Necromancer Of The Black Bible (26)

Sanchez’s curiosity wasn’t anything too threatening.

He simply wanted to know if the dried corpse in the cave really belonged to a Sand Dragon, and how I had managed to kill it.

At first, I brushed him off with vague answers, but Sanchez wasn’t that easy to fool.

He wanted very specific details about the incident.

‘No wonder he became an investigator.’

High Priest Raiernov and an orphan boy named Andre—how could the two of them have defeated two Sand Dragons in succession?

It wasn’t an easy question to answer.

For one, I don’t really know what kind of techniques the priests of the Theocracy use.

I’ve never fought them, and even at the very end, I willingly surrendered while following my master.

All I know is that they use power instead of magic.

‘What should I say?’

While I was thinking, Nocturne’s voice spoke up.

Just say you used the power of the Silver Blade. They’ll understand.

Come to think of it, Nocturne had spent quite a lot of time with Raiernov.

He’d helped before, so his advice was worth considering.

I smiled faintly, looked at Sanchez—waiting eagerly—and told him:

“The power of the Silver Blade. Do you know what that is?”

“O-of course! Isn’t it a power only priests at the highest level can wield? A legendary power said to cleave even dragons in one strike! Could it be that you’ve reached that level, Father?”

I neither confirmed nor denied—just smiled softly. That was enough for Sanchez to continue imagining the rest.

“Ah! Now it all makes sense. If you used the Silver Blade’s power, then everything adds up. Even a legendary Sand Dragon wouldn’t stand a chance.”

While Sanchez muttered to himself, Nocturne added further explanation to me.

That power is a forbidden one, usable only by a tiny handful of priests. Right now in the Theocracy, only Pope Lactea and Archpriest Alexo are known to wield it. So you must demand that he keep this fact secret.

I did as Nocturne advised.

I put on a stern expression and spoke quietly to Sanchez.

“You must not tell anyone of this. Understood?”

“Of course. I’ll keep it secret.”

Again, Sanchez looked perfectly trustworthy.

From his words, expressions, and demeanor, he seemed a devout follower of Raiernov.

Sanchez was someone Raiernov took in from an orphanage about ten years ago. He awakened a detection ability as a child and became an investigator early. So it’s best to keep your words minimal, unless… you intend to kill or enslave him.

Both Equinox and Nocturne seemed uneasy about what I was doing.

‘Well, it is dangerous. I’m basically walking alone into enemy territory.’

But I had no intention of stopping.

Now that I’d come this far, I would infiltrate the Theocracy and meet my master no matter what.

As I was making that vow, William—sitting beside me—spoke in a quiet voice.

“Master.”

The moment he said it, my chest turned cold.

Master?

What kind of boy calls the priest who took him in ‘Master’?

But I couldn’t show my surprise here.

I looked gently into his eyes and spoke in a calm tone.

“Master? You may just call me Father.”

Sanchez, seated in front, chimed in.

“Yes, I was startled too. Did they tell you to call him that at the orphanage?”

William realized his mistake and corrected himself.

“Forgive me. I didn’t know how I should address him.”

I gave William a firm warning through the Voice of the Soul.

[From now on, if you’re unsure, always use the Voice of the Soul. Understood?]

[Understood. However…]

[Speak. What troubles you?]

[Should the others really be allowed to hear our conversations?]

William seemed concerned that Nocturne and Equinox were eavesdropping on us.

Understandable—he was once a king.

He likely disliked subordinates or outsiders overhearing private talks.

I reassured him.

[It’s fine. The ones you mean are on our side.]

At first, I too had wished my artifacts couldn’t read my thoughts, but I had let go of that wish.

Because Equinox and Nocturne’s responses to my thoughts had mostly been helpful.

They often conversed with each other through me, and hearing that was useful too.

That’s how deep their experience and wisdom ran.

Mindful of Sanchez’s eyes, I looked at William and spoke aloud.

“Yes, Andre. What is it?”

In response, William pointed at a building outside.

“Could we stop there for a while?”

It was the town hall of Hainche Village.

I extended my extrasensory perception, but sensed nothing unusual.

No mana, no unusual energy.

So I asked him with the Voice of the Soul.

[Why?]

[A part of me lies there.]

[A part of you?]

At that, William revealed his leg.

Remembering how he had limped before boarding, I understood what he meant.

