Necromancer Of The Black Bible (51)

The homemade papillote was exquisite.

When I pierced the cod meat with my fork and tasted it, the chewy texture came alive with each bite. At the same time, the tang of tomato and lemon, combined with the subtle sweetness of raisins, spread gently.

It felt like eating fruit-flavored fish.

Being very hungry, I devoured the food without restraint.

I wanted to savor it slowly, but there was no such room.

Strangely, my body felt hunger far more intensely than before, and I couldn’t stop eating.

After watching me eat for some time, Equinox spoke.

[It seems you’ve been influenced by the soulstone of the Sand Dragon Amur that you absorbed.]

A plausible theory.

That beast also had an enormous appetite.

Whether this was good or not, one thing pleased me.

‘I can taste so vividly now.’

When I only had two Mana Rings, even with focus I couldn’t sense flavors to this extent.

Now I could sense everything—from faint traces left in the meat’s fibers to the distinct aroma of olive oil.

Such a fragrant meal brought me true satisfaction for the first time in ages.

I gazed at the pot, now only bones remained, and basked in fullness.

‘This is a completely different feeling from absorbing life force.’

Absorbing life force from living beings isn’t unpleasant either.

It feels like hot energy flooding and wrapping around my body.

But it can’t compare to the satisfaction after eating delicious food.

I took my fork and picked up a mushroom left at the bottom of the pot.

The mushroom, infused with fish, lemon, tomato, and olive flavors, tasted extraordinary.

With eyes closed, I savored the last mushrooms of the papillote.

That was when.

Ah, that looks delicious.

A voice that should never have been heard.

I snapped my eyes open and looked around, soon spotting a foreign presence.

A translucent spirit.

Its form resembled that of a young girl.

The girl turned to me and spoke again.

How much longer do I have to wait?

I answered her unconsciously.

[Wait? Wait for what?]

My reply had an effect—the girl looked at me and stepped closer.

Huh? You can see me?

I looked at her briefly and replied.

[What if I can?]

Wow!

The girl’s spirit brightened and dashed toward me.

She spoke again from across the table.

This is the first time! Someone who can see me!

Up close, her figure became clearer.

A spirit with a faint silver glow.

Unlike the usual restless spirits one might encounter.

Not a soul steeped in resentment and darkness, but one glowing with light.

Such a soul is rare to behold.

[It is the soul of one not yet dead. And perhaps because she is young, it is extremely pure.]

Hearing Equinox’s explanation, I turned to the girl again.

[Why have you come here?]

Because they said you could fix me, mister.

[Mister?]

Ah, maybe oppa? You look too young to be called mister.

Ah—that was careless.

I hadn’t disguised myself yet—I was in my true form.

Which made me hesitant to continue speaking.

But the girl kept talking.

My family’s really worried I might die. My dad, and even Ray oppa¹ too.

The familiar name made me ask back cautiously.

[By Ray, do you mean Ray Blackleaf?]

Yes! Ray oppa talked about you—no, about oppa. He said if it was Raiernov oppa, you could save me. And not just that, when you woke up, some investigator person would tell us. Because of that, my dad even started going to church, even though he normally never did.

The girl’s story was not easy to understand.

What I understood was only that this girl belonged to the Blackleaf family and that she was related by blood to Ray Blackleaf, whom I had saved.

The girl looked at me again and spoke.

Can you save me? If you can see me like this, then maybe you can. Don’t just stand here—go quickly. Everyone is waiting. And then…

The girl paused for a moment and looked down at her legs.

Her legs were visibly fading. That meant only one thing.

“She’s dying.”

Clearly, she did not have much time left.

[At most two days.]

Two days.

If I wanted to save her, I would have to act now.

The girl looked at me again and spoke.

Will you save me?

I had killed before, but never saved.

I had raised corpses, but never healed the living sick.

“This doesn’t seem like something I can do…”

As if she had read my thoughts, the girl spoke again.

Everyone said so. That if it were Father Raiernov, he would surely save me.

Perhaps Raiernov could have, but I was not Raiernov.

And.

Above all, I had no reason to save this girl.

Taking Raiernov’s form and entering the Blackleaf Caravan when I wasn’t even sure I could save her was far too risky.

If I intervened without reason before everyone and failed, suspicion could fall on me.

