Monarch of Death - Chapter 4

Chapter 4. Something Feels Strange (3)

Karnak’s family, the Zestrad Barony, was one of the lower noble houses in the Kingdom of Ustil.

It had a history of roughly 100 years, not long enough to be considered deeply rooted, but also not so new as to be called an upstart. It was a fairly typical provincial noble family.

Reflecting on the past, Karnak spoke nostalgically.

“It really was a family of no significance.”

It was a place that wasn’t particularly barren nor particularly fertile, but it produced enough to get by.

In times of plenty, they would hold feasts, and in times of famine, the table would be sparse. Luxuries were out of the question, but they maintained a level of dignity befitting nobility.

It truly was a very common provincial noble family.

Karnak’s grandfather, Baron Grellid, had always been dissatisfied with this.

‘How long must we remain buried in this rural corner? Shouldn’t a man harbor grand ambitions?’

With the intent to achieve something great, he tried various ventures using the estate as collateral.

The result was a complete failure.

The businesses failed one after another, the few fertile lands in the estate were lost, and he died from an illness brought on by stress.

What began with grand ambitions ended only with enormous debt.

Following him, Karnak’s father, Baron Krafut, became the head of the family. He grasped onto the barren estate and the crumbling mansion, trying desperately to revive the family.

Of course, it wasn’t easy.

It was already difficult to sustain themselves, and they were heavily in debt as well.

Still, the eldest son was fairly clever and grew up well as the heir, and the second son showed talent in martial arts and became a fine knight. In their own way, the family managed to keep going, but…

“To be honest, those labels like ‘clever’ and ‘fine’ were just our father’s opinions.”

By societal standards, both sons were also quite ordinary. If you took anyone and gave them the same education, they could have achieved about as much.

Even though the estate was still a declining rural land, Baron Krafut continued doing all that was expected.

Despite everything, he decided to enjoy himself as a ‘noble’ and even took a mistress.

When the mistress suddenly became pregnant, he showed some sense of responsibility by bringing her into the family.

The problem was that once she was brought into the family, she was neglected.

Karnak’s mother, who had once been the mistress, suffered under the constant harassment of the baroness, eventually falling ill and dying. As an illegitimate child, Karnak had to grow up in constant humiliation.

“Ah, just thinking about it makes me angry again…”

Karnak shook his head, trying hard to shake off the thoughts. He then took out a silver coin from his pocket.

“In any case, that’s the current state of our family…”

He rolled the silver coin between his fingers.

“So, where on earth did this money come from?”

* * *

Thanks to traveling on horseback, the journey from Darha Village to the Zestrad estate, which would have taken three days on foot, was shortened to two.

“We didn’t save as much time as I had hoped,” Varos grumbled, glancing at the brown horse he was riding.

“You said you fed them well, right? Then why do these guys tire out so quickly?”

Karnak threw out a teasing remark, seemingly incredulous.

“For living horses, they’re actually quite sturdy!”

“As if I’ve ever ridden something like that before.”

For reference, the mounts Varos used to ride were zombie horses, skeletal horses, and ghost horses.

“They don’t get tired, you don’t have to carry feed, and they don’t even poop. They’re nothing but advantages!”

There was, however, a minor(?) issue: if one rode such undead steeds, they would gradually become tainted by dark energy and wither away…

“But I was already a dead man, so it didn’t matter.”

Thanks to their diligent riding, they were getting close to their destination. As Varos surveyed the surrounding landscape, he looked down past the hill and murmured.

“The estate is coming into view, young master.”

“The human mind is really strange,” Karnak said with a bitter smile as he gazed at the fields covered in green barley.

“This place has nothing but bad memories for me, yet seeing it again still makes me feel nostalgic.”

“It still just annoys me,” Varos said with a scowl.

“I was hated just as much as you were.”

He was an orphan from the estate.

Zestrad’s estate, being in the barren northern region, was frequently invaded by monsters. Therefore, orphans weren’t uncommon, and they weren’t particularly shunned either.

But Varos’s situation was a bit different.

His parents had swindled the local people, taken their money, and fled in the middle of the night. They even abandoned their child in the process.

It wasn’t the boy’s fault that his parents were scum, but people naturally harbor the prejudice that a wretch’s bloodline must be wretched as well.

No one wanted to take him in. And it wasn’t as if the estate was wealthy enough to support a welfare facility like an orphanage.

