Karnak, Monarch of Death

There was a mansion on the outskirts of Drunta, the capital of the Eustil Kingdom. Sebastian had arranged for it as a new hideout after losing Lloyd. With their previous base compromised, staying in one location was no longer viable. In the mansion’s study, Sebastian clutched his head in frustration.

“What am I to do now...?”

He had mobilized all available resources to track down Prince Lloyd—or rather, Alford’s body. He had even used the adventurers’ guild to gather information indirectly. Yet, there were still no leads. Sebastian was overcome with despair. He gnawed nervously at his nails.

“Could he have already reconnected with his followers? Is that why he’s vanished? If so, things will become exceedingly troublesome...”

He muttered to himself as three men sat opposite him. They weren’t dressed in their usual black robes but in plain attire to blend in. These men were necromancers sent by the Black God’s Cult. Among them was a man in his fifties, their leader, Detzras.

Detzras spoke calmly, “Haven’t we already confirmed the royal palace and the Taline Marquisate?”

Both places had long been infiltrated by spies. Thus, they could be certain that Lloyd had not sought refuge in the royal palace or his maternal relatives’ residence.

Sebastian snapped back irritably, “But we can’t rule out the possibility that he’s contacted other subordinates, can we?”

Just as Alford had allies operating in secrecy, Lloyd had his own covert network. It wasn’t feasible to plant spies in every faction.

For such extensive infiltration to be possible, the power gap between the two factions would have to be enormous—and if that were the case, the power struggle wouldn’t have dragged on for over a decade. It would’ve ended long ago.

Detzras shook his head. “Even so, it’s not a significant issue.”

The other necromancers nodded in agreement and chimed in.

“If Prince Lloyd has reconnected with his forces, there will surely be movements to observe. We can respond accordingly.”

“What matters most is ensuring Prince Alford’s body is delivered intact to the designated place at the designated time. We still have a chance.”

Sebastian grimaced in exasperation. “That’s all assuming people believe this body-swapping story about Prince Lloyd and Alford.”

They weren’t grasping the real problem.

“The biggest issue is when they don’t believe it!”

The world had only recently become acquainted with necromancy in the aftermath of the appearance of the Shadow of Doom a few years ago. Most people were still unfamiliar with its existence. Even Sebastian himself hadn’t believed in such things until he met the necromancers.

What if Prince Lloyd suddenly showed up, claiming, “I’m actually Prince Alford! My body was swapped with Lloyd’s!”?

Sebastian scoffed. “I’d have thought he’d gone mad or was scheming something. I certainly wouldn’t have believed him.”

And then what? The very target of assassination attempts for over a decade would have fallen, alone and vulnerable, into his hands.

“It would be a perfect opportunity to eliminate him.”

The necromancers exchanged uneasy glances.

“Wait, are you saying they’d just kill him outright?”

“No matter how you look at it, he’s still a prince of the kingdom...”

Sebastian stared at them with a look of disdain. “We’ve spent over a decade trying to kill each other’s princes. This wouldn’t be the first time.”

“But there’s a chance his claim could be true, isn’t there? Wouldn’t they at least consider that possibility?”

“That’s what you think because you are necromancers.”

It wasn’t until meeting the necromancers that even Sebastian learned it was possible to swap souls and bodies.

“Before that, I’d never even entertained such a notion.”

“How can that be? Stories of similar happenings appear in popular tales and legends.”

“Do I look like the sort of noble who reads such garbage?”

Most of Lloyd’s loyalists were nobles as well.

“Ah, I see...”

The necromancers’ expressions hardened. This meant there was a real possibility that Lloyd could be killed by his own men.

“Fortunately, it hasn’t come to that yet.”

Detzras raised his right hand, and faint black wisps of energy flickered between his fingers before vanishing.

“The Soul Changeling is still intact. This proves both princes’ bodies are alive and well.”

But there was no guarantee they would remain safe in the future.

“Is there truly no way to locate the prince’s body through necromancy?”

Sebastian’s question was one they had already answered several times in the past few days. So the necromancers repeated their response.

“If such a method existed, we would have used it already.”

The operation had taken place in Drunta, a city teeming with wizards, priests, and even the King’s Order, an organization specialized in dealing with necromancers. To avoid detection, they had taken every precaution. Even the ones who cast the spell couldn’t trace its remnants. That was the level of secrecy required to ensure success.

Sebastian buried his head in his hands once more. “This was too dangerous from the start. I should have stopped the prince.”

Detzras clicked his tongue. “Under normal circumstances, it wouldn’t have been so risky. It’s only because your lot were so incompetent.”

“What did you just say?”

“Am I wrong? Who’s the fool that let the prey I handed over on a silver platter escape?”

The veins on Sebastian’s forehead bulged. As the tension in the room escalated, the other necromancers hurried to mediate.

“Please, both of you, calm down.”

“We haven’t failed yet. As long as we resolve this before the ritual, it’s still salvageable.”

“At worst, the souls of both princes will return to their original bodies.”

“Of course, if that happens, it’ll reveal that Prince Alford has allied with us, which would be catastrophic—”

“But the prince’s life won’t be in danger.”

Suppressing his irritation, Sebastian let out a long sigh. “In any case, we need to find Prince Lloyd quickly. That’s our best option.”

