[Chapter 6]
The next morning.
Karnak was lying on the office sofa, recalling this morning.
"Ah, that was delicious."
Soft omelet, fragrant white bread spread with sweet jam, savory sausage, and well-roasted carrots.
It was indeed nice to be wealthy.
To think that he could eat such luxurious food in the morning?
"I originally thought that even after returning, I'd have to settle for rough meals for a while."
While he was rolling around on the office sofa, he heard a knock.
"It's Varos, young master."
"Come in."
A sturdy young man with blonde hair entered the office. Karnak, still lying down, spoke.
"Are you going to keep calling me 'young master'? I'm a lord now. Won't it look suspicious?"
"It should be fine. It seems I often make this kind of mistake anyway."
From what Karnak heard, Varos had been scolded by the old butler so many times for not breaking the habit that he had half given up on it.
"It'll probably look more natural this way."
"Then it's fine. Did you have breakfast?"
"Yes, I did. It was quite good."
"Are they giving the servants good food too?"
"Yes, it seems we really have become rich."
Varos looked at the documents on the office desk. With a puzzled expression, he asked.
"But young master, is it okay for you to just be lounging around like this? Now that you're the head of the family, I've heard there's a lot more work to do?"
"That stuff?"
Karnak shrugged as he glanced at the reports on estate management.
"I finished all that earlier."
"Already?"
"Do you really think I'd be struggling with something like that at this point?"
For a 20-year-old who had just become the head of the family, the workload would typically require all morning, but for the Death King who once conquered the world, it was hardly a task.
"I finished it while having dessert after breakfast."
"Whoa! Dessert! Lucky you! I didn't get any of that!"
Watching his servant focus on the wrong point, Karnak smiled wryly.
"Is dessert really the issue here?"
"It is! I gave up all wealth and glory for that!"
"Well, that's true. I'll sneak you some later. But there's a more important issue right now."
"Ah, right."
Varos adjusted his expression and sat down across from Karnak. With a serious look, he asked,
"So, what will you do now? About the duel trial?"
* * *
When Karnak officially became the head of the family, the Deventor Viscounty also started to make moves again.
The Zestrad Barony, sensing the situation, grew tense.
Honestly, the barony had no way to counter Deventor with their current forces.
Of the nine knights they originally had, only five remained, and of those, two were recuperating from injuries. The condition of their hundred or so territorial soldiers wasn't good either.
The only way to survive was to hand over the copper mine and pay a large war indemnity.
However, doing so would not only mean losing all the wealth they had painstakingly gained, but they would also become even poorer than before.
The commoners would start dying of starvation in droves.
Caught in a situation where neither option was viable, the one who saved the family was the new lord, Karnak.
In front of everyone, he boldly declared:
"In the name of Alium, the Goddess of the Moon and Justice, I will request a duel trial against the Deventor Viscounty!"
According to the doctrine of the Moon's Church, a duel fought in the name of Alium would result in victory for the righteous.
This teaching gave rise to the system known as the duel trial.
Under the supervision of an Alium priest, the duel would be fought fairly to determine right and wrong.
At first glance, it seemed like a crude method where the stronger side took everything, but that wasn't entirely the case.
First, both parties had to agree to the duel for it to proceed. Moreover, if there was an obvious difference in power, penalties could be imposed, and it was also possible to appoint a champion to fight in one's stead.
"Of course, that's just how it's supposed to work in theory, but in reality, it's just a way for the stronger side to take everything…"
Varos shook his head.
"Is he out of his mind? What on earth was he thinking when he did that?"
This was something Karnak should never have suggested.
There was a blatant difference in power, and there was no champion to send in his place. Besides, Karnak, at 20 years old, wasn't some extraordinary warrior. Even if the opponent had suggested it, he should have strongly opposed it.
"But to go ahead and dig his own grave…"
The sacred duel trial's verdict could only be reached through the death of one side.
Once the duel was established, there was no such thing as surrender.
If Karnak tried to avoid the duel now and acknowledged defeat, the Alium Church would take his head.
