Karnak, Monarch of Death

She feels like she knows me...

Karnak’s heart sank, but he maintained his composure. This alone didn’t necessarily mean the memory seal had failed.

He responded calmly, ”Of course you’d feel that way. We’ve been fighting each other for days. It’s only natural that I’d seem familiar.”

”Fighting?”

”That’s right.”

Lapicel looked bewildered. ”What do you mean by that?”

Karnak and Varos exchanged a brief glance.

—How do we explain this? Karnak said.

—Just tell her the truth, Varos suggested.

Serati scoffed. —Oh, sure. Like either of you two would ever tell the full truth.

She had plenty of experience with how conveniently these two interpreted the truth.

Karnak decided to speak carefully. ”Well, let me tell you what the King’s Order discovered.”

Based on the circumstances, it seemed she was originally just an ordinary girl from a rural village. Somehow, she must have come across the demonic sword Mareda, which then took control of her. Under the sword’s influence, she had committed countless acts of slaughter and even fought against the King’s Order. But those actions were the sword’s doing, not hers. She was merely a puppet under its control.

Naturally, the King’s Order had no intention of holding her accountable for crimes committed while she was under the sword’s influence.

”As for your identity or where you came from before the demonic sword took over, the King’s Order couldn’t uncover any details,” Karnak explained.

He concluded matter-of-factly, ”Honestly, they didn’t really try to investigate that deeply. What mattered was the sword, not you.”

It wasn’t a lie. The King’s Order’s investigation had indeed focused on the demonic sword rather than her.

”I see,” Lapicel murmured, nodding as if she understood.

”So, we’re not connected in any way,” she said softly.

But then she raised her head again, her expression clouded with confusion.

”Then why is it?”

”Why is what?” said Karnak.

”Why does my heart race when I see you?” The gray-haired girl’s face changed, her voice trembling slightly. ”My chest feels tight, my face gets hot...”

Her breath quickened, her cheeks flushed, and her eyes shimmered with emotion. It was similar to the look of someone falling in love.

Why is she acting like this all of a sudden? Karnak wondered, feeling utterly perplexed.

Varos, ever the unhelpful commentator, chimed in through their mental link.

—Uh, could it be anger?

If you described it another way, rapid breathing, a flushed face, and a racing pulse could also mean anger.

”And somehow, it feels like my heart is aching. It hurts,” Lapicel continued.

Serati joined in.

—That’s probably fear?

Despite the interpretations from either side, Lapicel’s shimmering eyes remained locked on Karnak. Her gaze was unbearably intense. Feeling the pressure, Karnak awkwardly averted his eyes.

”Well, I, uh... I’m not sure why that would be.”

—Oh, come on, it’s the suspension bridge effect, Varos muttered.

—Shut up, Karnak snapped back, clearly flustered.

Unlike Karnak, who was struggling to keep his composure, Lapicel seemed filled with conviction. ”I think... you must be someone very important to me.”

Important, indeed. He was her mortal enemy, a target destined for revenge. How could he not be important?

”So, um...” The gray-haired girl hesitated, nervously twisting her fingers before finally gathering the courage to ask, ”Would it be okay for me to stay by your side?”

Her expression was heartbreakingly earnest, like a baby bird gazing up at its mother after hatching. Karnak instinctively frowned, a sharp pang stabbing his chest.

—Argh, guilt... guilt is setting in...

—Congratulations, Sir Karnak. You’re finally experiencing emotions that everyone else has been feeling for ages, Serati quipped dryly.

—Is this what others feel all the time? They must have astonishing mental fortitude.

—No, it’s really not that big of a deal!

Lapicel was staring at him anxiously, clearly waiting for an answer. Karnak forced himself to maintain a calm facade as he replied. ”Your future is for the King’s Order to decide. I can’t give you an answer before they do.”

”Oh...” Lapicel’s shoulders slumped in disappointment. She blinked slowly, her eyes starting to droop. ”I feel sleepy.”

It was no wonder. After all the chaos she had endured, exhaustion had to catch up eventually. Her body was still that of an untrained child.

”You should rest,” Serati said gently.

”Mm...” Lapicel murmured drowsily before collapsing into sleep.

Once she was carefully tucked in, Serati turned to Karnak. ”So, what’s your plan now?”

Karnak scratched his head awkwardly and looked to Varos. ”When does Lapicel meet Beltia to become her disciple?”

It might be strange for Varos to know such personal details, but Lapicel’s story was famous enough for him to provide a rough answer.

”I think it’s when she’s about sixteen.”

Typically, martial arts training needed to start at around five or six years old to establish a solid foundation. Starting at sixteen was considered extremely late. Even so, Lapicel had managed to awaken her aura just two years after picking up a sword. Ten years later, she inherited all of Beltia Crotium’s teachings. By twenty years in, she had become one of the Four Great Martial Kings herself. Her story was the stuff of legend.

”How old do you think she is now?” Karnak asked.

Varos shrugged helplessly. ”Beats me. I can’t tell how old girls are.”

Serati, more sensible, offered her assessment. ”We can guess, at least. She hasn’t hit puberty yet.”

Unlike nobles or well-fed children, commoners who suffered from malnutrition often experienced delayed puberty.

”She’s probably around twelve or thirteen,” Serati guessed.

”As expected, you’re good at these things, Serati.” Karnak nodded.

By all accounts, Lapicel would meet Martial King Beltia two years later and become her disciple.

”What will you do, my lord? Let her follow her destiny?” Serati asked.

”No, I’ll need to keep her close for now.” Karnak’s earlier hesitation had been just an act. He had already decided to take Lapicel in. ”I need to confirm whether the memory seal is holding. If her memories return, we’re in deep trouble.”

