Necromancer Of The Black Bible (83)

Sanchez asked with startled eyes.

“You—who are you?”

“Where are you going, Investigator?”

Andre’s direct question left Sanchez speechless.

When he failed to reply, Andre continued.

“Lord Raiernov ordered that the Investigator must not leave this house.”

“But I have critical information. I’ll just step out for a moment-”

Grab.

Andre did not allow Sanchez even a single step outside.

He seized Sanchez’s forearm with both hands and pushed him firmly back inside.

Sanchez prided himself on his own strength, yet strangely he could not shake Andre off.

“L-let go!”

“I’m sorry, Investigator. I have no choice.”

Andre’s eyes were resolute.

Frustrated, Sanchez struggled and shouted.

“Let me go! This is important! If I don’t go-”

“Lord Raiernov commanded it. The most important thing right now is Investigator Sanchez’s safety, and I was strictly ordered to never let you leave the house.”

“Lord Raiernov said that?”

Andre nodded at the question.

“He told me you would definitely try to go out to help, and that I must never allow it.”

At that moment, Elin’s voice came from behind.

“As expected of a High Priest. He saw right through you.”

She patted Sanchez’s shoulder and continued.

“What are you doing? Come inside.”

“But…”

Sanchez found it hard to continue.

Elin added to him.

“Didn’t you hear? It’s a direct order from the High Priest. That’s why he sent this boy.”

Elin gave a faint smile.

She looked relieved that Sanchez would not have to leave.

Yet Sanchez’s anxiety did not easily subside.

He glanced at Elin, then asked Andre, who stared back impassively.

“Then what is your mission? To lock me in here and then join Lord Raiernov?”

He asked with a sliver of hope, but Andre shook his head.

Andre stepped fully inside and locked the door.

Then he turned to Sanchez and answered.

“I was ordered to remain here with the Investigator until the situation is over.”

Elin grinned, and Sanchez’s shoulders slumped.

Andre added to him.

“The High Priest already knows all the information you possess. So please do not worry.”

There was an inexplicable sense of trust in Andre’s heavy voice.

In the end, Sanchez had no choice but to return to the living room with Elin and Andre.

While the great bell of the Grand Temple still rang out.

High Inquisitor Ragnell entered the sealed vault with his subordinates.

When he inserted the glowing blue key and turned it, the massive lock that had bound the door vanished without a trace.

It was a wondrous sight, yet neither Ragnell nor his inquisitors showed any change in expression.

But when Ragnell opened the vault door, a glint appeared in their eyes.

The artifacts they had only ever seen in documents now lay before them.

Sensing his subordinates’ agitation, Ragnell spoke.

“Do not be alarmed. These are merely tools to oppose heretics.”

At his dry voice, his men nodded, and Ragnell stepped deeper inside.

The interior was vast.

Faint luminous pearls dotted the high ceiling, yet the light was far too dim to reveal the treasures within.

With every step, damp, cold air enveloped them. Fine dust that had accumulated for ages rose lightly, forming faint clouds.

Various artifacts glowed of their own accord as they passed, but Ragnell paid them no attention.

He sought only the stakes known as the “Apostle’s Barrier.”

When driven into the ground at the twelve cardinal points, they would create an impregnable barrier protecting everything within.

The strength of this barrier was on a completely different level from ordinary magical wards.

It blocked not only magic and physical force but also living beings, objects, and even spirits.

It was the perfect artifact to stop an army of wraiths.

‘It should be around here…’

Ragnell had memorized the vault’s interior map.

It was so secret that even among high inquisitors, only those personally authorized by the Pope could view it.

Thus he had memorized every detail and reached this point without getting lost.

Five and a half steps past the cloth-covered table.

Then ten steps to the right.

There stood a golden statue.

‘Six steps from here.’

Using his detection power, Ragnell carefully verified each marker he had memorized from the map.

When he finally reached the destination, a shabby pouch lay on a dusty wooden desk.

Without delay, Ragnell opened it.

Sure enough, twelve stakes covered in mold and cobwebs were inside.

Their appearance was so decrepit that one could scarcely believe they were ancient artifacts thousands of years old, yet Ragnell had no doubt they were genuine.

After taking the pouch containing the Apostle’s Barrier, Ragnell moved on.

Passing several more artifacts, he stopped before a rack holding hundreds of sharp weapons.

He picked up the spear directly in front of him and examined its tip.

The faint light from the luminous pearls reflected off the blade, making its edge gleam in the darkness.

It was so sharp one could believe it had just been forged.

Ragnell set the spear down and picked up the battle axe beside it.

A weapon he chose to replace his usual war hammer.

He swung it several times through the air, nodded in satisfaction, slung it across his back, and spoke to his men.

“Each of you, choose a weapon.”

“Yes, sir!”

With a unified shout, his subordinates moved in perfect order and armed themselves.

Ragnell added to them.

“These are special weapons forged from ancient black iron. A single strike is enough to annihilate a wraith, but they cannot cut anything else. Their durability is lower than ordinary weapons and they will shatter easily. Very few remain, so handle them with care.”

