Chapter 23: Chapter 23

Alius was a priest affiliated with the Northern District Parish of the Church of the Earth, located in Derat City.

“Embarrassingly enough, I hold the rank of a 1st-class Inquisitor.”

Karnak tilted his head in confusion.

“Did you say a 1st-class Inquisitor?”

“Yes, an Inquisitor is…”

“No, I know what an Inquisitor is.”

Traditionally, whenever traces of necromancy were discovered, the Church of the Seven Goddesses would send a seasoned clergyman to investigate the truth. The position given during these investigations was known as ‘Inquisitor.’

Once appointed, the priest would determine the truth of the matter, deliver judgment in the name of the Goddess, and then return to their original position.

In other words, it was originally a temporary role.

“I’ve never heard of Inquisitors having ranks.”

Having ranks implied that it was a formal position. But if necromancers were so widespread that a permanent need for Inquisitors existed, wouldn’t that mean the world was in a state of chaos?

Alius made a bitter expression.

“That’s the problem—such a world has already come.”

There had been so many incidents related to the Doom of Darkness that sending temporary Inquisitors, as was done in the past, had become insufficient. As a result, the church now trained professional Inquisitors.

“I just recently received the 1st-class rank. Until not long ago, I was 2nd-class.”

Karnak let out an admiring sound.

Typically, the ranks of priests did not rise so easily.

“That’s quite impressive for someone so young.”

Alius scratched the back of his head, looking somewhat embarrassed.

“There are so many incidents. If you work as an Inquisitor, you accumulate experience whether you like it or not.”

He certainly seemed to be quite capable.

He, too, had sensed something suspicious about Gelfa Village, just like Karnak.

“It’s indeed strange for such a competent man to target a rural village like this.”

Varos, who had been listening to the conversation, suddenly asked a question.

“But did you come here alone, Priest? If there really is a necromancer in that village, it would be dangerous.”

His question implied that Alius should have brought the church’s forces with him.

Alius shook his head.

“Unfortunately, the church does not move without solid evidence.”

“Evidence? If an Inquisitor confirmed it, isn’t that enough?”

“It used to be, but…”

Alius sighed and replied weakly.

“The truth is, the church considers this to be another baseless rumor.”

“Why? Isn’t the situation suspicious enough?”

If it had gone unnoticed, that would be one thing, but with Alius already having identified a flaw, dismissing it as mere rumor seemed incomprehensible.

Yet, it appeared this was becoming the norm lately.

### “Recently, there was a similar incident. Of course, it had nothing to do with necromancy.”

“…Are you saying it’s common for a young, rich, kind, and even handsome guy to be chasing after a simple country girl?” Varos, who couldn’t comprehend the situation, asked in disbelief, prompting Alius to sigh.

“That’s precisely why it’s a matter of perspective.”

What does it mean to be wealthy? Where does the line for wealth begin?

What does it mean to be handsome? What is the threshold for being considered kind?

These aren’t things that can be measured by numbers, except for age, perhaps.

Even the definition of “young” is relative. In a village full of elderly folks in their seventies or eighties, someone in their fifties would be considered a youngster.

Karnak and Varos thought it was strange for a competent man to be targeting a rural girl, assuming he was some “wealthy young noble who looked like a pampered playboy throwing gold around.”

“But if he has just enough money saved up and his skin isn’t too tanned by the sun, he could easily be seen as rich and handsome by countryside standards.”

“Ah, in that case, it wouldn’t be so strange for him to be interested in a country girl.”

“Exactly. What used to be typical incidents and accidents are now all being attributed to the Doom of Darkness.”

As a result, the sheer volume of false information has made it difficult for the church to act without solid evidence. They simply don’t have enough personnel.

“I’m not completely convinced that there’s a necromancer in this village either. I just don’t want to ignore something suspicious without checking it out.”

Varos, looking dumbfounded, used a magical communication spell to speak with Karnak.

[We almost wasted our time here, didn’t we?]

[Indeed. We got lucky this time and stumbled upon something by chance.]

They had come here full of confidence, mocking adventurers for being fools, but now it seemed that their initial assumptions were wrong.

