Karnak, Monarch of Death

When Karnak took in Demphis, he made an interesting discovery. When he encountered those marked by Tesranach, he could alter their contract signature and claim control over them. In the past, Karnak had always placed soul contracts on his most important subordinates, marking them with his own brand.

And since Tesranach’s influence overlapped heavily with his own past actions, it was highly likely that all those who had returned from the future bore Marks of Contract.

”So, if I just change the signature, I could take control of Elezar or Dreltein as well. Not that it’s possible at this moment.”

If the contract mark bore Karnak’s name, then the moment he faced them, he could seize control instantly. But in this case, things were different.

”I have to defeat them first.”

To take control, he needed to subdue them, split open their chests, expose their souls, and overwrite the contract signature. While this was much easier than forging a new contract, it still required him to overpower them first. And the real question was, who among them could he realistically subdue?

Elezar? She was an archmage. Forget subduing her. Even escaping alive after a fight with her would be hopeful.

Dreltein? He was the newly crowned Martial King of Kretas. He was just as powerful as Elezar, so the result would be the same.

The only viable target was Jedex, the Fallen Pope of the Sun. Jedex would only rise to the papacy fifteen years from now. At this point in time, he was still just a minor priest. Even if he retained his past-life memories, there was no way he had already regained the divine power of a pope-tier priest. There was only one problem. Karnak had no idea where Jedex was at this time.

“I can’t even track him down, since Jedex is a name he took after becoming pope. Varos, do you know anything?”

”Not at all. I knew a lot about aura users since that was my domain, but I never kept track of the popes.”

Serati looked exasperated while listening to their exchange. ”Hold on. He was your subordinate, and you don’t even know this much?”

Scratching the back of his head, Karnak admitted sheepishly, ”I was never that interested in other people, to begin with...”

He had frightening memory and focus when it came to things that interested him, but if something didn’t, he could stare directly at a document and still not register a word.

”So, the only remaining option is Leven from the future... but he’s complicated.”

They hadn’t confirmed if future Leven had truly possessed Emil’s body. And even if he had, they couldn’t act carelessly. Emil Strauss was a purple-tier aura user. He was a perilous opponent even under normal circumstances. And if future Leven was inside him? That introduced another problem.

”That bastard will power up the same way Varos did, won’t he?”

If Varos could do it, Leven from the future certainly could. Which meant they had to assume he could wield silver aura as well.

”Of course, if Varos possessed Serati, and I enhanced her with dark aura, we’d have a chance. Demphis could also join in, depending on the situation,” Karnak started.

But that would drive Serati insane.

”I can’t turn my precious subordinate into a lunatic wandering around with a ghost stuck in her head,” Karnak lamented.

”I deeply appreciate that sentiment.”

Even if they found a way to subdue Emil, it wouldn’t matter.

Karnak scowled. ”The bastard won’t leave his house.”

According to their information, Emil had completely isolated himself in the Strauss estate, dedicating himself to training.

”And Gellard is standing guard.”

Could they expect to march in, attack Emil, and escape unscathed under the watchful eye of Gellard? That would be the height of stupidity. In conclusion, there was no immediate way to deal with any of the returnees from the future.

“But there’s those we can take on among those who haven’t returned yet...” Karnak scanned everyone and grinned. His voice dropped into a knowing tone. “The other governors of Necropia.”

***

A little south of Thea Krahan, the imperial capital, lay the Mellard region. It was relatively close, only a day’s journey on foot from the capital. There, hidden deep within Mellard, was an unnamed dungeon.

It was a treacherous place, surrounded by rugged terrain and infested with powerful monsters. Even experienced adventurers avoided it, let alone ordinary people. Since no one dared to venture inside, the dungeon was never even given a name.

But in recent years, the Cult of the Black God had taken interest in it. And they had given it a name, the Governor’s Vault. This name alone had caused major headaches for the Brigade of Purification.

They knew what a governor was, and they knew what a vault was. But why were those two words put together? No one could make sense of it. What kind of scheme were those lunatic cultists plotting to use such a bizarre name?

The most realistic theory people had come up with was this: A governor was typically a position found in vast, centralized empires. And currently, the only empire on the continent was Lacania.

So if they were talking about a vault for governors...

—Those filthy cultists must be planning to kidnap and imprison imperial governors!

There was even a period when imperial governors had their personal security forces greatly expanded and their estates heavily fortified. But after waiting endlessly without any signs of an actual threat, their vigilance naturally faded over time.

”The meaning behind the name is actually quite simple.” Karnak let out a dry chuckle. ”They really are just storing governors.”

To create the Anti-Time-Space Transcender, Tesranach had sent the four Governors of Necropia from the future to the past. But this created a problem. The three vanguard returnees could simply reclaim their past selves upon arrival. However, the four governors from the past weren’t liches yet.

They weren’t even intelligent undead—just piles of bones that had been rotting in ancient tombs. If they were left to return naturally, they would awaken as lowly skeletons, and they would be barely more than mindless undead. And to regain their past power, they would need an immense amount of time.

But with so much work to be done, wasting time like that was not an option. That was why Elezar had taken precautionary measures. She had gathered all four governors’ remains, including Demphis’s, and placed them under a forbidden ritual.