“Understood!”

Afterward, Ragnell led them out of the vault.

Retracing their steps was not difficult.

They quickly reached the entrance, closed the door, and after a short incantation, the same massive lock reappeared on the handle.

Ragnell retrieved the glowing blue key hanging from the lock and hung it around his neck.

Then he opened the cloth pouch in front of his armed subordinates.

“Each of you take one stake from here.”

His men took the stakes one by one, and Ragnell continued.

“These are the stakes called the Apostle’s Barrier. When driven into the twelve cardinal points, they will create a powerful barrier within. Take these and drive them into your assigned positions.”

At that moment, one of his subordinates asked.

“The twelve cardinal points… you mean the markings on the city walls?”

“Correct.”

He offered no further explanation, yet all nodded.

During their very first days as inquisitors, they had heard it endlessly during the daily wall patrols:

These are the twelve points engraved by the First Pope to protect the Theocracy from demonic invasion.

Recalling this, the tension that had been evident on his men’s faces moments ago began to ease.

Ragnell looked at each of them clearly with his white eyes and continued.

“Have no fear. This too is part of the divine plan. Lord Kallios will use this trial to temper and strengthen our Theocracy.”

Ragnell opened his palm.

Several slips of paper lay there, each marked with one of the twelve cardinal points.

His men took them one by one. When the last subordinate received his assignment, Ragnell continued.

“We will each take our weapons and scatter to the twelve points to drive in the stakes. No one knows from which direction the enemy will come. Therefore, you must maintain strict vigilance at your assigned position.”

Wraiths are invisible to ordinary priests.

Even high priests who have mastered Detection find it difficult to sense wraiths.

Thus Ragnell had briefed his men beforehand on the signs of wraith movement.

“Watch the direction of the wind. Anything that moves against it must be regarded with suspicion. Objects that should move one way yet move another—these are signs of wraith influence. Stay sharp, or you will miss them. If you see such signs, fire a flare immediately.”

Ragnell showed them the flare at his belt.

Pull the cord at the end while pointing it skyward, and it would shoot a small light into the air accompanied by a sound.

Ordinary people could neither see nor hear it, but Inquisitors of the Inquisition who could use Detection would recognize it clearly even from afar.

Ragnell met each of their eyes and nodded.

At once, his men scattered.

After they left, Ragnell murmured quietly.

“Now the most important task remains.”

He looked at the remaining slip in his palm.

The symbol written on it pointed to none other than the main gate.

‘I wonder from which direction they will come?’

He had explained the flare plan to his men, yet he still felt uneasy.

Most of them could not directly sense wraiths.

‘I must be the one to detect them.’

Ragnell possessed the most exceptional Detection ability in the entire Theocracy.

Without him, accurately identifying wraiths would be nearly impossible.

Thus he could not leave it to his subordinates.

After organizing his thoughts, Ragnell set off.

‘First, move. There is no time.’

The movements of wraiths were unpredictable.

He had no idea from where or how fast they would come.

The only certainty was the present moment.

‘The wraiths have not yet arrived. I must finish before they do.’

Everything else could wait until the protective barrier was activated.

Having reached that conclusion, Ragnell moved quickly.

He ran outside, mounted a horse that had been prepared in advance, and spurred it forward.

The black-iron axe was strapped to his back, but it did not hinder him.

It was lighter than ordinary weapons.

‘After activating the protective barrier, head to the Grand Temple. From there I should be able to sense the enemy’s direction.’

Once the plan was set, his mind felt lighter.

Yet one remaining duty nagged at him.

He was supposed to assist High Priest Raiernov.

‘Where am I supposed to find Lord Raiernov?’

There was no time for that.

The army of wraiths was approaching with every passing moment, and he had to drive in the stake on time.

Afterward, he had to locate the wraiths and defend against them.

Searching for High Priest Raiernov now was impossible.

‘It can’t be helped. Right now there are more pressing matters.’

Nothing was more important than protecting the Theocracy from the wraiths.

With that resolve, Ragnell galloped onward.

His white horse passed through the city gates one after another until it finally reached the main gate.

When he arrived, the gate stood wide open.

‘Huh? Why?’

With wraiths invading, the main gate should have been firmly shut—why was it wide open?

Ragnell gave a perfunctory response to the gate guards’ salute and rode outside.

Soon he spotted a single carriage.

In front of the carriage stood an elderly priest and a young woman, surrounded by numerous hazy, whitish figures.

‘Could they be… spirits?’

The moment suspicion arose, Ragnell activated his white eyes.

His gleaming white eyes scrutinized the area around the carriage and soon beheld the truth.

‘Th-this is…’

Hundreds of spirits had gathered around. They appeared to be listening to the elderly priest at the center.

At that moment, one spirit locked eyes with Ragnell, and a voice rang out.

“Are you Ragnell?”

A chill ran through Ragnell’s entire body, raising the hair on his skin.

The elderly priest continued to gaze at him as he spoke.

“No need to be tense. I heard about you from the Pope.”

He needed no further explanation.

The elderly priest before him was Mikael von Raiernov.