Karnak, Monarch of Death-Chapter 134: Archmage of the Black God (3)

Hudel, Lehein, Sephedes, and the other captured cultists were handed over to the Brigade of Purification. Naturally, before doing so, Karnak had discreetly used his chaos mana needle to manipulate their memories.

As a result, despite having their minds thoroughly probed for information, none of them retained any memory of the interrogation.

While delivering the cultists, Karnak made an intentionally suggestive remark to Leocolt. "During the interrogation, we came across something that couldn't be ignored."

To maintain appearances, Karnak had staged a conventional interrogation while hiding his needlework. This ensured everything looked natural from the outside. He subtly shared some of the information he had discovered.

"One of them mentioned something unsettling. They claimed that even His Majesty the Emperor himself wouldn't dare act against the one they serve."

"Even the emperor...?” Leocolt repeated with a grave expression. "Could they have been referring to dark god, Tesranach?"

Karnak shook his head. "When I asked who they served, they refused to give me a direct answer. Instead, they gave me a cryptic answer. It struck me as too unusual to ignore, so I'm sharing it with you now."

The implication was clear: a high-ranking figure within the empire was involved with the Cult of the Black God, and it was someone powerful enough that even the emperor wouldn't dare treat them recklessly.

"How many people in the empire hold such high positions?" Karnak asked.

"Not many," Leocolt replied, his mind racing through the names of the empire's most prominent figures.

Every single one was untouchable, far too powerful to accuse lightly. Watching Leocolt's reaction, Karnak smirked inwardly.

I bet Elezar's name is among those he's considering.

Of course, Hudel had never actually made such a statement. The line was entirely Karnak's invention. But who cared? Who would believe the words of a cultist, even if he denied it? Besides, it wasn't entirely baseless. Elezar was one of the cult's leaders. No matter how much Hudel denied it, any investigation was bound to uncover something.

"Just to be cautious," Karnak added with a cautious expression, "if what he said is true and someone that powerful is involved, you'll need to take extra care with the captured cultists. It's possible that whoever's behind this could exert influence over the Brigade of Purification."

It was common knowledge, even within the empire, that necromancers were adept at forcing their captives into suicide.

Leocolt nodded solemnly. "Thank you. I'll keep that in mind."

Once Leocolt left, Karnak turned to Varos with a grin. "With that much of a push, they should find something, don't you think?"

"And if they don't?" Varos asked.

"Then we'll get another opportunity. Cultists are everywhere. What's there to worry about?"

***

The cult uprising in Grental County had been decisively quelled. While Saisha's priests and temple soldiers had undoubtedly worked hard, it was Karnak's party that had ultimately turned the tide. Without them, the results would have been far worse. Still, Karnak, as usual, gave all the credit to the Saisha temple.

"Regardless of their affiliation, Count Hudel was an imperial noble. It wouldn't look good for foreigners like us to claim responsibility for dealing with him," he explained.

Alius did not object.

"Our primary goal was to gather intelligence on the cult's operations within the Eustil Kingdom. We achieved that, and aiding Saisha's followers was reward enough," he said humbly.

The Brigade of Purification was full of admiration.

"What a noble attitude."

"To achieve such success and yet not claim the credit. It’s truly remarkable."

Yet, inwardly, even they found it understandable.

That makes sense, honestly.

If I were in their position, I'd do the same.

After all, this was the Lacania Empire, and Karnak's party were outsiders from the Eustil Kingdom. Even if they were praised for their achievements here, it wouldn't benefit them much. Perhaps if this had been within the Seven Kingdoms Alliance, things might have been different. But the empire was another matter entirely.

The Lacania Empire and the Kingdom of Eustil had long been adversaries. After all, the founding king of Eustil had been a rebellious marquis of the empire.

Ironically, the long-standing hostility between the two had diminished in recent years, thanks to the advent of the Shadow of Doom. The chaos unleashed by the Shadow of Doom had plunged the world into disorder, giving rise to cultists who spread their influence like wildfire.

Neither the empire nor the Seven Kingdoms Alliance had the luxury to continue their grudge. With both under existential threat, an unspoken truce had been reached—they would tend to their internal crises before worrying about each other.

Even so, a native of Eustil earning accolades within the empire wasn't a situation to be celebrated. Recognition of their contributions wouldn't lead to titles or honor, only perhaps a modest monetary reward. Given that reality, it made far more sense to credit the Saisha temple, accruing a favor that could be repaid later. Thus, Karnak handled the situation as he always did.

The official report stated that the cultist rebellion had been suppressed under the leadership of the Saisha temple, with Karnak and his companions merely assisting as visiting guests.

Thus, Varos and Serati's contributions were significantly downplayed. Yet there was one notable exception this time. Lapicel’s accomplishments weren't hidden.

"This girl is extraordinarily skilled!”

The brigade investigators, unable to believe their findings, asked again in disbelief.

"Did she truly defeat so many cultists?"

"At her age?"

The Saisha temple soldiers nodded vehemently. They had seen with their own eyes how the small, ash-haired girl fought relentlessly throughout the night.

"Shall we include this as is?"

