The connections of Serati were already known to the two of them.
"We have Mr. Alius, don't we?"
Of course, there was a reason the two had initially excluded Alius.
"Isn't the King's Order directly under the royal family?"
"Wasn't it a separate organization from the Churches of the Seven Goddesses?"
She corrected their misunderstanding.
"It's true that it's an independent organization, but it's not completely unrelated either."
No matter how much each royal family tries to independently hunt down the cultists, they cannot exclude the Churches of the Seven Goddesses. To deal with necromancers, the presence of powerful clerics is essential.
For this reason, each royal family wanted to have high-ranking clerics from the Churches of the Seven Goddesses directly under their control.
Naturally, the Churches of the Seven Goddesses were initially perplexed by this.
The authority of the Inquisition must be exercised in the name of the Great Goddess. Only those who are ordained have the right to carry out such duties.
But to grant the authority of an inquisitor to an outsider, and even attach clerics as their subordinates?
This posed several doctrinal issues.
In fact, there was significant opposition from fundamentalists.
However, reality could not be ignored.
The Churches of the Seven Goddesses were already overwhelmed by the numerous necromancy incidents plaguing the continent. If secular powers were willing to take on the cult of the Dark God, it would undoubtedly be a great help.
"There have also been cases where the Churches of the Seven Goddesses suffered greatly in incidents involving the Dark Cult."
When political issues are involved, the Churches of the Seven Goddesses, which generally maintain a distance from worldly affairs, cannot afford to waste unnecessary time.
In other words, the royal families taking the lead in these matters is something the Churches of the Seven Goddesses would also welcome.
So, a compromise was reached.
The King's Order would remain directly under the royal family, but its members would be selected through recommendations by the Churches of the Seven Goddesses. If the royal family were to appoint someone directly, they would need to be reviewed by the Churches of the Seven Goddesses.
This arrangement would prevent secular rulers from arbitrarily abusing the authority of the inquisitors, while also addressing any doctrinal concerns to some extent.
The royal families accepted these terms.
After all, they were in a position where they needed the support of clerics from the Churches of the Seven Goddesses, so they couldn't afford to be too stubborn.
"…For this reason, Mr. Alius also has the authority to make recommendations. He's a first-tier inquisitor, after all."
Listening to the explanation, Karnak suddenly found it odd.
"How does Serati know about all this?"
This isn't the kind of information you could glean from mere rumors. It's something only those deeply involved would know.
"That's because I heard it directly from Mr. Alius himself."
Serati smiled softly.
"From the beginning, Mr. Riltein and I were supposed to receive a recommendation to join the King's Order."
It turned out that the Trist City incident that Karnak's group handled was a kind of test.
Serati was an aura user, and Riltein was a sixth-circle mage, so both of them were more than capable. They had proven their skills through numerous hunts of necromancers.
"So, if we solve the issue with Bishop Shutraff, our qualifications for the King's Order will be solidly proven."
In fact, the Trist City case went beyond a simple cultist hunt. They were dealing with a figure who had taken control of an entire city, something that would normally fall under the jurisdiction of the King's Order.
"Since it involved a disgrace to the Hatoba sect, they wanted to resolve it internally. After that, they planned to recommend us to the King's Order, sending capable individuals while also providing an excuse for their overreach. Since we would be advancing to the capital to take on bigger tasks, we had no reason to oppose it."
Karnak nodded in understanding.
"I see. So you have already been given a heads-up…"
Baros asked, seemingly puzzled.
"Why didn't we hear about this earlier?"
"Well, it's a bit funny to bring this up now, but…"
Serati gave a wry smile.
"You two don't exactly look strong, you know?"
"Not strong?"
"Us?"
"I mean, on paper."
Of course, Serati knew very well how much of a monster Karnak and Baros really were. Even Alius and Riltein, who didn't know their secrets, were convinced they were far from ordinary after witnessing them in battle.
But how would you explain that to others?
On paper, Karnak was just a fourth-circle mage, and Baros was still an ordinary knight who hadn't even awakened his battle aura.
