Karnak, Monarch of Death-Chapter 119: Cultists and Monsters (4)

But to the necromancer, there was nothing soft about Varos’s tone. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

In response to the question, the necromancer answered with unconvincing certainty, "I don’t know him!"

This answer only served to confirm Karnak’s group’s suspicions.

What an idiot.

Living right next to the territory and not knowing the lord? Impossible. If he had wanted to deny it convincingly, he should have at least admitted to knowing the name.

Realizing his mistake too late, the necromancer began to stammer. "It’s true! I don’t know anything about Count Hudel or the Cult of the Black God!"

Varos sighed sadly. "You know, I hadn’t even mentioned the Cult of the Black God yet."

"Ah!"

Not only was he foolish, but he was also astonishingly naïve. Feeling the judgmental stares of those around him, the necromancer clamped his mouth shut, seemingly determined to remain silent. Of course, in this world, remaining silent wasn’t a protected right.

Serati leaned toward Karnak and whispered.

—What should we do, Sir Karnak? Want to take care of it quietly again?

—Why would I? We’ve got Alius.

If necromancers were the best at extracting information from the dead, then the best at extracting information from the living were inquisitors. The title proved it. He was an expert.

Adjusting his robes neatly, Alius stepped forward. "Would you allow me to handle this for a moment?"

"By all means," Karnak replied.

Once the necromancer was securely bound, Karnak’s group stepped back to give Alius space.

With a serene expression, Alius began, "What is your name?”

The necromancer refused to answer, stubbornly keeping his lips sealed.

"You won’t even share your name? That’s not a very good start," Alius remarked calmly.

Though Alius was undoubtedly kind and righteous, he was also an inquisitor. When dealing with sinners, his sense of justice allowed him to commit any act necessary, no matter how dreadful.

Turning to Karnak’s group, Alius made a polite request. "Could I ask you all to step away for a moment? It’s not a sight suitable for young eyes."

With that, Karnak’s group disappeared beyond the trees, leaving Alius alone with the necromancer.

"For your information," Alius said softly, "I can heal all your wounds."

Even with his lips sealed, the necromancer’s expression showed confusion. Why was an inquisitor talking about healing?

"So, don’t worry," Alius reassured him.

With that, he cast a divine spell. A glowing gag formed over the necromancer’s mouth, silencing him.

"Until you’ve confessed everything you know, you won’t die."

The necromancer’s eyes widened in panic. "Mm! Mmmph?"

Why gag him if he was supposed to confess everything?

"Don’t worry about the gag. It will disappear once your soul becomes honest," Alius said with a serene smile.

The necromancer’s terrified eyes reflected the unwavering gaze of Alius. His eyes were as clear as crystal, shining with the conviction of someone on a divine mission to save the wretched soul before him.

"You’re not being truthful yet. I can see it in your eyes," Alius continued, his hands beginning to glow with holy light.

As a sincere prayer escaped his lips, his voice was filled with unshakable devotion. "Hatoba, forgive your servant..."

What? Forgive him for what? What on earth was he planning?

"Mmph?! Mmmph!"

Moments later, a muffled scream, stifled by the gag, echoed weakly through the forest.

“Mmnnnnngh!"

***

Alius reappeared about ten minutes later, dragging the necromancer along.

With a bright smile, he addressed the group. "Under the goddess’s grace, Mr. Rimaik has graciously cooperated with the inquisition."

Everyone came to know one thing.

So the necromancer’s name is Rimaik.

Rimaik appeared unharmed. There were no visible injuries and no bloodstains on his clothes. He looked perfectly fine. At first glance, it was hard to imagine what had been done to him. Yet his eyes told another story. They were utterly vacant, as if his soul had fled his body. If a breathing zombie existed, it would look like this.

What in the world happened to him?

Serati, who had no idea what an inquisitor could do to a necromancer, naturally wondered. On the other hand, Karnak and Varos, who had some experience, shuddered visibly.

Ah... he got that treatment.

I hate even remembering it. That.

Shaking off the unpleasant thoughts, Karnak asked, "Did you manage to get anything out of him?"

"As suspected, he’s a member of the Dark Cult," Alius replied, gesturing toward Rimaik. “Additionally, he’s one of Count Hudel’s subordinates."

"Would his testimony be enough to indict the count?" Karnak pressed.

"Mr. Rimaik alone wouldn’t be sufficient..."

The empire’s nobility wasn’t so easily accused. Claiming, "We have a witness saying you’re a cultist," wouldn’t hold water without stronger evidence.

"Fortunately, he’s told me about the cultists’ hideout," Alius continued.

The cultists in the area were following Hudel’s orders and hiding in Gallant Mountain. They had even set up a fairly elaborate refuge.

"What are they doing there?" Karnak asked.

"This man doesn’t know," Alius admitted.

Rimaik’s role was to act as a liaison between the cultists of the Seven Kingdoms Alliance and those in the Lacania Empire. As for what the cult was planning, even he had no idea.

“Figures that he wasn’t assigned anything important, given his skill level,” Varos muttered.

Still, capturing multiple cultists could provide enough evidence to confront Count Hudel. If they were lucky, they might uncover even more information.

Alius gestured toward the other side of the mountain. "Let’s go."

Rimaik was indeed cooperative. He guided them without hesitation, showing no signs of resistance. It was clear that his soul had been utterly broken.

