Chapter 1: I guess its f*cked up!

“Ugh…”

The gloomy groan of a newly resurrected corpse.
The body, having regained a semblance of breath through low-level necromancy, mumbled with its mangled mouth.

“The one who killed me… was my wife, Gertrude… who was after my assets… and her lover, Robert…”

“Did you hear that? Send people immediately to arrest those two! I will begin the interrogation right away!”

The middle-aged captain of the capital’s guard shouted with excitement.

Looking at him, I calmly put a cigarette in my mouth.
The bitter, stuffy smoke came in and cleared my head a little.

I tapped the cigarette ash on the roadside and the guard captain approached, rubbing his bald head.
He seemed to be in a good mood after another successful case.

“Thank you, Necromancer. Thanks to you, we’ve solved another case that could have easily become a mystery.”

“If you’re thankful, make sure to pay on time this time. No more promissory notes like last time.”

My voice was weary, as if everything was a bother.
The guard captain cleared his throat and made an excuse.

“I’ve told you several times that was an administrative error, didn’t I? Do you really think I’d try to cheat you out of your money? We’re friends, Crowley, aren’t we?”

“If my rent is even a day late, I get kicked out. You know how tough it is to live as a necromancer in this damn country.”

I’m twenty-seven years old this year.
If I were the same age as other men, I’d have a decent job by now, found a suitable marriage partner, and started a family.

But my life, Crowley Altra, has not gone so smoothly.

A direct descendant of an evil ancient witch.
A heinous being who controls corpses and the only remaining necromancer in the world after the witch hunts.

Those two burdens weighed on me my entire life.

“Yes, I know. I know. How could I not know? You always have it rough.”

The guard captain, with a sigh rather than a lament, wiped his sweat with a handkerchief.

“Still, isn’t the ’cause-of-death investigator’ job tolerable? You get to use your talents and get subsidies from the government. It’s happiness to work according to your aptitude.”

‘How much will I get, even if I do?’

And aptitude? He’s talking nonsense.

They blocked me from doing anything else by imperial decree.

“I’ll go now. I have another case.”

Chewing on the ridiculous term “cause-of-death investigator,” I threw my fully smoked cigarette into the puddle on the ground.

“Please take care of the rest. As always, if you wait a few minutes, the soul will naturally leave the body. Don’t forget to get the deceased’s witness signature before that.”

“I understand. Don’t worry. I hear there are many troubling news these days. Be careful on your way home.”

The guard captain stroked his magnificent mustache.
With that, I slowly moved away.

My next workplace. I had to visit the second murder scene where another unidentified corpse awaited.

With a light bow, I greeted the crowd that was gathered behind me. They were soldiers and officials who were on site to maintain order.

“Excuse me. I’m going through.”

At my curt words, the murmuring crowd parted like the Red Sea.

I walked through the gap, hands in my pockets.

And as I got a little distance from the guards.

“Tch, unlucky. Another day ruined.”

“That disgusting necromancer. He acts like he’s the boss now, since we’ve called him a few times.”

The voices of disdain followed me today as well.

The officials and the lackeys of the capital’s guard, who supported the fat guard captain.

They were different in status, but their feelings toward me were the same: a gaze filled with ridicule and loathing.

“Why does the Emperor let those kinds of people live? And with a ridiculous title like cause-of-death investigator, no less.”

“I don’t know. They say he’s the last necromancer, so he must be considered precious. And he is actually useful.”

“Hmph, a descendant of a witch who practiced human sacrifice and devil worship? Isn’t it because of his family’s skills as necromancers?”

“Shh. Be quiet, Hans. Didn’t you just attend your father’s funeral recently? What if that bastard holds a grudge and touches the grave?”

Necromancer. The necromancer. The cursed sorcerer. The one who controls corpses. The puppet master of death.

Although the names are diverse, they all mean the same thing.
They were all words tinged with avoidance, rejection, and unease.

But there was no room for complaint.

In this world, necromancers were thoroughly excluded from everyone.
They were contradictory creatures who stepped across the boundary between life and death as they pleased, destroying the natural order of the world.

Thanks to that, they were not welcomed anywhere, and they were the victims of prejudice and witch hunts, often dying miserably in foreign lands.
Didn’t the religious order that worshiped the great one and only God take the lead in cleansing, crushing necromancers in the past?

Compared to that, the nation I live in now, the ‘Vǫlsunga’ Empire, was the most gentle.

They didn’t just kill necromancers, and they gave them a superficial job.

