Necromancer Of The Black Bible (13)

I looked at Equinox for a moment.

His aura was different from usual.

He must have sensed all of my conversation with Nocturne.

He could read thoughts, so it was natural.

Indeed, Equinox’s spirit radiated a different energy.

Dense killing intent formed crimson eyes glaring at Nocturne.

Nocturne, in turn, flared crimson light from its gem.

After gathering my thoughts, I spoke.

“Nocturne suspects you. He thinks you help me without price because you have a hidden reason.”

“Oh?”

Equinox’s eyes turned toward me.

He met my gaze and spoke in a grim voice.

“What does Master think?”

“Well…”

Nocturne’s words had weight.

Nothing in this world is free.

So it would be good to learn Equinox’s true intentions now.

‘Because deals must be clear-cut.’

As I thought this, Equinox replied.

“Kehehe… It’s natural for you to think so. I too do not serve you without price.”

“Then what do you want?”

When I asked, Equinox glanced at Nocturne, then back to me.

“I want you, Master.”

It was an answer I half-expected.

Otherwise, why go this far?

Killing intent flared from Nocturne.

See? I was right. That old man Equinox can’t be trusted. Burn him now!

“Burn me?”

Equinox chuckled and said to me,

“Do as you like. You’ve already stepped onto the necromancer’s path, and I alone know the way. Your master, tricked by my copy, studied in vain. With only two Rings, surely you don’t believe you can reach eternal power?”

Equinox was right.

He had given me new power and shown me a new world.

It was nothing like what I’d learned in my past life.

It meant I couldn’t advance with memory alone.

As I stayed silent, Nocturne buzzed angrily.

Don’t be fooled, Master. Necromancy secrets can be found elsewhere. In my 160 years I’ve met many necromancers. Follow their traces, and you’ll find better teachers than this fraud.

“Khul—! You dare equate me with petty necromancers?!”

Equinox burst into true rage.

But I didn’t want to watch their quarrel.

I stepped in and stopped them.

“Enough. I’ve made my decision.”

Master! Don’t give in to him!

“Silence, Nocturne. You’re in no place to say that.”

What do you mean…?

Nocturne sounded genuinely aggrieved, but it didn’t sway me.

I spoke firmly.

“You almost killed me.”

Nocturne fell silent.

Equinox exuded triumph and added,

“Yes, monster. The Master knows the foul aura you harbor. You act meek and humble, but vile desires rot in your heart. Who revealed it, hmm?”

That old man…

Nocturne trembled.

Exposed, he could not deny it.

Seeing this, Equinox whispered to me.

“Now’s the chance — crush him. With your power, you could annihilate him instantly.”

“Enough, Equinox.”

I shook my head.

“Nocturne is an ally. Respect him from now on.”

Equinox lowered his glowing red eyes, and I addressed Nocturne.

“And you, stop suspecting him. I’ll resolve it myself. Understand?”

…Yes, Master.

Once both were quiet, I asked Equinox again.

“Fine. You said you want me. But as you know, my soul is pledged to Demon King Illinas.”

“What does that matter? The body is yours. Once you gain eternal power, your soul will never leave it, and the Demon King cannot interfere.”

“So you want my body, not my soul?”

He didn’t answer right away.

He folded his arms, paced slowly, then stopped before me.

“Do you truly want to know what I desire?”

“Yes. Only then can we make a deal.”

“A deal…”

Equinox thought again, then nodded.

“Yes, this is a deal — a promise of exchange.”

“Exactly. I’ve only received so far, and will continue to. In return, what do you want?”

A crucial question.

If not clarified now, he might demand something absurd.

I watched him silently. He muttered and nodded for a long while, then answered.

“What I want is all of Master’s soul and body. But…”

He slowly met my eyes.

“Your soul is bound and your body incomplete. Until then, I will serve as your second guardian spirit and assist you.”

“So until I become a complete necromancer, you’ll be my guardian?”

“Yes.”

Equinox’s eyes had calmed.

Looking at him, one doubt rose.

“And if then I don’t give you my soul and body, what will you do?”

“I’ll do everything in my power to take them.”

Hm.

So he means forcefully.

Calculations ran through my mind.

