The day progressed relatively normal, for us. I could see a few students being nervous and some enjoying the drama. There was a lot gossiping and wondering who the guards would interview next. Of course, tomorrow was Solday, the perfect opportunity to question some students.

In the evening we had dinner in the mess hall again.

"I believe we should tighten our security measures." Kaito suggested.

"Huh?" Cassie asked.

"Illusions, or other infiltrators, are a concern. Your group is powerful enough to draw a lot of attention." Kaito replied.

"Our group. All of you are part of it." I said to my undead. I wanted to make sure they understood that I saw them as friends.

Kaito acknowledged my statement with a nod. "Our group then. However, it seems likely that the target of any assassination would be a mortal."

"You think we are all targets? Not just Koyuki?" Skadi wondered.

"Yes. For example, if someone wanted to marry Koyuki they would have to remove Helena first. Further, you are all powerful and helping her." Kaito added.

"It's a good thing we have the cats then." Cassie noted.

"Meow." Kasai agreed.

"At least it would be hard for someone to impersonate them." Helena said, while petting Yoru.

"Not just that, we have advantages when it comes to fighting illusions." Hatsumi added.

"You did a good job stopping the assassins during the raid. Did you smell them?" I asked.

She nodded. "Being a vampire comes with perks. I am confident I could smell an impersonator, unless they used a lot of perfume. And I can definitely smell someone who is invisible."

"Nobles tend to use a lot of perfume." Skadi replied.

"Sadly you might have a point. I could identify them by their blood as well. They would have to be bleeding though." Hatsumi added.

Cassie nodded. "So when in doubt, stab them."

The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

"Really? You would stab someone, instead of exploding them?" I wondered.

"I guess I could stab them with something that does explode…" Cassie mused.

"Blood and fire magic combined could boil their blood and make them explode." Hatsumi suggested. "I think some advanced blood magic can even do it without the fire."

"That is a horrifying image." I said.

Cassie grinned widely. "I like the idea!"

"While the idea is intriguing I think we are getting a bit sidetracked." Kaito said. "One of our advantages is that we undead are connected through Koyuki, we will always be able to identify each other. That gives us a large advantage. However, I was hoping to find a way to counter an illusion on a stranger. What would happen if you tried to cover such an individual with paint?"

"Paint?" Helena asked.

"It would not be able to color their illusion. They would need a lot of skill and fast reflexes to adapt their spell. If we had a bit of paint on us, we could simply test if someone is real." Kaito suggested.

"That would only work if you touch their skin, assuming their clothing is real. But it could work." Helena mused.

I scratched my head. "First you would need to suspect someone. It's not like we are going to throw paint at everyone we meet."

"Of course." Katio replied. "I just want to be prepared, in case something suspicious happens. It is good to plan ahead."

"We should also work on battle tactics. How did you spot the man trying to stab you, by the way?" I asked.

"I have good ears and my air affinity helps as well in close proximity. I was able to feel it when he swung the blade. However, I only noticed the assassin when he was close. He could have snuck by me and tried to reach you." Kaito explained.

"Wow, that is impressive." I said. I had no idea that his senses were that good. "But I suppose we need something that can cover a larger area. I was thinking about clouds. I should work on a proper death cloud."

Helen nodded. "My spell worked nicely. Maybe we can work on some defensive area spells as well. You know, snow would work, we could see their prints."

Skadi looked thoughtful. "Hatsumi, do you think you could help me learn your blood sense? I might not be a vampire but I feel we are still similar enough that I could learn something like that."

"Certainly, it would be my pleasure." Hatsumi replied.

"I will work on more cloud based bombs. Hehehe." Cassie mused.

"I do believe some training might be helpful as well. Honing your senses can be important. Do not underestimate your own ears and noses." Kaito suggested.

"Do you think the academy offers a course to fight illusions?" I wondered.

Helena groaned. "Not more classes!"

I patted her on the back. "It could be helpful though."

"It is certainly something to consider. You have run into illusions in the past. They are a threat we should not underestimate." Kaito added.

Helena sighed. "I know."

"Good evening Koyuki and friends." Leo said, I had not noticed his approach.

"Good evening Leo." I replied.

"You were part of the raid, I must congratulate you. It seems like you have shown the usefulness and power of the undead." He said.

"Um, thank you." I said. "We also showed the power of cats."

"Meow." Nyx agreed.

"And explosions." Cassie added.

"I see." He replied, looking at Nyx. "If you will get another opportunity to help the guards I can offer my own undead. Together we could show the kingdom the true strength of necromancy."

Helena snorted. "I don't think you can show them anything more impressive than what Koyuki has."

He was clearly unhappy with that statement but he did not lash out. Instead he settled on a smile. "I could show them what can be accomplished with more normal undead. It would certainly improve the standing of all necromancers. And I could provide some corpses, as compensation, if you help me."

"I will mention it to Colonel Duncan." I replied. Of course, I would not recommend it, just mention it.

"Thank you, have a nice evening." He said, then he left.

"He was surprisingly friendly." Cassie mused.

"He is definitely jealous of Koyuki's undead and fame." Skadi said.

I shrugged. "He will never have great undead unless he learns to respect them."

Next chapter will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.