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Yet, even as Karnak lay in bed, sleep eluded him.

“Sigh…”

He gazed at the ornate ceiling of his bedroom, covered with luxurious wallpaper, and let out a sigh.

“How much did that cost? And why is something like that on the ceiling of my room?”

It wasn’t just the wallpaper. The furniture, the bed, even the candles were all high-end.

It wasn’t that he couldn’t adjust to the opulence—after all, when he was the King of the Dead, he had been surrounded by far more extravagant things.

But the difference from the bedroom he remembered was too stark.

“This wasn’t part of my plan…”

Karnak no longer had any attachment to the powers of the Necromancer King. That didn’t mean he planned to live as a powerless fool, either.

Theoretically, he had already figured out a way to erase the side effects of necromancy while growing stronger.

He had also prepared backup plans in case things didn’t go well.

He wasn’t the impulsive youth he once was. He intended to get along with his parents and siblings, appeasing them as needed. No matter how much his family had despised him, they would surely change their attitude if he handed them enough money.

And how would he earn that money?

He had that covered, too.

He had gathered all sorts of historical records, compiling information about when and where wars would break out, when droughts and famines would occur, where treasures would be discovered, and so on.

He had plans for how to invest and grow his wealth using that future knowledge.

The goal was to live a life that wasn’t too flashy but not ignored either—comfortably well-off and secure.

“A life with just the right house, just the right status.”

As Karnak surveyed the estate and family that had become his, he felt a sense of futility.

“But I’m already living that life?”

He had done nothing except return to the past, and yet his life goals seemed to have already been achieved.

He wasn’t foolish enough to naively think, ‘Wow, life really is easy!’ and be content with it.

“I need to figure out what’s going on…”

Karnak grumbled, rolling around on the bed.

“Why is that idiot Varos taking so long? Don’t tell me he’s asleep?”

It was only much later that he finally heard the knock he had been waiting for.

“Young Master, Young Master.”

Karnak, brightening up, lowered his voice and called out to his servant.

“Come in.”

The door quietly opened, and Varos slipped into the room, glancing around cautiously.

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

“Yes.”

“Good, now we can finally move.”

“Are you going to cast a mental search on the old butler?”

“That’s right. But with my current abilities, it’s difficult to cast a mental search directly.”

A catalyst was needed. Additionally, there were drugs required to weaken the target’s mental resistance.

Only by putting the target into a deep sleep and conducting the search during sleep would the desired results be achieved.

“So, there’s something we need to prepare first. Delas petals, Jesscho, Palrel extract, and Lapat grass. They’re all common weeds that grow in the garden, so they should be easy to find…”

Before Karnak could finish speaking, Varos handed him a pouch.

“Here you go.”

Inside the pouch were the weeds Karnak had requested.

“What? Did you prepare these in advance?”

“I’ve been with you for over 100 years, Young Master. I’ve picked up on things like this by now.”

Varos shrugged his shoulders.

“I was late because I was gathering these. The garden is so well-maintained now that they were hard to find.”

“That’s true. The garden used to be overrun with weeds, but not anymore, I suppose.”

But now that all the weeds had been pulled, it must have been difficult to find what was needed.

“If we had gone searching for them now, we would have wasted the entire night. Good job.”

Karnak gestured as he walked out of the room.

“Let’s get moving.”

“What if the servants catch us?”

“We’ll just say we couldn’t sleep and went for a walk. From what I can tell, there doesn’t seem to be anyone who would dare question me for doing as I please.”

“True, you’re the lord now.”

“Yeah.”

Karnak let out a wry laugh, as if he found it absurd.

“Me, the lord? The bastard child who was always treated as a burden?”

* * *

Delas petals, Jesscho, Palrel extract, and Lapat grass were placed into a bowl, then crushed and mixed together. Using necromancy, Karnak ignited the mixture.

Whoosh!

The flames flared up briefly before dying out.

All that remained was a long trail of black smoke.

The smoke moved as if it were alive, drifting through the air. Karnak manipulated it using his magic.

