Karnak, Monarch of Death

With all preparations complete, Karnak’s group set off for the empire. They followed the same route as before. They departed from Drunta, the capital of Eustil, crossed the Baracant Mountains, passed through Swindler, the gateway fortress, then entered the empire’s borders. However, one thing was different this time.

As Varos drove the wagon, he glanced behind him and clicked his tongue. ”Wow... we’ve got a lot of people this time.”

Karnak let out a chuckle. ”I know, right? Somehow, this turned into a massive operation.”

Including pack mules, carts, and supplies, their group had swelled to around fifty people. Most of them were members of the Altas merchant guild. Originally, the Altas merchant guild had a trade route carrying rare furs from the Baracant Mountains. But when Edia heard that Karnak was heading to the empire, she saw an opportunity.

—This is the perfect chance to expand our trade routes!

After all, things had never been better for her. She had the support of the Vice Commander of the King’s Order. The Drunta branch of her rival, the Tecas merchant guild, had collapsed. The other competitors were too hesitant to make a move. Any smart merchant would jump on an opportunity like this, and Edia was a very smart merchant.

So, she begged Karnak to let her caravan join his journey.

—You swore loyalty to me, yet now you’re just using me for business and free labor?!

—So, you’re refusing? I’m telling you that this is going to make tons of money. Tons!

—Of course I will... Money is money.

It was a route they had to take anyway, and from Karnak’s perspective, it was just adding a little extra weight to the trip. And, of course, Edia was absolutely right. This was a profitable move.

”Still, it does feel like I’m being used...” Karnak muttered.

”What’s the problem?” Serati nudged her horse closer and shrugged. ”It’s not like we’re doing anything bad.”

She gestured toward the caravan. ”And thanks to this, we’re traveling in comfort.”

Traveling had never been particularly difficult before, but with a trade caravan accompanying them, it had become noticeably more comfortable. They ate food prepared by others, slept soundly under tents set up for them, and only moved at a leisurely pace after everything had already been taken care of.

Of course, even during Karnak’s time as a King’s Order captain, he had traveled with his squad. However, back then, he had more responsibilities, including managing his unit, ensuring discipline, and overseeing logistics.

Now, he had no such obligations. The merchants took care of themselves. All Karnak’s group had to do was travel alongside them until they reached the empire. The convenience of having others handle all the tedious work made for an incredibly comfortable journey.

Alius and Leven seemed to feel the same way.

”This might be the most relaxed journey I’ve ever had,” Alius admitted.

”I’d have to agree,” Leven added.

Lapicel, on the other hand, felt so idle that she was starting to feel guilty. ”Um... is it really okay for us to just be doing nothing?”

Even without her, the rest of the group wasn’t used to indulging in luxury either. Alius, despite his high rank as a priest, had spent most of his time as an inquisitor. He had always traveled in small groups and avoided excess.

Leven had been neglected by his own noble family, and after leaving home, he had never received proper treatment. Serati had been given respect as a talented young Aura user, but she had never really experienced extravagance. As for Karnak and Varos?

—We’ve had plenty of times like this.

—Yeah, we’ve definitely had our share.

After all, they had once served as the Monarch of Death and his trusted lieutenant. Before Karnak became Astra Shunaph, they had enjoyed fine cuisine, slept on silk sheets, and lived in luxury.

—We should have stopped there. Sigh.

—Not like we had a choice. Who could have predicted that the Dragon Emperor would suddenly rise?

The Altas merchant guild also benefited greatly from Karnak’s presence. Their passage through Swindler Fortress was remarkably smooth. The guards, who were notorious for being strict, came running barefoot to greet them.

“Ah! If it isn’t Sir Karnak?!”

”Oh my! Priest Alius!”

”You saved us back then!”

Even Baronet Demetas, the commander of the fortress, welcomed them warmly. ”Oh! It’s a pleasure to see you again. I’ll make sure you get every possible convenience.”

Curious, Leven turned to Serati. ”What exactly happened here before?”

”We saved the people from a witch.”

”A witch? What kind of witch?”

”Well, it’s a long story.”

Normally, they would have had to undergo thorough inspections, with their goods being checked and their identities verified. However, simply mentioning Karnak’s name allowed them to pass through with almost no hassle. Even Karnak himself found the preferential treatment impressive.

So this is the power of corrupt connections.

Even after they entered the Baracant Mountains, they had an easy journey. Generally, large caravans didn’t get ambushed by monsters or bandits, as both tended to avoid well-guarded groups. But that was no longer necessarily the case.

While monsters and criminals still avoided them, the Cult of the Black God was different. The cultists lived in secrecy and starvation. They were always desperate, and desperate people saw nothing but their own

—A large bundle means a grand feast!

That was the kind of battle cry the cultists would shout before launching attacks. Because of this, even large trade caravans couldn’t afford to let their guard down anymore. Yet, for some reason, this time, there was no attack. Serati and Leven both found this strange.

”This is... way too quiet,” Serati murmured.

”I agree. Those bastards don’t usually stay this passive,” Leven replied.

They only discovered why that night.

