Chapter 195: Triumphant Return (1)

Long after the once-deafening chaos in the distant forest had settled into silence, three figures slowly emerged from the darkness of the woods. It was Karnak, Varos, and Serati.

"You've returned!" A silver-haired girl, who had been tending to the wounded, brightened at the sight of them.

Resting against a boulder, Erantel struggled to speak. "What happened to him?"

The fact that Karnak's group had returned at all meant they had won. But had they completely destroyed the enemy, or had he managed to escape? That was what he needed to confirm. In response, Karnak held up a few bones wrapped in cloth. It was a human arm bone with a faint black sheen.

"I managed to retrieve a few pieces..."

He explained that the archlich had been utterly destroyed, leaving behind only a handful of remains.

Sensing the lingering energy in the bones, Erantel frowned. "There's no doubt... These are the remains of a lich. A strong death energy still lingers."

Alius staggered forward, his steps unsteady. "You've done well. I'll take care of it."

"Please do."

They couldn't afford to carry cursed bones around carelessly. Sealing them with divine power was a priest's duty. A few of the less-injured priests stepped forward and carefully collected the bones. Watching this unfold, Serati leaned in and whispered.

—Where did you even get those fake remains?

—They're not fake.

—What?

—They're Maloka's actual arm bones.

—Did you make him a one-armed lich?!

—Of course not. He can just pick up any old bones on the way and patch himself up.

Being an undead had its advantages. For one, losing a limb was nothing more than a temporary inconvenience. Necromancy truly operated on a different set of rules from normal logic.

—With solid proof like this, the Church of the Goddesses won't have any reason to doubt our claim.

With the cleanup handled, Karnak turned his attention to assessing the others' conditions. "The damage is severe."

"Fortunately, no one died. Without the Goddess's protection, I don't see how that would have been possible..." Alius murmured in gratitude.

Varos forced back a wry smile.

Man, Maloka really is bad at fighting.

Despite having such overwhelming mana, the archlich hadn't managed to land a single killing blow. Instead, there were too many injured. Aside from Karnak's group, not a single person had escaped unscathed. Theoderic had survived, but he remained unconscious. If they stayed exposed to the cold of the forest for too long, things could take a dangerous turn.

Varos spoke up. "We should move. Everyone needs proper rest and treatment."

"I know, but the main camp is too far..." Alius hesitated as he surveyed their surroundings.

That was when Karnak spoke. "You can stay at my estate."

"Pardon? But isn't your land occupied by the cultists?"

"We took care of them already, didn't we?" Karnak shrugged, as if the answer was obvious. "We won. We can return triumphantly."

***

The Zestrad Reclamation Army had been retreating, pursued by the undead forces of the cult. But the battle had ended in an overwhelming victory for the reclamation army. From the beginning, the majority of the undead army's strength had come from Maloka. Now that Maloka was gone, what could the remaining necromancers possibly do?

Of course, the reclamation army had also lost most of its key fighters. Their strongest warriors had all been absent, including Erantel, Theoderic, Alius and his priests. Not to mention Karnak’s group.

But here was the fatal flaw of undead armies. The reclamation army could function even without its commanders. Officers could still lead the soldiers, ensuring the army maintained its strength.

But the undead forces? Without Maloka, they collapsed completely. One by one, the reanimated corpses fell apart, crumbling into nothing but rotting bones and decayed flesh. The remaining necromancers barely managed to flee with their lives.

Erantel was disappointed they hadn't managed to capture them, but there had been no helping it. Necromancy specialized in stealth and escape. Tracking down and catching fleeing necromancers was no easy task.

And so, Zestrad was fully reclaimed and returned to its rightful owner, Baron Karnak. As a proper lord, Karnak wasted no time taking action.

He arranged lodging for the reclamation army throughout the castle village. The injured commanders were brought directly to the mansion to receive the best possible care. It was around this time that the butler, Tafel, along with the mansion's servants and maids, finally returned from their evacuation.

Tafel clutched his handkerchief tightly as he stood before Karnak. His eyes were moist.

"You have become truly remarkable, my lord." Tears welled in his eyes as he dabbed at them."If only your late father were here to see this... he would be so proud."

There had been a time when Karnak's sudden disappearance had filled them with resentment. After all, he had left behind nothing but a single letter. Their hatred was especially great toward that wretched red-haired vixen who had seduced their naïve young lord. Their anger had gone beyond mere resentment. It had burned into outright fury.

But now, such thoughts were unthinkable. After leaving for the capital, Karnak's fame had only continued to grow. He had crushed a royal rebellion, quelled chaos across the kingdom, extended his influence even into the empire, and now—he had risen to the high rank of Vice Commander of the King's Order.

And as if that weren't enough, he had become a formidable mage, returned to his homeland in its darkest hour, and saved its people. At this point, he wasn't just a noble. He was a hero straight out of legend. Now, there was only one duty left for Karnak.

"So, when are you getting married?" Tafel asked him.

Karnak was baffled. "That's the first thing you ask in a situation like this?"

"It's precisely because of this situation that your family's heir is more important than ever," Tafel insisted.

"I—let's talk about it later. Later."

Varos, meanwhile, had become the prime target of a group of admiring maids. "Wow... Varos, I mean, Sir Varos..."

