Necromancer Of The Black Bible (17)

William Leofric Merces I.

That was his original name.

Around a thousand years ago, William made his name across the continent as a lion-hearted warrior.

He was one of the Twelve Heroes who subjugated the Demon King. At the time, the heroes vowed to take artifacts imbued with parts of the Demon King’s seal and each found their own kingdom.

Their will was to establish nations to guard the Demon King’s seal, ensuring he could never again disturb the world.

Thus, to honor that pact, William settled here.

This land was shielded by rugged mountains to the west and south, with fertile plains before them where crops grew abundantly.

William believed that founding a nation here could yield a kingdom lasting a thousand years.

In truth, his prediction proved partially correct.

For fifty years after he founded his kingdom, peace endured, and prosperity grew.

But in the fifty-fifth year, disaster struck.

A monstrous creature dwelling deep beneath the kingdom’s heart emerged.

It was a dragon.

Specifically, an ancient Sand Dragon — vicious, feeding on magma in the depths.

Bursting forth from beneath the capital, the Sand Dragon spewed magma in all directions, reducing fifty years of construction to rubble.

At the same time, the civilization itself was annihilated.

William, with his royal guard, wielded the greatsword imbued with the Demon King’s power and fought the Sand Dragon evenly. His blade tore its thick scales and carved deep wounds.

But then, another Sand Dragon suddenly appeared from behind and crushed him to death.

And so, with his death, the kingdom he had built vanished into dust.

[When I first regained awareness, I was in the Sand Dragons’ resting place. I don’t know how many years I remained there, for there was no sun or moon. My mind was hazy — as if asleep, as if dreaming — making it hard to hold even a single thought. But one day, that haze began to clear. It was when an unknown tremor shook the entire place. My mind sharpened as if waking from sleep, and I could think again.]

William’s soul paused, as if recalling those days.

His spirit was pitch black, but his eyes shone with a piercing blue light.

With that fierce blue gaze, he continued, looking at Damian.

[After a time, I realized: to keep my mind intact, I had to reach the source of the tremors. So I moved — and arrived here.]

William stopped before saying more.

How long had it been since he last spoke to anyone?

It was a chance gained after an unfathomable span of silence.

Now that someone had appeared, he wanted to say more.

But his spirit was unstable.

Each time he tried to speak, unknown emotions overwhelmed him.

Curses, resentment, rage.

These emotions seized William’s soul, and each time his spirit turned deep red.

[Graahhh… I’ll kill them all! Nghhh!! Damn it!!!]

William cursed, dropping to his knees.

His once-clear mind scattered as fury engulfed him.

Damian, quietly watching, asked.

[Why do you suffer so?]

And then, as if by magic, something happened.

Damian’s question steadied his unraveling mind.

His spirit returned to its original black.

Regaining composure, William looked up at Damian.

[Th-that is…]

[Don’t think of anything else. Look into my eyes and speak. That will help.]

Just as Damian said.

William gazed into Damian’s eyes, and that alone cleared his mind.

At the same time, the answer to the question rose within him.

[It’s too unjust. That empty death… I wasn’t meant to die like that.]

[Why weren’t you meant to die?]

[A promise. I must keep the vow I made with my friends.]

William’s beloved blade — the greatsword “Lion’s Fang,” used to seal the Demon King.

He had to reclaim it.

And for that, something had to be done first.

Recalling this, William’s spirit roiled with fury.

But he calmed again by meeting Damian’s gaze.

William spoke.

[The Sand Dragon.]

His blue eyes blazed stronger.

With that gaze, he continued.

[It killed me. Revenge… I want revenge.]

I pieced together everything William had said.

‘So… he wants revenge on the Sand Dragon that killed him.’

His tale intrigued me.

Above all, the claim that he was one of the Twelve Heroes a millennium ago.

‘Surely he’s not lying?’

[Thus far, he has spoken consistently. Some spirits mistake others’ memories for their own, but this one doesn’t seem to.]

Equinox carefully observed William’s state. Listening to him taught me what to note when dealing with spirits.

[The reason a spirit burns red is unresolved rage from life. Usually, this turns them into monsters. But not this one. It means he bore a noble soul in life.]

I agreed with Equinox.

Rage always corrodes the soul.

Even the living succumb — so for bodiless spirits to turn monstrous from rage is only natural.

Yet William retained his form.

