A Model Necromancer
Alius was a priest belonging to the Earth Order's Yustil Northern District Diocese, headquartered in Derat City.
"Embarrassingly enough, I hold the rank of First-Class Inquisitor."
Karnak tilted his head in confusion.
"A First-Class Inquisitor?"
"Yes. An inquisitor is—"
"No, I know what an inquisitor is."
For generations, whenever traces of necromancy were discovered, the Church of the Seven Goddesses would dispatch an experienced cleric to verify the truth. The position granted at such times was called an "Inquisitor."
After the appointed priest determined the authenticity of the case, they would pass judgment in the name of the goddess and then return to their original post.
In other words, it was originally a temporary assignment.
"I've never heard of inquisitors having ranks."
Having ranks would mean it was a permanent position. And if necromancers were so widespread that inquisitors were always needed, the world wouldn't be a livable place.
Alius wore a bitter expression.
"That's precisely the problem—such a world has come to pass."
There had been so many incidents related to the Darkness of the End that the church no longer had the manpower to dispatch inquisitors temporarily as before. These days, he explained, they trained professional inquisitors separately.
"I was just promoted to First Class. Until recently, I was Second Class."
Karnak let out a sound of admiration.
Ordinarily, advancing in clerical rank was not something that happened so easily.
"You've accomplished a lot at such a young age."
Alius scratched the back of his head, looking embarrassed.
"There are simply too many cases. If you work as an inquisitor, you accumulate experience whether you like it or not."
He did seem quite competent.
After all, he had sensed the strangeness of Gelpa Village for the same reasons Karnak had.
"For a man that capable to target a rural village like this is indeed strange."
As he listened, Baros suddenly asked,
"But did you come here alone, Priest? If there really is a necromancer in that village, wouldn't that be dangerous?"
In other words, shouldn't he have brought church forces with him?
Alius shook his head.
"Unfortunately, the church won't move without solid evidence."
"Evidence? Isn't an inquisitor's confirmation enough?"
"It used to be, but…"
After sighing, he replied weakly,
"To be honest, the church considers this a mere rumor as well."
"Why? Isn't the situation suspicious enough?"
Even if someone might have missed it, Alius had already identified the inconsistencies. Dismissing it as a rumor still didn't make sense.
But these days, apparently, it could happen.
"There was a similar incident not long ago. And that one had nothing to do with necromancy."
"…You're telling me it's common for a young, rich, kind, and handsome man to do nothing but chase after country girls?"
Baros's disbelief made Alius sigh again.
"It's a matter of relativity."
From what point does someone count as "rich"?
From what point is someone considered "handsome"?
What about "kind"?
Aside from age, none of these were criteria that could be measured precisely with numbers.
Even "young" was relative. In a village full of seventy- or eighty-year-olds, someone in their fifties would be treated as young.
Karnak and Baros had imagined the capable man as something like "a noble scion handsome enough to rival a kept pretty boy, tossing gold coins around," and found it strange that such a person would seduce country girls…
"But even having a modest amount of savings and skin that's less sunburned than average can put you in the category of 'rich and handsome' by rural standards."
"Ah… in that case, going after country girls wouldn't be that strange."
"Exactly. Things that would once have been ordinary incidents are now being blamed on the Darkness of the End."
As a result, false information was overflowing, and unless something was fairly certain, the church couldn't act rashly. Their manpower was limited.
"I'm not convinced there's definitely a necromancer in this village either. I just don't want to ignore suspicious signs without even checking."
Baros, exasperated, sent a magical message to Karnak.
[We almost went on a wild goose chase ourselves, didn't we?]
[True enough. This time we just got lucky and happened to hit the mark.]
They had come here brimming with confidence, mocking adventurers as fools—but it turned out that wasn't entirely fair.
'Hah. I can't just act recklessly based on old habits anymore.'
Even so, the fact remained that there really was a necromancer in that village.
"So, Priest, are you planning to find evidence and return to the church?" Karnak asked.
Alius looked bashful.
