Karnak, Monarch of Death

In the past, Diogres Kolon had never held much interest in Karnak's anti-necromancy series. He was an archmage, after all. Why would he bother concerning himself with spells meant specifically to counter high-level necromancy?

Naturally, he had looked over the new magical theory, but he had not delved deeply into it. His perspective had changed only after suffering a crushing defeat at the hands of Elezar.

"I was knocked down to the fourth circle and left crawling for a while, wasn't I? After that, I started researching this field just in case."

As the Master of the Tower of Dawn, acquiring necromantic items had been of no difficulty to him. He had diligently studied not only Redeemer of Necromancy but also Mediator and Circumventer of Necromancy.

That caution had saved Diogres' life. Even when he had been struck down by Emil, he had hidden various necromantic items inside his robe: a Staff of Soul Separation, an Amulet of Delusion, a Cursed Familiar for layering curses, and more. Using these, he had deployed the Mediator of the Necromancy.

Karnak, understanding now, nodded. "I see, if it was that, then it's possible."

Yet a question remained. That explanation implied that Diogres had carried cursed objects with him at all times, even within his own mansion. Why would he do that?

"Well, you see..."

Of course, Diogres had not always carried such things around. Who would walk around like that in their own home unless they were paranoid? The problem had been the visitor he had met just before Emil.

The dark-haired boy with blue-black hair cast a sidelong glance at the silver-haired man and muttered quietly. "To be honest, I only carried those things around when that fellow came to visit."

That man would visit day after day, his bloodshot eyes gleaming, babbling incessantly about, "Believe in Serakal, please, Serakal is wonderful, let us offer our beautiful lives to the Goddess of Twilight!"

After all, who knew what a fanatic like him might try to pull? Not that Diogres could make the first move. After all, Desteran had undoubtedly saved his life.

"I never thought he would turn against me. He isn't that kind of person."

But it seemed entirely plausible that, in the name of doing something good for him, Desteran might try some necromancy stunt!

—You may hate me now, but in the end, you will thank me!

That was exactly the sort of thing he would say.

"Can any of you truly guarantee that would never happen?"

Everyone instinctively nodded after hearing Diogres' explanation.

No one can guarantee that.

Right.

He definitely would try that.

The group subtly glanced over at Desteran. Only later did Desteran realize that Diogres had seen him as a thorn in his side. How would he react to that discovery? Would he erupt in anger? Or show deep disappointment?

It was neither. Fanatics, after all, were in a category of their own.

"I see!" Desteran was moved. "If I had not so passionately preached to you, how could your soul have remained intact, Master Diogres? This is truly the guidance of Serakal!"

At that point, everyone could only stare in genuine awe.

Wow.

He can twist it that way too?

Fanatics really are terrifying.

Diogres let out a sigh, shaking his head. "Well, at least it's clear his faith is... very genuine."

***

Thanks to Mediator of the Necromancy, Diogres had narrowly succeeded in abandoning his body and escaping with only his soul. But things had not gone smoothly afterward.

"I originally planned to find a suitable corpse and anchor my soul there." Even if it meant becoming an undead, he had resolved to reveal this critical secret to the world. "Though, it seems everyone already knew."

Diogres squinted at them, and Karnak's group busied themselves with feigned distractions. Regardless, he eventually found a usable corpse, but a problem arose.

The necromancy he had deployed through Mediator of the Necromancy was a type of possession spell that inhabited the body of the living. It was quite different from the standard undead-creation rituals.

As a result, his soul would not settle into the corpse he had found. "I couldn't just steal the body of a living person, could I?"

Varos asked, "Couldn't you have just borrowed a body temporarily to reveal the truth, then returned it afterward?"

"Now that I think about it, that might have been possible, but at the time, I didn't consider it."

Diogres truly was a decent person. Even in that desperate moment, the thought of taking over an innocent person's body simply had not occurred to him.

Unsure of what to do, he had wandered through the void. Had it continued, he might have eventually lost himself and become a wraith.

Fortunately, luck was on his side. Though, for someone else, it was misfortune. "I found this boy."

The boy who now served as Diogres' vessel had originally been an orphan in the imperial capital. It seemed he had been caught up in a street brawl and was lying in the road, bleeding from his head.

"It looked like he'd been out in the rain for a long time. His body was on the verge of death, and his soul had already crossed to the other side."

Yet the body was not entirely dead. The conditions had aligned just barely. Diogres had quickly entered the boy's body and opened his eyes once more. "I forced myself to get up and flee."

Having crammed himself into a body on the brink of death, it was no surprise the condition had been abysmal. His body was cold, his blood insufficient, and every moment felt like dying. The only saving grace was that the necromantic energy used during the possession had somewhat influenced the dying body, gradually restoring it over time.

Once he had regained enough strength, he sought out Desteran first. He had known that Desteran would not easily believe him, but he had assumed he could persuade him if they met face-to-face.

"I never imagined he wouldn't even agree to meet me... Tsk."

Mid-sentence, Diogres began to nod off. After all, he had suffered through hardship in a child's body, then quickly filled his stomach. Having said all he needed to say, exhaustion hit him like a wave. In the end, he fell asleep, slumping over the table.

Sighing, Serati scooped the boy into her arms. "He needs to rest for now."

Holding the child version of Diogres, she headed toward the bedroom. Leven and Drel clicked their tongues.

"An archmage truly is an archmage."

"Indeed, to escape even under those circumstances."

