Chapter 14

Chapter 14. 4. The Omen of Destruction

With the victory in the Duel Trial, the copper mine was now firmly in the hands of the Zestrad family. Karnak, who had saved the territory, was able to solidify his position as lord.

A feast was held.

Cows and pigs were slaughtered, and plenty of food and drink were offered to the serfs.

Among the lively festivities, what stood out the most was the appearance of the ‘respected new lord.’

“Varos!”

“Yes, Young Master!”

“It’s beef!”

“We also have pork! Not just sausages, but freshly slaughtered pork!”

“The fat is just dripping off!”

“And there’s even sauce on it!”

The two of them were so focused on their meal that they even shed tears of joy.

They were so genuinely moved that it left the serfs feeling a bit bewildered.

“Is it something to be so delighted about?”

“Of course, beef is a rare delicacy, but still...”

For ordinary serfs, cows and pigs were foods they could only eat on special occasions, maybe once or twice a year, and only in times of plenty.

So, they were also deeply moved by the taste of the beef and pork they hadn’t had in a long time.

But the reaction of these two was excessively intense.

“Don’t nobles eat meat regularly?”

“But they’re acting like it’s the first time in decades...”

“Come on, that can’t be true, right? They’re nobles.”

Not knowing the truth, the serfs could only think this way.

“How harsh must their training have been for them to be so pleased by such a small thing?”

“It must have been grueling. Didn’t they put their lives on the line?”

“People really are unpredictable, aren’t they?”

They all looked at the new lord, Karnak, with eyes full of respect.

The one who had once been a wastrel not only turned over a new leaf but also saved the territory and secured the future of the serfs. How could they not show him respect?

Of course, Karnak was just mindlessly chewing on his meat.

“Ah, it’s delicious. But why is everyone looking at me?”

“Maybe we’ve eaten too much? If we eat more, we might get sick.”

“We should be careful. We’re precious, after all.”

In any case, everything was going well.

He had become the master of a wealthy family and gained the respect and goodwill of the serfs. The family members who hated him had destroyed themselves.

It seemed that all the goals he had set when he turned back time and returned to the past had been achieved.

As he clinked his glass, Karnak smiled brightly.

“Now, all that’s left is to enjoy life leisurely. Heh heh heh.”

“Indeed, Young Master. Heh heh heh.”

Varos responded with a radiant smile.

* * *

Three months had passed since the Duel Trial. In the outer training grounds of the Zestrad family, a group of knights gathered to watch a sparring match unfolding before their eyes.

It was a duel between a knight in his mid-thirties and a young man who seemed to be around twenty years old.

“Be careful!”

The knight in his thirties shouted a warning as he delivered a slashing strike.

“Yes, sir!”

The young man cautiously parried the attack and launched a counterstrike.

For a while, the clashing of blades echoed continuously as they engaged in an intense bout of swordplay.

Despite his youthful appearance, the young man’s skill was impressive. He held his ground against a seasoned knight without faltering.

After a short while, the knight paused to catch his breath and sheathed his sword.

“Phew, let’s stop here for today.”

The young man also sheathed his sword and bowed his head respectfully.

“Thank you for your guidance!”

Wiping the sweat from his brow, Sir Valtun, a knight of the Zestrad family, shook his head in disbelief.

“You’ve almost reached my level now.”

When Varos, the young man before him, suddenly declared his intention to become a knight, everyone had been taken aback.

It was said that he had trained alongside Karnak, who had mastered the Delphiad Swordsmanship...

‘Just because you’ve learned exceptional swordsmanship doesn’t mean you automatically become strong.’

This family’s situation was so dire that there seemed to be no other solution.

But with the discovery of the copper mine, the financial problems had been resolved.

At the same time, there was no longer a need to roam the continent.

The entire plan had been about becoming a moderately powerful local noble, living a peaceful life without drawing too much attention or being looked down upon.

Having achieved that, what reason was there to leave the territory and go through hardships?

Adventure? The passion of youth? Curiosity about seeing the world?

He had already traveled around the world five or six times. He had seen everything there was to see, and even more than he ever wanted to.

However, that didn’t mean he planned to spend his days lazily or idling around.

Now that he owned the copper mine, it was possible that more people like the Viscount Debentor would come after him.

No, it was certain that they would.

There was no greater driving force for humans than greed.

He needed to have at least the minimal strength necessary to protect the territory.

But since he couldn’t use necromancy, he required abilities that could be displayed openly.

In the large study on the second floor of the Zestrad mansion, Karnak sat on the floor, meditating under the moonlight streaming through the windows.

“Hoo...”

Taking a deep breath, he focused his mind, gathering the surrounding energies.

The darkness of the night, the yin energy of the moonlight, and the faint traces of negative energy all converged towards him, being reprocessed.

After a moment, Karnak opened his eyes.

“Good, I’ve gathered enough.”

He raised a finger, and a small flame flickered to life at the tip.

Varos, who had been watching from the side, looked intrigued.

“Huh? It doesn’t have that typical necromancy feel to it.”

When necromancy is activated, the aura of death it emits is something that any living being, even an ordinary human, can sense as an ominous presence. Clerics, in particular, are highly sensitive to it.

However, the flame that Karnak had just conjured lacked that distinctive aura. It looked like an ordinary spell, nothing more.

“The color is red, too. It just looks like a normal fire,” Varos observed.

“Exactly,” Karnak nodded.

“This originated from necromancy, but it’s no longer necromancy.”

For Karnak, necromancy had lost its appeal as a power. He knew all too well what the end result would be, no matter how much he strengthened it.

But starting anew as a knight, wizard, or cleric was also out of the question.

“Once you learn necromancy, there’s no turning back.”

“I’m aware of that. But that applies not just to necromancy; it’s the same with other paths, too,” Varos replied.

In this world, there are four ways to transcend human limitations.

The Aura, wielded by knights, which manipulates life force.

The Mana, wielded by wizards, which manipulates natural forces.

The Divine Power, wielded by clerics, which follows the principles of light and providence.

And lastly, necromancy, or dark magic, which manipulates the powers of death and darkness.

What all these methods have in common is that they accumulate the energy of the world within the body and convert it into a unique power. In this process, the soul and body of the practitioner become optimized for the method they’ve chosen.

In other words, once you choose a path, you’re bound to it.

Can a wizard, who wields mana, also train in martial arts?

It’s certainly possible. After all, having arms and legs means one can wield a sword or spear.

But mastering Aura is impossible.

Once the soul and body are imbued with the essence of mana, no matter how hard one tries, the world’s energy will only accumulate as mana.

The same principle applies to necromancy.

Once a soul has been stained black, it can never turn white again.

“Well, to be precise, it can be bleached. The bleaching process itself is possible.”

The problem was that the memories and personality of the individual would also be bleached away in the process.

The act of converting that energy into power essentially remakes one’s soul and body anew.

This is also why Aura users, wizards, or clerics who dabble in necromancy often end up corrupted. They lose their original power and even their personality changes, transforming them into someone entirely different.

For Karnak to make a completely fresh start, he would have needed to turn back time to before he learned necromancy.

But that was an impossibility.

The nature of the time-reversal spell was inherently linked to necromancy, targeting points in time after he had already mastered the dark arts. Because of this, he could only return to moments after he had learned necromancy.

“Varos, you were able to return to a time before becoming a Death Knight because you were tied to me.”

Karnak had been aware of this issue since his days as the Necromancer King. That’s why, after returning to the past, he had prepared a method to make a fresh start.

“And this is the result.”

He waved the flame at his fingertip and grinned proudly.

“I’ve named it Chaos Power.”