In response to the investigator's question, Karnak replied in a soft voice, "We're fine with omitting ourselves, but we can't let this child’s efforts go unrecognized, can we?"

Hearing herself acknowledged, Lapicel murmured with emotion, "I only fought the way my sister taught me to...."

Others began to regard Karnak in a new light. He was humble and willing to make concessions to his deeds. Yet, he ensured that his subordinates were duly recognized. It was a behavior befitting a noble of great character. Serati, however, wasn't convinced.

—What's your angle?

Even Varos narrowed his eyes.

—There's no way you're genuinely this virtuous, young master.

Karnak pouted.

—You two are getting along too well these days.

But their suspicion wasn't unfounded.

—It's because I still don’t have a clue as to Elezar’s true identity.

The possibility of her being a regressor didn't quite add up. Yet the alternative, that she wasn't one, made even less sense.

—I'm just laying out another clue to see where it leads.

***

As Karnak dealt with the Cult of the Black God, one of his persistent concerns was how much information to let slip. If safety was his sole priority, acting under an alias would have been ideal. But taking that route would make it significantly harder to get closer to the cult.

Following a conventional path, step by step, might take years, and it was a delay Karnak wasn't willing to endure. Yes, there was always a chance that the seven goddesses' church or another force might discover the cult themselves. But Karnak didn't trust them enough to wait.

If trust had been an option, he wouldn't have left the Zestrad territory in the first place. He could have lived a comfortable life, supported by the copper mines, without ever taking on these risks. Thus, Karnak carefully controlled how much of his activities were revealed to the world.

He needed to draw the cultists' attention, at least to some degree. For that purpose, he painted a picture of himself as the genius young mage Karnak, who wielded a revolutionary magic capable of dominating necromancy: Redeemer of Necromancy. That was Karnak as the magical world knew him.

At the same time, he deliberately kept Varos’s abilities hidden. To the public, he was merely Karnak's lieutenant, an ordinary red-tier aura user, with his name only briefly mentioned in passing. Karnak had even orchestrated things so that Varos appeared to be on par with Serati in status and ability.

How would the Cult of the Black God view this setup?

Karnak was bound to pique their interest—after all, he wielded an unusual magic that bore similarities to their arts. Meanwhile, Varos and Serati appeared to be nothing special at first glance. But if the cult were to fixate on Varos despite his seemingly ordinary presence, it could only mean one thing: their opponent likely hailed from the future.

—That was the plan up to now. But if Elezar knows Lapicel and not us, that changes things.

He needed to discover exactly how Elezar knew Lapicel. Judging by her earlier comments, it seemed she recognized Lapicel as the future Martial King. However, this clashed with the fact that she didn’t know Karnak and Varos. It was an inconsistency that made no sense.

—So I'll spotlight Lapicel for now and see what reaction we get.

Serati listened to his reasoning and nodded.

—In the end, you're throwing Lapicel in as bait?

—Pretty much.

Serati cast a pitying glance at the young girl.

—It's too late to stop you now, isn't it?

Both Karnak and Varos clicked their tongues.

—I keep telling you, there's no need to worry about her.

—She's the Martial King in soul! Don't you remember how strong she was, even when she wasn't in her right mind?

Serati glared at the two men, exasperated.

—Martial King or not, she's just a child right now. Do adults need a reason to care for a child?

The two blinked, their expressions blank.

—Is that how it works?

They still didn't fully grasp her words.

And yet, deep down, they couldn't help but feel that this inability to understand was the very reason they had struggled to live like normal people. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

—This is all so complicated.

***

After tying up loose ends, Karnak and his group departed from the Grental territory and returned to the Eustil Kingdom. Even back home, there was no shortage of tasks awaiting them. First, Karnak presented the King's Order with an impressive gift.

"Here's a list of cultists operating within Eustil.”

To be exact, he said it was a list of individuals with a high likelihood of being cult members. He handed it over to Commander Erantel, along with a caveat.

"There's no guarantee Count Hudel was entirely truthful."

In reality, Hudel hadn't lied at all. The list was accurate by his standards. However, Karnak had no desire to deal with the endless questioning that would arise if he admitted as much. So, he provided a half-truth: this was what he had confessed to after interrogation.

Karnak couldn’t say for certain whether it was true or not, but from his experience with interrogations, it felt credible. The commander would have to confirm its validity. The rest would be up to Erantel and the King's Order.

Of course, Karnak's Seventh Squad would also be dispatched for reconnaissance in various regions.

"But I'll need to remain in the capital for a while. Is that alright?"

"If you wish, I can temporarily relieve you of field duties," Erantel replied.

The intelligence gleaned from Hudel alone surpassed the accomplishments of most other squads combined. No one would object to Karnak being granted a reprieve.

"So, what's keeping you in the capital? Do you have some pressing matter to attend to?"

Karnak glanced out the window of the office, his gaze settling on the city skyline.

"Someone's been looking for me. I'll need to spend some time with them."

In the distance, across the streets of Drunta, a towering spire shimmered with a silvery-blue hue. It was the magic tower of Deltros, home to Eustil's court mage and a ninth circle mage of great renown.