Both of them had experienced their souls being overtaken by their future selves, and just recalling the horrific sensation made them shudder.

Varos turned to Karnak and asked, "Is it possible that the present Giyen Ren might also appear somewhere in a different body?"

"That's unlikely," responded Karnak.

Diogres had been cautious, having been attacked once before, but Giyen Ren had surely been completely unprepared.

"It's not like he had a fanatic from the Twilight Church visiting him regularly to share the good word, right?"

Meanwhile, Lapicel was biting her finger as she looked around at the adults.

'Uuugh.'

At some point, she realized everyone around her had started using necromancy as if it were the most natural thing in the world. And no one seemed particularly bothered by it.

Is this really okay...? She felt confused, but soon, she smiled.

Not all of them were good people. But one thing was certain: they were all doing good.

It should be fine, at least this much.

***

Karnak's group hid in one of the safe houses within the imperial capital that Desteran had secured for them. They spent their days scouting the movements of the Black God's forces with concealed faces or helping the citizens of the capital where they could.

All the while, Karnak was deep in thought, devising countermeasures for what lay ahead. "It's certainly a relief that Diogres is safe, but..."

Whether one could truly call his current state safe was debatable, but for now, Karnak let it stand.

"In the end, it makes no difference. He's still useless."

The reason he had been so desperate to find Diogres was because the man was a tenth circle archmage and one of the empire's powerbrokers, wielding significant influence with the emperor. But now?

"He's lost all of his magical power, and his body isn't even his anymore."

All the mighty mana Diogres once possessed had been taken by his future self. And since he no longer inhabited his original body, he had lost any influence he might have had over the emperor.

Karnak muttered, "It's not like we needed Diogres' personality or character in the first place."

Serati, who had been listening nearby, shook her head in disapproval. "That's going too far, you know."

"It's not like I'm wrong."

While Karnak was lost in such thoughts, the boyish Diogres came looking for him. "There is something I wish to ask you."

He may have lost his power, but the knowledge and wisdom of an archmage had not disappeared. He understood that his current state was temporary.

Diogres asked him. "How much longer do you think I can last like this?"

Karnak answered him honestly. "A soul that has possessed another's body can never fully harmonize with it. At most, you'll have around three months."

"I see."

That left Diogres with only two options: die as he was, or borrow the power of necromancy and become an undead.

"If I become undead, and later reclaim my original body, can I return to being alive?"

"That's certainly possible."

In fact, that was how the returned beings from the future currently existed. Many of them had come back from being undead in their time to possessing living bodies in the present.

"So, at the very least, I can avoid the worst-case scenario."

"Shall I make you into an undead now, then?"

However, Diogres did not answer immediately. "If I become undead, all the knowledge and wisdom I've accumulated over my life as a mage will become worthless, won't it?"

"That's likely."

It was for this very reason that countless aura users and mages had struggled on their deathbeds, only to eventually choose to die with dignity rather than live on as undead. It was also why Diogres could not easily decide to take that path.

"It would be different if you were to become a lich, but in that case, you'd need your original dead body, which doesn't apply to your current situation."

However, upon reuniting with Karnak's group, Diogres discovered a new hope. There was someone among them in a situation similar to his own.

"Sir Dreltein. Or should I say, Sir Drel, now."

As he recalled the young man in his early thirties, the boy's expression hardened. Drel, too, had lost his original body and was now inhabiting another's living flesh. Yet, there didn't seem to be any issues.

"In fact, in that short amount of time, he's even regained the realm of a silver knight. Where in the world is he getting that aura from?"

"That comes from the chaos mana I've been supplying him. It's a kind of converted aura," Karnak answered.

That was the answer Diogres had been waiting for. Sparks ignited in the boy's eyes. "In that case, shouldn't it be possible for me as well?"

The knowledge and wisdom of an archmage remained intact. All he needed was mana!

"It is certainly possible, but..." Karnak pretended to hesitate. "But for that to happen, you'd need to become my vassal, you know? You're not seriously going to become the vassal of an evil necromancer, are you?"

Serati, who had been watching, rolled her eyes. Wasn't this the exact line she had heard before? So he's been saying this kind of thing all along, huh?

Back then, she had honestly thought he was genuinely worried about her. Sensing the shift in atmosphere, Karnak hurriedly sent a message in his defense.

—Look, back then, I really meant it, okay?

—So, you're saying you don't mean it now?

—Well, I was kind of hoping things would turn out this way.

There was only one way to turn the current Diogres back into someone capable of fighting. Inwardly, Karnak had been thinking about how best to lure him in.

—It certainly made it easier since he brought it up first.

Just like the others, Diogres could not answer immediately. No matter how desperate one's circumstances, entrusting one's soul to another was not a decision easily made.

After some deliberation, he finally asked, "What happens if I become your vassal?"

When selling something, a thorough explanation was essential.

Karnak spoke in a calm, steady voice. "You'll be able to recover some of the mana you lost. Reaching the tenth circle might be too much, but the extent depends on your own capabilities, Master Diogres."

Moreover, the period he could remain in the boy's body would be extended, as Karnak, the master of the soul, would be able to adjust it directly.

"Of course, it's not permanent. Eventually, you will still be unable to remain in this body."

However, it was possible to extend the three-month limit to nearly a year.

"I see. That should be enough time to reclaim my original body..."

Whether he succeeded or failed, it would not take longer than that.

In the end, Diogres, once the great archmage, now a pitiful boy, made his decision. "I wish to become your vassal. Will you accept me?"