Chapter 52: King’s Order (3)

Having executed their midnight escape, Karnak’s party made their way back to Derath City. Upon their reunion, Alius was overjoyed.

“Truly, this must be Hatoba’s guidance!”

He was so overjoyed that Karnak found himself taken aback.

“...Does recommending us bring you some kind of benefit, Mr. Alius?”

“Well, I can’t completely disregard my performance record,” he admitted.

Alius had already built a solid record, which was how he had managed to achieve the prestigious rank of first-class inquisitor at such a young age. But ambition, as always, knew no bounds.

“If three of my recommendations were to successfully join the King’s Order, my evaluations would surely improve. Who knows, I might even have a shot at advancing to the rank of special-class inquisitor.”

Serati raised an eyebrow in mild surprise. “That’s unexpected.”

She hadn’t imagined someone as seemingly selfless as Alius would harbor aspirations of career advancement. True to her suspicion, he was indeed good and selfless.

“With the rank of special-class inquisitor, I would gain greater authority, allowing me to save even more citizens. How could I not strive for that?”

In truth, Alius had been greatly disheartened. Despite recently achieving the first-class rank, he had yet to recommend any shadow hunters to the King’s Order. This would be his first, which was why he had been so meticulous in choosing candidates. Those candidates were none other than Karnak’s party, Serati, and Riltaine, who had proven themselves during the Trist City operation. But then Serati became Karnak’s knight, removing three of them.

To make matters worse, Riltane had given up on joining altogether. After facing Straph, Riltane had lost his confidence. Considering how thoroughly he had been outmatched, it wasn’t surprising. He had even abandoned shadow hunting and returned to his magical studies.

“That’s why I’m so thrilled to see you three return,” Alius said earnestly. “This significantly increases our chances of saving citizens from the heretics.”

Meanwhile, Karnak and Varos exchanged magical whispers.

[Alius really is a decent guy, huh.]

[I think he’s a much better person than her.]

Both of their gazes turned to Serati, who blinked with a dazed expression.

[Why are you looking at me?]

Since Serati had become Karnak’s vassal, she was now included in their covert magical communication system. While the three of them chatted in secret, Alius was busy writing their recommendation letters in one smooth flourish.

“Of course, these are merely letters of recommendation and don’t guarantee acceptance,” he said, handing over the documents with a look of confidence. “But I’m certain you’ll succeed. May Hatoba’s blessings be with you!”

***

Far in the northern frontier lay the Zestrad Barony, Karnak’s home territory. It took three days to travel from there to Derath City, the largest city in the north. It took an additional ten days to travel from Derath City to the capital of the Eustil Kingdom.

It wasn’t a short journey, and travel in this era was fraught with unpredictable dangers. No matter how capable Karnak’s party was, they couldn’t afford to let their guard down!

...Or so they thought.

“We made it without any trouble,” Varos said with a smirk.

He gazed at the sprawling city of Drunta, the capital of the Eustil Kingdom, stretching beyond the plains.

Karnak responded with mild disinterest, “Like anything major could happen in a tiny country like Eustil.”

Serati, who had been listening, shot him an incredulous look.

“...Without any trouble, you say?” she questioned.

On their way, they had encountered a band of thieves, captured two necromancers, and handed them over to the nearest church. Not to mention the countless pickpockets and muggers they had dealt with in every city they passed through. This chaotic era truly felt like a world spiraling into madness, and Serati had spent much of the journey clicking her tongue in dismay.

“How is any of that considered no trouble?” she asked pointedly.

“Huh? Isn’t that just normal stuff when traveling?” Karnak replied casually.

“What kind of lives did you two even lead in your past lives?” she muttered.

Karnak and Varos exchanged glances, delving into their memories.

“Come to think of it, weren’t we usually the ones doing the robbing?”

“And we were the necromancers back then.”

“We did the pickpocketing and mugging too. Never been on the receiving end, though.”

Having witnessed such sights during their travels countless times, they had thought nothing of them—forgetting that they had once been the perpetrators of such chaos. It seemed the world had been quite peaceful, albeit without the influence of these two sscoundrels.

