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Thea Crahan was truly the city of the emperor.

Among the countless buildings stretching to the horizon, narrow alleys sprawled in a complex web like the capillaries of a giant.

But it was a different story on the main roads. The meticulously standardized, perfectly straight roads divided the city into districts, resembling a grid, serving as the veins of the imperial capital, transporting the countless citizens.

The sheer scale wasn’t the only remarkable thing. The grandeur overwhelmed other cities as well.

In other places, massive towers and mansions that would easily serve as symbols of the city were just ordinary buildings here.

At every step, sky-piercing towers lined up, and mansions, shining like works of art, adorned the city.

To the east of this metropolis stood a single tower.

Compared to the lavish imperial palace or the mansions of the nobility, this white tower was uncharacteristically neat, almost plain.

However, no one, not even the emperor, could dare ignore the owner of this tower.

This was the magic tower of Elezar de Reflacion, one of the three Archmages and the most powerful mage of the empire.

***

A reception room located inside the tower, with elaborate paintings of all kinds of wild birds.

A beautiful woman with brown skin and elegantly tied golden hair sat lazily on a sofa with a relaxed expression.

“How did it go, Hudel?”

A blond youth in his twenties respectfully made his report in front of her.

“We’ve identified suspicious individuals, Lady Elezar.”

“Hmmm…”

Elezar glanced over the documents Hudel had presented.

The papers depicted portraits of a gaunt man in his mid-40s and a swordsman of a similar age.

Jiken Esperode, a 7-circle mage and captain of the 1st battalion of the King’s Order of the Kingdom of Yustil.

Trib Larkins, a blue aura user and vice-captain of the same battalion.

She asked while looking over the papers.

“Why did you suspect them?”

“Because they are the ones who defeated the cursed sword we prepared, Lady Elezar.”

More precisely, they had left behind a significant amount of evil energy and aura of malice during the process.

The King’s Order likely believed it to be traces left by the cursed sword, but Hudel knew better, as he was responsible for the incident.

“We know for sure it wasn’t us.”

There had been a battle, and traces of evil energy and aura of malice were left behind that didn’t belong to the cursed sword.

In that case, those traces could only have come from whoever opposed the cursed sword, right?

Moreover, according to the stolen report from the King’s Order, there had been no one else around when they dealt with the cursed sword.

“It appears they acted in a manner consistent with secretly using necromancy.”

Another reason for suspicion was that these individuals were powerful mages and aura users.

Despite the presence of necromantic elements, they still wielded magic and battle aura. Almost like the Dark God’s cult.

It fit perfectly with what Elezar had requested: incidents that seemed like their doing but weren’t.

“Further investigation is needed, but they’re certainly not unrelated.”

“I see.”

Elezar flipped through the documents with a dispassionate expression.

Hudel had done quite a satisfactory job, but he still hadn’t brought the answer she truly wanted.

Were these really the ones who had trespassed into the sanctuary?

‘It doesn’t quite feel that way, though…’

Nevertheless, the discovery of a clue was a good thing.

“What are you planning to do now?”

“They are quite prominent figures. It’s too risky to act recklessly. I plan to investigate further for the time being.”

“I’ll leave it to you.”

“Yes, Lady Elezar.”

She continued to flip through the documents.

Hudel, observing her, suddenly remembered something.

“The power of the cursed sword granted by the main temple was truly astonishing.”

“Hm?”

“With just that one sword, we were able to deliver the righteous teachings of the true god to hundreds of heretics. It was nothing like the cursed swords I’ve known before.”

Elezar’s face went blank.

The “righteous teachings of the true god” spoken of by the Dark God’s cult ultimately meant death.

‘…It killed hundreds of people?’

She flipped past the earlier part of the report to the section detailing the cursed sword’s activities in the Kingdom of Yustil.

Moments later, her expression hardened.

‘Oh my, it’s true.’

The cursed sword given to Hudel by the cult was indeed a fine artifact. It was unusually powerful, even for a cursed sword.

For a cursed sword, that is.

It was never something capable of shaking the world on such a scale.

‘This is strange. A cursed sword this powerful shouldn’t exist.’

Puzzled, Elezar asked,

“How exactly did you use this cursed sword?”

Hudel stammered at the unexpected question.

“W-Well, just in the usual way.”

The sword was the important part, not the host. So he had simply kidnapped an orphaned girl, handed her the cursed sword, and released her into the world. That was all.

“Was there something special about the soul imbued in the sword?”

“I couldn’t tell, with my limited insight…”

After pondering for a moment, Elezar gave a firm order.

“Retrieve it. Bring it back.”

Hudel looked troubled.

“The evil spirit in the sword is already gone. I don’t think we’ll be able to find anything at this point.”

But she was resolute.

“Retrieve it anyway. I have a bad feeling about this.”

***

After returning to Drunta, Karnak assigned the King’s Order Intelligence Division to investigate the dark cardinal Hudel.

The world is vast, and there are many people, so finding someone with just a few pieces of information is close to impossible. However, if you have a good grasp of their appearance and origin, the difficulty is significantly reduced.

Two weeks later, Karnak received the information he had been waiting for.

“Hudel Grenthal, a noble of the Lacaenia Empire. Male. Age: 28. He is the head of the Grenthal Count family, located near the western border of the Kingdom of Yustil…”

As Karnak continued reading the document, a look of interest appeared on his face.

“This guy’s quite something.”

Originally, Hudel was never meant to become the family head.

He had three older brothers, and although his father, the former family head, was in his 60s, he was still relatively healthy.

The unexpected event occurred after the Darkness of Doom was spread.

A mysterious necromancer appeared and attacked the Grenthal territory.

In the chaos, the former family head was killed, and all three brothers succumbed to a curse and died after suffering.