***

Three days had passed since Karnak’s group met with Prince Lloyd. The prince was now hiding in a safehouse Karnak had prepared—a dilapidated residence located in Drunta’s slums.

“I apologize for having to house someone of your stature in a place like this,” Serati said apologetically.

But Lloyd didn’t mind. “Don’t worry about it. I’m not uncomfortable in the slightest.”

It wasn’t an empty reassurance either. He truly felt no discomfort. Instead of the silk bedding of the royal palace, he now had a crude, straw-stuffed mattress. Instead of the luxurious, meticulously prepared royal cuisine, he ate the simple meals of common folk. By all accounts, this should have been an unbearable hardship for a prince. And yet...

“Funny as it sounds, I’ve never lived more comfortably in my life.”

Lloyd chuckled, winking as he bit into a piece of coarse black bread.

“What good are the finest things when your body’s a wreck?”

The bread was plain and rough, yet for the first time, he had strong teeth and gums that could chew even this without issue. And, luxury of luxuries, he could sprinkle it with salt!

“After escaping, there was a night I slept in an alley, wrapped in rags. Even then, it was more comfortable than life in the palace.”

Serati looked at him with sympathy. “Your original body must have been in terrible shape.”

“People with healthy bodies don’t truly understand how miserable it is to live without one.”

Karnak and Varos nodded in agreement.

“Exactly.”

“You don’t know until you’ve experienced it yourself.”

“And why do the two of you understand this so well?” Lloyd clicked his tongue before changing the subject. “Anyway, how’s the progress?”

Three days earlier, Lloyd had asked them how they should proceed. Not what needed to be done, that part was obvious. The cultists who orchestrated this mess had to be caught, dead or alive. Securing them was the top priority. He hadn’t needed Karnak to confirm that. The real question was how to capture the cultists.

Thus, Karnak had deployed members of the King’s Order to investigate the mansion Lloyd had escaped from. Predictably, the results were as expected.

“The necromancers, Sir Sebastian, and his subordinates, all of them have vanished without a trace.”

Lloyd wasn’t particularly disappointed.

“They’re not fools. They wouldn’t stay there. So, what’s next? Will you deploy the King’s Order to search for the cultists?”

“That would be the standard approach, but it’s not feasible in this situation.”

They weren’t searching through a remote territory, where the King’s Order usually operated, but rather the capital of a kingdom. The area to search was too vast, and too many high-ranking nobles were involved. No matter how powerful the King’s Order was, they couldn’t go barging into the estates of influential noble families without clear evidence.

“Continuing the search discreetly isn’t impossible, but it would take far too long. We don’t know what Prince Alford is planning, and we can’t afford to waste time.”

Lloyd sighed heavily. “So, there’s only one option left.”

If they couldn’t find the enemy, they’d have to make the enemy come to them.

“Fine, I’ll be the bait. That should be enough to draw them out.”

Karnak responded curtly. “Oh, that’s a given.”

“Was it your plan to use me as bait from the start?”

“You’re the one who offered to be bait, weren’t you?”

“There’s a difference between me volunteering and you planning it all along.”

Clicking his tongue, Lloyd narrowed his eyes at Karnak. Judging by his demeanor, it was clear Karnak had already intended to use him as bait. Yet, there seemed to be something that was holding him back.

“Is there an issue?”

“It’s the type of bait that’s the issue.”

After all, when fishing, the bait must match the kind of fish you’re trying to catch.

“There’s no doubt you’re excellent bait, Your Highness. Alford’s subordinates will swarm at the chance.” Karnak’s lips curled into a sly grin as he continued. “But the necromancers won’t bite.”

The missing Prince Lloyd, more precisely, Alford’s body, suddenly reappeared. What would Alford’s faction do?

“They would obviously deploy their forces to secure you, right?”

And therein lay the problem. There was absolutely no reason for the necromancers to get involved. Alford’s faction already had enough manpower to handle it. There was no need for the necromancers to risk exposing their identities by stepping in.

“For the same reason, it’s a problem if it becomes known that you’ve allied with the King’s Order.”

The King’s Order specialized in countering cultists and were particularly adept at dealing with necromancers.

“Against the King’s Order, Alford’s existing forces are far more effective than the necromancers. Naturally, the cultists wouldn’t make a move.”

Thus, the King’s Order could quietly carry out tasks like searching the mansion, but couldn’t be assigned to protect Lloyd.

“What if we interrogate any attackers we capture? Couldn’t we get additional information that way?”

“The likelihood of their strike teams knowing such sensitive details is low.”

There was no need for them to disclose the full truth about the current state of the two princes. They could simply issue orders to save Alford from his captors.

“For instance, they could claim that Prince Alford has been brainwashed by magic and is not in his right mind. Ignore what he says and bring him back. Something like that would suffice and cause no issues.”

Lloyd frowned. “So, what you’re saying is there’s no way to make this work?”

If their enemies were facing ordinary soldiers or knights, they’d simply deploy their own ordinary soldiers and knights. If the King’s Order were involved, deploying regular forces would still be the better option.

“According to your logic, no matter what we do, the cultists have no reason to act directly.”

“Exactly. Which is why...” Karnak’s lips curled into a strange smile. “I plan to add some extra bait.”