Necromancer Of The Black Bible (172)

Sararararak-

Telsio’s body was freezing over.

Starting from his legs and rising to his waist and chest.

Both arms had already frozen solid, and soon the ice reached below his neck.

Telsio couldn’t believe it.

He hadn’t expected Hyro’s magic to be this powerful.

“How… how….”

Hyro slowly approached him.

Then he looked at Telsio’s still-unfrozen head and said,

“Didn’t I tell you? I worked hard.”

“……”

“What a pity. I tried to give you a chance, and you threw it away like this. No, or was it unavoidable?”

Hyro’s expression turned troubled.

The reason he had given Telsio a chance. It was, after all, because of the Demon King.

A deal with the Demon King always came at a price.

Once both sides began trading favors, a relationship was formed, and any relationship with the Demon King was bound to end in disaster.

Because the Demon King always wanted more.

Hyro looked at the completely frozen Telsio with a bitter gaze.

He wanted to avoid forming a relationship with the Demon King if possible, but the situation would not allow it.

“Hoo-”

As Hyro let out a deep sigh, a mage appeared behind him.

“Towermaster.”

It was Miles Heizen.

He had suffered serious injuries while returning as part of the reconnaissance unit, but he had now fully recovered and was working as Hyro’s direct subordinate.

Hyro, confirming that it was Miles, asked,

“How are the preparations?”

“Everything is finished for now. But….”

Miles looked at the completely frozen Telsio and continued,

“This has become the worst-case scenario.”

Hyro gave a bitter smile.

At this rate, he would have to meet the Demon King himself.

Hyro gave Miles an order.

“Bring Dolman. I’ll draw the magic circle myself.”

“Yes, Sir.”

While Miles was away, Hyro took a pouch from inside his robes.

A pouch containing powder for drawing a black magic circle.

Hyro began drawing the magic circle on the floor from memory.

Miles returned with the frozen Dolman, placed Dolman and Telsio side by side where Hyro pointed, and waited.

Hyro summoned a thick spellbook and painstakingly drew the magic circle.

And whenever something seemed doubtful, he called Miles over to confirm it.

“Drawing this part like this is correct, right?”

“I think so. This is the part where the name goes, and in runic script, that’s how the name should be written.”

“What if it’s not runic script?”

“Well. Wouldn’t it be better to try it first and think about that later?”

Not only Miles, but Hyro as well was drawing a black magic circle for the first time.

Because of that, they couldn’t even make out the basic characters that made up the magic circle.

In the end, Hyro had no choice but to go through several trial-and-error attempts.

And then.

“It wasn’t runic script. The language they use is demonic script.”

“I see. I thought it was a variation of runes…. Then this part will have to be drawn in the exact same form as in the book.”

Miles and Hyro continued refining the magic circle together.

After a long while, they finally completed it.

The magic circle to summon Illinas, ruler of the upper Demonic Realm.

Hyro reopened the window he had shut.

Moonlight poured brightly into the room.

Judging by the moon’s position, there was still time.

“It’s an appropriate time.”

After adjusting the positions of the two frozen mages to be offered as sacrifices one last time, Hyro warned Miles,

“Once the ritual begins, you must never enter this room.”

“Then what should I look for before coming in?”

At Miles’s question, Hyro thought for a moment before answering.

“Once the ritual begins, a red barrier will be raised here. You may enter when that barrier disappears.”

“Understood.”

Miles bowed deeply and then went outside.

Afterward, Hyro recited the incantation.

The book contained only phonetic characters, so he did not know what they meant.

When he had slowly read through the entire incantation.

The magic circle began to glow red.

At the same time, a barrier gradually formed from the outermost circle.

Then space opened up, and a voice was heard.

“[Did you call for me?]”

A voice so heavy it shook the entire body.

That voice was powerful enough to shake Hyro’s heart.

‘Is this the Demon King’s voice?’

Hyro felt both curiosity and exhilaration as a mage.

The thought of facing an existence he had never encountered before filled him with both fear and excitement.

‘Let’s stay calm.’

Hyro had seen several black mages imprisoned.

Even younger and less mature people than that had been burned at the stake on charges of successfully summoning demons.

Thinking of them gave him a little confidence.

‘It’s nothing. I’m just having a conversation.’

Hyro steeled himself and opened his mouth.

“Great Demon King Illinas. I am the Towermaster of the Valkyr Empire. I have prepared sacrifices here because I have a special request for the Great Demon King.”

“[Sacrifices, huh….]”

With a sinister laugh, black energy flowed out from the split space.

That energy caressed the two frozen mages, Dolman and Telsio, and soon the voice sounded again.

“[They’re powerful mages. I like them very much.]”

“Thank you.”

Hyro bowed toward the gap, and the voice sounded again.

“[Yes. Towermaster of the Valkyr Empire. What do you want from me?]”

The voice sweetly cloaked around Hyro’s heart.

Intoxicated by that magic, Hyro found himself speaking his honest feelings without realizing it.

“I want to get rid of the Necromancer.”

“[Necromancer?]”

“Yes, Demon King. The Valkyr Empire is currently being threatened by a single Necromancer. My wish is to eliminate him.”