The black smoke slithered into the nostrils of the old man lying on the bed. His body trembled for a moment, then the old butler rolled his eyes back, revealing the whites.

“Good, he’s completely under.”

After confirming the butler’s condition, Karnak gave an order.

“Rise, my servant.”

The command in his voice held power, and the old man immediately sat up in bed.

“Yes, Master.”

The old butler was now in a state where he would answer any question truthfully.

‘But what should I ask first?’

Karnak hesitated for a moment.

‘There’s too much to ask, I can’t even organize my thoughts.’

He decided to confirm what he was most curious about first.

“How did my father die?”

The answer came immediately.

“Three years ago, he was killed by the treacherous blade of Sir Randolph.”

Karnak and Varos exchanged glances.

“Randolph? Who is that?”

“Isn’t he a knight of Deventor? You know, from the neighboring territory…”

Just hearing the conclusion without the context made it hard to understand.

“Then what about Baroness Isabella?”

“She fell ill from the grief of losing the Baron and the eldest young master. Eventually, she never recovered and…”

“Ah, so that’s the order they died in?”

Karnak continued his questioning.

“Then what happened to my brother, Tesil?”

“The eldest young master…”

* * *

Karnak fired off question after question.

Each time, the old butler, Tafel, answered diligently, though he was in a daze.

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

“At least until I turned sixteen, nothing significant happened.”

The fact that the territory was on the brink of collapse, that Karnak, as an illegitimate child, was despised by his family, and that he, as a wastrel, was scorned by the people—all of that remained the same.

The change occurred in the year 683 of the Kingdom of Ustil, four years ago.

While his second brother, Paralt, was climbing the mountains for martial training as usual, he happened to discover a large copper vein in a cave to the north.

“A copper vein?”

Karnak frowned.

“I don’t recall ever hearing about a copper mine in our territory.”

Varos shrugged.

“Maybe it just wasn’t known before. They say it was discovered by chance.”

“Even so, it sounds too contrived.”

The discovery of a mine in a territory is one of the common fantasies that all local nobles dream of.

Of course, it rarely becomes a reality.

If copper veins were that common, they wouldn’t be such a big deal in the first place.

So, when a noble family announces they’ve found a mine, people usually think something like this:

“Those guys must have made money through some shady means and are just using the mine as a cover!”

“But this time, it’s real?”

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

It was said to be a copper vein of very high quality, so they were able to see some results within just a year.

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

Mining development is a business that requires advanced excavation and civil engineering skills. You don’t just dig into the ground and expect copper ingots to pop out. You also need the technology to separate and refine the copper from the ore.

Would the Zestrad Barony, which had only ever engaged in farming, really be able to develop a copper mine on its own in just a year?

Of course not.

So, they handed over the mining operations to the Tekas Merchant Guild, the largest trading company in the Kingdom of Ustil, which had the necessary technology and manpower. They managed the mine through a profit-sharing arrangement.

The problem arose afterward.

The neighboring territory, the Deventor Viscountcy, which had always kept the Zestrad family in check, raised an issue.

The claim, roughly summarized, was this:

*”Originally, that copper vein was discovered by the Deventor Viscountcy. Moreover, the location of the copper mine lies in a neutral area bordering both territories. However, the generous Viscount of Deventor proposed that both families jointly develop and share ownership of the mine. The Zestrad Barony initially accepted this proposal. But once the Barony realized the scale of the copper vein, they cowardly broke the agreement and changed their stance. They are now falsely claiming that they discovered the mine from the start, distorting the truth. How can we forgive such treachery? We will reclaim our rights, even if it means shedding blood!”*

Varos scoffed, shaking his head in disbelief.

“Wow, that’s brazen. Then again, they’ve always been shameless.”

“But, you know…” Karnak shook his head.

“It’s not entirely baseless.”

The copper mine was located to the north of the territory, in a branch of the Zeden Mountain Range. Based on its location, it clearly fell within the Zestrad territory.

However, the boundaries of a territory, especially one involving mountains, aren’t always clearly defined like drawing a line on a map.

While the ownership of cultivated farmland is well-established, what about forests and mountains?

