Death King Karnak

Chapter 4 - 3: Something feels strange (3)

Chapter 4: Chapter 3: Something feels strange (3)

The Jestarad Barony, the hometown of Karnak, was one of the lower noble families of the Yustil Kingdom.

With a history of about 100 years, it wasn't old enough to be called prestigious, nor was it so new as to be considered an upstart noble family. It was an unremarkable provincial nobility.

Karnak spoke as if reminiscing about the past.

"It really was a completely insignificant family."

The land wasn't particularly barren or fertile, yielding enough to get by.

During bountiful years, they would hold feasts, and in years of poor harvests, the table would be sparse. They couldn't even dream of luxury, but they managed to maintain the dignity expected of nobles.

It was truly an utterly common provincial noble family.

Karnak's grandfather, Baron Grellid, was always dissatisfied with this.

'How long must he remain buried in this rural corner? Shouldn't a man aspire to greater things?'

With lofty ambitions, he attempted various ventures, using the estate as collateral.

The result was a complete failure.

One after another, the businesses failed, they lost the few fertile lands the estate had, and eventually, Grellid died from stress-related illness.

What started with great ambition ended with only great debt.

Karnak's father, Baron Krafut, who succeeded as head of the family, desperately tried to revive the family, clinging to the now barren estate and the crumbling mansion.

Of course, it wasn't easy.

They were already in a difficult position, and on top of that, they were saddled with debt.

Still, the first son was somewhat intelligent and grew up well as the heir, and the second son showed talent in martial arts and became an excellent knight, so the family managed to keep going... somehow.

"To be honest, calling them intelligent or excellent was just my father's opinion, really."

By society's standards, both sons were still rather ordinary. Anyone could have achieved similar results with the same education.

Though they remained a fallen rural noble family, Baron Krafut still did all the things expected of a noble.

Even during those hard times, he insisted on enjoying the pleasures befitting a noble, going so far as to take on a mistress.

When his mistress suddenly became pregnant, Krafut decided to take responsibility and bring her into the family, showing that he had some sense of duty.

The problem was that after bringing her into the family, he neglected her.

Karnak's mother, who had once been his mistress, was tormented by the baroness and eventually fell ill and died. Karnak, being an illegitimate child, had to grow up in humiliation, constantly living under others' judgment.

"Ah, just thinking about it makes me angry again..."

Shaking his head, Karnak tried to push away the bitter memories. He then took out a silver coin from his pocket.

"Well, that's the current state of my family..."

He rolled the silver coin between his fingers.

"Then where on earth did this money come from?"

***

Thanks to riding horses, the journey from Darha Village to the Jestarad estate, which would have taken three days on foot, was shortened to two.

"We didn't save as much time as I had hoped, though."

Baros grumbled and glanced at the brown horse he had been riding.

"He said he fed them well, right? Why do these guys get tired so quickly?"

Karnak replied, somewhat sarcastically, in disbelief.

"For living horses, these are quite sturdy!"

"When have I ever ridden something like this before?"

For the record, Baros had once ridden zombie horses, skeleton horses, and ghost horses.

"They don't get tired, you don't have to carry feed for them, and they don't poop. What more could you ask for?"

Of course, there was the minor issue that riding such horses meant you'd eventually be consumed by evil energy and waste away... but that was just a small(?) problem.

"Well, I was already dead, so it didn't matter."

Thanks to their hard ride, they were now approaching their destination. Baros, scanning the surroundings, peered over the hill and murmured.

"The estate is coming into view, young master."

"Man, human psychology really is funny."

As he looked out over the fields of green barley, Karnak smiled bitterly.

"I don't have any good memories of this place, but seeing it again still makes me feel nostalgic."

"I'm still just annoyed, though," Baros said with a scowl.

"I was hated just the same."

He was an orphan from the estate.

Since the Jestarad estate was located in the barren northern region, it was frequently invaded by monsters. Therefore, orphans weren't uncommon, and they weren't particularly shunned.

But Baros's situation was a bit different.

His parents had scammed the locals out of their money and then fled in the middle of the night, abandoning him.

