Necromancer Of The Black Bible (71)

The daily life of the Kallios Theocracy’s monastery is bustling.

Ordinary monks and priests go to bed at 9 p.m. and wake at 2 a.m. for morning prayers.

During this time, they hold worship in the monastery’s sanctuary, and listening to their hymns feels like a purification of the soul.

As I’m posing as High Priest Raiernov, I don’t have to attend the first morning worship, but lately, I’ve been attending regularly.

Because purifying my Mana Rings while listening to their singing in the quiet, reverent atmosphere speeds up the process by about a third.

Today, too, I came to the sanctuary early, closed my eyes, and performed the Mana Ring purification ritual.

The priests’ and monks’ prayers and hymns continued, and soon the morning worship ended.

At that moment, someone approached and stood at attention beside me.

Since I was focusing with my eyes closed, he didn’t speak to me.

I thought he might leave if I stalled long enough, but he didn’t.

Even after about an hour, he stood by my side without moving a muscle.

‘What’s going on?’

From his demeanor, it was clear he had business with me—important business.

So I soon opened my eyes and looked at him.

“What is it?”

“Ah.”

The youthful-looking priest bowed deeply, showing respect.

“I greet High Priest Raiernov.”

“State your business.”

“Well…”

The priest suppressed his flustered expression and continued calmly.

“Her Holiness the Pope requests your presence.”

“Now?”

“Yes. She commands that you be brought as soon as possible.”

So the Pope is finally summoning me?

I nodded and stood up.

“Understood. Let’s go.”

The priest walked at a steady pace, neither fast nor slow, and I followed him.

The Pope has finally summoned you, Master. Why the delay?

The staff Nocturne posed a rare question.

Since it had been silent for so long, I didn’t reprimand it.

And I had the same question as it did.

‘Calling me only now? What’s been going on in the meantime?’

The last time I saw Lactea was almost a week ago.

Back then, she said she’d summon me the next day, but it’s only today, a week later, that she’s called for me.

What is she scheming?

As I was asking myself this, Equinox spoke.

[There’s likely nothing special behind it.]

[Is that so?]

[In your last meeting, you demonstrated the gap in power, Honored Master. That gap isn’t something that can be closed in just a week. Though Lactea has fallen, she’s not so incompetent as to scheme against someone stronger than her in her current state.]

Nocturne chimed in, supporting Equinox’s words.

I agree with the old man. The Pope isn’t that stupid. She’s more cunning, with deep calculations. It’s more likely she delayed to think over a deal than to plot harm against you, Master.

[A deal?]

[The Pope I’ve dealt with so far has always used sly rhetoric to steer deals in her favor. You need to be cautious about this.]

Since Equinox didn’t object, Nocturne’s words seemed to hold weight.

So how should I handle this now?

Should I just meet her and hear her proposal?

‘Or… is there another way?’

What immediately came to mind was peering into the past life.

If I could look into Lactea’s past life and find out what she was doing at this time, I could prepare for what’s about to happen.

[That won’t be easy. As I mentioned before, she possesses Kallios’s three sacred artifacts. As long as she has them, you won’t be able to easily peer into her past life.]

Equinox cautioned me, but somehow…

It felt possible.

The possibility of seeing the past life.

‘Lactea likely sought out Raiernov in her past life too, for the same reason she’s seeking me now.’

Even if I performed miracles as Raiernov, that wouldn’t have been enough to change Lactea’s decisions.

Because Raiernov is a prominent figure here even without performing such miracles.

‘In the past life, Raiernov likely met the Pope and received a mission. And who else would know about this?’

Suddenly, I recalled the moment I first arrived at the Theocracy.

Back then, I met Archpriest Alexo, who said the Pope wanted to meet me.

‘Alexo.’

If I meet him, I could find out what the Pope demanded in the past life.

I spoke to the priest walking ahead.

“Hey.”

“Ah, yes. Please speak.”

“I’d like to see the Archpriest first.”

“Well, that’s…”

A troubled expression crossed the priest’s face.

I smiled gently to reassure him.

“It’ll be but a moment. Isn’t the Archpriest’s office on the way to Her Holiness’s?”

“That’s true, but…”

The priest hesitated before adding.

“You mustn’t delay too long.”

“I understand. I’ll just stay for a cup of tea and go.”

With that promise, the priest reluctantly changed direction.

Following him through a long corridor, I soon arrived at Archpriest Alexo’s room.

As I opened the door and entered, Alexo greeted me with a warm expression.

“Mikel! It’s been a while! Have you been off somewhere again?”

