Chapter 134

Chapter 134

The captured cultists, including Hudel, Lehane, and Sephedes, were all handed over to the Evil Slaying Brigade.

During that time, of course, their heads were subtly manipulated with needles imbued with chaos power.

Thanks to this, even though they had spilled all the information, they had no recollection of it whatsoever.

As they were handing over the cultists, Karnak spoke meaningfully to Leocolt.

“There was something I couldn’t ignore when I interrogated them.”

He had also conducted an interrogation for appearances’ sake, aside from the memory manipulation with needles. It had to look natural to the outside world.

He slyly conveyed the information obtained from that interrogation.

“They said that even the Emperor cannot act recklessly towards the one they serve.”

“Even His Majesty the Emperor cannot act recklessly...?”

Leocolt asked with a serious expression.

“Are they referring to the dark god, Tesranak?”

Karnak shook his head.

“When asked who they were working for, they refused to answer and said something along those lines. Given that it’s not something to be taken lightly, I felt it necessary to bring it to your attention.”

This implied that someone high-ranking in the Empire was involved with the cult of the Dark God.

Someone so high-ranking that even the emperor himself could not act recklessly against them.

“How many people in the Empire hold such a high position?”

“Not many.”

The names of several of the Empire’s top executives flashed through Leocolt’s mind.

None of them were people you could easily accuse of being cultists.

Watching this, Karnak chuckled inwardly.

‘Elezar’s name is surely among them, isn’t it?’

The truth was, Hudel had never made such a statement. Karnak had made it all up.

But who would know? Who would believe the words of a cultist?

Moreover, it wasn’t entirely fabricated. Elezar was indeed one of the leaders of the cult.

No matter how much Hudel denied it, there was no way to hide the dirt once you started digging.

“I may be overly cautious, but if what they said is true and someone so high-ranking is involved...”

Karnak added with a meaningful expression.

“You should be especially careful with the cultists you’ve captured. They may have powerful connections, enough to influence the Evil Slaying Brigade.”

It was already common knowledge in the Empire that necromancers were experts in “forced suicide.”

Leocolt, seeing the wisdom in his words, expressed his gratitude sincerely.

“Thank you. I will keep that in mind.”

Once Leocolt left, Karnak turned to Baros with a smile.

“They should be able to figure things out on their own now.”

“And if they don’t?”

“Then we’ll just get another chance. There are plenty of cultists out there; what’s the worry?”

***

The cultist rebellion in the County of Grenthal.

Without a doubt, the heroes of this incident were Karnak and his group.

Of course, the efforts of the clerics of Saisha and the temple soldiers could not be disregarded. But without Karnak’s group, there wouldn’t have been such a favorable outcome.

Nevertheless, as usual, Karnak attributed all the credit to the Temple of Saisha.

“Even though Hudel was a cultist, he was still a noble of the Empire. It wouldn’t look good for foreigners like us to claim that we handled the situation.”

Alius didn’t object either.

“After all, our goal was to gather information on the cultists’ influence within the Kingdom of Yustil. Since we achieved that, we are satisfied just to have been able to assist the clerics of Saisha.”

The Evil Slaying Brigade praised their modesty.

“How admirable.”

“To achieve so much and yet not seek credit.”

But even they understood internally.

He was introduced only as Karnak’s adjutant, a standard red-class aura user at best.

He was purposely made to appear on par with Serati.

How would the Cult of the Dark God perceive this?

Karnak would definitely catch their attention for his unique magic, similar to their own dark arts.

Meanwhile, Baros and Serati would seem unremarkable.

If they still paid attention to Baros, it would be evidence that the enemy had knowledge of the future.

[That’s been the plan all along, but Elezar might only know Laficel and not us.]

He needed to confirm just how Elezar knew Laficel.

It seemed like Elezar recognized her as the future Martial King, but in that case, not knowing Karnak or Baros didn’t make sense.

[That’s why I’m letting Laficel stand out, to observe the reaction.]

Serati nodded in understanding.

[So, you’re using Laficel as bait.]

[That’s right.]

She glanced at Laficel with sympathy.

[...It’s too late to stop you now.]

Karnak and Baros clicked their tongues.

[You don’t need to worry about her.]

[Her soul is the Martial King. Do you remember how strong she was even when not in her right mind?]

Serati looked at them in disbelief.

[Regardless of her future, she’s still just a child. Adults don’t need a reason to worry about children.]

Both men blinked, puzzled.

[Is that how it is?]

They still didn’t fully understand her point.

But they had a nagging feeling that not understanding this was part of why they had struggled to live normal lives.

[This is complicated.]

***

After wrapping up their business, Karnak’s group left the County of Grenthal and returned to the Kingdom of Yustil.

Even after their return, there were still matters to attend to.

First, they presented a fine gift to the King’s Order.

“Here’s a list of cultists active within the Kingdom of Yustil.”

They handed the list to Commander Erantel, saying it was a list of those suspected of being cultists.

“There’s no guarantee Hudel was telling the truth, of course.”

In fact, Hudel hadn’t lied. The list was accurate from his perspective.

But if Karnak revealed the truth, they’d just ask how he could be so sure, and it would be a hassle to fabricate more lies.

So, he gave a vague explanation.

“We interrogated him, and that’s what he confessed.”

Whether it was true or not, Karnak would leave for the Commander to figure out.

What followed was Erantel and the King’s Order’s problem to deal with.

Of course, Karnak’s 7th Battalion would also be gathering intelligence here and there.

“But I will have to stay in the capital for a while. Will that be a problem?”

“If you wish to take a break from your duties, that’s not an issue.”

The information they had extracted from Hudel alone was a greater accomplishment than what the rest of the King’s Order had achieved.

No one would complain if Karnak was given some leeway.

“But why stay in the capital? Do you have other matters to attend to?”

Karnak glanced out the office window.

“There’s someone who’s looking for me. I need to spend some time with them.”

In the distance, beyond the streets of Drunta, a tall, azure tower gleamed.

It was the tower of Deltros, the court mage of the Yustil Kingdom and a master of the 9th Circle of magic.