"Actually, I was thinking of handling it myself."
This wasn't merely youthful recklessness.
His divine power was substantial. Hadn't Karnak himself been startled when he sensed Alius approaching?
In terms of sheer divine power, even all the priests of Latiel who had visited Jestrad Territory combined wouldn't amount to half of Alius's strength.
'As expected of a First-Class Inquisitor. He really could take down an average necromancer on his own.'
Even so, the reason he had lit up upon seeing the two of them was likely that having allies would allow him to use holy spells far more efficiently.
"You both seem to be highly capable individuals…"
In truth, the one Alius really wanted was Baros.
Karnak was young and a mage, so just by looking at him it was hard to tell how skilled he actually was.
But Baros was different.
A massive, well-trained body. A sword and armor that bore the marks of long use. Someone with a physique like that, wearing equipment like that, could never be weak.
With genuine sincerity, Alius asked,
"If you would help me, it would be a great support."
While Alius waited for their answer, Baros quietly asked,
[What are you going to do, young master?]
[What else? We can't exactly use necromancy in front of a priest. We make up a suitable excuse, part ways for now, and then handle it ourselves—]
Karnak stopped mid-reply, as if something had occurred to him, and changed his tune.
[No. Let's move together.]
[Huh? Is that really okay?]
[It's a good opportunity. There's something I want to check while we're at it.]
Turning back to Alius, Karnak spoke in a serious tone.
"I understand the situation, more or less. We, too, are children of the goddess. It is our duty to help with holy work, however little we may contribute."
Delighted, Alius drew the sign of the holy emblem.
"Thank you for your help. May the blessings of the Seven Goddesses be upon you both."
Baros still looked uneasy.
[Is this really all right? What if we end up in a situation where you have to use necromancy?]
[Then I'll use it when I have to. It's not like this is the first or second time I've used necromancy behind people's backs.]
[And every time, the results weren't exactly good, were they?]
When Karnak said "behind their backs," what he really meant was blatantly using necromancy and then erasing memories through mental manipulation—a staple tactic of his in the old days.
[Everyone whose memories you erased ended up wasting away from nightmares and eventually went insane. Are you planning to do that again?]
[Is it really that bad?]
[It is. We agreed we'd live like proper people now, didn't we?]
For the record, their definition of "living like proper people" wasn't exactly living virtuously while upholding morality and ethics.
It was closer to wanting to live that way, but not really knowing what that meant.
So the standard Karnak and Baros had set was simple:
—Don't live like before.
[That priest is a good person.]
He was a bit rash and had a habit of jumping to conclusions, but at his core he was diligent and kind.
You could tell just from the fact that he'd gone out of his way to come all the way to this village when everyone else had ignored it.
[Turning a good person into a mental wreck sounds a lot like living like before.]
[You're right.]
Agreeing, Karnak pondered a benevolent solution.
[Let's see… how do you erase memories without damaging the mind?]
[…Is "not using mental manipulation at all" really not an option? You truly are a textbook necromancer, young master.]
[I won't use necromancy. I'll erase it with chaos magic.]
[There's a way to do that?]
[If I stretch chaos mana thin like a needle and burn out part of the brain's memory center, it might work.]
[… …]
[What? Did I say something wrong?]
[No, I was just thinking how you really are a model necromancer.]
[I said I'm not using necromancy! Why do you keep calling me a necromancer?]
Because their conversation was carried out through magical telepathy, outwardly the two of them just appeared to be standing there with their mouths shut.
Interpreting their expressions differently, Alius spoke in a gentle tone.
"There's no need to be so tense. It hasn't even been confirmed that there's a necromancer in that village. And even if there is…"
Gripping his oak staff tightly, he assumed a solemn, holy expression.
"I have the protection of Hatoba. A mere evil necromancer would be no match for me!"
Baros stared straight at Alius.
'That very evil necromancer is aiming for your head right now.'
But of course, he couldn't say that out loud.
He simply smiled gently and nodded.
"That's very reassuring. I look forward to working with you."
