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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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Despite their hostile relationship, the dark elves remained within the Alliance because they had nowhere else to go. Half the continent was occupied by humans, and besides the human and Demihuman Alliance territories, the only remaining lands were monster-infested or the Great Forest.
There was the Dead Lands, but it was uninhabitable and required crossing human territory, making it inaccessible to the dark elves.
“So, have I answered all your questions?”
“Yes, more or less.”
“Then I’d like to speak with Annelise privately. Oh, and…”
Untinia, as if suddenly remembering something, retrieved a small crystal orb from her pocket and handed it to me.
“If you find Yeriya-nim, please contact us through this. Infuse it with mana and speak, and the message will be relayed to us.”
The message length was limited to about ten seconds.
“…Is it alright to give this to me?”
“It’s fine. Humans can’t replicate this technology anyway, and we’re planning to gift a few to the royal family.”
So that’s how they communicated so quickly. It seemed to be a mass-produced artifact.
“You can only use it once per day. Oh, and it’s two-way communication, so we can also send messages, but that’s unlikely.”
While I used pure demonic energy, Athena and Kayla could use mana, and I could always use the mana from jewels if necessary, so using the orb wouldn’t be a problem.
‘A crystal orb…’
While a small gesture, it established a direct line of communication with the dark elves, a surprisingly friendly and beneficial connection. It made Annelise’s recruitment even more worthwhile.
‘And she’s a valuable asset to our forces.’
She was part of Baldur’s elite unit. Untinia invited me to contact her if I had any further questions, then left the room with Annelise.
Just as I thought my business at Desert Shield was concluded, a delegation of priests from the Goddess Religion arrived.
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The priests’ arrival was unexpected. The delegation itself wasn’t large, consisting of nine priests and three paladins. However, their numbers weren’t the issue.
Kriang was flustered, and I instructed Athena to escort Annelise and Untinia to the Barren Lands. It was the only logical course of action.
Revealing Untinia, a member of the Demihuman Alliance, to the Goddess Religion at this point would be disastrous.
‘While we might establish open communication channels in the future, now isn’t the time.’
Fortunately, Kriang and his mercenaries, whether soldiers or knights, weren’t an issue. Kriang was affiliated with the royal family, and I had a good relationship with them.
If necessary, the others could simply be identified as members of the royal intelligence.
Therefore, they remained at Desert Shield. Even if I had asked them to leave, they likely would have stayed.
They needed to understand the priests’ motives, and we needed to know what they intended to do.
As long as Kriang, a representative of the royal family, was present, he could protect me in the name of the king, regardless of the priests’ intentions.
Of course, I was confident in my ability to survive regardless of their actions, but this was an unexpected situation. After ensuring Untinia’s safe departure, I greeted the priests.
“I am Philed, a devout servant of the Goddess of Light. Thank you for allowing this sudden visit.”
“I’m not sure what’s going on. My lady didn’t mention anything about a visit from the priesthood.”
While Prina had mentioned sending personnel to manage the castle, she hadn’t said anything about priests.
She wouldn’t hide such a thing, and she had explicitly stated she was negotiating with the Goddess Religion, intending to reject them in favor of the Earth Mother Religion, backed by the royal family. I had assumed they would simply accept her decision, so I hadn’t given it much thought.
‘Why this sudden visit?’
Something was amiss.
“Haha, we arrived a little early. We’re here to inspect the location for our temple, as instructed by our bishop.”
“…I heard the official religion for the territory hasn’t been decided yet.”
“What does that matter? Any wise lord would choose the Goddess Religion. We’re simply saving time, since our selection is inevitable.”
He had the audacity to claim that time was humanity’s most precious resource and shouldn’t be wasted.
The Earth Mother Religion had emerged, and the Septran royal family’s support for them was public knowledge. Lineta County, having received so much support from the royal family, would undoubtedly choose the Earth Mother Religion.
