#14. 4. Omens of Destruction
With the victory in the trial by combat, the copper mines became firmly in the hands of the House of Jestrad. Karnak, who had saved the land, was also able to solidify his position as lord.
A feast was held.
Cows and pigs were slaughtered, and plenty of food and drink were provided to the people.
What stood out most in this joyous banquet was the appearance of the ‘respectable new lord’.
“Right!”
“Yes, your highness!”
“It’s beef!”
“We have pork too! Not sausages, but fresh pork!”
“The oil is dripping down!”
“The sauce is even applied!”
The two were so absorbed in their meal that they even shed tears of emotion.
The people were so genuinely moved that the people were embarrassed.
“Is it something to be so happy about?”
“Of course, it is true that beef is a precious food… … .”
For the common people, cows and pork are special feast foods that can only be eaten once or twice a year, and only during good harvests.
So, they too were deeply moved by the taste of beef and pork that they were tasting for the first time in a long time.
But their reaction is too extreme.
“Don’t nobles eat meat often?”
“But it’s like it’s the first time I’ve eaten it in decades… … .”
“Hey, how could that be? He’s a noble.”
The people who did not know the truth could not help but think this way.
“How much hard training must one have gone through to be so happy about such a small thing?”
“It must have been tough. Didn’t you risk your life?”
“You really never know how people can change.”
Everyone looked at the new lord Karnak with eyes of respect.
How can we not show respect to this once scoundrel who has become a new person and has even saved the territory and protected the future of the people?
Of course, Karnak just chewed the meat without thinking much about it.
“Oh, it’s delicious. But why is everyone looking at me?”
“Aren’t we eating too much? If we eat more, we might get a stomachache.”
“You have to be careful, your body is precious.”
Anyway, everything worked out well.
He became the head of a wealthy family and was respected and favored by the common people. The family that hated him ended up destroying themselves.
When you turn back time and regress, all your desired goals will be achieved.
Clinking their glasses, Karnak smiled broadly.
“Now all that’s left is to take it easy and enjoy life, hehehe.”
“That’s right, Young Master. Hehehe.”
It was Baros who answered with a bright smile.
***
It’s been three months since the trial by combat took place.
A group of knights gathered outside the training grounds of House Jestrad and watched the duel before their eyes.
It was a duel between a knight in his mid-30s and a young man in his 20s.
“Be careful!”
A knight in his thirties delivers a fatal blow, warning with his mouth.
“yes!”
The young man also carefully counterattacks and counterattacks.
A fierce sword fight continued for a while with blades going back and forth.
Despite his youthful appearance, the young man’s skills were considerable. He was able to hold his own even when fighting against regular knights.
After a moment, the knight took a deep breath and put away his sword.
“Whew, let’s stop here.”
The young man also put away his sword and bowed his head.
“Thanks for the map!”
Wiping away the sweat, Sir Balton, the knight of Jestrad, shook his head.
“Now you are almost on my level.”
When the young man in front of them, Baros, suddenly announced that he would become a knight, everyone was dumbfounded.
I heard that you trained with Karnak, who had acquired the Delphiad sword fighting technique… … .
‘I told you that just because you acquire excellent swordsmanship doesn’t mean you become stronger?’
‘The misconceptions of outsiders cannot be stopped.’
At first, it was so absurd that I didn’t even think of laughing. I just felt pity for it.
‘If you get beaten up enough, you’ll soon come to grips with reality.’
But in just a few months, his skills improved amazingly.
The veteran knight, Torres, who was watching from the side, was also sticking out his tongue.
“Baros, I didn’t know you had this much talent.”
Not only is he incredibly quick at acquiring skills, his combat sense is also impeccable, and because he is still in the growth stage, his physical abilities improve by the day.
He was such a genius. It would be a shame to be buried in such a rural place.
‘If this guy were in real life, I’d probably not be able to handle him either.’
Sir Torres continued speaking solemnly, fearing that praising him openly might make him seem arrogant.
“But do not be proud. It is common for a warrior with natural talent to suffer disaster due to lack of experience.”
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Baros bowed his head obediently.
“I will keep that in mind, Sir Torres.”
Of course, he still had most of his skills hidden.
If you fight with all your heart, you can single-handedly cut down five of these knights of Zestrad in less than a minute.
Aren’t they just country knights who couldn’t even handle one Randolph?
But that’s no reason to laugh at them.
‘It’s not like I’m some great genius or anything.’
Baros knew that the reason he was developing so quickly was not because of some kind of gift from heaven, but rather because of the tremendous combat experience he had accumulated during his time.
In reality, before becoming a Death Knight, he was at best a second-rate knight, and his fighting skills had not even been awakened yet.
‘I don’t know if I can learn the art of speculation on my own without your help. Well, I think it’ll be better than before since I know the theory.’
In any case, it is an undeniable fact that Baros’s evaluation has risen tremendously.
The knights began to speak one by one, their eyes filled with kindness.
“Anyway, it’s great.”
“At your age, you’re this good… … .”
“Even with all this talent, are you saying that you’ve been doing such foolish things all this time?”
“No, maybe that’s why I learned this level of fighting sense.”
Although Karnak and Baros have been criticized for their misdeeds, they actually didn’t cause any serious trouble.
All I did was sneak into a nearby city, drink, gamble, and fight in the back alleys. I didn’t have any money, so I couldn’t even show off my womanizing.
Even the journalists themselves often do that kind of thing.
And if kids who are still in their teens start playing ‘adult games’ and living without thinking, they’re going to end up in trouble.
Sir Torres muttered, as if the experience was new to him.