‘And that suspicion could kill me.’

In many ways, it was best not to get involved.

Yet, an unfamiliar sensation drew me to the girl.

It was a feeling I had never experienced before.

My vision blurred, and overlapping images appeared.

The phenomenon worsened whenever I looked at the girl’s spirit.

‘What is this?’

I observed her spirit more closely, and then, a scene flashed before my eyes.

A man crying.

He was someone I knew well.

Sanchez of the Bureau of Investigation.

My master in his younger days.

My master wept before the girl’s corpse, then went somewhere.

It was a massive library.

There, he borrowed a book and read it day and night.

An old tome with a black cover.

It was likely a copy of the Equinox.

The final line of the tome stood out clearly.

After reading this, my master placed the book into his drawer.

That was the last scene, and then I saw the girl again.

‘What’s this?’

It was hard to guess what I had just witnessed.

Then, the voice of Equinox reached me.

[These are traces of the vanished timeline, caused by your regression, Honored Master. With the creation of the third Mana Ring, you can now see the remnants of time.]

[By vanished timeline… do you mean a past life?]

[Correct. Normally, this ability awakens with the fourth Mana Ring, but it seems you have awakened it earlier.]

That was good news.

If I could confirm what had happened in a past life, it would be easier to respond in the future.

And if the scene I had just seen was what had truly occurred, then this girl’s death was a problem.

‘My master ultimately opened the Equinox because of the death of this girl.’

Which meant it was the first reason he ever seriously considered becoming a necromancer.

From the stories he told me in the past life, his wife was executed during the “Great Witch Hunt.” To save her, he delved into black magic and set out to find the copy of the Equinox.

Seen in this light, the girl’s death had no small influence on my master’s future.

‘If the girl does not die, then my master would have no reason to open the Equinox again.’

I wanted to give my master in this life a happy life.

I considered it the least repayment for what he had given me.

‘If I cannot even give such a repayment, can I still call myself human?’

I recalled the countless beast-like people I had met in my past life. At the very least, I did not want to become like them.

Of course, there remained the problem of preventing his wife’s death later, but that was still far away.

Depending on how I acted here, the Great Witch Hunt itself might never occur.

So for now, I had to focus on the girl before me.

I looked at the girl and spoke with the Voice of the Soul.

[From now on, everything you have seen must remain a secret.]

Then? Then you’ll save me?

[If I have the ability, I will save you.]

Okay! I promise! I won’t tell anyone!

The girl answered far too easily.

It didn’t matter.

That wasn’t what was important.

Before her eyes, I transformed into the appearance of Raiernov.

When a clean young man in his twenties suddenly became a man in his sixties, the girl’s spirit began to waver oddly.

She seemed greatly shocked.

At the same time, she seemed to realize what exactly she had to keep secret.

I spoke to her again.

[Keep the promise. Understood?]

…Yes.

Leaving the frozen girl behind, I stood, picked up Nocturne, and shook the bell on the desk.

Ding-ling, ding-ling, ding-ling—

Soon after, a knock was heard outside.

“Come in.”

As soon as I spoke, the door burst open and a priest entered.

It was Sanchez.

As if waiting for this, he hurried in and spoke.

“Lord Raiernov, there’s an urgent matter. The… Bl-Blackleaf Merchant Guild…”

“I know. The Guild Master’s daughter’s life hangs by a thread, correct?”

“H-how could you know…”

“There are ways to know everything.”

I smirked and spoke to the girl’s spirit still frozen behind me.

[What is your name?]

Erian.

[Erian. Now let’s go home.]

Yes.

Erian approached and stood close by my side.

Seeing this, I stepped forward with the girl and instructed Sanchez.

“Let’s go.”

“Will you be alright?”

Sanchez asked with concern.

He knew as well.

That even if Raiernov himself came, the chances of saving her were slim.

Normally, this wasn’t something I would meddle in, but I had already decided.

Whether it worked or not, I would try.

Otherwise, I would regret it.

I glanced at Sanchez and spoke.

“We must try. A child’s life is in danger—shouldn’t I do all I can while I still can?”

At those words, Sanchez’s face brightened.

He hurried out to prepare a carriage, and soon we rode together to the Blackleaf Merchant Guild.