With a simple gesture, Rohan could command the skeleton completely, and he immediately took advantage of that. He ordered the skeleton to lift him up and carry him in its arms. He then adjusted slightly, wincing as his wounds protested, but even that discomfort was far preferable to walking.
Suspended above the ground, he felt an odd sense of authority, as if the world itself had lowered beneath him.
Rohan had heard that many women found being carried in someone's arms to be romantic, comforting, or soothing. Now that he was experiencing it himself, he could understand why.
If his skeleton had taken the form of a woman, Rohan thought he might have already fallen in love, simply because of how convenient and relaxing it was to be carried like this.
And at that moment, a faint smirk tugged at his lips.
This is so much better. I can finally rest. No more walking for a while, and no more physical labor until I recovered my wounds.
With that in mind, Rohan urged his skeleton servant to carry him toward the unfinished church.
Along the way, he stopped briefly to buy a hammer, a saw, an axe, and a handful of nails.
With his favorite construction tool, the Soul of Construction, currently unavailable, he had no choice but to make do with ordinary tools for now.
And of course, he had his skeleton servant carry everything, along with the clothes he had bought earlier that day.
With a relaxed body and mind, Rohan looked at his precious Bone Blade. Teorica Octavian. I will personally thank him if we ever meet in the future, for creating such a masterpiece of a magical item.
When Rohan arrived at the city gate, his bodyguard, who had been quietly following behind him, suddenly asked, "What about the sword?"
Rohan glanced at her. "The sword needs to reflect on his behavior."
At that moment, however, he frowned as he realized one of them was missing.
"Where's your friend?" he asked.
"Toilet," she replied flatly.
After their small conversation, the two, along with the skeleton, continued in silence. Before long, they left the city and eventually arrived at the unfinished church.
Their followers, however, did not react much to seeing him being carried by a skeleton like a princess. The only thing they focused on was the clothes he had brought for them.
After Luciana, Keana, and Belluci expressed their gratitude, they took the women's clothing and divided it among themselves before heading off to change.
Arminius, on the other hand, threw his hands up in disbelief. "Wow. Just wow. Ten sets for the ladies, and your dear, loyal companion gets one? One. Tell me, what did I do? Did I offend you in a past life or something?"
Rohan stared at him, still being carried by his skeleton. "You said you're familiar with the city. Just use that and buy the rest yourself."
And what do you mean, dear loyal companion? We have barely spent a few hours together.
Arminius placed a hand over his chest, looking genuinely wounded. "Ah, so now I have to fund my own wardrobe too? Incredible. Truly inspiring leadership."
Slowly, Rohan raised an eyebrow as he felt slightly confused. You have so much money! Of course you should fund your own clothes!
And besides, wasn't he eager to go to the city just moments ago?
While Rohan was still questioning him in his mind, Arminius continued, "Perhaps this is why the Storm God tasked me to follow you for a year, because He wants to see how I deal with someone like you!"
"Stop being so overdramatic," Rohan snapped.
Arminius didn't respond, choosing instead to walk off and change somewhere in the forest.
After that, Rohan urged his skeleton to set him down on the ground. He then sat and summoned another skeleton.
Without delay, he commanded them to begin construction. With his Indigo soul essence, Rohan could summon up to eleven skeletons, but doing so would drain him quickly. At most, they would last less than three minutes before his essence ran out.
However, if he summoned only two, they could last for nearly two hours. And once his essence was depleted, Rohan planned to hand the Bone Blade to Luciana and then Arminius, allowing them to continue the summoning. As for Keana and Belluci, Rohan was not entirely sure what level their soul essence was at, but he guessed they were at Blue. Meaning they couldn't possibly participate in the summoning.
But even without Keana and Belluci, he believed they could keep the construction going for nearly twenty four hours without stopping. By the time the third person was drained, the first person, himself, would have already recovered enough essence to begin summoning again.
With a smile on his face, Rohan realized he had just gained an endless workforce for manual labor. He was even tempted to rent his skeletons out to people who needed help building houses.
But at that moment, he suddenly remembered something. Rohan looked around and realized he still had only one bodyguard with him. Without hesitation, he closed his eyes and shifted his focus to someone else.
Merlinda.
Just as he had expected, he saw a cloaked figure, probably Diana or Tiara, he could not tell which, currently reporting to Merlinda about what had happened the night before.
About how Rohan possessed such powerful armor. About how he had killed an Azure mage named Goretzka. About how he had freed over twenty slaves. About how he had companions named Augustus and Edmund, suggesting that Rohan was not operating alone.
She also reported about the sword, and how he had left it submerged beneath a pile of human waste.
Merlinda nodded with a smile, listening eagerly, and as usual, she occasionally muttered her favorite word, "interesting," while hearing the report.
Still observing her, Rohan chuckled inwardly. Spying on me? How cute. But you would never know, Merlinda. It was me. I was the one spying on you all along.
Of course, Rohan did not watch Merlinda because she was strikingly beautiful, even comparable to Michael's mother. He observed her from time to time simply to make sure she would not execute some unfortunate thief over something trivial. He did not want to one day discover that she had crucified someone for stealing a piece of bread.
If that ever happened, Rohan would have no choice but to strike her down with lightning.
And a while later, once he opened his eyes, he noticed Belluci, Keana, and Luciana returning in their brand new clothes. He also noticed their wet hair and assumed they had taken a bath in a nearby river or lake.
Seeing them in proper clothes, Rohan felt a small sense of relief.