Became a Medieval Fantasy Wizard

TL/Editor: raei

Schedule: 5/week

Illustrations: None

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Maria stared blankly at the wizard.

Ian Eredith Raven.

He had just said that she didn't kill anyone.

'Why?'

She couldn't believe it.

Maria knew well the madness coursing through her veins.

She had long been tormented by the curse of the dead.

It was a horrific, disgusting, filthy kind of curse.

An endless appetite.

A craving for rotten meat.

When she closed her eyes, the whispers of the dead echoed in her mind, slowly chipping away at her sanity.

Maria thought she was already half-mad.

It couldn't be helped.

Maintaining one's sanity while hearing the whispers of the dead was an incredibly difficult task.

So even when Eric's corpse lay before her eyes.

Maria calmly accepted the reality.

Ah. My madness has struck again.

I've killed someone who cared for me with my own hands.

Maria offered no resistance when the villagers arrested her.

In the dark shed, she thought and thought again.

Where did it all go wrong?

So when she lost consciousness again, she wasn't surprised.

When Ian came after her, she wasn't particularly shocked either.

She merely thought an opportunity had come.

A perfect chance to put an end to this miserable, painful life.

But.

Ian didn't kill Maria.

Instead, he said this.

That it wasn't Maria who killed Eric.

"But... but...!"

Tears streamed endlessly down Maria's cheeks.

Unable to wipe them away, she cried out as if wailing:

"It could only have been me...! The only one who could have harmed Eric was me!"

Ian extended his hand to Maria.

"Are you really sure about that?"

"...!"

"You don't even fully understand the mystery dwelling in your body. Can you still be certain? Was it really only you?"

Maria fell silent.

She couldn't refute Ian's words.

No.

It would be more accurate to say she didn't want to refute them.

... If she hadn't killed Eric.

If that were true.

There could be no greater salvation than that.

"I... I don't know."

Maria still couldn't grasp Ian's hand.

"Did I... did I really not kill Eric?"

Ian smiled and replied:

"Try trusting the wizard."

With trembling fingertips, Maria grasped Ian's outstretched hand.

"I'll... I'll try to believe you."

Belenka sheathed her sword.

Kira smiled contentedly, while Jubal scratched his head as if he couldn't make sense of the situation.

Still holding Maria's hand, Ian slowly walked back towards the village.

The moment he witnessed Maria's mystery, Ian had found the missing puzzle piece.

And now, it was time to deploy the final piece and complete the entire picture.

'The shepherd Pael.'

That boy was the final puzzle piece in this incident.

Ian intended to interrogate Pael as soon as they returned.

"Oh my! Mr. Wizard!"

But at the village outskirts, Ian encountered a group of farmers.

Judging by their pitchforks and flails, they were undoubtedly a mob gathered to pursue the escaped Maria.

Indeed, they were startled upon seeing Maria.

"The witch!"

"The wizard's caught her!"

Ian scattered darkness to force the farmers back.

The encroaching nightfall made it convenient to manipulate the mystery of darkness.

"W-Wizard?"

"Stop making a fuss and go back. I've got Maria well in hand."

"But..."

"But what?"

The farmers didn't dare meet Ian's eyes.

If there was anyone capable of staring down a wizard, they certainly wouldn't be wasting their time as country farmers.

"Um..."

"What now?"

"Sir Leshach is waiting."

The farmer hesitated before adding:

"And... the lord as well."

"The lord?"

Ian hurried towards the village square.

A bustling crowd came into view.

Sir Leshach, the villagers, and even the lord's entourage had all gathered.

"Ah! You must be the wizard Ian!"

An unfamiliar man acted overly familiar with Ian.

Judging by his neat attire and the horse he rode, he seemed to be part of the lord's entourage.

He appeared to be in his early thirties, not a particularly striking type.

"Ah. Yes."

It wasn't unusual for nobles to act chummy with Ian.

So Ian simply ignored the man.

The man seemed slightly taken aback by Ian's response.

But he recalled that Ian was a wizard.

"Aha! I see how it is!"

"...?"

"You stupid, arrogant wizard!"

The man suddenly started hurling insults.

Ian knew exactly what this was about.

It was [Calling a Wizard].

Ian let out a deep sigh, utterly exhausted.

Come on, there's a necromancer running around the village...

Even in this situation, you still want to try Calling a Wizard?

"Let's skip that."

"What? Who do you think you're talking back to, you dried-up piss stain!"

"..."

"You nauseating ball of phlegm! You toilet turd!"

No.

Ian stared at the young noble, dumbfounded.

That wasn't Calling a Wizard, it was just straight-up cursing...

He seriously considered advising the man to pursue a career in hip-hop.

"Young baron. Stop with the insults."

"Ah! Sir Leshach! This isn't just insults, it's..."

"It's just cursing, so knock it off."

"Are, are you sure?"

Rural barons didn't know how to properly Call a Wizard.

It was only natural, since they rarely had occasion to meet wizards.

Sir Leshach shut the young baron up immediately, then approached Ian.

"Is the investigation complete?"

"I've uncovered quite a bit."

"That's good."

Sir Leshach pointed to an elderly noble.

"Baron Dorin came personally to judge the necromancer. He'll pass sentence today."

Ian asked, just in case:

"When does the trial begin?"

Sir Leshach gazed at the lengthening shadows and replied:

"Right after sunset."

---

---

In medieval times, a lord wielded power like a king within his domain.