Of course, that doesn’t mean it’s not miserable.

‘…Should I smoke another one?’

The only thing that gave me a sense of stability whenever my mind became troubled was the cigarette. I took a puff. I felt like I was already experiencing withdrawal symptoms.

I found the last pack of cigarettes I had so carefully.
The moment I opened the lid, a sigh escaped my lips.

“Ah.”

That’s the last one. It was a bad idea. I don’t even have money to buy more this month.

As I rummaged through my pockets, I found a few coins.

This is my only remaining living expense.

So, if I only have one meal a day. If I only eat thin soup without any ingredients, I might be able to survive until payday.
Of course, it was the same, even if the money came in after I finished the work.

Because most of it has to go to pay off the “debt” I owed previously.

‘I should have saved a bit.’

I blankly looked up at the sky, chewing on the wasted cigarette.

“…It’s hard.”

The unconscious truth escaped from my parched lips.

“It’s really hard.”

“Ah! You’re here, Crowley!”

The blonde investigator waved her hand, greeting me brightly.
As always, her sapphire eyes were bright and cheerful.

“It’s been a while, Investigator Vellam.”

“Hey, just call me by my name. It’s not like we haven’t worked together for a while.”

“So? You called me urgently. What’s the matter this time?”

Cutting off the light banter, I went straight to the point.
Then Investigator Vellam’s face became somewhat gloomy.

“It’s a rather heinous case. It might be difficult to watch. Are you really sure?”

“I’m getting paid, of course. And if I was afraid of corpses, would I be a necromancer?”

The so-called “cause-of-death investigator” certificate issued by the Vǫlsunga Empire.
Thanks to that, I can enter the scene of a murder case as I please, under the supervision of officials.
Even if it is a cursed power, the ability to resurrect a corpse and obtain a testimony is very useful for investigation.

I’ve been keeping my life because of that useless ability.

“Well, that’s true.”

With a smile as bright as a sunflower blooming in the flower bed, the investigator’s face brightened.

She patted my shoulder in a friendly way and joked.

“Since we do this every time, I was just talking nonsense. To you, Mr. Crowley, the Empire’s last necromancer. Is this what they mean by ‘a fool rushing in where angels fear to tread’?”

Investigator Vellam, always positive and cheerful. She must be a woman who lives a life completely opposite to mine.

“…”

Looking at her, it suddenly occurred to me that I still haven’t memorized her name.

If I were an ordinary citizen, this wouldn’t be a very healthy habit.
Remembering the other person’s name is the basis of basic social activities.

But for Crowley Altra, it was meaningless.

Sociability? Social skills? The formation of active human relationships?

That’s the lot of ordinary people, not the lot of a lowly necromancer.

And suddenly, I wondered.

If I was born in her place, would I also be a person with that bright smile?

As I was thinking that, I turned the corner of the alley.

“…What a piece of trash.”

I barely managed to hold back the curse that was about to come out.

It was because the body of a girl, brutally stabbed with a knife, was lying on a pile of trash, burned black by fire.

“I told you, didn’t I? It’s going to be very disturbing to see.”

Investigator Vellam shrugged her shoulders.
Holding the handle of the sword she carried as an investigator, she calmly explained the situation.

“Whoever it was, they seem to have been in a hurry to get rid of the evidence. There are traces of them running away everywhere. The culprit must have been very flustered.”

“In that case, it’s highly likely to be a crime of passion. If it were a planned murder, they would have taken more careful measures than this.”

“Yes. Based on the scene, it seems that they didn’t intend to kill her even when they met the victim.”

Investigator Vellam nodded, pointing at various places on the body with her short investigative staff.

“Above all, considering that they intentionally damaged the body before running away…”

“It’s highly likely that they know about my methods.”

Crowley Altra, the cause-of-death investigator, only unofficially helps solve cases.
The details of the implementation of necromancy were not announced to the public.
If they were, the heinous criminals might come up with clever workarounds.

Like the corpse of this girl in front of me.

“The extent of the damage is too severe. It seems very difficult to resurrect her completely.”

“Really? Don’t you usually bring back even a skeleton and use them as your subordinates?”

“It’s different. When I use them as subordinates, I don’t need to give them a self or reason, but now, I need to get a testimony from her.”

“Aha! Then, is there no other way?”

“Well. If I were a woman, it might have been possible.”

Investigator Vellam widened her eyes at the remark I let slip as if to myself.

“A woman? What does this have to do with gender?”

