Necromancer Of The Black Bible (113)

Erisia walked and walked.

She wasn’t tired or struggling.

That was the nature of a spirit form.

But she felt unbearably listless.

She was far more lethargic and lacked drive compared to when she had a body.

Above all, her heart felt empty.

Previously her heart had been full of hope, desire, and greed.

Anticipation for the coming-of-age ceremony and the hope of becoming stronger — with that strength, so many sweet and pleasant things to take.

A future in which she would obtain all of that.

But those emotions that once filled her heart were now completely gone.

Because the reality before her was far from any of that.

Astarene, who had stolen her body.

The meeting with the demon Belphazes.

And the unidentified man.

Honestly, she couldn’t easily make sense of the situation.

She understood she had been swept into others’ fight, but she couldn’t understand why she had to be involved.

‘If only I’d stayed a little longer, I could’ve seized the Empire….’

The face of the handsome Crown Prince still lingered in her mind.

The gazes of the academy students who looked at her with awe whenever she cast magic, and the professors straining to secure a line for themselves.

And the Emperor’s aides who would appear occasionally to ask about her well-being.

The slave who came every morning to wash her feet and the mealtimes where she could eat whatever she wanted.

She missed all of it.

Erisia looked down at her translucent hand.

Beyond her hand there was deep darkness.

Darkness that stretched so far she couldn’t tell where it ended.

Astarene and Belphages were talking in front of her, but she couldn’t hear them.

I want to go back quickly. I want to live like before.

Her previous thoughts and feelings kept intruding on her mind, and Erisia sank into confusion.

Then a clear voice sounded inside her mind.

-You can’t just stay like that, can you?

“Then…”

She spoke reflexively and then snapped her mouth shut in surprise.

Belphages glanced this way and asked Erisia.

“Is something the matter?”

“W-well…”

As she hesitated for a moment, the man’s voice came again in her mind.

-Say it’s nothing. If you tell them about me, it won’t be good.

Erisia answered exactly as the man said.

“It’s nothing.”

“Then stay quiet. We’re in the middle of an important conversation.”

“…Yes.”

Belphages turned his head back and began speaking with the person ahead.

Erisia felt relieved, and then the voice spoke again.

-From now on, when you speak to me, don’t open your mouth; just think.

-Think…?

-Yes. Do it just like that. You have a talent, don’t you?

Erisia felt good at the man’s praise.

She was also relieved that she could communicate without opening her mouth.

The man continued to speak to her.

-Do you know what they’re trying to do?

-No. I don’t really want to know.

-Why?

-Because it’s related to ‘Mother.’ I can’t get involved in their affairs. I mustn’t interfere.

-Tsk tsk.

The man clicked his tongue once and continued.

-You still haven’t grasped the situation, have you?

-What do you mean by that?

-Try to recall. You’ve already heard it, haven’t you?

Erisia did not answer.

Unconsciously, she didn’t want to reveal what she knew.

As if looking straight into her mind, the man’s voice spoke.

-You’ve already crossed a point of no return. The one who took your body is not like ‘Mother.’ From the start they were a usurper who targeted your body.

-…But.

She barely held back the words that were about to come out.

At the same time, the things the man said when they first met came to mind.

<You were stripped of your body. Originally the being you call ‘Mother’ intended to take it, but circumstances changed.>

The moment that line came back, the memories at that time sharpened.

That the being she called ‘Mother’ was really Astarene, and that she feared the man who was now speaking to her.

And she recalled the whole scene of the dragon Eckhart being devoured by something.

As those shocking scenes and images resurfaced, Erisia’s spirit form began to tremble faintly.

-I-I remember now. Th-they said they’d offer me as a sacrifice.

-To whom?

-To the Demon King.

-Demon King? Do you happen to know that name?

Erisia lifted her head and looked ahead.

Astarene and Belphages. And someone sitting before them.

Strangely, his figure seated on the black throne was hard to make out.

Furthermore, her memories of him were hazy.

Come to think of it, she didn’t remember how she had come here or what had happened.

‘Why? Why don’t I remember anything?’

When she asked herself that, the man’s voice came again.

-Because they did something to you.

-Is it because I’m a spirit form?

-Of course, suddenly becoming a spirit form can cause confusion. But in your case it’s more serious. I can feel an energy trying to scatter your consciousness.

-An energy?

At that moment Erisia looked at the shackles around her ankle.

When she recalled that the sight of those shackles always plunged her into helplessness, the man’s voice came again.