A lord's rights typically included the right to levy taxes, command troops, and administer justice.

Among these, the right to administer justice was truly fantastic.

In short, it meant the lord's word = law.

Whatever the lord decreed instantly became legal!

Even if he ordered "Every household must eat mint chocolate before bed" or "All pizzas must have pineapple," no one could object.

Why? Because the lord's word was law!

He even had the right to arrest an emperor visiting his lands if the emperor removed pineapple from a pizza.

Emperor or not, he broke the law!

Such were the rights of a medieval lord.

Of course, if he actually arrested the emperor for not eating pineapple pizza, he'd likely wake up the next day to find his domain a smoldering wasteland...

But the fact that it was a legitimate exercise of his rights shows just how terrifying a lord's judicial power could be.

Before the trial began, Ian briefly questioned Sir Leshach.

"Have you found the necromancer?"

Sir Leshach shook his head.

"No. They left no trace."

He quickly whispered:

"They're either targeting us... or at least trying to get our attention."

Ian folded his arms, deep in thought.

"With no clues, we can't even guess what they want."

"Sir. If my hunch is correct... they'll show themselves at today's trial."

Surprised by Ian's words, Sir Leshach stopped speaking.

Could it be... in that short time, he'd uncovered the necromancer's identity?!

"Have you discovered the necromancer?"

"More or less."

Ian said:

"Most likely... they're after Maria."

"Maria? That novice necromancer?"

Ian shook his head.

"She barely qualifies as a novice. She's just someone swept up in necromancy."

"Why would they be interested in such a girl?"

Ian held his tongue.

It was all speculation. They'd have to see how things played out to know for sure.

But regardless, Sir Leshach was genuinely impressed by Ian's abilities.

"Entrusting the investigation to you was the right decision."

"I just stumbled upon it by chance."

Sir Leshach trusted in the wizard's wisdom.

With Ian, they would surely uncover the truth and find the necromancer.

"I believe in you."

"What a coincidence. I believe in you too, Sir Leshach."

Sir Leshach burst out laughing at Ian's joke.

"Alright then. Let's do this."

---

---

As the sun set, torches blazed in the village square.

The lord and his retinue. Sir Leshach. Ian and the villagers.

The trial was ready to begin.

"We now commence the trial of the necromancer Maria!"

Ian observed the lord's entourage with a blank expression.

During his rounds of the village, Ian had gathered various pieces of information.

As a result, he'd concluded that Maria was not Eric's killer.

Ian believed there was no reason for Maria to be executed.

She was just a pitiful girl overwhelmed by mystery.

... But that was merely Ian's opinion.

Naturally, it was the lord before him who held Maria's life in his hands.

If the lord said innocent, she was innocent. If he said execution, she'd be executed.

That's how medieval courts worked.

"The rightful ruler of this land, Baron Dorin, will judge the necromancer's guilt!"

The trial's... emcee was the baron's son, the young baron.

"Baron, please speak."

A hunched old man rose from his chair.

And.

The moment Baron Dorin opened his mouth, Ian felt dizzy...

"Eee~ eee~ ee~"

"Baron. You need to say you're starting."

"Waaah~ I am a baby baron~ Want milk~"

"..."

Baron Dorin was... a senile old man!

That thing... is the judge?

Ian immediately wanted to object...

"Excuse me. The baron seems a bit off. Is the trial even possible?"

"How dare you! Wizard! Mind your tongue! What's wrong with the baron!"

As they insisted the trial could proceed, Ian was left speechless.

If the lord's son said it was possible, what could Ian say?

'Please just don't spout nonsense.'

This might actually work out better.

A young noble who could be swayed was easier to deal with than a stubborn old man.

The young baron was clearly deferring to Sir Leshach's authority.

A typical rural baron's way of conducting himself.

"Now explain the situation!"

The young baron was just a procedural shuttle...

Sir Leshach would effectively serve as the real judge.

As the villagers looked on, someone stepped forward and bowed.

It was Joseph, the pale-faced gravedigger.

Joseph explained the situation as the village representative.

"Two days ago. The necromancer Maria killed Robert's son, Eric, using necromancy."

"Maria secretly lured Eric to a secluded forest."

"There, she possessed a pre-prepared ghoul and brutally murdered Eric."

"She tried to flee, but fainted due to magical backlash."

"In the end, we captured her."

No sooner had Joseph finished speaking than the villagers began shouting.

"Execute the witch!"

"Kill her! Kill her!"

"For the peace of our village!"

While trials were a lord's right, they were also very important events.

Just because you could pass judgment freely didn't mean you actually should.

If a lord ruled tyrannically, rebellion would naturally follow.

Thus, the young lord had no choice but to carefully consider Maria's sentence.

If Ian and Sir Leshach weren't present, he would have unhesitatingly passed a death sentence.

After all, it's what the villagers wanted!

If everyone was clamoring for her death, wouldn't executing Maria boost the lord's popularity?

But the courtroom included individuals even the lord found troublesome.

The wizard Ian and the knight of the pope, Sir Leshach.

Tap! Tap!

A loud tapping sound rang out.

The wizard Ian stepped before the crowd, striking the ground with his staff.

At the wizard's appearance, not just the villagers but even the young lord fell silent.

"Esteemed lord."

As Ian began to speak.

All eyes focused on him.

Ian spoke calmly, his voice almost melodic:

"Here, I wish to reveal three truths."

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