Karnak, Monarch of Death

”What do you mean by that?” Lloyd frowned in confusion. ”So, he wasn’t after my body? Does that make Alford a victim too?”

”I may have phrased that poorly,” Karnak admitted, scratching the back of his head. ”He was after your body, but it wasn’t out of desire.”

What Karnak had uncovered from Detzras’s soul was this. Prince Alford’s plan involved using necromancy to swap bodies with Lloyd, but temporarily.

”He never intended to make the change permanent in the first place.”

That was why Lloyd, now trapped in Alford’s body, had been carefully locked away.

”Since he planned to return to his original body eventually, he had to keep it safe in the meantime.”

Furthermore, Alford had discovered a way to reverse the swap.

”It doesn’t even require a necromancer.”

Karnak pulled a small brooch from his coat, its center inlaid with a black gemstone, and continued, ”This cursed gem is called the Soul of the Departed. It serves as the medium for the soul changeling ritual.”

To lift the curse, the gem needed to be placed under the light of a full moon, then anointed with fresh blood from Alford’s current body.

”Does it have to be this body? Can’t we use blood from my original body?” Lloyd asked.

”The curse’s beneficiary is you, Prince Lloyd,” Karnak explained. ”That makes your current body the curse’s subject.”

”So Alford can’t undo the curse on his own. That’s why he was so desperate to capture me,” Lloyd concluded, letting out a relieved sigh. ”At least it’s good to know the curse can be lifted without necromancy.”

”Indeed,” Karnak agreed.

Varos, however, leaned in suspiciously and whispered, [Is that actually true?]

[I get why you’re skeptical, but this time, it is.]

Regardless, on the night of the next full moon, the two princes’ bodies could be restored to their rightful owners.

”That’s why Prince Alford timed his plan around an evening with the full moon,” Karnak said.

The plan was to assassinate King Wiscott I.

”He’s targeting our father?” Lloyd asked, incredulous.

”Yes. After requesting an audience with His Majesty, he planned to seize an opening and stab him with a concealed dagger.”

Lloyd shook his head in disbelief. ”That could never work.”

”It’s not as impossible as you think,” Karnak countered. ”Even the king wouldn’t suspect his own son. No one would think to search you for weapons, and the opportunity could easily present itself.”

”No, that’s not what I meant...” Lloyd clicked his tongue. ”Does he seriously think I could assassinate my father? Using my body?”

King Wiscott I of the Eustil Kingdom was once a renowned warrior. Even in his later years, he remained vigorous. He frequently went out hunting and continued to hone his martial skills. And Lloyd, in his frail body, was supposed to ambush such a man?

”Does Alford not realize how weak my body is?”

Alford already knew.

“But it doesn’t matter if he fails,” Karnak continued calmly.

Lloyd blinked in confusion. ”Even if the assassination fails, the attempt alone achieves his goal.”

If the assassination succeeded, Lloyd would become a parricide, a madman who killed his own father. He would be arrested by the royal guards and thrown into prison. And if it failed? It wouldn’t matter. He’d still be branded a traitor who attempted to kill his father. The outcome would be the same.

”And once the bodies are swapped back, what do you think happens then?” Karnak asked.

Lloyd’s face went pale.

”Dear gods...”

No one would believe him once he returned to his original body. At best, he’d be dismissed as insane and locked away for life. At worst, he’d be executed for treason. Whether the king lived or died, Alford would become the sole heir to the throne.

”And of course, they have no plans to leave you alive,” Karnak added casually. ”You would be left to rot in prison until, consumed by madness, you inevitably take your own life.”

”I’d kill myself?” Lloyd scoffed.

“Yes.”

”Who says I’d do that?”

”A necromancer has special talents for making people take their own lives, Your Highness,” Karnak replied with a faint smile.

”...Hmm.”

Lloyd let out a strained groan, unable to argue further. Though Lloyd had always known his younger brother was ambitious, he hadn’t imagined he’d go this far.

“Now that I think about it, he is the sort who’d try something like this,” Lloyd muttered.

Still, there was one silver lining: they had uncovered Alford’s entire plan ahead of time, all thanks to Karnak.

“Truly, meeting you has been the greatest blessing of my life,” Lloyd said earnestly.

“You flatter me, Your Highness,” Karnak replied modestly.

“No, I mean it. Without someone as clever as you, how could I have survived until now?”

