So the two happily chatted about magic.
William, completely oblivious, just kept on talking.
This conversation continued deep into the night, and it wasn’t until around 1 AM, past midnight, that it finally came to a halt.
“It was an enjoyable conversation. However, I have things to do, so it would be best to end our chat here.”
“That sounds reasonable.”
Thomas smiled as he suggested to Jinseong to stop talking. Jinseong nodded and naturally shifted his gaze.
Towards the carrier in the corner of the church.
“Oh, did you notice?”
“I sensed a presence.”
Thomas was delighted as he noticed Jinseong’s gaze moving to the carrier and couldn’t help but admire Jinseong’s skills that didn’t quite match his age.
“This is impressive. Are you perhaps walking the path of necromancy?”
“Not quite.”
“That’s too bad. From my inexperienced perspective, Jinseong Park seems to have great talent in necromancy. Ah, I see, if you’re curious about necromancy, learning from someone knowledgeable in it wouldn’t be a bad idea. I would do my best to make the connection for you. Ah, of course, as a servant of the divine, I cannot engage in illegal actions, so I ask for your understanding.”
Thomas promised to help Jinseong if he wanted to learn a magic style—he would connect him with a competent necromancer.
Of course, even if he made such a connection, there was no guarantee he could learn anything beyond that, but it was still an invaluable opportunity.
Each shaman had a strong individuality, and shamans generally didn’t pay much attention to what other shamans were doing.
Naturally, it wasn’t easy for one shaman to learn from another.
Though some had different dispositions, there were those who willingly exchanged ideas and shared their magic, while others were closed off and blocked others from accessing their knowledge.
However, considering that in the latter case, most wouldn’t divulge information even under torture, Thomas’s statement about “doing my best to make the connection” could be seen as a generous favor.
It meant he would help Jinseong learn necromancy using all means available, excluding illegal actions.
Not only would he connect Jinseong with someone who would gladly share knowledge, but he was also pledging to do everything in his power, assuming they weren’t overly obstinate shamans, to ensure that Jinseong received the benefits. How could this not be seen as a favor!
“Such a grand gift….”
“Haha. Please don’t feel burdened. Those who tread the path of a shaman are precious beings, each and every one. Among those precious people, there are some with extraordinary talents, and I’ve seen a suitable path for those talents. How could I not offer my help?”
“Ah….”
“It is said that for someone embarking on a long journey, the most important thing is the first step. It doesn’t matter how far or fast you walk. A person setting out on a long journey must clearly establish the direction towards their destination, and it is important to steadily advance there, even if slowly. My help is simply to help set that direction—that’s all.”
“That….”
“Please don’t feel burdened. I’m not saying I would walk the thorny path for you, nor am I offering you wealth and power. I merely wish to give a small bit of assistance to a junior shaman, who will have to walk the thorny path, so they can move in the right direction. So, I hope you won’t be modest and will accept my gift. And when you find yourself in a position to teach others one day, I hope you would show the same kindness to your juniors.”
Thomas spoke to Jinseong with a benevolent smile.
“It is said that love is a being that embarks on a journey through people. The place where love has passed blooms into flowers, and the scent of those flowers spreads happiness around. I truly hope that Jinseong Park will also make flowers bloom widely and spread their fragrance far.”
“Then I will gratefully accept it.”
Jinseong accepted Thomas’s kindness with gratitude.
His gestures seemed youthful, and it appeared that he harbored affectionate feelings towards Thomas.
Though the youthfulness seemed somewhat fabricated, his goodwill was evidently raw and unrefined.
Thomas had genuinely earned Jinseong’s goodwill.
Only through the goodness and good deeds within his heart.
“Oh, it’s been such a pleasure talking with Jinseong Park that I’ve lost track of time! If I keep chatting, I might not be able to get my things done.”
“Things to do?”
“Yes. It’s truly a joyful, glorious, and honorable event.”
Thomas said with pride spilling from his expression.
“A joyous occasion can’t be without guests. Since I have come as a guest, may I have the honor of witnessing it?”
“Oh my! I would rather ask you to attend! It would be the best thing if Jinseong Park could be a guest today!”
He was overjoyed at Jinseong’s agreement to watch.
He expressed his thanks and guided him to the best seat.
“This turned out nicely. Since Jinseong Park is here, I suppose it would be good to explain it clearly!”
Moreover, he didn’t stop there; he even promised to explain in detail what he was about to do.
Though this was a procedure that could be skipped, he said he would do it for Jinseong.
Naturally, Jinseong thanked him and sparkled with anticipation for the upcoming ritual.
‘Though I don’t have much knowledge of necromancy, I have a good understanding of holy sorcery. A ritual performed by such a shaman….’
Jinseong regarded Thomas as a somewhat skilled shaman.
Of course, that didn’t mean he was adept at necromancy.
Thomas’s necromancy was dreadful.
It lacked any finesse, being rudimentary and even ignorant.
Where other necromancers would delicately create circuits to operate machines, Thomas’s necromancy was akin to hammering crudely in a smithy just to get a rough shape that vaguely worked.
Naturally, his method wasn’t optimized or even functional; let alone achieving necessary results.
Even the evil spirits were a testament to this.
If a proper necromancer had handled them, they could have achieved their goals with just one spirit instead of four.
Paradoxically, this clumsy skill proved that Thomas had some useful shamanic abilities.
He must have paid a hefty price for using necromancy with such poor skills, yet he seemed to be in pretty good shape.
‘Considering the well-known ritual of Illhveli’s tail punishment, the cost must have been significant, and since he controlled the Loud Kembinger, it wouldn’t be odd for his entire blood supply to have drained away… Yet here he is, still unscathed, which suggests he used holy sorcery to recover his body.’
Of course, it was also possible that he had simply survived by luck without paying a hefty cost.
But even so, he shouldn’t be this fine.
Black magic exacts a tremendous price.
Even if one is lucky enough not to incur a major cost, it would be reasonable to expect some damage or even hospitalization.
But look.
That priest is unscathed like this.
Even after closely observing him while they talked, Jinseong found no signs of abnormality on his body.
This indicates he managed to bear the cost of black magic with ease.
Whether by using divine objects to lessen it, recovering injuries from black magic through holy sorcery, or perhaps shifting the cost through some other magical ritual…
It meant that he bore the cost of black magic somehow.
‘And that method is highly likely to be holy sorcery.’
Holy sorcery primarily uses blood.
Blood is life, the power that proves one is human, an essential element that sustains human existence.
Using the characteristics of holy sorcery, Thomas must have somehow managed to endure the cost of black magic.
‘The method this priest used to endure the cost could be something I’m unaware of….’
How did he manage it?
Did he perhaps handle the rapid blood loss by channeling holy sorcery into a mountain of blood packs lined up?
Or did he accelerate the production of blood to escape death?
Could he have released some drug-like substances to escape shock death?
Did he leave his abdomen open, switching out his insides dozens of times, until the ‘cost’ wouldn’t destroy his organs?
Or did he absorb the life force of living beings through blood like certain former heretics?
Jinseong gazed at Thomas with curiosity.
‘What kind of magic does this holy sorcerer know, and what ritual will he show me now?’
He saw the priest drawing a line as he pulled the carrier, and the priest smiled back at Jinseong, who was watching with expectation.
Druk.
Druk.
Finally arriving before Jinseong, the priest smiled and said,
“If there is something important in the world, first comes love, and second comes promise.”
