Death King Karnak

Chapter 39. 10. Night of the Corpses (3)

Serati, regaining her composure, renewed her resolve.

She was now the thrall of a necromancer. She had to obey any evil command that came her way.

What kind of orders would Karnak give to her, now that she was bound to him?

The first order was, to be honest, rather perplexing.

“……Pardon?”

“Choose, Serati. Which is the right choice?”

Perhaps because she had been taken as a thrall, Karnak’s tone had become more commanding.

Hesitant, Serati quietly asked again.

“Isn’t it obvious that we should save Mr. Alius and Mr. Riltein?”

She couldn’t understand why this was even a question. Could he seriously be thinking of abandoning them?

“Are you saying it’s okay to use wicked methods as long as it’s to save your comrades?”

“Of course, it’s not the ideal choice. 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 shuddered at the mere thought of evil. She was someone who could compromise with the world to a certain extent.

“I understand that it would be dangerous for Karnak to be exposed as a necromancer, but… wouldn’t it still be the right thing to do to save our comrades, even at such a risk?”

Karnak and Varos nodded as if they had come to some realization.

“That’s true.”

“So you’re saying that as long as the goal is righteous, the means can be evil.”

“It’s okay to do bad things for a good cause? Looks like we’ve been living the right way all along.”

“Exactly.”

Serati was flustered.

“No, I didn’t mean it quite like that….”

But it seemed the two had already drawn their own conclusions.

Rising from his seat, Karnak spoke energetically.

“Alright, it’s been a while since I used necromancy in earnest. Let’s do this.”

“Many people will die, but it’s all to save our comrades.”

“Since they’re bad guys anyway, it shouldn’t be a problem if some of them die, right?”

“Exactly. No pressure at all.”

Serati stammered.

“Ah, no, that’s not what I….”

What was this feeling?

She would be able to save her captured comrades, Alius and Riltein.

It was a good thing. Surely, it was the right thing to do.

‘But why do I feel like I’ve just done something irreversible?’

***

A powerful necromancer who ruled over a city had holed up in a hideout, making all sorts of preparations.

How should one deal with such an opponent?

In the past, Karnak would have first used his vast powers to create a massive army of undead and then swept through the city.

After that, he would have gradually broken through the opponent’s defenses and advanced, eventually claiming the enemy’s head.

“But now, with my necromantic power so severely lacking, I can’t do that.”

Karnak compared his magical power with Shutraff’s and pondered.

The gap between them was enormous at present. Even though Karnak had once reached great heights as the King of the Dead, the situation seemed almost hopeless.

Leverage allows one to move a weight ten times heavier with the force of one, but even then, you still need at least that one unit of force.

Staring at the darkened Trist City, Karnak murmured to himself.

“I guess I’ll have to borrow some energy from the surroundings for now.”

Varos asked.

“Is there that much energy around here? This isn’t a cemetery or a battlefield.”

“It’s funny, but there is.”

Trist City was a dangerous place, so notorious it was called the ‘hell on earth.’ People died every day, and violence was a constant occurrence.

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

“Wow, is it really that bad? This place is definitely not fit for living.”

“Indeed. How do people even live in a place like this?”

When even the former King of the Dead and the Death Knight Lord were impressed, it was clear just how depraved Trist City had become.

Serati also nodded in agreement.

‘Indeed, no matter how evil a necromancer is, the wickedness of this place is overwhelming.’

However, she couldn’t quite understand the next part of their conversation.

“Humans really are resilient, aren’t they?”

“Of course. That’s why we had such a hard time.”

“…?”

Why was that something to admire? She couldn’t comprehend it at all.

Meanwhile, their conversation continued.

“Then, are you saying you can gather enough necromantic power to face him, young master?”

“It’s only a temporary fix, so it won’t be enough, but I think I can scrape together just enough to meet the minimum requirement.”

“And what will you do next? There aren’t any corpses around to create an undead army.”

It’s true that Trist City was teeming with vengeful spirits of those who had died unjustly, but surprisingly, there weren’t many buried corpses.

There was a river flowing beside the city. They simply disposed of the bodies by throwing them in.

Why bother digging graves and burying bodies when they could just be fed to the fish?

“But if I rely solely on the spirits, it’ll consume too much necromantic power. I don’t have the luxury to waste my strength like that right now.”

They needed corpses, and preferably fresh ones.

“It can’t be helped. This time, we’ll have to go back to the old ways.”

“That’s right. I’ve tried not to live like before, but in this case, there’s no choice.”

“It shouldn’t be a big problem, right? Even Miss Serati said it was okay.”

“Yeah, she said it’s fine to do some bad things if it’s to save our comrades.”

The two men turned to Serati, grinning as if they found her utterly trustworthy.

She wore a dazed expression.

‘I never said it like that….’

But she couldn’t argue. If she did, she had the uneasy feeling that they might actually abandon Alius and Riltein and run away.

Surely, they wouldn’t do that, being human and all, but somehow, they gave off the vibe that they really might.

“Alright, the plan is roughly set.”

Karnak, beaming from ear to ear, wriggled his fingers. He looked rather excited, as if returning to his old profession after a long time.

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

Serati asked cautiously.

“Are you going to start killing Ranpelt’s men one by one now?”

