Evolving My Undead Legion In A Game-Like World

Chapter 639: Consequences

“Still… that’s a lot.”

Yola’s eyes glimmered with amusement as she continued. “Think of it as an investment,” she said gently. “If your undead have abilities or qualities that hold value, they can even pay their own tax.”

Michael blinked, processing her words. “So… they can earn their own tax?”

“Exactly,” Yola replied, smiling knowingly. “Many tamers, necromancers, and summoners already do this. Some even run entire businesses with their creatures’ help. With the supernatural world now becoming more known, this method is becoming increasingly common.”

Mike nodded in agreement.

Michael went quiet for a moment and thought it through. Between Jester and the others in his harem of contracts, he had more than one undead that could pass for human if needed. None were like Jester, though, which meant they did not need public paperwork as long as they stayed in the dark. If he ever needed them in the open, at least he now knew the path to make that legal.

“I will register him,” Michael said at last.

“That is good,” Mike replied, then he raised a hand before anyone could relax. “Before that, let us talk about damages.”

Michael felt his stomach dip. “Damages…?”

Mike tapped a tablet, and a slow scroll of images and numbers appeared.

Michael rubbed his brow. “Am I in trouble?”

Michael was really starting to regret releasing Jester in Aurora, but unfortunately there was no pill for regret.

“If it’s just public damage, especially since it happened in the forest and there were no civilian casualties, there won’t be many issues. You’d only need to pay compensation,” Mike said kindly. “The main issue is the five knights your undead controlled.”

Mike scrolled through the report on his tablet, his expression turning serious. “According to the medical assessment from the branch healer, the five knights are stable. They were in shock when we found them, suffering from severe mental backlash, disorientation, and short-term memory fragmentation. Nothing fatal, but the healer classified it as psychic trauma caused by forced mental control.” He looked up. “They’ll recover with extensive treatment, but that doesn’t change the fact that the damage happened under your undead’s actions.”

Michael’s heart sank. “So… what does that mean?”

“It means,” Mike said, his tone tightening slightly, “that while the physical injuries are minimal and the mental effects are temporary, it still falls under the category of assault on government personnel. Those knights were Federation staff on active duty. Intentional or not, this technically classifies as a federal offense.” He paused, letting the words settle. “Even if your undead acted independently, you are still its master. By law, that makes you responsible.”

For a moment, the room was quiet.

Then Yola’s voice cut through the tension.

“I disagree,” she said flatly.

Mike blinked, turning to her. “Excuse me?”

“You’re mistaken,” Yola continued, resting an elbow on the table. “It wasn’t an assault, it was an act of self-defense.”

Even Michael, who was being defended, turned to look at her in disbelief.

Self-defense? Really?

Mike’s face reddened slightly, though he forced his tone to remain civil. “Instructor Yola, with all due respect, the report clearly states…”

“I’ve read the same report,” she interrupted, her tone calm but unyielding. “And what it also states is that the government dispatched five knights to apprehend an unregistered entity, one that had no prior record of aggression and was, at the time, performing a harmless act inside a simulation.”

She tilted her head slightly, her eyes narrowing. “Your people attacked first. My student’s undead merely reacted to being ambushed.”

Mike’s jaw tightened. “That’s protocol,” he said sharply. “Apprehend first, confirm later. If we stopped to investigate every case before acting, half the demonic supernaturals captured this month would still be roaming free.”

Yola smiled faintly, her tone polite but her words not. “And yet, not all who appear suspicious are enemies. If a knight draws a blade on a harmless entity, that entity has every right to defend itself. It’s instinct, not malice.”

Yola, unfazed, turned her gaze toward Jester, who had been standing silently behind Michael the entire time. “Tell me,” she said, her tone softening as though speaking to a child. “Was I wrong?”

Jester blinked, startled by the sudden question. His eyes moved from Yola to Michael, then back again. “Wrong?” he repeated slowly.

“Yes,” Yola said with a smile that almost looked innocent. “When they came for you, what exactly were you doing?”

Jester tilted his head, clearly confused by the direction of the question. “I was testing the simulation,” he said simply. “It was my first time inside that kind of environment. I was only experimenting with my abilities.”

Yola nodded encouragingly. “And what’s your strongest element affinity?”

“Darkness,” Jester replied without hesitation. “It’s my dominant element. Everything I use is derived from it.”

“Exactly.” Yola turned back toward Mike, her tone laced with quiet triumph. “So tell me, what could an undead with a high darkness affinity possibly do if he wanted to cast a spell in a virtual test environment for the first time? Refuse to use his own mana? Pretend to be a light mage?”

Mike’s lips pressed into a thin line.

Even Michael was speechless.

Mike opened his mouth, then closed it again, his face twitching slightly as he fought to control his irritation.

He knew arguing with her was pointless.

Still, he couldn’t completely hide the frustration in his tone. “You’re really calling what happened harmless? Five government knights hospitalized and a forest torn apart?”

Yola folded her hands neatly on the table. “Harmless compared to what could have happened,” she said softly. “Be grateful the undead restrained itself instead of retaliating with full force. If it had, those knights wouldn’t be in the infirmary, they’d be corpses.”

The silence that followed was deafening.

Even Michael had to look away to keep a straight face.

He wasn’t sure if he should feel grateful or embarrassed by the audacity of her defense.

Mike exhaled heavily, rubbing his temple. “Fine,” he muttered, clearly forcing composure. “We’ll note your interpretation in the report. But the final judgment will still depend on the Association’s review board.”

“Of course,” Yola replied sweetly, her faint smile never wavering. “I trust they’ll see reason.”

Michael sat in silence, torn between relief and secondhand embarrassment.

Somehow, he wasn’t sure whether Yola had just saved him or made the future matter infinitely more complicated.