Karnak, Monarch of Death

Unlike the long-unified Lacania Empire, the western part of the continent was divided into tribal kingdoms, each with its own unique culture. Over time, these tribal kingdoms merged and reformed, eventually becoming five powerful factions. This was the birth of the Five Kingdoms.

Felmayer, Tarum, Ethriel, Lipaul, and Altail. These five kingdoms sometimes formed alliances and other times fought each other, all the while growing their power. As the strength of the western kingdoms grew, the Lacania Empire could no longer sit idly by. Frequent clashes soon followed.

In response, the five warring kingdoms united and stood against the empire. The Lacania Empire, in turn, appointed the Eustil and Atringen families as marquisates to secure the western borders. However, this backfired. The two families betrayed the empire and declared their independence, aligning themselves with the western kingdoms. The Five Kingdoms Alliance became the Seven Kingdoms Alliance.

From that point on, the Lacania Empire and the Seven Kingdoms Alliance maintained a complex relationship. When the empire was strong, the Seven Kingdoms resisted fiercely, and when the empire was weak, the kingdoms would even counterattack. At times when their powers were evenly matched, they maintained a friendly atmosphere.

At the heart of the Seven Kingdoms Alliance stood the Kingdom of Ethriel. Not by status, but by geography—Ethriel was centrally located among the kingdoms.

Ethriel was the smallest and poorest of the seven kingdoms. Being a landlocked nation was the first reason, but the second reason was the frequent appearance of monsters. Though monsters appeared often across the continent, no other kingdom had them so widely spread across the land as Ethriel.

In the center of the kingdom stood the towering Halseyer Mountain, surrounded by the vast Kalenta Forest, and the great lake Desper, which some even referred to as an inland sea. The entire country was made up of mountains, forests, and lakes. Farming was difficult, and the moment you stepped outside a village, danger lurked in every direction. It was a perfect habitat for monsters.

Strictly speaking, it wasn’t that humans settled there first, but rather that they forcefully moved into the territory that had once been dominated by monsters. This attracted monster hunters and treasure hunters seeking ancient relics. As services were provided to these hunters and relics were traded, commerce flourished.

This is why the Kingdom of Ethriel was often called the Land of Adventurers. Countless adventurers gathered in the Ethriel Kingdom, hoping to make a fortune, and numerous merchants gathered around them, hoping to make a profit off of them.

Wellad City, located at the edge of the great Kalenta Forest, was one such prosperous city built on exploration and trade. Today, the streets were bustling with foreigners, and among them were Karnak and his companions, who had just arrived.

***

The frontier city of Wellad, with the exception of a few temples and watchtowers, was mostly built with timber. As Karnak walked through the main street lined with countless log buildings, he buttoned up his coat.

”Ugh, it’s cold,” he muttered.

Although the weather was relatively warm for midwinter, a chill still seeped through the air. In fact, even at midday, smoke was rising from various parts of the city. It was clear that the people were heating their homes diligently.

Varos glanced around and said, ”We should find an inn first.”

Millia spoke up, ”Shouldn’t we meet with Sir Stahr first?”

After all, Karnak and his companions were members of the Eustil Kingdom’s King’s Order. They couldn’t just act recklessly in another kingdom. That was why they had already arranged to meet with Stahr Phalon, a member of the Ethriel King’s Order, for assistance.

”Sir Stahr... do you think he’ll be strong?” Serati asked, her curiosity piqued.

Karnak responded indifferently, ”I don’t know.”

To be honest, whether Stahr was strong or not didn’t matter much. They had enough power already. Their cooperation had been a political decision, nothing more. As long as he could guide them, that would be enough.

”We’re meeting today, but we still have plenty of time until dinner,” Karnak remarked.

”While we wait, let’s have some food and take a look around the town,” Varos suggested while licking his lips.

”Sounds good. I wonder what’s tasty in this town?” Karnak added, his eyes lighting up.

At the mention of food, Millia’s eyes sparkled with excitement. She knew now, about the legend of Karnak, passed down in the Seventh Squad!

—You don’t need to beg him to buy you expensive things!

—Just find out what the local specialties are!

—And the captain will spend money like it’s nothing!

—He’ll buy you so much you’ll be stuffed, with all kinds of rare local products!

Millia was diligent and didn’t ignore the advice of her seniors.

”The specialty of Wellad City is...,” she said, going through the facts she knew about the city. ”Braised mountain goat shank served with salted lemon, smoked oysters seasoned with tarragon herbs, and trout tartare with shallots!”

Karnak rolled his eyes. ”You’re asking me to buy them, aren’t you?”

”Yes!” Millia responded with enthusiasm.

It wasn’t just Millia. Lapicel’s eyes also shone with anticipation. They sparkled bright like little lanterns.

”Alright, let’s go.” Karnak turned his horse’s head. He hesitated briefly.

Going for a nice meal was great, of course, but he couldn’t shake a slight sense of awkwardness.

What kind of image have I somehow built up?

***

The Kingdom of Ethriel, due to its geographical features, used a variety of languages. The northwest of the kingdom spoke Isola, shared with the Eustil and Atringen Kingdoms, as well as Tarum. The northeast spoke Bernadi, the language of Felmayer. The south spoke Rafon, the language of Lipaul and Altail. Additionally, the ancient language of the Seven Goddesses, Kelthin, was also in use.

Wellad City, located in the western part of Ethriel, still commonly used Isola due to its location. After finding an inn, unpacking, and leaving their horses behind, Karnak’s group headed for the restaurant Millia had recommended. Her information was impressive. Most of the dishes she suggested greatly pleased Karnak.

