Necromancer Of The Black Bible (22)

William stayed silent.

He seemed to be waiting for something.

[He is waiting for the knight’s oath.]

A knight’s oath…

In my previous life, I’d never witnessed such a scene.

Usually, such oaths were made inside the royal palace.

Having spent most of my life wandering mountains and fields, even staying in villages was rare for me.

[It isn’t difficult. Simply appoint him as your knight and declare that today’s vow will never be forgotten for the rest of your lives—that will suffice.]

I was about to follow Equinox’s advice when Nocturne suddenly cut in.

Be careful when you grip the sword. The Demon King will try to speak to you. If he attempts some trickery…

[Don’t worry. I’m used to handling Demon Kings.]

William’s knightly vow.

The greatsword thrust before me.

And the Demon King sealed within it.

The situation aligned in many ways.

Perhaps it was William’s will, but likely also the Demon King’s desire to speak with me that led us here.

This moment could just as well be a negotiation table with the Demon King, using William as collateral.

‘How laughable.’

Not even a full Demon King, but one sealed in a sword—split into one-twelfth at that.

I knew well how to handle such creatures.

I grasped the sword’s hilt.

The violet gem embedded in the sword glowed, and a voice spoke.

–I have awaited you, master of William.

A deep, smooth baritone.

Clearly, it had prepared.

The honeyed tone suggested it was trying to cast a charm spell on me.

‘How cute.’

I almost laughed at the obvious ploy.

With things like this, you must never respond in kind.

You deal with them unilaterally. Like this:

[What’s your name?]

–……

[If you don’t have one, should I just call you whatever I like?]

I smirked darkly and waited for its answer.

With just those two questions, it must have realized—I was no ignorant novice.

‘So it has a choice to make.’

Obey, or resist.

But in its situation, refusal was impossible.

It couldn’t risk wasting another thousand years in confinement.

It craved freedom, and would try to use me for it.

Thus, it only had one option.

–I am Belzemon. Once, they called me the Great Demon King of this continent.

[I don’t care about that, Belzemon. You aren’t one now, are you?]

–…That is true.

[Then act your place. What do you think you’re doing?]

–What do you mean by that?

Belzemon’s voice quivered.

No doubt from suppressed rage.

But it had to endure, to wait for its chance.

What it needed was hope.

Not the grand hope of liberation, but the small hope of escape.

No matter how degrading, if it meant leaving this prison, it would endure.

After a thousand years trapped, all the more so.

So I decided to exploit that weakness fully.

[You dare steal your master’s credit?]

–Credit… ah, you mean that worm? That creature was merely the price of a deal.

[A deal? Who do you think you are to bargain?]

I pressed harshly, and it fell silent.

As it mulled, I struck at the heart.

[What are you?]

– I am… Belzemon.

[That’s your name.]

–Once, a Demon King…

[That was then. Do you still think you’re a Demon King now?]

As expected, it couldn’t answer.

After all, it was torn apart and sealed away by the Twelve Heroes.

And having rotted here for a thousand years, it still didn’t know its place.

So I made it clear.

[You’re just a sword. Nothing more. A sword that thinks too much and does nothing. If you want to be of any use, stop these antics.]

–Antics? I only…

[I didn’t permit you to talk back.]

– ……

Good. Now it listened.

But this was only the start. I pressed harder.

[Return the worm’s power you just absorbed to William.]

–That’s… difficult…

[Shall I just snap you in half here? Or throw you into the lava instead?]

Belzemon stayed silent.

But I had no intention of waiting.

When I drew the sword free, its panicked voice rang out.

–I’ll do it! Just, please…

[Do it now.]

Belzemon no longer protested and acted at once.

The violet jewel shone brightly.

Thick beams spread, enveloping William, seeping into his body.

His mana core turned green.

And his vitality surged stronger than before.

“Master, this is…?”

I smiled calmly and replied.

“This is the reward you rightfully deserve. And also the gift of our vow.”

I raised the demon sword, Belzemon.

[Belzemon, you are never again to covet William’s prey. If you do what you did today again, I’ll shatter you instantly.]

–……

[Respond.]

–Yes… I understand.

[And from now on, never bypass your master to speak directly to me. I am far beyond your reach.]

–I will comply.

Utter humiliation for it, but what choice did it have?

In this world, the desperate always kneel.

And I dealt with it accordingly.

Then I laid down the third condition.

[Serve William well. If anything happens to him, I’ll eradicate you without hesitation.]

–…Understood.

With all three promises secured, I turned to William and gave the knight’s oath.

“Today, I name you my knight. Your life and strength are mine, and my power is limitless—so never fear. Together, we shall rule this world.”

