Death King Karnak

Chapter 39: Chapter 38: Night of Dead (3)

Serati, regaining her composure, steeled herself once again.

Now, she had become a subject of the necromancer. She was in a position where she had to obey any wicked command given to her.

What kind of command would Karnak give to the one now bound to him?

The first command, to be honest, was a bit bewildering.

"...What?"

"Choose, Serati. Which one is the right choice?"

Was it because she had become his subject? Karnak's speech had become more polite.

Serati, hesitating, quietly asked again.

"Isn't it obvious that we should save Mr. Alius and Mr. Riltein?"

Why was this even a question? Could he actually be considering abandoning them?

"Does that mean you're willing to use evil methods if it's to save your comrades?"

"It's not an ideal choice, of course. But we can't just abandon our comrades when there's a way to save them, can we?"

After all, Serati had accepted necromancy to regain her arms. She wasn't so rigid that she would shudder at anything evil. She was someone who could make compromises with the world to some extent.

"I understand that you're hesitant to reveal your identity as a necromancer because it might put you in danger, Lord Karnak. But isn't saving our comrades still the right thing to do, even at such a risk?"

Karnak and Baros nodded as if they had come to a realization.

"I see."

"So you're saying that if the goal is righteous, it's okay to use evil methods."

"You're saying it's fine to do bad things for a good cause? Well then, we've been living rightly."

"Indeed."

Serati was flustered.

"No, I didn't mean it like that..."

But it seemed the two had already reached their own conclusion.

As Karnak got up, he spoke energetically.

"Alright, it's been a while since I've really used necromancy."

"A lot of people will die, but it's all to save our comrades."

"Since they're bad people anyway, it's probably fine if a few of them die, right?"

"Exactly. Makes it easier, doesn't it?"

Serati stammered.

"Ah, no, that's not...."

What is this feeling?

They were now able to save their captured comrades, Alius and Riltein.

It's a good thing. It's definitely a good outcome.

'But why does it feel like I have done something irreversible?'

***

A powerful necromancer who controls an entire city is holed up in his hideout, making all sorts of preparations.

How do you deal with an enemy like that?

In his prime, Karnak would have first created a massive undead army with his vast power, then swept through the city.

He would have gradually broken down the enemy's defenses and, in the end, taken their head.

"But now, with my necromantic power so weak, I can't do that."

Karnak pondered as he compared his own power to that of Shutraff.

The gap between them was enormous. Even though he still held the lofty rank of the Death King, the situation seemed almost hopeless.

They say that with a lever, you can move a weight ten times your strength, but you still need at least that one unit of strength.

Staring at the city of Trist, shrouded in darkness, Karnak muttered to himself.

"I guess I'll have to gather some evil energy from around here for now."

Baros asked.

"Is there enough evil energy around here? This isn't a cemetery or a battlefield."

"It's a funny thing, but yes, there is."

This city of sin was dangerous enough to be called a hell on earth. People were dying every day, and violence was rampant.

The entire city was already a massive graveyard and a blood-soaked battlefield.

"Wow, is it really that bad? This place is no place for living."

"Exactly. How do people even live here?"

For such words to come out of the mouths of the former Death King and the Death Knight Lord, one can only imagine how dire the situation in Trist City really was.

Serati nodded as well.

'Indeed, even for a necromancer, the evil in this place seems overwhelming.'

However, she found the next part of the conversation a bit confusing.

"Humans really do have an incredible will to survive."

"That's right. That's why we had such a hard time."

"...?"

Why was that something to admire? She couldn't understand at all.

Even so, their conversation continued.

"So, can you gather enough necromantic power to face him, young master?"

"It's only a temporary measure, so it won't be nearly enough, but I think I can scrape together just enough to meet the minimum requirement."

"And what will you do after that? There aren't any usable corpses to create an undead army."

It was true that Trist City was teeming with vengeful spirits of those who had died unjustly. However, there were surprisingly few buried bodies.

A river flowed right next to the city. It was easier just to dump the bodies into the water.

Why bother digging a grave and burying them when they could just feed the fish?

"But relying solely on evil spirits to form an army would consume too much necromantic power. I'm not in a position to waste my energy like that."

They still needed corpses. And preferably, fresh ones.

"There's no other way. I guess we'll have to revert to our old methods this time."

"Exactly. I tried not to live like I used to, but in this situation, there's no choice."

"It shouldn't be a big problem, right? Miss Serati said it was fine."

"She did say that it's okay to do a little bad if it's to save our comrades."

The two men grinned at Serati as if she were someone they could truly rely on.

She wore a bewildered expression.

'I never said it to that extent....'

But she couldn't argue back. If she did, they might actually abandon Alius and Riltein and run away.

One wouldn't think they'd do that, being human, but somehow, these guys gave off a vibe that made it seem possible.

"Alright, the plan is more or less set."

Karnak smiled broadly, wiggling his fingers. He seemed quite excited, likely because he was returning to his old line of work after a long time.

"First, we need to create a large number of corpses."

Serati cautiously asked, "Are we going to start killing Lanfelt's men one by one now?"

She hoped they wouldn't kill innocent citizens as well.

Her question carried that hope, but Karnak waved his hand dismissively.

