Karnak, Monarch of Death

Serati’s suggestion was straightforward. They would keep everything the same but one.

”You’re saying we should completely erase Lefan’s presence?”

”Yes, Captain Ziken. Can you make it so the demonic sword can’t detect him at all?”

”It should be possible.”

How exactly did the demonic sword Mareda locate its targets? One thing was clear. It wasn’t through the host’s vision. The girl with the demonic sword had made a beeline toward Lefan, even though he had been hidden deep within the mansion and completely out of sight.

”My guess is it detects scent or the resonance of a soul.”

These were common methods used by undead creatures or demons summoned through necromancy to locate their prey. Fortunately, there were seventh-circle spells specifically designed to block both.

”Then I’ll set up a magic circle and place Lefan inside it.”

”Please do.”

This only made things even more claustrophobic for Lefan.

Sitting in the center of the magic circle etched into his room, he let out a deep sigh. ”Ugh, this really is turning into prison life, isn’t it?”

***

A day and a half passed. At the break of dawn, as the morning sun began to rise, Fross, a member of the Seventh Squad, was struck by an unexpected disaster while eating breakfast.

Boom!

He was tearing a piece of bread to dip into stew when suddenly one of the walls crumbled with a loud crash. And there she was—a small girl he had seen so many times by now that her appearance had become disturbingly familiar.

”The demonic sword Mareda!”

”She’s here now?”

The startled members of the Seventh Squad abandoned their breakfast and scrambled into combat positions. The girl moved immediately.

”Kyahaha!”

Her target was unmistakable. Without sparing the others so much as a glance, she charged directly at Fross.

Dodging frantically, Fross shouted in frustration. ”What is this? Why me this time?!”

***

Thanks to the swift response of Ziken, Triv, and the other leaders, the demonic sword Mareda was once again driven off without causing significant damage. Fross was safe, but a new question arose.

”The Seventh Squad again?”

”Yes.”

”First Wallace and Beric, then Lefan, and now Fross...”

Ziken pressed his fingers against his temples, a habit whenever he felt a headache coming on.

”Even the smallest detail will help. Anything at all, Sir Karnak?”

At first, the demonic sword had fled in panic after seeing the Seventh Squad’s captain. Now, it seemed fixated on targeting only members of the Seventh Squad.

”There’s no way this could be a coincidence.”

”I agree. But honestly, I have no idea,” Karnak said with a grim expression. ”Not even a guess, let alone a clue. What possible connection could there be between the demonic sword and our Seventh Squad?”

”Indeed...”

Silence fell over the group. Neither Ziken nor Karnak, nor any of the other aura users gathered, could come up with an answer.

At that moment, Fross hesitantly spoke up, looking nervous. ”Um, would it be okay if I shared a ridiculous idea?”

Ziken and Karnak’s eyes lit up as they turned to him.

”Oh?”

”You’ve thought of something?”

”No, it’s not exactly a thought, more like a wild hunch.” Fross’s expression grew even more uncertain. ”Honestly, it’s absurd, and it really seems like just a coincidence, but...”

”We don’t even have absurd guesses to go on right now,” Ziken said, granting permission.

Relieved, Fross gestured toward himself and Karnak. ”Well, it seems like it’s going after people based on their proximity to Captain Karnak.”

”Proximity?”

Varos frowned, confused.

”What do you mean? If it’s proximity, wouldn’t that mean Sir Serati and I should’ve been targeted, not Wallace and Beric?”

Everyone knew that Varos and Serati were Karnak’s closest confidants.

”I don’t mean personal relationships.” Fross shook his head. ”I’m talking about when the demonic sword first saw the captain and fled. Think about the positioning during that moment.”

The King’s Order was an elite force, and their formations were meticulously organized in advance.

”Look at this. Wallace, Beric, Lefan, and now me. Doesn’t it perfectly match the sequence of those closest to the captain when the perimeter was formed?”

Everyone blinked simultaneously.

”Now that you mention it...”

”It does seem that way, but...”

The idea seemed absurd, far-fetched even.

”I know it sounds ridiculous. I only brought it up because we’re grasping at straws here.”

At that moment, Harris raised his hand. ”It seems like a valid suggestion to me.”

Ziken frowned in disbelief. ”You actually believe that?”

”It’s not about whether I believe it or not.”

There was one distinct advantage to this hypothesis.

”It’s testable.” Turning to Frost, Harris asked, ”During the formation, who was the next closest person to Captain Karnak after you?”

”Uh, that would be Krant.”

”Good.” With a satisfied smile, Harris continued, ”Then you’ll join Lefan inside the magic circle this time. Say nothing to Krant.”

***

The next night, a young warrior in his mid-twenties was leaning against a shattered pillar of the damaged mansion, gasping for breath. Covered in blood and dirt, Krant looked as though he had been through hell.

”Argh. I thought I was going to die...”

If the demonic sword Mareda hadn’t retreated when it did, he might not have survived. As Krant let out a sigh of relief, Ziken and the rest of the King’s Order leadership exchanged uneasy glances.

”So, it’s true.”

”It really did only go after him?”

”What does this even mean?”

***

Why had the girl with the demonic sword screamed and fled upon seeing Karnak? Why was the demonic sword now relentlessly targeting members of the King’s Order Seventh Squad in the precise order of their proximity to Karnak?

No one knew the reason. In fact, it was doubtful whether a reason even existed. But even without understanding the why, knowing the pattern was enough to exploit it. Knowing how and why the sun rose and set didn’t really matter to the farmers who used it to farm.

