Episode 24. 7. The Model Necromancer (2)
Karnak wore an uneasy expression.
He wants to go straight to the necromancer? And then what?
If they confronted him head-on, the outcome was obvious.
—Hello, are you a necromancer?
—No.
—Oh, our mistake. Goodbye.
There was no way it would end like that.
As it turned out, Alius wasn't that thoughtless either.
"Of course, I don't mean interrogating him outright. An inquisitor has methods befitting an inquisitor."
Karnak's eyes gleamed.
Oh? Have they developed some divine spell for detecting necromancy that even I don't know about?
It was possible.
Necessity was the mother of invention, after all. In his previous life, necromancers hadn't been popping up everywhere like they were now.
"Then we should move before sunset," Karnak said, starting to rise.
Alius stopped him.
"We'll move after night has fully fallen. For now, rest."
"…Is that really all right?"
Sunlight greatly weakened the power of darkness. That was why necromancers could display their true strength only in the deep of night.
And yet he intended to seek out the opponent after darkness had completely settled?
"It's easier to tell whether someone is truly a necromancer when the night is deep. You'll see soon enough."
With that, Alius headed for the bed.
"I'll get some sleep for now. I need to prepare for the night."
It wasn't because he was simply sleepy—he was resting as much as possible to replenish his divine power.
If there truly was to be a clash with a necromancer, this was exactly the attitude a clergyman should take.
Karnak and Baros also lay down on their respective beds.
Staring at the ceiling, Baros asked via magical transmission,
[So what's the real situation, young master?]
[Both of them have had their minds tampered with.]
Unlike Alius, Karnak could clearly see the condition of Priest Grass and Sister Julia.
[Their brows are murky. That means they're under necromancy. It's very faint, so Alius couldn't notice it.]
[Sounds like a fairly strong necromancer. Isn't mental manipulation usually difficult on priests?]
[Not so much that—they're both just very low in divine power.]
In truth, it was debatable whether they even qualified as proper clergy.
[That's why they're stationed in a backwater village like this.]
Not only the clergy, but the entire village was under a weak enchantment. Karnak had already confirmed it on the way in.
[For a third-rate, he's competent. I'd say he's about at the level I was in my mid-twenties. He hides well enough that most people wouldn't catch him.]
In Karnak's previous life, there hadn't been specialized clergy like inquisitors dedicated solely to necromancy. So even when he'd been weak back then, he'd survived by hiding and running.
Glancing at the soundly sleeping Alius, Karnak smiled.
Good thing we decided to move together. I get to see what clergy in this era are really like.
The three slept soundly until sunset, then ate a hearty dinner prepared by Sister Julia.
It was a simple meal befitting a small village church, but more than enough to restore their strength.
Here, Karnak produced a donation several times the cost of the meal, much to Priest Grass's delight.
After finishing dinner, they returned to their rooms, saying they would sleep some more now that night had fallen.
A little more time passed.
Watching the outside carefully, Alius spoke.
"It's about time you two went to bed as well. Let's move."
He meant sneaking out of the church without Priest Grass and Sister Julia noticing, to go and investigate Cleo, the suspected necromancer.
"Is there really a need for secrecy?" Karnak asked.
Alius answered seriously.
"In case they've been enthralled by the necromancer. If so, our movements could be reported."
"Then wouldn't it have been better to hide the fact that you're a priest from the start…?"
"There are times when that's done."
In places with some flow of travelers, that was indeed the case.
"But this village rarely sees outsiders. It's better to clearly reveal our identity than to appear as mysterious strangers."
Priests were already roaming the continent, investigating necromancers everywhere.
Hadn't Sister Julia said so? Another priest had come just a few months ago.
So a visiting priest appearing in the village was within acceptable bounds.
But what if he suddenly left the church late at night?
"That would be truly suspicious."
"I see. I hadn't thought that far," Karnak admitted honestly.
He was genuinely impressed.
Unlike him, Alius hadn't detected anything suspicious about the two clergy members. Even so, he was preparing for the worst.
Looking embarrassed, Alius replied,
"It's part of the training any formal inquisitor receives."
The world really had changed. Unlike before, countermeasures against necromancers had been systematized within the Seven Goddesses' Church.
After finishing his preparations, Alius rummaged through his belongings again.
He took out a shabby robe and put it on over his priestly vestments, then produced two equally worn cloaks and three masks.
"It's a good thing I have spare cloaks."
Laying them out in front of the group, he spoke.
"Now then, I'll explain the plan."
Moonlight flowed faintly through the window.
Gazing at the dark forest beyond it, Cleo smiled.
It's about time the harvest began.
Reflected in the window was the image of an ordinary middle-aged man in his late forties.
Contrary to the villagers' assessment, he was neither young nor handsome.
But it didn't matter. The villagers would be seeing something entirely different.
How fragile the human mind truly was.
Foolish creatures, heh heh heh.
Inside the room, a single maid was busy making the bed.
Of course, a true noble household's maid would never be tidying the bedroom only when it was time to sleep. Proper etiquette dictated that everything be finished before the master ever noticed.
But this girl only wore a maid's uniform—she was, in truth, nothing more than an ordinary village maiden. It was unreasonable to expect that much of her.
When she finished, Cleo gestured to her.
"You may withdraw now."
"…Good night, Master."
