Necromancer Of The Black Bible (60)

Natasha brought over the glass jar containing the mouse.

I took it from her and placed it on the table.

Scratch-, scratch-

The mouse scurried about inside the jar, glancing around nervously.

I pulled the crimson orb from my robes and dropped it through the small air hole I had made earlier.

Clink.

The orb clattered lightly against the bottom of the jar and rolled until it touched the mouse.

At that moment.

Whoooom-

A faint vibration accompanied a burst of light.

A red glow darker than blood spread out from the orb like fine threads, winding toward the mouse and seizing its heart.

The mouse sensed something was wrong but couldn’t struggle.

Instead, its movements dulled.

It couldn’t even squeak.

Meanwhile, the orb glowed brighter, as if fueled by the red energy flowing from the threads coiled around the heart.

“The orb is sucking out its life force.”

I agreed with Natasha’s interpretation.

This orb possesses the power to drain life force.

The darker the orb grew, the weaker the mouse became.

Once the mouse ceased all movement and died, I retrieved the orb from the jar.

Inside the orb, crimson liquid shimmered and swirled.

When I held it in my hand, the liquid diminished as warmth surged into my body.

‘This sensation…?’

It felt quite different from when I directly absorbed life force.

Denser, faster.

Equinox explained after sensing it.

[It’s an Orb of Gluttony. A very useful one. It amplifies your life absorption ability. Holding it broadens the range at which you can drain life.]

[So… it means I can drain without direct contact?]

[Exactly. Not only that—the speed of absorption increases so drastically that you could take damage while simultaneously draining the enemy’s life.]

Not bad at all.

Meaning, I could kill an enemy simply by being near them, without suffering fatal harm.

[There’s more. You can store life force in the orb for later. If gravely injured, you can instantly heal. The stored life can also be transferred to others.]

The more I heard, the more I liked it.

But one question arose.

[If I used two of these orbs together, would their powers stack?]

I asked hopefully, but Equinox’s answer was negative.

[Unfortunately, no. However…]

[However?]

[Over time, this orb evolves on its own. Each evolution strengthens it. And like other orbs, two can be fused to raise its grade.]

That works.

I’ll be using it often anyway.

I picked up Nocturne beside me and summoned the Soul Harvester.

Nocturne instantly transformed into a massive scythe.

Three orbs were already embedded in the grooves above the sharp blade.

Running my fingers over them, I saw Nocturne had done its work well.

As ordered, I’ve refined eight Orbs of the Flame of Resentment, nine Orbs of the Cold of Resentment, and six Orbs of Chaos.

The red Flame Orbs, blue Cold Orbs, and dark brown Chaos Orbs gleamed more vividly than before.

That was the result of condensing and refining their energies during fusion.

[Well done, Nocturne.]

Already, the Soul Harvester’s aura was extraordinary.

I stroked the shimmering Orb of Chaos and asked.

[Have you figured out the use of this Chaos Orb?]

Roughly.

Nocturne gathered its thoughts, then explained the Orb of Chaos’s nature.

It is, quite literally, chaos. It can’t be defined precisely. Its attribute changes constantly—sometimes fire, sometimes water, sometimes wind or earth. While testing, I found something interesting…

When Nocturne activated it, the orb split into two hues—earthy yellow on one side, wind-green on the other.

The two clashed violently, and in that moment, a fierce energy erupted.

Crackle-

Lightning.

The current was so powerful that just holding the Soul Harvester made my palms tingle.

Chaos Orbs are limited. Focus them on fire, they fall short of Flame Orbs. Focus them on ice, they fall short of Cold Orbs. But lightning—lightning rivals them both.

Nocturne spoke the truth.

The lightning born of the Chaos Orb was formidable.

The scythe exuded lightning far surpassing that of any mage’s spell.

[I like it. Well done.]

There are countless monsters in this world.

Some are immune to fire or ice.

Having another attribute at my disposal meant more monsters could be subdued.

‘And if I add this…?’

I inserted the newly tested Orb of Gluttony into an empty groove.

Click.

With a crisp sound, it settled in, and the Soul Harvester vibrated softly.

At the same time, the rampant lightning energy subsided.

Not just that—the Flame and Cold Orbs beside it grew gentler too.

Noticing this, Nocturne spoke.

Oh-ho. Placed together like this, it feels… stable.

It was just as Nocturne said.

The Chaos Orb beside the Gluttony Orb calmed like a tame lamb.

Yet when I invoked lightning, its power erupted instantly.

The same applied to the others.

