Trapped in Nastrom's cathedral, Walter Tye tattoos a spell on the skin of a living black rat; in the background, his device distills Hydra's blood and emits the result Transferred to his new batch of elixirs.
Nastrom is protected from prying eyes by godlike magic, but even its wards pale in comparison to those who protect the cathedral. While Hull may have once successfully detected Tai's presence in the city, Yggd
The root of asil itself is protected from divine surveillance. Odin has established this.
But Tai can't hide forever. The longer the store is closed for no reason, the more people will come asking questions. Especially after his magical battle with the dominatrix razed the local forest to the ground.
However, if the [Kiss of Help] is still in effect when he goes out, every Inquisitor of that cursed goddess will track him down. Maybe they've already started investigating. He should condemn the tunnel to the store and eliminate witnesses…
"She wins, sir."
Ty's work was interrupted when Hagen and Duke walked into the cathedral for their daily report. "How?" the alchemist asked, before focusing on the tattoo again.
"Forcing you to guess everything," Hagen explained. "Torturing you without being there."
"I still don't understand why she let me go," Ty replied, almost finishing the design. "She's crazy, but I don't see what she's doing by letting me run around."
"She was a mad goddess who tormented the souls of the dead," Duke said. "Both cruelty and entertainment are good reasons. She keeps us 'living' in fear until she takes action."
Does she find it fun to let Tae continue his work and then beat him before he's done?
"I think she had a more worldly motive," Hagen said. "You're a bait, Chief."
"Temptation?" Tai frowned behind the mask.
"We now know that Medlot survived the Great Purge, and that he hid his tracks so well that not even you, the chief, could find him. If you two survive, there may be more; Everyone is fighting against God and trying to find other survivors.”
"The evil one..." Tai didn't want to admit it, but it made sense. In her arrogance, Hale may even have thought that now that she had marked him, she could call a halt to his own activities at any time. "Do you believe she wants Medelot?"
"Or any undead that will inevitably be attracted to you, my lord." "Destroy the hive when it's full."
"There's no way to get rid of that Pe
K?" Hagen asked. "As far as I know, this can't be done, but you are a genius chief. At least when it comes to magic. "
"Her privilege was etched directly into my soul," the Necromancer explained. "This means that I can't clear it of Hel's touch unless I fundamentally change my essence. Thankfully... I may have found a less risky option."
When the job was done, Tai released his familiar rat, the little creature squealing and a symbol glowing on its back. A tattoo of a white snake eating its own tail.
"I came up with the idea by researching captured members of the coven," Tye told the bemused elites. "Souls possess a special aura and witches naturally bond together to tap into their coven magic. So I created a spell tattoo that replicates the signature of my own soul."
"Bait," Hagen guessed. "Ah, that's why you drug these cultists and beasts and take them underground."
"I would mark hundreds of tattoos and have Robin smuggle them across Avalon. Instead of looking for one well-hidden target, she and her Inquisitors would look for countless A moving target." He could already imagine their surprise when they caught a marked bird. "Eventually, they'll figure out the trick, but they won't be able to tell the difference between the innocent and the guilty."
The Duke looked at Hagen, who remained strangely silent. "You tell him," Zombie shouted.
"It's an interesting mechanism," Dullahan said, choosing his words carefully. "But it's a stupid idea and overly complicated."
"Why?" Walter asked, surprised by the negative feedback. "It can at least confuse the enemy and b—"
"Boss, although no one will deny your magical talent, your lack of foresight and common sense sometimes worries me." Hagen said. "All she has to do is tell her pastor your name and what you look like."
Walter opened his mouth to offer a rebuttal, then realized his second-in-command had a point.
"This is my suggestion," continued the Headless Warrior. "You tattooed all your male human worshipers and reshaped their flesh to look like you. Then you spread them across Avalon while you stayed safe in Nastrom. We promise There is a steady supply of sacrifices to keep you full, and you can fulfill your imagination while the Inquisitor hunts down the bait.”
"But that would mean giving up my shop and my civilian identity," Tai replied.
"Is it so terrible, my lord?" asked the Duke, not understanding his silence. "You maintain this illusion just to lure adventurers to their destruction, don't you?"
"No, I keep up this facade because if I don't have to do great work, that's just my existence," Tai admitted. "A peaceful, quiet life. I refuse to give it up. Besides, it won't work. The princess only stopped going to the dungeon because I made her believe that "The Necromancer" and "Walter Tay" were different people Look. If I openly become an enemy of the Church of Hel, she will combine the two and dig the dungeon out. We need to find another solution."
"Walter," the necromancer froze as Hagen spoke to him seriously. "From the moment we killed that knight and became enemies of the crown, your peaceful life was unsustainable. You were always going to be found, and to be honest, I'm surprised it took this long. We were in Lyon Success lulls you into a false sense of security, and it costs you.”
Walter Tai fell into a tense, heavy silence.