Varos and Serati exchanged looks, their expressions a mix of disbelief and resignation.

Greatest blessing?

Clever?

I mean... he’s not wrong, but...

It feels weird agreeing with that...

In any case, with the enemy’s scheme laid bare, it was time to devise a counterplan.

“The curse-breaking requires moonlight during the full moon and fresh blood from this body, correct?” Lloyd asked.

“Yes, Your Highness,” Karnak confirmed.

“Are we certain it has to be fresh blood? Would it work if we stored some of Alford’s blood in advance and used it later?”

“It must be fresh,” Karnak explained. “That’s why they’ve been so desperate to capture you, Your Highness.”

If stored blood could break the curse, Alford wouldn’t have needed to pursue Lloyd. He could have simply carried out the ritual on the appointed day without worrying about his brother.

“Fair enough,” Lloyd said, stroking his chin thoughtfully. “So the choice remains mine...”

While the full moon fixed the timing, whether to swap the bodies back or not was entirely up to Lloyd.

“With things as they are, Alford can’t proceed recklessly either.”

The success of Alford’s plan depended on swapping the bodies back. In the current situation, if Alford acted rashly and couldn’t recover his original body, he risked dying as Lloyd.

“For now, I can assume my father is safe?” Lloyd murmured, a hint of relief in his voice. “Still, I need to get a better sense of the situation... But returning to the palace recklessly might trigger another incident.”

He couldn’t trust his usual retainers, nor could he safely pose as Prince Alford. That’s why he’d been hiding all this time.

At that moment, Karnak spoke up. “You needn’t worry about that, Your Highness.”

“Why not?”

“I’ve acquired some valuable information,” Karnak said with a sly smile.

Detzras, as the leader of the cultists involved, had knowledge that even Kayle and Olt lacked.

“We have a list of who knows about this plan and who doesn’t.”

“Truly?” Lloyd’s face lit up with relief. “Then I can finally pretend to be Alford!”

Up until now, Lloyd hadn’t known which of Alford’s confidants were involved in the scheme. He’d had to treat everyone with suspicion, and it had forced him into hiding. But with the list, he could now identify whom to avoid. By steering clear of those in the know and interacting only with the rest, he could safely impersonate the second prince.

“Not that it’s going to last long. But it doesn’t need to last long.”

He only had to maintain the act until the night of the full moon. By returning to the palace disguised as Alford, Lloyd could prepare for any contingencies and return to his original body once it came time.

“Still, it’s irritating to think Alford might get away with this without any consequences,” Lloyd said. His expression darkening into a cold smile. “Then again, this could be an opportunity. Should I poison him with a slow-acting toxin before the swap? Or perhaps cut off one of his legs beforehand?”

Karnak interjected calmly. “That won’t do, Your Highness.”

To reverse the Soul Changeling, both bodies needed to remain in good condition. Inflicting injuries on the body could prevent the curse from being lifted entirely.

“If that weren’t the case, Prince Alford wouldn’t have needed to target His Majesty. He could’ve just harmed himself and swapped back without issue.”

Disappointed, Lloyd nodded in reluctant agreement.

“Fair enough,” he muttered.

Varos, observing the exchange, couldn’t help but be impressed.

Not bad. He’s not as naïve as I thought.

Prince Lloyd had a reputation for being kind and compassionate. From what Varos had seen, that seemed accurate enough. And yet, here he was, casually discussing the idea of maiming or killing his own brother.

Then again, they’ve been trying to kill each other for over a decade. Makes sense.

Meanwhile, Karnak brought up a different concern. “There is one thing I’d like to confirm, Your Highness. All of your assumptions are based on the idea that Prince Alford knows his plan has gone awry, correct?”

“Why? Is there a problem?” Lloyd asked, frowning.

“It’s possible,” Karnak said, “that Prince Alford doesn’t yet realize you’ve escaped.”

When Alford took over Lloyd’s body, it naturally became difficult for him to contact his original subordinates. They lived in different places and had almost no overlapping connections.

Still, it wasn’t as though he could proceed with his plan without any communication. What if something went wrong? In such cases, plans needed to be paused or adjusted.

“So, Prince Alford established a secret method to maintain contact with his confidants like Sebastian,” Karnak explained.

“That much is to be expected. It’s the basics,” Lloyd replied.

“The problem lies in the method of contact,” Karnak continued.

