A Dark Fantasy Spy

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“Did you bring the items?”

“Yes.”

“Let me see.”

Lucia placed the bag slung over her shoulder on the floor. It was a simple cloth bag, far too humble for a saint or even a cleric to carry around.

Inside it were various religious objects.

“A solid gold Roman cross, a rosary made from branches of an olive tree, holy water taken from the cracked rock famous for the stories of Saint Basilio, a vestment donated by the Dominican Order….”

From the tattered cloth bag, Lucia displayed numerous items, all belonging to her, and they were crucial for the current operation.

There were many other things, but we didn’t have the luxury to examine them all. It seems she made sure to gather all the essential items.

Of course, the most important one was—

“Uh… you brought the wrist, didn’t you?”

“Here it is.”

The saint of the cult patted the heavy wooden box. Inside was the relic of Saint Balthazar. The wrist bone of an ancient saint was contained within that box.

A saint carrying the relic of another saint? What in the world is going on? I shot a skeptical glance at the box.

“Even if it’s an important item, bringing something like that….”

“As of now, there aren’t any relics more helpful in finding the demon than the bones of Saint Balthazar. I acquired this with great difficulty.”

“I’ll trust you for now. What about the other items?”

Lucia opened the flap and pulled out a bundle of fabric.

It was silk crafted from the cocoons of silkworms that had fed on leaves blessed by a cleric at a famous convent. Hidden within that precious silk was nothing less than thin pieces of iron.

Iron pieces etched with geometric patterns holding religious significance. It resembled an amulet, but it wasn’t one.

I cautiously held up the iron fragment.

“This is a talisman. You certainly brought it. The map hasn’t been missed either.”

Lucia nodded with a determined look in her eyes.

“Now we’re all set. Let’s go.”

—

Episode 12 – The Most Powerful Magician in History

The day I went to deliver the documents to Archbishop Theodosius at the cathedral, Lucia made a suggestion to me.

She proposed that we search for demons together.

‘Demons?’

‘There’s a monk wandering through the northern regions. He’s no longer a living human. He’s either possessed by a demon or has made a pact with one. I’m leaning towards the possibility of him being a possessed person.’

Lucia claimed that Romain Cheir, who killed several inquisition officers, was under demonic influence.

If anyone else had said such nonsense, I would have thrown a fit, but regrettably, the speaker was a cleric of the cult, no less than a saint on the verge of canonization.

I decided to listen to Lucia’s explanation before making any decisions.

‘You must know well about necromancers and soldiers…. Do you remember when I explained about the possessed?’

‘Yes. They’re called possessed people, right?’

‘That’s correct.’

Before her detailed explanation, Lucia briefly mentioned necromancers and the possessed.

In the cult, people who become possessed due to some kind of accident or ritual are referred to as ‘possessed.’ They lose their bodies to demons, who take over their forms and live masquerading as the possessed.

‘When the cult discovers someone who is possessed, they first conduct an examination. They observe the suspect over time to see if they are truly possessed by a demon or if they simply have mental issues.’

‘If they have mental problems, they’ll be sent to a hospital. So, what happens if they confirm someone is possessed?’

‘In that case, the local diocese reports directly to the National Affairs Council, requesting the dispatch of an exorcist. An assistant and a combat priest are sent along as well.’

Lucia explained that the process from examination to the dispatch of an exorcist typically takes several years.

However, given that four inquisition officers had been murdered, the Inquisition could no longer ignore the situation, which led to the unprecedented deployment of a large-scale military force.

Lucia’s explanation didn’t stop there. She delved into how the possessed come to be.

‘Typically, a possessed person turns out to be someone who has gone through some sort of accident or disaster, making them psychologically vulnerable enough to be possessed. While there are cases where they become possessed through rituals or by inadvertently touching something wrong, those aren’t very common.’

‘What kind of ritual are we talking about? And what do you mean by “touching something wrong”?’

‘How much do you know about necromancers?’

‘Well, I know a bit. As much as others do.’

‘Then you’ve heard the rumors about necromancers making contracts with demons to gain power, right?’

Necromancers. Commonly known as necromancers.

Unlike the sorcerers of the Magic Tower, necromancers obtain their power by making contracts with demons. They sacrifice in exchange for magical abilities, which can be described as a type of trade.

Thus, necromancers don’t discriminate by background.

A magician who was renowned in the Magic Tower’s three major school of thought might suddenly turn to necromancy, or a beggar could become a necromancer by striking lucky in some sorcery.

I had believed it to be just rumors until Lucia pointed out that part.

‘Rumors are often based on facts. Necromancers do indeed strike contracts with demons to gain power.’

‘Does that mean a ritual is involved in the process of obtaining that power?’

‘Yes. Exactly.’

Necromancers make deals with demons through contracts.

The problem is that during this process, they might crave too much power, paying too high a price, or getting backstabbed by the demon, leading the necromancer to become a possessed person.

That is how possessed individuals come into being.

‘Once a necromancer falls to being possessed, they leave traces all over the world. Specifically, the demon who has taken their body will look for new victims to contract. They primarily lure people with items such as totems, talismans, or ancient books.’

‘If an unsuspecting person touches an item left by the demon, they’ll immediately become possessed.’

Lucia believed that among the three cases, Romain Cheir was most likely the last one.

‘Since Inquisitor Agato was a combat priest supporting the exorcist, it’s quite probable that he inadvertently lost his body to a demon. In fact, it’s quite common for exorcists and assistants to lose their lives trying to save the possessed. He could belong to that category.’

At that moment, I didn’t realize it, but now I could see that Lucia had more knowledge about exorcism and priests than I had anticipated. She seemed to have details that exceeded just what she learned in university.

I wanted to ask her how she knew all this, but time didn’t allow for such inquiries.

So I decided to ask a more productive question.

‘Okay. I understand that Romain Cheir is possessed by a demon, and that demon is causing chaos in the north. I’m willing to believe that. But how do you plan to find the demon?’

When I posed that question, Lucia raised her hand with confidence.

More precisely, she held the relic of Saint Balthazar in her grasp.

The contemporary saint holding the wrist of an ancient saint replied.

‘This individual will guide us directly.’