Their actual abilities were undoubtedly exceptional, but on paper, they appeared quite ordinary.
"That's why we specifically brought you both into the Trist City incident. To prove that even if your skills seem average, you're experts when it comes to dealing with necromancers."
"So the plan was to lure us in after we solved that case, huh?"
"Yes."
"Then why didn't anyone say anything?"
"Well, you didn't exactly give Mr. Alius a chance to bring it up."
Before Alius could say anything, Karnak had already declared his return to his territory.
"Right, that did happen."
Baros muttered as if he finally understood.
"No wonder he seemed so disappointed."
At the time, Baros had thought Alius's reaction was a bit excessive for just losing a capable collaborator.
"Wait a minute, so all we have to do now is go back and find Alius?"
"Yes."
Serati answered confidently.
"I'm sure he'll write you a recommendation right away."
***
With their goal set, there was no reason to hesitate. Karnak, Baros, and Serati began preparing for their journey.
But they didn't end up leaving for Derat City.
"Oh no, absolutely not!"
This was due to the strong opposition from Tafel, the old butler.
"If the lord isn't here, who will govern our territory?"
This was a situation Karnak hadn't anticipated.
"Well, why is this suddenly an issue…?"
Hadn't he been away for months, even over half a year, before?
It was quite common for provincial nobles to leave their territories in the hands of deputies and engage in politics at the capital.
In fact, it was rare for a lord to personally manage their territory all year round, except for some country bumpkin on the frontier.
Typically, they would spend a few months at the capital and a few months managing their territory. This was the usual case.
So Karnak didn't see any problem.
Until now, that is.
"Before, your life wasn't at risk!"
When he left due to the threat from Viscount Deventor, there was no choice. There simply were no other options at that time.
And when he headed to Derat City afterward, there was no real reason to oppose it. After all, it was just to study magic in the capital.
So when they later heard that Karnak was going around hunting necromancers, they were both proud and terribly worried.
But now, becoming part of the King's Order? Wasn't that like saying he would go and fight against that terrifying Dark Cult?
"Isn't that the kind of dangerous work where you could lose your life at any moment?"
"It's fine. I won't die."
"All the young people in the world say that! Do you think death cares who you are?"
"Well, that's not exactly wrong, but…"
Karnak looked at the stubborn old butler and asked irritably.
"So what exactly do you want me to do? Just stay stuck here in the territory?"
"Of course, that's not what I mean."
The loyal old butler, Tafel, who thought only of the House of Baron Jestarad, declared firmly.
"You need to get married and have an heir! Enjoying life comes after that! That is the duty of the one who continues the family line!"
***
It had been three days since Karnak decided to join the King's Order.
Yet, Karnak was still stuck in the territory.
"An heir, huh…"
He muttered absentmindedly, looking out the study window.
"Where am I supposed to find a wife right now?"
Baros, who was lounging on the sofa, shook his head.
"Even if you do find one, that's still a problem. Even if you get married right away, it'll take ten months before a child is born."
The current situation isn't one where they can afford to waste that much time.
"Man, getting caught off guard by something I didn't even consider."
Karnak sighed.
"Should I just pick a healthy girl from the villagers and ask her to have my child? As long as I have an heir, that should be enough, right?"
"You'd be okay with a wife of commoner origins?"
"I'm half-commoner myself, so why not? But thinking about my late mother, it doesn't feel like the right thing to do…"
"But you can't just keep wasting time like this, can you?"
"True. Maybe I should just pick any suitable maiden and…"
"I've heard Mary from the mill is quite nice."
"Is she pretty?"
Even in this situation, Karnak couldn't help but ask if she was pretty, proving that he was still a man after all.
Baros shrugged his shoulders.
"I wouldn't know. I haven't seen her face."
"What about any of the maids? If I tell them they could become the lord's wife, they might be willing."
"Got someone in mind?"
"No, not really. I haven't been interested in them at all. I don't even remember their faces."
Meanwhile, Serati, who was standing to the side of the study, watched their conversation with a look of exasperation.
