#161: Necromancer Of The Black Bible (161) — Necromancer of the Black Bible

The Imperial Capital, Edelmund.

It had always been the continent’s liveliest city, but recently that atmosphere had changed considerably.

Shadows hung over people’s faces, and children playing outside were now rare.

Above all, rumors ran rampant.

“They say the Towermaster was murdered. That immortal Eckhart house lord is dead.”

“Who on earth would do such a thing…?”

“An unknown necromancer, they say. He raised the dead and made an army.”

“I’ve heard that too. Grovebern was hit, and even Valbern was taken.”

Rumors hard to believe.

Yet the public swallowed those fears whole and even exaggerated them.

“That Necromancer sent a proclamation to the Emperor. It said that if we don’t surrender within a week, he will turn all humans into undead.”

“They say the people of Grovebern and Valbern have already risen as undead.”

“Even the Archmages and Swordmasters have become undead?”

“They say inhaling some unknown vapor turns you into one.”

Necromancer, undead army, unknown vapor.

These words provoked people’s fears and imaginations, and in no time seized Edelmund.

And then.

Emperor Sigmund VIII took the situation seriously.

As always, he rose at four in the morning, entered the ancestral chamber, and sat with his eyes closed.

Having learned early that a clear mind was needed to handle many matters properly, he meditated in the ancestral chamber whenever difficult issues arose.

Meditation for him was not simply time to ponder.

It was the work of setting aside all thoughts and emptying himself completely.

Having such time each day often naturally yielded solutions, so today the Emperor too let go of everything and focused inward.

After a while of emptying his thoughts, he sensed a presence.

When he opened his eyes, a white eagle was bowing its head before him.

“Who are you?”

“Hyro. I apologize for dropping in unannounced.”

Deputy Towermaster Hyro.

But with Leopold’s death widely assumed, he was effectively the Towermaster.

The Emperor wondered why he had appeared.

As if knowing his thoughts, the eagle raised its head and spoke.

“There will be mages who refuse to acknowledge Leopold’s death. Especially the court mages will try to check me.”

“So you seek a private audience with me?”

“Yes.”

Hyro’s answer was clear.

As the second-in-command, he seldom had the chance to speak with the Emperor directly.

Thus Hyro too needed to gauge the Emperor.

If conversation failed, he would have to devise another plan.

Hyro continued cautiously.

“I’ve already sent word through Clara, but the situation is dire.”

“If all you say is true, then yes, it’s serious.”

“Does Your Majesty think it’s not true?”

The Emperor was silent for a moment at Hyro’s question.

Three days ago, Hyro had sent two pieces of information through Clara.

The appearance of a Necromancer and Leopold’s death.

These facts could not be dismissed lightly.

They were all threats to the Empire.

Since hearing the news, the Emperor had met with ministers, but no special measures emerged.

That was why he meditated early this morning.

The Emperor sorted through the previous discussions in his head, then looked at Hyro and spoke.

“Honestly, I can’t believe it. I heard that from you right after a letter arrived from Valbern. And the same about Leopold—it’s not common sense that such an Archmage could be murdered without a trace.”

Hyro agreed with the Emperor’s judgment.

Because it was a perfectly sensible view.

But the things happening in the Empire now defied common sense.

Hyro answered the Emperor.

“Doubts should be resolved quickly. Until those doubts are cleared, there’s no room for me to act.”

“Then how will you resolve them?”

The Emperor asked seriously, and Hyro, as if prepared, answered at once.

“Select a swift rider and send him to Graneum Castle. Instruct him to keep watch overnight in the eastern woods and return the following day.”

“What should he look for there?”

“If Valbern is intact, lights will be visible in the castle. But if no lights are seen by morning, or no soldiers arrive on time, then the place is under undead control.”

Hyro knew that Brandstein Castle in the Grovebern domain was always dark, day or night.

Thus he judged Graneum Castle would be similar.

The Emperor mulled over Hyro’s words, nodded slowly, and then asked again.

“That will resolve my first doubt. But how will you address Leopold? Have you, by any chance, obtained Leopold’s body?”

“No, we have not.”

Hyro hesitated for a moment and then continued.

