Chapter 149

Forming connections with the Pope's knight would undoubtedly be beneficial.

Especially in the Holy Empire, where the power of Heaven's Faith priests was so strong. A friendship with the Pope's knight could prove invaluable.

Through Sir Leshach, Ian could potentially launch or deflect excommunication beams.

Since Sir Leshach trusted Ian enough to reach out first, there was no reason to reject his offer.

Besides, Ian needed Sir Leshach as a shield against any potential black wizards for the time being.

"It's a serious matter, Sir."

Ian had planned to investigate the village with Sir Leshach, but a soldier who went scouting discovered undead outside the village.

"It's a flesh giant."

"Damn it."

A flesh giant.

Made by combining the bodies of the dead, it was an undead so powerful it could rightly be called a biological weapon.

Sir Leshach quietly pulled Ian aside and said:

"To be honest, I don't think Maria created the undead in this area."

"Why not?"

"Just a hunch."

He'd simply guessed.

But Ian found himself oddly persuaded by Sir Leshach's words.

You know how when a popular person says something it sounds plausible, but when a loser says the same thing it sounds like bullsh*t?

All you'd hear is "Hey guys~ the loser has something to say~"

The words of a handsome knight like Sir Leshach carried a surprising amount of weight.

...In truth, it wasn't his looks that persuaded Ian, but rather his experience.

Sir Leshach was both a knight and a cleric.

That meant he was a medieval super-elite, well-rounded in both physical and intellectual capabilities.

With extensive experience facing black wizards, his instincts weren't to be ignored.

"But we can't be certain. We need to thoroughly examine even the slightest possibility."

As expected of an elite, Sir Leshach was still insisting they "find evidence first!"

"Sir Leshach, did you happen to attend university?"

"Hm? I did study at Bautriche University."

Impressive. No wonder his speech exuded such intellect.

Sir Leshach had apparently consumed university-level education in the medieval era.

A knight with a university degree in medieval times!

"I was taught by a monk at the university. He said all thoughts must have a basis, and be supported by clear evidence that anyone can accept."

"Was the monk's name perhaps William?"

"...William? No, I've never heard that name."

Ian shrugged.

He'd wondered if Sir Leshach might know the monk who investigated the abbey murders.

[A/N: the main character of "The Name of the Rose" by Umberto Eco.]

"Anyway, I think I should investigate the surrounding area further."

"I see."

In short, he wanted to give Ian an easier task.

The village surroundings with a 'real' necromancer lurking vs. the village with a frail girl locked up.

Typical manly man behavior: fearlessly tackling the tougher job.

Sir Leshach wanted to investigate the area around the village for his main duty.

But they couldn't just leave Maria unattended either.

"I heard the village chief already requested a trial from the lord."

"A trial?"

Write 'trial', read 'execution'.

Ian found it a bit absurd.

These people who'd already labeled Maria a criminal were now talking about a trial?

The chances they pawned it off to the lord because they were squeamish about executing a necromancer themselves?

Over 10000%.

"We can... continue the investigation until the lord arrives."

Sir Leshach said lightly.

In reality, it wasn't an issue that required much consideration.

Whether Maria was a necromancer or not, she was already a murderer.

If she was a necromancer, she'd be executed as one. If not, she'd be executed as a murderer.

"I'm counting on you."

"Leave it to me."

Ian even exchanged a relaxed hand gesture with Sir Leshach.

The lord would likely arrive within a few days.

And Maria? She'd be hanged, of course.

But Ian remained nonchalant.

It's not my neck on the line, is it? I'll just do the bare minimum while earning points with Sir Leshach.

After Sir Leshach and the soldiers left to search the village surroundings,

Ian began his full-fledged investigation.

"First, I'll distribute the personnel."

He had a few days' leeway, and it wasn't a task that required particular enthusiasm.

But since he'd started, Ian decided to do it properly.

To gather information as quickly as possible, Ian mobilized the employees of Ian-Company.

First up, Belenka.