Even Karnak doubted he could have so thoroughly shattered someone’s will with mere torture. A thought crossed his mind.

Maybe priests interrogating while necromancers extract souls is the most efficient way to harness necrotic energy?

They traveled along the ridgeline for about an hour, winding through dense forest. Eventually, a small log cabin came into view. From the outside, it looked like a simple hunter’s lodge. But no one hunted in Gallant Mountain. After all, it was too dangerous for even the bravest hunters.

"Is that the place?" Karnak asked.

"Yes," Rimaik confirmed.

"How many others are there?"

"There are three more," Rimaik replied. "All necromancers."

"What are their specialties?"

"They’re similar to me. Necromancy and spirit summoning are their main strengths."

Rimaik answered every question without resistance.

It was Varos’s turn to ask. ”Who’s in charge, and how strong are they compared to you?"

An unexpected response came as Rimaik hesitantly raised his hand.

"That would be me," he said.

"What?"

"I’m the highest-ranking one here," Rimaik clarified.

Everyone’s gaze fell on him, their expressions unified in disbelief.

This guy? Seriously?

Terrified of being doubted, Rimaik hastily tried to justify himself.

"It’s true! I swear I’m not lying!" he stammered, clearly afraid of the consequences if anyone thought otherwise.

Serati glanced at Alius, her confusion growing.

What exactly did you do to him to make him like this?

After a brief moment of thought, Alius nodded in agreement. "It seems he’s telling the truth."

Upon reflection, the explanation checked out.

Alius had traced the necromantic spell that controlled the stone orcs all the way here, and at the end of that trail was Rimaik. He was, in fact, the Terrifying One the orcs had spoken of. Considering the orcs’ limited vocabulary, it was actually a grandiose title. There wasn’t such a thing as the Even More Terrifying One, after all.

"Why is the highest-ranking necromancer digging up yams?" Karnak asked.

"My subordinates don’t like vegetables..." Rimaik muttered.

"Why didn’t you order them to do it?"

"I’m not strong enough to boss them around like that..."

The situation became painfully clear.

"They’re all just low-level lackeys," Serati said, shaking her head.

If Rimaik was the strongest among them and still this weak, the rest weren’t even worth considering.

Karnak glanced toward the hidden cabin in the woods and spoke casually. "Let’s wrap this up quickly."

Shortly afterward, the peaceful hideout of the necromancers was hit by a sudden and merciless storm.

***

Once they had captured Rimaik and the other necromancers, they bound them tightly before descending Gallant Mountain. However, they didn’t head straight back to the castle village. Parading through town with four tightly bound prisoners would draw far too much attention.

Instead, they hid themselves at the foot of the mountain while Alius headed to the Saisha Order alone. He returned by evening, just as the sun was setting, accompanied by a large four-horse carriage and about twenty temple soldiers led by the priest, Belton.

"These are the ones?" Belton asked, his expression filled with obvious disgust as he examined the bound necromancers.

Feeling the taint of dark energy from them, he turned to Alius and offered his thanks. "I can sense the vile aura of darkness. Thank you, Brother Alius. Truly."

Humbly, Alius gestured to introduce Karnak’s group. "We couldn’t have done it without their help. These are allies of our order."

A brief round of introductions followed.

"I am Belton, a servant of Saisha."

"Karnak, a shadow hunter from Derath," Karnak replied.

"Varos."

"Serati. This girl is my squire," she added, indicating Lapicel.

The soldiers moved swiftly, loading the bound necromancers onto the carriage. Their plan was to take the prisoners back to the temple for a more thorough interrogation.

Belton then extended an invitation to Karnak’s group. "Please, join us."

The Saisha Order was located to the west of the castle village. It was a large complex consisting of a grand main hall, five smaller chapels, and additional structures like stables, a wine cellar, and barns.

Upon arriving at the temple, the soldiers dragged the necromancers down to the underground prison.

Watching this, Varos raised a skeptical question. "You’re just locking them up in the underground prison? What about the possibility of cultist infiltrators?"

He was suggesting they should hide the prisoners in a more secretive location to avoid detection, but Belton shook his head. "We’re aware of that risk, but useful hiding spots don’t just fall out of the sky, do they?"

While moving secretly had its advantages, it wasn’t always the best option. If they hastily locked the prisoners up in an ordinary house or a shabby barn to avoid suspicion and their location got discovered, then what? Instead of creating an unreliable hiding place, it was far better to secure a well-fortified location with heightened defenses. Besides, there was another reason for their decision.

"We are servants of the goddesses," Belton said firmly. "We don’t sulk around in the shadows like those rat-like cultists."

With that, Belton and Alius headed to the underground prison to interrogate the necromancers. Meanwhile, Karnak’s group was shown to a guest room where they could rest. True to the temple’s nature, the room wasn’t extravagant but was clean and orderly. The beds were surprisingly soft. Exhausted from trekking through the mountains, Lapicel fell into a deep sleep as soon as she hugged her pillow.

"Mmm... Food..." she mumbled, her strange sleep-talking drawing a brief look of sympathy from Serati before she turned away.

—Hey, Sir Karnak?

—Hm? What is it?

—There’s something that’s been bothering me for a while now...

Knowing better than to speak freely while Lapicel was sleeping, Serati continued her question through discreet magical communication.

—Are you sure it’s okay to just use your real name?