Chapter 102: A Twisted World (3)

The Lacania Empire was the largest and most powerful nation on the continent. Its capital, Thea Krahan, was naturally the largest and most magnificent city in existence. It was a city befitting an emperor.

Endless rows of buildings stretched to the horizon, with countless winding alleys weaving a labyrinth that resembled the capillaries of a giant. But the main avenues told a different story. Rigidly planned rectangular streets divided the city into precise districts, forming a grid-like network that served as the arteries of the imperial capital, bustling with innumerable citizens.

Size alone didn’t define Thea Krahan. Its splendor also overwhelmed every other city. Towers and mansions that could serve as landmarks in other cities were mere ordinary buildings here. Towering spires pierced the heavens at every turn, and luxurious mansions gleaming like masterpieces adorned the cityscape.

To the east of the capital stood a solitary tower. Compared to the resplendent imperial palace and the grand estates of the nobility, it was unadorned to the point of austerity. It was a simple white tower that could almost be called plain.

Yet, no one—not even the emperor—would dare dismiss the master of this tower. It was the Magic Tower of Elezar de Reflasion, one of the three Archmages and the empire's most powerful mage.

***

Inside the tower, a reception room was exquisitely decorated with vivid illustrations of various birds. A beautiful woman with brown skin and flowing golden hair tied neatly behind her reclined on a sofa, her expression languid.

"How did it go, Hudel?"

Standing before her was a young man in his twenties with golden hair, who respectfully delivered his report. "We’ve identified some suspicious individuals, Lady Elezar."

"Hmmm..."

Elezar scanned the documents Hudel had presented. Drawn on the papers were portraits of two men: a gaunt man in his mid-forties and a swordsman of a similar age.

They were Ziken Esperode, a seventh circle mage and the captain of the First Squad of the King’s Order in the Eustil Kingdom, and Triv Larkins, a blue-tier aura user and vice-captain of the same squad.

After glancing through the documents, Elezar asked, "Why do you suspect them?"

"Because they were the ones who defeated the demonic sword we prepared, my lady."

More precisely, it was due to the significant traces of

death

energy and malice left behind during the process. The King’s Order had dismissed these traces as remnants of the demonic sword, but Hudel, being the one who orchestrated the incident, knew better.

"We’re well aware that it’s not the case."

The battle had left behind energy not belonging to the demonic sword. Therefore, the remnants could only belong to those who faced it. What’s more, according to stolen King’s Order reports, the area had been entirely deserted during the demonic sword’s destruction.

"It suggests they acted covertly to use necromancy, undetected by others."

Another reason for suspicion was that the two individuals were both highly skilled—a powerful mage and an adept aura user. Despite the signs of necromancy, they continued to wield their magic and aura freely, akin to the Cult of the Black God.

The situation fit perfectly with Elezar’s earlier directive:

"Find incidents that look like our handiwork but aren’t."

"Further investigation is necessary to confirm, but they’re definitely not innocent to the matter."

"I see," Elezar said, flipping through the documents with an indifferent expression.

𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

While Hudel had done a satisfactory job, he hadn’t yet provided the answer she truly sought. Were these two the ones who had trespassed into the sanctuary?

It doesn’t quite feel like it...

Nevertheless, gaining a lead was a step forward.

"What do you plan to do now?" she asked him.

"They’re both influential figures. It would be too risky to act openly for now. I plan to quietly gather more information on them."

"Very well. I’ll leave it to you."

"Yes, Lady Elezar."

As Hudel observed the exchange, he suddenly spoke up, as if something had just occurred to him. "The power of the demonic sword bestowed by the main church truly is remarkable, isn’t it?"

"Hm?"

"With just that one sword, I was able to deliver the righteous teachings of the true god to hundreds of heretics. It was nothing like the demonic swords I’ve known before."

Elezar’s expression froze for a moment. The

righteous teachings of the true god

preached by the Cult of the Black God, of course, referred to death.

