Karnak, Monarch of Death

Chapter 104: The Witch’s Forest (2)

No matter how urgent the matter, they couldn’t possibly discuss something so critical in the middle of the street.

”Let’s move somewhere more appropriate,” said Leocolt while gesturing with his fingers.

Without waiting for a response, he turned on his heel and strode away, leaving the others to follow if they wished. Having never been to the empire before, Serati whispered in frustration,

—What’s with him? Does he think we’re his subordinates?

In contrast, Karnak and Varos, both of whom had visited the Lacania Empire in their past lives, exchanged knowing glances.

—Imperials have a habit of looking down on people from the Seven Kingdoms.

—And this is him showing some semblance of respect, probably because Alius is a high-ranking priest.

Alius was relatively young, and he had never been to the empire. He looked flustered as he glanced back at Karnak’s group for guidance.

”What should we do?” he asked.

”There’s no harm in at least hearing him out, is there?” replied Karnak.

The group reluctantly followed Leocolt, who led them to a barracks situated on the outskirts of Swindler Fortress. Inside, they were shown to a table and offered modest cups of herbal tea.

”Help yourself,” Leocolt said curtly.

”Ah, thank you,” Alius replied, slightly taken aback.

Notably, the tea was offered only to Alius. The rest of the group was ignored entirely, as if they weren’t even there.

Watching this unfold, Karnak and Varos exchanged nostalgic smirks.

—A textbook Imperial noble, through and through.

—This really brings back memories. They’ve always been like this, haven’t they?

It was clear that lingering here wouldn’t be pleasant, so the group decided to keep their stay brief and simply gather the necessary information.

While sipping his tea, Alius asked, ”What exactly has happened?”

Leocolt began to explain, ”It started a few days ago...”

***

A witch had appeared. In better times, if someone had run around declaring that a witch had appeared, they would have been laughed at.

—My friend, have you been reading too many children’s fairy tales?

But times had changed.

—Is it a real witch, or just another rumor?”

The Shadow of Doom spared no one. It was entirely plausible for an elderly woman to succumb to the dark forces and become corrupted. Witches were no longer confined to folklore. They had become a tangible fear.

At the same time, unfounded rumors were rampant. In the countryside, ignorant villagers would often label innocent women as witches and engage in literal witch hunts.

Fortunately, the church of the seven goddesses took such incidents seriously, and strict punishments were enforced to prevent the wrongful persecution of innocents.Still, the line between a trivial rumor and a serious incident was often blurred, leading to situations that were too minor for the church to prioritize but too concerning to completely ignore.

”And that’s why the Swindler Border Guard took it upon themselves to investigate,” Leocolt explained.

Defending the border meant being prepared for any potential threat, even if it involved a witch attacking a nearby village. Of course, the real reason for the investigation had more to do with easing the concerns of some well-connected village elders.

The captain of the border guard had set out with 20 seasoned soldiers to locate the so-called witch. The Swindler Border Guard wasn’t exactly an elite force. They had neither aura users nor high-level mages among their ranks. However, as defenders of the border, they were sufficiently skilled, and no one had taken the matter too seriously at first. The real trouble began three days later.

”None of them returned.”

At Leocolt’s words, Alius blinked in confusion. ”What do you mean, they didn’t return?”

”Exactly what I said. They vanished.”

”You mean they’re missing, not dead?”

”Correct. We don’t know if they’re dead or alive.”

Serati tilted her head.

This sounds like one of those clichéd witch tales.

It was a classic trope from children’s bedtime stories: A cursed witch’s forest shrouded in mist, where none who enter ever come back.

—Is there a necromantic spell for something like this, Sir Karnak?

—A spell that could make twenty soldiers disappear? There are too many possibilities to pick just one.

Regardless, the disappearance of the border guards had thrown everyone into chaos. Swindler Fortress’s military commander, Baronet Demetas, found himself in a bind. He couldn’t organize another search party for fear they might also fall prey to the witch.

Yet waiting for reinforcements from the nearest temple would take weeks, and time wasn’t on their side. There was no telling what might happen to the missing soldiers in that time. It was under these circumstances that the Brigade of Purification had stepped in.

Karnak raised a question. ”But why did the Brigade of Purification get involved? Isn’t your mandate strictly to deal with cultists?”

Leocolt frowned, clearly irritated that Karnak had interrupted him without permission.

However, he answered. ”It’s not an official mission. Consider it a personal service to the empire.”

Though Leocolt didn’t seem like the type to care about others’ opinions, even he was making an effort to appease Karnak’s group. After all, they needed help.

As it turned out, not all of the soldiers present were members of the Brigade of Purification. The brigade’s ranks consisted only of Leocolt, another knight in his mid-thirties named Restein, and a robed mage called Stronoff. The rest were regular soldiers from the Swindler Border Guard.

”We were on our way back to the capital after some time off. Stopping here was merely a detour.”

It was sheer coincidence that they were present when the witch incident occurred, prompting Demetas to request assistance. Arrogant though he was as an imperial noble, Leocolt adhered to the noble principle of caring for his inferiors. He had agreed to help immediately.

”It was an urgent matter involving people’s lives. How could I refuse?”

The mission was also relatively straightforward compared to their usual work. Dark-related incidents often left traces of malice and death energy, allowing for a rough estimation of the threat level. The darkness left behind by the witch wasn’t particularly strong. While it might have been overwhelming for the border guards...

”For us, it’s manageable.”

There were members of the brigade, consisting of two red-tier aura users specializing in dealing with necromancy and a sixth circle mage, as well as ten seasoned border guards. It was more than enough firepower. But there was a catch.

”We didn’t have a priest.”

Specifically, they lacked a priest trained in inquisitorial methods to combat the darkness.

