The Genius Necromancer of the Barbarian Race-Chapter 55 : Ah, so That Was You.

Ah, so That Was You.
Tanis.
You.
Targeting.
What does this even mean?
After reading the writing on the cloth, I glanced at the woman who handed it to me, but she had already joined up with Tanis.
Anyway, she's targeting me? Upon seeing those words, only one thought came to mind.
So you were a necromancer!
The word flashed in my head. Mulling over it, I examined Tanis from behind.
But, wait a second.
There's something I overlooked.
If the necromancer who followed the "right eye" all the way from the banquet hall was serving the god Mortis, that would certainly make sense.
But that guy is a devotee of "Ligato," the god of connection and unity.
"Hmm......"
Lost in thought, a sigh slipped from my lips before I knew it.
Worshiping two gods at the same time.
Such a thing doesn't exist in the 《Dungeon God》 universe.
If it was possible to believe in multiple gods from the start, every player would have done just that.
So then why is he targeting me?
If he's not a necromancer, does he have another grudge against me?
No matter how much I think about it, it's not like I did anything to earn anyone's grudge......
Well, maybe I did something.
"Brother, what is that?"
As I continued to peer at the scrap of cloth, Barkal and Serena approached, their curiosity piqued.
Should I tell them about this? I hesitated briefly, but then figured there was no need to hide it.
"Barkal."
"What is it, brother?"
"Tanis is apparently after my life."
Thud!
At my words, Barkal slammed "Erindal" onto the floor.
"That bastard's a necromancer! I'll crush their skull!"
"Calm down, for now."
"How can I calm down!"
"Th-that's right, brother."
This is exactly why I was reluctant to say anything. Sighing, I calmed them down and continued.
"For now, Tanis is not a necromancer."
"But if he's not, then what reason does he have to target you, brother?"
"That, I don't know."
So I'd have to find out his intentions.
Why would he target me, even though he isn't a necromancer?
* * *
As expected, inserting three stones made the central door begin to open slowly with a heavy rumble.
Dust scattered, hazy in the air, and the space hidden behind the door revealed itself.
However, there was no sign of the "Pantheon" that the "dungeon master" or Girinil had mentioned; instead, there was only a colossal statue of scales.
On the statue of the scales, just as before, an inscription was carved.
[Two branching paths call to you,
Divided with equal footsteps.
One becomes a lighthouse holding the stars, shining in the darkness,
The other becomes a pilgrim following the stars, chasing the light.]
Another riddle?
Why does this dungeon master love riddles so much? Is he a sphinx or something?
"What is this supposed to mean?!"
Faced with another riddle or something like it, Barkal frowned deeply.
He then began walking toward the door leaning to the left of the scales.
"The path exists to be walked, not solved like a problem!"
Creak──!
At the same time, the scales in the center began to tip toward Barkal, and both doors shut tight in an instant.
"Wh-what's happening!?"
A flustered Barkal. Leaving him behind, I approached the door on the opposite side.
Creak──!
Then the scales returned to their center, and both doors opened again.
This told me how the "riddle" worked.
"Equal footsteps."
I called out to everyone.
"This means the number of people passing through each door must be the same."
"Is that really so?"
Girinil tilted his head and walked over to stand by Barkal.
As soon as he stood next to Barkal, the scales again tilted toward Barkal's side and the door shut.
"Oh, it's true! To notice it so quickly... are you really a barbarian?"
It's not like I can say no.
"Dmihtan is a barbarian like me! He's just especially wise among barbarians!"
With a hearty slap to his chest, Dmihtan declared proudly.
That face, so full of barbarian pride. And with that, I couldn't bring myself to deny it either.
Girinil broke out in a hearty laugh.
"Ha ha, anyway, I'm grateful I don't have to rack my brain. You know, when you get to my age, your mind doesn't work as well."
"That's right, old man! At your age, a coffin would suit you better than a place like this!"
Barkal's attitude seemed to irritate Girinil's guards—the devotees of Hyrat—who glared at us with dangerous eyes.
"If you want to go in together, just say so! I could fit three people in a single coffin without breaking a sweat!"
Barkal's taunt flew out toward those devotees.
Hey now, aren't we supposed to be dungeon-crawling comrades at the moment?
You can't just provoke them like that.
To diffuse the growing tension, Girinil turned to me with a question.
"By the way, one side is the lighthouse of stars, the other is the pilgrim following the stars—what do you think that means?"
Beats me, man.
But, based on what I've already observed, I could offer some insight.
"Unlike the door where Barkal stands, the area where I am is pitch black."
Lighthouse holding the stars.
Pilgrim of the stars.
I think it means the "lighthouse" side should proceed first and assist the pitch-dark "pilgrim" side.
When I shared my thinking, Serena nodded in evident agreement.
"I think you're right. The door where Brother Dmihtan stands was pitch-black even to me."
"Haha, in that case, it's time to split up evenly."
We currently had ten people.
To match the 'equal footsteps,' we'd need five people at each door.
"I'll go this way with Tanis and her group."
