Karnak, Monarch of Death

Meiri and Milia knelt to inspect the corpses.

”Their bodies have been completely drained of blood,” Meiri said.

”This matches the victims of Mareda,” Milia confirmed.

Ziken’s voice carried disbelief. ”The demonic sword appeared in the middle of the city?”

That was strange enough. But what made even less sense was this:

”Yet neither of you sensed a thing?”

The King’s Order quarters and the site of the corpses were only about a block apart. If the demonic sword had unleashed its dark power, there was no way the nearby priests wouldn’t have felt it. The two priests shrank under Ziken’s gaze. They responded in hesitant voices.

”I... I’m not sure...”

”I-I was asleep...”

It wasn’t entirely their fault, either. The surroundings were unnaturally clean. There wasn’t a trace of malice or death energy lingering in the area. It was no wonder they hadn’t sensed anything.

—Even I didn’t notice a thing.

—You too, young master? Varos questioned him. He found it incredulous.

—How is that even possible? Necromancy was involved, and yet you didn’t feel anything?

—That’s what I’m saying. Even I’m stunned.

It was an absurd situation. If the demonic sword had used its power, traces would have been left behind. But if it hadn’t, how had Wallace and Beric fallen victim to it?

”Let me ask you this instead,” Ziken said, turning to the priests. ”In what kind of situation could these two be killed without either of you noticing a thing?”

Meiri and Milia exchanged uneasy glances.

”What?”

”Well, uh...”

It wasn’t something they had ever considered before.

After a long pause, Meiri finally gave a hesitant answer. ”It might be possible if...”

One explanation was that Wallace and Beric were overpowered and killed by someone unrelated to necromancy. Then, Mareda merely absorbed the blood and energy from their corpses.

”If that’s the case, no one would sense anything. The process of absorbing blood essence occurs entirely within the body. It would leave no external traces,” Meiri said.

”There is another possible explanation,” added Milia.

It was possible that Wallace and Beric were killed elsewhere.

”If they were killed far away—somewhere beyond our ability to detect—and only their blood-drained corpses were transported here, then it’s no wonder we felt nothing.”

Ziken’s expression darkened further. ”Both theories lead to one conclusion.”

There was an accomplice. Someone was either assisting the demonic sword Mareda or had the ability to control its movements.

”A demonic sword wouldn’t make such calculated decisions on its own,” he said grimly.

At this point, the most likely suspects were obvious.

”Could it be the Cult of the Black God?”

Karnak narrowed his eyes.

—That doesn’t seem likely.

—Why not?

Serati questioned him, and Karnak turned his gaze toward the two priests.

—If those cultists had used their power, I would have noticed. Even if they couldn’t.

—But what if they’re cultists who didn’t use necromancy?

—Do you think someone that skilled would join the cult?

Wallace and Beric were elite members of the King’s Order. They were selected from the best of the best. Would a warrior strong enough to take them down without necromancy really pledge allegiance to the Cult of the Black God? But Serati seemed unconvinced.

—Faith doesn’t always stem from practicality, you know.

—You have a point there.

Karnak tilted his head, as if reconsidering.

—Now that I think about it, the cult might actually be involved.

—What made you change your mind so suddenly?

—This is yet another method I don’t recognize.

Karnak scowled down at the shriveled corpses.

—Since my return, every necromantic method I don’t know seems to be tied to those bastards.

***

Ziken gathered the dispersed First and Seventh Squads into a single inn. After all, there was no telling if the demonic sword Mareda would strike again during the night. They even organized a watch rotation to stand guard. The idea of a night watch in the middle of the city might have been absurd, but no one complained.

After all, two of their comrades had just been killed. Most of them stayed awake or only managed a light doze, so whether the watch was even necessary was debatable. The two squads endured the night tense and on edge. But by the time dawn broke, the demonic sword had not reappeared.

***

On the second floor of the inn, in a small room, the leaders of the First and Seventh Squads gathered to discuss their next steps.

Harris turned to Ziken and asked, ”What now, captain?”

The original plan had been to remain in Achenbart City. They would lie in wait. When another victim of the demonic sword appeared, they would focus their efforts there and resume the pursuit.

They had little choice, having already lost the trail. Wandering aimlessly in the wilderness without leads wasn’t an option. After all, Mareda had been attacking villages in the region, so they believed it was only a matter of time before they found it again. But now the sword had shown up in the heart of the city. The assumptions underpinning their strategy had been shattered.

Triv furrowed his brow. ”This is troublesome. Tracking it won’t be the same as pursuing an ordinary fugitive.”

If the enemy had been a cultist, their methods of pursuit would have been relatively straightforward. Since cultists were human, they couldn’t escape the limitations of basic needs like food, clothing, and shelter, allowing the search area to be narrowed.

But a demonic sword fed on the blood essence of humans. It provided sustenance for its host without the need for conventional methods. Moreover, it didn’t care for the health of its host, so there was no need to seek shelter or wear proper clothing.

Meiri, a priest of the Fire Goddess Katera, clicked her tongue. ”Our opponent is a man-eating monster. Traditional search methods won’t work here.”

Karnak, who had been quietly listening, suddenly muttered, —It’s a monster, sure, but it doesn’t actually eat people.

Serati looked puzzled.

—Isn’t it a man-eater?

—Draining blood essence is just a form of nutrient absorption. If you call that man-eating, then fetuses feeding through an umbilical cord would be man-eaters too, wouldn’t they?

—You’re oddly defensive about this. Why are you acting like this?