After gathering the leadership, Ziken proposed a plan. ”Let’s lure the demonic sword Mareda.”

If they could identify the target of Mareda, they could control the enemy’s movements. Using high-priority targets like Lefan and Fross as bait, they could guide the girl with the demonic sword into a trap.

”In that case, there’s no need to stay here any longer. Moving to a remote area will make it easier to track the demonic sword’s approach,” Triv suggested.

Serati added, ”And it’ll be easier to pursue her when she flees.”

The primary reason Serati had lost track of the demonic sword before wasn’t just its speed.

”There are too many hiding spots in a city.”

Once the demonic sword concealed its presence and slipped into the shadows of the alleyways, tracking it with magic or aura became almost impossible.

Harris nodded in agreement. ”In the past, we could have used a priest’s skills to detect traces of darkness, but even that doesn’t work anymore.”

Mareda left no traces behind, almost as if it erased them deliberately. In an open field, however, such things wouldn’t be an issue.

With the general strategy decided, Ziken outlined the plan. First, they would leave Achenbart City and search for a suitable location nearby to set up camp.

”We’ve confirmed the demonic sword’s targets, so there’s no need for the First Squad to form a perimeter around the Seventh Squad anymore, is there?”

”We’ll revert to our standard formation, splitting into left and right flanks.”

Lefan and Fross would be placed at the center of the camp. Once the demonic sword appeared, they would alternate erasing the presence of the two targets using the magic circle, luring the demonic sword into a trap.

Ziken spread a detailed map of the area around Achenbart City on the table.

”This will be our campsite.” He pointed to a wide-open field north of the city, where the view was completely unobstructed. ”We’re moving out today. Prepare immediately!”

***

That afternoon, the First and Seventh Squads of the King’s Order left the mansion and headed toward the northern plains outside the city. Once they arrived, they began setting up camp.

It wasn’t just a matter of pitching tents. Since this would also serve as the battlefield where they planned to lure and eliminate the demonic sword Mareda, they needed to prepare various traps in advance.

”We have to finish this once and for all, no matter what,” Triv said, inspecting the traps and encouraging the troops. ”Use whatever means necessary. Let’s end it here and now!”

One of the First Squad members working alongside him spoke up. ”By whatever means necessary, do you mean even killing the host?”

It was a question about whether they would sacrifice the innocent girl possessed by the demonic sword.

Karnak, who had been listening nearby, flinched. Kill the girl? That’s a problem.

Just as he was about to interject, Triv responded first. ”It’s a life-or-death situation. I’m not saying we absolutely have to save her.”

He smirked and shrugged. ”But killing her outright is also not ideal, is it? We’re acting under royal authority, after all. Even if that weren’t the case, as someone who serves the seven goddesses, I’d say we should save her if we can.”

”Of course, morally speaking, that’s the right thing to do,” a young soldier replied, clearly unconvinced. ”But the more the demonic sword rampages, the more blood will be shed. Wouldn’t it be better to ensure the girl’s sacrifice and prevent further casualties?”

Triv, a man in his forties, smiled warmly at the younger soldier in his twenties. ”I thought exactly the same way when I was your age.”

”Am I wrong?”

”Logically, you are right.”

Sacrificing one person to prevent greater harm later? In theory, it was flawless.

”But reality doesn’t work that way.” The real problem, Triv explained, was people. ”Those who think like that often fail to save anyone. They sacrifice one person but still end up with countless victims.”

If someone could be saved, they needed to be saved. That mindset, Triv argued, was the only way to truly minimize casualties and protect more people, regardless of numbers or calculations. The soldiers looked uncertain.

”Is that really the case?”

Triv gave a bitter smile. He understood why they struggled to grasp his point. After all, it was something he himself had only come to realize after many years.

”Sorry, I’m just a swordsman. I can’t explain it any better than that.”

”No, sir!”

”We’ll take your words to heart!”

Meanwhile, Karnak and Varos watched with admiration.

—So that’s what it means to live like a decent person, huh, young master?

—Impressive. I’ve never thought about it that way before.

—You were planning to save the host anyway, weren’t you, young master?

—Yeah.

Would he save her because life was precious? No. It wasn’t out of some noble belief in the sanctity of life.

—If we kill her, she might become an even stronger undead.

When necromancy was involved, killing could often cause more problems than it solved. It wasn’t a matter of morality—it was practicality.

—Still, it’s amazing how he can say it without coming off as an asshole.

—We should learn from him.

—Agreed. Is speaking like that a talent? I’m jealous.

Serati, overhearing them, looked puzzled.

—What’s so remarkable about what he said?

What Triv said was similar to the kind of sermon most priests gave. It seemed starnge that the pair wouldn’t know after living for over a century.

Karnak and Varos nodded as if it made perfect sense.

—Back then, I didn’t listen.

—Whenever we met priests, we’d just kill them and make their bones dance.

—Ah, I see... you terrible people.

—Huh?

—Oh, nothing.

Nearby Seventh Squad members exchanged puzzled glances as they observed the three of them silently exchanging looks. It looked as if they were saying, ”There they go again, having their silent staring contest.”

Realizing this, Varos quickly changed the subject. ”So, are we just going to stay here and wait?”

”Looks like it.”

”And when’s the demonic sword going to show up?”

”No way to know. We’ll just have to keep camping until it does.”

Karnak glanced around the campsite, smiling faintly.

”It won’t take long. She’s been attacking us almost daily, hasn’t she?”