"Now, this is not the first time something like this has happened," Hagen said. "But we can't just move to another place and start over somewhere else." Nastrang is too precious to give up. Your initial plan is valuable in distracting Hel's lackeys and allowing you to operate outside the dungeon. But if you think your 'human' identity is salvageable, or that you can somehow infiltrate the Academy, then I'm sorry, my friend, but you are misinformed. "
"I--"
"For Alberich's sake, Walter, he has a church in Lyon!" roared the Dark Knight, so loudly that it frightened the orcs working outside the cathedral. "As soon as you appear on the ground, Hound I’ll grab you by the throat!”
Duke cleared his throat. "My lord, while I'm not as outspoken as Hagen... I agree with him. I've been thinking about it for a long time, but I see no way to maintain the status quo. At this point, the most prudent course of action is to cover our tracks, Cut your losses and call it a day.”
"You fought the heretics in a spellcaster war that devastated the countryside," Hagen added. "Sooner or later, someone smart will discover that this necromancer is not that dead after all. Your plan buys us time, but we can't keep it a secret any longer."
Neither undead received an answer from their master.
"Walter..."
"I'll think about it," interrupted Hagen, even though he hated every word. "Give me the report."
"Mockingbird did as I asked, although she was wondering why you didn't come in person this time," Hagen said. "She brings us captured trolls, beasts, and volunteers."
good news. "My master Asclepius believed that the essence of life was composed of magical little scrolls, and that the messages of these scrolls determined everything the body was made of," Walter explained, bringing the tattooed rat into his lap. "How many heads there are, the color of their skin, their propensity for magic or physical combat...he believed this information would change with environment or exposure to magic, which would explain why some monsters adapt to specific environments." His insights are certainly is correct. "
Walter crushes the rat's head with his hands without remorse, blood dripping down his robe. His undead did not shrink from violence...
But they were surprised when they saw the other end growing back. Black Rat screamed at his murderer as if he had just been pinched.
"By studying the Scroll of Life itself, I artificially replicated the hydra's regeneration process; albeit somewhat inappropriately," Walter said, frustrated at not removing the major weaknesses to fire, acid, and silver. "The early results so far are encouraging, and I might even improve upon the natural version."
"Please let us dream, boss," Hagen mused, regaining some of his languid state.
"Aging is due to the effect of time on an organ, causing it to gradually degenerate," Walter explains. "Since normal regeneration replicates the organ after it decays, it cannot prevent death in old age. However, regeneration by combining the elixir and hydra Effect, I can create a feedback loop.”
Hagen was the first to understand. "This way your children will continually return to their prime years, just like their original state after the elixir took effect."
"Eternal youth."
"Maybe. I need further inspection." Thankfully, they didn't see the prototype. Regrowth is no fun when you grow five extra heads, or the tumor spreads 10 times faster. Even this rat is the only survivor of the entire group.
It's amazing how much progress a person can make while sustaining significant losses.
"Some trolls' regeneration can only be countered with fire or specific conditions; they are usually different from Hydra's. By figuring out how, I will perfect the regeneration process in time until nothing can stop it."
For now, Tay will be testing the current miracle cure on volunteers; to see if they develop perks, how the chemicals will react...
Hagen and Duke continued their presentation later, but had little to say. The cultists were quiet, the kingdom sent people to investigate the forest fires, they strengthened the borders...it was all so routine that Walter's mind wandered.
"Lord Medelot has sent you a message."
Until Hagen said these words. "Where and when?" Tai asked, eager for details.
"Robin asked her to arrange a meeting with the [Death Knight] at the Cataclysm Cult provided by Logres, and they gave her this." The Duke handed a tome to his superior. "There was a message written on it, but I couldn't read it."
Walter opened the file and found a map of the Logres area with a few words scrawled at the bottom. The coordinates were written in the secret coded language of the Pale Snake, alongside precise instructions. The area the message points to…
"Fianna's Tomb."
Metro was finally found. If Ty's suspicions are correct, then he intends to bring the island's inhabitants back to life; the Necromancer needs to convince him soon not to do something stupid, to hell with it.
"Is there anything else?" Wa asked.
"Many goblins complain of seeing visions and hearing voices," Duke said. "Like Hagen's."
"I know why," Tai replied. "Nastrang is, for lack of a better word, haunted."
"Of course it is, boss," Hagen chuckled. "We are all immortal."
The Necromancer couldn't help but laugh at this terrible joke. "I don't mean possessed by ghosts, but really haunted. The horrific events that occurred caused so much pain that the city was filled with evil energy. It was lifeless, but it had a will of its own."
"So the sounds I heard, and Spook's behavior..."
"Nastrang feeds on pain," Tai confirmed. "The more it torments its inhabitants, the more powerful it becomes. Perhaps in part to prevent the city's evil from escaping, Esir added a second seal around it."
But he didn't understand why the city didn't torture Tai himself. If anything, the place started to feel like home.
"So what should we do, expel Nastrang?" Hagen asked.
How? They don't have the necessary holy magic. Tai had considered draining the city of its evil energy, but if even a divine seal wasn't enough to completely control it, what would?
…
His mind suddenly began to work crazily, and many elements were turned into fragments.
Recreation of the soul, divine connection to hell, power of the city, magic stone, great work but requires a lot of blood, transformation and rebirth…
A flash of inspiration flashed through the Necromancer's mind, and suddenly everything became clear.