‘Man, I can’t afford to act recklessly based on old habits.’

Regardless, the fact remained that there really was a necromancer in that village.

“So, are you planning to gather evidence and return to the church?” Karnak asked.

Alius looked embarrassed.

“Actually, I was planning to handle it on my own.”

This wasn’t just youthful recklessness.

His divine power was quite substantial. After all, Karnak had been startled when he sensed Alius’s approach.

In terms of divine power, even if all the priests of Latiel who had visited the Zestrad Territory were combined, they wouldn’t amount to half of what Alius possessed.

‘As expected from someone of 1st-class rank. If the necromancer isn’t too powerful, he really might be able to handle it alone.’

Despite this, Alius’s excitement at seeing the two of them was understandable. With allies, he could use his holy spells much more effectively.

“You both seem to be quite skilled…”

In truth, the one Alius truly desired as an ally was Varos.

Karnak was young and a mage, so it was hard to gauge his exact capabilities just by looking at him.

But Varos was different.

With his massive, well-trained body and the sword and armor that showed signs of long use, there was no way someone like him could be weak.

Alius made a sincere request.

“Your help would be greatly appreciated.”

* * *

While Alius waited for a response, Varos secretly asked Karnak.

[What do you plan to do, young master?]

[What else? We can’t use necromancy in front of a priest. We’ll make an excuse to part ways for now and handle this on our own…]

Mid-reply, Karnak suddenly changed his mind as something occurred to him.

[No, let’s move together.]

[Huh? Are you sure about that?]

[This is a perfect opportunity. There’s something I want to check.]

Turning back to Alius, Karnak spoke earnestly.

“I understand the situation. We are also children of the Goddess, and it’s our duty to assist in sacred tasks, however modest our help may be.”

Alius, overjoyed, made the sign of the cross.

“Thank you for your assistance. May the blessings of the Seven Goddesses be with you both.”

Varos still felt uneasy.

[Are you really okay with this? What if we end up in a situation where we have to use necromancy?]

[Then we use it. It wouldn’t be the first time I’ve used necromancy in secret.]

[But every time you’ve done that, it hasn’t ended well.]

Although it was supposedly done in secret, Karnak’s usual method was to openly use necromancy and then erase people’s memories through mental manipulation.

[Everyone whose memory you erased ended up suffering from nightmares, wasting away until they went mad. Are you planning to do that again?]

[Is that so?]

[Exactly. We decided to start living like decent people, remember?]

By the way, their definition of “living like decent people” didn’t necessarily mean following morals and ethics to live virtuously.

Rather, it was more about wanting to live that way but not really knowing how.

So, the standard that Karnak and Varos had set for themselves was this:

– Don’t live like they did before.

[This priest is a good person.]

Though he had a somewhat hasty and presumptive nature, he was fundamentally diligent and kind-hearted.

The fact that he had gone out of his way to travel to this village, even when everyone else dismissed it, was proof enough.

[Turning a good person into a lunatic seems like living as we did before, doesn’t it?]

[You’re right.]

Agreeing, Karnak pondered how to find a solution that wouldn’t harm anyone.

[Hmm, how can I erase memories without causing any mental damage?]

[…Is not manipulating someone’s mind even an option? You really are the quintessential necromancer.]

[I’m not going to use necromancy; I’ll use chaos magic to erase them.]

[There’s a way to do that?]

[If I thin out chaos energy like a needle and burn away part of the brain’s memory center, it might work.]

[…]

[What? Did I say something wrong?]

[No, it’s just that you really are a model necromancer.]

[I told you, I’m not using necromancy! Why do you keep bringing up necromancers?]n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Since their conversation was happening through a magical telepathic link, outwardly it only seemed like the two were silently keeping their mouths shut.

Misinterpreting their expressions, Alius spoke in a gentle tone.

“There’s no need to be so tense. We haven’t confirmed that there’s a necromancer in that village yet. And even if there is…”

Gripping his oak staff tightly, he donned a sacred expression.

“I have the blessing of Hatoba with me, so no wicked necromancer stands a chance!”

Varos stared intently at Alius.

‘The very necromancer you’re talking about is targeting you right now.’

But of course, he couldn’t say that out loud.

