Death King Karnak

Chapter 5: Chapter 4: Something Feels Strange (4)

The night was deep.

But Karnak, lying in bed, couldn't fall asleep.

"Sigh..."

He gazed at the luxurious wallpaper on the ceiling of his bedroom and let out a deep sigh.

"How much did that cost? Why is something like that even on my ceiling?"

It wasn't just the wallpaper. The furniture, the bed, and even the candles were all high-quality.

It's not that he wasn't used to extravagance. When he was the Death King, he was surrounded by far more luxurious items.

However, the stark contrast between his current bedroom and the one in his memories was overwhelming.

"This wasn't my original plan..."

He no longer had any lingering attachment to the powers of the Death King. But that didn't mean he intended to live as a powerless being.

In theory, he had already devised a way to erase the side effects of necromancy and grow stronger.

He had even prepared alternative plans in case things didn't go smoothly.

No longer the rash youth he once was, he figured he could get along with his parents and siblings by placating them enough. No matter how much his family despised him, their attitude would surely change if he showered them with money.

How would he make that money?

He had that covered as well.

He had meticulously gathered all the records: when and where wars would break out in various countries, when droughts and famines would occur, and where treasures would be discovered, among other things.

He had even planned how to invest and grow his wealth using that future knowledge.

The goal was to live comfortably, without standing out, but also without being ignored—living just comfortably enough, without drawing too much attention.

"A life in a house just like this, with a status just like this."

As he looked around the mansion, now his own, and the family he had acquired, Karnak felt hollow.

"And yet, I'm already living that life?"

He hadn't done anything—he had simply returned to the past, yet his life's goal had already been achieved?

In this situation, Karnak wasn't foolish enough to happily exclaim, 'Wow, I've got an easy life now!'

"I should assess the situation first..."

Karnak grumbled as he rolled around in bed.

"Why is Baros taking so long? Could he be sleeping?"

Only after a long while did the knock he had been waiting for finally come.

"Young master, young master."

Karnak smiled brightly and called out to his servant in a low voice.

"Come in."

The door opened quietly, and Baros slipped into the room, glancing around nervously.

Karnak sat up in bed and asked, "Is everyone asleep?"

"Yes."

"Now I can finally move."

"Are you going to cast mind control on the old butler?"

"Of course. But with my current abilities, it's hard to cast it directly."

He needed a catalyst. Additionally, he would require a drug that could weaken the target's mental strength.

He had to put the old butler into a deep sleep and then perform the mind search to achieve what he intended.

"So, first we need to prepare some things. Delas petals, Jess grass, Palel sap, and Rapat weed. These are all weeds that grow in the garden, so they should be easy to find..."

Before Karnak could even finish speaking, Baros handed him a pouch.

"Here you go."

Inside the pouch were the very weeds he had requested.

"Huh? You prepared them already?"

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"I've been with you for over 100 years, young master. I know you well enough by now."

Baros shrugged his shoulders.

"I was late because I was gathering these. The garden is so well-kept that it was hard to find them."

"I see. Back in the day, we just left the garden as it was, and it was full of weeds."

But now, everything had likely been pulled out, making it harder to gather what they needed.

"If I had gone looking for them now, we would've wasted the entire night. Good job."

As Karnak stepped out of the room, he motioned with his hand.

"Let's get moving."

"What if the servants catch us?"

"I'll just say I couldn't sleep and went for a walk. From the looks of things, no one seems to care if I do as I please."

"Well, you are the lord now, after all."

"Right."

Karnak let out a small, disbelieving laugh.

"Me? A lord? Me, an illegitimate child and a scoundrel?"

***

Delas petals, Jess grass, Palel sap, and Rapat weed were placed into a bowl and crushed together. Karnak then used necromancy to set them alight.

Fwoosh!

The flames burned brightly for a moment, then died down immediately.

What remained was a thin wisp of black smoke.

The smoke moved like a living creature, drifting through the air. Karnak manipulated it with his mana.