Even if they had the strength to defeat the witch, locating her came first. Unfortunately, the local temple priests were woefully inadequate for such a task. Worse, the only competent inquisitor in the area, Felix, had disappeared along with the missing soldiers.

”And waiting for a new inquisitor to arrive isn’t an option. As I said, we don’t have the time.”

As they grew more desperate, word arrived that a first-class inquisitor was passing through the region on their way to the empire. Leocolt had rushed to intercept them, fearing their paths might not cross otherwise.

”For these reasons, I’m asking for your assistance.”

”I understand...” Alius nodded.

He genuinely wanted to help but couldn’t decide without consulting his companions.

”Very well. I’ll discuss it with my group.”

Leocolt’s expression hardened slightly as he continued speaking. ”It seems there’s been some misunderstanding. I said I seek your cooperation, Inquisitor Alius.”

His cold gaze swept over Karnak, Varos, and Serati. ”Not them.”

”But these individuals are skilled shadow hunters,” Alius protested.

”I have eyes,” Leocolt replied curtly. ”I can tell they are aura users.”

Aura users could sense others of their kind unless the aura was deliberately suppressed.

”But they aren’t citizens of the empire.” With an authoritative tone, Leocolt declared, ”The people of the empire are protected by the hands of the empire.”

Alius was taken aback. ”Technically, I’m from the Kingdom of Eustil as well.”

”Are servants of the goddess not above such national boundaries?” Leocolt retorted confidently.

Watching this exchange, Serati silently clicked her tongue.

—What is with this guy? We never even offered him our help, but he’s saying it’s unnecessary.

Karnak and Varos exchanged dry smiles.

—Didn’t I tell you? Imperial nobles are like this.

—It’s ingrained in their minds to look down on the Seven Kingdoms.

Maintaining a neutral expression, Alius responded, ”Regardless, I’ll need to discuss it with my companions. Even if I choose to assist, my involvement would delay our overall plans.”

”Very well. While time is short, a few moments can be spared,” Leocolt said before turning on his heel and striding away.

Left alone, Alius sighed and scratched his head. ”Who would’ve thought something like this would happen the moment we set foot in the empire?”

He turned to his companions. ”What do you think? Should I go alone and help them?”

Serati shrugged nonchalantly. ”It’s for a good cause. I don’t see any reason to object.”

Varos agreed. ”It doesn’t seem too dangerous.”

The Brigade of Purification was essentially the imperial equivalent of the King’s Order. In fact, they could be an elite special forces unit on a higher level than the King’s Order. While Leocolt and his group appeared to be within the lower ranks of the organization, they were still formidable aura users and a mage. Their forces rivaled a squad of the King’s Order, so they wouldn’t face any real danger.

Karnak, though reluctant, ultimately nodded. ”It shouldn’t cause any problems to our schedule.”

Catching Hudel would require careful planning anyway. It wasn’t something to be delayed, but nothing to be rushed either. A slight delay of a few days wouldn’t change much.

”More importantly, it wouldn’t be wise to offend an imperial noble on their own territory,” Karnak added.

His reluctance stemmed not from the witch hunt itself but from being excluded from it. From a strategic standpoint, building a connection with the Brigade of Purification wasn’t a bad move.

”Feel free to go. We’ll be waiting at the inn, taking it easy.”

***

The Swindler Fortress, doubling as a trading hub, boasted a fair number of inns. Given the challenging terrain, farming was limited, and hunting or raising livestock only went so far. As a result, the village had developed a bustling innkeeping industry catering to travelers and merchants.

As they walked through the streets, Serati asked, ”Where are we staying?”

Varos scanned the signs and pointed. ”Alius recommended a place. Oh, there it is.”

He gestured toward an inn called The Song of Palpato. It was a modest two-story building, not flashy but sturdy, with an unassuming charm.

Serati glanced at Karnak in surprise. ”What’s gotten into you? You usually only stay at luxurious places.”

Karnak and Varos both brightened, their eyes gleaming.

”This place is supposed to have the best food!”

”A good inn is judged by its kitchen, after all!”

True to Alius’s recommendation, they’d chosen well. Golden-brown bread, a hearty wild vegetable soup, mashed potatoes slathered with cheese, and roasted pheasant sat on the table.

Karnak and Varos devoured the meal voraciously.

”Oh! This is delicious!

”This one’s great too!”

”It’s moments like these that make traveling worthwhile.”

”If only we’d had meals like this before. We did plenty of wandering back then too.”

Next to them, the red-haired beauty ate with graceful composure.

”Ugh, you two gluttons,” Serati muttered, wrinkling her nose and turning away. ”Lapicel, don’t let yourself end up—”

She froze mid-sentence. The cute, ash-gray-haired girl was stuffing her cheeks until they were about to burst, furiously chewing and swallowing the food in front of her.

Chomp! Chomp! Nom, nom, nom!

”This is delicious, Sir Karnak!” Lapicel exclaimed between bites.

”Lapicel, you too?”

Karnak and Varos exchanged a knowing glance.

—Makes sense when you think about it. Lapicel’s one of us, after all.

—She was undead for what, about 70 years?

—Which means it’s been 70 years since she’s had proper food.

At home, Lapicel had been more restrained, wary of others watching her. But now that she’d grown comfortable around them, her instincts were on full display.

—Poor Lapicel...

Watching her, Serati silently vowed to treat the girl even better from now on. After everyone had eaten their fill, they spent the night sleeping soundly on plush beds.

***

The next morning, they found the village unusually noisy. It wasn’t the typical bustle of daily life but a cacophony laced with shock and fear.

Curious, Varos stopped a passerby and asked, ”What’s all the commotion about?”

The villager, trembling with fear, replied, ”Haven’t you heard? The Brigade of Purification that went after the witch. They’ve disappeared!”