My Harem of Dangerous and Crazy Women as a Reincarnated Necromancer-Chapter 79: Times of Uncertainty

Hod’s footsteps echoed with urgency against the corridor floor as the blindfolded woman walked beside her, keeping pace without difficulty despite being unable to see.

"Jean," Hod said without slowing down or turning her head. "Is anyone else besides us aware of the report’s contents?"

"For the moment the information hasn’t been made public," replied the blindfolded woman in a serious tone. "But given its nature, it won’t take long to leak. This kind of thing doesn’t stay secret for long."

Hod clenched her teeth.

"Why now of all times?" Hod said quietly, but with a frustration impossible to conceal. "Why did this have to happen right now?"

"I know you want to find your cousin," Jean said in a tone that, while still formal, carried a hint of understanding. "But this situation takes priority over everything. Including us."

"I know," Hod said. "I know that perfectly. But still... the timing is terribly inconvenient."

Both knew that Hod had spent days searching for Aria, interrogating mercenaries, tracing leads, following rumors that led nowhere.

But just when it seemed she was on the verge of finding something, this had fallen from the sky. Their conversation reached its end, however, when they arrived at the end of the corridor.

Before them stood a large dark wooden door reinforced with metal.

Hod didn’t slow down and pushed both doors open with her hands, they swung inward with a deep sound.

"Excuse us."

The room on the other side was vast, and at the far end, seated on a golden throne that was absurdly large for a single person, was a woman.

Her hair was sky blue, long, falling down the sides of the throne until it nearly touched the floor. Her skin was pale and her clothing was surprisingly simple for someone seated on a throne of that size.

A plain white dress, no jewelry, nothing to indicate her position beyond the throne itself.

Both women entered the room and quickly knelt before the throne, bowing their heads.

"Formalities aren’t necessary," said the blue-haired woman in a calm but firm voice. "Not right now... the situation is quite complex, as you will have already been informed."

Hod raised her head and stood up, followed by the blindfolded woman.

"On that subject," Hod said, looking directly at the woman on the throne. "Is the information reliable?"

"It is," she said in a tone that left no room for doubt. "I verified the data myself, three magical signatures of great power were detected just outside the Demon Lord’s dungeon."

Hod frowned at hearing that.

"One of those signatures belongs to Grand Inquisitor Alice," the blue-haired woman continued. "I identified it without any margin of error. It’s her magical signature."

"And the other two?" Hod asked.

"Unknown," the woman replied. "They don’t match any record we have. Not from the clergy, not from the inquisition, not from any known faction."

"Then..." Hod said slowly, "does that mean Grand Inquisitor Alice fought against high-ranking demons?"

The blue-haired woman didn’t respond immediately.

Her expression, which until that moment had been one of controlled calm, darkened slightly.

"I hope that isn’t the case," the woman said in a lower tone. "Because if Alice faced entities of that power level outside the Demon Lord’s dungeon... that means two things."

The woman paused.

"The first, that Alice and her entire group are dead."

The silence in the room grew heavier.

"And the second," the blue-haired woman continued, "is that a new Demon Lord has emerged."

Hod went still, and the woman beside her didn’t move either.

The words hung in the air of the room as if they had weight of their own.

A new Demon Lord.

The implication of those words was grave enough that no one wanted to be the first to break the silence.

"Whatever the case," the woman said, straightening in her throne, "we must send an elite squad to confirm what happened... we cannot act on assumptions."

The blue-haired woman fixed her gaze directly on Hod.

"Hod," she said in a tone that was no longer conversational but a direct order. "Assemble a group and go investigate... I want to know exactly what happened there."

"Why us?" Hod asked without hostility, but with doubt. "Shouldn’t this be the clergy’s affair? The Demon Lord’s dungeon falls under their jurisdiction."

"The clergy is in chaos," the blue-haired woman replied. "Ever since their trump card, the Grand Knight of the Dawn, Elyndra Ashford, disappeared, they haven’t been able to reorganize at all."

The woman paused, then continued.

"We, as the inquisition, must take responsibility and maintain order in these chaotic times. If the clergy cannot do it, we will."

Hod listened to every word in silence.

She didn’t like it, that was evident, since this mission meant postponing her search for her cousin Aria once again. But an order was an order, and she knew it.

"Understood," Hod said, briefly bowing her head. "I’ll assemble the squad and we’ll depart as soon as possible."

Hod turned and began walking toward the door, followed by the blindfolded woman who had remained silent throughout the entire conversation.

The doors closed behind them with a dull thud that echoed through the hall, and finally the blue-haired woman was left alone.

"...What happened there?" she murmured quietly, to no one but herself. "Alice... Elyndra... Where the hell are you?"

...

...

...

"Achoo!"

Mark’s sneeze came out of nowhere and was strong enough for Alice, who had been resting her head on his shoulder, to lift hers.

"Did you catch a cold, my lord?" Alice asked, looking at him with a mildly concerned expression.

"I hope not," Mark replied, rubbing his nose. "The walk back to the dungeon would be quite the challenge if I’m sneezing every five seconds."

Alice said nothing more and rested her head back on Mark’s shoulder. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

Both sat in silence watching the campfire flames for a while longer until Mark got up.

"I think I’ll go to sleep," Mark said as he rose carefully so as not to jostle Alice.

Alice straightened up and looked at Mark with a mildly surprised expression.

"Alice," Mark said before moving away. "Watch over your companions during the mana transfer and make sure everything goes smoothly."

"Understood, my lord," Alice replied. "I’ll take care of it."

Mark nodded and turned around, walking toward the spot where he had slept the night before. He lay down on the grass, using his arm as a pillow, and closed his eyes — but just before drifting off, something made him frown.

’...Why do I feel like someone’s watching me?’