"You were handsome before, but... um..."

"You've become even more handsome, sir..."

"W-when did you become an aura user... Sir?"

They had known him since childhood. He had been like a younger brother to them. But in just a few short years, after wandering the outside world, he had returned as an aura user. He was officially a knight who had stepped into the realm of superhumans. In other words, a first-rate groom candidate.

"Could you just pick one? Either drop the honorifics or use them properly." Varos chuckled while weaving his way through the group to avoid them.

There was no time for romance, not while Tesranach's threat still loomed. The mansion's servants, meanwhile, had turned their attention to a new knight they had never seen before.

"And who might this be?"

"Oh, him?" Karnak clapped Leven on the shoulder. "He's the new knight of Zestrad."

No one was particularly surprised. They had already gone through a similar situation with Serati. But when Leven introduced himself, everyone's eyes widened.

"My name is Leven Strauss."

"Strauss?"

"That Strauss?"

"What are the odds? That must've caused a lot of misunderstandings."

Karnak smirked and added, "It's not a misunderstanding. He's that Strauss."

"Huh?"

"You mean the martial king's family?"

"But why would someone like him become a knight of our domain?"

Watching from the side, Serati let out a small laugh.

Didn't they say the exact same thing about me?

Meanwhile, Lapicel received no particular attention. She looked far too ordinary. In appearances, she was just a plain young girl. Everyone simply assumed she was Serati's squire and moved on.

With everyone returned to the mansion, the household staff quickly resumed their duties. They prepared rooms for the guests, began cooking, and busied themselves around the estate. Karnak, too, had no time to idle. His duties as lord were far from over.

The Cult of the Black God, despite having occupied the territory, had gone out of their way to avoid unnecessary slaughter. But that didn't mean the people had emerged unscathed. It was impossible.

When hundreds of skeletons and corpses wielding weapons roamed the land, blood was bound to be spilled. Casualties had been inevitable. There were injured. There were deceased. And handling the aftermath was part of Karnak's responsibility.

As he surveyed the situation, he stumbled upon an unexpected group of survivors. He found the knights of Zestrad locked away in the temporary prison of the castle village.

"You're... still alive?"

The knights, standing before a surprised Karnak, bowed their heads in shame.

"We are deeply sorry, my lord."

"We... we were too weak..."

"I wasn't blaming you for being alive." He simply didn't understand.

If the enemy was dealing with warriors, it was far more efficient to kill them and turn them into undead. That would have been the logical move. And knowing Maloka's personality, that's exactly what he should have done. Still, that didn't change the fact that they had survived.

"In any case, it's a relief to see you all safe. Focus on treating your wounds for now."

"Thank you, my lord."

They had been imprisoned for too long, and their condition was far from ideal. After sending them off to rest, Karnak fell into deep thought.

I'll have to ask Maloka about this later.

***

The following night, Karnak, Varos, and Leven met with Maloka again in the deserted forest near the estate. Their last encounter hadn't allowed for a proper conversation, so they had agreed to reconvene later.

Serati wasn't present this time. She shared a room with Lapicel, and if she kept slipping away too often, it might raise unnecessary suspicion.

"You're asking why I didn't kill the knights?" At Karnak's question, Maloka tilted his head slightly.

"Well..." Then, with a peculiar expression, he muttered, "Now that you mention it... why didn't I?"

"Are you messing with me?" Karnak said.

"N-No, that's not it..." Maloka hastily waved his hands in denial. "I don't really understand it myself. At the time, it just felt... natural."

"What exactly felt natural?"

"Well, since my opponent was you, Lord Karnak, it only made sense to be cautious..."

More specifically, the moment he had heard Karnak's name, a thought had instinctively surfaced.

Ah. This guy loses his mind when people touch his things. Better tread carefully.

"That just makes even less sense." Karnak narrowed his eyes. "How would you even know that about me?"

"That's exactly why I don't understand it either! But back then, it felt so natural that I didn't even question it."

"Come to think of it, Demphis mentioned feeling something similar." Karnak stroked his chin in thought. "Could it be that Lapicel isn't the only one who has information about me?"

At that moment, Maloka visibly shuddered.

"So that girl really was Lapicel? No wonder she gave me such a bad feeling."

Even without knowing anything, he had sensed something.

Varos frowned in confusion. "But then why was Lapicel so indifferent when she saw Maloka?"

It made sense that she hadn't reacted to Demphis. She had never really encountered him before. But Maloka? She had fought him three times. And yet, she hadn't recognized him at all.

Karnak and Varos had barely walked into the room before she had gone into a full-blown meltdown.

"That's because Lapicel has never lost to Maloka." Karnak shrugged as if it were nothing. "You know that saying? The one who gets hit remembers it for life, but the one who did the hitting sleeps just fine."

Leven's expression twisted slightly.

He had heard a similar old saying before, but...

"Isn't it the other way around?" Leven asked him.

Karnak's lips curled into a smile. "You really think so?"

"As much as I hate to admit it, I can't argue with that."

As they continued discussing various matters, Karnak's curiosity was piqued by something else.

"There's something that's been bothering me..." He turned his gaze back to Maloka. "How did you know how to dismantle the Anti-Space-Time Transcender?"