Gelpah Village was quiet. Most of the residents seemed to have gone out to work in the fields; only a few housewives and children were occasionally visible.
The villagers glanced sidelong at Karnak's group as they passed by, their expressions clearly saying, What brings outsiders to this village?
"Judging by their reactions, we shouldn't expect an inn," Baros remarked.
If this were a village that regularly saw travelers, one with an inn, the locals wouldn't be reacting like that.
Walking while holding the reins, Baros looked around.
"We'll need a place to leave the horses and unpack our luggage…"
In villages without inns, the usual custom for travelers was to stay at the village chief's house or the local church.
"A village this size should at least have a small church, right?"
Karnak shook his head.
"Probably not."
"Why do you think so?" Baros asked.
Alius answered in his stead.
"If there were a church here, would that farmer really have gone all the way to Derat City?"
"I see. I'm just an ignorant swordsman—I didn't think that far," Baros said, impressed by their reasoning.
Just as Baros was about to step deeper into the village, a small, neatly built white structure came into view.
A blue holy ornament hung from the roof, and a symbol representing wind was drawn at the entrance. It was clearly a church dedicated to Saisha, the Goddess of Wind and Sky.
Baros muttered blankly,
"There is a church, though?"
The two who had been confidently deducing things a moment ago hurriedly changed the subject.
"Oh. There is?"
"…Then why did that guy go all the way to Derat City?"
With a snort of laughter, Baros started walking again.
"Well, that works out nicely. We can impose on them for a night."
The church was very small, with only two clergy members: a village church head in his mid-forties and a nun who looked to be in her thirties. They welcomed the group quite warmly.
"Welcome to the Church of Wind, brothers of the Earth," they said.
After leaving their horses and unpacking, they explained their business.
Hearing the story, the church head, Priest Grass, clicked his tongue and shook his head.
"Tsk, tsk. So he went that far, did he?"
Apparently, there had already been quite a commotion here as well.
When no one believed him, the farmer had gone all the way to Derat City.
"Mr. Cleo is a diligent and good man. He's been a great help to the village, and everyone likes him. I'm certain he has nothing to do with necromancy."
Sister Julia, who had tied up the horses in the church's backyard, added with a gentle smile,
"In fact, another priest came by a couple of months ago too, but he just left without incident."
Both of them felt not the slightest suspicion toward the mysterious capable man named Cleo.
"It's a shame you've come all this way only to find nothing," Priest Grass said apologetically.
Alius smiled softly.
"It's all right. Given my duties, finding nothing is actually the best outcome."
"Oh my, the priest who came before said the same thing," Sister Julia replied.
Since it was already too late to return to Derat City, they decided to stay the night at the church.
After showing them to a small guest room, Sister Julia spoke kindly.
"It's humble, but please rest comfortably."
Once they were alone, Karnak asked,
"So, what do you plan to do now, Priest?"
After a moment of thought, Alius replied,
"On the way here, I used holy detection throughout the village, but I didn't find anything particularly suspicious."
"So it really was just a rumor?" Karnak asked.
"Not necessarily. Necromancers are adept at hiding themselves. Just because I didn't notice anything doesn't mean one doesn't exist."
Baros joined the conversation.
"Then we'll need to observe the situation a bit more. I noticed a tavern where villagers gather on the way in."
If you wanted to gather information from locals, a tavern was usually the easiest place to do it.
Once alcohol was involved, people tended to say whatever came to mind.
In Baros's case, though, the way he licked his lips made it seem like he just wanted to drink.
Alius shook his head.
"It probably won't mean much."
Judging by the attitudes of Priest Grass and Sister Julia, it was clear that Cleo had the villagers' trust.
"The other villagers likely won't be much different. Even if we question them, I doubt we'll learn anything."
As Baros sulked at being denied alcohol, Karnak asked in his place,
"Then what do you intend to do?"
Looking out the window, Alius's expression hardened.
"We'll have to confirm it directly."
His gaze was fixed on the west side of the village, toward the dense forest where an old noble's villa was said to stand.