The Necromancer Who Was Despised - The Necromancer Who Was Despised chapter 198
“Try harder, then.”
As I nodded, Yeriya placed her hand on Tinus’s body and said, “Let’s start. Be careful.”
As soon as she finished speaking, a surge of evil energy and dark auras began pouring into Tinus’s body.
◈ Subjugation
“Welcome, Philid.”
“Greetings, Your Holiness.”
“It’s fortunate that you’ve returned safely amidst the kingdoms’ persecution of the Church. I’m very pleased.”
“It’s thanks to the Goddess’s blessings.”
Philid, a high-ranking priest of the Goddess’s Church, had arrived from the Desert Shield.
As the leader of the priestly order, he was originally supposed to join the resistance against the Suptelan royal family, but he had returned due to the Pope’s orders.
And it wasn’t just Philid who had been summoned.
High-ranking priests who led the priestly order followed him, and then unusual, high-energy knights and archbishops who would normally be serving as diocese leaders in various regions began to appear one by one.
‘Even the Saintess…’
Philed felt that this gathering was not ordinary.
Even the Saintess, who had been hiding her true form in the Vatican, revealed herself.
The high-ranking priests leading the priestly order, who were practically bishops, were dispatched to the 6 Kingdom Alliance, a potential enemy nation.
Those dispatched were all proven believers, accompanied by inquisitors and judges, and were scheduled to be appointed as bishops in the future.
In reality, even among the cardinals, there were those who had held the same position as Philed in the past.
The faces gathered were all central figures of the Holy Empire.
Pope Marius.
Saintess Lesia.
Forrest, the Grand Inquisitor and commander of the inquisitors.
The five cardinals, who concurrently held positions as bishops of various regions.
The heads of the priestly order, who wandered around the 6 Kingdom Alliance, monitoring the temples and the trends of each kingdom, were all present.
Looking at the gathered individuals, Pope Marius spoke.
“I’m grateful that you all responded to this sudden gathering, especially since the dispatched priests have all returned safely.”
“Being summoned to the Holy Council is an honor in itself.”
The five cardinals, led by the elderly and experienced Cardinal Alexis, who controlled the black-robed inquisitors, responded in agreement.
“Of course, it’s only natural.”
Bright, who was responsible for the diocese surrounding the Land of Death.
“I had expected as much, considering recent trends.”
“The 6 Kingdom Alliance has crossed the line. They’re oppressing the Church…”
Halford and Tymond, cardinals responsible for the dioceses of the 2 Kingdoms of Maladin and Malicos, respectively.
“It’s been confirmed that they’ve formed an alliance with the filthy heretics. It seems to be a rather strong bond.”
Even Cardinal Lining, who monitored the heretic alliance and was responsible for the diocese of the neutral zone, spoke.
“…….”
Saintess Lesia remained silent, and Forrest, the Grand Inquisitor, spoke.
“You’ve summoned all the priests dispatched to each country, which means it’s related to the Holy Temple.”
“That’s right. There are many who are being oppressed, and it’s not just a few individuals.”
“However, unfortunately, there is no place within the 6 Kingdom Alliance’s territory where we’ve successfully created a Holy Land, so the Saint cannot exert his power.”
The Empire’s military power came from the Saint.
While the number of Masters, who could be considered tactical weapons, was insufficient, war wasn’t something that could be won solely with Masters.
There were special cases like Necromancers, but they were truly exceptions, and it was practically impossible to wage war without soldiers.
However, the Saint’s power wasn’t overwhelming either.
Even if the Empire combined the military power of its two kingdoms, it would be impossible to subjugate both the heretic alliance and the 6 Kingdom Alliance alone.
But if the Saint were to exert his power, the story would be different.
The Saint’s power was absolute in the Holy Land, and even Masters who slaughtered soldiers would avoid direct confrontation with the Saint.
The Empire’s intention in creating its own power within the 6 Kingdom Alliance and infiltrating the Church was also to create a Holy Land within the kingdom.
The Holy Land. A term used in religion to refer to sacred lands or places, but in the Goddess’s Church, it referred to land filled with the Goddess’s divine power.