“Ah, so the world really

is

in turmoil right now,” Varos sighed.

“That’s why we need to fix it,” Karnak said, resuming their march.

As they approached the towering city, he surveyed the grand view of Drunta, the royal capital.

“Now, we just have to find the King’s Order headquarters.”

***

The capital city of the Eustil Kingdom, Drunta, was the kingdom's largest city. It was built along the Zaltan River. At its center stood the royal castle, towering majestically, surrounded by streets lined with towers and churches. Even the ordinary buildings were typically two or three stories tall. In this grand city, countless citizens bustled about. As the capital of a kingdom, its population was no small matter.

Walking through the throngs of people, Serati looked around in awe. Even though Derath City was considered large and notable in the north, it seemed like a rural backwater in comparison to the capital.

“Wow, it’s as grand as you’d expect from the king’s home.”

Karnak and Varos, however, were unimpressed.

“Still a modest little town,” Karnak remarked.

“Still a quaint little city. Well, I like its charm,” Varos added.

“What exactly are you two comparing this to?” Serati asked, perplexed.

“Thea Krahan.”

“Rontoras.”

Thea Krahan was the capital of the Lacania Empire, and Rontoras the capital of Felmayer, the strongest nation in the Seven Kingdoms Alliance. Both were far wealthier and more powerful than Eustil, so it was no surprise their capitals dwarfed Drunta in size.

“Well, even those cities were small compared to Necropolis,” Karnak said with an almost boastful air.

Serati couldn’t help but smirk at his tone. “Necropolis, huh? The name alone tells me everything I need to know.”

Naming a city something as ominous as Necropolis was hardly common. It was undoubtedly the capital of the undead empire Karnak had established in his past life.

Scratching his head, Karnak muttered, “Was the name too on the nose? But honestly, nothing else came to mind at the time.”

“Thanks to that, everything in that city had Necro slapped onto it,” Varos chimed in. “Necropia, Necropolis, Necro Wall, Necro Cross. I doubt there was a road sign without Necro on it.”

“Hey, back then, you said the names were fitting!” Karnak shot back.

“I didn’t realize until after the fact. When everything starts with Necro, it makes navigating an absolute nightmare,” Varos retorted.

Not all undead were mindless puppets like zombies or skeletons. Many, such as death knights, vampires, and liches, had their own personalities and consciousness.

“That’s why we got so many petitions asking us to change the names,” Varos added.

Serati, intrigued, asked, “Even as undead, they had complaints? I thought they’d be wholly obedient.”

Karnak answered for him. “They were human before, weren’t they? Alive or dead, people are still people. If they have self-awareness, it’s only natural they’d have complaints.”

“I always assumed undead would be completely loyal to their master,” Serati admitted.

“They are loyal. Loyalty and dissatisfaction are two entirely separate things. Now that I think about it, the more loyal they were, the more complaints they seemed to have,” Karnak said thoughtfully.

“Why are you looking at me when you say that, young master?” Varos asked with narrowed eyes.

As they continued chatting, their destination came into view. The King’s Order headquarters was located in the northern district of Drunta. As they entered, Varos instinctively scanned the building.

“Just a standard administrative building,” he remarked.

Given its location in the heart of the capital, there was no need for it to resemble a fortress. That said, the security was anything but lax.

The guards at the entrance were skilled warriors, and even Karnak’s party had to wait for their recommendation letters to be verified before they were allowed inside. Multiple layers of magical scrutiny ensured the documents weren’t forgeries.

“We’ve confirmed the authenticity of your recommendation from the Hatoba Church,” the guide said. “It will be forwarded to the higher-ups shortly.”

As the guide walked away with their letters, Karnak grinned. “They’re quite sensitive about verifying recommendations. Must mean there are a lot of forgeries.”

Serati tilted her head. “Why does that make you happy?”

“It means they’re doing their job properly.”

If the King’s Order was just a hollow institution, there’d be no need for heretical cults to worry about it.

“Given how many supposedly special organizations turn out to be rotten to the core, I was worried the King’s Order might be the same,” Karnak explained.