"You'll come with me to investigate the house where Maria worked."

"Understood."

Belenka's greatest asset was, of course, her monstrous longsword.

Commoners would find it difficult to lie in front of a knight who could cleave their heads off with a shing-shing.

"Kira, meet with the village chief. Find out when and how Maria used necromancy."

"Leave it to me."

Kira had the ability to sweet-talk people.

Having operated as a fake wizard in the past, pulling off scams left and right, conning one person would be child's play for her.

Kira should be able to extract useful information from the village chief.

"What should I do?"

"..."

Jubal pointed at himself with fingers as big as pot lids.

The giant over 2 meters tall tilted his head, which was terribly cute...

"Jubal. I'm giving you a very important mission."

"An important mission!"

Jubal's eyes sparkled.

With the feeling of an owner throwing a dog treat to a retriever, Ian ordered:

"Go make friends with the village kids."

"The village kids?"

Jubal might have low intelligence, but he wasn't incapable of understanding speech.

He did understand Ian's instruction to go play with the kids~.

"Yeah. After you befriend them, ask about Maria..."

"Who's Maria?"

"...I moved too fast. For now, just go make friends."

It was difficult to expect high-level information gathering from Jubal.

But hearing rumors from kids should be possible.

Don't underestimate Jubal. He's an adult with the intellect of a young child, after all.

"Yes sir! I'll go make friends!"

Jubal stomped away with thunderous steps.

Ian worried a passing hunter might mistake him for a monster and shoot an arrow at him.

"I'll be off too."

Kira disappeared with a sweet eye-smile.

With her looks and background as a wizard, information gathering should be a piece of cake.

"Well then... shall we go?"

Ian visited Maria's former workplace with Belenka.

Maria was an orphan.

An orphan!

To a modern person, it sounded like the Dark Ages had arrived, with society's justice hitting rock bottom and all humanity vanishing.

But...

That actually happened...!

This is the real Dark Ages where society has collapsed.

No, saying it collapsed would be incorrect.

The society that crumbled hundreds of years ago simply hasn't been restored yet. So let's call it the Dark Ages (ongoing).

In these Dark Ages (or medieval times), orphans were as common as pebbles on the street.

And typically, orphans received no protection from anyone.

No matter what hardships they faced, no matter how unjust their experiences,

They had to stand up on their own, like wild roses or golden grass.

"Let us in~"

As Ian knocked on the door of a spacious home, he thought:

If Maria was a necromancer, dozens of reasons came to mind for why she might have turned to necromancy.

The [orphan] label alone was game over.

How much hardship must she have endured, how much ostracism?

Ian, with his equally jet-black hair, could empathize with Maria's pain to an uncanny degree...

Maria is not a monster.

It's this society that turned Maria into a monster...!

"??? What crazy bastard is yelling 'Let us in'..."

The door flew open, and a disheveled man burst out.

He froze as soon as he saw Ian.

Though dressed in ordinary travel clothes...

Black hair and black eyes. Plus a staff and a crow...!

If his eyes weren't deceiving him, it was clear Ian was no ordinary traveler.

"Uh... uh?"

"Pleased to meet you. I'm Ian Eredith Raven. Just a passing wizard."

"A, a wizard... sir?!"

Ian brazenly extended his hand.

The man shook it, not knowing what else to do.

"Yes. I've come to ask about a girl named Maria."

"J-just a moment!"

Bang crash.

After a commotion inside, the door opened a crack.

"Oh my! To think such an honored guest would visit our humble abode!"

"...?"

Isn't it the opposite? Ian thought, but quickly came to his senses.

Ugh. My past life's memories are still haunting me!

"Please, sit here!"

The man's house was quite nice for a commoner.

It even had... a table and chairs, and a bed!

Wow! Is this 'Medieval The Hill'?

[A/N: reference to Drake Longtail's 'Hannam The Hill' which is a reference to South Korea's very rich neighborhood home to many celebrities and business execs]

Ian recalled staying in the domain of Baron Damon, the 'self-proclaimed' noble.

