Brenna Russo, chief of the Empire's Legendary Mage Retainers, held the title [Undead].
Half the necromancers lurking in the shadows hated her to the bone, because she had stolen a title that belonged exclusively to them—one they might even call supreme.
The other half revered Brenna utterly, honoring her as a noble Monarch, prostrating themselves in loyalty while cautiously seeking to draw closer.
Yet she was a mage who specialized in souls.
Her power overlapped with that of necromancers in many ways, but it was fundamentally different.
Of course, to the nobles, this was deeply controversial. What had ultimately won their acceptance of her was—faith.
After the War of the Deities Across Planes ended, the gods vanished. Without their presence, the mortals of the world were terrified, especially in the beginning. Mortals believed the gods had abandoned humanity and that humanity would ultimately perish, giving rise to countless chaotic evil sacrifices.
Faith was in chaos, and even the mages who had helped the Empire blaspheme against the gods could not resolve that problem.
At that moment, Brenna shouldered the responsibility of bringing order to the chaos, using soul magic to grant countless dead nobles peace.
It was true peace. The Empire was powerful; no one could deceive the emperor, the Four Grand Dukes, or the many nobles whose eyes had turned blood-
red after their blasphemy.
In short, Brenna had done it. She had accomplished what only priests could do, and done it even more perfectly. Thus, she gained everything she wanted and naturally became the foremost Imperial Mage Retainer.
She had even helped the emperor gain considerable authority in the struggles between nobles. After all, Columbus had only just displaced Enric as the new Imperial House, and nothing was stable.
This elevated Brenna's standing still further. Later, however, the