Monarch of Death

Chapter 64 – The Royal Family’s Struggle (2)

Karnak asked for three days to decide whether to accept the mission. Anyway, just by looking at him, anyone could tell if he was related to a necromancer or not. So, he thought that three days would be enough to figure out whether the second prince had anything to do with the Dark Church.

It was a mistake. The capital, Delastas, was the central capital of Drunta. Karnak clicked his tongue as he stood outside the capital’s high barrier.

“Oh, I have a problem with this.”

Even if he had eyes that saw through all necromancy, he had to do the act of seeing first. As in the case of Gelpa Village, if a necromancy barrier was spread extensively throughout the village, it could be noticed from a distance, no matter how they kept it secretly.

However, if small-scale necromancy was cleverly used, as in the case of Count Vreeland, it would be possible to confirm it only by direct exploration. So, once he entered the castle, he had to see the second prince or the residence of the prince…….

“There’s no way to get in.”

How could Karnak, who had no ties to the royal family in the first place, approach Prince Alford’s residence buried deep in the palace? Put an audience request under the guise of the King’s Order? For what reason? Did he mindlessly look it up because he was suspicious?

Karnak would have to meet him well. Whether the allegations were true or not, that was enough to make him feel bad, and the displeasure of those in power differed from that of ordinary people. He had to check it out secretly.

So, for the past two days, Karnak’s party had been eagerly wandering around the capital, looking for an opportunity. And, of course, it didn’t work. Sitting together at the inn, Karnak dropped his shoulders.

“I have to give them an answer by tomorrow, so what now?”

Serati asked, saying she didn’t understand.

“Did you never think that this would happen?”

Acting so proudly, she thought Karnak had some kind of exquisite magic trick. She thought it would confirm the traces of the necromancer. He couldn’t believe she couldn’t even remember that was a problem.

‘Is this person really an idiot?’

As if making an excuse, Karnak grumbled.

“Well, it was easy to come in and out in the past.”

“How?”

The two ‘human bastards of yesteryear’ replied bluntly.

“I broke everything and went in, what?”

“I killed them all and went in.”

“Ah, yes……”

This was why biased experiences were dangerous. When infiltrating the hideout of a back alley criminal group, those who came up with all kinds of tricks couldn’t even think of how hard it was to get in and out of a country’s capital. Karnak also looked sullen, perhaps realizing his problem.

“When you think about it, it’s really obvious, but I don’t think about it until it shuts up.”

Scratching his head, he looked troubled.

“What? Do you take on a mission? But then, if there is no charge, I can’t come up with any excuses.”

Serati asked cautiously.

“First of all, why don’t you find out why you doubted the second prince?”

He must have been suspicious for some reason, and since the reason sounded reasonable, Captain Erantel must have regarded it as a serious matter and called Karnak.

Just an unknown wanderer came…….

“The 2nd Prince won! I thought he joined hands with a necromancer!”

“He couldn’t! What was the basis?”

“Just. Still, wouldn’t it be good to do some research?”

“Right! The King’s Order was out!”

“……There’s no way this could have happened, right?”

Barros shook his head.

“We know that much. But you have to be on a mission to find out.”

Even within the King’s Order, such detailed information was only given to the party on the mission.

“Well, the concern right now is whether or not to take on the mission?”

Karnak and Barros looked at Serati with expressions asking how they could not know this. So Serati responded with the same expression.

“No, so now you have an excuse!”

“Huh? You got an excuse?”

“Have you thought of a good way, Miss Serati?”

Serati groaned inwardly once more.

‘Are these people actually fools?’

She didn’t even have to make excuses.

“Actually, we couldn’t approach the second prince right now, so we couldn’t even figure out the allegation itself.”

“Shouldn’t you report it?”

It was true that Karnak demonstrated his skills against the local people. However, there was no way to approach the backbone of the royal family, as they were all rural nobility and local aristocrats. It seemed that this mission should be taken on by another King’s Order with a higher status.

“That’s fine.”

Karnak and Barros’ eyes lit up.

“Sure! So what?”

“Why didn’t I think of this, us?”

Serati let out a deep sigh.

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“That’s why I’m telling you, don’t try to fill the world with lies……”

Barros nodded with a look of realization.

“Well, sometimes the truth alone can fool you.”

“……Why did we think this was so complicated?”

With this, the burden of taking on a mission was gone. Karnak stood up.

“I’ll go visit the King’s Order headquarters then.”

Barros suddenly asked.

“But in this case, wouldn’t the Young Master’s rating go down? It would be the first mission that could be a failure.”

In that respect, Karnak had no worries.

“What does that matter? What am I doing to get ahead?”

»»————-　★　————-««
At Karnak’s consent, Captain Erantel smiled happily.

“Oh, do you want to take the mission?”

“You seem happy about it?”

It turned out that the leader also suffered quite a lot.

“Because there was no one else to entrust.”

The King’s Order had many high-ranking nobles due to the nature of its mission. The opponent was not an ordinary aristocrat but a royal family member and a person with a high possibility of becoming a king. It was a matter that could blow an entire family if done wrong.

It was difficult to intervene in matters that could damage the family, no matter how inflamed, with a sense of justice and high loyalty. Erantel’s choice of Karnak was partly because of his great achievements and because he was a powerless aristocrat in the region, so he was not affected by the central power struggle.