Therefore, if many priests combined their powers, they could create a temporary Holy Land, and what was originally created for worship had become an excellent means of supporting the Saint in battle.
The Holy Land Forrest spoke of was not a temporary one but a semi-permanent one, and if such a Holy Land were formed within the 6 Kingdom Alliance’s territory, it would have the effect of an impenetrable fortress.
However, the 6 Kingdom Alliance was aware of this fact and had been constantly interfering and monitoring to prevent the creation of a Holy Land.
Therefore, if the Empire were to take the first move, the damage would be significant.
However, it’s not possible to remain still in this situation. The heretic, Daechi Mokgo, has risen again.
“…Those insects.”
The expression “heretic” caused the faces of the high priests to stiffen simultaneously.
“Moreover, they are receiving strong support from the 6 kingdoms.”
“…In such a situation, to join hands with those filthy half-breeds… it’s as if we have already lost the initiative.”
The Pope nodded in agreement with High Priest Alexis’s words.
“That’s right. In reality, a holy war is inevitable. If we remain still here, the empire will be isolated and destroyed.”
“At the very least, we must crush the heretic’s roots and prevent those filthy half-breeds and the 6 kingdoms from joining hands.”
“That’s right.”
A holy war is inevitable.
“The 6 kingdoms have prepared thoroughly. They didn’t give us any time to respond and pushed forward all at once.”
“What did the eyes of the Holy See do? They didn’t notice this situation at all.”
At that moment, Philde requested permission to speak, and the Pope accepted his request.
“I apologize, but some of the words spoken by the high priests are incorrect. Although the 6 kingdoms’ alliance has made many preparations to reduce the empire’s influence, I suspect that the influence of another person is greater than their preparations.”
“What do you mean?”
“Do you know the name Do In-ha?”
“Do In-ha?”
“Yes.”
“I’ve heard reports about him. He’s a black mage active in the kingdom of Shupeuran. His name is unusual, so I remember it.”
The mention of black mage caused the attendees to frown.
Philde, who didn’t know that his name had reached the Pope, was momentarily surprised but continued speaking with ease.
“I have secretly investigated him through the Shupeuran royal family’s intelligence agency. As a result, I have discovered many things.”
He revealed that Anelis, a being related to the half-breed alliance, and that he had become the official black mage of the royal family’s favored Rineta family, and that he had excavated the relics of Daechi Mokgo and obtained some of its artifacts.
“There is no concrete evidence, but I suspect that he is deeply involved in the revival of the heretic and the alliance with the half-breed alliance. Therefore, I have tried to meet him directly.”
“…What kind of person is he?”
“He’s someone who cannot be left alone. He will definitely become a major obstacle to the empire in the future.”
The black mage, who is expected to become a demon king in the near future, has built a close relationship with the kingdom and is a necromancer who can handle the withered land alone.
He needed to be cautious.
“Perhaps he’s from the Black Star clan…”
“No, that’s not it.”
High Priest Alexis shook his head at a senior priest’s murmur.
“They are still stuck in the southern forest. The current situation in the forest is chaotic, and they don’t have the mental energy to care about the outside world.”
It’s because they had once joined hands with those people. The Holy Empire was more concerned about them than the 6 kingdoms.
“Then, is he a disciple of a hidden black mage or has he grown on his own…”
“Or is he a contractor of the demon king…”
“Is that possible? That’s like calling a tiger to catch a fox. Even if the 6 kingdoms want to reduce the empire’s influence, they won’t bring in the demon king.”
“That’s insane.”
The commotion continued for a while after that.
“Then…”
However, the commotion subsided as soon as the Pope opened his mouth.
“Which one do you think is more dangerous, the Six Kingdoms Alliance or the Demonic Alliance?”
“…It’s the Demonic Alliance.”
“Although the Six Kingdoms Alliance has been doing well recently, it’s nothing compared to the Demonic Alliance.”
“The heretics and dark mages are disgusting, but the Demonic Alliance is an even greater threat.”
