Let Him Handle It (Part 1)

"Mentor!" Dean hurried down from his mount when he saw his teacher approach and gave him a salute. "This is my undead servant!"

"Mentor, as for how I learned Undead Summoning... you know." Dean spoke softly to Sanderson and winked. Sanderson understood at once that Dean had found the summoning art in the Infinite Eye.

To Dean's surprise, Doge climbed down from the Undead Behemoth too. The moment he landed, a Gray Summoning Array appeared beneath the beast's feet and swallowed it.

"Master, it consumed more magic in this world than I expected. Its reserves were nearly exhausted, so it returned to the Undead World," Doge explained, lowering his head to Dean.

"I see." Dean nodded, then turned to Sanderson. "This is Doge, an undead Lich and a little Goblin Shaman."

"Allow me to correct that. I was a Goblin Shaman," Doge said firmly. His emphasis on was made it clear that he was no longer the little Goblin he had once been.

Sanderson nodded in approval. He was pleased—more than pleased. He had never expected his student to put the vast store of knowledge in the Infinite Eye to use so quickly.

"Hahaha! The younger generation is formidable, Sanderson. This student of yours looks promising—a fine seedling!" Rukta laughed. In the few minutes that had passed, his arm had almost completely healed.

"But you apprentices should rest with the support forces. Coming back from the Goblin Nest couldn't have been easy. Leave that big fellow to us old-timers!" Rukta picked up his Twin Axes and stretched, finding nothing seriously wrong with his arm.

"I'll go take a look too!" The priest uncle watched the giant wreaking havoc among the adventurers in the distance. "I, Silianth, am a Third-Rank Priest, after all. I won't die there so easily!"

Rukta did not object, but he offered a warning. "For safety's sake, you'd better keep your distance. Otherwise, that fellow will pick you out as a Third-Rank Priest soon enough!"

Silianth nodded and called Lamore over to stay by his side.

"Uh, come to think of it, this undead servant of mine is that big fellow's heir!" Hearing them discuss the giant on the battlefield had reminded Dean of Doge's identity.

The moment Dean said it, everyone looked his way, as though they thought they had misheard.

Silianth shot his student a questioning look. He knew Lamore and Sanderson's student were teammates, and they must have stayed together when they entered the Goblin Nest.

Their most pressing problem, however, was the giant. Sanderson had already analyzed it thoroughly, so the leaders had decided that whatever information these youngsters had could wait.

But the former identity of Dean's Goblin Lich servant suddenly mattered a great deal. It might even hold the key to bringing down the giant. So far, the adventurers had barely hurt it.

Lamore nodded. "The old Shaman named this little Goblin his Shaman Heir. He even gave him the Shaman Staff—the staff Lich Doge is holding now." He answered his teacher plainly; it was no great secret.

Dean had already said they could speak openly about Doge. Anything concerning Dean himself, however, had to remain secret.

Doge gripped the Goblin Scepter—the Shaman Staff—tightly. When Lamore drew attention to it, Doge feared they would demand it from him, and that he would never get it back.

Doge edged closer to Dean, fear and innocence filling his eyes. His grip on the staff tightened until it began to creak.

"Don't worry. The staff is yours, and I won't let anyone take it from you. I may need you... and your staff to do something in a little while, though. You're my greatest masterpiece!" Dean had seen Doge's fear. More than that, through the Servant Contract, he knew exactly what Doge was afraid of.

With Dean's assurance, Doge finally relaxed a little.

Liches were undying, but their souls needed a vessel. Destroy the vessel and the soul within it, and a Lich would lose its eternal life. For Doge, that staff was his soul's vessel. It was his life.

Dean knew that, which was why he had answered Doge as he had. The others did not know, and Doge was his undead servant. Dean had a duty to protect him.

"Esteemed adventurer..." Silianth paused. He suddenly realized he did not know his student's teammate's name, so he turned to Sanderson for help.

"Dean. My student, and one I'm proud of—Dean," Sanderson said solemnly. It was the first time he had introduced his disciple, his only student, to everyone in public.

"A pleasure to meet you, Mr. Dean." Silianth gave him a formal salute, showing Dean respect despite the vast differences in their strength, standing, and age.

"A pleasure to meet you too, Priest Silianth." Dean returned the salute. He knew what sort of man Lamore's mentor was.

"What a polite young fellow. Would you be willing to contribute a small part of your strength to Blue Town's safety? You could hand over this little Lich for us to study. Perhaps he'll prove enormously helpful. It's all to protect Blue Town!" Silianth said.

It was an argument Dean had no way around. He felt as though he had to agree. If he refused, he would be seen as someone who cared nothing for Blue Town's safety. Every adventurer in town might despise him for it.

"Silianth! Dean is my student!" Sanderson stepped in front of Dean, shielding most of him from view, and reminded Silianth once more whose student he was.

"I know. But the giant is what matters most right now. Our adventurers are already suffering casualties, and the battle has only just begun. If you were the Temple's High Priest... what would you choose?" Silianth remained as kindly as ever. Only now did Dean understand why Lamore treated his mentor with such solemn respect.

For the sake of the town, Silianth could sacrifice one person's interests. What a noble spirit. But he had not considered how the person being sacrificed would feel, even if he intended to offer suitable compensation afterward.

Lamore gave Dean an apologetic look. He had wanted to introduce Doge so he could be of some help; after all, he had once been the Shaman Heir. Lamore had not expected his mentor's first thought to be studying Doge for a weakness in the giant.

Dean shook his head. It was not Lamore's fault. Dean had raised the subject himself; Lamore had merely explained it in more detail.

Blue Town was in danger, and before his transformation, Doge had indeed been the little Goblin closest to the giant—the old Shaman. Dean could not keep that to himself and say nothing.