She hoped they wouldn’t start killing innocent citizens as well. That hope was reflected in her question, but Karnak waved his hand dismissively.

“There’s no need for you to get involved, Serati.”

A sly smile formed on his lips.

“This city handles its own law and order, doesn’t it?”

***

A street in the southern part of Trist City, late at night.

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

One of the men, Erold, grumbled.

“Ah, seriously, what are we doing out here in the middle of the night?”

His legs were sore, and he was tired. The thought of the higher-ups who had sent them on this errand probably sleeping comfortably right now made him even angrier.

“Hey, Liman! Pass me that bottle!”

The man called Liman replied gruffly.

“Why didn’t you bring your own bottle?”

“What? Got a problem? If you’re upset, why didn’t you win?”

“Grrr…”

Liman gritted his teeth as he looked at the arrogant Erold.

But there was nothing he could do.

Right now, he was just Erold’s subordinate.

Liman had originally been a member of the Krell family, which had been at odds with the Ranpelt family. After his family was crushed, he had been forced to seek refuge with the Ranpelts.

It was disgusting enough to be working under someone he used to fight against with swords drawn.

Of course, Erold didn’t care.

‘Hmph! What’s he gonna do? Is he gonna try to pick a fight now?’

With the Ranpelt family now in control of the city, Erold’s status had risen significantly.

Even Liman, who had once held a higher position, was now groveling below someone like Erold.

It was during this tense atmosphere that Erold suddenly heard a low voice whispering into his ear.

“You’ve shown your back.”

At the same time, a blade grazed his shoulder.

Liman had stabbed Erold with the sword he was holding.

Startled, Erold quickly drew his own sword.

“You bastard!”

The wound wasn’t deep.

But the sight of his own blood sent him into a frenzy.

“I knew it! I knew you’d show your true colors eventually!”

Erold began to swing his sword wildly.

Liman, bewildered, stepped back.

“W-wait! No, this isn’t what it looks like….”

Liman himself didn’t understand what had just happened.

He had been standing there absentmindedly when some unseen force had slightly nudged the tip of his sword, causing it to strike Erold.

But was it really necessary for Erold to make such a fuss over a wound that wasn’t even deep?

“Damn it! I don’t care anymore!”

It was clear that words were no longer going to work.

And to be honest, Erold was someone Liman had always wanted to stab anyway.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The sound of clashing swords began to echo loudly through the dark street.

***

All over the city, unexpected battles were breaking out.

The Ranpelt family’s men, who had been searching the city in pairs or small groups, were now turning on each other.

“You scum! You’ve been planning to stab me in the back all along!”

“W-what are you talking about?”

“Who do you think is going to get taken down?”

“You’re using this as an excuse to take me out, aren’t you!”

A late-night mission to search the city, depriving them of sleep.

As with most dirty work, those in high positions rarely got involved in such tasks.

The soldiers currently searching the city were mostly lower-ranking members of the Ranpelt organization, or those who had joined after their own families had fallen.

Forced to work together with those they had once fought to the death, there was no camaraderie to be found. Even the smallest misunderstandings ignited lethal intent.

The screams that followed were inevitable.

“Aaaargh!”

“Urk!”

Karnak, who was hiding in the shadows of an alley, grinned as he watched the situation unfold.

“It’s working like a charm.”

Serati, who was hiding with him, looked on in disbelief.

“My goodness, are they really drawing their swords so easily when their lives are on the line?”

“If this were a normal city, you’d be right, Serati.”

But this was Trist City, where law and order were self-regulated.

“We’ve seen it with our own eyes—how quick they are to draw swords at the slightest provocation. From their perspective, this is just another ordinary day.”

To divide the enemy, Karnak didn’t use much power.

He didn’t have the necromantic energy for it, and there was no need to.

“When kindling is piled high like a mountain, why bother with a fireball? A single spark will ignite it all.”

All he did was slightly nudge the tip of a sword with his magic and leave a brief whisper in someone’s ear.

‘Only two left?’

‘It’s revenge!’

‘The opportunity has come.’

That was enough.

With just that, those who were already filled with distrust easily drew their swords and killed each other.

“Aaaargh!”

“Ugh, y-you bastard…!”

“Argh!”

Serati shuddered in horror.

‘Oh my god….’

It wasn’t even a grand technique. Just a trivial whisper, planting a minor misunderstanding.

‘But dozens of people are dying because of it….’

However, she also felt a small sigh of relief.

Karnak’s methods were aimed solely at the Ranpelt family’s members. No harm came to ordinary citizens.

‘Does that mean… he’s not entirely evil?’

On the other hand, Varos seemed dissatisfied.

“There aren’t enough corpses.”

Dozens of people had died all over the city.

But in such a vast city, only a few dozen.

“How are we supposed to create an undead army with this?”

No matter how depraved the city and its inhabitants were, such simple methods didn’t work on everyone.

To be honest, more people didn’t fall for it than did.

“It’s magic!”

“A mage is trying to deceive us!”

Those who realized what was happening snapped out of it and began searching their surroundings.

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

This method wouldn’t work on them.

“What do you plan to do about them?”

Karnak remained calm.

“Did you think this was all there is?”

This was merely the stage of sowing seeds.

“There’s a way to deal with them too.”