Who Said A Necromancer Can't Be A Priest?-Chapter 40: Cerberus

Aaran and his summons stood in a clearing in the forest. But unlike other clearings, this one was lifeless.

The ground was cracked and dry, as if it hadn't seen rain in years. The trees had been reduced to husks, their twisted branches reaching for the sky as if begging for water.

"It's strange seeing barren land in the middle of a forest," Darius commented.

"Think of it as an aftereffect of dungeon formation," Aaran replied. "The mana surge scorched the earth, hence what you see before you."

Behind them, Brute and the goblins stood on guard. After the three attacks, no one approached them, but thanks to Darius, Aaran knew they were there.

The assailants could hide from mortals, but not the dead. Although Darius was aware of their presence, they seemed equally aware of him.

Hence, they constantly changed positions to prevent the ghost from revealing their location to Aaran. But it gave Aaran a clue as to who they could be.

Only those with divinity or darkness could sense spirits, which essentially meant they were either from the temple or some religious cult.

That's why Aaran had no interest in killing them. He wanted to learn more about them and what they were doing in the forest.

At least they aren't from the temple.

Aaran was confident because the moment the Templars would see him controlling the undead, they would inform the Emperor about the heretic, a.k.a. him.

But the ones following him didn't.

This chapt𝓮r is updat𝒆d by ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom.

Instead, they maintained their distance, observing him from the trees. It annoyed Aaran more because he couldn't do anything about it.

The assailants knew the goblins could outrun them on the ground, so they stuck to the trees, jumping from one to another while monitoring him.

Thankfully, it wasn't all hopeless.

Aaran turned back toward the creature at a distance. The three-headed lava hound mutant, also known as Cerberus.

"I have never seen a creature like it before," Darius said, scratching his chin. "Its fur would be perfect for my room at the castle."

[Room? More like a coffin.]

"…"

[Got 'em.]

"Judging by its size, he must have evolved recently," Aaran whispered. "Yet it's strong enough to guard the entrance alone. I wasn't expecting this."

While the Cerberus wasn't a true boss, it was strong enough to thwart Aaran's plan if he wasn't careful.

That's where those hidden fools came into the picture. Aaran was planning on making good use of them.

"Darius, Brute, go chop off some trees for me."

***

The Cerberus lay curled up on the dried-up forest floor. Its life was peaceful. No creature dared to enter its domain, allowing it to feed on the leaking mana and evolve at a stable speed.

But peace didn't last for long.

Brute's thunderous steps jolted the creature awake as he charged out of the forest. Four undead goblins clung to his back, each holding two wooden spears in their hands.

The Cerberus noticed them and let out a howl, warning them of their impending death. It charged and jumped, aiming for Brute's neck.

But before it could sink its fiery fangs into Brute, he grabbed the overgrown dog's left and right necks in his hands. Cerberus dug its claws into Brute's arm, but the latter did not let go.

Instead, Brute tightened his grip and, true to his name, chokeslammed and pinned Cerberus to the ground. It yelped in pain as one of its shoulders snapped from the attack.

That pain was just the beginning of its misery.

The undead goblins wasted no time. Using Brute's back as a platform, they jumped high and plunged their spears into the creature's exposed belly.

Cerberus howled in agony, its middle head thrashing wildly, trying to bite the goblins. But Brute's strength kept it in place.

Just as things seemed under control, Cerberus revealed its hidden card.

It roared, and flames spewed out of its heads. Brute turned the two heads sideways, but the blast from the middle head hit him in the face, staggering him.

Before the goblins could retreat, Cerberus lunged at them, biting off the heads of two goblins.

Still, the damage was done.

Its lava-like blood oozed from its belly. Moreover, with the spears still lodged in its body, Cerberus found it difficult to move.

Meanwhile, Aaran and Darius watched the fight from a distance.

"It was a good strategy, little liege," Darius said, puffing his chest. "The creature will slowly bleed out—!"

"No, it won't," Aaran interjected. "The spears won't last that long."

The Cerberus's blood was hot as lava. Soon, the spears would turn to ash, and the beast would be back at full strength once the lava solidified and the bleeding stopped.

"Then I should kill it. My ice would be perfect against it—"

"I would've asked you to if I wanted it dead."

Aaran smiled and retrieved the untrustworthy revolver from the vault.

"Keep an eye on the guests while I'm gone," he said. "It'd be rude of me to let them leave without a gift."

"That's it? The mighty Darius Von Aurelia is supposed to be a guard?"

"Of course not. I have something special just for you."

A sinister smile appeared on Aaran's face as he dug through the vault and pulled out the pom-poms.

Darius stared at them, then back at Aaran.

"…you wouldn't dare."

Aaran shoved them into his ghostly hands before walking away.

"Start cheering."

"This is beneath me!"

"You're the one who wanted more responsibility, so go ahead."

Before Darius could say anything, Aaran rushed into the fight, leaving him staring at the pom-poms in his hand. He clenched his fist, shaking the pom-poms angrily toward Aaran.

"This isn't how one should treat the elderly, bratty liege—!"

As Darius raised his hands, a notification appeared before him.

[Mild cheering detected. Allies will receive a 10% stat boost.]

[Mild cheering detected. Enemy will receive a 10% stat nerf.]

Darius stopped, staring at the pom-poms and then at the battlefield.

"Uh… go, team?"

[Mild cheering detected. No additional effects applied.]

Darius clicked his tongue. Such a task was degrading for someone of his stature.

But it isn't as degrading as having your asshole licked… though I enjoyed that in my prime. Ah… those were good times.

With that thought, Darius threw his ghostly pride aside and proudly showed off the pom-poms.

"Let me show you how it's done, little liege!"

Meanwhile, the demon worshippers were confused. They couldn't understand why the ghost was playing with those shiny things.