Karnak slumped his shoulders.
"At least now I know why the old butler and the other commoners' attitudes towards me have changed so much."
In fact, from the perspective of the Zestrad family, it wasn't necessarily a bad condition.
If the territorial war continued as it was, they would lose the copper mine and have to pay a large war indemnity.
But if they managed to steer it towards a duel trial?
There was, of course, no chance of winning. However, even in the case of defeat, they would only need to hand over the mine that was the cause of the duel, and that would be the end of it.
Once the verdict was reached in Alium's name, all grudges would be settled, meaning they wouldn't have to pay the hefty compensation. At the very least, they could avoid the people starving.
"I honestly can't understand why the Deventor Viscount accepted this duel. If he just fought a regular battle, he could have extorted a huge sum as compensation."
"He has to care about his reputation. Oppressing the weak too much doesn't look good, does it? It could start rumors among the other nobles."
After all, the Deventor family wasn't exactly impoverished.
"If they can neatly take the copper mine through a duel trial, it's worth giving up the compensation. It's not a bad deal for them either."
Thus, the duel trial was set between Sir Randolph, the strongest knight of Deventor, and Karnak, the new lord of Zestrad.
Who wouldn't respect the young lord who was risking his life for them?
"Damn it, no wonder everyone's eyes were sparkling when they looked at me…"
As Karnak ground his teeth, Varos posed a question.
"So, why did you personally step forward? You could have at least appointed a champion."
"Hey! Did I step forward? It was this damn 20-year-old brat Karnak who stepped forward!"
Karnak flared up but quickly calmed himself, trying to control his agitation. Then he subtly asked,
"By the way, Varos, couldn't you be the champion?"
Of course, Varos was no longer a Death Knight. He was merely a frail human now, and not even one with a properly trained body.
"But even so, you should be able to handle a local knight like this, right?"
"Ah, so that's why you called me, huh?"
Varos scratched his head and shook it.
"I think it might be too much right now."
"Huh? Why? With your experience, you can't even manage that?"
He had fought alongside Karnak for nearly a hundred years. Even though he had returned to a frail human body, his accumulated experience was immense.
"You were the second-in-command of Necropia! You took down three of the Four Great Martial Kings!"
"That was all thanks to the power you bestowed upon me, young master."
"But you were the one who wielded that power, right?"
"Well, you see, it's a common misconception among people who haven't properly trained in martial arts…"
Varos gave a bitter smile.
"Even if your body changes, can you still overpower a third-rate knight just because you have a wealth of experience? There's a bit of a misconception there."
No matter how exceptional your swordsmanship is, you can't use it if you have no arms. No matter how skilled you are in footwork, it's useless if you're paralyzed.
This concept extends further.
At the very least, you need a body capable of executing the experience you've accumulated. That's the minimum requirement.
"Don't you remember how I tried to stop you in Darha Village, young master? It wasn't just for show—if a fight had broken out then, I really wouldn't have been able to handle it alone."
Varos explained that even a child's body with basic martial training would be better than his current untrained, oversized body.
"Of course, even in my current state, I could probably beat a child, but using my accumulated experience is a different story."
Karnak frowned.
"Ugh, shouldn't someone with over 100 years of combat experience be stronger than this?"
"It's precisely because I've fought for over 100 years that I know my limits. Of course, if I start training, I'll progress faster than others. I won't have to deal with trial and error."
Varos paused, calculating something before continuing.
"Maybe six months? If I train seriously for about that long, I could probably handle an average knight."
For a mere servant who hadn't even held a sword properly to surpass a regular knight in just six months? It was an absurd claim that would make him seem not just arrogant, but insane.
Experience, after all, was an invaluable asset.
The problem was…
"The duel trial is in a month. We don't have time."
"Well, then there's nothing we can do."
"Damn it…"
Varos asked curiously.
"This isn't like you, young master. Even if I was just a mere servant at the time, there were other knights you could have put forward. But you decided to risk your own life? You weren't the type to be so self-sacrificing."