Above all, since all of his parents and siblings were lost to necromancy, it was also reliable that he had an extreme desire for revenge against necromancy.

‘Actually, I’m not even a necromancer, and I don’t have any vengeance.’

Karnak smiled bitterly inside, but he didn’t show it. There was no reason to correct this convenient misunderstanding.

“So I would like to receive detailed information about the mission.”

“Of course!”

Erantel opened the office safe and pulled out a pile of papers. Usually, he just put it in a drawer and handed it over, but this time, it was kept strictly because the matter was severe. Handing over the documents, Captain Erantel lowered his voice.

“It’s a royal family affair involving two princes who have been feuding for a long time. Please move carefully.”

»»————-　★　————-««
The second prince of the Kingdom of Yusteel, Alford Rudan Yusteel.

It was Prince Lloyd’s secret informant who brought charges that he had colluded with the Church of the Black God. The two princes had already planted spies in each other for a long time and had been fighting in secret. One of the spies discovered this while digging for information near Prince Alford.

Prince Lloyd could not move recklessly as it was not usually a serious incident that a country’s prince colluded with a necromancer. So, he secretly requested cooperation from the King’s Order. Karnak said as he moved his steps.

“I was so careful that only one letter from Prince Lloyd flew to the headquarters.”

Currently, Karnak and his party were heading to the eastern outskirts of the capital. According to the information, it was where Prince Lloyd’s spy was hiding. Barros, who was listening to the explanation, tilted his head.

“You believed that Captain Erantel moved by believing just one letter? That man doesn’t have that kind of personality.”

“Even though it was a signed letter from Prince Lloyd.”

“Ah, then you must be trustworthy enough.”

Sir Erantel was the lieutenant commander of the royal family before taking on the role of leader of the King’s Order. Since he was also acquainted with Prince Lloyd, he must have been able to sufficiently determine the authenticity of the letter through his handwriting and his usual tone of voice.

“Well, that’s all I know right now. They said that any further details would only be passed on to the person involved in the mission. I completely believe in the King’s Order as well.”

“You’re saying you can’t do it.”

Serati nodded.

“You’re cautious like a spy.”

From Prince Lloyd’s point of view, Captain Erantel was trustworthy enough. He had been loyal to the royal family for a long time and maintained a neutral position despite the secret struggles of the princes. So, he was rather reliable. Necromancer matters were beyond the realm of clandestine fighting.

But he couldn’t trust everyone in the King’s Order. It was common sense to be as careful as possible and be careful again, as he never knew where information might leak out. Conversing, the three of them continued to walk the streets of the capital.

Instead of neat buildings in the capital, shabby buildings replace the streets. A slum on the outskirts of the capital where the lower classes mostly live. Among them, a cluttered two-story building made of logs and boards was the meeting place.

Upon entering, a stout man with a deep robe covering his face was waiting for the party. The man looked around and asked.

“What are you doing, sir?”

Karnak laughed.

“For a spy, the smoke is so clumsy, isn’t it?”

Maybe he was trying to look like a common poor, but he was too good for that. Besides, if someone he didn’t know came, he should be puzzled. Why was he vigilant? Karnak took out the emblem from his chest and held it up.

“It’s the King’s order. Are you the one who received Highness Lloyd’s secret order?”

After checking the seal, the hooded man changed his tone.

“Right. Are you the ones chosen by Lord Erantel?”

For a moment, Barros was puzzled.

‘Isn’t the way he talks too high-class?’

Even for a spy, his tone was too high-handed. No, rather than being overbearing, wasn’t that a noble’s natural way of speaking?

“Are you a high-ranking aristocrat?’

That was weird as high-ranking aristocrats usually did not work as spies.

‘Be wary,’ Barros said.

“Now, it’s your turn to prove your identity.”

The man shrugged.

“The only physical evidence to prove my identity was a letter from the prince to the King’s Order.”

“You mean there’s no evidence?”

Barros brought his hand to the sword at his waist. Serati also slightly bent her knees. However, the opponent did not care.

“So, all I have to prove is my face……”

He lowered his voice as he brought his hand to his hood.

“I’ll tell you, but you’d be quite surprised by the look on my face. So, I want to ask you in advance not to panic.”

In front of the puzzled party, the man threw back his hood. A young man with dark black hair, sharp virtues, and a strong impression revealed his face. A mysteriously calm feeling mixed with an expression that seemed confident at first glance.

The moment they saw that face, the complexion of Barros and Serati hardened.

“Uh?”

“You are?”

They had never seen him in person, but it was a familiar face from the portrait. Due to the nature of the job, the King’s Order learned people’s impressions with life-like portraits made by dyeing with the magic of light, not glorified artistic portraits.

Thanks to you, he was able to find out right away.

“……Prince Alford?”

“What is this?”

The identity of the hooded man was Alford, the second prince of the Yusteel Kingdom. It was a situation they didn’t understand.

Was it the second prince himself who brought the suspicion that the second prince colluded with the Dark Church? But then something even more incomprehensible happened.

“You’re right. This face must be Alford’s.”

Touching his chin, the man smiled bitterly.

“But I am not Alford. It’s hard to believe, but…….”

Then, he pointed at himself and spoke calmly.

“I am the first prince, Lloyd Rudan Yusteel. The rightful heir of this country.”

[To be continued.]

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