"Chief?" Hagen asked. "I know that look. You have an idea."
“There is a way to get rid of Pe
k, can even accomplish great work in one go," the Necromancer said, "but that would require transforming into a more powerful undead and reshaping my soul in the process. "
"Chief, if you could gain more power at any time, why wouldn't you do it?" Hagen asked.
"Because there are risks," Duke surmised.
"If the ritual goes wrong, my soul could be torn apart." Souls don't disappear, but they can become lost and permanently damaged. "If everything goes well……"
Then he and the city will pay a huge price.
In the middle of the night, while Leonis was already asleep, Walter Tee was wandering around his store.
Necromancers often wonder why so many undead imitate living people, imitating their movements in life. Death knights imitate courts, vampires dress as nobles, and ghosts deny their immortality. Non-life is the missing step between life and death, a state of balance free from the constraints of fate and the reincarnation of the soul. Despite the shortcomings of being an Ankou, Tai considers himself closer to true immortality than most.
So why do so many of his undead crave resurrection?
In the end, and perhaps Anguo too, he performs a strange masquerade so that he can reclaim the life that this unjust world has stolen from him.
Even now, he didn't understand why he took such a big risk and returned to the shop, smelling the scent of the potion and feeling the dust accumulated between the bookshelves. Tye designed every inch of the building himself, although he was inspired by his late father's own company.
Tai can't explain why he likes this job. Routine? Lack of surprises? That sense that he’s helping a deserving few? Lyonnes isn’t the first place he’s set up shop, though it’s his first and he’s been there for more than a few months. At that time, he had no stable life supply and was always forced to run around. A snake that keeps shedding its skin.
Thinking about it carefully, this is the only place he tried his best to keep. Even after the dungeon was condemned, Tye no longer had any legitimate reason to let it continue. But he did it anyway. His roots spread out like a tree, forming lasting bonds. Mrs. Soult, Anne...
Tai has been killing people his whole life.
But if the ritual was successful, then his years of struggle, all the efforts of his Order would finally come to fruition. The great work will be completed and a world without death will see the light. Is he willing to sacrifice his perfect life for this goal?
Light filtered in through the window, pulling him out of his reverie.
lantern.
The Necromancer projected the [Dark Veil] into the darkness, approached the window and looked inside. He recognized Percy and a group of other night watchmen who seemed to be protecting his premises from two figures.
Evil people.
They make no secret of it. Two tall, faceless beasts, clad in thick black plate armor and armed with deadly scythes and torches. The flames illuminated their cold eyes, and the rest of their faces were hidden beneath their hats.
Inquisitor of Hell. (Witch Hunter).
Tai concentrated, his keen senses catching much of the discussion.
"…You broke curfew," Percy argued. "No one is out after dark. It's not safe on the streets."
"They don't look like they need protection, Percy," one of his companions pointed out.
"Sorry, Night Watcher," the hooded man said. "We have found an enemy of faith in the region."
"Enemies of the Faith?" asked Percy, deeply disturbed by something on the prosecutor's clothes. His eye rested particularly on their pointed hoods; perhaps because they reminded him of public executioners.
"After the fire, Her Majesty the Dark Queen warned us that an unclean one was crawling among us, giving us hints of visions," the Inquisitor announced. "We are called to prove our faith by hunting down evildoers, and our prayers have brought us to this area. We believe the enemy is under the guise of honest citizens."
"We must organize a search immediately," his companion added. "Open the door and start from this one. The unclean may be preying on the innocent as we speak; we must pass the judgment of the goddess and throw him to Helheim."
"Perhaps we are looking for the same man," said one of the watchmen. "You should come with us. We welcome all help, especially from the Witch Hunters."
"You make it sound like he's the culprit and we don't have any evidence yet," Percy protested. "He hasn't been seen in days."
"You mean since the day of the magic duel," the caretaker replied. "It's pretty bad."
Ty clenched his fists.
"Who are you looking for?" the prosecutor asked.
"Reliable witnesses claim to have seen Walter Tye engaged in an advanced spellcasting battle with a druid in Broxhamland Forest," the Watcher replied. "According to reports, he was wearing The princess gave the Necromancer exactly the same description. We are here to investigate his home and bring him to the city's detention center for questioning."
As the two groups debated the best way to get in - with only Percy objecting - Walter stepped away from the window with a wary eye.
Hagen was right. As soon as he walked out, the hound had already grabbed him by the throat.
It never gets better.
At this point, Walter Tye realized that his peaceful life in Lyons was over. He lost the place and the people in whom he had spent two wasted years investing. All efforts to get rid of the royal brat only delayed the inevitable.
At this moment Walter Tye felt a pain such as he had not felt since the death of his parents and the massacre of his order.
He ruined his life. again.
Perhaps this had always been her divinely small goal. Something more subtle and cruel than just dragging him to Helheim. This only fuels Tai's determination to make everyone immortal and put the beastly goddess down.
Great works will be completed. Everyone who stands in its way will die.
Even himself.
The necromancer turned his back on the store's closing sign, back into the darkness.
