Necromancer Of The Black Bible (170)

The Pristine Forest.

In the deep night when everyone was asleep, Balthazar came out alone and was staring at the sky.

The positions of the countless stars studding the sky were slightly different from what he remembered in his previous life.

‘How strange.’

The red star that symbolizes the Empire looked particularly precarious.

It wasn’t like this in his former life.

The red star had always been strong, and no other star could threaten it.

‘The movement of the blue star is strange too.’

The blue star symbolizes the Demonic Realm. Unlike in his past life, this star was flickering unusually.

This, like the red star, meant its position was precarious.

On the other hand, there was one star he hadn’t seen in his previous life.

It wasn’t as bright as the other stars, but its position stood out.

‘It’s right next to Iberion.’

Iberion is the center of the celestial sphere.

All stars orbit around Iberion, so this star holds great significance in astrology.

A new star had appeared beside that star.

No matter how he thought about it, the star seemed to signify Damian.

‘Damian becomes the center of a new world. It cannot be interpreted any other way.’

But what bothered him was the star’s brightness.

Balthazar, who was well-versed in constellations, could discover it, but it was so dim that an ordinary astrologer would hardly find it.

Balthazar could not understand why this star was so dark.

‘What could it mean? A star of darkness? Or gathering power? It’s not easy to interpret.’

At that moment, a voice came from behind.

“Can’t sleep?”

It was his wife Elin’s voice.

When he turned around, a heavily pregnant Elin was approaching with a smile.

Balthazar, upon seeing her, quickly approached.

“It’s chilly—why did you come out?”

“I came out because it felt empty without you.”

Elin grinned and sat down where Balthazar had been.

Then she looked at the sky and asked.

“What were you doing here?”

“Ah.”

Not wanting to lie, Balthazar told the truth.

“I was reading the stars.”

“Star reading? Our High Priest knows how to do that too?”

“High Priest, my foot. I just learned it a while ago.”

Balthazar smiled sheepishly.

He had learned astrology while studying black magic in his previous life.

After losing his wife, he had studied deeply to understand the nature of fate.

As Balthazar recalled that time, he quickly shook his head, and Elin asked again.

“So, what were you looking at with the star reading?”

Elin was smiling radiantly.

Just as he always longed to see her in his previous life.

Balthazar, who had thought he’d die content if he could see her even once more, couldn’t ignore her question.

He met Elin’s bright, shimmering eyes and spoke.

“I was looking at how our future and our child’s will turn out.”

“Will it be good?”

“Well….”

Balthazar gazed into Elin’s pupils.

He couldn’t help but smile at his reflection in those eyes.

Smiling, he answered Elin.

“It will be fine.”

“How will it be fine? Tell me more.”

“So….”

Balthazar told her various things she wanted to know.

“We’ll be safe. The world will change greatly, though.”

In truth, Balthazar didn’t care much.

He had already had his wish granted.

He had reunited with his beloved wife, and next month their daughter would be born.

There was, however, one regret.

‘Can I stay here until next month?’

There would be hardships after the child was born, but that is the utmost happiness a person can enjoy.

If given another chance, Balthazar wanted to enjoy it.

A chance to love his wife and daughter without regret this time.

A chance to keep their trust in him.

Balthazar touched his wife’s heavily swollen belly.

He felt a small ripple, as if the baby felt his touch.

Elin asked,

“Can you divine whether it’s a son or a daughter?”

“Of course.”

Balthazar answered while looking at Elin.

Elin asked again, puzzled.

“But if you’re doing a star reading, why aren’t you looking at the stars?”

“I already looked at them earlier.”

“Really? So what did they say? About our child?”

Balthazar replied with a faint smile.

“It will be a daughter.”

He gently caressed Elin’s belly and continued.

“She will have your gaze. This child will be interested in magic, the world, and light. And she’ll always look for her mother.”

Elin widened her eyes and asked,

“Can you really know such things just by looking at the stars?”

“Yes.”

Balthazar recalled the face of his daughter from his previous life.

His daughter, Sabina, had looked at him with luminous turquoise eyes.

After Elin’s death, he had soothed his loneliness by looking at his daughter.

“Mm. It’s cold.”

At Elin’s words, Balthazar nodded.

“Let’s go inside. The wind has grown cold.”

Balthazar took Elin and went into the house built within the tree trunk.

Thanks to softly glowing plants, the interior was bright.

He laid Elin on a bed made of soft fur.

She looked at Balthazar and said,

“I want to meet our daughter soon.”

“Me too.”

“What shall we name our daughter?”

Balthazar just smiled.

In his previous life, he had argued with Elin about this many times, but ultimately Elin decided.

“Let’s think about it slowly.”

“Stay here until I fall asleep.”

“Alright.”

Balthazar held her hand, and Elin soon closed her eyes.

His wife sleeping in the soft light.

As he watched, a weighty voice echoed in his mind.

-Remember that little time remains.

It was Equinox’s voice.

Every time Balthazar heard that voice, he was reminded that this life was merely an illusion.