Karnak paid no attention to the lack of reverence in his servant's tone. After all, he'd been listening to Varos talk like this for over a hundred years.
Instead, he responded seriously.
"After hearing the story, I think I understand how it came to this."
There were no knights left in the current Zestrad Barony capable of standing as a champion.
"The strongest knight in the family was Paralt, but he's dead, isn't he?"
At this point, the chances of the remaining knights defeating Sir Randolph were practically zero.
"It would be pointless to put forward a champion who can't win."
The Duel Trial was held in the name of the Goddess, so the defeat of the champion was also considered the defeat of the duelist.
In other words, if the champion lost, Karnak would also have to commit s*****e.
"Either way, it would end the same, so it seems that the me of this time found a method on my own."
It was said that about two months ago, Karnak suddenly spoke these words.
"I have something in mind. Trust me and wait a little longer."
Then, without providing any reason, he abruptly left on a journey and only returned yesterday.
"Now, isn't it obvious what someone like me would have thought of?"
Varos smirked.
It really was obvious.
His master had done similar things in the past as well.
"Necromancy, huh."
***
What kind of nerve did Karnak of this period have to do such a crazy thing?
This was not something that could be found out by searching through the old butler's memories. Even at that time, he kept necromancy thoroughly secret and didn't say anything about it.
"Still, I can make some guesses."
Karnak had discovered necromancy books because of his long-standing habit.
From a young age, whenever something difficult happened, he would escape to the old warehouse of his family. Rummaging through the dark, empty place brought him a sense of mental stability.
"Come to think of it, I was quite a gloomy kid, wasn't I?"
"You were still a gloomy adult even when you were older, so what's so surprising?"
"Wasn't it not that bad?"
"Does a sociable adult kill people with a mere touch of their finger when they're nothing but bones?"
"Shut up…"
The Karnak of this period likely followed a similar path.
As the pressure of being a lord mounted, he probably retreated to the warehouse in a feeling of escape, where he found the necromancy book.
If he had learned necromancy near the estate, he would have been caught right away, so he must have traveled far to Darha Village.
The reason for choosing Darha Village was also clear.
The location had to be far enough from the estate and deep enough in a secluded area, yet accessible enough to procure supplies—places like that were not exactly common.
"The situation might be a bit different, but it's still me at 20 years old. Naturally, I would have come to a similar conclusion."
The only difference was that in his previous life, he had secretly run away with only Varos to learn necromancy, while now he had openly declared his departure.
"Now it's starting to make sense."
Varos nodded.
"I was wondering why the young master, who lacks for nothing, would bother learning necromancy…"
Then he suddenly asked, "But can you really defeat a regular knight with just three months of necromancy training?"
The opponent was Sir Randolph, the strongest knight in the Deventor estate.
Of course, compared to the renowned knights of the kingdom's central forces, he might fall short, but he was still at a level that ordinary people wouldn't dare to challenge.
"No matter how much of a game-changing forbidden art necromancy is, three months seems too short."
Karnak looked at Varos with a baffled expression.
"Hey, of all people, how could you say that?"
"What did I say?"
"You've watched me all this time, haven't you?"
"That was a hundred years ago! I barely remember the young master with flesh still on his bones."
"F-Flesh, you say…"
Karnak grimaced, feeling as if he'd suddenly been reduced to a dog treat. But, well, it wasn't wrong…
"Honestly, I can win."
He shifted the topic.
"Necromancy is the ultimate forbidden art, right? Even showing the slightest trace of it would make all the churches on the continent come after you with full force. Despite the enormous risk, why do necromancers still emerge?"
Necromancy allowed one to become powerful with shocking ease.
In a short time, without effort, even without talent.
"If someone like me—or anyone else—was determined to master it, they'd have more than a fair chance."
Varos tilted his head.
"Then what's the problem? You're saying there's a way to win?"
"Yes, there is a way to win."
Karnak sighed deeply.
He was a necromancer, not a mage. This meant he only knew necromancy.
"There's no way to avoid getting caught."