And he struggled desperately to hold onto his sanity while meeting my gaze.

He was no ordinary soul.

Perhaps his claim of being one of the Twelve Heroes who defeated the Demon King was true.

[Equinox. What must I do to raise this one with necromancy?]

[You must find his bones.]

[His bones…]

If William was right, they’d be deep beneath this mountain.

Likely in the depths where the Sand Dragon that killed him still dwelled.

‘Going there would inevitably mean slaying the Sand Dragon.’

The Sand Dragon is a kind of dragon.

Though it cannot fly, it swims through earth and breathes magma, making it as hard to hunt as any dragon.

Even in my past life, my master avoided facing dragons.

Such was their strength.

‘Could I possibly defeat one now?’

I had just slain a beast-class boar, but that was nothing compared to a dragon.

And this one had casually killed one of the Twelve Heroes who fought the Demon King.

To fight it now was unthinkable.

[You overestimate the foe.]

[I’m only judging based on experience.]

[You have yet to wield your true power. The boar hunt was just an appetizer — the real beginning hasn’t even come.]

[So you think I can slay the Sand Dragon right now?]

To the pointed question, Equinox laughed and answered.

[Indeed.]

Even with his certainty, my heart did not settle.

Then William’s voice came.

[They’re coming. The beasts.]

At that moment, tremors began.

From deep below, the tremors grew nearer.

Equinox chuckled and said.

[I knew of its presence the moment we arrived. So do not waver. You will prevail. Measuring the foe matters — but now you must measure yourself.]

I gripped Nocturne, transformed into a wooden sword.

Its gem began to glow red.

Several hours earlier.

A massive cavern where lava flowed along one side.

Here, two gigantic beings were engaged in carnal union.

Creatures resembling enormous worms.

They differed in size: one immense, the other scarcely half as large.

Yet they entwined tightly like twisted ropes, indulging in each other’s bodies.

They were Sand Dragons, rulers of the underground.

Unlike dragons who soar with vast wings, Sand Dragons’ wings evolved into special scales sheathing their bodies.

Dragon scales are renowned for hardness, but a Sand Dragon’s were on another level.

Their sharp nasal horns shattered any stone, and their firm yet supple body scales allowed them to glide through earth like water.

Moreover, the four limbs on their bodies could tuck seamlessly into their scales.

Of course, those limbs were presently devoted to ravishing each other.

Kurrrr-

Kuaagh-

Khhhuuuhh-

With grotesque cries and violent writhing, stalactites fell from the ceiling, but they cared not.

The fragments shattered like dew upon their dense, hard scales.

As they rolled, the cavern’s pillars collapsed.

Their roars shook cavern and earth, yet it was mere sport to them.

By the time most stalactites had fallen and several pillars had toppled.

Their mating had ended.

Khhuuhhngh!

The smaller male Sand Dragon shuddered once and withdrew from the great female.

Closing its eyes and exhaling for a while, the male spoke.

“Strange.”

Its cracked, rasping voice was in the Ancient Dragon Tongue, known only to dragons.

“What is?”

The female, rolling lazily over, asked, while the male suspiciously scanned the cavern ceiling.

“Something’s here.”

But the female spread her foreclaws and replied.

“There’s nothing here. Look around — it’s just as it always was.”

She was right.

This cavern, called the Sand Dragons’ Rest, was unchanged.

Aside from the fallen stalactites and collapsed pillars, it was as it had been for decades.

Though his eyes confirmed it, the male’s expression stayed doubtful.

“True, but…”

“But what?”

“Something feels wrong.”

The male flipped upright onto four legs, sniffed at the female’s loins, and spoke.

“We’ve met too soon.”

“Why do you say that?”

“You’re not ready yet.”

The male’s point was true.

They only mated when the female was in estrus.

That cycle came once every hundred years.

A female in heat carried a different scent.

Thicker, more intoxicating.

The female gave a faint, crooked smile at his remark.

“Still… I enjoyed it. Don’t know why we didn’t do this sooner.”

“Khkhkh. Did you?”

The male chuckled in satisfaction, then slithered to her head, licked the horn on her snout, and asked with a sly look:

“Why summon me so early? Did you miss me that badly?”

At that moment, the female’s face hardened.

She looked up at the male and asked back.

“Wait. I summoned you?”

The female looked utterly bewildered.