Their energy merely lay dormant, but when I focused, fierce power surged forth.

Sharper, stronger than before.

‘So it controls the other orbs and even amplifies them slightly.’

The Gluttony Orb was truly remarkable.

Only now did the Soul Harvester feel complete.

‘With this, my power has ascended another step.’

Whether it could match Illinas was uncertain, but one thing was clear.

‘Once I reach the fourth Mana Ring, I’ll be able to fight him.’

It was simply instinct.

Judging by the aura I had felt from Illinas when begging for regression, the odds were high that I was right.

‘I look forward to it.’

My healing work had rapidly refined my Mana Rings.

The refinement rate was around 80%.

A little more, and I’d achieve the fourth Ring.

‘It won’t be much longer.’

I stowed the Soul Harvester and set Nocturne down.

Natasha, who had been watching, spoke up.

“Wow… that’s incredible.”

“What is?”

“Your power. I’ve never felt anything like it.”

Natasha still wasn’t used to her state.

Thus she often felt multiple senses at once or heightened single ones—especially sensitive to spiritual power.

As she watched the aura flowing from me, sunlight spilled through the window, making her squint.

“Ah…”

Natasha shielded her eyes with her hand and continued.

“The light is too intense. I can heighten my senses easily, but this light is overwhelming.”

I agreed.

Sunlight burned harshly even for me.

“Let’s go.”

“Huh? Where to…?”

“To deal with this light.”

I picked Nocturne up and took Natasha outside with me.

It was time to finally do what I had been putting off.

The outing after so long was refreshing.

Everything felt crisp and new, likely because I had stayed inside for too long.

When I opened the carriage window, a breeze carrying mixed scents flowed inside.

The scents were varied.

There was the faint fragrance of the forest wafting from afar,

the savory smell of food drifting from chimneys preparing dinner, and the damp stench of the sewers.

Ahead, the aroma of fresh fruit filled the air.

“There must be a market up ahead.”

“That’s right. Is this your first time here?”

When I asked, Natasha nodded with an innocent smile.

“Yes, it’s my first time. In fact, this is my first time entering the Theocracy at all.”

“But didn’t you say you came here three years ago?”

“Well… I was classified as a plague patient, so I wasn’t allowed past the city gates.”

Natasha answered with a bright face, but her heart wasn’t the same.

The more she recalled the past, the heavier her heart seemed to grow.

Watching her, a question came to mind.

“Have you sent word to your father?”

“Not yet.”

Natasha looked out the window as she continued.

“I planned to contact him as soon as I recovered, but now that the time has come… I hesitate. I wonder if it’s even necessary.”

Her words carried a mix of emotions.

It was understandable—she hadn’t been in touch for years.

Her duchy probably assumed she was already dead.

Everything back home would be proceeding under the assumption of her death.

So even if she announced her recovery and returned, she might not be welcomed.

Natasha feared facing a world where she wasn’t wanted.

“The winter before last… When support from the Principality was cut off, I still remember the despair. They must have thought I was already dead, that was why they stopped helping. I don’t want to share my recovery with people like that.”

“I see.”

I neither agreed nor disagreed.

The choice belonged entirely to Natasha.

Ceres, listening silently beside us, seemed to respect her decision as well.

I glanced at Ceres’s eyes briefly, then spoke to Natasha.

“Whatever you choose, it’s your freedom. As your master, I’ll support your decision.”

Natasha mulled over my words for a moment, then suddenly asked.

“But… Master, if I said I wanted to leave your side, would you let me go?”

“Why ask that out of nowhere?”

“It just feels strange. Then you’d be left with nothing, wouldn’t you?”

It seemed Natasha didn’t know about my deal with Ceres.

I already owned the souls Ceres had gathered—Natasha included.

So her physical presence was irrelevant. Her soul was already mine.

Smiling gently, I answered her.

“Wherever you go, it doesn’t matter. You’re mine.”

Natasha blinked at me, likely trying to read my thoughts.

But with my mental barrier in place, she wouldn’t be able to.

After a while, Natasha nodded as if she had accepted it.

“I don’t fully understand… but if that’s what you say, Master, then it must be so.”

Hmm… will she ever realize that no matter what she does, she belongs to me?

As I was thinking that, the coachman’s voice called from outside.

“High Priest Raiernov, we’ve arrived.”

Looking outside, I saw the marketplace.

Some stalls were already starting to close.

‘We’ll need to hurry.’

I stepped down from the carriage with Natasha.

And, as always, Ceres followed quietly behind us.