I’d never learned rhetoric, so I just spoke whatever came to mind.

Looking back, it sounded much like the words Demon Kings once spoke to me.

[It was fitting, Honored Master.]

I agree. Especially your words not to fear… they gave comfort.

While William stayed quiet, Equinox and Nocturne made a fuss.

I put on a solemn face and tapped William’s shoulders with the sword.

Then, I handed it to him.

“You will no longer be swayed by fear. So do not be enthralled by the demon sword.”

“I obey.”

William accepted the sword and bowed again.

It was the moment I gained my first knight.

After the oath, we searched the Sand Dragon’s nest.

According to Equinox, the female Sand Dragon seemed to have lived several times longer than the male.

‘Then surely she collected something valuable?’

After all, William’s bones, his armor, even the demon sword had been among her collection.

So we scoured the cavern for more treasures.

The first place I checked was the bone palace built beside the bone mound.

It was crafted with the precision of an artisan, as if each bone were carefully placed.

As William looked, he sighed.

“A thousand years ago, I built a palace just like this. Smaller here, but identical in design.”

He seemed to sink back into sorrow.

I patted his shoulder and spoke.

“Let’s take a look inside. See if they built the interior properly too.”

“Yes.”

So William and I entered the bone palace.

It was definitely smaller than a real palace.

Maybe about one-tenth the size.

But everything was there.

Pillars holding the ceiling, window frames.

Even smoothly opening doors.

Opening them revealed the audience hall, where a king would preside.

The throne, left outside, was missing; only lavish decorations remained.

‘How could they have made this?’

Thinking of the female’s massive size, it made little sense.

Then Nocturne offered his theory.

Dragons can change form if needed. Perhaps she shrank to a giant dwarf-size and built it?

A plausible guess.

Dwarves could build with such precision.

But Equinox disagreed.

[Dragons, Sand Dragons included, are generally lazy. They might make part of it for fun, but not this whole structure.]

[Then how do they usually build such things?]

[Most likely… they had craftsmen do it.]

Equinox’s insight was deeper—far more convincing than Nocturne’s.

I nodded slowly, inspecting the palace.

[If so, there may be evidence.]

[Indeed. The craftsmen may have left a signature. Likely on the cornerstone.]

A cornerstone, huh…

As far as I knew, cornerstones went in building corners.

The first stone placed often bore the maker’s mark. Dwarves especially liked to inscribe them…

‘Right here.’

The inner left corner.

Approaching, I found a plaque indeed—inscribed with elegant script and names.

—

Cornerstone

Here, where the lava river flows solemnly, I have raised this work of art into which I poured thought and spirit, to stand alone.

Flame Blacksmith Druban

Steel-Heart Torlak

Master of the Hammer Dungar

—

Judging by the titles and names, they were clearly dwarves.

“Would they still be alive?”

Then William, standing beside me, answered.

“My body remembers that they still live. Magra was satisfied with their work and seems to have sent them back.”

It was surprising that William could recall his body’s memory, but not impossible.

I had learned about bodily memory from my master as well.

Soul and vigor are different. Soul means the spirit of a living being, while vigor means the memory and will be imprinted in the body.

When joined, they are one; when separated, they differ. That is why, in necromancy, one must not summon the soul but instead use the vigor that remains in the body.

[That is correct. The distinction between soul and vigor. That is the very point to be cautious about in necromancy. If the soul is hastily implanted, it collides with the vigor. Fortunately, William seems to have overcome this well.]

Setting William aside, it seemed we had seen all there was here.

The bone palace built under the sand dragon Magra’s command may have value in itself, but none of the grave goods I sought were there.

Only the royal audience chamber had been recreated, with merely three rooms.

We looked everywhere, but found nothing useful.

In the end, we had no choice but to leave the bone palace empty-handed.

At that moment, Nocturne spoke.

Over there. Isn’t that an egg?

A thin red line streamed from Nocturne’s crimson jewel, pointing clearly across the lava river.

There lay countless eggs, all broken.

[They are eggs, but all broken.]

No, one is still whole.

Just as Nocturne said.

Closer inspection revealed a single intact egg.

I cast lesser magic and crossed over the lava river.

William leapt across with a mighty jump.

Thus we stood before the intact egg, and Equinox’s voice sounded.

[A Sand Dragon egg. If we brainwash it, it could serve us well in the future.]

[Brainwash it? Is that really possible?]

[Brainwashing is one of a necromancer’s signature spells. And it can only be performed with necromantic mana—it is an advanced technique.]

At that moment.

With a cracking sound, part of the egg broke, and a head suddenly poked out.

It was the head of a hatchling Sand Dragon.