Karnak, Monarch of Death

As they crossed the mountain range, the seasons changed. Fine white flakes began to fall from the sky.

”Wow! It’s snowing, Sister Serati!”

”We’d better hurry over the mountains,” Serati said.

”If it piles up too much, we’ll have a problem,” Varos added.

The child reveled in the snow with pure joy, while the adults frowned. Thankfully, they were nearly through the mountain range. Holding onto their chilled cheeks, they pushed on for another half-day. Sunlight fractured across the white snow, and a light breeze scattered fine snowflakes into the air. The crunch of dry snow accompanied every step.

Finally, the vast plains unfolded before them. A river carved its way down from the mountains, slicing the land like a blade before merging with a greater waterway.

On a hill to the right of the river stood a stately, old-fashioned fortress. On the opposite bank lay an expansive town, the two connected by a grand stone bridge. This was their destination, the Grental County.

***

Currently, Karnak’s group operated under the official guise of Alius, a first-class inquisitor from Hatoba, and his associates. They were hiding their true identities as members of the King’s Order from the Kingdom of Eustil, instead presenting themselves solely as shadow hunters.

After all, hunting heretical cultists in the empire was the jurisdiction of the Brigade of Purification. Moreover, their target, Hudel, was a noble of the empire. For the King’s Order to interfere in this matter would create a severe international incident. Seeking prior permission or cooperation wasn’t an option either. Considering how the Lacania Empire treated the Seven Kingdoms with disdain, it was obvious that any request would be ignored. Thus, they were using a different cover story to cross the border.

—A necromancer we’ve been pursuing has surfaced in the western empire, near Kallat City. We’re working with the Hatoba Order’s Kallat Diocese to apprehend him.

Varos, recalling a similar operation during the vampire hunt in the Brellant County, looked concerned.

“I don’t think that’s the best of plans.”

”That’s because the King’s Order copied it poorly.”

Alius explained that the method actually originated from the seven goddesses church. Unlike the King’s Order, however, they didn’t foolishly try to seek cooperation from the suspects themselves. With this pretense, they were unlikely to arouse suspicion. Necromancers fleeing across borders was common, as were vengeance-driven individuals crossing national lines to track them down. And in this group, wasn’t there someone who had lost their entire family to a necromancer?

”Who?” Serati asked.

”Who else? Lord Karnak lost his whole family to a necromancer, didn’t he?” Alius replied.

”Oh, you mean me.”

”Why do you sound like you’re talking about someone else?”

”Well, I’ve already exacted my revenge, haven’t I? I just don’t think of it that way anymore.”

Their suspicious exchange was easy enough to wave off, leaving no problems. While claiming they were headed for Kallat City, the group instead slipped into the Grental County. The plan was to gather evidence proving Hudel’s ties to the heretical cult and report it to the Brigade of Purification, working together to apprehend him.

As this was a right granted to the seven goddesses church, there would be no conflict with the empire. While they would hand Hudel over to the Brigade of Purification, they could extract the necessary information beforehand. That was all Karnak needed.

All I care about is the information, not the man himself.

***

Once they entered the Grenetal County, Alius addressed the group. ”I’ll head to the Saisha Order now.”

The western regions of the empire were dominated by the Order of Saisha, the Goddess of Wind. There was no separate Hatoba temple in the area, so Alius had to turn to them for information on Hudel.

Varos asked, ”Will we be working with the Saisha Order from now on?”

As a major trade route between the Empire of Lacania and the Seven Kingdoms Alliance, the Grenetal County was a flourishing region. Its Saisha Order was powerful, housing numerous inquisitors and hunters of darkness. Varos was asking if they would seek these forces’ cooperation.

Alius shook his head. ”Not officially, no.”

On the surface, the Grenetal County appeared to be pristine. They were free of cultists and necromancers. Consequently, most of the temple’s inquisitors and hunters were dispatched to other regions rather than stationed locally. In fact, even Felix, the second-class inquisitor they had met earlier, originally belonged to this temple.

”So, there’s little to expect from the temple’s current strength,” Alius said, scratching his cheek awkwardly, ”and, to be honest, the Hatoba and Saisha Orders don’t exactly get along.”

The faith of the seven goddesses, a unified polytheistic religion venerating seven deities, was governed by a singular doctrine. While each order served a different goddess, they were all part of the same faith. However, like various noble factions under one king, harmonious relations between the churches were not guaranteed. More often than not, the opposite was true.

The Hatoba Order was based in the Seven Kingdoms Alliance, while the Saisha Order’s stronghold lay within the Lacania Empire. Though the seven goddesses church was meant to transcend national boundaries, it wasn’t entirely free from the influence of secular politics. Relations between the two churches were thus strained.

”Given that, we can’t expect full cooperation from them,” Alius continued. ”Nor can we place complete trust in the Saisha Order.”

As the case of Straph showed, even high-ranking clergy could be won over by the Cult of the Black God. Moreover, the Grenetal County was outwardly spotless. There were no cultists and no necromancers. And yet, the Saisha Order here employed numerous inquisitors and hunters. If Hudel were truly a cultist, how could the temple have failed to uncover any evidence despite their resources?

”There’s a high likelihood of a spy within the temple,” Alius concluded. ”Otherwise, there’s no way they could have remained so oblivious. Of course, this is assuming Count Hudel really is a cultist.”

Serati tilted her head. ”Could we be wrong about him, then?”

”I’m not doubting you,” Alius replied. ”If I had doubts, I wouldn’t have come this far with you.”