The ritual prepared everything necessary for them to awaken as archliches, but stopped short of actually raising them. Ideally, she would have resurrected them immediately, making them into powerful undead of the current era. That way, they could assist in the creation of the Anti-Time-Space Transcender, without the need to summon their future selves.

But Elezar’s necromantic skills weren’t advanced enough for that. Could she revive mages who had been dead for decades while retrieving their souls from the void? No, only Tesranach was capable of such delicate necromancy.

So instead, she stored their remains in a secure location, waiting for their future selves to return. And she had chosen Mellard to store their remains.

”She had to be careful. Elezar still has a public identity to maintain. She couldn’t exactly start casting necromantic rituals in the heart of the capital, right?”

The dungeon known as the Governor’s Vault was the perfect choice. It was far enough from Thea Krahan to avoid suspicion, yet close enough that Elezar could reach it quickly in case of an emergency. The surrounding terrain was treacherous, ensuring that ordinary people and adventurers alike wouldn’t wander near it.

Upon hearing this, Serati and Varos were completely dumbfounded.

”So, they literally just called it that?”

”Man, they really don’t try very hard, do they?”

”It doesn’t matter. No one who doesn’t already know the truth will ever figure it out.”

Indeed, the name was meaningless to outsiders. It was only significant to those who understood what lay within.

”Demphis was resurrected here, too. Not in the Baracant Mountains, where his original tomb is.”

After waking, he had traveled westward to the Ethriel Kingdom to summon future Leven’s soul.

”The other three governors are still inside as a bunch of bones resting in that place.”

Of course, even if Karnak stole their remains, there wasn’t much he could do with them right away. He didn’t have the necromantic power to turn them into archliches. And since their soul contracts were bound to their future selves, tampering with their past remains wouldn’t automatically turn them into his subordinates upon their return.

”But I can seal them away and wait for them to return.”

He could bind them, and once they returned, he would tear open their chests, expose their souls, confirm their contracts, and overwrite their signatures.

”That’s the best-case scenario.”

Even in the worst-case scenario, he could simply destroy their remains and prevent their return altogether. And if they did manage to return as wraiths, he could deal with them slowly, on his own terms.

”Either way, we’d be securing the advantage.”

***

Of course, he couldn’t be entirely honest with everyone. So when informing the King’s Order and Lapicel, he phrased it like this:

—We’ve obtained intelligence that cultists are secretly gathering the remains of ancient mages in a dungeon in the Mellard region. This reeks of danger, so naturally, we must investigate and eliminate the threat.

With the destination set, Karnak’s party prepared for departure. As vice commander, he now had the authority to select his own team for missions. Naturally, he only chose his usual members, including himself, Varos, Serati, Lapicel, and Leven.

There was, however, one restriction. Since this was a King’s Order mission, they were required to bring at least one inquisitor as part of their team. That was the rule.

Lapicel asked in an excited voice, ”Oh! Does that mean we’re traveling with Sister Milia again?”

It seemed she had grown quite close to Milia, perhaps because she was the first friend her age she had met.

”Well... that was the plan, but...” Serati answered awkwardly. ”Someone else insisted on joining.”

”Someone else?”

Three days later, a young man came to meet Karnak’s group. Everyone in the party recognized him immediately—well, except for Leven.

”It’s been a while, everyone!”

Varos raised an eyebrow in disbelief. ”Uh... shouldn’t you be busy, Alius?”

Having received recognition for his achievements, Alius had finally been promoted to a high inquisitor of the Hatoba Order. For someone his age, this was a meteoric rise. If things continued at this pace, he could even reach the rank of cardinal, or perhaps, pope. With such high status at his age, he should’ve been handling responsibilities in the church instead of wandering around?

”Is it really okay for a high inquisitor to leave so freely?”

Serati’s question was met with a confident response. ”No, it’s not.”

”Then what is this?”

”That’s exactly why I have to seize this rare opportunity!” he declared.

Once someone reached the rank of high inquisitor, they could no longer leave the church easily unless it was for an extremely important mission. In other words, he could leave if it was an important mission. And an expedition with Karnak’s party certainly counted as important.

Alius, clearly excited, clapped his hands together. ”I never imagined I’d be traveling to the empire twice! Truly, I must be blessed.”

To be fair, despite his high status, he was still in his mid-twenties. He was far too young to be satisfied with sitting at a desk doing paperwork all day. For someone like him, traveling and experiencing the world firsthand was much more enjoyable.

”It will surely be a difficult journey! But with such strong companions, no hardship can shake my unwavering faith in Hatoba!”

Serati and Varos exchanged a look.

—He’s something else, huh?

—After everything that happened to him last time, he still wants to do this?

On their previous trip to the empire, he had been captured by a witch and locked in a cage, then forced to eat food given to him by a cat. And yet, here he was, volunteering for another trip like it had never happened. Whether he was incredibly resilient or just completely insane was anyone’s guess.

Karnak, however, had no issue with it. ”Well, I’ve known Alius for a long time.”

Serati glanced at Karnak and whispered.

—And what exactly is so great about knowing someone for a long time?

—It means I can stab him with a needle without leaving any lasting trauma!

—I regret asking.

Serati shook her head, already giving up on the conversation.