“[Eliminate him, huh….]”

When the voice grew faint, Hyro, growing anxious, spoke again.

“It doesn’t matter if you don’t eliminate him. You may simply take him with you, Demon King.”

“[Take him with me?]”

“Yes. A Necromancer of this level could be put to useful use, couldn’t he? And also….”

At that moment, a gigantic hand emerged from the gap and grabbed Hyro by the chin.

Then the owner of that hand slowly revealed himself.

A demon with massive horns that were thick and curved like a mountain goat’s.

He looked down at Hyro like a gigantic statue.

He lifted Hyro by the chin and asked again.

“[Is the Necromancer you’re talking about Damian, by any chance?]”

Hyro struggled.

He was confused by the unexpected question, but tried hard to stay focused.

“I-I don’t know that man’s name.”

“[Is that so?]”

Illinas asked that back, then breathed dark energy into Hyro’s head.

Then an illusion appeared before Hyro’s eyes.

A mage dressed in a gray-brown robe with a youthful appearance.

A staff set with a large purple jewel stood out.

He had definitely seen that figure before.

It was surely the unidentified Necromancer he had seen at Graneum Castle.

Remembering that, Hyro hurriedly opened his mouth.

“It is him! This is the one who led the undead at Graneum Castle!”

“[I see.]”

Illinas smiled without a sound.

Looking down at Hyro, who was still caught in the illusion, he asked again.

“[So you’re wishing for me to capture this necromancer, then. By offering these two mages as sacrifices?]”

“Th-that’s right.”

Illinas did not answer immediately.

The wish to capture Damian was one he too was happy to grant, but it was quite far from what he had in mind.

So he began to press Hyro in earnest.

“[Damian doesn’t seem like someone you can handle, does he?]”

“Yes. We know that well ourselves. That’s why we sent messengers to every kingdom.”

“[Messengers?]”

“We sent them to propose forming a coalition army. We also sent them to the Elves and Dwarves, so their armies will arrive soon.”

“[Oh?]”

A faint smile formed on Illinas’s lips.

He lifted Hyro up to his eye level as if intrigued, then asked,

“[Then do you also want my army?]”

“…That would be good, but….”

“[Speak plainly. Do you want my army or not?]”

Hyro had no choice but to answer yes.

Illinas set Hyro down on the floor.

Then he crushed the mages offered as sacrifices as they were.

Two blue lights were absorbed into Illinas, and soon he spoke again.

“[There aren’t enough sacrifices.]”

To Hyro, it was like a bolt from the blue.

Those were the only sacrifices he had prepared.

Illinas breathed out hot breath and looked down at Hyro, who said, turned ashen,

“If you need more, I’ll prepare more sacrifices.”

“[Is that so?]”

Illinas waited for an answer, and unable to bear the silence, Hyro spoke again.

“They said that soon 30,000 troops from the Nordin Kingdom will be sent here. An army of that size should satisfy the Demon King.”

“[30,000, huh….]”

“Among them are five Swordmasters. A-and of course, there are mages too.”

Hyro rambled on as words came to him, and Illinas merely listened slowly.

“The Principality of Tarnia has also promised to send 10,000 troops, and Fernesia has responded that it will send 20,000. If you want those as well….”

“[That will do.]”

At Illinas’s answer, Hyro’s eyes widened and he asked again,

“Th-then… how much is enough…?”

“[All of it.]”

Illinas grinned and continued,

“[Thirty thousand from Nordin, ten thousand from Tarnia, twenty thousand from Fernesia. Just that much will do. Then I will bring my army here. Until then….]”

Illinas’s hand suddenly seized Hyro’s head.

Then he whispered into his ear.

“[I’ll have to borrow your body for a while.]”

At that moment, a dense black energy flowed into the crown of Hyro’s head.

That energy slowly began to seize control of Hyro’s entire body, and soon even his eyes turned black.

With that, the Demon King disappeared.

The space closed, and once even the barrier blocking the surroundings disappeared, Miles, who had been waiting outside, opened the door and rushed in.

Miles, who had been waiting outside all this time, got goosebumps from the gloomy atmosphere.

And when he saw Hyro standing there, he shouted loudly with relief,

“Towermaster! Are you safe?”

But Hyro did not answer.

With his back to Miles, he seemed to be looking down at his own hands.

After looking at the surroundings and his own hands for a long time, Hyro raised his head.

Miles sensed something was wrong, but he couldn’t move rashly.

‘What’s going on? Did the ritual go wrong?’

Only Hyro could answer his question, but an extremely unfamiliar aura was emanating from him.

He also had an ominous feeling that if he moved, something terrible would happen.

Swish-

When Hyro turned around, his eyes, now black, stood out clearly.

He looked like someone possessed by a demon.

‘T-Towermaster!!’

This was no ordinary matter.

At this point, the Empire’s only hope of survival was Towermaster Hyro.

Even the Emperor had accepted his advice as-is and formulated strategy accordingly.

Losing Hyro at this point would mean the Empire’s future had become uncertain.

Hyro passed by the stiffly frozen Miles and went outside.

Miles only watched his back for a while, then slowly followed after him.

The moon had already set, and the far eastern sky was brightening.