He simply nodded with a warm smile.

“It’s reassuring to hear that. We’ll be counting on you.”

* * *

Gelfa Village was quiet. Most of the residents seemed to be out in the fields, leaving only a few women and children occasionally visible.

The villagers glanced at Karnak’s group as they passed by, their expressions curious about the unusual appearance of outsiders in their small village.

“Judging by their reactions, we probably can’t expect there to be an inn.”

If the village had an inn, it wouldn’t be so surprising for outsiders to show up now and then.

Holding the reins of his horse, Varos glanced around.

“We’ll need a place to stable the horses and unpack our things…”

In a village without an inn, travelers would typically seek out the village chief’s house or a local church for lodging.

“There’s likely a small church in a village this size, right?”

Karnak shook his head.

“I doubt it.”

“What makes you think that?”

Alius answered in his place.

“If this village had a church, that farmer wouldn’t have gone all the way to Derat City to seek help.”

“That makes sense. I guess I’m just a simple swordsman—I didn’t think that far.”

Impressed by their reasoning, Varos had just started heading deeper into the village when they saw it—a small, neatly built white building.

The building had a blue sacred relic hanging from its roof and a symbol representing wind drawn at the entrance. It was unmistakably a church dedicated to Saisha, the Goddess of Wind and Sky.

Varos mumbled in surprise.

“But… there’s a church here?”

The two who had confidently deduced there wouldn’t be one quickly tried to cover up their mistake.

“Oh, so there is.”

“…Then why did that man go all the way to Derat City?”

Varos chuckled and resumed walking.

“Well, it’s good for us. We’ll be able to stay there.”

The church was so small that it only had two clergy members: a village church leader in his mid-forties and a nun who appeared to be in her thirties. They welcomed the group warmly.

“Welcome to the Church of the Wind, brothers of the Earth.”

After stabling their horses and unpacking their belongings, they explained their purpose.

Upon hearing the situation, the priest, Father Gras, shook his head.

“Tsk, tsk. So he went all the way there?”

Apparently, the man had already caused quite a commotion here as well. When no one in the village believed him, he decided to go 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 here likes him. I can assure you he has nothing to do with necromancy.”

Sister Julia, who had just finished tying the horses in the church’s backyard, smiled warmly and added her thoughts.

“Indeed, a few months ago, another priest came by, but he left without incident.”

Neither of them sensed anything suspicious about this mysterious man, Cleo.

“It’s a shame you’ve come all this way only to find it was a false alarm,” Father Gras said.

Alius smiled gently.

“It’s alright. In my line of work, a false alarm is actually a good thing.”

“Oh my, the previous visitor said the same thing.”

As it was getting late to return to Derat City, they decided to spend the night at the church.

After showing them to a small guest room, Sister Julia kindly said,

“It’s humble, but please make yourselves comfortable.”

* * *

Once they were alone, Karnak asked,

“So, what will you do now, Priest?”

Alius pondered for a moment before replying,

“On the way here, I conducted a divine search throughout the village, but I didn’t find anything suspicious.”

“Does that mean it really was just a rumor?” Karnak asked.

“Not necessarily. Necromancers are skilled at hiding their presence. Just because I didn’t detect anything doesn’t mean they aren’t here.”

Varos joined in on the conversation.

“Then we should observe the situation a bit more. I noticed there’s a tavern where the locals gather,” Varos suggested.

A tavern is usually the easiest place to gather information about the local situation. Once people start drinking, they tend to spill everything, true or not.

Judging by the way Varos was licking his lips, though, it seemed like he was just looking for an excuse to have a drink.

Alius shook his head.

“It wouldn’t be of much use.”

Considering the attitudes of Father Gras and Sister Julia, it was clear that this Cleo person was well-trusted by the villagers.

“The other villagers probably feel the same way. I doubt we’d learn much from asking around.”

Varos looked dejected at the prospect of missing out on a drink, so Karnak asked on his behalf.

“Then what do you plan to do?”

Looking out the window, Alius’s expression hardened.

“I’ll have to check for myself.”

His gaze was fixed on the dense forest to the west of the village, where an old noble’s mansion was said to be located.