For three days now, they had been wasting time on such pointless talk.
Suddenly, she muttered to herself.
"It's a bit strange."
Karnak turned his head.
"Hm? What is it?"
After a brief hesitation, Serati spoke quietly.
"…That you haven't mentioned me, Lord Karnak."
In fact, the most appropriate match in this situation was her.
She was bound to Karnak as his subject, so she was obligated to obey any order he gave. If he commanded her to offer her body, she would have no choice but to comply, whether she liked it or not.
Moreover, she was a beauty who wouldn't be embarrassed anywhere.
Yet, despite all the talk of choosing a maiden from the territory, Serati hadn't been mentioned even once.
Could it be because he cherished her?
Doubtful. He didn't seem like the type to be so considerate.
Was it because she was a commoner?
That didn't make sense either, since the maidens in the territory were also commoners.
'Or maybe… I'm just not that attractive?'
Of course, it wasn't that she wanted to marry Karnak, but being ignored so thoroughly left her feeling strangely conflicted.
Seeing the sullen Serati, Karnak's eyes widened.
"Oh, you?"
Then he suddenly dropped a bombshell.
"Serati, you're my subject. In that state, you can't have children."
"…What?"
"Your soul is bound to mine. So, no matter how many times you sleep with a man, you can't conceive. For a new soul to form, part of the man and woman's souls must mix to create a foundation, but that can't happen in your case."
"Wait! You made me infertile?"
Serati shouted in shock.
"You never mentioned that!"
Both Karnak and Baros looked blank.
They hadn't expected such an intense reaction.
"Is that really such a serious problem?"
"That's right. I thought it would actually be a good thing since you are always on contraception...."
"You crazy idiots!"
Serati staggered for a moment. The shocking revelation left her legs feeling weak.
'These people really can't be trusted…'
Struggling to regain her composure, she asked slowly and clearly.
"Alright, what other inconveniences come with being this cursed subject? Be honest with me."
Karnak and Baros looked at each other and hurriedly tried to come up with something.
"Uh, well..."
"There's nothing else, right?"
"Yep, that's all of it."
Of course, Serati didn't believe them.
By now, she knew well enough.
'These guys don't even know what normal life is! They can't possibly tell if something would be a problem!'
In other words, they wouldn't realize something was an issue until it was right in front of them.
At this point, she was done with putting up with their nonsense. Serati spoke curtly.
"Stop worrying about pointless things now."
"Pointless? They're not letting me leave because of this heir issue."
"Just leave a letter behind and sneak out at night. 'Don't worry, I won't die, I'll earn glory and bring honor to the family.' Something along those lines."
Karnak's eyes sparkled at the unexpectedly simple solution.
"Can I really do that? Isn't that wrong?"
Of course, it was wrong.
Any sensible person, especially a lord responsible for his family, should never do such a thing.
"I did think about it, but I wasn't sure if it was the kind of wrong thing I could get away with. I don't want to end up being blamed later."
"Are you seriously worried about that after what you've done to me?"
"Getting blamed by you doesn't matter. You're my subject anyway."
"...."
Grinding her teeth, Serati forced a smile.
"No, there's no problem. You'll just look like a fool who got carried away with youthful bravado and a desire for glory. If you come back alive, no one will think twice about it, and if you die, it won't matter whether they blame you or not."
"That makes sense!"
Karnak's eyes lit up as if he had just had a revelation.
"Pack your bags, Baros! We're leaving tonight!"
***
The next morning.
The old butler Tafel was holding a letter in his hands, wailing in despair.
"My lord!"
The letter was simple, almost painfully so.
'Don't worry, I won't die. I'll earn glory and bring honor to the family.'
This was the result of taking Serati's suggestion too literally.
'What on earth is this? I thought he had changed recently, but now he's acting just like he used to!'
There had been only one change.
'It's that woman's fault, isn't it!'
Thinking of the red-haired beauty, the old butler ground his teeth.
'That woman is corrupting our dear lord!'
[T/L: Please support me: https://ko-fi.com/revengerscans ]