Varos waved him off. “Come on, the King’s Order was established barely a year ago. It’s a bit early for it to have gone corrupt.”

It took time for things to rot, for both people and things.

𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

“That’s why it’s a relief. If we’re here, we’ll have a real chance to confront the cult,” Karnak said, nodding.

Before long, the guide returned. “Please wait a moment. The order lord will meet with you shortly.”

***

Karnak’s party waited on the first floor of the King’s Order headquarters. In the meantime, a steady flow of individuals in various attires moved through the space. Some were dressed in plain clothes or uniforms, while others wore the robes of mages or priests. Despite their differences, they all had one thing in common.

Varos clicked his tongue in astonishment. “They’re no pushovers.”

Varos could assess someone’s strength at a glance, and everyone here was formidable, capable of holding their own anywhere.

“If Randolph were here, he’d get thrashed in a heartbeat,” he remarked.

Even the strongest knight from Devantor wouldn’t stand a chance among this crowd. The mages were no exception. Karnak eyed the passing figures before speaking with a hint of unease.

“Most of them are at least at the fifth circle. I even see a few sixth circles.”

Despite his deep understanding of necromantic wisdom, Karnak’s chaos mana currently only allowed him to reach the fourth circle. While he was steadily advancing and likely to break into the fifth circle soon, he wasn’t there yet.

“They’re better than I expected. What if we don’t make the cut?”

Serati, too, looked visibly impressed.

“I spotted two aura users. Both seemed to be at the same red-grade level as me.”

Until now, she had never met another aura user. Even in Derath City and its surrounding areas, she had been the only awakened aura user.

“To think aura users, so rare, are common enough to see multiple here. The capital really is on another level.”

Her amazement earned a snort from Karnak.

“Sure, aura users aren’t commonplace, but it’s not like they don’t exist. Especially if it’s just red-tier.”

“Is this another one of your arbitrary standards, Lord Karnak?” she retorted.

“It’s more about perspective,” he replied.

Aura users were indeed rare. The population of the Eustil Kingdom exceeded 800,000, and among them, there were fewer than a hundred aura users. But by continental standards, Eustil was a small nation. When even a small country could boast nearly a hundred aura users, calling them

rare

became subjective.

“So, it’s all about the scale of comparison?” Serati asked.

“And the fact that this is a national capital,” Karnak added.

As human nature dictates, those with great talent often sought wealth and recognition, gravitating toward bigger stages to shine.

“Serati, you were planning to come to the capital yourself, weren’t you?”

Given the small number of aura users and high-level mages, it was natural for them to flock to a profitable capital city.

“That’s why aura users are even harder to find in rural areas. In comparison, high-ranking priests are more evenly distributed since the church manages them directly.”

The implication was clear: in the capital, being an aura user didn’t guarantee special treatment like in the rural areas. While they might receive recognition, it wouldn’t be the same reverence they’d enjoy in the countryside.

Not that it bothered Serati much.

“Not like I’ve been treated well since getting involved with you, Lord Karnak. Hmph,” she huffed.

Karnak and Varos exchanged puzzled looks.

“Have we ever treated you poorly?”

“Exactly. We’ve always acknowledged your skills, Sir Serati.”

“The problem is that you don’t realize you’re doing it,” she muttered with exasperation.

Meanwhile, Karnak’s surroundings were giving him an unfamiliar feeling he hadn’t experienced in his past life: intimidation.

“Man, what if we actually fail this?” he wondered aloud.

“Maybe we should’ve built up more accomplishments before coming here,” Varos added.

“It’s the first time I’ve worried about how others evaluate me. It’s kind of novel,” Karnak admitted.

“Same here,” Varos agreed.

Watching the two grown men fidgeting and twiddling their fingers, Serati clicked her tongue in disapproval.

“How reckless must your lives have been for this to be the first time you’ve cared about what others think?”

Just as they were wasting time fretting, their guide returned. “Thank you for waiting.”

The guide gestured for them to follow.

“Lord Erantel is ready to meet you.”