-I know. However….

Balthazar asked Equinox with dark eyes.

-Is there truly no way for me to remain here longer?

He had traveled back in time with his disciple and finally met the wife he had longed for in his dreams.

But the time given to him was far too short.

Equinox answered him in an emotionless voice.

-Did you forget what I said before you came here?

-I remember.

-You came here only to accomplish that.

Balthazar’s expression hardened.

Equinox’s words were correct.

From the start, Balthazar had not expected to come back here.

This moment now was literally a bonus.

He had to keep his promise.

‘Damian must succeed.’

Damian was almost there.

He had become a 4th-circle necromancer and had obtained the Ethereal Gate.

Once he passed the trial, no one would be able to stop Damian.

‘All I can do now is help Damian.’

He wanted to be with Elin and the soon-to-be-born Sabina longer, but that was excessive greed.

‘I’ve already forfeited that opportunity.’

Balthazar sorted out his thoughts and asked Equinox.

-I have already delivered the Bible of the Nameless God to Damian. What should I do next?

-The enemy will come soon. They will hide their presence and approach stealthily.

-Can I stop them?

Equinox answered Balthazar’s question with a sneer.

-It will be nothing for you. So prepare. For the enemy’s ambush. Leave not a single one alive.

-I understand.

After ending the conversation, Balthazar gently let go of Elin’s hand.

Hearing her steady breathing, it seemed she had already fallen asleep.

The northern mountains of the Imperial Capital, Edelmund.

On the mid-slope there stood a ruined watchtower.

It was built in such rough terrain and the path was cut off, so almost no one came here.

Trees had grown thick, making it very difficult to spot the watchtower from afar.

Someone appeared in this place.

A mage who appeared with the wind under a bright moonlit night.

He was the court mage Dolman.

A few days ago, after Helion, who had been posing as Leopold, was captured and killed by Hyro, he had been on the run until arriving here.

Dolman dusted off his tattered cloak and looked around.

It was dark, but everything was clearly visible to him.

A smothered campfire and the faint warmth that remained.

And leftover bone fragments from a meal.

Having confirmed this, Dolman spoke.

“Have you been waiting long?”

“A little.”

The one who answered from beyond the shadows was the other court mage, Telsio.

He smiled faintly and asked Dolman.

“No trackers, right?”

“None.”

Dolman took a rabbit from his cloak and placed it on the ground.

“Here.”

“Oh. Your skill is improving.”

Dolman chuckled at Telsio’s praise.

When he opened his palm, the moonlit window was blocked by a stone wall.

After confirming the surroundings were in complete darkness, Dolman lit the campfire.

He then drew a knife, skinned the rabbit, skewered it on a long branch, and put it over the fire.

Dolman and Telsio.

They watched in silence as the rabbit meat cooked.

As the heat caused fat to drip from the meat and a savory aroma began to rise, Telsio spoke.

“I didn’t know your knife work was this good.”

“You improve by using it often.”

Dolman smiled and replied, and Telsio, with a stern expression, spoke.

“Dolman doesn’t use a sword. He carries one only to guard against an enemy in disguise.”

“Tch. You’re quite observant.”

The mage who had just appeared as Dolman soon changed to another face.

A shaggy white beard and a bluish gleam in his eyes.

It was Hyro.

Hyro smiled nonchalantly and said to Telsio.

“Dolman was caught by me yesterday.”

“Is he alive?”

“For now.”

Hyro slowly turned the rabbit meat and continued.

“The Emperor wants you eliminated.”

“I suppose so.”

Telsio smiled bitterly.

The court mage is an advisor to the royal household.

An advisor posing as a fake Towermaster had no excuse if they were all captured and killed.

“Still, don’t worry too much. I stopped it.”

At Hyro’s words, Telsio snorted and replied,

“That’s the problem. Why you want to spare us. Can you tell us that reason?”

Hyro gazed at Telsio blankly.

Then he grabbed the fully cooked rabbit, tore off a leg, and thrust it out.

“Take this first. We’ll talk afterward.”

“Will this even go down my throat now?”

“Then stop complaining.”

Hyro took back the leg he offered and ate it himself.

The smacking sounds were conspicuous.

At the same time, the savory smell teased Telsio’s nose.

Hyro sprinkled white powder from his cloak and said,

“When you eat roasted meat outdoors, it’s tasty if you sprinkle it with salt like this. Just a tip. Don’t carry only powders of unknown composition—carry salt too. It makes traveling easier.”

“How amusing.”

Telsio watched Hyro without relaxing his guard.

Hyro greedily ate the entire rabbit leg and tossed the remaining bones into the fire.

“Now that I’m full, you should state your business, right?”

Telsio fell silent and waited for him to speak.

Hyro looked at him and began to speak.

“As you know, the Empire is facing a great war. To deal with a Necromancer, an alliance is necessary—a vast coalition that transcends races.”

“Are you asking me to act as an envoy or something?”

Telsio asked with a sneer, and Hyro nodded.