“…It’s just the characteristics of our family. The men of Altra have always been less powerful in necromancy than women.”

“Heh, how strange? Necromancy is different from ordinary magic. Is it because you are from the bloodline of ancient witches?”

“Maybe.”

Necromancy is a secret technique passed down only within the Altra family.
It is a secret of the family that should not be shared or taught to outsiders.

And those born with the task of necromancy have very clear tendencies depending on their gender.

For men, their magic is weak, but they are wise, calm, and learn quickly.
On the other hand, women have strong magic, but they are impulsive and emotional, and rely too much on intuition.

The bellicose and cruel destructiveness was a unique trait inherited by the witches of Altra.
This eventually triggered the witch hunt and plunged the clan into the abyss of ruin.

I, the last survivor, would have been hanged or burned at the stake if I wasn’t a man.

“Hey, it’s much better to be a man, anyway. Thanks to that, I get to investigate cases with you, don’t I?”

Investigator Vellam said as if to console me, conveying my feelings as they were.

“Anyway, does that mean there’s nothing you can do right now? Because Crowley Altra is a man, not a witch.”

“Of course not. If the main method doesn’t work, then we use a shortcut.”

I knelt down in front of the body and spoke calmly.

“In a situation like this, we can read the memories of the corpse. The imprints of harsh violence tend to remain in the body for a long time.”

It seems they’ve analyzed the method of the cause-of-death investigator, Crowley Altra, and tried to deceive me, but it’s all in my hands.
If this girl saw the culprit who killed her, I can extract that image.

At my words, Investigator Vellam said “Ah,” and asked.

“I’ve heard of that. Psychometry, right? When you touch an object, scenes flash into your mind.”

“…It’s completely different. Stop reading those strange novels.”

Saying that, I took off the gloves I was wearing on my right hand.
Then, I began to trace back through the remnants of memories of the girl, who had turned into soot.

How this unfortunate girl ended up suffering such a terrible fate.
Where did the culprit run away after harming her?
And, most importantly, exactly who did this to her…

“…Huh?”

A dazed murmur that came out inadvertently. And a strong emotion, other than emptiness, returned after a long time.

Because of that, I accidentally dropped the corpse’s arm. Then Investigator Vellam came closer and urged me.

“Judging by your reaction, did you confirm something? What did you see? Tell me quickly.”

“No, well… it’s… that…”

It was such an absurd truth. I hesitated, unsure how to reveal my discovery.

“Hey, Eve. You’re working hard today as well.”

A light voice, along with the sound of footsteps.
Soon, a tall young man abruptly entered the scene.

Even though he hid his identity with shabby clothes, his unique handsome appearance and a mischievous smile hinted at who he was.

At the young man’s appearance, Investigator Vellam put on a serious face and bowed.

“Your Highness.”

The man, praised as the most handsome man in the Empire, and at the same time famous as the Empire’s biggest troublemaker and prankster.

It was the Second Prince of the Vǫlsunga Empire, Ferdinand himself.

At Investigator Vellam’s salute, Ferdinand laughed cheerfully and was playful.

“Hahaha, Eve. We shouldn’t bother with formalities between us, right? It’s so depressing weather, wouldn’t it be nice to have a glass of wine together?”

“Your Highness, are you secretly going on a mission again? And without even an escort. Didn’t the Emperor scold you strictly before?”

“Tsk. Don’t nag so much, Eve. It’s already a headache because of Father.”

Ferdinand’s gaze suddenly turned to me as he was rambling.
He looked at me and suddenly smiled.

“By the way, this person is… Oh? Is this man the famous last necromancer of the Empire?”

“I called him for consultation due to difficulties in the investigation. To identify the identity of the culprit who killed the victim, Your Highness. He is currently extracting memories from the deceased.”

“Hmm, really? It’s getting interesting.”

Ferdinand scoffed at her answer, and strode towards me.
He put on a childish face and spoke naturally, asking.

“So, tell me, Necromancer. The culprit who killed this person. Who is it?”

Don’t panic. Don’t get flustered. Don’t let them see what’s inside.

I swallowed dryly, maintaining my composure with all my might.

The real culprit who violated this pitiful girl, brutally slashed her with a knife, burned the body, and tried to destroy all evidence, was…

“Why, Necromancer?”

Ah.

“Answer me quickly.”

The Second Prince’s cold eyes, as if he already knew everything.

At that moment, I could instinctively realize.

Me.

I’m completely f*cked.