Usually, they’re just vaguely marked on maps, with no one bothering to spend money on surveying them, as they’re considered useless land.

“Sure, it’s near our territory, but it’s also true that we never actually worked that land.”

If the Deventor family had indeed discovered the copper mine first, while they might not be able to claim full ownership, they would certainly have a strong case for joint management.

“If they really did find the mine first, that is.”

“Do you think it’s possible, Young Master?”

“I can’t say it’s impossible…”

Karnak scratched his head, trying to recall his memories.

“Honestly, it’s not very likely.”

“Why not?”

“Because Deventor is much stronger than we are.”

Unlike the Zestrad Barony, which was on the brink of ruin, the Deventor Viscountcy had been steadily building its strength since the previous generation.

In both military and financial power, they far surpassed the Barony.

“If they had planned to develop it jointly from the start, no sane person would take such a dangerous gamble, right?”

As a result, the relationship between the two families deteriorated sharply.

When words failed, fists flew, and when fists failed, swords clashed—such was the way of the world.

Inevitably, the two families engaged in a territorial war.

There were numerous bloody battles, and most of them ended in defeat for the Zestrad family.

The strength of the Deventor family, which had been steadily growing its power since the previous generation, was no joke.

A year later, a catastrophe occurred when the head of the family, Baron Krafut, was killed by Deventor’s strongest knight, Sir Randolph.

While the soldiers were retreating, the heir, Lord Tesil, was also killed by an arrow shot by Randolph. The Zestrad Barony thus lost both its head and its heir in one fell swoop.

Baroness Isabella, who lost her beloved husband and son, fell gravely ill, and the second son, Lord Paralt, became the head of the family.

Though Paralt tried to gather the remaining forces to resist the Viscountcy, the tide had already turned irreversibly.

The following year, he too became a victim of the Deventor Viscountcy. In another clash, he lost both his legs to Randolph.

Thanks to his regular training, he barely survived, but he was left crippled and could no longer serve as a knight. Overcome by the shock of becoming disabled, he succumbed to alcohol and drugs, which severely deteriorated his health.

Eventually, Paralt died from his illness, and around the same time, the ailing Baroness Isabella passed away as well.

“Wow, this Randolph guy really wiped out our entire family, didn’t he? Was there such a powerful figure in the neighboring territory?”

“It’s not that Randolph was exceptionally strong; it’s just that our family was too weak.”

“Seriously, who is this Randolph?”

“I only barely remember the name myself…”

“Well, it’s not like making a name for yourself in a rural backwater like this matters much.”

How could Karnak and Varos, who had fought the Four Great Martial Kings, the Three Archmages, and the legendary Dragon Emperor, possibly remember some local knight from a remote area?

Brushing off the matter, Karnak continued to interrogate the old butler.

“So, what happened next?”

Now, Karnak, the illegitimate son, was the only surviving member of the barony’s bloodline.

The title of heir was passed down to him, with the decision made that he would officially become the head of the family upon reaching adulthood at the age of twenty.

In response, the Deventor family declared a temporary ceasefire, announcing that they would wait until Karnak became the lord.

It was indeed a noble and dignified move worthy of an aristocrat.

“Of course, that was just the pretext. In reality, they were probably just waiting for a suitable party to strike a deal with.”

The Deventor family’s goal wasn’t to completely annihilate the Zestrad Barony and seize the entire territory. They only wanted to take control of the copper mine and collect war reparations.

“For that, they’d need someone to officially sign the contract.”

At the time, there was a lot of opposition to the idea of Karnak, who was then still a wastrel, becoming the lord.

However, as two years passed and he eventually became the head of the family, everyone reportedly came to respect and acknowledge him.

“They respected me? Why?”

When Karnak asked this, the old butler suddenly teared up.

“Who wouldn’t respect a lord willing to risk his life to protect the territory?”

‘Seriously? He’s tearing up even while under mental control? Just how sincere is he?’

Karnak was about to move on to the next question, finding the situation rather absurd.

“Wait, risk my life?”

Karnak’s expression hardened.

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