person as before? She could only think of one thing, but she wasn’t sure if Lady Zahradnik would understand.

When the door to the solar shut behind them, Ilyshn’ish let go of Lady Zahradnik’s hand and cleared her throat.

“I have but one question for you,” she said. “What proof do you have that you are who you say you are? That you are not instead simply a shadow of what you once were?”

Her question had a telling effect on the Baroness. The Undead woman spun on her heel, giving her an uncertain look that Ilyshn’ish had never witnessed out of her before. Several moments passed, and Lady Zahradnik plopped herself down onto one of the cushioned chairs in the room.

“I’m afraid I don’t understand what you mean by that.”

She thought not. Ilyshn’ish scratched her temple, trying to come up with an appropriate analogy.

“Consider His Majesty’s Undead servitors,” Ilyshn’ish said. “Do you know how they are brought into existence?”

“I’ve only read about summoning magic,” Lady Zahradnik replied, “but it’s something about using mana to conjure their physical form. I think I heard that His Majesty uses skills similar to ‘wild’ Elder Liches to make them permanent with the use of a corpse."

“Is a ‘newborn’ Elder Lich as a newborn creature to this world?”

“No, they aren’t,” Lady Zahradnik shook her head. “They come with a wide array of Skills, Spells and Abilities the moment they’re brought into existence. They also possess knowledge of language and customs associated with, well, Elder Liches.”

“Why is that?”

“I…I haven’t really thought about that.”

Ilyshn’ish blinked.

“Oh, uh…well, this is more difficult than I thought it would be.”

“What is it that you’re trying to tell me?”

“I was attempting to convey some Draconic knowledge,” Ilyshn’ish said, “but your native race, culture and language lack the appropriate means to do so directly.”

“Dragons have necromantic knowledge?”

“Not any more than anyone else,” Ilyshn’ish said. “It has more to do with the nature of the world – more specifically, the nature of souls.”

Lady Zahradnik gave her an odd look.

“Haven’t you lived your entire life in the Azerlisia Mountains?”

“I-I’ve been elsewhere,” Ilyshn’ish said defensively. “Like a bit of the northern ocean…and the Sorcerous Kingdom…”

Her voice turned into a mutter at the last. Why did she have to feel ashamed about that? She was very well-travelled by Frost Dragon standards.

“Then is it something you've learned from another Dragon? Your parents, perhaps?”

“I believe I’ve told you this before,” Ilyshn’ish replied. “Dragons have a special place in this world. In times long past, many of the most powerful were keepers of their respective realms, wielding great magics not seen since. This magic is the magic of the soul. I think the local magic casters simply refer to it as the ‘Magic of Dragons’. Knowledge of souls is something that Dragons are born with as a matter of our nature.”

“How come none of the other Frost Dragons talk about this?”

“Does everyone you know go out of their way to tell you everything that they know?” Ilyshn’ish asked, “Of course not. There’s no need to, and most non-Dragons lack the capacity to understand. On a more practical level, it has very little bearing on our everyday lives. None of the Dragons in our enclave – not even my wise mother or powerful father – are capable of wielding the magic of the soul.”

Ilyshn’ish found this fact vexing. It was akin to a vestigial instinct for something she never had, but should. Like being born knowing all the nuances of flight, but not having wings. To investigate this mystery was a part of her exploratory goals.

“Yet you’re trying to teach me about this,” Lady Zahradnik said. “It’s a bit uncharacteristic of you if you don’t mind my saying so.”

“I-I go out of my way to do plenty of things,” Ilyshn’ish huffed, “as long as they suit me. In this case, however, I am beholden to you. As Frost Dragons never forget a slight, so too do we never forget a favour. Perhaps you are purposely exploiting my nature, but I suppose that it is what it is.”

Ilyshn’ish paced around for a few moments before deciding to take a seat at the edge of Lady Zahradnik’s bed.

“You are troubled over your new existence,” Ilyshn’ish looked her in the eye, “so I thought that I could return the favours you’ve shown me by making something clear. This something has to do with what I asked before – whether you are still you, or merely a shadow of what you were…or something else.”

“I still feel like me.”

“I’m sure every Elder Lich thinks the same thing,” Ilyshn’ish snorted. “Which brings me back to my example: what do you think the difference between an Elder Lich summoned by His Majesty and a ‘wild’ Elder Lich is?”

“The wild ones hate the living.”

“That’s true,” Ilyshn’ish admitted, “but this is more a general mode of behaviour for wild Undead, no? It is a matter of ecology rather than a quality specific to Elder Liches.”

“Our Elder Liches are much stronger.”

“Are they?”

Lady Zahradnik confirmed her statement with a nod.

“The Adventurer Guild records have had Elder Lich kills logged by Platinum-ranked parties in the past.”

“Do the weakest few speak for all?” Ilyshn’ish asked, “How many Adventurer defeats have been attributed to fights against Elder Liches? This brings me to my next point – do you not think it strange that the Undead servitors created by His Majesty do not grow in raw strength in the same way that we might?”

“I thought it strange at first,” Lady Zahradnik answered, “but as I learned more about magic, it became a sort of common sense.”

“Did you know that wild Elder Liches do grow? They slowly gain in strength by absorbing mana. They can also learn new Spells, Skills and Abilities, unlike the Elder Liches created by His Majesty. Wild Elder Liches are also not limited to humanoid appearance. With so many differences, why are they still all considered Elder Liches? Why do we call them Elder Liches in the first place? How do they themselves somehow know what they are?”

Lady Zahradnik frowned. It was odd how so many took these things for granted. Several moments passed, and she appeared to be at a continued loss.

