Karnak, Monarch of Death

The Eustil Kingdom’s current monarch, King Wiscott I, had two sons. The 20-year-old crown prince, Lloyd Ludan Eustil and the 19-year-old second prince Alford Ludan Eustil.

The two were bitter rivals, locked in an intense struggle for the throne. By the principle of primogeniture, the crown should naturally pass to the firstborn, Lloyd. However, the situation was far more complicated than that.

Originally, King Wiscott I’s consort was Queen Melea, the daughter of the Duke of Wheeler, a high-ranking noble family of Eustil. Their marriage had been arranged for political purposes.

The relationship between the king and queen was neither particularly loving nor hostile. Both had been raised to marry for the sake of their families, not for love, and neither had a particularly passionate disposition that might have disrupted this pragmatic arrangement.

For ten years after their marriage, they lived as an ordinary royal couple, maintaining a stable, if unremarkable, relationship. The problem was their lack of children. The absence of an heir was a critical issue for the kingdom.

Naturally, both the royal family and the nobility pressured King Wiscott I to take a concubine to ensure the continuation of the royal lineage. Among the candidates, Calpia of the Taline Marquisate, a noble house with a long and prestigious history, was chosen.

Queen Melea raised no significant objections. While it wounded her pride as a woman, she felt it was inevitable. After all, it was her failure to produce an heir that had created this situation. Deep down, she even hoped that the concubine would also fail to conceive, which would shift the blame away from her. In such a scenario, the throne would likely pass to a collateral branch of the royal family with the purest bloodline.

But fate had other plans.

Shortly after entering the palace, Calpia became pregnant. And not just pregnant. When her condition was confirmed three months later, it was clear she had conceived during her very first night with the king. Time passed, and Calpia safely gave birth to a healthy baby boy, Prince Lloyd.

Overjoyed, King Wiscott I officially declared Lloyd the heir to the throne, invoking the name of Alium, the Moon Goddess who presided over the kingdom’s laws. At this point, the story could still be seen as a typical tale of royal intrigue. The real problem arose later.

Despite the arrival of the concubine, the relationship between the king and queen did not deteriorate significantly. Outwardly, Queen Melea remained composed and graceful, showing no signs of jealousy or resentment.

And naturally, as the concubine was pregnant and unavailable, King Wiscott I returned to sharing his chambers with his queen. With the pressure to produce an heir gone, their interactions became more relaxed than before.

Perhaps it was this renewed sense of ease that led to an unexpected outcome. Ten years into their marriage, at the age of thirty, Queen Melea finally conceived. Thus, Second Prince Alford was born.

The royal household was thrown into chaos. It was nothing short of a twist of fate. On one side was the firstborn prince, formally declared the heir under the principle of primogeniture and the blessing of the goddess.

On the other side was the second prince, born of the queen, boasting a superior bloodline. To make matters worse, the two brothers were only six months apart in age.

The question loomed: who truly deserved the throne?

***

“That’s the gist of it.”

Karnak’s explanation drew a nod from Serati.

“I’ve heard about this before. It’s a popular story among the people in the capital. The rivalry between the two princes.”

Leaning on the luxurious inn’s table with one elbow, Varos clicked his tongue. “Rivalry is putting it mildly. They’re practically out for each other’s blood.”

The group was staying at the Dragon’s Echo, a high-end inn located on the outskirts of Drunta. They had prepaid for an extended stay, choosing the inn over purchasing a property in the capital.

At first, they considered purchasing a house in the capital, but it would have been a wasteful expense considering the nature of their duties with the King’s Order, which had them away for extended durations. In the seven months since joining the King’s Order, Karnak and his team had spent less than thirty days in the capital.

Investing in a house that would sit empty for most of the year seemed pointless. Karnak, always pragmatic, decided the money would be better spent on good food and comfort. In fact, the fresh fruits and sweet pastries he was munching on was a testament to his decision.

“Anyway...” Karnak continued, biting into a neatly sliced apple. “It seems the king’s indecision is the root of all this.”

On one side was the first prince, armed with the principle of primogeniture. On the other was the second prince, backed by his lineage as the queen’s son. Neither side held a decisive advantage.

The second prince’s maternal family, the powerful Wheeler Duchy, provided him with significant support. But the first prince had already been declared heir in the name of the goddess. From the king’s perspective, choosing either side would inevitably result in massive political fallout.

So, King Wiscott I’s decision was...

”He just postponed the problem.”

This isn’t a matter to be decided now. Who knows what might happen as the princes grow older? One of them might fail to produce an heir, just as I nearly did. I’ll make the final decision after the princes are married and the circumstances are clearer.

Hearing this, both Serati and Varos were dumbfounded.

”That’s such an indecisive approach.”

”Not to mention, it’s the perfect recipe for future disaster.”

While the king might have thought he was being prudent, how did this sound to others? Oh, so if something happens to the other prince, then our prince gets the throne?

Karnak chuckled. ”And so, the situation became rather entertaining.”

