Chapter 20

In the depths of the Eldra Forest, Shu stood still. Despite the long robe and sash he usually wore, and the black jacket he had draped over it, this was not the attire one would expect to see deep in the forest. However, the overflowing jet-black magic emanating from his body made this appearance seem natural.

All the grass and flowers around Shu withered, and the trees dried up and crumbled. The entire area had transformed into a scene of 'death.'

"Hmm... I'm starting to get a handle on the magic of death."

Saying this, Shu calmed the jet-black magic. It was all absorbed into his body, and the ominous atmosphere disappeared. He had turned the entire area into a lifeless zone just to control this magic, which made him feel a bit awkward. The concept of environmental destruction was not well understood by humans, but Shu had this knowledge.

"Having become a Necromancer, my magic has increased. I can use that too."

If necessary, he had a trump card. Before that, he now had death magic and the magic of death. He thought he wouldn't lose easily to anyone, even to a holy knight. A single strike with his 'death' would be enough to defeat any holy knight. However, this magic converted life force into magic and could potentially not kill in one go, depending on Shu's control.

No matter what, controlling magic was crucial. However, the magic of death was different. This jet-black magic killed anything it touched. It was a magic that killed without question, ignoring all mechanisms and processes. If used incorrectly, it could cause a major disaster.

"…Yeah."

Shu channeled magic into his right hand, imbuing it with the concept of 'death.' A black magic orb, the size of a baseball, began to pulsate and emit a sinister aura. Swinging his right hand, he released the magic, which struck a withered large tree. The tree, bathed in the magic of death, crumbled and completely disappeared.

"This is too dangerous."

It was too powerful to use easily. He thought it might be better to use magic when he needed to hold back.

"I should go check on Iris."

If he could control it, there was no need to stay in the forest. Shu set off for Ildana, twelve days after the holy knights' attack.

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By floating as a spirit, Shu could quickly leave the Eldra Forest. He headed straight for Ildana, walking down the main street to gather information. The noble district in the center of town was surrounded by walls, but there were no checkpoints in the general area or the outskirts, so Shu could enter Ildana without arousing suspicion.

"Surprisingly quiet."

Shu muttered this, but the main street was bustling. What he meant was that despite the nineteen holy knights being killed, there was no sign of panic. To humans, holy knights were almost superhuman, chosen by the divine armor El Magia, and were seen as the hope of humanity. If a large number were killed, there should have been more chaos.

(The church is keeping it secret.)

Shu concluded this and was satisfied.

"If so, I can only check the bulletin board."

In Ildana, public information was announced on bulletin boards. These were posted in various places around the city, and residents obtained information by reading them. For example, the inauguration ceremony of a holy knight would be announced on the bulletin board. Shu knew the locations of the bulletin boards from his five years of experience, so he headed there immediately.

As usual, there were many people around the bulletin board. Nevertheless, Shu pushed through the crowd and started gathering information.

(Military recruitment, festival announcements, rituals of the Demon God religion... There's almost nothing about the forest.)

It seemed that the destruction of the holy knights was being ignored, as if the mission itself never existed. He looked through the other postings but found no useful information. At most, there was a warning about the increase in monsters in the Eldra Forest. Ildana was a city built on the herbs from the Eldra Forest, so this warning was natural.

(This bulletin board is no good. Next, I'll check the church bulletin board.)

The bulletin board Shu was looking at was issued by the nobles who governed Ildana. There was also a bulletin board issued by the church, which contained information for believers. Shu had never seen it before, but it might be useful this time.

"The cathedral is... that way."

Shu started walking towards the Ildana Cathedral, which he had visited once five years ago. The church bulletin board was set up in the square in front of the cathedral. Since it was the only place the church bulletin board was set up, more people gathered there than at the general bulletin board, which made Shu a bit reluctant to go. However, it was the only way for Shu, who had no connections, to gather information.

Two hours later, he reached the bulletin board, pushing through the crowd.

(This is mostly about the rituals of the Demon God religion. There are even profiles of holy knights and monthly worship services.)

In the Kingdom of Ramza, all citizens were followers of the Demon God religion. Since all the vassal states of the Holy Grinia were also followers of the Demon God religion, the church's position was naturally strong. It seemed to be deeply rooted in the lives of the citizens, as evidenced by the records of volunteer garbage collection.

