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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.

‘Indeed, it makes sense.’

‘I would’ve done the same if I were them.’

This was the Lacaenia Empire, and Karnak’s group was from the Kingdom of Yustil.

Earning achievements in another nation wouldn’t benefit them much.

Had it been within the Seven Kingdoms Alliance, things might’ve been different. But the Empire was a different story.

The Lacaenia Empire and the Kingdom of Yustil had long been adversaries. The first king of Yustil had been a margrave of the Empire, a traitor.

The recent peace between the two was ironically due to the Darkness of Doom.

With the world in chaos and cultists spreading like wildfire, the Empire and the Seven Kingdoms Alliance had come to a ceasefire agreement to cease hostilities and focus on dealing with internal threats.

Even so, it was not the right time for someone from Yustil to be highly regarded for achievements within the Empire.

They wouldn’t gain status or honor, and at best, they might receive some monetary reward.

In that case, it was more advantageous to give the credit to the Temple of Saisha and make them indebted to him.

Thus, the matter was handled as usual.

The official report stated that the Temple of Saisha had led the suppression of the cultist rebellion, with Karnak’s group lending assistance as guests.

During this process, the contributions of Baros and Serati were also greatly downplayed.

However, there was one exception.

Laficel’s achievement was not concealed.

“This girl is truly amazing!”

The members of the Evil Slaying Brigade couldn’t believe their ears.

“She really defeated all these cultists?”

“At such a young age?”

The temple soldiers of Saisha fervently nodded.

They had seen firsthand how terrifyingly powerful the small girl with the ash-gray hair had been throughout the night.

“Shall we report this as is?”

At the investigator’s question, Karnak responded in a gentle tone.

“We have no issues, but we cannot ignore this child’s efforts.”

Laficel murmured, moved by the recognition.

“I was just fighting the way my unnie taught me…”

Others began to look at Karnak in a new light.

He humbly stepped back, but ensured his subordinates’ efforts were recognized. A model nobleman, indeed.

Thus, Serati asked:

[What’s your game this time?]

Baros squinted his eyes.

[It’s hard to believe the young master is such a virtuous person.]

Karnak pouted.

[You two are in sync these days.]

Of course, their suspicions were not unfounded.

[It’s because we still don’t know who Elezar truly is.]

Whether she’s a regressor or not, nothing makes sense.

[So, I’m trying to throw out more bait.]

While dealing with the Cult of the Dark God, Karnak’s biggest concern was how much information to release.

In truth, for his own safety, it would have been best to operate under a false name.

But in that case, his chances of infiltrating the cult of the Dark God would drop significantly.

It could take years to carefully navigate through the proper channels, and he didn’t have the time to waste.

Luck might bring the Seven Goddesses Church or others into direct conflict with the cult, but he wasn’t willing to gamble on their competence.

If Karnak had trusted others, he would never have left the Jestarad Territory. He would’ve just lived comfortably off the profits of the copper mine.

For this reason, he carefully leaked information about himself to the world.

He needed to draw some attention from the cult, so he revealed himself as a new mage using a new magic that controlled necromancy, the Redeemer of Necromancy.

On the other hand, Baros’s abilities were kept hidden.

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.