Hundreds of people killed...?

She flipped through the back pages of the report, which detailed the events surrounding the demonic sword in the Kingdom of Eustil.

Her face hardened.

Oh, it’s true.

The demonic sword given to Hudel by the cult was undoubtedly a formidable artifact. It was one of the stronger demonic swords to exist. But it was still just a demonic sword. There was no way it could have been this overwhelmingly powerful, capable of shaking the world to such a degree.

This doesn’t make sense. There shouldn’t be demonic swords of this caliber.

Puzzled, Elezar asked, "How exactly was this demonic sword used?"

Hudel stammered at the unexpected question. "We-well, we just used it normally?"

The focus was on the sword, not the host. They had simply abducted an orphaned girl, handed her the sword, and released her into the world. That was all.

"Was the spirit within the sword in any way special?"

"I couldn’t discern such details..."

After mulling it over, Elezar gave a firm command. "Retrieve it."

Hudel hesitated, clearly troubled. "The sword’s evil spirit has already vanished. I doubt we’ll uncover anything now."

But her tone left no room for argument. "Retrieve it anyway. Something doesn’t feel right about this."

***

After returning to Drunta, Karnak tasked the King’s Order’s intelligence squad with investigating Hudel Grental, the Dark Cardinal.

The world was vast with countless residents. Thus, it was nearly impossible to locate someone based on a mere name. However, with a physical description and a known place of origin, the difficulty significantly decreased. Two weeks later, Karnak received the information he sought.

"Hudel Grental, noble of the Lacania Empire. Male. Age: 28. Current head of the Grental County, located near Eustil’s western border..."

As Karnak read further, his expression grew increasingly intrigued.

"Well, this guy’s quite the character."

Originally, Hudel was never meant to inherit the title of lord. He had three older brothers, and their father, the previous count, while in his sixties, was in relatively good health.

The tide turned after the Shadow of Doom spread across the land. An unidentified necromancer attacked the Grental territory. In the chaos, the previous count was killed, and all three older brothers succumbed to a mysterious curse that caused their deaths.

It was Hudel who saved the doomed territory. Despite being in his late twenties, Hudel displayed exceptional leadership, mobilizing the territory’s knights to pursue the necromancer. Eventually, he succeeded in apprehending and executing the culprit. With the full support of vassals and citizens alike, Hudel rose as the new head of the Grental family.

"This story feels oddly familiar, doesn’t it?"

Varos chuckled slyly. "Indeed, it’s practically a mirror of your own, young master."

A mysterious necromancer kills one’s family, leaving the survivor to inherit the domain?

Given that Hudel was a cardinal of the Dark Cult, there was no doubt about the identity of that

unidentified

necromancer. This was none other than the plan the younger Karnak had concocted before his journey through time.

The main difference between Hudel and Karnak’s stories was that, while Karnak eventually had his identity exposed and ended up on the run, Hudel successfully took control of his family estate.

"It’s almost uncanny," Serati remarked, her tone filled with curiosity. "How could the fates of two people be so alike?"

Karnak and Varos both snorted dismissively.

"There’s nothing uncanny about it."

"Necromancers tend to follow the same playbook. They all pull the same stunts."

"If anything, this isn’t coincidence, it’s inevitability. Not sure if that’s grammatically correct, though," Karnak added with a wry grin.

The current time was deep into the night. Thanks to Serati’s guidance that

good kids go to bed early

, Lapicel had long since curled up in her bed and fallen soundly asleep. With her safely out of earshot, the group could speak freely among themselves. Just to be cautious, however, Karnak had cast a soundproofing barrier.

"So, bottom line is, we just need to take this guy down, right?" Varos asked with interest. "How strong do you think he is?"

Hudel Grental wasn’t known to be an aura user or a mage. He had likely received some basic knightly training but was, by all appearances, a typical regional lord whose primary role was administration. But given his true identity as a dark cardinal, it was almost certain that he was a formidable necromancer.

