"Earlie, Intermediate Knight 5-star—ah, one of Second Sister's people. I'll take your traits, then you can get up and work for me."
"Calem, Intermediate Knight 3-star—this one's from Big Brother's side, huh? Only sent a 3-star? Who are you looking down on? You're the duke's heir, at least show some dignity."
"Valentin, Intermediate Knight 9-star—oh, now this one's from the old duke himself."
All along the way, Hel walked and stopped, and once he'd gotten used to the blood and dismembered limbs, he started treating the corpses like unopened blind boxes—each one a surprise.
A very literal kind of surprise.
Believe it or not, out of the dozen or so corpses in the dungeon, not one had been loyal to him.
They were either spies sent by the ducal family or people who had already pledged allegiance to local nobles.
And worst of all, every single one of them had been part of his personal guard.
"So that's why the original Hel was slowly poisoned. I don't even need to guess—his cooks and maids were definitely traitors too."
Even if the witch's invasion hadn't happened, it wouldn't have been long before the rumors spread:
"The new Count Heim died of sudden illness after taking office. The Heim family has no heirs. The duke, in tears, reclaims the county."
"Oh ho, now this is a big catch."
Hel had left the dungeon and stepped into the castle's main hall. His eyes immediately fell upon a desiccated corpse at the center.
[Name]: Lily
[Power]: Rank 2 – Mid-level Knight, 7 stars
[Attributes]: Strength 35, Magic 9, Knowledge 16
[Traits]: Orange Inside and Out (Orange), Burning Blood Secret Art (Blue), Water Battle Aura Affinity (Green), Intermediate Swordsmanship (Green), Noble's Child (White), Heim Family's Loyal Servant (Black), Big Sister's Dog (Black)
Finally, someone from his side—but that wasn't the interesting part.
If Hel remembered correctly, Lily was technically his aunt… though they weren't related by blood.
She had once been his mother's personal bodyguard and was later recognized as her "sworn younger sister."
However…
[Orange Inside and Out]: Charm +50, Luck +20. You can bend any woman who has feelings for you.
[Big Sister's Dog]: Loyalty +90. You have a sister figure who means the world to you, and for her, you'd throw away all dignity.
Terrifying. Truly terrifying.
Hel finally understood why the original's mother had lost the old duke's affection. The poor man's head had been very, very green.
All he could do was sigh—what a mess this noble circle was.
But since Lily was one of his own, he couldn't just crudely turn her into a mindless corpse.
Maybe… he could use the Holy Coffin of the Undead to perform a higher-tier summoning.
He took off the cursed World-Destroying Enchantress trait and replaced it with the Death Attribute Magic (Purple).
Then, he retrieved the Blood Crystal, which contained all of Rose's condensed blood.
As complex and ancient incantations spilled from his mouth, crimson magic circles flared to life behind him.
[Advanced Death Magic: High Bloodborn Creation]
In the next instant, blood threads burst from the crystal, weaving their way into Lily's withered corpse.
Her dry body began to fill out, skin regaining color—though still pale—and before long, she looked nearly human again.
Four new traits appeared beside her name:
[High Bloodborn] (Orange): Magic +100%, Charm +60. Exerts bloodline suppression on any blood race of lower rank.
[Death Magic Affinity] (Purple): Potential cap: Rank 4 – Archmage.
[Blood Hunger] (Black): Prolonged periods without feeding cause madness.
[Death Servant] (Black): Loyalty +60. Undead servants cannot disobey their creator.
Hel studied the new traits in thought.
She hadn't gained Mindless, which meant this might be unique to vampires—or perhaps only to higher undead.
Before he could dwell on it, a notification appeared:
[Detected a being with Loyalty exceeding 100 toward the Transmigrator. Trait Bestowal Module unlocked.]
[New abilities acquired: Trait Bestowal, Trait Adjustment]
[Trait Bestowal]: You can grant traits from your trait library to another being. If they have no empty slots, a random one will be replaced.
[Trait Adjustment]: For beings with Loyalty >100, you can modify their existing traits.
Heim Family's Loyal Servant (+60 Loyalty)
Death Servant (+60 Loyalty)
That made Lily's loyalty 120—utter, fanatical devotion.
If Hel said, "It's cold today," she'd probably start sewing him a royal robe.
Naturally, a follower that loyal deserved special investment.
He granted her the Bloodlord trait—something he himself had been saving for ages.
(Well… truthfully, he couldn't use it anyway due to the conflict with his Witch trait.)
As for the rest, nothing really suited her, so he let it be.
He did, however, return her original Water Aura Affinity.
He'd noticed earlier that when a corpse had an elemental affinity, it automatically converted to Death Affinity upon revival.
So, to help Lily better conceal her undead nature, he had temporarily removed that trait before the ritual.
As for whether one person could cultivate two elements—Hel had already tested that on himself.
Soon after he returned the trait, Lily stirred, letting out a soft groan as she opened her eyes.
"Big Sister… am I dead?"
"Congratulations. The surgery was a success—you're a boy now."
"There's such a good deal?"
Hel: "…"
Great. He'd walked right into that one.
"Hmm? Oh, it's you, Young Master. So I'm… not dead?"
"No, you are. But I revived you. Congratulations, Miss Lily—you're now a proud member of the Undead."
"Undead? You mean… a dead person?"
Startled, Lily hurriedly checked herself over.
After some inspection, she found that aside from her skin being paler than before, she felt no different.
"You're of the Bloodlord lineage. Your body remains almost human, and your sunlight resistance is high. As long as you're not left to roast under the sun, you'll be fine."
"But, Young Master… if the Church finds out about this, it could endanger—"
Hel rolled his eyes. "And you think the Church sees necromancers as good guys?"
He continued, voice sharp:
"Besides, after tonight, who knows how many will even survive? And remember, I'm a lord directly appointed from the capital.
If the nobles here find out their new liege's knights all died in a single night, what do you think they'll do?"
"Y-you mean… rebellion? Impossible—"
But halfway through, her words faltered.
"You're thinking of Heim from ten years ago," Hel said coldly. "Since my uncle, the last Count Heim, died, the people's loyalty has long scattered.
After ten years, how many here do you think still recognize the Heim family's rule?"