Necromancer Of The Black Bible (139)

Verdin had been holding back until now.

If not for Natasha’s request to wait a little longer because she was busy with duties at Brandstein Castle, he would have asked the moment Laerin arrived.

Laerin also instinctively knew it could not be postponed any longer.

It was because the aura she sensed from Verdin felt unusual.

In the end, Laerin nodded and spoke.

“I will keep my promise.”

“Then tell me now.”

A sharp intensity emanated from Verdin.

It was killing intent.

He had never shown such killing intent even before enemies; judging by how he was regarding Princess Lillian, one could tell how important this matter was to him.

Laerin calmed her startled heart and spoke calmly.

“I can’t tell you immediately.”

“What?!”

“Calm down. It just means I can’t do it right this instant.”

Laerin rose from her seat and opened the window.

She then looked toward the distant lake and continued.

“When I last asked the Sylphs, they said Princess Lillian is within the Empire. To find her exact location, I need to meet with more Sylphs.”

“Tell me. Where must we go?”

Verdin’s voice was impatient.

He seemed excited at the thought that they might find Princess Lillian immediately.

Laerin fixed her gaze on the place where his face would be and spoke.

“Let’s go to that lake. It’s called Lake Spiegelfen. It has abundant Water-attribute mana and many Sylphs. If I perform the ritual there, I should be able to find the princess.”

After finishing, Laerin left the room.

Verdin followed her out of the castle.

Lake Spiegelfen lay within the “Buffer Forest” north of Brandstein City.

It wasn’t among the continent’s most renowned lakes, but it was fairly large and deep.

The dense, towering trees kept sunlight at bay, making the lake feel more gloomy than beautiful.

Yet to Laerin it felt familiar and somehow nostalgic.

Most of the elf villages where she had originally lived had this sort of atmosphere.

‘Damp and like a secret kept in hiding.’

Fearing unpleasant memories would surface, Laerin shook off her thoughts.

She then addressed Verdin who followed behind.

“Wait by the water. And…”

After a moment’s hesitation, she added to Verdin,

“Do not come near until I ask for help.”

Verdin stared at her for a moment and replied.

“Very well.”

Laerin turned back again.

She saw the wide lake spread out within the forest.

Normally a place like this would become a marsh, but abundant mana, occasional seeping light, and the Sylphs kept it in lake form.

However, the lake had a depth that made the bottom impossible to gauge, giving it a black sheen.

Laerin stepped onto the black surface of the lake.

Splash.

With a light sound of water, her body stood upon the surface.

‘That’s a relief.’

She had worried the mana might reject her, but that did not happen.

Laerin called to the Sylphs and slowly moved toward the center of the lake.

A thin shaft of light leaked down from the sky to the center.

Laerin stood directly in that light.

‘I must finish before this light fades.’

Otherwise the black lake might swallow her.

Laerin closed her eyes and began the summoning ritual.

‘Children—find Princess Lillian of the Kingdom of Altera. Where is she now?’

Answering her call, the Sylphs’ blue lights gathered all at once.

The lights circled and enveloped Laerin’s whole body as she murmured and conveyed her intent to them.

Several Sylphs hovered before her eyes, and in that moment Laerin’s pupils began to glow blue.

The glow was clearly visible even to Verdin waiting at the shore.

Laerin spoke clearly toward Verdin.

“Princess Lillian of the Kingdom of Altera is in the Empire. But it’s a bit far from here. A sea… I can see a sea. The sea is entirely black. The princess lives in a black palace overlooking that sea.”

Verdin, having heard up to this point, whispered into Laerin’s mind.

-Is the Princess safe? Is she not maimed or injured?

Laerin asked the Sylphs about that.

After a moment, having received an answer, she spoke.

“She is safe. They say she’s healthy. But… there’s a black metal collar around her neck. And a sigil is stamped on her back. It’s a floral pattern—a rose. A rose blooming atop a crown. It’s the mark of a slave.”

Hearing that, Verdin said,

-I know where it is. Thank you.

He immediately turned his back. Laerin asked him.

“Will you go alone?”

Verdin nodded, and Laerin continued with a worried expression.

“His forces are not small. Going alone could be dangerous.”

-I do not care.

Verdin did not stop walking.

Laerin called after him once more.

“A large battle will take place here soon. It would be better for you to stay until then.”

-What?

Only then did Verdin turn around, and Laerin continued.

“The Sylphs just told me. Troops have set out from the Imperial capital, Edelmund. They are marching directly toward this place.”

Verdin thought for a moment, then asked Laerin again.

-How long until they arrive here?

“One week.”

-Understood.

Having spoken, Verdin hurriedly mounted his horse.

Laerin watched him and murmured.

“Oh my. Such a hasty temperament. A whole week left and he abandons his companions like this.”

She grumbled and spoke to the Sylphs gathered around her.

“How large are the troops? What? More than ten thousand?”

That wasn’t all.