Shu looked through the postings one by one and found one piece of information that caught his attention.

"…The execution of a witch?"

Seeing this, Shu recalled the witch trials from his previous life. He was interested to find that they existed in this world as well and read the details.

(Hmm. A witch captured in Ildana will be executed by burning in front of the cathedral in the capital. The date is... three days from now.)

He was impressed that the method of execution was the same, but then he noticed something that caught his eye.

(The crime... she made a contract with a monster to gain magical power? This sounds very familiar.)

In other words, she learned magic from a monster. Shu had taught magic to Iris. Given her nature, he thought she might have claimed that she learned magic from Shu to assert her innocence, leading to the witch accusation.

"I should check, just in case."

He had promised to protect her even if it meant making humanity his enemy. Shu decided to investigate the witch. However, all the information about the witch was hidden, so he would need to take some risks to find out who she was.

(I'll have to infiltrate the cathedral.)

Shu headed straight for the cathedral, using magic to conceal himself as he entered from the side. He then materialized as a spirit in the shadows of the plants, where no one could see him, and slipped through the building to enter the interior. He used his magic to sense that no one was around before doing so.

(I'm glad there's no setting where the church's holy power blocks the entry of monsters.)

Shu moved through the cathedral in his spirit form, sometimes slipping through walls to check rooms. The cathedral was divided into the main hall, which was open to the public and used for worship, and the inner chambers, where priests and bishops worked and performed rituals, as well as the holy knights' quarters. Shu expected the information he sought to be in the inner chambers.

Avoiding human eyes with his magic, he eventually reached a section that seemed promising. Since he could slip through walls, ceilings, and floors, he could easily hide if anyone came. He found the infiltration capabilities of spirit-type monsters very useful.

(However, there are too many rooms, and I don't know which one to enter.)

Infiltrating was one thing, but he didn't know where to gather the information he needed. He wandered for a few hours, avoiding humans, and eventually reached an office that seemed to be used by a high-ranking person.

Fortunately, there were few documents on the desk. The work of bishops and priests mainly involved prayer, so they didn't have many documents to process. Lower-ranking priests handled the paperwork to minimize the amount of documents that needed to be processed by higher-ups. However, the execution of a witch would involve the bishop.

Shu thought the records would be here.

"I need to materialize to check."

Materializing, Shu began flipping through the documents on the desk. He thought it would be easy to find what he was looking for, but he encountered an unexpected problem. After reviewing all the documents and placing them back on the desk, he muttered:

"There's not a single document about the witch..."

The execution was scheduled for three days from now, but the location was the capital. For a witch captured in Ildana to be executed on this date, she must have already been transferred. Even by carriage, it would take more than ten days to get from here to the capital. If there were any documents about the witch, they would be from a long time ago and would not be left in the office.

However, he found one interesting document.

"Multiple S-rank holy knights are being summoned from the Holy Grinia. This is clearly aimed at me."

If this was true, Iris's advice had failed. It seemed best to assume the witch was Iris.

"Further investigation would be a waste of time. I should go directly."

If Iris was to be executed, he would resist with all his might. He would use the power of magic to spread death, but he would not stop.

The problem was the time to reach the capital. Even by carriage, it would take more than ten days, but the deadline was three days. He knew the location of the capital's cemetery from his previous stay, but the time was insufficient.

"Well, it's good to be a spirit-type monster in situations like this."

However, Shu had a secret plan. It involved continuously casting acceleration magic to move in a straight line through the air. Since he could move regardless of the path, there would be no lost time, and as a spirit-type monster, he could travel day and night. Considering the speed of acceleration magic, he could easily reach the capital within three days.

"…Right. I haven't avenged the deaths of my subordinates. I can't destroy the city to protect Iris, so I'll leave some subtle sabotage."

Before leaving the room, he muttered this and began to gather the magic of death. A small amount of black magic gathered, and he released it towards the desk. The magic of death, which killed anything it touched, caused the wooden desk to rot, the documents to crumble, and everything else to turn to dust. It was a terrifying power.

The room and the documents were in ruins, which would cause some trouble.

"Huh? Someone is approaching. I should leave quickly."

Sensing the approach of a person with his magic, he materialized as a spirit and slipped through the wall. Shu then set off for the capital.

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A few dozen seconds later, a mysterious scream was heard from the cathedral, or so it was said.