Before we could waste time divvying up, I spoke up first.
Girinil and his guards.
And Tanis and her companions.
Both parties seemed to have no objections.
Serena, though, looked slightly flustered.
"All right."
Surprisingly, Barkal—whom I expected to be the most upset—agreed readily.
"Serena, we're heading this way."
"But, um...!"
"We're going!"
Barkal wrapped his arm around Serena's neck as she tried to stay behind, and began to drag her toward Girinil's side.
Our Barkal really picks up on things quick in these situations.
And so, as the inscription dictated, with "equal footsteps" complete, the scales settled in the center.
The doors opened.
Barkal's group headed on beyond their door.
"Good grief. Even if it's just to adjust our numbers, now we're split from the adventurer party."
Watching those who went through the "lighthouse" door, Tanis cautiously approached me and spoke.
"My apologies. In my case, I simply can't be separated from my slave."
Tanis smiled as he apologized.
Her lips twisted into a narrow, mocking grin—it looked like he was sneering at me.
"It's fine."
He didn't need to apologize.
I'd set this up to have a genuine conversation with him, after all.
* * *
"The light is coming through!"
Just as I was quietly waiting for Barkal's group to make progress, watching the door, Tanis called out to me.
At her words, I stood and began preparing to move.
A room as dark as pitch. Overhead, a single beam like starlight shone through.
"That must be a signal from the lighthouse."
"So it would seem."
"Looks like we're to follow that light. But it could be dangerous, right?"
Saying that, Tanis pointed to one of her companions—the very woman who'd handed me the scrap of cloth.
"Number Four! You take the lead."
"No, I'll lead."
Tanis flinched at my words.
"There's no need to pity the slave, sir Dmihtan! I brought her just for situations like this!"
"If my life's on the line, I do it myself."
Having said that, I started down the "pilgrim's" path.
A pitch-black road.
The "lighthouse" light overhead pointed the way forward, but did nothing to illuminate the surroundings.
All I could sense were presences nearby—I could see nothing.
The darkness was a perfect environment to stoke fear in people.
Was this real?
Or just my imagination?
At times, I felt sticky cobwebs brush across my face.
Sometimes, I stepped on slimy things underfoot.
Even so, I didn't stop following the "lighthouse's" light. So this is the "pilgrim's" path indeed. What an apt name.
"Sir, sir Dmihtan, are you all right?"
"I'm fine."
"That's a relief."
Tanis' voice called out from behind me.
"By the way, sir Dmihtan, may I ask a question?"
"Go ahead."
"About your wagon. May I ask where you got it?"
Why bring up a wagon now?
Normally, I'd have lied—but with Tanis, I decided to tell the truth.
"I got it during my travels."
"So, you didn't purchase it?"
"That's right."
"Haha... do you know whose wagon that is, by the way?"
I let him continue.
"It actually belonged to my uncle."
His uncle?
I had no idea where this was going.
Just in case, I asked Tanis a question.
"Was your uncle a merchant?"
"Well, yes."
A merchant?
At those words, I felt like I finally understood why Tanis wanted to go after me.
Hey, you've got the wrong idea!
We weren't the ones who killed the merchant when we got the wagon!
It was bandits, I swear!
"He sold stolen wagons, and people too—so, yeah, you could call him a 'merchant'."
Oh, so that's how it is?
"You must have the wrong idea."
"No, I'm sure of it. I was there when you stole that wagon."
Suddenly, I sensed someone approaching behind me.
Coming fast.
"This is for my uncle, narden, you damn bastard!"
Thunk──!
A short blade. I felt the cold steel stab into me, and an intense groan escaped my lips.
"Graaagh!"
"Die, die, die!"
Thunk! Thunk! Thunk──!
With each stab, my body jolted. I might really die like this, I thought.
"Now do you get why I was waiting outside the dungeon, huh, bastard?!"
Thunk──!
"Die!!"
"S-stop! At this rate, I really might die!"
"That's the idea, you filthy barbarian scum! Die!"
With every vicious curse that pierced my ears, my vision started to fade.
No.
It was already pitch-black here.
"Pu, puahahahahah! What's this about a 'same rank' record-breaking promotion adventurer party? You're all the same when you're in my hands!"
My consciousness gradually sank below the surface. As it did, the "lighthouse" above began to shine even brighter.
Hey, wait a second!
It's not supposed to get brighter like this!
"Wh-what's this?"
A bit more light shone from the lighthouse now.
Thanks to it, I could finally see a little bit ahead through the utter dark.
* 〈Thrag bursts into wild laughter.〉 *
With that, I could see the one-handed sword Tanis held, and his bewildered expression.
"Wh-what the hell is this!?"
At Tanis' words, I checked the part he'd stabbed.
Above my waist.
A skeleton, summoned only from the waist up like a bust. I'd dressed it in "red wolf hide armor".
Maybe it was dark, but he really should have checked what he was stabbing.
"Did it feel good to stab it?"
Grabbing the "skeletal bust",
I swung it at Tanis.
Wham──!