Swapping bodies using necromancy was an extreme taboo, a secret that couldn’t be shared even with one’s most trusted allies. Both enemies and allies alike had to be kept in the dark. Thus, he needed a method of contact through a third party, something completely unrelated to either Lloyd’s or Alford’s side.

“The cultists’ necromancy was a perfect fit. It seems Prince Alford used them to facilitate all his communications,” Karnak said.

But, as they all knew, those cultists had just been eliminated by Karnak’s group. Well, technically, their souls hadn’t crossed over yet, as Karnak had captured them. But colloquially speaking, they were gone.

Lloyd, still trying to piece everything together, asked with a frown, “Wait a moment. Are you saying those three cultists were the entirety of Alford’s contact network?”

“Yes,” Karnak affirmed.

“That doesn’t make sense. How could someone entrusted with such a critical task act so recklessly? Shouldn’t at least one of them have stayed behind as a contingency?”

Karnak let out a dry chuckle. “That’s the perspective of someone accustomed to being served.”

The assumption that subordinates would instinctively understand and prioritize their leader’s intentions was an unfortunate mindset often held by those in power. To think, they’re under me, so they’ll naturally grasp my circumstances and take proactive measures in my favor.

Creating such a truly loyal subordinate required years of trust and effort. And the cultists, after all, weren’t Alford’s actual subordinates. They were simply collaborators sent by the cult to assist him.

“They likely saw this as an opportunity to increase their own necromantic power and didn’t want anyone else to claim the benefits. Why would they bother considering Prince Alford’s needs? What had he done for them, after all?”

“I see... That does make sense,” Lloyd admitted, scratching his head awkwardly. Then, looking at Karnak with intrigue, he added, “You’re surprisingly blunt, aren’t you? Most wouldn’t speak so openly in front of a prince.”

“Am I?” Karnak said, momentarily caught off guard.

Perhaps it was a side effect of having lived so long as an absolute ruler. Despite his best efforts, old habits had slipped through.

“My apologies. I’m from the rural countryside, so I may be a bit lacking in etiquette...”

“There’s no need to apologize. After all you’ve done for me, how could I possibly take offense? Besides, you spoke out of concern for me, didn’t you?”

Lloyd’s response was surprisingly warm. He showed no sign of irritation. If anything, he seemed genuinely amused.

“So, you’re saying Alford’s contact network consisted of those cultists, and now they’ve been dealt with?”

“Yes. That’s where things get complicated.”

Of course, it was possible that Alford had prepared another method of communication. Even with necromantic interrogation, it was hard to distinguish truth from lies if the subject genuinely believed their information to be true.

“While Detzras seemed certain they were the only contact points, we can’t rule out the possibility that Prince Alford secretly prepared a backup plan,” Karnak said.

If that were the case, events would unfold as Lloyd had anticipated.

“But if all communication is truly severed, what then?” Karnak asked.

Lloyd’s expression darkened.

“What will Alford do next...?”

Would he postpone the plan due to the lack of contact? Or would he proceed regardless, with or without confirmation?

“Logically, he should delay,” Lloyd mused. “But...”

Could Alford really be called logical? Lloyd wasn’t confident in the answer. After all, no rational person would resort to body-swapping through necromancy in the first place.

“This is troublesome. Does this mean I need to inform my father before the full moon arrives?”

Karnak shook his head. “And what would you tell him? Explaining the truth will be nearly impossible.”

The idea of souls being swapped was unprecedented. Convincing the king would require irrefutable evidence.

“Do you have any secrets shared exclusively between you and His Majesty that could serve as proof?” Karnak asked.

Lloyd let out a bitter laugh. “Unfortunately, no. My father and I have never been that close.”

The king had always been clear about his philosophy: the one who survives the battles between siblings is fit to be king. It wasn’t exactly a recipe for a warm father-son relationship.

Perhaps irritated by the memory, Lloyd’s voice rose slightly. “Honestly, talking about it makes me feel like leaving him to his fate. Of course, I could never actually do that...”

Not only would it be an affront to filial duty, but it would also create practical problems. If Alford’s plan succeeded, Lloyd would remain a traitor, even if he reclaimed his original body.

“I can’t afford to lose my body.”

As Lloyd’s frustration grew, Serati cautiously spoke up. “Um, Your Highness?”

“What is it, Sir Serati?”

“This is purely hypothetical and, I admit, morally questionable...” She hesitated, carefully choosing her words. “...But do you really need to get your original body back?”