Project Necro is an official initiative by Re:Library.

“…Are you all right?”

I spoke, turning toward her from behind.
A beast-girl with fox-colored ears. The clothes she wore bore a certain resemblance to what is known as a shrine maiden’s robe. Though they revealed a bit more skin than the traditional version, it was an outfit familiar to the people of the Republic.
She twirled her three-pronged tail and looked at me. Her small lips formed the words.

“Yes, Zeno-san… thank you very much. I’m fine.”
“I’m glad I made it in time.”

…What should I do about this?

I returned to the Merchant Guild earlier than planned, and heard that Arje-san was in this village, in Renshia, so I hurried here.
And when I arrived, I found the usually peaceful Renshia looked like a monster’s paradise, and this girl—Kuzuha-chan—was fighting.

Realizing the situation was clearly dangerous, I left the search for Arje-san to Felnoute-san and rushed in to help her, that was just a little while ago.

“I managed to block it, but we’re really stuck.”

Just a moment ago, a stream of paralyzing poison breath, emitted by a basilisk-type monster—was aimed right at me. If you inhale that, you’ll be immobilized in a matter of seconds. By then, it’s already too late.
We somehow managed to blow it away with wind magic, but the situation is extremely dire.

“Gishiiii…!”

Perhaps it was deeply displeased that its breath attack had been blocked; its basilisk face let out a grating growl.
Yes, this thing has a “basilisk face.”

…I’ve never seen such a grotesque monster before.

The head belongs to a basilisk, a lizard-like monster that inhabits desert regions, but its body bears a striking resemblance to a wolf-like monster found in forested areas. Yet its tail was a smooth tentacle, like an octopus’s, complete with suction cups.
It looked like a patchwork of different monsters—a figure so utterly out of balance.
And there were not just one or two of these things; There were countless of these creatures, creatures so bizarre it’s doubtful they could even be called monsters.
We’ve already taken down quite a few, but there are still far too many. To be honest, we don’t have enough hands.

“Out here of all places… I’m supposed to be going to save Arje-san…!”
“It’s okay. I’ll figure something out.”
“Ugh… It’s no use! There are just too many of them! I’m grateful you helped me, but please, you have to run away now!”

Kuzuha-chan seems to be in pain somewhere; she grimaces but still shows concern for me.
I appreciate her concern, but hearing the name “Arje” makes it even harder for me to back down.
If the girl behind me is an acquaintance of that person, running away without saving her is simply not an option.

“You’re the one in danger—your magic’s running out. Leave it to me.”

…That said, the situation really is dire.
Even if I’m somewhat confident in my abilities, at the end of the day, I’m just a merchant. I’m not exceptionally strong like Felnoute-san or Arje-san.
The monsters around us temporarily retreated, repulsed by the paralyzing poison that had been reflected back at them, but it’s only a matter of time before they attack again.

“I guess I have no choice. I’ve got some leeway, after all.”
“……What are you planning to do?”
“Hm? Oh, well… We’re getting out of here the way a merchant does it.”

Since I was being so calm, she must have figured I had something up my sleeve. Kuzuha-chan asked me.
Even if I say I’ll handle this like a merchant, bribing them won’t work. They’re all monsters; they probably have no interest in money.

Still, I pulled some coins out of my pocket.
The metal clinked together, making a familiar sound.

“Wait… what are you planning to do with money for monsters!?”
“I’m not using it on the monsters, you know.”

It’s easier to show her than to explain. If I’m going to do this, I might as well make it fancy.
Gold, silver, copper. I scattered every last one of the three types of coins—each with its own color—into the air.

“O radiance of our lives. Grant us that radiance.”

Cyril is the name given to the world’s universal currency. There’s a reason why there’s a single currency despite the country being divided into separate nations.

It’s because of the extremely sophisticated anti-counterfeiting measures embedded in every single Cyril coin.
If even a trace of mana passes through it, it glows brilliantly. It’s precisely because such magic is imbued in them that these coins are used in every country.
It may just glow, but it’s a special kind of glow. It’s a highly complex magic that causes the brightness and color to change over time, making counterfeits immediately detectable.
In other words, every single Cyril coin is essentially an Artifact.

With that in mind, we can rephrase it this way:
Cyril coins are reservoirs of mana that are far more capable than their small size would suggest.

And the merchant magic passed down through the Merchant Guild is what draws out the mana imbued in the coins.
Naturally, once the mana is drawn out, the coin becomes mere metal and loses its value as an asset. Merchants use this magic—which renders gold, their very lifeblood, worthless—only in matters of life and death.

Arje-san saved me back then so I didn’t have a moment to use this, but this time is different.
The radiance dancing in the sky emitted an intense light and converged on me.
An immense amount of mana—unthinkable under normal circumstances. It’s difficult to control, but even that control can be “bought with gold.”
Drawing even the mana needed for control from Cyril, I channeled the spell.

“I’ll spare no expense. So, I’ll buy this child’s life. …Wind of Annihilation.”

I unleashed the mana, transformed into a wind of destruction, at all the enemies around me.
The monsters, which looked as if they’d been cobbled together, were shredded to bits by the razor-sharp wind.
The wind raged, drowning out even their death screams.
After it passed, only we remained.

“…Geez. Time to earn some more.”

Gazing at the coins falling to the ground after losing their mana, I muttered.
I’d used up most of the profits I’d made in Sakuranomiya, but it couldn’t be helped. I’d just have to think of it as a necessary expense.

“Well then, let’s get going. After all, Arje-san is an acquaintance of mine too.”
“…You… could you be the person Arje-san was looking for…?”
“Yes. It seems that’s the case.”

Arje-san had told me when we parted ways that she’d repay the favor someday, so this must be what she meant.
Feeling a pleasant sense of her conscientiousness, I reached out my hand to Kuzuha-chan.

“……? What’s that……?”

Suddenly, something flitted across the corner of my eye, and I looked up.
I saw something that looked like a black shadow flying across the sky, brightly illuminated by the moon.

“A bird… no, a bat?”
“Zeno-san, is something wrong?”
“Ah, no, it’s nothing.”

It did catch my attention, but right now, my priority was to meet up with Felnoute-san and Arje-san.
I took the hand she offered and helped her to her feet.