“The answer is that the ‘source’ they draw from is the same.”

“What does that mean?”

“Hmm…perhaps it can be thought of along the lines of a concept? With summoning magic, one conjures the physical manifestation of said concepts using mana. All summons of the same being are fundamentally the same at the moment of creation. Whatever was present in that concept will be present in all summons of that being. Now, how does this apply to wild Undead?”

“Instead of mana, they form out of negative energy.”

“That's right. Negative energy is formless, but if enough collects, it will develop a rudimentary sort of awareness and seek form. Many weaker Undead take on a limited set of forms that are uncannily similar because these forms are all drawn from the same source. The same types of Undead are known the world round by the same names, as far as my studies have shown.”

The Baroness fell silent in thought, rubbing her chin lightly with her forefinger. She picked up her chair and scooted closer.

“So the phenomena where the collection of lesser Undead gives rise to incrementally stronger Undead…why wouldn’t they all just choose the form of stronger Undead to begin with?”

“I would venture to guess that it is a matter of cost, as it is with summoning magic. As subsequently more powerful summons require both a more powerful summoner and a greater pool of mana, so too does it work this way with negative energy. Elder Liches require a huge negative energy ecology to manifest, similar to the elemental or life energy that is required to give birth to nature spirits.”

“So in my case…what? I think I understand what you’re saying, but not what it means for me.”

“It has to do with confirming whether you are an old soul,” Ilyshn’ish told her, “or a new one. Whether you are the shadow of a concept given form, or whether the soul of Ludmila Zahradnik has adorned a new mantle.”

“Very well,” Lady Zahradnik straightened in her seat, “how do we figure that out?”

Ilyshn’ish mulled over their options.

“Well, it would be simple if you had a Talent.”

“I do.”

“Huh?”

“I do have a Talent,” the Baroness told her. “How do I confirm my identity with it?”

It would have saved her a very long-winded explanation if she had just let her know in the first place.

“If you have the same Talent as before,” Ilyshn’ish told her, “then you already have. Talents are one of several conventionally readable components of the soul. I’ve heard that Adventurers regularly come back from the dead – if a Talent was tied to one’s body, it would be lost upon death…what is your Talent, by the way?”

“It’s Truesight.”

The Baroness’ answer was immediate. A chill ran down Ilyshn’ish’s spine.

“As…as in ‘True Seeing’?”

“It’s similar,” Lady Zahradnik nodded, “but since it isn’t a spell or ability, the usual methods of thwarting such means do not work against it.”

“I-Is that so?” Ilyshn’ish started gathering the bedsheets to cover herself, “Well, it’s a nice Talent, but mine is better.”

“You have a Talent?”

“…forget I said anything.”

Lady Zahradnik leaned forward. Ilyshn'ish shifted nervously.

“W-what…”

“Tell me,” the Baroness smiled.

“No? Ah!!!”

Lady Zahradnik pounced, bowling Ilyshn’ish over onto the bedsheets. She lay there, shocked that a Human could – no, she was Undead…

“Argh!” Ilyshn’ish screeched, “That was why your elbow hurt me! You have supernatural weapons and armour now! Regular Humans could never knock me back like that. Wait, what – what are you doing to meeeeee…”

Lady Zahradnik lay on top of Ilyshn’ish, arms wrapped around her tightly.

“Thank you,” she nuzzled her shoulder, then sniffed. “Thank you so much.”

“F-for what?”

“It was something I couldn’t figure out,” Lady Zahradnik said. “Others appear to treat it as a given, but I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it – whether I’m still me, or if I’m just something pretending to be me.”

Ilyshn’ish sat up, lifting the teary Undead female with her.

“I’m sorry,” the Baroness said, “I’ll get off now. I feel like I’ve become more emotional since everything changed. I’m often worried or scared or depressed…isn’t that strange? I thought Undead were supposed to be more dispassionate, like the Elder Liches.”

“Tell that to Lady Shalltear.”

Lady Zahradnik snorted, brushing back loose strands of chestnut hair.

“I suppose you have a point,” she said. “I’m glad that this question has finally been put to rest – I feel that my life has been slowly thawing out again only recently.”

“I didn’t think it meant so much to you people,” Ilyshn’ish said. “Humans usually don’t even know who they are to begin with. Well, it would be infinitely more annoying if you were immortal...are you? Despite being Undead, you’re rather lifelike…”

“I think so,” Lady Zahradnik nodded. “My hair and nails don’t grow – they only grow back. I don’t get hungry or tired without a Ring of Sustenance. Barely a month has passed, so it’s difficult to say whether I’ve aged.”

“I see…well, I suppose you’ll find out eventually. Are we even, now?”

The Baroness tilted her head curiously.

“Even?”

“Yes,” Ilyshn’ish said. “I was returning a favour, but it seems that telling someone that they’re themselves was worth more than I realized.”

Lady Zahradnik was taken aback for a moment, then reached out and took Ilyshn’ish hands in hers.

“I didn’t do what I did because I wanted to place you in my debt,” she said. “It’s something I would do for any friend…though I think I’ve started developing an appreciation for what that means to someone with a limitless lifespan. If you are ever troubled with anything, or if you even just want to spend some time together, you can always come to me.”

“Those are some very open-ended terms,” Ilyshn’ish told her. “All sorts of annoying things might happen.”

“Forget terms,” the Baroness replied, “it’s something you have to feel out. Frost Dragons are supposed to be good at that, no?”

“Hmph,” Ilyshn’ish snorted, “You have this annoying tendency of only embracing the parts of me that you think you like. We’ll see how that works out for you. Now, I have one curiosity I’d like to satisfy. I believe you’d be interested to know the answer as well.”