“It’s a pleasure. I didn’t expect you to be so mature, but I also didn’t expect the young master to be so mature… … .”
There were many who were skeptical as they watched Karnak change.
No matter how much he becomes a lord and how much he changes as a person, where will the old scoundrels go?
But those doubts had long since melted away.
I’ve seen everyone get so moved by just one glass of alcohol.
That intense emotion, which seemed to shake even the soul, was definitely an expression that a drinker could only achieve after abstaining from drinking for at least several years.
“You definitely refrain from drinking alcohol and only drink it as an accompaniment. Thanks to that, your majesty, no, your lord’s health has improved a lot.”
At Sir Torres’s words, Barros was secretly resentful.
‘I guess so.’
Unlike before, Karnak was also concerned about the physical side.
I didn’t really intend to become a journalist or anything like that.
I just realized the importance of health.
After being dead for decades? Giving up everything I had to finally get this body back?
It is truly a ‘precious body’, not just in the idiom but in the real sense.
Health is always the top priority! Let’s do it while we’re young! When you get older, it’s already too late to take care of your health! I know because I was late.
Both of them were passionate about taking care of and maintaining their precious bodies by eating a balanced diet of healthy foods, living a regular life, and exercising hard.
“I didn’t know people could change like that.”
“That’s right. I heard you’re also into reading.”
“I heard that, unlike before, you spend most of your free time in the study.”
“When the former Baron passed away, I was in a state of total darkness… … .”
The knights looked wistful as they thought of their new lord, Karnak.
Ah, now the future of the land of Jestrad will shine brightly!
Baross only maintained a bitter smile inside.
‘It’s true that you live in the study. I don’t think you’re as engrossed in reading as you might imagine.’
***
After his return, Karnak’s original plan was to gather treasures from all over the continent, predict the future, and make a profit through trade to establish himself.
This damn house was in such a state of ruin that there was no answer.
But the existence of the copper mine solved the money problem.
At the same time, there was no longer any reason to travel around the continent.
The plan itself was to become a moderately powerful local noble and live a peaceful life without being looked down on or ignored.
It’s already become like that, so why run away from the territory and suffer?
A sense of adventure? The passion of youth? A curiosity to see the world?
I’ve already traveled the world five or six times? I’ve seen everything there is to see, and even things I shouldn’t see?
But that doesn’t mean I have any intention of just being lazy and playing around.
At a time when we own copper mines, people like the Viscount Deventer may appear again.
No, I had to assume it would definitely appear.
There is no driving force that moves humans as much as greed.
One had to have at least the minimum power to protect one’s territory.
But since you can’t use necromancy, you need abilities that you can reveal to the world.
A large study located on the second floor of the Jestrad Mansion.
Under the moonlight streaming through the window, Karnak sat on the floor, lost in meditation.
“Hoooo… … .”
Take a deep breath, concentrate your mind, and gather energy from all directions.
The darkness of the deep night, the yin of moonlight, and the faint negative energy gather around him and are reprocessed.
After a while, Karnak opened his eyes.
“Okay, we’ve gathered quite a bit.”
He raised his finger. A small flame rose from his fingertip.
Baros, who was watching from the side, showed curiosity.
“Huh? Don’t you get that special feeling of necromancy?”
The aura of death that is emitted when the spell is activated is so ominous that even ordinary humans, or even living creatures, can sense it. Only priests are particularly sensitive to it.
But I don’t get that feeling from the flames Karnak is displaying right now. It’s like I’m just seeing normal magic.
“The color is red too. It looks like fire.”
“I guess so.”
Karnak nodded.
“It originated from necromancy, but it is no longer necromancy.”
The power of divination is no longer an attractive power to him now. Even if he tries hard to develop his power, he knows what the end result will be.
But now, I couldn’t start a new life as a knight, a wizard, or a priest.
“Originally, once you learn the art of divination, there is no going back.”
“I know that too. It’s the same with necromancy and other things too.”
There are four ways in the world to transcend human power.
A speculation on the life force of an article.
Mana of a wizard who controls the power of nature.
The divine power of the priests who follow light and providence.
Finally, the power to manipulate the powers of death and darkness, called necromancy or black magic.
What these methods have in common is that they build up the energy of the world within the body and transform it into power. And in the process, the caster’s soul and body become optimized for the method they have chosen.
In other words, once you choose, it’s over.
A wizard who controls mana also learns martial arts?
Of course it is possible. If you have arms and legs, there is no reason why you can’t swing a sword.
But it is impossible to master speculation.
Since his soul and body have already been imbued with the attributes of mana, no matter how hard he tries, the energy of the world will only accumulate as mana.
The same goes for necromancy.
A soul that has once turned black can never turn white again.
“Well, to be exact, it does bleach. It’s not the bleaching itself.”
The problem was that the memories and personality were all faded away.
In the first place, the act of transforming that energy into power is the same as renewing your own soul and body.
This is also the reason why Auror users, magicians, and priests who have learned necromancy become corrupted. They lose their original powers and even their personalities change, becoming different people.
In order for such a Karnak to have a completely new start, he would have had to go back in time and space to before he learned the art of necromancy.
But that was impossible.
The return spell itself is a way of setting the commonality of necromancy as the goal of spacetime. Because of that, it was only possible to return after learning necromancy.
“Baros, it was possible for you to go back to before you became a Death Knight because you were piggybacking on me.”
Karnak had been aware of this problem since his days as the Commander-in-Chief. That’s why he prepared countermeasures early on in order to make a fresh start after his return.
“This is the result.”
He smiled proudly, waving the flame at his fingertips.
“I named it Chaos Magic.”
