Necromancer Of The Black Bible (171)

“You got that right. I was thinking it would be best if you became envoys.”

Silence fell at once.

A strange glint flickered in Telsio’s eyes, and Hyro calmly met that gaze.

The campfire crackled, filling the air, and soon Telsio opened his mouth.

“That is a strange proposal.”

It was less strange than sinister.

What kind of envoy would require the Towermaster himself to come all the way here?

Telsio tried to gauge Hyro’s true intentions.

Then one thought flashed through his mind.

“Is the Necromancer’s power really that strong?”

Hyro nodded with a meaningful smile.

“I’ve never been so shaken before.”

“Hmm. That’s hard to understand.”

Until now, there had been plenty of information delivered to the court mages about Necromancers.

The ability to revive the dead, and even the castle’s fall because of it.

It was certainly rare, but he did not feel it was a major threat.

Even if corpses could be raised, he thought they could be wiped out with overwhelming firepower.

Telsio spoke frankly about what he thought.

“From the information I have, I can’t judge a single Necromancer as that threatening. Doesn’t he just raise dull corpses? Things like that should be suppressible enough with Eckhart’s magic alone.”

“I thought so too. But what I confirmed on the battlefield was not that.”

Telsio pricked his ears up, and Hyro continued with gleaming eyes.

“Among the undead he raised, not all were dull. There are some who move as nimble and quick as living people. And it’s not just their movements. They can freely use the aura or magic they used in life. What’s more, they have free will.”

“Free will? You mean they can think and judge for themselves?”

Telsio asked in genuine surprise, and Hyro nodded in reply.

“I haven’t spoken with them, but that’s how it looked. They talk to each other, laugh and joke, and sometimes even argue.”

“Such a thing….”

Telsio’s expression changed completely.

It was entirely different from what he had thought until now.

Hyro looked at him and continued.

“That’s not all. The lord who rules Brandstein Castle was a mage. As an undead as well, she could use Necroturgy. The undead soldiers she raised with Necroturgy were the fools we know so well.”

“Then there are two kinds of undead?”

“That’s right.”

Telsio rubbed his two hands together and fell into thought.

It was a habit he had whenever he concentrated deeply.

“An undead mage with intelligence.”

A Lich.

A being that seemed fit only for storybooks.

A being that lived forever, accumulating endless wisdom and knowledge.

To mages, Liches were an unattainable dreamlike utopia.

Telsio looked at Hyro and asked,

“Are you saying Liches really exist?”

“Not just Liches. They also have several Death Knights.”

Telsio understood at once.

He had already received reports that several Imperial Swordmasters had revived as undead and were at the front of the enemy ranks.

“Now I understand why you were so afraid.”

Telsio nodded slowly, and Hyro smiled softly as he took out a rabbit dripping oil over the campfire. Then he tore off the remaining leg and handed it to him.

Telsio silently took it and slowly brought it to his mouth.

The rabbit meat was delicious.

Because for the past few days he had been alternating between flight and hiding, unable to eat proper food.

Hyro silently watched Telsio continue eating the rabbit meat.

In the end, after finishing all the meat, Telsio opened his mouth as if he now understood everything.

“If the enemy is at that level, the Empire will have to exert all its strength. The more we fight, the more their power will grow. We should rally all our forces from now on.”

Telsio let out a deep sigh.
Then he looked at Hyro and asked,

“Fine. What role are you leaving to me?”

Hyro stared into Telsio’s eyes for a moment before speaking.

“Negotiate with the Demon King.”

Telsio’s pupils wavered once.

The existence called the Demon King was not something easily spoken aloud.

Above all, there was a price to pay.

Telsio pointed that out.

“To summon the Demon King, you need a sacrifice. What are you planning to offer?”

“Didn’t I already tell you? I’ve captured Dolman.”

“…!!!”

Telsio’s eyes flew wide, but Hyro continued calmly.

“In any case, Dolman will die. The Emperor will not forgive him. The same will be true for you.”

“Th, that can’t be…!”

“Make a wise judgment. I’m giving you a chance.”

The word chance carried many meanings.

If he refused, Telsio would not be safe either.

Telsio carefully reviewed the situation.

An offer he could not refuse, and the card Hyro held.

And Hyro.

As he considered it, Telsio pinpointed one fact.

‘He’s weaker than I am.’

Telsio’s main magic was Lightning.

And Hyro’s main magic was Water. Water was not a threat to Telsio.

‘I’m faster.’

Having reached his conclusion, Telsio quietly lifted his water bottle.

Then he began gulping it down.

He drank for a long while, like someone parched, then looked at Hyro again.

His mouth was covered in water, and the water that dripped down ran along his beard and soaked the ground.

Aware of this, Telsio spoke.

“I probably don’t have a choice, do I?”

“……”

Hyro did not answer.

His eyes were scrutinizing Telsio closely.

And the water Telsio had spilled was slowly approaching Hyro.

Hyro said to Telsio.

