Chapter 389
Chapter 389. Means and Purpose
“Well, hold on, Alexander.”
Arthur raised his hands lightly as if trying to calm me down.
“I’m not really doubting you, Alex… like, as an enemy of humanity or a dark sorcerer or anything.”
He said this with a calm smile.
“I was just a little surprised. That was an undead, right? Broadly speaking.”
“…Well, I admit it’s a form of necromancy.”
I nodded reluctantly, as it was a fact that I was indeed undead, so I shouldn’t make any more pathetic excuses.
“I think I mentioned before, but my family has dealt with this kind of thing for generations.”
I let dark magical power ooze from my hands. Yep, it’s truly been like this for generations, so I’m not lying!
“I’m also responsible for researching countermeasures for various curses and necromancy, the so-called dark arts.”
As it turns out, I’m the director of the Demon Lord Kingdom’s Necromancy Research Institute. By the way, I have established a soundproof barrier here, so there are no issues.
“Among those findings was— the fusion of undead and holy attributes. Under specific conditions, undead can acquire resistance to holy attributes.”
“…You won’t tell me what those conditions are, right?”
“It’s a closely guarded secret, so just figure it out.”
As Arthur stepped in lightly, I shrugged, pretending to be playful.
This is— a trap.
Not for Arthur, but for Enma. If Arthur actively fought at the front lines, died, and had his soul pulled out by Enma causing information to leak—
If he learned about the potential for undead to gain holy resistance— what would he do?
More than likely, he would become frantic to uncover the mechanism behind it. And with his dark sorcery, the legitimate dark arts that attempt to manipulate the dead, there’s no way he could reach this domain.
I could waste a lot of his research resources this way. Also, the ‘Dark Attribute Hero Alexander’ persona would get further away from Zilbagias since holy attributes would make no sense to him.
“But, even if she is foolish, that woman is also quite diligent in her research. It might take her some time, but she could arrive at the method of purification.”
Well, if that’s the case, I wouldn’t really mind… I mean, even if she figured it out, there’s absolutely no way she could replicate it.
The soul retains a strong hatred of humanity from its previous life and bears no malice toward humanity.
This is likely the condition for purification, and Enma doesn’t meet any of it. Besides, without the cooperation of a user of Holy Silver Sorcery, she probably couldn’t even conduct real experiments.
“Hmm… then I suppose it’s fine. I could deliberately avoid warning this man about the self-destructive methods against necromancers and leak information to Enma.”
Antendeixis said in a wicked voice. Hmm, I wonder if deliberately aiming for that is the way to go? Using it as an active trap seems too roundabout. After all, I don’t want Arthur to die; he’s useful.
Well, that’s something to talk about later…
“I mentioned that I’m a bit of an oddball among my family. Rarely do you find a Hero with dark attributes, so research in this field has hardly progressed.”
Maybe there were others historically, but the research on necromancy within the Holy Church itself wasn’t well developed, and the existing concept of ‘undead = enemy of humanity’ is too strong for it to reach purification.
“Purification magic is a rather delicate magic. The existence of ‘holy spirits’ is, at best, a product of coincidence and could fail at any time.”
“…Hmm.”
Arthur’s expression grew serious as he crossed his arms.
If Arthur, who likely has a decent understanding of Holy Silver Sorcery, got what I was trying to say…. it is indeed miraculous that ‘holy spirits’ have slipped through the ‘enemy of humanity’ judgment, and it wouldn’t be strange if it collapsed at any moment.
…After all, ‘burning enemies of humanity’ is the function of Holy Silver Sorcery. If that judgment extends to the quality of the soul and retains a strong identity from a previous life, then it would count as ‘humanity,’ which is something I have personally proven.
I feel like it’s okay to be widely known, but… there’s really no need to publicize it.
By the way, can a third party purify the souls I summoned with Holy Silver Sorcery? Is it possible with magical power other than dark? Intuitively, I think it’s a feat achievable precisely because I’m both a sorcerer and a user of Holy Silver Sorcery…
“Why not experiment? Now that Arthur knows, it’s a rare opportunity.”
Nah~~~~ if I fail, the soul will vanish! And not just disappear; it’d be burned by Holy Silver Sorcery and suffer… Ugh, that memory of the crewman killed by lake pirates, asking me to try purification and failing…
“Ohh.”
That was tragic…
“I see, truly a ‘forbidden art.'”
While I sulked privately, Arthur nodded along.