***

The campsite sprawled across a clearing in the mountains, with tents set up in clusters. Karnak stood in the darkness of the forest, a short distance from the encampment. He had only brought Varos, Serati, and Leven, leaving Alius and Lapicel behind.

In other words, he had only brought those who knew the full extent of his crimes. There was a reason for that. Serati stared at the four men standing before them. She was aghast.

—So the Twilight Cult has already spread its influence this far?

The men were messengers from the Twilight Cult, here to deliver a secret report. If Alius and Lapicel found out about this, it would be a disaster.

—How in the world did you spread your cult so quickly?

—Well, I had a very effective bait to lure people in...

—A very wicked, inhumane, and monstrous kind of bait, you mean?

—Just to be clear, I stopped using it. I took all of it back. For real.

—Good. That was the right decision.

Leven was now also included in their secret magical communication.

He expressed confusion while listening to the exchange. What kind of bait are they talking about?

Meanwhile, the messengers continued their report.

”We have eliminated all cultists in the area.”

”Thanks to that, we have guided them into the embrace of the true goddess.”

This was why the Altas caravan had not been attacked. The Twilight Cult had already absorbed or wiped out most of the Black God’s cultists in the region. After delivering their report, the messengers bowed and disappeared into the darkness.

”Then, Pope Varonak, may your journey be safe!”

”Until the day the world descends into chaos!”

”Praise be to Serakal!”

As the cultists vanished, Varos turned to Karnak with an exasperated expression. ”I’m the pope?”

”Yeah, you’re the pope.”

Technically, it was Demphis who was acting as the pope, using illusion magic to disguise himself as Varos. But still, Varos was the model for the cult’s leader.

”Why me and not you?”

”You look more approachable.”

Even Karnak knew his own face wasn’t exactly inviting. Varos had rough blonde hair and a warm, affable expression. Karnak was certainly handsome in his own right, but he also looked sharp and temperamental.

”Honestly, if safety were the only concern, it’d be better to stay completely anonymous.”

But no matter how secretive an organization was, being too secretive made it difficult to operate properly.

”There are times when you need influence to get things done.”

Watching all this unfold, Leven felt a deep sense of unease. As Karnak’s servant, he now had access to his secrets.

Is this... really okay? Can this truly be justified?

Creating a cult to fight another cult. Was that really something that should be allowed? But even as he had these thoughts, he couldn’t bring himself to object. According to Varos, that was part of being a vassal.

— It’s not that you lack a sense of justice, Sir Leven. It’s just that your soul is bound, so on some level, you unconsciously accept things.

— Then what about Sir Serati? She seems to argue all the time.

— That’s her holding back.

— What?

— She’s already filtering what she says. Trust me, if she spoke her mind without restraint, you’d be in for a real headache.

Remembering that conversation, Leven let out a deep sigh.

Am I just... too soft?

Well, the fact that he was even questioning himself probably meant that, yes, he was. With their business concluded, Karnak’s group returned to the camp.

As they walked, Serati suddenly spoke up. ”By the way, Lord Karnak.”

”What?”

”You seem a lot more proactive than before. Weren’t you just gathering information and leaving the heavy lifting to the strongest people of this era?”

Karnak pouted. ”I can’t do that anymore.”

According to Demphis, Tesranach was another world’s version of Varos, who had inherited Karnak’s power.

”There are some inconsistencies, so I’m not entirely convinced it’s true. But if I assume it is, then we have a big problem.”

If Tesranach descended upon this world, whose body would he resurrect into? ”It would have to be me or Varos.”

”Ah...”

If they were lucky, they might be able to resist him with sheer willpower. But if they failed? That would be the end of them.

”We have to stop it before he resurrects! Our precious bodies are on the line!” Karnak shouted.

”Exactly! Do you know how valuable these bodies are?!” agreed Varos.

”We’re not giving them up!” Karnak declared.

Serati sighed, exasperated. “But in the first place, those bodies belonged to someone else, remember...?”

After all, both of them had stolen their current bodies from the Karnak and Varos of this era. Yet neither of them even blinked.

”Exactly!”

”We’re the only ones allowed!”

”Obviously! Anything beyond that is unacceptable!”

”Right. Sure.”

Serati let out a deep sigh. It was word-for-word the same argument they had given her before.

Will these guys ever change?

***

On the fourth day of crossing the Baracant Mountains, Karnak’s group and the Altas caravan arrived safely at imperial territory, thanks to their mutual presence keeping threats at bay.

However, they could no longer travel together. The Altas caravan’s trade route ended in the western part of the empire, while Karnak’s group needed to continue eastward to the central region of Mellard.

As they parted ways, Varos let out a sigh of regret. ”We’re back to traveling on our own. It was nice having some luxury for a while.”

”That’s not entirely true.” Karnak shook his head. ”We still have a bit more luxury left.”

He was right. Two days later, they arrived at Fort Harlan, near the Imperial city of Kallat. The moment they stepped inside, a group of knights greeted them warmly.

”Oh! If it isn’t Lord Karnak!”

”The others have arrived as well!”

It was Restein, an aura user from the Brigade of Purification, along with Stronoff, a mage, and Lord Leocolt, the commander of the western brigade.

”Welcome. We’ve been expecting you.”