It wasn't Baros's fault that he had terrible parents, but people tend to think that the blood of scoundrels will produce scoundrels. No one wanted to take him in. And it wasn't like the estate had the resources to support orphanages or other welfare facilities.

That's when Karnak extended a hand of salvation.

Unlike his usually timid self, young Karnak stubbornly insisted on making Baros his servant.

Even though Karnak was a shunned illegitimate child, he was still a noble, and for appearances, he needed a servant. At the same time, Baros was becoming a problem for the estate, so Baron Krafut reluctantly allowed it, seeing it as a way to get rid of some trash.

"But I was the only one who took care of you, right?"

"And I was the only one who took care of you, young master. Why are you bragging about it now?"

As the two continued their banter, the horses kept moving steadily along their path.

They entered the fields, and the sight of farmers became more apparent.

"Everyone seems busy," Karnak observed.

"It's the season for weeding," Baros replied.

"We should probably pass by quickly, right?"

"That would be best."

Among the estate's people, Karnak and Baros were seen as nothing more than a delinquent young master and his equally delinquent servant who encouraged his misbehavior.

There was no reason to expect a warm reception, so they intended to pass by quickly... but then—

"Oh! Lord Karnak!"

"You've returned!"

The villagers, upon spotting the two, greeted them warmly from a distance.

Some even had tears in their eyes.

"Thank you for your hard work!"

"Oh my, you must have gone through so much hardship..."

Their reaction was completely different from what Karnak remembered.

He let out a hollow laugh.

'What on earth did I even do to deserve this talk of hardship?'

But since everyone was greeting him as if it were the most natural thing in the world, it wasn't like he could ask, "Why are you all so happy to see me?"

He casually waved his hand in return as he and Baros quickly rode away from the scene.

Baros glanced back, frowning.

"This feels like a bad dream."

"Same here. We need to get to the house quickly."

***

Standing in front of a large stone wall, Baros murmured,

"Young master? What is this?"

Karnak, with a deep frown, replied,

"Don't ask me. I have no idea anymore."

Before them was the grand view of a mansion.

High-quality bricks had been stacked to form tall walls stretching out to both sides, and beyond them, an elegant garden could be faintly seen. Standing proudly within it was a dazzling two-story mansion, with a gleaming terrace and various sculptures sparkling under the sun.

"This... is definitely the Jestarad mansion, right?"

"Yeah."

Karnak nodded.

It was, without a doubt, the house from his memories.

At least, the basic structure was.

"The size of the walls is the same, the garden is the same, and the building is still there, but..."

"Why does the mansion look so clean?"

"Exactly. It's been completely renovated."

The original Jestarad mansion was an over-100-year-old, antique mansion.

Calling it antique was generous; to be honest, it was just an old, rundown place with an eerie atmosphere.

They hadn't been able to afford proper maintenance for decades due to their poor finances.

But now, the mansion has been fully refurbished from top to bottom.

It had become a refined, elegant, and dignified building, practically the model of what people imagine a noble's house should look like.

"Where are we? Where on earth have we come to?"

Karnak could completely understand Baros's question. It wasn't just about the mansion. It was a question about the entire world around them.

"Well, I don't know. Let's just go inside for now."

"Good grief, are we even allowed to enter such a fine place, being so lowly?"

Feeling uneasy, the two slowly made their way to the front gate. One of the gatekeepers spotted them and greeted them with a delighted expression.

"Oh! Lord Karnak!"

The man, appearing to be in his mid-40s, was a familiar face from Karnak's memories.

Karnak nodded naturally.

"I'm back, Katayl."

Katayl hurriedly called out to another gatekeeper.

"Quick, inform the butler! The young master has returned!"

"Yes, sir!"

Watching this unfold, Karnak let out a sigh.

The man from his memories was welcoming him at the mansion. So far, everything seemed to align with what he remembered.

Yet something was entirely different.

The mansion gleamed, the servants' clothes were spotless. Laundry, after all, costs money, and Karnak couldn't recall them ever being dressed in such clean garments.

And the warm welcome?

He could firmly say he had no memory of being treated so kindly. The looks of contempt and disdain were something no one could forget, no matter how hard they tried.

'I feel like I'm going to lose my mind.'