“If it becomes too well-known, we won’t know what kind of repercussions it might have, and its mystique may waver…”
His tone grew somewhat wistful… Is he implying he also has some kind of forbidden art?
“Alright, let’s do this.”
With a change of mood, Arthur clapped his hands and straightened his posture.
“I’m not a magic researcher, so I don’t really care about the details of the sorcery. Right now, what’s most important is how to eliminate the vampires dwelling in Aulitos Lake. So, without prying, just tell me the facts, Alex.”
Arthur smiled slyly.
“You were trying to guide me by presenting the testimonies of the dead as results from ‘divination,’ weren’t you?”
There’s no hiding that. I silently nodded in agreement.
“Is there anything you’re not telling me from the victims’ testimonies?”
“I’ve shared all the necessary information that might help pinpoint the vampires’ location. What I left out was… the personal matters of the victims.”
Like wanting to see their families one last time, or other personal feelings.
“…I see. Do you have a grasp of all the victims?”
“No, not all of them. Unless they died bearing a strong hatred or regret, their ego and memories fade quickly. There’s even a chance the soul might vanish. Especially among the weaker humans…”
“…………”
Arthur seemed about to ask something but held back with a steel resolve. I suppose he wanted to ask about the dead; surely there were comrades or relatives who fell in battle, and he would want to talk if possible…
“I’m sorry I can’t be of help.”
“No… it’s alright. I know this is not a domain for amateurs to meddle in. If I were to mishandle it and lose my qualification as a hero, it would be a disaster…”
Arthur shook his head with a wry smile.
…That’s quite a relatable sentiment.
I still use Holy Silver Sorcery as if it’s the most natural thing, but that might not last forever…
After that, I discussed practical matters with Arthur.
Arthur regarded my ‘divination’ as one of his sources of information, but he didn’t trust it 100%… That’s only natural; it’s just a form of ‘divination.’
However, if I obtained direct testimonies from the victims, that would change. The fact that the medium-sized merchant ship from the city-state Atetai was attacked and many victims resulted is a ‘fact’— with that, Arthur would begin to feel the need to hasten our journey without me having to subtly prod him.
“I’ll go consult the captain. There are cargo issues, so it won’t be easy, but in the worst-case scenario, I have to consider borrowing the NeedAlun.”
“How about renting another small swift ship?”
“Under the current circumstances, there are quite a few sailors willing to head north. Moreover, finding trustworthy ones is another matter.”
He mentioned how they were hard to come by.
“If we were to arrange a messenger ship each time at different city-states, it would be faster and more reliable to rely on the NeedAlun, which was already planned for long-distance routes, and in the end, it would be cheaper.”
“That’s true.”
After all, the budget isn’t limitless.
Arthur, dressed in a very casual outfit of just a shirt and shorts, began to get ready to consult the captain at the port.
“…I can’t say I’m not feeling a bit bad for not telling you sooner.”
While wearing the Holy Sword at his waist, Arthur wore a complicated expression.
“I shouldn’t talk much about others, either…”
While strapping on the small shield of the Hero King to his left hand.
“I’ll tell you a little about myself next time.”
“When you find the time, of course.”
“Fortunately, once we set sail, I should have free time.”
After dissolving the soundproof barrier, we headed downstairs. In the living room, Leila and Arthur’s pregnant wife were chatting over tea.
“Ah, you—”
Arthur’s wife, upon hearing footsteps from the stairs, smiled as if she’d sensed something about the well-dressed Arthur.
“…Are you already leaving?”
“I’m not leaving just yet. I just have some business at the port.”
Stopping his wife, who was trying to stand, Arthur kissed her gently on the cheek.
“I’m sorry. I’ll be back soon.”
“It’s fine, just be careful.”
…I felt very sorry.
“I’m sorry, ma’am, for making your husband busy.”
“No, no, it’s a very important duty. Besides…”
As she stroked her large belly, Arthur’s wife smiled.
“I decided when I married Arthur, the Hero, that I was prepared for this.”
She smiled at Leila for some reason. Leila responded with a bashful yet somewhat sad smile that revealed a solid resolve.
“Well, I’m off then.”
After leaving the house, Arthur quickly vanished into the streets as the sun set.
“…Shall we head back too?”
“Yes.”
Leila’s fingers intertwined with mine. Hand in hand, we began walking toward the inn.
I really felt bad. We need to deal with those vampires quickly so that Arthur can spend some time with his family.
…Though, given that there’s only one body, it would be quite difficult to leisurely spend time with the entire family, but.