The black smoke quietly slipped into the old butler's nostrils as he lay on the bed. His body trembled briefly before his eyes rolled back, revealing the whites.

"Good, he's completely under."

After confirming the butler's state, Karnak gave a command.

"Rise, my servant."

The power of the incantation in his voice took effect, and the old man immediately sat up in bed.

"Yes, master."

Now, the old butler was in a state where he would answer any question honestly.

'But what should I ask first?'

Karnak hesitated for a moment.

'I have too many questions, and it's hard to organize them.'

He decided to start with the one he was most curious about.

"How did my father die?"

The answer came immediately.

"Three years ago, he was killed by the blade of wicked Sir Randolph."

Karnak and Baros exchanged glances.

"Randolph? Who's that?"

"Could he be a knight of the Deventor? You know, from the neighboring territory..."

Without the full context, just hearing the conclusion didn't make much sense.

"Then what about Baroness Isabella?"

"She fell ill from the grief of losing the baron and the eldest young master. In the end, she never recovered..."

"Oh, so that's the order in which they passed away?"

Karnak continued with his questions.

"Then what happened to my older brother Thesil?"

"The eldest young master..."

Karnak bombarded the butler with question after question.

Each time, the old butler, Tafel, in his trance-like state, answered earnestly.

Thanks to this, Karnak was able to piece together the situation.

"So, until I turned 16, nothing significant happened."

The territory was on the verge of ruin, his family despised him as an illegitimate child, and people scorned him for being a troublemaker—just as in the past.

The first signs of change appeared in the year 683 of the Yustil Kingdom's calendar, four years ago from now.

His second brother, Paralt, who often went into the mountains to train in martial arts, accidentally discovered a large copper vein in a cave in the north.

"A copper vein?"

Karnak furrowed his brows.

"I don't remember ever hearing about a copper mine in our territory."

Baros shrugged.

"Maybe they didn't know about it before. It says it was found by chance."

"Even so, the whole thing sounds too convenient."

Finding a mine in one's territory is a common fantasy for most local nobles.

Of course, it rarely becomes reality.

If copper veins were that common, they wouldn't be considered such a jackpot in the first place.

So, whenever a noble family announced that they had found a mine, people usually assumed one thing:

Those guys must have found some shady way to make money and are using the mine as an excuse!

"But this time it's real?"

With this stroke of luck, the Jestarad family hurriedly began developing the mine.

It was a high-quality copper vein, and within a year, they were able to see some significant results.

Of course, they didn't develop it on their own.

Mine development requires advanced mining and civil engineering skills. You can't just dig a hole and expect copper ingots to pop out. The technology to extract and refine copper from the ore is also essential.

How could the Jestarad barony, which had only ever farmed, manage to develop a copper mine on its own in just a year?

They couldn't, of course. So, they entrusted the mining operations to Tekas Trading Company, the largest merchant guild in the Yustil Kingdom, which had the necessary technology and workforce. In return, they shared the profits with the company.

The real problem came after that.

The neighboring Deventor Viscounty, which had always tried to undermine the Jestarad family, started causing trouble.

The gist of their argument was this:

『That copper vein originally belonged to the Deventor Viscounty.

Moreover, the location of the copper mine lies in a neutral area between both families' lands.

In his generosity, the Viscount of Deventor proposed that both families develop and own the mine together. The Jestarad barony agreed to this.

But after realizing the scale of the copper vein, the barony dishonorably broke the agreement and changed their stance, falsely claiming that they discovered the vein themselves from the beginning. How can this treachery be forgiven?

We will shed blood if necessary to reclaim our rightful ownership!』

Baros snorted in disbelief.

"Wow, that's shameless. But they've always been shameless, haven't they?"

"But still..."

Karnak shook his head.

"It's not entirely baseless either."

The copper mine was located in the northern part of the territory, within the foothills of the Zeden Mountains. By location alone, it was clearly within the Jestarad territory.

However, when it comes to mountains, territorial borders aren't always clear-cut like farmland.

While cultivated land has clearly defined ownership, what about forests or mountains?