“I see. Then let’s do it.”

I gave Sanchez a signal, and he ordered Mobin to stop the carriage.

As William and I got off, Sanchez asked:

“May I accompany you?”

“Sorry, but…”

I shook my head.

“Just let the two of us be for a while. Andre seems to have something to remember here.”

“Understood, Father.”

Sanchez withdrew politely, and I shut the carriage door.

Then William and I went inside the building.

‘The town hall, is it?’

I had been here a few times as a child. It was where the village chief worked and where decisions were made during major events.

‘So part of William is here?’

I looked at William.

He was staring intently at one wall.

A huge lump of metal.

It had been melted in extreme heat, and in its center was a massive footprint. William’s gaze was fixed just beneath it.

‘A bone… here?’

Then Equinox’s voice spoke.

[Judging by the mana signature, this is William’s bone. It was trapped here, which is why he limped.]

[Meaning necromancy can succeed even without the original body being whole—though penalties result.]

[Correct. But if necromancy is raised to the advanced level, such penalties lessen. At mastery, they vanish entirely.]

I see.

That was valuable information.

It meant that necromancy could be performed even without a body—so long as a soul remained.

‘As long as I can bear the penalty, I could summon souls into any object.’

That meant a new way to use the soulstones I carried.

I could summon the soul inside a soulstone into an object.

[As expected, Honored Master, your insight is sharp. Yes, that is precisely why soulstones are important.]

So I discovered yet another use for soulstones.

‘They can serve as guardian spirits, be consumed, or be revived via necromancy to serve me.’

I fingered the soulstone of Amur, the male Sand Dragon, in my inner pocket.

How best should I use this one?

I already had enough guardian spirits, and no need to revive him—consumption seemed best.

[Amur’s soulstone is of special grade. Consuming it would restore the mana core drained by necromancy and complete the purification of your second Mana Ring. However, a problem arises: when the third Mana Ring forms, an awakening occurs—and your body may undergo severe changes.]

True.

It had been the same when the second Mana Ring formed.

I had lost consciousness for a while and met my past master.

If that happened again, I couldn’t afford to consume a soulstone here.

‘I’ll have to consume it somewhere safer.’

Having reached that conclusion, I looked at William.

He was still staring at the bone.

‘How should I extract it?’

The bone was embedded in the mass of metal.

If it had been an ordinary person’s bone, it would have melted away along with the metal.

But William’s bones were infused with powerful mana, allowing them to endure—even preserving their form for over a thousand years.

‘Then there’s no need to worry.’

I cast Steel Skin on my hand, then heated it with Flame Magic.

Using necromantic mana, I could raise the temperature much faster than in my previous life.

I pressed my hand against the lump of metal.

Hiss—

With a hiss of hot smoke, the metal melted and flowed down. I reached in, gripped the bone firmly, and pulled it free.

Then I slowly cooled my hand.

My hand, once glowing red, returned to normal—and in it was William’s leg bone.

I handed the bone to William.

“Thank you.”

William knelt on one knee, receiving the bone with both hands.

He stood, aligned the bone to his leg, and with a faint glow, it was absorbed into him with a dull sound.

Clatter—

The blackened bone.

It seemed to be the substitute bone that had replaced William’s leg before.

With his bone restored, William looked far more at ease.

He walked around a bit—no limp, no awkwardness.

[Looks good.]

[At last, I feel whole.]

I patted William’s shoulder and said:

“Our business is done here. Let’s go.”

“Yes, Father.”

William returned to the carriage with me.

When we boarded, Sanchez looked at William in surprise.

“What happened in there? Your face looks brighter.”

William didn’t answer, just looked at me—and I replied for him.

“He took a moment to reflect on old memories. It seems to have healed something inside. Isn’t that right, Andre?”

“Yes, Father.”

William looked at me again and grinned.

But his smile was very different from the Andre I had known.

Not the shadowed, gloomy smile—but a bright, childlike one.

Seeing it, Sanchez laughed too and said:

“Now you finally look like a child. You’re truly lucky—to have met Father Raiernov.”

Well…

Between William and Sanchez, who was really the lucky one?

Either way, the carriage carrying us departed again.

My companions were William disguised as Andre, the two Theocracy investigators, and baby Sand Dragon Geo trailing us diligently underground.

That made four.