He shrugged. ”But human efforts aren’t infallible. If we’re accusing an imperial noble of heresy, we must proceed with even greater caution.”

”That’s true,” Serati admitted.

Thus, they wouldn’t officially visit the Saisha temple. Instead, they planned to contact Belton, a priest affiliated with the temple. Belton was a long-time friend of Ian, the northern diocese head of the Hatoba Order and Alius’s superior. He was someone Alius could trust completely. Through Belton, they aimed to gather intel on the Grenetal County’s situation.

”I’ll disguise myself as an ordinary pilgrim and meet him in secret,” Alius explained. ”If we all go together, it’ll draw attention. I’ll go alone.”

Having laid out the plan, Alius turned to leave. ”I’ll be away for a while. Find an inn and wait for me there.”

This entire conversation had taken place among the adults, excluding Lapicel. It wasn’t a topic suitable for a child. Meanwhile, Lapicel, preoccupied with exploring the village, waved cheerfully from a distance. ”Have a safe trip!”

***

As befitted Grenetal County, a hub of trade, the castle town bustled with inns and taverns, rivaling even larger cities. It seemed the town, like many others, was on the verge of purchasing autonomy from its lord and transforming into an independent city.

Among the numerous inns, Karnak and his group chose one that was modest and unassuming. No matter how much Karnak was obsessed with fine dining, even he wasn’t foolish enough to prioritize finding a restaurant in their current situation. However, that didn’t mean he was willing to give up on good food entirely.

”Well, we can always eat elsewhere,” he said.

”Exactly. As long as the bed has a mattress, it’ll do,” Varos agreed.

Using aliases, they secured their rooms and had a meal. Exhausted from crossing the mountains, Lapicel fell asleep immediately after eating. Despite her soul belonging to one of the future Martial Kings, her current body was still that of a young girl.

After putting Lapicel to bed, Serati moved to Karnak and Varos’s room. Inside, the two men were sharing a light drink—a bottle of local wine paired with a few slices of cheese.

Joining them, Serati took a sip of the wine and smiled. ”They weren’t exaggerating when they said this region’s wine is famous.”

Karnak raised an eyebrow. ”What’s this? Since when does Serati openly enjoy food?”

”I happen to like alcohol,” she replied.

”Oh, right. You did say you enjoy drinking, even if you don’t care for sweets.”

After finishing the wine, Serati leaned forward. ”So, why did you call me here?”

Karnak glanced at the wall separating their room from Lapicel’s and asked, ”She’s definitely asleep, right?”

”Yes,” Serati confirmed.

”Still, better safe than sorry.”

With a casual wave of his hand, Karnak activated a faintly glowing sigil in the air. It transformed into a magical array before dissolving into the room, spreading a soundproof barrier.

”Alright, now it’s just us three.”

Karnak reached into his coat and retrieved something. ”There’s something I want to check while Alius is away.”

The object in his hand was a black cube. Varos eyed it curiously.

”What’s that?”

”What do you think it is?” Karnak countered.

“Well, uh, a black die?”

It lacked any markings or numbers on its faces, rendering it useless for gambling or any other obvious purpose.

”An unfinished die, maybe?” Serati tilted her head, perplexed.

Karnak gave the cube a light shake and asked, ”Don’t you feel anything from it?”

”Is it related to necromancy, perhaps?”

Karnak’s expression stiffened slightly.

”Why do you think that?”

”Because it’s black,” Serati replied nonchalantly.

Continuing without a second thought, she added, ”When you’re carrying something black, it usually turns out to be related to that.”

”You’re not saying that because you actually sensed something, are you?” Karnak questioned her.

”Nope.”

Only then did Karnak let out a sigh of relief. ”Ah, you scared me for a second.”

”About what?”

”If you’d sensed something, that would mean you’d noticed something I didn’t.”

Placing the black cube on the palm of his hand, Karnak adopted a serious tone. ”This was left behind by the Candy Witch.”

Varos and Serati’s eyes widened in surprise.

“What?”

”I thought the witch was completely gone?”

They had both witnessed the witch being utterly consumed by flames and disappearing without a trace. Not just them, but all those trapped in the cages had seen it too. And yet, Karnak had somehow managed to smuggle this out right under everyone’s noses?

The two let out soft exclamations of amazement.

”Wow, when did you grab that? Your hands really have a mind of their own.”

”As expected of our young master, no one beats him at sneaky side hustles.”

”I didn’t show it to you to listen to complaints, you know?”

Regardless, if this was something left behind by the witch, it was undoubtedly no ordinary item. The two aura users focused their senses, attempting to detect anything unusual. Yet, the more they concentrated, the more perplexed they became.

”This came from the witch?”

There was no trace of malice, death energy, or anything typically associated with necromancy.

Varos frowned skeptically. “Maybe Sir Serati just isn’t skilled enough, but I’m pretty accustomed to sensing dark energy, and I’m not picking up anything.”

”Apologies for being unskilled,” Serati shot back.

”No, that’s not what I meant—!” Varos stammered, flustered, while Karnak smirked at their exchange before speaking again.

”That’s exactly why I said it’d be a problem if you could sense something I couldn’t.”

This wasn’t merely an object left behind by the witch.

”Strictly speaking, this is her corpse. But at the same time, it isn’t.”

The two stared at him, even more baffled.

Karnak began to roll the black cube between his fingers as he continued.

”It wasn’t even human to begin with, you see.”