There were ten Swordmaster–rank knights deployed, and five mages had joined as well, including the Deputy Towermaster from the Mage Tower.

Laerin muttered to herself as she considered the situation.

“This might prove difficult.”

The forces departing from the Imperial Capital Edelmund were considerable.

A full fifteen thousand elite troops.

Included among them were ten Swordmaster–rank knights renowned across the Empire.

Moreover, five mages had been assigned.

Each was a powerful mage of at least 5th-circle strength.

They marched under the slogan of annihilating any Necroturgy practitioners who might be present.

“Death to Necroturgy practitioners!”

“Death!”

“Rest for the undead!”

“Rest!”

After shouting their slogans several times, the soldiers began to march in formation.

It was highly unusual for the Empire to dispatch so many soldiers.

They had already subjugated most neighboring countries on the continent and were receiving tribute.

Raising armies like this was usually due to the occasional emergence of armed forces from the Dead Lands.

But even that had ceased due to an agreement fifty years ago.

For that reason, there had been no instances of the Imperial capital moving troops in the past fifty years.

This expedition was therefore a special opportunity for the knights.

They had been promoted only by seniority, lacking chances to earn merit.

Kael, the youngest of the ten knights, vowed from the rear of the procession.

‘I will definitely make a name for myself.’

He was the heir of the Drakenblud branch, a cadet line of the Eckhart family.

The family was fairly well respected among mages, but not among knights.

They were pushed aside by knights from the royal family and prominent noble houses, unable to secure favored positions.

Kael could surely wield Master-level aura, but his status was low.

He wanted to achieve merit in this battle and advance his career.

At that moment his adjutant Ashrin approached.

“Commander, do you believe the rumors?”

“Rumors?”

“The rumor that a Necroturgy practitioner is involved in this matter.”

“Ah, that.”

Kael replied dismissively.

“Well, we’ll know when we get there.”

“If a Necroturgy practitioner truly exists, it won’t be an ordinary affair.”

“Really?”

Kael echoed without much thought, but Ashrin answered with a grave expression.

“Necroturgy is an art that raises beings that defy death. Our ancestors severed its lineage a thousand years ago. Even so, if someone is using such Necroturgy now, this fight will by no means be easy.”

Ashrin was an alchemist in his fifties.

He wasn’t part of the combat units or assigned to the mage corps, but he had faithfully served as Kael’s adjutant.

Even in the Mage Tower he researched buffs that aided allies rather than combat spells, and his deep study of the continent’s history gave him insight into the impact of Necroturgy on the world.

“Still, if the opponent is a Necroturgy practitioner, Commander, there will be an opportunity for you.”

“Why do you think so?”

“Because the forces he commands will likely be the undead.”

Undead.

Those resurrected from death.

A term found in history books.

Thus the word felt unfamiliar to Kael.

Ashrin explained the undead to him.

“The undead are corpses. They rise from a state of corpse and fight. They have no intellect—no matter how many times you cut them, they rise and charge endlessly.”

“Are they strong?”

Ashrin answered Kael’s question with a peculiar expression.

“It depends on how you define strength. Commander, what do you consider strong?”

“Well…”

Kael fell into contemplation for a moment.

He was a little over thirty.

He had almost no real combat experience.

But the training he underwent at the Imperial Academy and the knight training grounds was so brutal it had turned him into a war machine.

To him, strength could be defined simply and clearly.

“Survival.”

Countless comrades died in the dungeons they entered under the pretext of training.

Whether strong or weak, clever or foolish, connected or not.

Death rendered everything useless.

After hundreds of real combat trainings, he came to define it that way.

Only the strong survive, and only those who survive can become stronger.

Hearing that, Ashrin nodded.

“Exactly. An undead soldier fits the strength you just defined, Commander.”

“Is that so?”

A glint appeared in Kael’s eyes.

The concept of strength mattered that much to him.

Ashrin looked at him and continued.

“The undead do not fall from a single strike or two. They don’t feel pain. No matter how many times you cut them, they endlessly rise and attack—unyielding warriors.”

Kael chewed on the phrase ‘unyielding warriors.’

It certainly felt different from the foes he had faced.

Then he suddenly asked a question.

“What about swordsmanship?”

“They likely won’t wield swords skillfully.”

“Then can’t we just cut them until they fall for good?”

“That may be true. But the most frightening part is that our fallen comrades could rise again as undead soldiers for them.”

Kael’s expression changed at Ashrin’s point.

That was certainly a threat.

No matter how poor a swordsman’s strokes, in a large-scale battle someone is bound to die.

If the dead rose as undead and became enemies, the situation would inevitably worsen over time.

Seeing Kael’s face harden, Ashrin smiled faintly and added.

“To win this fight, we need flame. Fire can burn corpses. Whether undead or not, once turned to ash by fire, they cannot rise again. So seize the opportunity. This battle will be one for you, Commander.”

A smile spread across Kael’s lips.

Ashrin had been right.

Among the knights assigned to this battle, Kael himself was the best at wielding flame aura.