The cardinals responded to the Pope’s question.
“The Six Kingdoms Alliance is currently in a state of internal strife, but it’s dangerous to provoke them with the Demonic Alliance backing them.”
The Holy Knight Commander, Forest, also agreed with that statement.
It was a clear fact.
The Empire didn’t just sign a peace treaty with the Demonic Alliance and create a neutral zone for no reason. The Demonic Alliance’s power was not to be underestimated, and if a holy war were to break out, they would be the first target.
Of course, that didn’t mean they were underestimating the Six Kingdoms.
The Pope had received multiple reports from the priest groups that had been wandering around the Six Kingdoms, and the holy war conference had been going on for a day.
***
“Is this right?”
I muttered to myself as I gazed at the completed dragon.
With Elia’s help, completing the dragon wasn’t that difficult.
The preparation was thorough, and Elia’s assistance was perfect.
However, when I saw the result, I felt a subtle unease.
“Are you dissatisfied?”
“No, it’s not that.”
There was no lack of ability.
The enormous magical power that I could store in advance.
I could also achieve the same level as the 7-Class, which was on par with me, and even nullify the opponent’s magic.
Moreover, according to Elia, the body was prepared for close combat, so I just needed to learn the skills and I could handle close combat as well.
The only thing was that the completed dragon looked nothing like a human.
“It’s just a form that’s relatively less noticeable for external activities. Haven’t you seen its combat form?”
“Yeah… I guess.”
The combat form was a dragon-like creature with scales.
The amazing thing was that when it was in human form, there was no sense of magic at all.
This was a technique that even I couldn’t do, and I had to use my mother’s tainted holy relic to hide my true abilities.
But Elia did it effortlessly.
It made me think again that it wasn’t just a dragon.
At the same time, when it transformed into its combat form, it would display an overwhelming presence, along with its immense magical power, fitting for a commander.
It was as if I could own such an undead even at my current level.
Honestly, I could see that it was much stronger than me.
“But… what’s your gender?”
Elia’s appearance was undoubtedly beautiful, but I couldn’t tell if it was male or female.
It looked like a man in some ways, and like a woman in others…
“Think whatever you want. I don’t have a fixed gender.”
“Really? You don’t have a fixed gender?”
“I’m a dragon. Originally, dragons determine their gender, but with the drastic decrease in their numbers, they had to prepare for the worst-case scenario, so they didn’t determine their gender.”
That’s how it’s been until now, and since becoming an undead, the concept of gender has become even more meaningless, so it’s still the same now.
“No, am I not a dragon, but a neuter? Since I’ve focused on combat, I’ve eliminated that aspect, so it’s nonexistent.”
“What did you eliminate?”
“It seems that in this world, as long as you have abilities, it doesn’t matter whether you’re male or female… Hmm. But I still don’t want to see a male dragon being courted, so I’ll just be a male.”
I lost my words at the dragon’s nonchalant tone.
In any case, obtaining a powerful ally was a fact, so I shook off the strange feeling.
“But how long do we have to maintain these lowly undead?”
“…Just until our business here is over.”
I handed over the dominion of the undead I used to occupy this place to Tinus.
I had no choice but to do so.
The power to dominate him was enormous, and I could keenly feel why he had to seal himself away. To accept him, I had to abandon the undead I used here.
If I made a single mistake, the connection with Entin and other key undead would be severed.
“It was a close call.”
So, I asked Tinus to maintain the undead I used here, even though our occupation of this land wasn’t over yet.
He didn’t seem to like it, but…
“I still haven’t adapted to my body. I wish you could finish it as soon as possible.”
From noble mtl dot com
“You know the situation, so do you have to do it that way?”
Yeriyah was gazing at the completed Tinus with shining eyes.
Tinus praised her efforts, and Yeriyah was asking him about his condition with a look of admiration.
Meanwhile, I instructed Entin to clean up the area.
“Then, shall we go and finish up?”
I erased all traces perfectly and completed the confirmation work.
After completing the occupation of this land and visiting the royal family…
“I should contact Untinia.”