His blatant disregard for this information was astonishing.
‘They have an ulterior motive.’
Such a brazen, diplomatically problematic action suggested a compelling reason, something that justified the risks. A high-ranking priest, let alone a bishop, wouldn’t act so recklessly without a valid reason.
‘I’d like to throw them out…’
Unfortunately, I couldn’t.
He was a high-ranking priest, and while the Septran Kingdom favored the Earth Mother Religion and was secretly negotiating with the Demihuman Alliance, they hadn’t openly rejected the Goddess Religion.
There were still many followers of the Goddess Religion within the Six-Kingdom Alliance, and the negotiations weren’t concluded. Mistreating a high-ranking priest could have repercussions for Lineta County.
Moreover, I was an openly recognized necromancer. Giving them any excuse to target me would be problematic. Therefore, I had no choice but to welcome them into the castle and provide them with lodging.
“Thank you for your hospitality. May the blessings of the Goddess of Light be with you.”
‘Blessings for a necromancer… he’s insane.’
While the brazen high priest maintained a polite façade, the other priests and paladins openly expressed their disgust at the sight of me and my undead.
After providing them with food and lodging, I immediately summoned Kriang.
“Do you know anything about them?”
“…I know of High Priest Philed. He’s a devout follower of the Goddess and quite renowned in the area.”
He primarily operated around Baron Jutus’s territory.
“Then why is he here…?”
“I have no idea.”
“I’ll send someone to inform my lady.”
Since I couldn’t send undead, I decided to send half of Kriang’s men to Cross Fortress. However, it was a considerable distance, and Prina was likely at her main castle.
Even reaching Cross Fortress would take more than a day, let alone her main castle…
It meant I would have to deal with them alone for at least three, if not five days, unless Prina anticipated the situation and sent someone sooner. It was a frustrating situation.
Even with Kriang’s presence, he couldn’t intervene unless they directly attacked me. He was affiliated with the royal family, not House Lineta, and he couldn’t risk antagonizing the Goddess Religion without explicit instructions.
“Master, please calm down.”
“They can’t harm us.”
She was right. While most of my undead were stationed at the oases, I had Entin, the Knight Banneret, and Kayla, a near-Master level warrior, by my side.
I was also a 6th circle necromancer. While the priests and paladins were skilled, they were no match for us.
“As long as they don’t resort to physical violence, we’ll be fine. They were the ones who intruded, so we just need to stall for time. My lord isn’t incompetent; she’ll handle this.”
I addressed her formally, emphasizing her position as lord.
“That’s true.”
“There’s no need to provoke them. Just avoid conflict. That’s all you need to do.”
I was lost in thought.
While it was self-serving advice, their sudden arrival was concerning.
‘Perhaps that’s their objective.’
I heeded Kayla’s advice and maintained a distance from the priests.
“Haha, this place seems suitable. However, if possible, I’d prefer to build the temple closer to the center of the castle. Perhaps there’s a better location…”
They spent their days inspecting the castle, discussing potential locations for their temple, as if they truly intended to build one. I had to accompany them, with Kayla by my side.
For three days, they made no suspicious moves, and Philed, besides being a nuisance, didn’t do anything unusual.
I had initially suspected he was trying to distract me while his subordinates carried out some scheme, so I remained vigilant, my nerves on edge.
However, that didn’t seem to be the case. They made no suspicious moves, and Kayla offered a rather peculiar theory.
“Perhaps they came here… to observe you, Master.”
“Observe me? The Goddess Religion? Why?”
“If they know about you, they would naturally be wary.”
Kriang agreed with Athena’s assessment. A young, high-level necromancer. The Goddess Religion, with their aversion to necromancy, would naturally be interested.
While my 6th circle status wasn’t public knowledge, even reaching 4th or 5th circle at my age was unusual. And then there were Kayla and Athena…
‘Come to think of it, they didn’t ask about Athena’s whereabouts.’