Compared to the house where he ate and slept with those pig-dogs, this place seemed worth 10 billion!

"..."

Ian suddenly had an epiphany...

This... is considered a nice house in this era...

"Your home is nice."

"Ah. Yes. I'm a carpenter..."

Meaning it was a DIY product.

"Woman! We have a guest! Hurry up and make something!"

An alpha male... perhaps?

Even in the ignorant medieval era, it was unpleasant to see someone barking orders at his wife.

But soon, Ian noticed the woman's grave condition.

"Sob... hic..."

Her whole face was stained with tear tracks.

She'd apparently been crying for quite some time.

"It's fine, Mom. I'll do it."

The woman's daughter went to the kitchen instead.

Moments later, honey cakes were placed before Ian.

Only the father and daughter sat in chairs.

"You said you had questions about Maria?"

"Yes. I'd like you to tell me everything you know."

Though he knew it was unlikely, in the worst case, Maria could have been an infiltrating wizard.

Didn't the space-time wizard Larabel nearly destroy an entire domain single-handedly?

As Sir Leshach said, the more thorough the investigation, the better.

"Haah... Alright. Just thinking about that b*tch still turns my stomach. But I should tell you what I know."

"...I heard about it. I'm sorry about your son."

The man nodded glumly.

"Yes... Maria. That witch b*tch killed my son..."

Earlier, Maria had confessed clearly.

That she had murdered the son of the house where she worked.

"What exactly happened?"

To Ian's question, the man slowly replied.

"I took that b*tch into our home a year ago. I really didn't want to, but the village chief threatened me to take her in..."

The man explained.

He was a carpenter named Robert who had taken in Maria as a housemaid about a year ago.

He said he disliked Maria from the moment he first saw her.

"Wasn't there something off about her eyes, even though she was young? They seemed kind of lewd. And that pitch-black hair was so ominous!"

Ian blankly pointed at his own hair.

Are you perhaps talking about me?

Belenka sighed and said:

"Think before you speak."

"No, that's...!"

"Forget it, just continue your story."

Gulp. Robert swallowed dryly and spoke.

"That b*tch was strange."

"Strange?"

"Yes! Sometimes she'd visit the graveyard alone! And she'd talk to herself! And... occasionally, she'd eat an insane amount of food!"

The first two were understandable.

That's the behavior of a genuine outcast...

Unlike Easterners, Westerners are less afraid of graveyards. They even build memorial parks, which are basically graveyards, right in the middle of cities.

Just because she visited the graveyard alone doesn't mean she's definitely a necromancer.

Talking to herself goes without saying.

The problem was the last point.

"She ate a lot?"

"Yes! I don't know why. She'd just pig out on food like some possessed person... No matter how much we beat her, she wouldn't stop."

"..."

Just how much food did she eat for them to beat her?

"So... you knew Maria was a strange kid."

"Yes. So when that b*tch killed my son with necromancy, I thought, 'It's finally happened.'"

"Tell me in detail. How did she kill him?"

Robert paused for a moment.

As if it was too horrifying to even speak of.

"That b*tch Maria called my son to the forest... and possessed a ghoul to slash him with its claws."

"...Possession?"

Bang!

Unable to contain his agitation, Robert slammed his hand on the table.

"If, if it wasn't necromancy! How else could that tiny girl have torn my son to shreds?!"

Certainly.

Possessing an undead monster to fight is a combat method used by necromancers.

To summarize the story:

Maria lured Robert's son out, then killed him using a pre-prepared ghoul.

'But...'

Ian sensed something odd.

'Maria said she blacked out. That when she came to, someone was dead...'

Perhaps Maria wasn't a skilled necromancer, but...

Someone who accidentally experienced possession due to a brush with the mysteries - a 'necromancy accident' victim?

'Then it's not Maria's fault.'

Ian shook his head.

It was still too early to draw conclusions. There was far too little information.