Baros leaned in to whisper.

'Young master.'

'What?'

'I don't think anything can surprise me anymore.'

'Same here.'

It didn't take long for their expectations to be shattered again.

Soon, a dignified-looking elderly man came rushing out from the mansion.

'Grandfather Tafel?'

'That's right, he's still alive at this point.'

Tafel Plaid was the old butler who had served the family since Karnak's predecessor.

"The young master has returned, butler!" the gatekeeper shouted, but Tafel scolded him with his familiar stern tone.

"Mind your manners, Katayl. How long do you intend to call him 'young master'?"

Then, the butler bowed politely to him with a warm expression Karnak had never seen before.

"Welcome back, my lord."

Karnak and Baros just blinked at each other in confusion.

'Did he just call you lord?'

'Me?'

***

The luxurious reception room was adorned with elegant paintings and decorations.

Steam rose gently from the teacup on the table in front of Karnak, who stared at it blankly.

'Tea...?'

In this era, he had never tasted such a high-class luxury item.

Looking at Baros standing next to him, he could see that he was also trying hard to conceal his bewilderment.

The old butler, Tafel, spoke to Karnak in a gentle voice.

"It has already been over half a year since you assumed the position of head of the family, Lord Karnak..."

Judging by the situation, it seemed that Karnak had inherited the title of baron right after his coming-of-age ceremony, around the age of 20.

"Have you achieved your intended goal?"

"Goal?"

Karnak reflexively repeated the word.

Tafel looked slightly puzzled for a moment before asking again.

"You went on your journey specifically for that purpose, didn't you?"

Realizing his slip-up, Karnak stammered, trying to cover it up.

"Ah, more or less..." Karnak responded, trying to sound nonchalant.

Fortunately, the old butler didn't seem to find anything unusual.

"That's good to hear. The late lord would be pleased as well."

'Wait, what? My father's dead?'

Still reeling from the shock, Karnak heard the old man continue.

"If Lady Isabella were still alive, she would be so proud..."

Isabella—Krafut Baron's wife, and Karnak's stepmother.

'Good grief, she's dead too?'

"When even Lord Thesil passed away, I didn't know what to do. It was such a dark time, but now I feel at ease."

'Even my eldest brother is dead?'

At this point, Karnak's curiosity was piqued.

'What about my other brother, Paralt? What happened to that bastard?'

It was obvious that Paralt wasn't alive. If his second brother were still around, the title of lord wouldn't have passed down to Karnak.

But what on earth happened?

'It's maddening not being able to ask.'

And what was this "goal" they kept referring to?

'If my past self had a purpose for going on a journey during this time, it's obvious what it was.'

It was to secretly master necromancy after coming across that power by chance.

There was no other possible purpose. The Karnak of this time was clearly learning necromancy.

'And there's no way I would've been honest about that reason.'

If that truth came to light, instead of receiving warm smiles, he'd be facing a warm bonfire at the stake.

'So what purpose does old Tafel think I had?'

There was another mystery, too.

Originally, Karnak learned necromancy to gain power and exact revenge on his family and household.

But looking at the current situation, it seemed like revenge was irrelevant now. He had become the lord, gained recognition, and everyone appeared to treat him with kindness.

'If I'm living such a comfortable life, why did I even learn necromancy? What kind of person am I?'

He had no idea.

'I would use mind control to extract information if my powers were intact, but I'm in no position to do that right now...'

Feeling things couldn't continue like this, Karnak gave Baros a discreet look.

'Do something!'

Communicating just through looks might seem impossible, but after doing it for over a hundred years, it was second nature to them.

Baros quickly caught on and smoothly intervened in the conversation.

"Butler Tafel."

"Yes, Baros?"

"Lord Karnak is quite tired from his long journey. Perhaps it would be best to continue the conversation tomorrow?"

"Oh dear, that was my mistake."

The old butler clicked his tongue and stood up.

"My apologies, my lord. It was my oversight. Please, rest for now."

"That sounds good," Karnak replied.

Karnak, who felt like he was walking on thin ice, let out a sigh of relief and got up from his seat. He quickly urged Baros along.

'Let's get out of here, fast.'

'I fully agree, young master.'