In A Fantasy World I Can Absorbs Abilities

"Well... I was returning from a raid at the time, so I only noted the general area. I couldn't risk getting too close," Kensington admitted sheepishly.

"So you've never actually seen the mandrakes?"

"No, no, I have! My griffon confirmed it. Its sense of smell is impeccable!"

The griffon, as if to back up Kensington's claim, nodded its head. Trusting the beast's sharp senses, the group began searching the ground more carefully.

After a long while, they heard the clash of weapons in the distance.

"What's that?"

Unable to suppress their curiosity, they cautiously approached the noise.

There, in the distance, they saw a knight locked in combat with a horde of undead.

"Foul necromancer! Unhand her at once!" the knight roared.

Alfred was dumbfounded. A Holy Knight trying to rescue a necromancer?

The world's gone mad. Simply mad.

That morning, in the office of Crowley's southern fortress, Orpheus, a sub-priest of the fanatics and a priest of the Church of Radiance, was enjoying a hearty breakfast, entirely unaware that the holy relics had been stolen by the knights.

As he scooped cream-laden tea into his mouth, the rich aroma wafted up to his nose, a sensation he relished. Indeed, this was the privilege of the high-ranking elite. The Necromancer Priest would be handled by Xenon, and all he needed to do now was await the arrival of the punitive force.

"By now, there should be some results. Perhaps today would be a good day to visit the priest's hideout," Orpheus mused. The thought of the countless artifacts and magical items stored there brought a smile to his face. Since the knight commander knew nothing of this, Orpheus planned to claim it all for himself.

Finishing his tea, Orpheus reflected, It's unfortunate I have to handle this matter personally. But great rewards often require great effort.

After his meal, he stood and gazed out the window. If he used the wealth he would acquire from the Necromancer's hideout well, his position within the papacy would only grow stronger.

Taking a moment to gather his thoughts, Orpheus clasped his hands behind his back and planned his day. Soon, he headed to Leonardo's room. The activation word for the teleportation magic circle was already known to him, making the task straightforward. Without that knowledge, he wouldn't have dared venture there alone.

"It's such a shame," Orpheus muttered under his breath as he shook his head. "A talent like his, wasted this way."

Leonardo was a genius who had designed a teleportation circle that only required inserting a magic stone and reciting the activation word.

"How could he have fallen for such heresy?" Orpheus clicked his tongue, lamenting the situation. Though he recognized the utility of such heretics, their dangers far outweighed their benefits. His decision, though harsh, was necessary.

When he reached Leonardo's room, Orpheus retrieved a key and unlocked the door. He had been wise to prepare a spare key in advance. The room was silent, its contents untouched, bearing traces of Leonardo's presence.

Orpheus glanced at the floor, where the teleportation circle was drawn, and a smile crept onto his face. After I gather everything, I'll have the house demolished, he resolved.

With that thought in mind, he placed a magic stone at the center of the circle. Reciting the activation word, he watched as the circle began to glow. For a moment, he stared at the light before stepping into the magic circle without hesitation.

Instantly, his surroundings distorted, and he felt as though his body and soul were being sucked into an unknown space. When the magic concluded, he found himself standing before the Necromancer Priest's hideout. He had succeeded.

Orpheus began sweeping the artifacts stored in the underground chamber into the spatial pocket he had brought with him. While collecting, he paused upon noticing a large box tucked away in a corner.

The box resembled a cage, draped in a black cloth.

"What on earth is this…?" he murmured, curiosity piqued. He approached the box and lifted the cloth.

The moment he saw its contents, Orpheus screamed in horror.

"Leonardo, you lunatic! What were you thinking, keeping something like this here? Do you want us all to die?!"

Meanwhile

Once a bandit leader, Nicholas now served as an elder priest of the heretical cult. He had become utterly consumed by its mysterious powers. The sensation he had first experienced upon encountering the cult—the euphoria of the blood quill's touch on his body—was an ecstasy greater than anything he had known.

As his addiction deepened over time, Nicholas began delving into forbidden dark arts.

"All of this will be perfected through the holiness of the Goddess," he declared, laughter bubbling from his lips.

Before him lay a scene of depravity—naked men and women entwined, a chaotic mass of bodies. They were his former bandit subordinates, now priests, and women taken captive from within the castle.

The women wailed and cursed their captors, mourning families murdered and their lives ruined. But the priests were unbothered. On the contrary, the more the women screamed, the more delight the priests seemed to derive from their suffering.

Under the neglect of the sub-priest Orpheus and the disappearance of the high priest, these atrocities had escalated. The cultists believed such acts were offerings to their god, though in reality, they merely catered to Nicholas's perverse desires.

Yet there was a purpose, however twisted it might be. The rituals were a rehearsal to amuse the Goddess before the "sacrifice" hidden in the high priest's hideout was brought here.

Unlike the high priest, who worshipped a fragment of the Outsider, Nicholas believed he served the true deity.

As he reveled in his twisted conviction, the voice of the Goddess emanated from the blood quill, sticky and saccharine as if soaked in blood.

[Nicholas, my faithful servant. Everything will soon be complete. When the time comes, I will grant you the promised power. Until then, continue to please me. Do you understand?]

Prostrating himself on the ground, Nicholas offered his devotion.

"Do not worry, O Goddess of Blood. The monster is already trapped within our grasp. Your loyal servants are retrieving it via the magic circle and will have it here by tonight."

[Why is it taking so long?]@@novelbin@@