That suggested their true motive might be different. However, even if their objective was to observe me, there was still one issue.
“The cost is too high.”
“That’s true, but…”
This incident would undoubtedly cause diplomatic problems. To risk such repercussions just to observe me? It didn’t make sense.
“…I hope that’s their true motive.”
If so, I just needed to stall for time. I would remain in the Barren Lands, so their observation wouldn’t affect me.
Moreover, with so many events unfolding, their interest in me would likely fade quickly.
Five days passed, then six, and I couldn’t shake off my unease. No one came to Desert Shield. There was no news from Prina. The half of Kriang’s force that had departed for Cross Fortress was also missing.
Philed continued to pester me daily, and I began to wonder if Kayla’s theory was correct.
Finally, after a week, Prina arrived at Desert Shield, bringing with her some unwelcome news. And with that news, the priests’ true motive became clear.
Their objective was to observe me, yes, but also to keep me confined to Lineta County.
War had broken out between Baron Jutus and Doriem.
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“If it weren’t for that bitch, I would have killed him.”
“Calm yourself, Inquisitor.”
“We should have tried, even if it meant our deaths…”
“I couldn’t risk your lives on a suicide mission. He was constantly on guard, especially with that woman by his side. We wouldn’t have succeeded even without her.”
“Philed-nim is right, Inquisitor. And that woman… she’s stronger than the rumors suggest. And the other one didn’t even show herself.”
“The other one is likely stationed in the Barren Lands. He had fewer undead than we anticipated. He must have left most of his forces there. It was a perfect opportunity.”
“Unfortunately, we lacked the strength to capitalize on it. Inquisitor, I understand your frustration, but it was impossible.”
“…Damn it!”
The Inquisitor couldn’t contain his rage. Philed ignored him and addressed another man.
“What’s your assessment, Interrogator?”
“Of Do Inha, that cursed necromancer?”
“He’s strong. Stronger than the rumors suggest. It was worth coming here. That undead… it was a Skeleton Knight Banneret.”
“Indeed, it wasn’t an ordinary undead.”
“A high-ranking undead, among the strongest. Besides Death Knights, it’s practically the pinnacle of undead creation. Do Inha… he’s reached 6th circle.”
“6th circle at his age… he’s dangerous indeed.”
“Confining him there was the right decision. He’s close to Colmail. If we hadn’t kept him occupied, the Jutus mercenary branch wouldn’t have moved. …Even if they had, with such a powerful necromancer joining the fray, our plan would have failed.”
“And learning his intentions was a significant gain.”
“Yes, I agree with Philed-nim. He has no intention of leaving that place.”
He was practically a recluse, despite operating in the open.
“If that’s the case, why did he even bother emerging from the shadows? He could have achieved his goals in secret.”
“Haa… I apologize for my outburst.”
“Have you calmed down, Inquisitor?”
“Then let’s report to the bishop and return to the Holy Empire.”
“…Are we abandoning Jutus?”
“There are others to support him. The Six-Kingdom Alliance has chosen the path of distrust and allied themselves with the Demihuman Alliance. They’ll learn the ‘truth’ soon enough. We’ll use the remaining forces to sow as much chaos as possible. We’ve invested too much to simply leave.”
“Indeed.”
“The unbelievers will pay the price.”
The two men, agreeing with Philed’s words, spoke with excitement.
“I hope it causes as much chaos as possible. The Holy War is near.”
“We would have preferred more time to prepare, at least ten years, but considering the circumstances, it will likely happen sooner.”
“It’s fine. I heard the basic preparations are complete.”
“That’s true. While we wanted to be thoroughly prepared and gather more information, we could start the Holy War now if necessary.”
“But what about Do Inha?”
“I’ll simply report my findings. The decision…”
Philed looked up at the carriage ceiling and continued.
“Those bastards from Heaven will handle it.”
At his words, the Inquisitor and Interrogator quietly recited a prayer.
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