Karnak, Monarch of Death

Three days earlier, a report had been filed at the Temple of Alium, the Goddess of the Moon and Justice. The report came from Tecas merchant guild, the largest merchant guild in the kingdom. They accused one of the rising trading companies, Altas merchant guild, of being infiltrated by cultists.

An investigation team was dispatched, and the claims were verified. The true identity of Owent Altas, the founder of Altas merchant guild, was revealed to be a follower of the black god. For years, he had been operating in the shadows, using his wife, Edia, as a front to funnel resources to the cultists.

But recently, the truth had come to light. The Tecas merchant guild, staunch followers of the seven goddesses, had uncovered the cultists’ vile deeds and reported them to the church. Fearing punishment, Edia had vanished along with her husband before the priests arrived.

The priests of Alium, unwilling to let such malevolence go unchecked, thoroughly combed through the merchant guild. They interrogated everyone involved, meticulously reviewed every ledger and document, and unearthed an unexpected connection.

Karnak, Baron of Zestrad and a member of the King’s Order, was found to have ties to Altas merchant guild.

”That’s why this matter has reached me,” Commander Erantel explained.

Although the issue wasn’t directly related to the King’s Order, it involved cultists, and a member of the order was implicated. It couldn’t be ignored entirely.

Karnak frowned. ”Am I being suspected as a cultist?”

Erantel shook his head. ”That’s not the case.”

The Church of the Seven Goddesses knew that Karnak harbored a profound hatred for necromancers and had devoted himself to eradicating them from the world.

It made sense. Even the money he’d invested in Altas merchant guild had been earned through spreading anti-necromancy magic. However, the issue lay with the sheer size of his investment.

”They say you hold the largest stake among the investors in Altas merchant guild. So, your opinion on its fate is required.”

Apparently, no other investor besides Karnak had been reckless enough to put a thousand gold coins into a fledgling merchant guild. Erantel handed Karnak a document.

”This was sent by Tecas merchant guild.”

Karnak skimmed through it, clicking his tongue as he read. ”So, they want to buy the company and are offering to pay a settlement fee?”

Altas merchant guild was now adrift, its leadership having vanished. However, the company itself hadn’t collapsed. Its trade routes and commercial rights remained intact. It was simply without a leader.

From the perspective of Tecas merchant guild, it was an irresistible prize. Thus, they had reached out to Karnak, the largest stakeholder, proposing to acquire the company.

”They’re offering a generous sum for the rights... two thousand gold coins?”

Karnak’s expression turned peculiar for a moment. He hadn’t lifted a finger, yet his investment had doubled.

***

”So, that’s the gist of it,” Karnak concluded back at his residence in Drunta.

After listening to the explanation, Varos and Serati stared at him, dumbfounded.

”Wow. Are you some kind of a demon god of investing? Every move you make implicates evil.”

”How do you manage to profit while ruining other people’s lives? And you don’t even do it intentionally!”

Karnak pouted indignantly. ”Hey, this time it’s not my fault, okay?”

To be fair, he wasn’t wrong. This time, Karnak was clearly a victim.

”Right, you just managed to double your money in ten days,” Serati remarked dryly.

”Call yourself a victim, and people will definitely talk,” Varos added with a smirk.

Despite their teasing, they both knew this wasn’t something to celebrate. Karnak hadn’t just been after a bit of extra gold. He had aimed to establish long-term connections and influence with a major merchant guild, which would be instrumental for his future endeavors. If possible, resolving the situation would be the best course of action.

Varos muttered, still incredulous. ”Do you really think Edia was part of the cultists? She didn’t seem like that kind of person at all.”

”Apparently, the King’s Order conducted their own investigation,” Karnak explained.

As it turned out, there was something the Alium Order’s investigation had missed.

“According to testimonies from the merchant guild’s staff, Owent barged into the guild and forcibly dragged Edia away.

For some reason, he seemed much stronger than before—so strong, in fact, that even the seasoned guards of the company couldn’t stop him.

”There are plenty of necromantic spells that can temporarily boost physical strength, so it’s not exactly surprising,” Karnak added.

Edia, of course, had resisted, but it was futile.

—How dare you talk back to your husband? Shut up and follow me!

—I’m trying to teach you the truths of life, and you’re too stupid to learn!

”That’s roughly how he forced her to leave,” Karnak said.

Serati wrinkled her nose in distaste. ”Surprisingly common behavior, unfortunately.”

Given the circumstances, it was highly unlikely Edia had willingly colluded with her husband. The more plausible theory was that Tecas merchant guild had used Owent to eliminate her.

”Honestly, the fact that the report came from Tecas merchant guild in the first place says it all,” Serati noted.

Karnak frowned, thinking out loud. ”So, what should we do now?”

There were two options.

One: take the 2,000 gold coins and wash their hands of the whole affair. Two: rescue Edia and reinstate her as the rightful head of Altas merchant guild.

”We should rescue Miss Edia! We can’t just stand by when someone’s life is on the line!”

”She’s supposed to become one of the three greatest merchants in the future, right? We can’t let go of someone like that for such a low price!”

For the record, the first suggestion came from Varos, and the second from Serati. Karnak blinked at them in surprise.

”Don’t you think you’ve switched roles?”

