A month has passed since he encountered the unidentified being, Tesranak. In the meantime, Karnak made two more attempts to enter the void. The process of creating and opening the eyes of darkness was repeated. It took 15 days to make one, so twice was the limit. But nothing came of it.
At least in the first encounter, he could go to a close distance. But the second time, he couldnât even get it near, and the third time, he couldnât locate it. It meant that someone was guarding and blocking his access.
âSo I decided not to do any more exploration.â
After calling Barros and Serati, Karnak explained the situation.
âIf I did more, my location would be identified. Itâs too dangerous.â
It would be foolish to keep handing over this information when he didnât know the other personâs identity. It was necessary to restrain himself in the proper line.
Barros asked, âThen you didnât find out anything, young master?â
âItâs not very rare.â
Didnât he find out that there was something with a will and that it was influencing the ancient powers of Karnak?
âWe need to figure out what it is. That way, we can solve the problem of the Darkness of the End or not.â
âItâs certain that itâs related to the Church of the Black God.â
âI guess so. Because it mentioned Tesranak.â
The question was, what was the position of the Church of the Black God in this situation?
âHavenât I told you before, Barros?â
This situation could be likened to a situation in which Karnak scattered a pile of gold coins, and then a dog or cow picked them up.
âBut it turned out that there was a separate tree that grew gold coins. An incredibly tall and huge gold coin tree that ordinary people canât even see.â
âSo what?â
âWhat if someone could see the tree? So what if that person was beating the tree hard with a pole, knocking the gold coins off? In the meantime, what if someone else approached the tree, brandished a pole, and made a fuss to get it off?â
The question was whether the Church of the Black God were gold pickers or pole wielders. It was not a big deal if they were picking up gold coins that fell without thinking. But what about those guys who were wielding poles?
âThe matter gets serious.â
Serati blinked.
ââ¦â¦is that such a serious matter?â
âIt doesnât seem to make sense compared to a pole, Serati. That means the power reaches the other side of space and time.â
âWhat Master Karnak did was also send the authority to the other side of time and space, right?â
âItâs completely different.â
Karnakâs tactic was only using the dark eye to peer into the void. He couldnât really influence anything.
âThere is a difference between looking at 10 kilometers away from a distance and directly moving an object 10 kilometers away from a distance.â
Expanding the domain of authority to the other side of time and space? Even Karnak, who became Astra Schnapp, could barely do this after decades of failure because that is the technique of space-time regression.
âThis is why I said it could never happen.â
To reach out to Karnakâs old authority that existed beyond time and space, he must have absolute power that transcended even Karnak in his days as the Death King.
âIf you really have that much power, you donât have to keep dropping gold coins, right? You can just pull the tree down.â
âMaybe heâs leaving it on purpose because he wants to keep eating gold coins, right?â
âI said trees metaphorically because it really doesnât mean that the darkness of the end continues to open?â
No matter how much he thought about it, he couldnât understand the current situation.
âIt doesnât make sense to send influence beyond the void in this world. You donât have to do such a thing if you have that much power. But if you do this, itâs said there is a separate person called Tesranak in the void, so where on earth did such a guy come out of nowhere?â
Serati, who was watching Karnak muttering, cautiously opened her mouth.
âHey, how about something like this?â
She knew about a legend and liked heroic stories. She knew little about magic, so she could imagine things that a wizard would never have thought of.
âWhat if Master Karnakâs authority became a being with a kind of ego in itself?â
Barros snorted.
âDoes that make sense? Then Miss Seratiâs aura will also wander around as a ghost separately? If you talk to her, sheâll answer.â
Karnak, on the other hand, did not laugh.
âOf course, itâs ridiculous, but the situation itself is so absurd that I canât ignore it.â
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Aside from the common sense of magic, it was a plausible hypothesis when looking at the phenomenon alone. No one wielded a pole, but the tree itself shed the darkness of the end itself and swung its own branches. If it was blocking the approaching guys, he would hit in the front and back.
Barros frowned, âDoesnât that sound like overthinking?â
So that aura tree named itself Tesranak? Was it his own will to serve as the god of death while sharing his power with the Church of the Black God? From what was merely energy, the self was born spontaneously, and something was born from nothing?
âIf this is the case, it can be said that the boy made a god? Ayy, no matter how great the young master is, at this point, he is just a food fruitâ¦â¦â
Karnak protested, blushing.
âWho made God? Thatâs because thereâs nothing you can do but speculate.â
Yeah, in the end, this was the problem. That he didnât know anything.
âThereâs nothing we can do right now. Until we learn more about that Thesranak.ân/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
And in this world, there was only one way to find out about Tesranak.
âAs expected, I should investigate the Church of the Black Godâ¦â¦.â
Only they had spoken of that name throughout past lives and in this world. Karnak frowned.
ââ¦What should I do now to investigate them?â
»»ââââ-ãâ ãââââ-««
The era of chaos.
Necromancers were rampant all over the continent, so the 7 Goddesses revived the Inquisitor system and reformed the system to confront it. These specially trained inquisitors hunted and judged necromancers with several allies, so these allies came to be called the Shadow Hunters.
However, there were situations in which this alone could not be dealt with. It was the cult that wielded power throughout the continent, the Church of the Black God. In the beginning, the secular kingdoms didnât particularly care about the Church of the Black God.
When the world was in chaos, it was inevitable that cultists of all kinds would boil over. They, too, thought it was just a kind of common occurrence.