”That’s true.” Serati agreed, recalling the devastation caused by the future version of Lapicel who had endured that hellish life Karnak had orchestrated.

”Still, I’m surprised you’re not considering simply killing her to remove the threat entirely,” she added, then quickly corrected herself. ”But of course, that would be reverting to your old ways.”

Karnak chuckled wryly. ”Killing her isn’t an option. There are things I need to figure out.”

The present Lapicel was, after all, the same person as the future version. Like Karnak and Varos, she had traveled back through time.

”I need to find out how she managed to time-travel like us.”

However, that wasn’t something he could do immediately. To uncover those answers, he would need to probe the sealed parts of her memories, and that was a process that risked triggering their return.

”What about turning her into one of your vassals?” Serati suggested.

”That’s equally risky. Interfering with her soul could inadvertently restore her memories.”

Until he found a way to safely extract the information he needed, keeping her close and observing her was the best course of action.

Staring at the sleeping Lapicel, Karnak muttered, ”Now, how do I justify keeping her with us?”

***

The next morning, Ziken and the other members of the King’s Order woke up without any lasting side effects. Naturally, they were curious about what had transpired the previous night, so Karnak wove a plausible mix of truth and fiction.

Why had the gray-haired girl displayed such incredible strength even after being freed from the demonic sword?

”It seems the spirit of the demonic sword transferred to her, though we didn’t realize it at first.”

Why had Karnak and his group remained hidden until the other King’s Order members had fallen?

”Her abilities as a human embodiment of the demonic sword were overwhelming. We needed time to prepare for the unexpected situation.”

And what had that preparation entailed?

”Summoning twenty golems.”

Had he controlled twenty golems? That was an impossible feat of magic, was it not?

”That was why I retreated. I prepared the summoning circles while the other members bought us time. Then I lured her and faced her with the golems in sequence.”

It made sense. Controlling twenty might be impossible, but summoning five at a time was certainly in the realm of possibility.

”Indeed. Here is the aftermath of the battle.”

It was an excellent plan. It certainly explains how they had managed to overpower such a formidable foe.

”No, it was very difficult. If the other members hadn’t weakened her first, we wouldn’t have stood a chance.”

...or so it went. The explanation was credible enough, and the evidence of the battlefield matched the story, so no one questioned it further.

The next concern was handling the demonic sword, Mareda. The priests thoroughly examined it using divine power and reached a conclusion.

”It’s certain.”

”The evil spirit possessing the sword has vanished. It’s now just an ordinary blade.”

Even so, they decided to transport it to the capital’s grand cathedral for further investigation. Next was investigations on the gray-haired girl, Lapicel. The priests examined her and quickly announced their findings.

”There’s no trace of any sinister energy within her. She’s just an ordinary girl from the countryside.”

Karnak asked, ”Will she also need to be taken to the grand cathedral for additional investigations?”

Meiri shook her head. ”There are no such procedures.”

Unlike the demonic sword Mareda, the girl was nothing more than a common human host. Anyone subjected to the sword’s control would have acted similarly. There was nothing particularly suspicious about her.

”Then, what will happen to her now?” Karnak asked.

”She will likely be entrusted to a nearby temple, where she will stay until she comes of age.”

Karnak spoke with a hint of pity. ”The life ahead of her won’t be an easy one.”

As a commoner herself, Meiri offered a faint, sarcastic smile. ”With all due respect, noble lords may not know this, but life is rarely easy for commoners.”

The smile quickly faded, replaced by surprise at Karnak’s unexpected question.

”May I take her in?”

”You mean the girl?” Meiri’s gaze hardened with suspicion. ”If this is out of momentary pity, I’d advise against it.”

Having an adult man take in a young girl could easily raise unwanted suspicions and lead to unfavorable implications. Karnak, of course, was well aware of this.

”Sir Serati mentioned that the girl seems to have talent with the sword,” Karnak explained.

As if on cue, Serati stepped forward. ”I’m considering taking her in and training her as my squire. Would that be acceptable?”

Meiri’s expression softened visibly at this.

”If an aura user makes such a proposal, then of course...”

This had been prearranged between Karnak and Serati.

”Do we really need to make her my squire? Wouldn’t it be fine to simply have her serve as your maid?”

”That way, if she later reveals her talents, it won’t seem strange.”

”You’re planning to teach her swordsmanship? Isn’t that just inviting more danger?”

”It doesn’t matter. Even if we teach her nothing, she’ll grow strong regardless. Honestly, just watching from the sidelines would probably make her stronger than you.”

”That much?”

”She’s only lost her memories, not her soul. Don’t forget. Her soul still belongs to a future Martial King.”

It wasn’t that she’d never learned. She’d just forgotten. Observing others fight would allow her to recover a significant portion of what she once knew.

”In that case, it’s actually safer to teach her from the beginning. With her personality, even if her memories return, she’d never raise her blade against her teacher.”

By forging a bond as her mentor, they would shackle her with ties of loyalty—a safety net to prevent disaster, should anything unexpected occur.

”You really do seem to excel at this kind of thinking,” Serati remarked dryly.

”Huh? Is this a bad thing too?”

”It’s not something I can call outright evil, which somehow makes it worse.”

”Then what am I supposed to do?”

”...Honestly, I don’t have a better idea, for her sake or ours.”

In the end, Serati became Lapicel’s guardian. No one voiced any objections. It wasn’t unusual for a female aura user to take an interest in a talented girl. After all, female swordswomen were already a rarity.

”That poor child. This worked out well for her.”

”With Sir Serati as her mentor, she’s bound to become a fine knight.”

And so, the Marreda incident was officially concluded, leaving only one lingering question that remained unresolved for Ziken.

”So, in the end, what was the connection between the demonic sword and the Seventh Squad?”