It was Karnak who extended a hand of salvation.

Despite his usually timid nature, young Karnak stubbornly insisted on taking Varos as his attendant.

Even though he was a scorned illegitimate child, Karnak was still a noble, and out of regard for appearances, it was necessary to give him at least a servant. Given the difficulty of dealing with Varos, Baron Krafut agreed, thinking it was like getting rid of trash.

“Still, I was the only one who took care of you, right?”

“Well, I was the only one who took care of you, young master. Why are you acting all high and mighty now?”

As the two chatted, their horses steadily continued on their path.

They entered the fields, where the figures of the farmers became clearly visible.

“Everyone looks busy.”

“It must be time to pull the weeds.”

“We should probably just pass through quickly, right?”

“That would be best.”

Among the people of the estate, Karnak and Varos were seen as nothing more than the spoiled youngest master and his equally reckless attendant. There was no reason to expect a warm welcome, so they were planning to pass through quickly when…

“Ah! Lord Karnak!”

“You’re back!”

To their surprise, the villagers noticed them and greeted them from a distance with delighted expressions.

Some even had tears in their eyes.

“Thank you so much for all your hard work!”

“Oh, the hardships you must have endured…!”

This was vastly different from what Karnak remembered.

He let out a small, incredulous laugh.

‘What on earth did I do to deserve this kind of praise?’

But since everyone greeted him as if it was the most natural thing in the world, it wasn’t like he could ask, “Why are you so happy to see me?”

Offering brief waves in return, the two quickly urged their horses forward and left the area.

Glancing back, Varos frowned.

“It feels like I’m having a nightmare.”

“Same here. We’d better get home quickly.”

***

Standing before a large stone wall, Varos muttered to himself.

“Young master? What on earth is this?”

Karnak replied, his face twisted in a grimace.

“Don’t ask me. I have no idea anymore.”

A grand mansion stood before them.

Tall walls made of high-quality bricks extended to either side, beyond which an elegant garden peeked through. In the center stood a stunning two-story mansion, complete with a sunlit terrace and various statues sparkling under the sun.

“This is definitely the Zestrad mansion, right?”

“Yeah,” Karnak nodded.

It was unmistakably the house and the building he remembered.

At least, the basic structure was.

“The size of the walls is the same, the garden is the same size, and the building is the same… but…”

“Why does the mansion look so pristine?”

“Exactly. It’s been completely renovated!”

The original Zestrad Barony had a mansion over 100 years old that could be called antique.

But to be honest, “antique” was just a polite way of saying it was old and worn-out, a gloomy place that had deteriorated over the decades.

Due to their tight financial situation, they hadn’t been able to properly maintain the house for almost several decades.

Yet now, the mansion had been thoroughly renovated, every corner sparkling and fresh.

The mansion was elegant, dignified, and refined—nearly the epitome of what people imagine when they think of a noble family’s estate.

“Where are we? Just where exactly have we ended up?”

Karnak could completely understand Varos’s question.

It wasn’t just about the mansion itself. It was a question about the nature of this world.

“Well, let’s just go inside for now.”

“Goodness, are we really allowed to enter such a grand place, being the shabby people that we are?”

Feeling uneasy, the two of them made their way to the main gate.

One of the gatekeepers noticed them and, with a delighted expression, hurried over to greet them.

“Ah! Lord Karnak!”

The man, who appeared to be in his mid-forties, was a familiar face from Karnak’s memories.

With a calm demeanor, Karnak nodded.

“I’m back, Katail.”

Katail quickly urged the other gatekeeper.

“Hurry and inform the butler! The young master has returned!”

“Yes, sir!”

Watching this unfold, Karnak let out a sigh.

In the mansion from his memories, a figure from his past rushed to greet him. On the surface, everything seemed just as he remembered it.

But the appearance was entirely different.

The mansion gleamed, and the servants’ clothes were spotless. He had no memory of ever having the funds to keep their clothes so clean, as laundry was an expense that added up over time.

And then, there was the matter of this warm welcome?

He could say with absolute certainty that he had never been treated with such kindness before. The scornful and cold looks he used to receive were not something one could easily forget, no matter how much they tried.

‘This is driving me crazy, really.’

Varos leaned in to whisper.

‘Young master.’

‘What?’

‘I don’t think anything can surprise me anymore.’

‘Same here.’