“Leopold is thorough in his preparations. He planned thoroughly for every contingency in his absence. One of those measures is producing a double.”

“A double?”

“Yes.”

Hyro’s eyes gleamed.

The information he was about to reveal was strictly classified.

It was one of Towermaster Leopold’s secrets.

Hyro had stayed away from the palace for three days to unearth Leopold’s secret.

He suspected Leopold was dead, but had no confirmation.

So Hyro feigned illness, entered the Tower, and searched for traces of Leopold.

After rifling through his study and searching even the hidden rooms, Hyro discovered several surprising facts.

Hyro revealed one of them to the Emperor.

“The Palace court mages are organizationally independent from the Tower, but in practice they are Leopold’s aides. One of their duties is to stand in for Leopold during his absence.”

The Emperor’s eyebrows twitched.

“Is that true?”

“I will prove it at today’s meeting.”

The Emperor nodded slowly.

Hyro bowed lightly to the Emperor and left, and the Emperor rose from his seat.

Looking out the window, dawn had already broken.

After speaking with Hyro, the Emperor’s mind was not as usual.

Because the unlikely possibility was gradually becoming reality.

‘Still…’

No matter how frightening, one must not avoid it.

If he—the one holding all power—looked away, the Empire’s peace would shatter.

Resolute, the Emperor gave orders to the captain of the guards.

“Send a swift rider to Graneum Castle.”

He also gave specific instructions.

Exactly as Hyro had suggested.

His words might have been false, but for now the Emperor chose to trust them.

His willingness to risk and meet with the Emperor privately had inspired a certain trust.

He then immediately convened a council.

It was earlier than usual, but Hyro’s words weighed heavily on him.

-The moment Your Majesty declares Leopold dead, one of the court mages will appear disguised as Leopold. I will reveal that he is a fake at that time.

It might have sounded absurd, but not to the Emperor.

He had already experienced something like it once before.

About ten years ago, Leopold had been absent for a long time.

They had even declared him missing, and at that moment he had revealed himself.

At the time, they admired Leopold’s cleverness; hearing Hyro this morning, it seemed there had been a reason for it.

‘Everything will be revealed today.’

The Emperor finished a light breakfast and entered the council chamber.

Not all ministers had yet arrived due to the early summons.

But all three court mages were present.

Telsio of Lightning, Helion of Radiance, Dolman of Gravity.

Seeing them made him wonder if Hyro’s prediction had been wrong.

‘Let’s observe a bit longer.’

A short while later.

All the ministers had taken their seats, and the meeting began.

The Emperor went straight to the point.

“Continuing from yesterday, let’s discuss the issue of the Necromancer. And before that…”

The Emperor glanced at the court mages and continued.

“Towermaster Leopold will be considered as deceased from now on. The Palace has exhausted every effort but found no news; treating him as deceased will make discussion easier.”

At that, one of the court mages, Dolman the Gravity Mage, bowed his head and spoke.

“The Towermaster is not one to be so easily killed. Even if he is not present now, I don’t think you should treat him that way.”

“Then do you have an alternative?”

Dolman could not answer immediately to the Emperor’s piercing question.

The Emperor seized the moment and continued.

“Most of our discussions until yesterday were that we should leave matters to Towermaster Leopold if he attended. I too want that; he is that competent. But he has not appeared for months. Do you have any contact with him, Dolman?”

“…Not really…”

“The Necromancer has already taken the Grovebern domain and now Valbern. It’s only a three-day ride from Graneum Castle to here. In three days we might face an undead host—are we still to wait for Leopold?”

Dolman hesitated for a moment before answering.

“It has not been confirmed that Graneum Castle has fallen. There is no need to be so hasty.”

“I sent scouts this morning; we will know by tomorrow.”

Dolman’s expression hardened at the Emperor’s firm reply.

He had never before been spoken to so forcefully as a court mage.

The Emperor, unconcerned, spoke again.

“So, from now on, let us discuss measures on the assumption that Leopold is gone.”

Silence fell.

They merely exchanged glances, reluctant to propose ideas hastily.

The Emperor watched them with a look of annoyance.

Then.

A voice sounded from outside the chamber.