Ch.254Episode 12 – The Strongest Mage in History

About three hours after running into Lucia who had suddenly packed her bags, we were standing in a remote mountain valley far from the cathedral.

“Are you sure this is the right way?”

“Yes, I am.”

I pushed through the undergrowth while Lucia silently followed, carrying her luggage.

Just before curfew, Lucia had come to find me and asked me to guide her. To the village where the child caught using sorcery lived.

“What are you planning to do in the village? If you happen to run into that guy…”

“It’s fine. I just need to check something quickly.”

“…”

“Nothing will happen, truly. I just need to look around the village. You’re injured and the wind is cold, so let’s just check quickly and return to the cathedral.”

Lucia smiled brightly and urged me to hurry.

I had no idea what she wanted to confirm. However, in the faint moonlight, I could see Lucia’s expression had hardened.

Whenever I winced from the pain rising in my chest, Lucia would pause, cover me with her cloak to prevent light from escaping, and invoke holy power to prevent my wound from opening further.

Walking and stopping repeatedly, we finally arrived at the village we had previously visited with the inquisitors.

But.

We had to stop at the entrance, unable to even enter the village.

“…Wait, what’s going on here?”

“…”

“Where is everyone?”

Episode 12 – The Most Powerful Mage Ever

I had visited a remote northern village with the inquisitors, including Priestess Rebecca.

The village where the child caught using sorcery lived. It was a small settlement inhabited by the elderly, women, and children, excluding adult men who had been conscripted.

It wasn’t even that long ago.

I was transferred to the cathedral just yesterday. Though the curfew siren had rung three hours ago, meaning the date had changed, even accounting for that, it had been at most a day since we visited the village.

But in less than a day, the village had transformed beyond recognition.

Hesitating at the village entrance, I thoroughly scanned the surrounding houses.

“…”

The houses were empty. No, the entire village was devoid of people.

Despite the late hour, there wasn’t even the slightest hint of human presence. The village without lights or people exuded a desolate atmosphere like ruins or a cemetery.

“What in the world…”

“…”

Lucia remained silent as she examined the eerie village.

Unlike me, she wasn’t surprised at all.

“…How many people lived here?”

“A little over a hundred… I think. I didn’t count precisely.”

“I heard there were many elderly, women, and children. Is that correct?”

When I nodded, Lucia lowered her gaze and fell into silence. With her hands clasped together as if in meditation, she closed her eyes briefly, then after being lost in thought for a while, she made a small sign of the cross and raised her eyes.

After finishing her prayer, Lucia began opening the houses. Even though there was no sign of anyone living there, she knocked on each door, waited for a response, and then opened it.

Of course, there was no one inside. It was the same with every house she checked.

“The belongings are still here… but the people are gone.”

The houses with dishes and furniture still intact felt as if they were still being lived in. The possessions remained, but the people had vanished. As if they had evaporated.

Lucia knocked on doors with the determination to check every house in the village. She examined more than ten houses one by one, and I looked around nearby houses, hoping residents might emerge after hearing the noise.

However, even after more than 30 minutes, no one appeared.

“This house is also empty.”

“…”

“Let’s move on to the next one.”

We walked along the dirt path made by the villagers toward the houses.

On that dirt path, about 50 minutes after entering the village, we encountered our first living being.

*

It was a dog.

-Grrrr…!

On the dirt path surrounded by houses. A dog that looked like it had been mauled to death by wild animals.

With its skin and internal organs torn apart, it bared its teeth at us while dragging its entrails.

I heard a quiet prayer.

“…Light of judgment that dispels darkness, a sword that cuts down the unjust who achieve their petty schemes like grass. The light shines, but the darkness does not comprehend it.”

After finishing her prayer with the sign of the cross, Lucia caught the charging dog in her arms.

And with a gentle hand movement, she broke its neck.

The sound of bones breaking was momentary.

The dog in Lucia’s arms fell into a deep sleep with the most peaceful expression.

“…”

Lucia carefully laid the dog on the ground, not caring that blood was staining her clothes. I put my gun away and asked her:

“Are you hurt?”

“No, fortunately.”

I examined the dog laid on the ground. Examining the corpse of a dog, not even human, was quite simple.

My assessment was brief and to the point.

“It’s an undead.”

Lucia replied.

“…Yes, unfortunately so.”

*

We returned to the cathedral immediately.

Lucia took the dog’s corpse and went to find the Archbishop, while I lay in bed staring at the ceiling.

The pain still lingered from the wound inflicted by the monk’s knife, which was rotting. Though it had subsided considerably thanks to Lucia, it was still painful nonetheless.

