Karnak, Monarch of Death

Ten days passed since they arrived in Derath City. As usual, Karnak and Varos started their day by visiting the adventurer’s guild immediately after leaving their inn. Checking for new information before heading out to explore the local cuisine had become their daily routine.

“Welcome, Baron Karnak,” greeted Hans, a polite teenage apprentice working as a guild receptionist. “Are you here to review the requests?”

“Yeah, let’s see if there’s anything worthwhile today.”

Hans handed him a stack of papers with an apologetic expression. “Unfortunately, it’s the same as usual...”

Even as a young apprentice, Hans could tell most of the guild’s leads were garbage.

“No worries. I wasn’t expecting much anyway.”

Karnak calmly took the documents and began skimming through them. As expected, there was nothing useful. Varos peeked over his shoulder before frowning.

“Seriously? A woman ran away after getting beaten by her drunk husband. They’re blaming this on the Shadow of Doom?”

Apparently, the husband had routinely abused his wife. It seemed he was shocked that she had suddenly decided to run away and claimed it as proof she had been corrupted by darkness.

“If she really had gained the power of darkness, she wouldn’t have run away. She’d have torn that bastard apart,” Varos muttered.

“Exactly. Another worthless lead,” Karnak sighed.

Hans hesitated before speaking. “You did ask us to collect any information related to the Shadow of Doom, no matter how minor... Should we start filtering them out?”

“No, keep going as you are. You never know what might turn up,” Karnak replied.

As a necromancer who had mastered his craft to its peak, Karnak could detect faint traces of darkness that even the highest-ranking priests couldn’t perceive. What might look like useless information to others could hold critical details to him. The problem was that, so far, even the tiniest of clues had failed to surface.

“Looks like it’s another dead end today.”

Seeing Karnak’s disappointment, Varos tried to cheer him up.

“Why don’t we check out Seral Street this time? I heard there’s a bakery there that makes the best baguettes.”

“Let’s go. I’m already drooling,” Karnak said, his eyes lighting up at the thought of new culinary delights.

With food on their minds, the two headed toward the exit, their spirits lifted. But just as they were about to leave, a deep voice rang out from across the lobby.

“How can you not believe me? I’m telling you, there’s an evil necromancer in the village!”

Varos and Karnak froze, exchanging incredulous looks.

“Did you hear that, young master? A necromancer, apparently.”

“There’s no way. The timing is too perfect.”

***

The man shouting was an ordinary-looking farmer in his early thirties. He introduced himself as being from Gelpha, a small village about a day’s travel from Derath City.

“So, you’re saying a necromancer appeared in your village, and you came here to report it?” Hans asked.

The farmer nodded vigorously. “Yes! But no one will believe me!”

The commotion had drawn the attention of other adventurers on the first floor, and they gathered to listen. One by one, they exchanged skeptical glances.

“This sounds like one of those usual tales,” someone muttered.

“Right? He’s already been to the temple, it seems,” another added.

Any incident related to the Shadow of Doom was a high-priority matter for the seven churches. Normally, reporting such an event to one of the churches would prompt an investigation. Of course, this only applied to genuine cases.

“It looks like the church didn’t believe you?” Hans asked.

“That’s what I’m saying!” the farmer shouted indignantly.

An adventurer stepped in to calm him down. “Alright, alright! Let’s hear your story first. What exactly happened?”

The farmer, flustered but determined, began to explain, stumbling over his words as he spoke.

Not long ago, a mysterious outsider appeared in Gelpha Village. He first took up residence in an abandoned noble’s villa in the forest near the village. Then, he began charming all the village maidens with strange, almost supernatural methods. Naturally, the local young men viewed him with hostility.

“Even Emily, who promised to marry me, fell under his spell!”

“I see. And then?”

“And then? What do you mean, and then?”

The adventurers waiting for the rest of the story looked baffled.

“Wait, is that it?”

“That’s your whole story?”

