21st Century Necromancer

Waking from the softness of velvet, Jounouchi Hiromi opened her eyes to an unfamiliar deep purple bed canopy. The gentle sensation beneath her felt like floating on clouds, and it took a moment for her to realize that she wasn't at home but in Yu Chen's unfinished castle.

Although it was yet to be completed, the work remaining was only on some further details that didn't matter much; the main bedroom, however, was ready for use long ago.

Last night, Yu Chen had suggested she stay over. Initially, Hiromi had wanted to go home to sleep, but after being taken to the castle's private hot spring by Yu Chen, and soaking for a couple of hours, she ended up staying, albeit somewhat reluctantly.

One could not deny the unique charm of a castle with a touch of classical flavor. Though this castle was newly built without any historical significance—or even complete decoration—the unique atmosphere and elegant setting still made Hiromi feel immensely pleased.

After all, which girl hasn't dreamed of waking up one day as a princess in a castle, waiting for a prince to come and sweep her off her feet?

However, being in her thirties, Hiromi treated such youthful fantasies merely as a brief morning reverie.

Just as she was about to get up and dress herself, the door to her room suddenly opened, and a troupe of maids in traditional British attire, pushing a few trolleys, walked in, followed by Yu Chen.

"My princess, are you awake?" Yu Chen teased with a smile, his voice affecting an almost operatic tone as he looked at the somewhat dazed Hiromi sitting up in bed. He also gestured for the maids to help her with her morning routine.

Still bewildered, Hiromi watched as the maids wet a towel in hot water, wrung it out, and then gently wiped her hands. Unsure of what was happening but accepting their services, she curiously asked, "Mr. Chen Yu, who are they? Why haven't I seen them before?"

"They're not human," Yu Chen said with a smile, sitting down beside the bed, then clarifying, "They are Ghost Maids, tasked with serving this castle." Discover exclusive tales on empire

"Ghost... Maids?" Hiromi scrutinized the maids tending to her. They appeared no different from the living. As for sunlight... Hiromi looked out the window. Although not intense, the sun shone bright in the sky.

How could ghosts walk under the sunlight?

"Don't be surprised. They were summoned using the blank souls created by the Spirit Gathering Tower I told you about yesterday. They look no different from the living, and the maid attire they're wearing is made of a special material that shields them from the harmful effects of sunlight." Yu Chen gave an explanation, smiling at Hiromi.

As for the fact that the sunlight in the Necromantic Space was merely a spell effect and not real, that bit of information could wait until she was ready to understand it.

"Oh, I see…" Though Yu Chen didn't delve into more complex details, even the basic explanation left Hiromi feeling dizzy. With no choice but to let the Ghost Maids wash her face, clean her hands, help her rinse her mouth, and change into a fresh set of clothes.

"Since you didn't bring clothes last night, I went home early this morning to get some for you. Not sure what you wanted to wear today, I just picked something I like," Yu Chen said with a smile, leading Hiromi out of the room: "Let's go have breakfast first. There will still be enough time for work afterward, it's early."

————————————————————————

After enjoying a delicious and exquisite breakfast, Yu Chen and Hiromi Jounouchi left the Necromantic Space and went to work together.

"Mr. Chen Yu, weren't we near Kawakami Cemetery last night? How come we are directly..." Hiromi looked at the Eastern University Affiliated Hospital not far from them, puzzled, half-guessing it was his magic at work, but still curious enough to ask.

"It's true we entered the small island from Kawakami Cemetery last night, but that doesn't mean we have to leave from there." Yu Chen and Hiromi appeared in a quiet alley near the hospital. Holding Hiromi's hand, they walked out of the alley and toward the hospital as Yu Chen explained, "As long as I have the coordinates to lock on, there's no restriction on where I can open the door."

"...Magic is truly marvelous!" After hearing the explanation, Hiromi didn't quite grasp the mechanics behind it, but she got the gist. She looked down at the engagement ring on her hand and asked Yu Chen, "Does my ring also have that kind of ability?"

"Yes, but you have to learn how to use it first," Yu Chen nodded as they entered the hospital, then switched from their conversation to the business at hand.

After passing through the lobby and parting ways with Hiromi to his office to change into a white doctor's coat, Yu Chen shifted his role from a Necromancer deeply studying death to a doctor saving lives and began his work for the day.

"Professor, here are Higashiyama Keika's CT and X-ray films, sent by the examination room this morning." On seeing Yu Chen enter the office, Shirai Reina quickly handed him the examination results from earlier.

Looking at Higashiyama Keika's results, Yu Chen raised his eyebrows, "Sent first thing in the morning? When did the examination room become so efficient? Aren't they supposed to calibrate the machines before doing any examinations in the morning?"

"Doctor Higashiyama arranged with the examination room to have the tests done for his sister before work hours." Shirai Reina had been curious when the examination room delivered the materials, so she had asked beforehand.

Hearing Shirai Reina's explanation, Yu Chen understood the situation and nodded. The diagnostic equipment in the examination room required time-consuming calibration each morning. For the examination room staff to do this favor for Higashiyama was a significant favor owed by Doctor Higashiyama.

Placing the CT and X-ray films in the light box beside his desk, he looked over the results and said to Shirai, "Shirai-san, please call Doctor Michiko Daimon. I have some questions to discuss with her regarding Keika Higashiyama's condition."

"Understood," replied Shirai as she left the office to fetch Doctor Daimon in accordance with Yu Chen's instructions.

"This surgery... is going to be troublesome!" Yu Chen muttered with a frown as he examined Higashiyama Keika's spinal CT images on the light box, "With this sort of condition, the part to be cut must be..."