“Tch, don’t kid. I’ve been here the whole time.”

“Ha ha ha. I know. I hear every day how busy you are working for our people. Sit down. I’ll prepare some tea.”

It was only our second meeting, but I could tell what sort of person Alexo was.

He opened his heart wide to those close to him but was stern with others.

You could tell from the face of the priest standing nearby.

The priest’s expression showed various anxieties, barely suppressed, fearing what trouble might come his way.

I glanced at the priest and said.

“Step outside for a bit. As promised, I’ll just have a cup of tea and leave.”

“Yes, High Priest.”

The priest bowed and went outside, closing the door.

Now, only Alexo and I were in the Archpriest’s office.

I focused my mind while watching Alexo prepare the tea set from behind.

Then, the scene from this time in the past life began to overlap with the present.

‘Nothing seems special. But it feels a bit stifling.’

When I healed Erian, the daughter of the Black Leaf Guild branch leader, I saw my master’s past life.

Back then, the scenes flashed by like a revolving lantern, allowing me to quickly understand what had happened.

But now it was different.

It was overlapping with the current time and moving at the same pace.

In the past life at this time, nothing significant seemed to be happening—only Alexo sitting at his desk in the office, working on documents.

At that moment, Equinox’s voice came through.

[It’s because your mana circle has increased, expanding your vision, Honored Master. To skim through the past life as quickly as before, take a step back from this moment in your consciousness. Leave your body as is and enter a spiritual state. That way, you can view the timeline at your desired speed.]

It was a somewhat complex explanation.

The concept of stepping back in consciousness or entering a spiritual state while leaving the body was hard to grasp intellectually.

But instinctively, I understood what he meant.

As I put it into practice, the scenes before my eyes began to move at high speed.

‘It needs to be faster. Until the person I’m looking for appears.’

I sped through time until Raiernov or Pope Lactea appeared.

Meanwhile, Alexo’s movements as he prepared tea in the present slowed to near stillness.

Focusing my mind and stepping out of my body into a spiritual state might be the first step in controlling time.

Since it allows me to extend my thinking time infinitely.

[You’ve hit the nail on the head, Master. Entering a spiritual state to view the past life, as you’re doing now, can almost freeze your current timeline. By using this, you can easily handle tough enemies or difficult situations.]

A smile formed on my face.

It’s not quite the level of freely manipulating time that Equinox first mentioned, but it’s a tremendous advantage.

When facing an overwhelming enemy, just having time to plan properly can drastically increase survival chances.

If I can buy thinking time this way, I won’t ever die.

While Alexo was frozen, I carefully examined the events that happened here in the past life.

After about two months had passed, a familiar figure appeared.

Mikel von Raiernov.

Raiernov, with a grave expression, met Alexo and began speaking immediately.

-The Pope has given me a command.

-Hmm…

-Is this conversation uncomfortable for you?

-No. It must be necessary, or you wouldn’t be here. Go on.

At Alexo’s urging, Raiernov tightly closed his eyes.

After pondering for a while, he opened his eyes, looked at Alexo, and continued.

-The Pope ordered me to find a saintess imbued with divine power.

-A saintess?

-Yes. She said there exists a bloodline of light blessed by Lord Kallios on this continent. She earnestly requested that, for the Theocracy’s survival, I find a saintess who carries that bloodline.

This was the information I was looking for.

In the past life, the Pope ordered Raiernov to find a saintess, and he likely succeeded in that mission.

I quickly skipped forward in time.

Raiernov didn’t appear here for a full three years.

And after about three and a half years.

He arrived with a certain woman.

An elf woman with long ears and long blonde hair.

Her radiant blue eyes and unforgettable beauty made it clear who she was.

‘The next Pope, Ceranis Lumina.’

The one who would lead the Kallios Theocracy to prosperity.

After Ceranis became Pope, she formed a marriage alliance with the Valkyr Empire and changed the nation’s name to the Lumina Empire.

Later, under the banner of the “Holy War of Light,” she waged war across the entire continent.

‘What’s the connection between Lactea and Ceranis?’

I focused my mind on Alexo in the past life, facing Raiernov and Ceranis.

Then I could see the events from Alexo’s perspective, and Equinox’s voice came through.

[I think I understand how Eliastra has been extending her lifespan and using the power of light all this time.]

Eliastra, the archangel who betrayed Kallios, the God of Light.

She has survived by taking the bodies of saintesses.

Lactea was merely one of many saintesses sacrificed.

Now Eliastra was trying to abandon Lactea’s body, depleted of the power of Light, to obtain a new one.