”Ah, this was worth the money,” he said contentedly.

The smoked oysters seasoned with herbs were especially a treat.

”This town doesn’t even have a sea, so why are smoked oysters their specialty?” Karnak wondered aloud.

Serati chuckled. ”Since they’re inland, smoked dishes are more common. If they were by the sea, they’d be eating raw oysters.”

”Ah, I see now.”

Varos was happily savoring a local spirit made from mountain herbs.

”This town’s alcohol is good too. Should we stock up on some bottles?”

But carrying too much would make their luggage harder to manage.

With a sigh, he asked, “Young master, when will you reach the ninth circle?”

”Why the sudden talk about the ninth circle?” Karnak asked, puzzled.

”Well, then you could use an extradimensional pocket,” Varos explained.

Karnak raised an eyebrow. ”Look at this rude attendant trying to turn his master into a pack mule.”

The warmth of the hearth, the delicious food shared among them, and their easy camaraderie created a pleasant atmosphere. Karnak quietly smiled.

Ah, this is nice.

These small, everyday moments reminded him anew. Sitting alone on the throne in a cold, empty palace was useless, even if he ruled the entire world.

I’m glad I gave up power.

With their bellies well and truly full, the group found that the sun was still high in the sky. There was plenty of time left before their meeting with the Ethriel King’s Order.

Varos, picking at his teeth, lazily asked, ”So, what should we do now?”

Serati, Millia, and Lapicel shouted in unison, ”Let’s go shop around the town!”

***

Wellad City was a frontier town and a bustling trade hub where all sorts of goods from the Seven Kingdoms passed through. Thanks to that, the city had an impressive collection of luxury goods, considering its size.

Though, to be precise, most of the goods were temporarily stored here before being sent to other kingdoms. Once again, Serati took full advantage of the shopping opportunities. In the process, she also took care of Karnak and Varos.

”This town even has high-quality men’s underwear. It must be from Felmayer,” she remarked, presenting the undergarments.

The two men looked at the underwear with bewildered expressions.

”Do we really need to buy that?”

”Underwear is something you just wear without much thought.”

But after trying it on, both of them changed their tune.

”Serati, I admit I was foolish.”

”Me too.”

It was unbelievable! They didn’t know that comfortable underwear could provide this level of ease!

”Why didn’t I know about this before?”

”Maybe because we didn’t need to know?”

They had always traveled together, but there had never been a need to pay attention to the things that were less visible. Later, they had even become undead, so there was even less need to care about such matters.

Karnak lamented his late realization. ”If I had known, I would’ve bought elf-made underwear when we visited the Grental territory.”

Serati shook her head. ”That would’ve been impossible. They only sold women’s underwear.”

Indeed, it was rare for a man to buy such expensive items. Of course, true royalty or nobility might, but those individuals typically had others order custom-made items, never buying them off the street. Still, Karnak and Varos were both wearing satisfied expressions.

Serati, on the other hand, felt quietly proud.

I’m glad they both liked it.

Meanwhile, Millia and Lapicel wore slightly awkward expressions.

Seeing two grown men in the middle of the street discussing the comfort of their underwear wasn’t exactly a pleasant sight for two teenage girls.

Ah, this is so embarrassing.

Yeah, it really is.

Let’s just pretend we didn’t see it.

Yeah.

At that moment, Varos glanced up at the sun.

”Anyway, it’s about time we head to the meeting place, don’t you think?”

***

In the vast square located in the center of the city, Karnak’s group stood, casually observing the passersby as they waited.

Then, a young man, around twenty years old, approached them. At first, they thought he was just another passerby. His appearance was nothing like what they had been told to expect of Sir Stahr.

However, as he came closer, he hesitantly asked, ”Excuse me, are you Baron Karnak of the Eustil Kingdom?”

”How do you know me?” Karnak asked cautiously, eyeing the young man.

He was a handsome young man with dark brown hair and green eyes. His appearance seemed somewhat delicate, but his physique was well-trained, giving him the look of a seasoned warrior.

The young man hurriedly continued speaking. ”Sir Stahr has encountered an issue, and I’ve come in his place. Here is the proof...”

He handed over a magically enchanted emblem.

Serati pulled out the token she had prepared and held it up to the one the young man had offered. A brief flash of light flickered before disappearing. It was an indication that the magical code was a match. Given the recent abundance of cultist spies, this level of security was essential. It was unmistakably from the Ethriel King’s Order.

”I’ve confirmed it.”

After returning the token to her pouch, Serati asked again, ”Is Sir Stahr alright? Is something wrong?”

”He was injured during another mission. He’ll be unable to move for a while, so I’ve come in his place,” the young man explained.

”I see.”

Given the nature of the King’s Order’s missions, this kind of thing wasn’t unusual. It didn’t matter who showed up, so there was no need to worry. However, both Karnak and Varos exchanged uneasy looks.

Who is this?

Why does he feel...

Despite never having seen his face before, there was something strangely familiar about him, yet they couldn’t place why.

Varos subtly asked, ”I don’t believe we’ve caught your name yet?”

”Oh, I haven’t introduced myself yet,” the young man stammered, his face reddening. He seemed to have a rather shy personality. ”I’m Leven Strauss from the Fifth Squad of the Ethriel King’s Order.”

At that moment, Karnak and Varos’ expressions stiffened.

Leven?

Sir Leven?

Now they understood why the young man felt familiar. That face was the younger version of Leven Strauss, the Martial King of Delphiad. It was the same man who had tormented Karnak for so long!

What is he doing here?