—Oh, uh, well... Karnak trailed off, suddenly pretending to be preoccupied with something else.

Varos chimed in with a wry smile. —It’s because he used to indulge in that a lot.

Serati shot Karnak a sharp glare, startled.

—Don’t tell me. You were a cannibal?

—I wasn’t! I keep telling you, it’s not cannibalism!

Absorbing human blood essence was something any evil monster might do, but enjoying the act of eating people? That would make someone a perverse, degenerate monster. If he had to choose, being a regular monster was far preferable to being a degenerate one.

—Still, you seem pretty adamant about not wanting to be called a cannibal. Maybe you’ve become more human after all, Varos teased.

Karnak tilted his head. —Have I?

In any case, their opponent was a man-eating monster. They needed a strategy to fit their opponent.

After some thought, Ziken finally spoke. ”The real issue boils down to one question. Is the demonic sword Mareda deliberately targeting the King’s Order?”

If it was intentional, then—

”There’s no need to leave Achenbart City. We can prepare thoroughly and face the demonic sword when it comes to attack.”

But if it was mere coincidence—

”Then the sword will likely move on to attack nearby villages. In that case, we’ll proceed with the original plan and track it down.”

Everyone agreed with Ziken’s conclusion. Either way, the King’s Order’s course of action remained the same.

”In that case, we need to find a better location than this inn,” Karnak said, looking out the window. ”We’ll need a proper fortress within the city, somewhere that allows us to defend against outside attacks and easily manage rest and repairs.”

***

The seemingly difficult requirements were surprisingly easy to fulfill. They simply requisitioned the largest mansion in Achenbart City. The mansion was so grand that it easily housed the entire First and Seventh Squads of the King’s Order, with room to spare. Varos, however, couldn’t help but feel uneasy as he took in the sight of the building.

”Are we sure this is okay? Whoever owns a mansion like this must be from a very powerful family. Won’t this cause issues?”

Serati shrugged. ”They said it’s no problem.”

”Really?”

”Yes. Apparently, it belongs to Captain Ziken’s cousin.”

”Ah, that makes sense.”

To become a captain in the King’s Order, one needed to be not just a high-ranking mage but also a noble of impeccable lineage.

Besides being a seventh-circle mage, Ziken was also the second son of a marquisate. While he had little interest in his family affairs and pursued the path of a mage, his noble bloodline was leagues above Karnak’s, who hailed from a minor rural noble family. Of course, Karnak’s status had also risen thanks to Prince Lloyd’s seal, making him nearly Ziken’s equal in influence now.

”Even if that weren’t the case, I doubt there would’ve been any issue,” Serati added. ”Achenbart City is fully cooperating with the King’s Order right now.”

The havoc caused by the demonic sword Mareda had severely disrupted trade in and out of the city. The economic blow was significant, and the city had every incentive to resolve the situation as quickly as possible. As a result, the King’s Order was receiving not just adequate but lavish support.

In addition to the mansion, they were provided with the best food supplies, skilled blacksmiths to maintain their equipment, and trustworthy servants from local noble families to handle chores. All the members of the King’s Order had to do was stay in the mansion and remain in peak condition.

It didn’t feel like they were confined, either. With excellent accommodations, attentive service, gourmet meals, and luxurious beds, it was practically a vacation. In fact, it might have been the best vacation any of them had ever experienced. Having spent so much time constantly on the move, the members took the opportunity to focus on overdue training. Only Karnak’s group seemed slightly uneasy.

”We used up all our accrued vacation, yet it feels like we’re on leave again,” Varos said.

”Exactly. We’ve already had plenty of rest,” Serati added.

It had been three days since they moved into the mansion, yet nothing had changed. There had been no attacks, nor any new information.

Watching Serati and Varos lounging around, Karnak gestured toward the dining hall. ”Let’s eat. Food is the only thing that lasts.”

”Sounds good! I heard they brought in some excellent venison.”

The two men, visibly excited, shuffled off toward the dining hall. Serati sighed and followed after them.

”Ugh, at this rate, I’m going to gain weight.”

***

Karnak helped himself to some freshly baked bread, straight from the oven, slathered generously with butter. He washed it down with a hearty gulp of rich ale. With a contented expression, Karnak chewed noisily.

”Ah, delicious. Yum, yum.”

It was the kind of indulgent meal he could never enjoy while on a mission. It wasn’t that butter or bread were prohibitively expensive, but the luxury of having it fresh out of the oven was what made it special. After all, there were no ovens out in the wilderness.

Varos carved a slice of venison leg, roasted to perfection and seasoned with spices, placing it on a plate before asking, ”What’s the plan for today, young master?”

”The same as always,” Karnak answered him.

Wait on standby, train moderately, keep their bodies limber, and remain alert in case of an emergency—business as usual.

Serati glanced out the window. ”Well, as long as the sun’s up, nothing’s likely to happen. We only really need to worry at night.”

Under the sun’s rays, the powers of malice and death energy weakened considerably. Those who wielded the forces of darkness would never dare act during the day.

”Still, don’t let your guard down,” Karnak said, spearing a piece of meat with his fork. ”While Mareda won’t move during the day, cultists could still try to attack us.”

”Oh, come on. If they wanted to do that, they’d have to disguise it as the demonic sword’s doing. That’s highly unlikely—”

Varos was waving his hand dismissively when it happened. A sudden explosion rocked the mansion, originating from the far end of the dining hall.

Boooom!

Varos froze, a piece of meat still hanging from his mouth. His expression was blank.

”What?”