The farmer raised his voice, incredulous that they didn’t understand the severity of the situation. “Emily is a virtuous, good-hearted woman! She’s not the type to fall for some stranger at first sight!”

It sounded like a classic tale: a man upset that the woman he fancied had fallen for someone else. Naturally, he was blaming the Shadow of Doom. Though such stories were common these days, one adventurer decided to probe further, just in case.

“What does this outsider look like?”

Grinding his teeth, the farmer replied, “He’s disgustingly handsome, like some parasitic gigolo.”

“How old is he?”

“A young man, in his twenties.”

“Is he swindling the village maidens for money or something?”

“No! But he’s got plenty of money from who knows where.”

The adventurers exchanged skeptical looks.

“So, let me get this straight...”

“A young guy, handsome, wealthy, and charming, is wooing women?”

“Does it really take the Shadow of Doom to pull that off?”

From the back of the room, Varos decided to step in.

“So, what about the rest of the villagers? Are they just letting him do whatever he wants? He’s just one man, after all—surely you didn’t come all this way for nothing.”

The farmer slumped his shoulders.

“They’re all enchanted by him too...”

“And what exactly has he been doing to the villagers?”

“Well, um...”

Under Varos’s steady questioning, the farmer’s voice grew quieter and quieter.

“He’s been hosting village feasts... giving medicine to the sick...”

In other words, not only was the man young, handsome, and rich, but he was also kind and generous.

Hans spoke up, his tone serious. “From the guild’s perspective, there’s no basis to accept your report. Unless you’d like to hire someone privately for an investigation?”

“I-I don’t have that kind of money...”

The farmer’s face turned pale.

As a mere farmer, he had no means to afford the hefty cost of hiring adventurers. He had come to Derath City, relying on the belief that the seven. Churches would take care of anything related to necromancy. In the end, the farmer left the guild, visibly dejected. The adventurers watching him leave couldn’t suppress their smirks.

“It’s just some loser jealous of a guy who’s better than him, isn’t it?”

“Tsk tsk.”

“Things like this happen all the time these days.”

Karnak and Varos also left the guild with similarly amused grins. But the moment they turned the corner, their expressions changed completely.

“That’s suspicious, don’t you think, young master?”

“Very suspicious.”

“That sounds exactly like something you’d do.”

“...And I have done similar things before.”

At first glance, the story seemed entirely mundane. But upon closer reflection, there were plenty of red flags. It wasn’t strange for village maidens to be enamored with a young, handsome, wealthy, and kind man. But if you thought about it the other way around—why would someone so capable waste their time charming rural girls in a backwater village?

“If he’s really that impressive, wouldn’t he go after noble ladies instead? Why target plain village maidens?” Varos asked.

Karnak nodded thoughtfully. “A real con artist wouldn’t bother with village girls—they wouldn’t be worth much to him.”

However, there was one sphere where innocent village maidens held significant value: their souls.

“Could it be black magic?”

“That’s my guess too,” Karnak replied.

Of course, the world was full of eccentric people, so there was always the possibility that the man genuinely liked village girls. But it was worth investigating.

“Gelpha Village, right? Let’s take a look.”

“Good thing everyone else dismissed it as a joke. No troublesome adventurers to get in our way. It makes it easier for us to confirm,” Varos said.

***

The farmer had said Gelpha Village was about a day’s walk away, but that was for someone traveling on foot. It only took Karnak and Varos half a day to reach the village on horses. The two surveyed their surroundings from a nearby hill overlooking the area. At first glance, it appeared to be an ordinary rural village. There was nothing visibly unusual. But soon, Karnak’s lips curled into a satisfied smile.

“We’ve found the right place.”

Varos glanced at him.

“Do you see something?”

“I’ll show you.”

Karnak channeled his chaos magic, briefly overlaying Varos’s vision. Immediately, faint black lines became visible, stretching across the village like a web.

“A barrier,” Varos observed.

