The Executed Sage Reincarnates as a Lich and Begins a War of Aggression

I observed the people who were responsible for causing the riot.

They were maintaining their silence despite being restrained by ropes.

It seemed they were paralyzed with fear as I had suddenly appeared in front of them.

When I looked at them, they hurriedly turned their eyes away.

I had forgotten about it recently since the executives were so casual while accepting it, but my appearance was that of a black skeleton.

Coupled with the power I exuded, it would appear scary if seen from the outside perspective.

It was natural for the general public to feel frightened.

I cut straight to the point while being cautious to not intimidate them.

“I came here because I heard there was a riot. I heard you people were responsible for it, is there no mistake in that?”

There was no reply.

It wasn’t like they were doing that to express rejection.

It seemed they were admitting to what they had done.

When I looked at the merchant-like man in the group, I crouched down and spoke to him.

“I have something to ask.”

“W-what is it…?”

The man showed an anxious expression.

My abilities were widely known.

He understood the fact that I could transform into an undead just out of whim.

Obviously, I had no such intention, but I would make use of that if it made it easier for the man to talk.

“You people here claim that the Savior has descended. Please tell me more about it.”

“T-that’s…”

The man didn’t continue his words as his expression turned bitter.

He seemed to have an answer, but something was intentionally being hidden.

“Does that mean you can’t answer?”

“That’s not it! It's just, I just don’t think it’s something worthy for the Demon Lord-sama to know…gh.”

“I’ll judge myself whether it’s worth it or not. All you need to do is answer my question. Do you understand?”

“Y-yes…”

The man gave up and nodded.

The man started talking while paying attention to the eyes of others.

“It all began with a casual chat. Then things developed from there…”

The man began to explain about what had transpired about a dozen days ago.

While he was moving through the woods, he was suddenly attacked by demons.

It was reported that a mercenary wearing armor had rescued him when the merchant was about to get killed in his escape.

It seemed that the mercenary who had appeared dashingly restrained the monster and let the merchant escape.

According to the merchant, that mercenary was the Savior.

From then on, the restrained people began to tell their stories one after another.

There was one who had received help while rescuing from thugs by an old man in a robe, and there was another one who had gotten treated to liquor in the bar by a traveler.

There was even one who had received help from a magician woman to carry their luggage for free.

One had found a recovery potion when they were wounded and collapsed in a cave.

While another got lost and then someone guided them to the nearest village.

The encounters they were recounting were generally similar.

That there was a stranger who had helped them without asking for a reward in return.

As they had received unexpected help, they had shared with their acquaintances about their bizarre experience.

At first, they only thought of it as a good topic to talk about and they were grateful for the help.

However, after they found out that there were more people with similar experiences, they were impressed.

Gradually, they grew into a group, and someone eventually said.

—There is someone who is helping people in secret in this city.

That person kept changing their appearance while accumulating good deeds.

Feeling empathy for those unfounded facts, they became even more impressed, and began to refer to that person as the Savior.

People who had gone through similar experiences gathered, and together they came to worship the Savior.

Eventually, they began to plan a big propaganda surrounding it and spread words about the existence of the Savior to the people of the city.

It was during that time that they argued with the soldiers, which led to the riot that had taken place earlier.

“We had no intention of criticizing Demon Lord-sama. We only wish for people to learn about the existence of the Savior. Please, we hope for your understanding…”

“I understand the situation. I will tell the soldiers about it.”

When I said that, the people became relieved.

They started to stroke their chests in relief when they found out that they wouldn’t be killed for the time being.

When I saw them act like that, I spoke some additional words.

“However, it is true that it caused a fuss. A fine would be a reasonable punishment. I have no intention to punish you beyond that. Is there any objection?”

The room turned silent.

The people seemed to be reflecting on their conduct.

There was no need to preach to them about it.

Now that they had learned their lesson, they wouldn’t try to attempt something similar.

I called out to the spy.

“I’ll leave the rest to you. I’m returning to the castle.”

“I understand. Thank you for your hard work.”

I left the bowing spy behind and transferred away.

The destination was the sky above the city.

As I moved in the air, I pondered.

To think the identity of the Savior was just innumerable good people.

It wasn’t like people helping others was an uncommon situation.

It was something that could happen regardless of where one was.

The people who had saved all of them were surely not the same person.

It was just a series of similar events that had taken place.

It was just a coincidence, so to speak.

Such trivial good intentions were impressive.

Perhaps the people who had caused the riots were people who were easily impressed by such things.

As a result of such people gathering and getting excited, it produced a vague effect that was close to mass hypnosis.

The vague object of their gratitude had become a clear figure in the form of a savior.

There was no malice there.

However, I had a bad feeling about this.

I can’t just ignore this incident.

Those series of people helping others had led to a riot as a result.

Although I didn’t feel any kind of scheme, I did feel it was just the beginning.

This kind of feeling should never be underestimated.

It seemed it was better to have this city investigated carefully just in case.