Maintaining vacant eyes, the girl left the room.
Watching her retreating figure, Cleo smacked his lips slightly.
Tch, it's hard to endure just watching.
She wasn't particularly beautiful, but she was still a young maiden. Desire to simply pounce on her naturally stirred.
But Cleo restrained himself.
A virgin's soul had great value as a sacrifice.
I can't lower that value for a moment of desire after coming this far.
It had taken him fully half a year to seize control of the village, gather the power of darkness, erect the barrier, and prepare the sacrifices to summon a demon.
He had also spent no small sum buying and repairing the abandoned noble's villa so he could blend naturally into the village.
Heh heh heh… soon.
Dreaming of the immense power he would soon obtain, he was just about to lie down on the bed—
When something triggered the detection barrier he had spread throughout the villa.
…Intruders?
Cleo flinched and focused his mind.
Could they be children of the goddess?
He had already felt uneasy after hearing that a clergyman had entered the village.
Still, it wasn't all that rare, and after the priest entered the church and made no further moves, Cleo had secretly felt reassured…
Either way, if there are intruders, I can't just lie here.
Cleo hurriedly grabbed his sword.
When he stepped out of the room, three men stood in the middle of the corridor, their faces hidden behind masks.
Masks?
If they were clergy, there was no reason to hide their faces. On top of that, they wore shabby robes and cloaks, making it difficult to identify them by appearance.
Frowning in confusion, Cleo leveled his sword.
"You lot—who are you, and what do you think you're doing?"
One of the men in the ragged robe swaggered forward.
"Hey, mister, the rumors are everywhere. They say some rich young master's been spending money like water."
Spinning a dagger casually in one hand, he continued in a sneering voice.
"So we figured we'd come by and get a share of that extra cash, you know?"
Cleo's expression turned strange.
This was completely unexpected.
…What? Just bandits?
But thinking about it, it wasn't that strange at all.
When word spreads that someone has money, things like this are bound to happen.
Amused, Cleo let out a short laugh.
"Heh, heh heh heh…."
"Oh? You think this is funny?"
The young bandit scowled, thrusting the dagger threateningly.
"Looks like you need a stab or two to come to your senses."
How laughable.
Utterly trivial and laughable.
Cleo's eyes changed. His arrogant voice dropped low.
"Hmph. Worthless vermin not even fit to be sacrifices…"
Jet-black darkness erupted from his entire body, filling the corridor.
"For the crime of disturbing my sleep, repay it with your lives!"
Fwaaaaash!
A dreadful aura spread in all directions.
It was a tremendous power of darkness that would freeze any living being in instinctive terror just from witnessing it.
Cleo burst into loud laughter.
"Ha! Hahahaha!"
Then he froze at the voice that followed.
"Wow, he's really revealing himself right away?"
This was Alius's "plan."
"We'll disguise ourselves as bandits and threaten him for money."
"…What?"
Naturally, Karnak reacted in disbelief.
"You're saying you're not using some divine spell to identify a necromancer?"
"If only such a spell existed," Alius replied, "but just because it doesn't, we can't simply do nothing."
"Still, this is ridiculous. You're telling priests who serve the goddess to commit robbery?"
Alius looked a little embarrassed.
"This is my own method. It's not something the Order officially recommends."
Karnak felt slightly relieved.
At least the Seven Goddess Church hadn't gone completely off the rails.
"But surprisingly, it works very well."
Necromancers were people who violated all kinds of taboos to gain power.
"If such people encounter bandits late at night, with no witnesses around…"
Alius smiled confidently.
"Do you really think they'll meekly hand over their belongings and surrender, fearing repercussions, when they're being threatened by people who look down on them?"
Black miasma surged in all directions. It was an aura of death so intense that any living being would feel their knees weaken just from looking at it.
Within that darkness stood the necromancer, his red eyes gleaming—pure terror incarnate!
…Or at least, that was how it was supposed to be.
For some reason, the reaction was completely off.
The masked man in the shabby robe shrugged.
"What did I tell you? This method has never failed so far."
The thin man nodded seriously.
"Indeed. From a psychological standpoint, it would be harder for it not to work."
The large man looked a bit uncertain.
"More importantly, if this method didn't work, wouldn't we fail to identify them in the first place? Wouldn't it naturally feel like it always works…?"
In any case, even while facing a necromancer—the very symbol of death and terror—they all seemed remarkably relaxed.
They were clearly no ordinary bandits.
"You bastards…"
Ironically, Cleo grew calm.
"So you really are the goddess's dogs."
Karnak and Baros threw off their cloaks, revealing the longsword and mage's wand they had been hiding.
Alius also drew out his oak staff from beneath his robe.
"O misguided vessel who serves the darkness…"
The staff began to emit a brilliant light, pushing back the darkness.
"Kneel before the light of the goddess!"
Light and darkness collided with a thunderous roar. The corridor and ceiling shook as dust rained down.
Kwakwakwaang!
Amid the deafening noise, Cleo murmured calmly,
"Yes… I knew a day like this would come eventually."
He had been startled for a moment, but it wasn't a serious problem.
At most, his opponents were one priest, one warrior, and one mage.
That was something he could handle.
"Very well, hounds of the goddess!"
Cleo spread his arms wide. A curtain of darkness began to unfurl in all directions.
"I'll show you the mighty power of death!"