Dark energy was intricately woven beneath the village, forming a hidden network like a spider’s web. The barrier was so skillfully concealed that even a high-ranking priest might not have detected it.

“Not bad,” Karnak said, impressed. “Looks like this one learned the craft properly.”

For someone who had grown used to seeing incompetent necromancers, finding a capable practitioner was almost refreshing.

As they continued observing, Varos asked, “Does it have anything to do with the Shadow of Doom?”

“We’ll have to catch them to find out,” Karnak replied.

The nature of the dark energy couldn’t be determined without delving into its source. That was why, during the Fred incident, Karnak had to extract and absorb the darkness himself before confirming its attributes.

“So, it could just be a regular necromancer,” Varos said.

“Possibly,” Karnak agreed.

Either way, they would need to confirm it, and it wouldn’t be difficult to do so. There were no witnesses, no meddlesome allies to consider. All they had to do was head to the abandoned noble’s villa where the suspect resided and deal with the matter.

“Judging by the barrier, they’re fairly skilled. But, it’s all the same to me,” Karnak said, confident as he prepared to tug at his reins. “All right, let’s head over and—”

Suddenly, both men’s expressions changed. They sensed movement beyond the hill—someone approaching rapidly, heading straight for them.

“What’s this? Someone’s coming our way,” Varos said.

Karnak, however, was visibly shaken. A high-ranking priest?

Necromancers and priests were highly attuned to each other’s presence, and the person approaching radiated an exceptional level of divine energy.

What’s a priest of this caliber doing in a village like this?

Before Karnak could process his confusion, the figure came into view: a young man in his twenties, clad in green robes adorned with the emblem of a mountain and carrying an oak staff.

As he ran toward them, he shouted out, “P-Pardon me, you there!”

***

The young priest who had sprinted toward them paused to catch his breath before launching into an explanation.

“You must be adventurers investigating the suspicious activity in this village, correct? Perfect timing! I was just about to begin my own investigation!”

Before Karnak or Varos could get a word in, the priest confidently declared his assumption, leaving the two somewhat dumbfounded.

Varos cautiously asked, “...And who might you be?”

The priest seemed to realize his mistake and quickly introduced himself. “My apologies! I am Alius, a priest serving Hatoba.”

“A priest of the order of the earth,” Varos acknowledged, nodding as he introduced himself in turn. “I am Varos, knight of the Zestrad family, and this is our lord, Baron Karnak.”

Alius’s eyes widened in surprise at the mention of Baron.

“You’re not adventurers?”

Karnak, finding the assumption strange, asked in return, “What made you think we were adventurers, Priest Alius?”

“Well, your attire suggests you’re quite skilled...”

It was then that the two realized what had happened. They had intentionally dressed to appear capable and experienced, partly to deter trouble. It seemed the strategy had worked a little too well, leading to this misunderstanding.

Alius, now aware of his mistake, hesitated before cautiously asking, “...Then, are you not here to investigate this village?”

Varos sent a magical message to Karnak using the spell Karnak had prepared for such situations.

[What do we do?]

There was only so much they could convey with mere glances. To avoid these limitations, Karnak had used chaos magic to create a discreet communication link between them.

[It’s too late to claim we’re just passing through, isn’t it?]

[Exactly. This priest seems intent on digging into whatever’s happening in this village.]

Karnak decided it was best to respond vaguely for now.

He spoke in a cautious tone, “We didn’t come here specifically to investigate. We were merely passing through and heard some odd rumors, so we decided to observe the situation.”

“Ah, I see!” Alius’s face brightened, as if he had expected this response. “In that case, would you assist me? This is a holy duty for the goddess!”

Though Karnak could easily guess the nature of the request, he feigned curiosity and asked innocently, “And what might this holy duty be?”

Alius glanced around nervously before lowering his voice to a near whisper. “...There’s a strong possibility that an evil necromancer is operating secretly in this village.”