It had been twenty years since the princes were born. The Taline family, supporting Prince Lloyd, and the Wheeler family, backing Prince Alford, were in constant conflict. Running into each other on the streets often led to duels, sometimes resulting in fatalities. Assassination attempts between the factions were also common.

Varos laughed, amused by the absurdity. ”It’s a complete mess. Then again, most royal family dramas are.”

Serati, however, was less amused. ”What’s so entertaining about this?”

Both men widened their eyes as if she’d asked a nonsensical question.

”Well, it’s not our problem, is it?”

”Isn’t enjoying someone else’s downfall just human nature?”

”That’s not true!”

Serati snapped, but then paused, tilting her head in thought.

Isn’t it human nature to find amusement in someone else’s misfortune?

Still, admitting that would mean placing herself on the same level as those two.

Hoping to change the subject, she asked, ”So, which of the two princes is more suited to be king?”

Karnak snorted. ”Shouldn’t we start by defining what makes someone fit to be king?”

”Well, things like ability or character...”

”They’re barely twenty. How could anyone know if they’re capable or not?”

They were still at an age where they were learning how the world worked. Neither had been given opportunities to demonstrate their abilities. And neither was an extraordinary prodigy who had stood out from a young age.

”If we’re just going by personality, the first prince is more suitable for the throne.”

Prince Lloyd was calm, cautious, and diligent. He was humble and dependable in his demeanor. Prince Alford, by contrast, was hot-tempered, violent, and arrogant. Looking at the kingdom’s future, Lloyd seemed like the obvious choice for the throne. The problem was that King Wiscott couldn’t fully back Lloyd due to his frail health.

Since childhood, Lloyd had been prone to fevers and fainting spells. Even as he aged, his health didn’t improve. Despite rigorous training with the best instructors, he barely had the strength to hold his own against a common soldier.

Had he not been a prince, benefiting from divine healing magic, it was widely believed he wouldn’t have survived past ten. In stark contrast, Prince Alford was robust and naturally gifted. By the age of twenty, he was already considered a first-rate knight.

There were even murmurs that, had he not been so arrogant and neglectful in his training, he might have awakened aura.

”With the first prince so weak that he could die at any time, it’s no wonder the second prince’s camp might consider taking matters into their own hands.”

And in the world of assassination and poisoning, necromancers were unmatched experts.

”That makes sense...”

Serati nodded, then hesitantly asked, ”So, in your past life, who became king?”

Karnak replied casually, ”The second prince. I met Alford after he became king, so I’m sure of it.”

That didn’t mean King Alford had relied on necromancy for power. Back then, the Cult of the Black God didn’t exist.

”Alford was simply waiting for something to happen to Prince Lloyd. But it seems things didn’t go as he hoped.”

Despite his frailty, Lloyd managed to survive and ascend to the throne.

”Which promptly led to a civil war.”

Eventually, the second prince’s faction lost patience and rebelled. After a bloody conflict, Alford successfully usurped the throne, but by then, the Kingdom of Eustil had been devastated.

”In the end, he couldn’t even properly rule. He and the kingdom fell into ruin together.”

”The Eustil Kingdom was destroyed?”

Serati blinked in shock. Hearing that her homeland had been destroyed left Serati feeling uneasy. While she wasn’t particularly patriotic, it was still her country, after all.

”Who destroyed it? Was it the empire?”

If Eustil had a longtime rival, it was naturally the Lacania Empire, with whom they shared a border. But it didn’t seem to be them.

Varos casually pointed at Karnak. ”It was that guy.”

Karnak raised his hand without hesitation. ”Yep, me.”

It was an empire, all right—but not Lacania. It was the empire of undead.

”...Of course.”

Serati sighed deeply. She wasn’t entirely surprised. Somehow, it felt inevitable. At least now, she had a rough understanding of the situation. Varos, his eyes gleaming with excitement, jumped to his feet.

”So, our mission is to investigate the second prince, right? Should I gather the squad?”

Karnak stopped him. ”Calm down, Varos. We haven’t taken on the mission yet.”

The King’s Order wasn’t a mercenary guild where missions could be cherry-picked at will. However, for an issue this significant, their superiors were unlikely to impose it on anyone. Forcing the task onto an unwilling party and then seeing them fail would only worsen the situation.

”That’s why I asked for some time to think it over.”

”What? You turned it down? Why?”

Wasn’t this exactly the kind of major incident Karnak had been waiting for?

”If anything, wouldn’t you have to fight off other squads just to claim it?”

”Which is exactly why I asked for more time.”

If the second prince was colluding with the Cult of the Black God? No problem. Karnak could proceed as usual. He would locate traces of necromancy, fabricate a plausible explanation in the report, and get the job done.

”The real headache would be if he’s innocent.”

In that case, they’d have to explain in detail why the prince was not guilty and how they reached that conclusion. And frankly, Karnak had no idea how to handle such a situation.

”Fair point,” Varos conceded.

”Framing innocent people is one thing, but proving someone’s innocence? Never even thought about it.”

Thus, Karnak and his team would need to investigate on their own first.

”We’ll confirm whether or not there’s any real connection to the cult before deciding to officially take on the mission.”