Their expectations were shattered again, and it didn’t take long.

Soon after, a neatly dressed elderly man came rushing out from the mansion.

‘Grandfather Tafel?’

‘That’s right. He’s still alive at this time, isn’t he?’

Tafel Flyde, the old butler who had served the Zestrad family since Karnak’s grandfather’s time, was now before them.

“The young master has returned, sir!” the gatekeeper called out.

Butler Tafel, in the stern voice they were all too familiar with, scolded him.

“Mind your words, Katail. How much longer do you intend to call him young master?”

Then, with a warm expression that Karnak had no recollection of, Tafel respectfully bowed his head to him.

“Welcome home, my lord.”

The two could only look at each other, blinking in disbelief.

‘Did he just call me lord?’

‘Me?’

* * *

In an opulent drawing room adorned with elegant paintings and decorations, steam rose gently from the teacups placed on the table.

Staring at the teacups, Karnak wore a dazed expression.

‘Tea…?’

In this era, he had never even had the opportunity to taste such a luxury.

Glancing around, Karnak noticed that Varos, standing nearby, was also trying his best to hide his confusion.

The old butler, Tafel, looked at Karnak and spoke in a soft tone.

“It’s already been over half a year since you took over as the head of the household, Lord Karnak…”

Judging by the situation, it seemed he had inherited the barony immediately after his coming-of-age ceremony, around the age of twenty.

“Did you achieve your goal?”

“Goal?”

Karnak reflexively asked, caught off guard.

Tafel seemed momentarily puzzled before asking again.

“You traveled specifically for that purpose, didn’t you?”

Realizing he had to be careful, Karnak quickly mumbled an answer.

“Ah, well… more or less…”

Thankfully, the old butler didn’t seem to find his response suspicious.

“That’s good to hear. The late lord would have been pleased.”

‘Huh? My father’s dead?’

Karnak’s mind raced, but Tafel continued speaking.

“If Lady Isabella were still alive, she would have been so proud…”

Isabella was the wife of Baron Krafut, Karnak’s stepmother.

‘Good grief, she’s dead too?’

“When Lord Tesil also passed away, I was at a loss, but now I can finally feel at ease.”

‘Even my eldest brother is dead?’

At this point, Karnak couldn’t help but be curious.

‘Then what about Paralt? What happened to that bastard?’

It was clear that Paralt wasn’t around either. If his second brother had survived, the title wouldn’t have fallen to Karnak.

But what could have happened?

‘I’m dying to ask, but I can’t bring myself to do it.’

He also had no idea what “goal” Tafel was referring to.

‘If I had a goal during this time, it’s obvious what it would be.’

It was to secretly master the necromancy he had stumbled upon by chance.

There couldn’t have been any other reason. In the current timeline, Karnak was undoubtedly learning necromancy.

‘But there’s no way I would’ve openly stated that as my goal.’

If that truth had come out, a warm smile wouldn’t have greeted him—only the warmth of a pyre.

‘What purpose does Tafel think I had?’

There was another mystery to unravel.

Karnak originally pursued necromancy to gain power and exact revenge on his family.

But judging by the current situation, it seemed that all thoughts of revenge had already been resolved.

Now a lord, Karnak seemed to be receiving recognition and favor from those around him. Everyone appeared to treat him with genuine warmth.

‘Why on earth did I bother learning necromancy if I was living this comfortably?’

He couldn’t understand it.

Not even a guess came to mind.

‘If my power was intact, I could use mental domination to extract information, but that’s not an option right now…’

Realizing that he couldn’t leave things as they were, Karnak subtly signaled to Varos with a glance.

‘Do something!’

Communicating through mere eye contact might sound impossible, but after doing it for over a hundred years, it became second nature to them.

Catching on immediately, Varos smoothly inserted himself into the conversation.

“Butler Tafel.”

“Yes, Varos?”

“Lord Karnak is weary from his long journey. Perhaps it would be best to continue this conversation tomorrow?”

“Ah, I see. I’ve been thoughtless.”

The old butler clicked his tongue and stood up.

“My apologies, my lord. That was my mistake. Please, rest for now.”

“Of course.”

Karnak, who had felt as if he were walking on thin ice, internally sighed with relief as he rose from his seat. He then hurried Varos along.

‘Let’s get out of here, quickly.’

‘I couldn’t agree more, young master.’