Varos’s eyes sparkled. ”Wow, maybe I’m finally becoming a decent person.”

Meanwhile, Serati looked utterly dejected.

Wh-what’s happening to me?

In the kitchen, Lapicel, overhearing the conversation as she did the dishes, simply tilted her head in confusion.

What are they talking about? Brother Varos has always been a good person.

***

The next day, Karnak went to the King’s Order headquarters again.

”So...” Commander Erantel said, looking at him with a conflicted expression. ”You want to rescue the former head of Altas merchant guild?”

”Yes. Isn’t dealing with cultists the duty of the King’s Order?” Karnak replied firmly.

”That’s not wrong, but don’t you think there are degrees of importance to consider?” Erantel countered.

The primary mission of the King’s Order was to handle heretic-related cases involving royals or high-ranking nobles. They couldn’t intervene in every single incident just because the Cult of the Black God was involved.

”In that case, would it be a problem if I acted on my own?” Karnak asked.

”That’s your prerogative,” Erantel admitted, ”but now isn’t a great time.”

The King’s Order was an incredibly busy organization. There were plenty of more pressing matters than a minor merchant guild incident. While Karnak had earned significant leeway for his past contributions, even that grace period was nearing its end.

”Even for you, taking this much leave is excessive. I can’t allow you to skip another mission,” the commander said sternly.

”So, what you’re saying, commander, is...” Karnak grinned slyly, as if he had anticipated this response. ”If it involves a cult incident tied to royalty or high-ranking nobles, it’s acceptable, right?”

From his coat, he pulled out a document and handed it over.

”What is this?”

Erantel’s expression grew curious as he took it. At the bottom of the document was a seal he vaguely recognized.

”Prince Lloyd’s personal seal?”

With exaggerated nonchalance, Karnak shrugged his shoulders. ”As it turns out, Prince Lloyd is also an investor in the Altas merchant guild.”

He had prepared this in advance, knowing it might come to this. He’d received the golden seal from Prince Lloyd a while back.

I thought I’d never have a reason to use this, but here we are.

Speechless, Erantel glanced back and forth between the document and Karnak.

”Does the prince know that he’s an investor?”

”Do you think he’d object when I’m making him money?”

”Well, it’s not like you’re doing anything wrong.”

It was true. Framing this as a mission for the King’s Order made it more than legitimate.

”No issues, then?”

”None.”

Accepting the document, Commander Erantel gave a resigned smile.

”Good luck out there.”

***

Commander Erantel’s approval had been secured. The mission to rescue Edia was now officially sanctioned as a task for the King’s Order. The next step was determining her whereabouts.

Serati offered her thoughts. ”Should we check with the Drunta adventurer’s guild? If we hire a capable bounty hunter, we might be able to track down Miss Edia.”

Varos shook his head. ”That would take too long.”

The disappearance of two ordinary citizens wouldn’t prompt an urgent search. In such cases, tracking someone down could take months, even under the best circumstances.

”If we waste that much time, the Altas merchant guild’s remaining trade routes will be gone for good.”

This mission was a race against time. If Edia wasn’t returned to her rightful place within a month, there wouldn’t even be a chance to prevent the Tecas merchant guild from selling off their rights.

”There’s no need for that,” Karnak said, smiling brightly. ”All we have to do is find Owent.”

Since Owent had kidnapped Edia, finding him would naturally lead to her.

Varos raised an eyebrow in disbelief. ”That’s exactly what we’re stuck on. How to find Owent.”

”Why are you overthinking it? We know someone who might know.”

”Who?”

”The informant from the Tecas merchant guild.”

”Ah...”

Now that he thought about it, that made sense. Owent had conveniently shown up, abducted Edia, and just as conveniently, someone from the Tecas merchant guild had noticed and reported it. The timing was too perfect. It was hard to believe it wasn’t orchestrated.

”So, we just find the informant and ask where Owent is.”

”And what if he doesn’t know?”

It was possible that the Tecas merchant guild had only stumbled upon information about Owent by chance and exploited it opportunistically. Varos’s remark was met with a casual shrug from Karnak.

”That’s true. Of course, I can’t guarantee anything. But it’s a pretty likely scenario, isn’t it?”

Owent had disappeared from Drunta far too easily, even while carrying the burden of Edia. Such a feat wasn’t something an ordinary merchant could accomplish on their own.

“He must’ve had help, organized help.”

It was possible that the Tecas merchant guild was connected to the Cult of the Black God. After all, convincing a cultist like Owent to act so compliantly would likely require some kind of relationship or leverage.

”Still, it’s all just speculation. I don’t have any solid evidence.”

Even so, it was worth looking into.

”We’ll figure it out once we interrogate him, won’t we?” Karnak said confidently.

Serati frowned. ”You’re not going to stick another needle in someone’s head, are you?”

”No.”

Karnak had already been scolded by her for trying to solve everything through memory manipulation. She had made it clear—he needed to stop relying on that method to fix every problem.

”This time, I plan to handle things like a normal person,” he said.

Serati gave him a skeptical look. ”If you do that, they won’t confess so easily.”

”And why not?”

Karnak raised an eyebrow, as if he couldn’t fathom what the issue might be.

”I already told you, I’ll act like a person, didn’t I?”