Necromancer

The light in the Misty Forest was dim, and snowflakes continued to fall, blanketing the surroundings. The trees stood like silent giants, quietly observing the progress of the two people and one beast.

The squirrel would occasionally stop, perking up its ears to listen to the sounds around them, then look back at the two, ensuring they hadn't fallen behind. Its movements were agile and cautious, as if it knew every inch of this forest like the back of its paw.

After passing through a dense pine forest, the squirrel suddenly sped up, darting towards a small snow-covered hill.

Shadow narrowed its eyes, faintly spotting a tall figure on the hillside. It was Captain Argyle Capet. He wore a heavy gray cloak and, with his back to them, was looking down at a map in his hand. Beside him stood Katerina Siwen. The two were whispering to each other, but there was no sign of Jialan.

The squirrel ran to Argyle's feet and let out a couple of soft chirps before leaping onto a low branch nearby, its tail wagging proudly as if seeking praise.

Argyle and Katerina turned around, smiling as Jialan and the other approached. They exchanged greetings, and Argyle solemnly said to Jialan, "Welcome aboard. Your arrival is crucial to us! Our opponent this time is very likely a Necromancer!"

The smile on Jialan's face froze...

Necromancers were beings that inspired widespread fear. Their terrifying nature first lay in their ability to summon souls long departed and bind them to decaying husks, turning them into loyal servants.

These undead creatures had no thoughts, no emotions; they only obeyed their master's commands, ruthlessly carrying out slaughter and destruction.

Secondly, Necromancers could transform living people into undead through curses and dark magic. Once their spells invaded a person's body, they would rapidly corrode the soul and flesh, causing them to lose themselves in extreme agony and ultimately become walking corpses.

The existence of Necromancers was not only a blasphemy against life but also a trampling of natural laws. They disregarded the boundaries of life and death, wantonly manipulating souls and wielding the power of death for their own use.

From commoners to nobles, everyone detested Necromancers, viewing them as the most evil beings in the world.

"If there's a Necromancer, shouldn't we find Priests from the Church? Only Priests naturally counter them." Although Necromancers hadn't appeared openly on the continent for hundreds of years, Jialan, as a Spellcaster, had always known of their existence.

The Church of Light, as the natural enemy and bane of Necromancers, symbolized the power of holiness and salvation.

The Priests and Paladins of the Church of Light possessed powerful holy magic and purification abilities. Their prayers could summon dazzling light, dispelling the dark magic of Necromancers. Whenever a Necromancer attempted to summon an army of undead, they would raise their holy swords and chant sacred incantations, sending the undead creatures back into the abyss of death.

Their existence was like a beacon in the darkness, dispelling the shadows of death and purifying lands defiled by Necromancers.

The faithful of the Church of Light firmly believed that only divine power could oppose the evil of Necromancers, and only the faith in Light could save souls corrupted by death. Their existence gave people the courage and strength to fight against the darkness.

Over seventy percent of all living beings on the continent believed in the God of Light, and the status of the Holy See was unparalleled.

"No, the Empire has placed some things in this Misty Forest, and we can't let the Church know!" Katerina Siwen retorted.

Jialan asked doubtfully, "What about the Empire's Priests?"

Priests weren't exclusively from the Holy See. At least within the four great empires, the idea of divine authority superseding imperial authority was impossible.

The Holy See had been able to establish so many churches within the four great empires only through compromises with the royal families and the great nobles. Some Priests could hold important positions within the Church, but they belonged to the four great empires and influenced the Church's decisions.

This better served the interests of the empires, as they might promote policies favorable to the empire or prevent the Church from taking actions detrimental to it.

The others understood Jialan's meaning. Katerina shook her head, "No. If our high-ranking Priests are mobilized, the Church will know. And low-ranking Priests are similar in function to low-ranking Spellcasters. To avoid alerting the enemy, it's better to be cautious."

Argyle put away the map in his hand and said, "That Necromancer seems to know something. Choosing this place as a hideout suggests he's certain we'll be hesitant to capture him openly, fearing collateral damage."

"A Necromancer, someone who can only live in the shadows, how would he know the Empire has secrets hidden here?" Jialan countered.

The three fell silent. Just then, a woman's voice came from the side, "There's a traitor within the Empire, possibly from the military, or even someone from the royal family. Only they would know the secrets here, and they might be colluding with the Necromancer." It was Katerina's voice.

"Or they could be colluding with those from the Aus Empire. I just went out to scout and found several groups of people from the Aus Empire's military. Although they're disguised as mercenaries, some things aren't something mercenaries would possess."

"Colluding with Aus Empire soldiers, are you sure?" Katerina asked, her voice filled with disbelief.

Katerina glanced at her. "I'm not sure yet. However, I don't believe a map of Elf Ruins, which we don't even know is real, could attract so many enemy soldiers. I doubt they even know about the Elf Ruins map. It's possible a mercenary found it by chance, and then we obtained it."