Hudel was the one who saved the doomed territory.

Despite his young age, in his late twenties, he demonstrated exceptional leadership by mobilizing the territory’s knights to chase down the necromancer, eventually tracking and executing the culprit. With the overwhelming support of his retainers and the people, he became the new head of the Grenthal family.

“It seems like his life’s journey is eerily similar to someone else’s, doesn’t it?”

Baros smirked and commented.

“Indeed. It’s practically a mirror image of yours, young master.”

Parents killed by a mysterious necromancer, older brothers who would have inherited the family all dead, leaving him to take over the territory?

Considering Hudel is a cardinal of the Dark Cult, there’s no doubt about who that “mysterious necromancer” was.

This is precisely the plan young Karnak had conceived before his time regression, isn’t it?

The only difference is that, in Karnak’s case, he was eventually discovered and pursued, while Hudel successfully claimed his family.

“It’s a bit strange to call it a coincidence. How could their fates be so similar…?”

At Serati’s comment, Karnak and Baros chuckled.

“There’s nothing strange about it.”

“The actions of those who dabble in necromancy tend to follow the same patterns.”

“You might as well call it a fated match. Not sure if that’s the right expression, though.”

For the record, it was late at night.

Following Serati’s advice that good children should go to bed early and wake up early, Laficel had long since tucked in and was soundly asleep.

This allowed them to talk freely among those who knew the truth.

Even so, they had set up a soundproof barrier just in case.

“So, all we have to do is catch this guy, right?” Baros asked, intrigued.

“How strong do you think he is?”

Hudel Grenthal wasn’t an aura user or a mage. He had received some knight training but was, for all intents and purposes, a typical local lord whose main duties involved administration.

However, considering his true identity, he had to be a rather powerful necromancer.

“He’s probably stronger than Detzras, at least,” Karnak replied, tapping the documents.

“The issue isn’t whether he’s strong or weak.”

The real problem was that the Lacaenia Empire was a foreign country.

Unlike the Churches of the Seven Goddesses, which transcended borders and influenced the entire continent, the King’s Order was strictly an agency of the Kingdom of Yustil. They had no authority in the Empire.

“There’s no way the Empire would just stand by while a foreign group tries to capture one of their nobles.”

Serati, who had been listening quietly, posed a question.

“What about notifying the Empire in advance?”

The Lacaenia Empire had its own organization, similar to the King’s Order.

Evil Slaying Brigade.

It was an anti-cult organization directly under the emperor, led by the Silver Knight, Cliff von Sandreas.

“Couldn’t we secretly contact them and have them act on our behalf?”

Karnak shook his head.

Apparently, the King’s Order had already considered that option.

“They said it’d be a miracle if we’re not suspected of being spies.”

Yustil Kingdom was part of Seven Kingdoms Alliance, and the Lacaenia Empire and Seven Kingdoms Alliance had been long-standing rivals.

Moreover, special agencies like the King’s Order and Evil Slaying Brigade typically had poor cooperation, even within their own countries.

Expecting cooperation between rival nations’ organizations? Not likely.

“Besides, we can’t even trust the Evil Slaying Brigade. How do we know there isn’t a cultist among them?”

For the exact same reason, the Evil Slaying Brigade wouldn’t trust the King’s Order either.

“So, it’s clear the King’s Order can’t act in this case.”

After a brief moment of consideration, Serati suggested another idea.

“In that case, what about using the identity of a Darkness Hunter from the Churches of the Seven Goddesses? We know someone who’d be more than happy to help us.”

Karnak’s face brightened with understanding.

“Ah, you mean that friend, right?”

***

The Hatoba Temple in Derat City, northern part of Yustil Kingdom.

“…You mean to infiltrate the Empire’s territory and capture a core member of the Dark Cult?”

As expected, Alius readily agreed.

“Of course, we must! I’d be upset if you left me out!”

Even after parting ways with Karnak’s group, Alius had continued working with Darkness Hunters, taking down numerous necromancers.

Thanks to his achievements, he had risen to the position of bishop, overseeing the inquisitors of the Hatoba Religious Order across the entire northern region of the Yustil Kingdom, far beyond just Derat City.

Considering he was still in his twenties, it was truly an astounding rise.

“Thanks to that, I’m doing more paperwork in the temple these days than fieldwork. I’ve been itching for action.”

Despite leaving the comfort of the temple to head into a grueling mission, Alius laughed with genuine joy.

“With the world growing more corrupt and so many people suffering, how could I sit idly in the temple just to live comfortably? Anyone who does that is human trash!”

Two men, who had been planning to live quietly in their territories regardless of the world’s fate, awkwardly avoided his gaze.

“Ah, uh, well, is that so?”

“Y-Yeah, right, um…”

“What’s going on with you two?”

“Oh, it’s nothing.”

And so, Karnak’s group returned as Darkness Hunters under the Hatoba Religious Order.

The paperwork was easy.

After all, they were already Alius’ collaborators. They simply pulled out old documents and had them signed again—nothing more.

Alius took care of the rest of the preparations.

He planned their journey to the Empire, gathered the necessary supplies, and even provided them with sturdy horses. All Karnak’s group had to do was cover the expenses.

“Well, at least it’s not free, right?”

“These are the precious donations of the faithful, Lord Karnak. Not a single coin can be wasted.”

“And this is the precious salary of a government official, you know?”

“I know you come from a wealthy family.”

With the Hatoba Religious Order’s full support, the preparations were swiftly completed.

The very next day, fully equipped, Karnak’s party stood at the eastern gate of Derat City.

Holding the reins of his horse, Alius cheerfully shouted.

“Let’s go, to the Empire!”

Following behind, Baros let out a small chuckle.

“He’s more excited than we are, isn’t he?”