-That’s right. It’s because of those. Shackles made with dragon words. Those shackles are driving your spirit form into chaos.

Erisia couldn’t understand.

Why would shackles have such a function? Or more fundamentally, why did they put such shackles on her?

The man answered with a hint of laughter in his voice.

-It’s simple. They wanted to safely ‘store’ your spirit form.

-“Store”?

-Have you forgotten? You’re a sacrifice. Under the pretense of giving blessings at the rite of passage and taking your body, you’d be brought to the cave where that dragon slept — bound by those shackles. Then what would happen?

Erisia focused her mind and tried to think, but nothing particular came to mind.

As if expecting that, the man continued in a clear voice.

-Do you remember what the name Eckhart originally meant?

-…It’s the name of the ancient Crimson Dragon. Our family was born by the promise of the ancient dragon….

-Right. That ancient Crimson Dragon was sleeping there. Why was it sleeping?

-That is… that is….

Erisia struggled to find an answer that seemed within reach.

The man patiently waited, and soon she offered the answer she had thought of.

-To preserve its life.

-Exactly. To survive. To somehow maintain that aged body through the long years. Everything that creature has done is connected to that.

The man’s voice brightly opened Erisia’s vision, which had been shrouded in black mist until now.

At the same time, many facts she had thought separate began to connect one by one.

The ‘Mother’ who had appeared one day.

The abilities she received from ‘Mother’ and the reputation gained because of them.

And the promised blessing at the coming-of-age ceremony.

But before the ceremony came, her body had been taken, leading to this point.

Astarene, whom she had thought was ‘Mother,’ merely called her a ‘sacrifice.’

The first thing she was ordered to do was to observe what was happening in the underground cave.

Then she met the man and watched from behind him as the ancient dragon Eckhart was devoured.

Also, she had come here because Astarene had asked her brother Belphages for help.

They planned to offer Erisia as a sacrifice to the Demon Kings and rally those Demon Kings to oppose the man.

Having recalled all this, Erisia spoke to the man.

-I understand now. Why they put these shackles on me.

-Will you tell me why?

-Because I’m a sacrifice. Originally they intended to offer me to the dragon. But circumstances changed now. You appeared.

-Go on.

-You killed the ancient Crimson Dragon Eckhart. And you slew all his brothers. Only these two remain.

-Very good. And then?

Erisia took a moment to sort her thoughts.

There were parts she couldn’t remember.

But from the facts she had recalled and the scene before her, she could clearly deduce the current situation.

-They are meeting with the Demon Kings to oppose you. They thought that by offering me as a sacrifice and handing me over, they could make a deal.

-Then do you remember the name of the Demon King before you?

Erisia’s eyes widened.

She stared intently at the black throne opposite Astarene.

But there was nothing visible there.

Only something like black smoke flickered.

Then the man’s voice spoke again.

-Good observation. That’s the Demon King. Do you want to know that one’s name?

Erisia’s spirit form trembled once.

At the same time, thoughts began to churn in her chest.

‘Who on earth is that to want to hand me over?

‘If he’s a Demon King, is he powerful?

‘Can that person defeat him?

‘No. That can’t be. They said they were Demon Kings, so alone they couldn’t beat this person.

‘Then I need to be on this person’s side.

‘What do I need to do to please this person?

‘This person wants to know the Demon King’s name right now.

‘If I tell him the Demon King’s name, he’ll be very pleased. If I can do that, I could swear loyalty and receive his protection….’

It was instinct.

The instinct that had allowed Erisia to survive in the world until now.

A primal force that had let her trample others and stand in a higher place.

Erisia desperately tried to recall the Demon King’s name.

But nothing came to mind.

Above all, she couldn’t even hear the voices of the three people conversing before her.

Then the man’s voice spoke again.

-That’s a clever thought.

-Did you read my thoughts?

-What do you think?

Erisia answered without hesitation.

-It seems you can see through not only my thoughts but my heart as well.

A low chuckle came from the man.

Erisia felt relieved and spoke to him.

-I’m sorry. I don’t know that Demon King’s name.

-That’s a misunderstanding. That one’s name is Perak. I only asked for the Demon King’s name for you — to restore your memory and mind.

-Ah.

Erisia’s eyes snapped open, and the voice spoke again.

-It had an effect. You’ve recovered most of your memories, and your mind is much more whole. Now, let’s move on. What should we do from here?

Erisia answered without delay.

-Please accept my loyalty. Make me your slave.

A moment of silence followed.

The man replied with laughter in his voice.