"Probably stronger than Detzras," Karnak replied, tapping the papers in his hand. "But his strength isn’t the real issue here."

The problem was that Lacania Empire wasn’t their country. Unlike the seven goddesses church, which operated across all nations, the King’s Order was strictly a special operations agency for the Kingdom of Eustil. It had no authority in the empire.

"You think they’ll just sit back and watch foreigners try to capture one of their nobles?"

Serati, who had been quietly listening, posed a question. "What if we inform the empire in advance?"

The Lacania Empire had its own organization similar to the King’s Order: The Brigade of Purification, an imperial agency specializing in anti-cult activities. It was led by Cliff von Sandreas, a silver knight loyal to the emperor.

"Couldn’t we coordinate with them in secret?"

Karnak shook his head. Apparently, the King’s Order had already considered that option.

"They said they’d be lucky if they weren’t accused of being spies," Karnak explained.

The Lacania Empire and Eustil Kingdom's Seven Kingdoms Alliance had a long history of animosity. Organizations like the King’s Order and the Brigade of Purification, due to their specialized missions, often found it difficult to cooperate with other organizations even within their own countries. The idea of working together with a rival nation's agency was laughable.

"Besides, we can’t even trust the Brigade of Purification. How do we know none of them have been bought off by cultists?"

For the same reason, the Brigade wouldn’t trust the King’s Order either.

"So, moving as part of the King’s Order is out of the question," Serati concluded.

After some thought, she offered another suggestion. "What if we used the identity of the church's shadow hunter? We know someone who would gladly help us."

Karnak’s expression brightened with understanding. "Ah, you mean

that friend

?"

***

They were in the Hatoba Temple in Derath City, Northern Eustil Kingdom

"You're planning to infiltrate the empire's territory to capture a core member of the cult?"

Naturally, Alius accepted the proposal with enthusiasm. "Of course, count me in! I’d have been offended if you left me out!"

Even after parting ways with Karnak’s group, Alius had continued his work alongside shadow hunters, purging many necromancers. His efforts were recognized, and he was now elevated to the position of bishop, overseeing the Hatoba Temple inquisitors across all of Northern Eustil. For someone still in his twenties, it was an extraordinary rise.

"These days, I spend more time doing paperwork in the temple than out in the field. Honestly, I've been itching to get back out there."

Despite leaving the comfort of his temple for the challenges of the field, Alius was genuinely thrilled.

"The world is growing darker by the day, and countless faithful are suffering. How could I selfishly hide in a temple while that happens? Only scum would do that!"

The two individuals who had been more than happy to remain tucked away in their lands, indifferent to the chaos, averted their gazes awkwardly.

"Ah, well, is that so...?"

"Right, of course... I mean, right..."

"What's wrong, you two?" Alius asked them.

"Nothing, nothing at all," Karnak replied, quickly brushing off the question.

Thus, Karnak’s group officially resumed their roles as shadow hunters of the Hatoba Temple. Preparing the paperwork was simple. Since they were already registered as Alius’ collaborators, all it took was digging out old records and adding the necessary signatures.

Alius also took charge of every other preparation—mapping out their journey to the empire, gathering supplies, and securing sturdy steeds. All Karnak’s group had to do was provide funding.

"So it’s not entirely free, huh?" Karnak muttered.

Alius responded with a grin. "It's the faithful's precious donations, Sir Karnak. Not a single coin can be wasted."

"And this comes out of my modest government salary, you know?"

"Your family is well off. Don’t even try that with me."

With the full support of the Hatoba Temple, preparations were swiftly completed. The very next day, Karnak’s group stood at the eastern gate of Derath City, fully prepared for their journey.

Holding the reins of his horse, Alius cheerfully declared, "Let’s go! To the empire!"

Trailing behind, Varos let out a dry laugh. "He’s more excited about this than we are."