I thought about getting sutures and thread to stitch it up, but I couldn’t bring myself to suture the gangrenous skin, so I had to leave the open wound as it was.

“I’m back. How is your wound?”

“It’s a bit better now.”

Lucia, showing no signs of fatigue, brought a chair and sat beside the bed.

I leaned my upper body against the wall so she could examine the wound.

Her expression as she examined the wound was grave. Well, it couldn’t be good when the wound was rotting.

After checking the condition for a while, Lucia moistened a clean cloth with holy water and began speaking. Her gentle tone seemed to calm my mind and body just by listening.

“In my personal opinion, I think it would be best for you to stay here for the time being. At the very least, you need to visit the cathedral frequently. We need to prevent the wound from worsening until we find a treatment.”

“I don’t mind, but…”

I trailed off ambiguously, looking at the ceiling.

With the situation so complicated, I wondered if the counterintelligence agency would become suspicious if I stayed at the cathedral. The thought kept circling in my mind.

Already, four inquisitors were dead and several were receiving treatment in the ward. Staying here was absolutely out of the question. I decided to use Lucia’s safety as an excuse to frequent the cathedral.

After organizing my thoughts, I glanced at Lucia and spoke.

“Still, I think it would be better to visit you than to stay at the cathedral. I have a lot to do.”

“Ah, come to think of it, don’t you need treatment for your finger injury as well? You used to come regularly, but at some point your visits became infrequent.”

“I’m just a very busy person…”

“The cathedral is not a place for resurrection. Please take care of your health.”

Lucia, making a light joke, narrowed her eyes and gave me a sidelong glance. Though she didn’t say it, it felt like she was reproaching me for not taking care of my health, so I could only awkwardly avert my gaze.

I changed the subject. Since Lucia had met with the Archbishop, I needed to find out how things were progressing.

I asked with a displeased expression.

“What did His Eminence say?”

“He said it was undoubtedly an undead, with no room for debate.”

Lucia’s voice delivering the news was plain, but my feelings upon hearing it were anything but.

And for good reason—an undead had appeared in the heart of the northern region.

An undead is literally a corpse that moves despite having died. In other words, a walking corpse.

In a fantasy world, especially a dark fantasy one, it wouldn’t be strange for undead to roam around, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t dangerous.

“There are occasional reports of corpses infused with high concentrations of magical power moving as if alive…”

“But the dog we saw wasn’t such a case, was it?”

“No.”

Undead can arise from natural causes or be created artificially. Usually, naturally occurring undead are common in less developed countries, while artificially created undead are more common in advanced nations.

Of course, creating undead requires prior approval from the Magic Department and strict supervision,

but occasionally, a deranged mage might create undead, either by mistake or intentionally.

A mage who creates undead without permission faces imprisonment for 5 or 10 years without parole. Creating undead from human corpses is punishable by death.

And monitoring and tracking mages who create undead is the duty of the Magic Department and intelligence agencies. It’s similar to how the FBI cracks down on domestic terrorist groups and teenage drug orgy rings in America.

I muttered with a deep sigh.

“Murder cases, terrorism… inquisitors being killed, sorcery being revealed… And now people have vanished. An entire village at that.”

Lucia spoke. Not with her usual smiling face, but with a stiff, hardened expression.

“With the discovery of undead, we can no longer bury this issue. We must take action before greater damage occurs.”

“That guy, Susa… Could he be the cause?”

“Based on the circumstances, it seems so. Someone with the power to kill inquisitors and cause wounds to rot would be a necromancer or a dark mage. The appearance of undead in the village is surely connected to him.”

I looked at Lucia.

“Then what about the villagers…?”

“…”

There was no answer. Whether she didn’t know or preferred to pretend not to know.

Instead of answering, Lucia made a small sign of the cross. The shadow that passed over her face as her hand moved was darker than usual, and her blue eyes were filled with concern.

“Archbishop Theodosius has already sent another letter to the Vatican about this issue. He informed both the State Council and the Inquisition.”

“What happened? Has there been a response?”

Lucia nodded.

“We plan to officially request a joint investigation with the Empire. To be precise, high-ranking officials from the Inquisition are currently explaining the situation to the Kiyen Empire’s ambassador. Also, as soon as day breaks, the Archbishop will personally send a letter to the Imperial government informing them of the situation here.”

“…Let’s hope for a positive response.”

“That’s why I’m also thinking of writing a letter.”

Her mention of writing a letter raised questions in my mind.

Who would receive a letter from the church’s saint?

As I rolled my eyes full of questions, Lucia quickly resolved my confusion.

She answered in an infinitely calm tone, enunciating clearly:

“I’m thinking of sending a letter requesting help to the Grand Duke of the North.”