However, the Church of the Black God was different from the cults Karnak had seen so far. This cult serving the god of death, Tesranak, was expanding its power at an astounding rate.
Its speed was so terrifying that it spread all over the continent before anyone knew it, so it gradually became a threat that not only the Seven Goddess Church, but even the worldly powers could not ignore.
The Church of the Black God belonged to high-ranking nobles, even royalty and great lords. He didnât know why the people with the position that he didnât want to regret fell into such a cult, but the important thing was that they were high-ranking people in each country.
The authority to simply hunt individual necromancers could be granted to the Church of the Seven Goddesses. This was the realm of âinquisitorsâ. However, when high-ranking officials with power were entangled in it, it became the realm of âpoliticsâ or ârebellionâ. For the Seven Goddess Church to manage this, their authority must increase accordingly.
High-ranking aristocrats, even royalty, could be dealt with effectively only when they can be punished at will, which was a serious situation in which secular authority was being infringed upon.
So, the Seven Kingdoms Alliance established a separate agency. Non-clerics were given the authority of inspector directly, which made them the face of the organization. The Kingâs Order was a special agency directly under the royal family that only hunted the Church of the Black God.
»»ââââ-ãâ ãââââ-««
Karnak asked while biting his lip.
âIf you want to investigate Tesranak, youâll have to hold a high-ranking member of the cult, right?â
Giggling, Barros answered, âThereâs no way ordinary believers would know important information.â
Karnak continued while savoring the savory flavor of sesame seeds that spread throughout his mouth.
âIt must be very difficult for us to hold on to high-ranking positions.â
Licking the sweet sugar cream with his tongue, Barros nodded.
âTheyâre hiding without even knowing mice or birds, so itâs unreasonable to expect them to get caught by chance while hunting the local necromancer like now. If you do well, youâll catch a pawn.â
With a serious face, Karnak swallowed the contents of his mouth.
âAre you sure you want to join the Kingâs Order?â
Barros also replied earnestly, wiping the sugar stains on his lips.
âIs that right?â
âI know you two are having a very important conversationâ¦â¦.â
Serati, who was watching from the side, asked as if she couldnât understand.
âHow do you get sweets in your mouth in such a serious situation?â
The two men protested vehemently.
âOf course, itâs a must!â
âSure! I even turned back time to eat this!â
âOh, itâs delicious to eat every time.â
âI mean.â
âYes.â
No matter how much the fate of the world was shaken and the end approaches, he could not give up an important routine. It was afternoon snack time.
ââ¦â¦â
Serati was just silent. Watching two grown men purr in front of a bowl of cookies like girls, she didnât know what to say.
âYou seem to have a surprisingly pitiful side?â
Karnak rather looked like she didnât understand.
âSerati, donât you eat sweets?â
âI donât like sweets.â
In an instant, the two were in deep shock.
âOmg!â
âOh my god!â
âHow can you not like sweets?â
âI gave up half of my happiness in life.â
With a sigh, Serati put away the tray of cookies.
âIf youâve eaten roughly, letâs discuss it.â
In the meantime, seeing that each of them took a handful of leftover snacks, it seemed that they had no intention of leaving any leftovers. Karnak made a serious expression while holding the snack in his hand.
âNow then, letâs think about how to enter the Kingâs Order.â
After the establishment of the Kingâs Order, the Kingdom of Yusteel was also hunting the Church of the Black God, also known as the Dark Church. Karnak knew this much from rumors. Likewise, Barros, who placed colorful candies on his palm the size of a pot lid, made a worried expression.
âFrom what I hear, even if the walls are high, they arenât usually high.â
As it was not a simple necromancer hunt, the authority given to the Kingâs Order was enormous. Even if the opponent was a noble or royal family, they could be immediately arrested and interrogated and even had the right to immediate execution if the evidence was clear.
It was impossible to deal with the Dark Church that secretly moved without giving this much authority. Of course, if abused, it would cause great confusion, so the Kingâs Orderâs selection conditions were extremely demanding and strict.
Loyalty to the royal family, devout faith in the 7 Goddesses, and excellent military and fighting power, as well as abundant experience in dealing with necromancy, were required.
âWe also had a reputation as dark hunters in Derat City, but will this be the condition to join?â
âIt doesnât matter if the conditions are right or not.â
Before that, there was no immediate way to cross the threshold of the Kingâs Order. Because simply having high skills wasnât everything, the Kingâs Order was strictly made up of recommendations. Of course, Karnak also had a connection to the Seven Goddesses called Alius, butâ¦â¦.
âThe Kingâs Order is an institution directly under the royal family.â
There was no way that Karnak, who was only a local aristocrat, had connections with the royal family.
âIâd rather just select people based on their skills, but somehowâ¦â¦â
âI know, right. Itâs not like thereâs some sort of open trialâ¦â¦â
âDid you live too much in the provinces, this?â
âI canât. Did you know this would happen, where?â
âWhat should I do? Go blindly to the capital and visit the Kingâs Order Headquarters right away?â
âArenât you being too reckless?â
âThereâs no other way, now.â
With serious faces, Karnak and Barros were troubled. Of course, in the meantime, they were eating the sweets and candies they held in their hand. Serati, who had been quietly listening, opened her mouth.
âSo, Master Karnak, your goal is to be a part of the Kingâs Order now?â
âWhy? Do you have any acquaintances?â
âItâs not to the extent that there is, but if you want, you can apply to join immediately.â
âEh?â
âThereâs a way?â