In most cases, both sides would vaguely mark them on their maps and leave it at that.

Since such land isn't particularly useful, there's rarely any need to spend money on a proper survey.

"It's true that it's near our territory, but it's also true that we hadn't touched that area yet."

If the Deventor family had discovered the copper mine first, while it might be difficult for them to claim full ownership, they would certainly have the right to demand joint management.

"If they really were the ones who found the mine first, that is."

"Do you think it's possible, young master?"

"I can't say it's impossible..."

Karnak scratched his head as he recalled memories of the past.

"But honestly, it's not very likely."

"Why not?"

"Because the Deventor family is much stronger than us."

Unlike the Jestarad barony, which had been in decline, the Deventor viscounty had been steadily building its strength since the previous generation.

In terms of both military and financial power, they far surpassed the Jestarad family.

"If they had initially agreed to jointly develop the mine, no reasonable person would have taken such a dangerous risk."

As a result, relations between the two families deteriorated rapidly.

When words fail, fists follow, and when fists fail, swords come into play—it's human nature.

Inevitably, the two families entered into a territorial war.

Several bloody battles ensued, with most resulting in defeats for the Jestarad family.

The strength of the Deventor family, which had been built up since the previous generation, was no joke.

A year later, tragedy struck when Baron Krafut, the head of the Jestarad family, was killed by Sir Randolph, the strongest knight of Deventor.

While retreating their soldiers, the heir, Thesil, was also struck down by an arrow shot by Randolph, leaving the Jestarad family without both its head and heir in a single blow.

Baroness Isabella, devastated by the loss of her husband and son, fell ill, and the second son, Paralt, became the new head of the family.

Although Paralt tried to rally the remaining forces to resist the viscounty, the tide had already turned against them.

The following year, Paralt also fell victim to the Deventor family. In another clash, he lost both his legs to Randolph.

Thanks to his rigorous training, he barely survived, but as a cripple, he could no longer serve as a knight. Crushed by the reality of his condition, he fell into a life of heavy drinking and drug use, which severely weakened his health.

Eventually, Paralt succumbed to illness, and around the same time, the ailing Baroness Isabella also passed away.

"Wow, our entire family was wiped out by this one guy, Randolph? Did we really have someone that powerful living right next to us?"

"It's not that Randolph was so strong. Our family was just too weak," Baros replied.

"So, who exactly is this Randolph?" Karnak asked.

"I can barely even remember the name..." Baros replied.

"Well, I guess being famous in some rural backwater doesn't mean much."

Karnak and Baros, who had fought against the Four Martial Kings, the Three Archmages, and the legendary Dragon Emperor, had no reason to remember some knight from a small countryside town.

Karnak moved on, brushing past it, and continued interrogating the old butler.

"And then what?"

Now, the only remaining bloodline of the Jestarad family was the illegitimate son, Karnak.

The title of heir was passed to him, with the decision made that he would officially take over as head of the family when he turned 20 and became an adult.

At that point, the Deventor family announced they would temporarily halt the war and wait until Karnak assumed his position as lord.

It was a remarkably dignified, noble response.

"Of course, that's just the pretense. In reality, they were probably just waiting for a new person to negotiate with."

The Deventor family's goal wasn't to wipe out the Jestarad family completely and take over their entire territory. All they wanted was to seize control of the copper mine and secure some war reparations.

"To do that, they needed someone to officially sign the contract."

At the time, many were opposed to the idea of Karnak, who had been a notorious troublemaker, becoming the lord.

However, by the time two years had passed and he became head of the family, it was said that everyone respected and admired him.

"They respected me? Why?"

Upon Karnak's question, the old butler suddenly teared up.

"How could anyone not respect a lord who risked his life to protect the territory?"

'What? He's tearing up while under mind control? How sincere is this guy?'

Karnak was about to move on to the next question, completely bewildered, when something caught his attention.

"Wait, risked my life?"

Karnak's expression hardened.

"What do you mean by that? Why would I risk my life?"

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