The more I thought, the better it seemed for me.

‘Because it leaves me room.’

I didn’t know Equinox’s full power.

But he had no body.

‘Thoughts without flesh have limits.’

If I inherited all the necromancer’s power…

If I wielded eternal power freely…

Would I not surpass Equinox?

Yet Equinox said nothing.

What was he thinking?

Why set such loose terms?

I didn’t know why, but let it pass.

The deal was too favorable to me.

So I nodded slowly and accepted.

“Fine. So be it.”

I held out my hand and asked.

“Then what now? Cast out the serpent and take you in?”

“No. No need.”

Equinox pointed at my chest and spoke slowly.

“As your Mana Rings multiplied, another guardian’s seat formed below the heart. Place me there.”

Master, it’s too suspicious…

I set Nocturne on the floor before he could protest.

Then I sat cross-legged and opened my imagery.

‘Let’s see…’

It was as Equinox said.

A new Ring’s formation had created a space below my heart.

The four Rings now in my heart had braced space into existence.

I peered into it and spoke to Equinox with my soul’s voice.

[Fine. I see it. Do as you wish.]

With permission, Equinox’s spirit turned to thick black aura and flowed into the space in my heart.

As he settled, his voice resonated inside me.

[A wise choice. With me as your guardian, you gain two mighty powers.]

[What powers?]

[First, to read the thoughts of any creature you meet eyes with. Second, to increase the mana your Rings can contain — amplifying both the number and strength of spells you can cast.]

Just hearing it was astounding.

More mana and stronger magic.

But I couldn’t dwell on it further.

Heat wrapped my heart, and I drifted into trance.

As my new guardian, Equinox purified my Rings faster than before, each time shaking with unknown tremors.

I would only later learn those tremors awakened something in this mountain.

Southwest of the Kallios Theocracy looms one of the continent’s most infamous mountains.

Its name: “The Sand Dragon’s Rest.”

It bore that name before the Theocracy was founded, though few know why.

But the elder of Hainche, the village beneath it, knew its history.

‘A very old tale.’

The elder stroked his white beard, gazing at the mountain.

Though its face seemed tame, inside its entrance the mood changed.

Ominous rocks, as if alive, and eerie mists.

Many have entered and lost their way.

Swamps hid within, swallowing wanderers without a trace.

And a dire legend endured.

The Sand Dragon wakes once every hundred years to mate. Disturb it then, and the land is scourged. When you hear its cry, the village must empty for a year — or perish.

The elder heard this from his grandfather as a boy.

And his grandfather from his own.

An ancient tale, but never dismissed.

For relics proved it.

The elder’s home and hall still kept them.

He looked at one on the hall’s wall.

A footprint pressed into melted iron.

The iron filled the wall, but the print was even larger.

Only two toes barely fit.

And beneath them, human bones lay crushed.

Legend says they were King William I, who founded a nation here.

A tragic king buried with his kingdom by the Sand Dragon’s rise.

Had he lived, his kingdom might rival the Theocracy.

‘But now… what should we do?’

It had been half a month since young men were sent to the Theocracy.

It would take another half-month for them to return with an expedition.

He meant to wait, but the situation grew dire.

For days now, the mountain had cried again.

Wooooong—

A cry that shook the mountain.

It was ominous.

The villagers, unable to bear it, came to the elder.

Even at midnight, many huddled in the hall in fear.

“Elder, we can’t live like this.”

“How long must we stay here?”

“Shouldn’t we flee elsewhere, as the elders said?”

Each time, the elder gave the same reply.

“Wait a little longer. Until the expedition arrives from the Theocracy.”

‘Please, may they come soon…’

Just then.

Krrr-rumble—

A completely different tremor.

And the ground shook.

Startled, the villagers rushed to the balcony — and saw a terrifying sight.

“Th-this…”

“What is that?!”

“What on earth is that?!”

It was like a colossal mole tearing through the earth.

The ground heaved from the southeast, cutting across the village.

Houses atop it shattered as the rising earth pushed onward.

Its path led west — to the Sand Dragon’s Rest.

Seeing it, the elder decided.

“Return home and pack. By tomorrow morning we leave.”