"There's no need for you to get involved, Serati."

A satisfied grin spread across his face.

"This city takes care of its own security, doesn't it?"

***

A night street in the southern part of Trist City.

Two rough-looking men were sitting carelessly on the street, taking a break. They were underlings of the Lanfelt family, who had been scouring the city all night.

One of them, Hérold, grumbled.

"Ah, seriously, what are we even doing out here in the middle of the night?"

His legs hurt, and he was exhausted. The thought that the higher-ups who ordered them around were probably sleeping comfortably made him even angrier.

"Hey, Riemann! Pass me the bottle!"

The man called Riemann responded gruffly.

"Why didn't you bring your own bottle?"

"What? Got a problem with that? If you're upset, you should've won."

"Ugh..."

Riemann ground his teeth as he looked at his arrogant companion.

But there was nothing he could do about it.

Right now, he was just Hérold's subordinate.

Riemann had originally been a member of the Krell family, which had been hostile to the Lanfelt family. After his family was crushed, he had no choice but to take refuge with the Lanfelt side.

It was an incredibly bitter feeling to have to work under someone he used to fight against.

Of course, Hérold didn't care at all.

'Hmph! What can he do? Is he going to challenge me now?'

The Lanfelt family had taken control of the city, so Hérold's power and influence had grown significantly.

Just look at Riemann, who used to be in a higher position than him, now groveling beneath him like this.

As the awkward atmosphere lingered, Hérold suddenly heard a quiet voice in his ear.

"You've shown your back."

At the same time, a blade grazed his shoulder.

It was Riemann's sword, stabbing Hérold.

Startled, Hérold drew his own sword.

"You bastard!"

The wound wasn't very deep.

But seeing his own blood made him lose it.

"I knew it! I knew you'd show your true colors eventually!"

Hérold began swinging his sword wildly.

Riemann, panicking, backed away.

"Huh? No, this isn't what it looks like..."

Even Riemann himself couldn't understand what had just happened.

He had just been standing there blankly when an invisible force nudged the tip of his sword.

But to cause such a commotion over a wound that wasn't even that deep?

"Damn it! I don't care anymore!"

It was clear that reasoning wasn't going to work.

And to be honest, this was someone he had always wanted to stab anyway.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The sound of clashing swords rang out loudly in the dark street.

Unusual skirmishes were breaking out all over the city.

Pairs of Lanfelt's men, who had been searching the city in groups of two or three, were suddenly turning on each other.

"You bastard! So you were planning to stab me in the back all along!"

"W-What are you talking about?"

"Who do you think will go down first?"

"You're just using this as an excuse to get rid of me!"

The late-night mission of scouring the city without any sleep was grueling.

As is often the case with such unpleasant tasks, those with higher status tend to avoid them.

Most of the forces currently searching the city were either low-ranking members of the Lanfelt organization or outsiders who had joined after their own families had fallen.

Since these were people who had once fought each other to the death, there was no camaraderie to be found. Even the slightest misunderstanding could ignite a deadly confrontation.

Screams were inevitable.

"Aaahhh!"

"Gah!"

Karnak, hiding in the shadows of an alley and observing the situation, smirked.

"It's working perfectly."

Serati, hiding alongside him, was incredulous.

"My gosh, they're drawing their swords so easily, even when their lives are on the line?"

"If this were a normal city, you'd be right, Serati."

But this was Trist City, where the city's security was self-sustaining.

"We've seen with our own eyes how quick they are to draw swords over the smallest things. For them, this isn't even an unusual situation."

Karnak hadn't used much power to sow discord among them.

He didn't have the necromantic power to spare, and there was no need for it.

"When the kindling is piled up like a mountain, you don't need to use a fireball. Just one spark is enough to set it ablaze."

All it took was a tiny nudge with his magic to move the tip of a sword slightly. Then, he left a brief whisper in their ears.

'Only two left?'

'Revenge!'

'Now's your chance.'

That was all it took.

With just this small push, those who were already filled with mistrust were quick to draw their swords and just as quick to die.

"Aaahhh!"

"Gah, you... bastard..."

"Aaaah!"

Serati shuddered, horrified by what she was witnessing.

'My god...'

It wasn't an especially complex method. Just a minor whisper, a tiny misunderstanding sown, and that was enough.

'And yet, dozens of people are dying...'

But deep down, she also breathed a sigh of relief.

Karnak's methods were targeting only the Lanfelt family's members. No harm was coming to the ordinary citizens.

'Does that mean... he's not entirely evil?'

On the other hand, Baros looked rather dissatisfied.

"There aren't enough bodies."

Dozens of people had died across the city.

In a city this large, only a few dozen.

"How are we supposed to make an undead army with this?"

Even in a city as depraved as this one, not everyone fell for such simple tricks.

In truth, more people resisted the influence than those who succumbed.

"It's magic!"

"A mage is trying to deceive us!"

Those who figured it out regained their senses and began searching the area.

Moreover, not all the search parties were in pairs or small groups. Many were moving in larger groups of ten or more.

This method wouldn't work against them at all.

"What are you going to do about them?"

Karnak remained unfazed.

"Did you really think this was all I had planned?"

This was just the first stage, sowing the seeds.

"There's always a way."

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