“It would be best not to play any tricks.”

“Well…”

Telsio grinned faintly and continued.

“This reminds me of the past. Back when we dueled to be selected as court mages.”

A smile formed at the corners of Hyro’s mouth.

His eyes gleamed as he spoke.

“Back then, you put me down quite nicely.”

“Even so, Hyro, your wave magic was first-rate. If I hadn’t managed to avoid that, I’d have been the one lying on the ground.”

Confidence was laced through Telsio’s voice.

Hyro had already sensed what decision Telsio had made, and spoke again.

“In the Empire, power determines everything.”

“That’s right.”

Telsio laughed darkly as he checked the stream of water flowing down to the floor.

The water that had started flowing from his mouth soon reached the hem of Hyro’s robe, and began soaking it.

Sensing this, Telsio concentrated his mana and spoke.

“No matter how much you are the Empire’s Towermaster, I can’t obey those words if you can’t prove you’re stronger than I am.”

The moment he finished speaking, lightning erupted from Telsio’s hand.

Crackle!

Blue lightning flared in his palm.

Telsio let it flow over the water, and the lightning raced along it toward Hyro.

But Hyro remained still.

He looked at it with an expression that said he already knew everything.

‘I won again!’

A smile appeared on Telsio’s lips.

As far as he knew, Hyro was vulnerable to Lightning magic.

Especially when Hyro used Water-attribute magic, letting Lightning run through it could electrocute him outright.

This was the difference in compatibility.

By elemental compatibility, Telsio held an overwhelming advantage over Hyro.

It had not worked on the former Towermaster, Leopold, but Hyro was different.

‘I can beat someone like him anytime.’

Telsio planned to eliminate Hyro here and flee afterward.

He did not want anything to do with the Demon King in any way.

‘I especially don’t want to become a scapegoat for this damned Empire.’

Telsio watched Hyro with a triumphant expression, and the lightning he had released raced toward him at tremendous speed.

And the moment it touched the hem of Hyro’s robe.

Telsio’s expression hardened.

Because even though the lightning had touched him, it failed to affect Hyro.

Hyro spoke with a deeper gaze.

“Water conducts electricity, but ice does not.”

“…!!!”

Telsio hurriedly stood and fired lightning with both hands.

The so-called Lightning Bolt.

It was a high-level spell that shot out high-voltage lightning.

KRAAAAK-

A ferocious sound cleaved the space.

But that was all.

The Empire’s finest Lightning magic crashed into Hyro, but it failed to affect him.

The ice wall he raised blocked it.

“Damn it!!”

Telsio withdrew his magic and staggered backward.

Hyro looked at him and slowly rose from his seat.

“Has it already been thirty years? After I was defeated by you then, I studied a great deal. Could it be that Water magic can never beat Lightning magic? Just how am I supposed to defeat you? Honestly, I thought I’d never have to duel you again, but I kept studying steadily. Life is unpredictable.”

“You think raising an ice wall means you stopped me? Foolish!”

Telsio raised lightning in both hands.

Blue lightning flashed through the space, and Telsio fired it without restraint.

KRAAAARAK-!!!

The viciously fired lightning strands shattered the ice wall, but did not reach Hyro.

A new wall of water was raised at an angle, refracting it.

Hyro mixed walls of water and ice, completely sealing off Telsio’s Lightning magic.

Telsio tried to break the walls with every kind of magic, but it was not easy.

The more he did, the more his whole body became soaked with water and ice fragments, and the room became a mess of water.

Hyro smiled broadly.

But Telsio was waiting for an opening.

‘I just need to touch him somehow.’

Telsio was soaked through, so he could be electrocuted by the lightning he raised himself, but he did not care.

Because after long training, he had gained resistance to Lightning magic.

‘Electricity can’t harm me. But he’s different.’

Up to now, he had avoided the lightning by raising walls of water and ice, but if he made even a small mistake, the effect would be fatal.

Crackle, crackle!

Once again, lightning flowed into both of Telsio’s hands.

At the same time, his whole body was enveloped in lightning, and the sight was truly threatening.

“Hyro. Water and ice won’t beat me.”

“Hmm… Do you really think so?”

Hyro’s expression was calm.

Telsio did not like that expression on Hyro’s face.

“Your carefree act ends here.”

Telsio unleashed a barrage of lightning bolts with both hands.

The lightning bolts he fired this time were different from the ones before.

They traveled along the floor, and even if they were reflected by water walls or ice walls, they did not disappear. They moved everywhere in a refracted state.

Even so, Hyro kept a smile as he erected walls of ice and water to block them.

The room was awash with lightning bolts, but they could not reach Hyro.

Hyro looked at Telsio and said,

“I’ll tell you one thing. Most of the human body is made of water.”

“…?!”

At his incomprehensible words, Hyro widened his eyes, and Hyro slowly crouched down and placed a hand on the floor.

Then the moisture that had soaked the floor froze in an instant, and that ice swept over Telsio.