CHAPTER 62: The Wise Cultist Hunt (3)

Even after taking charge of the 7th Battalion, Karnak's reputation continued to soar.

This was because his performance far surpassed that of the other King's Orders.

When other battalions took on a case, it would take them a long time to resolve it.

Of course, there were cases like that of the Count Brelant, where things ended quickly due to luck, but in their line of work, this could almost be considered bad luck rather than something to celebrate. After all, it was merely a case where they were fortunate enough to successfully retaliate after being attacked first.

However, Karnak was catching heretics at an incredibly rapid pace.

Moreover, he was extracting information effortlessly. And using that information, he swiftly completed purges.

At first, there were those who suspected that he might be a spy for the heretics.

But after reading his reports, such doubts were quickly dispelled.

The reports showed that his work was the result of diligent deduction and interrogation.

He was simply better at reasoning than others, and had an exceptional ability to extract and verify information through torture.

Naturally, Baros scoffed at this.

"Well, of course it looks like his reasoning skills are outstanding when you already know the answers and then match the situation to them."

Serati also found it absurd.

"He's never even conducted a proper interrogation."

All he did was kill them and use necromancy to forcibly extract information from their souls.

Karnak was unapologetic.

"As long as you reach the destination, it doesn't matter how you get there."

In any case, the heretic hunt was progressing smoothly.

Since becoming the captain, Karnak had taken on and successfully dealt with five more cases of suspected heresy.

One could say that everything was going smoothly.

However, Karnak himself was feeling dissatisfied.

"This isn't yielding any real results."

***

The fortress of Asra, located in the southeastern border of the Kingdom of Yustil.

Screams echoed from the underground of the central tower of the fortress.

"Aaaah!"

Millia, a cleric of Latiel who was lingering near the entrance to the basement, shuddered.

'This is horrifying...'

She understood it in her mind.

She knew that in order to protect the kingdom's people, they needed to interrogate heretics to extract information. And that in this process, torture was unfortunately necessary.

Considering the sins those heretics had committed, it was almost a fitting punishment.

Even so, she couldn't help but shiver every time she heard the screams.

"Aaaaah!"

Fortunately, Captain Karnak had not allowed Millia to participate in the interrogation process.

He had been considerate of her, as she was still young and, moreover, a woman.

'As expected, the Captain is a good person.'

Feeling secretly grateful to Karnak, Millia moved away from the basement.

As a cleric, she murmured a final prayer for the heretic.

'Latiel, please grant this sinful soul the rest of redemption.'

***

In the dimly lit basement, where flickering candlelight barely illuminated the darkness, Karnak sat at a table in one corner, diligently writing a report. This report was for the King's Order, detailing the recent heretic hunt.

From the other side of the room, a groan could be heard.

"Ugh, ugh..."

A man, bloodied from head to toe, was hanging bound. He was a captured necromancer.

Baros sat opposite him on a chair, looking bored, occasionally stabbing the man with a knife.

"Ugh, ugh..."

The torture had been so severe that even when stabbed, only faint whimpers escaped his lips.

Baros clicked his tongue.

"This guy's screams are too weak. Has he lost all his strength?"

Karnak muttered indifferently.

"Stab and twist."

Sure enough, after stabbing and twisting the knife, a loud scream burst out.

"Aaaah!"

Serati trembled as she watched the scene of torture being conducted so casually.

'No matter how many times I see it, I can't get used to this.'

It was true that Karnak had never interrogated heretics before. Interrogation involves pressuring the subject to reveal information.

But that didn't mean he never tortured them.

The bloodied necromancer muttered pitifully.

"J-just kill me..."

Baros responded nonchalantly.

"I want to just kill you quickly too. You think I enjoy this?"

Though they had successfully coaxed Millia out of the basement, they still had to put on a show of interrogation to avoid suspicion.

In other words, the screams needed to be heard outside the basement for a while.

"Aaaaaaah!"

Serati turned her gaze away.

She understood it logically.

This was simply retribution.

Considering the evil acts this man had committed against others, even this was a light punishment.

'But is this really retribution? Isn't this just crushing evil with an even greater evil?'

Yet, it was hard to stop Karnak.

Thanks to him, the heretics of the dark cult were being swiftly eradicated, and many citizens of the kingdom, who might have been unjustly sacrificed, were being saved.

The method might be wrong, but the results were undeniably good.

'Yes, it's just their own fault.'

Convincing herself, she approached Karnak.

He was scribbling down a plausible excuse for how he had located the heretics. Curious, Serati asked.

"What excuse are you using this time?"

Instead of answering, Karnak pointed to a part of the report.

Reading it, the content went something like this:

『One of the heretics used forbidden magic spell to obtain a more powerful darkness. This was an evil necromantic technique known as the "Cursed Hand," which involved cutting off a human hand, drying it, and using it as a medium to imbue it with darkness and curses. Fortunately, after obtaining it, I was able to trace their whereabouts through magic…』

As Serati read the report, she asked in confusion.

"The Cursed Hand? Is that a real thing?"

At that moment, Baros suddenly cut off the right hand of the bound necromancer.

"Aaaaah!"

Blood spurted out along with a scream.

Nonchalantly shaking the severed hand, Baros held it out.

"Here you go, young master. The Cursed Hand."

"Drain more blood. It'll dry better that way."

"Yes," Serati nodded in understanding as she watched.

"Oh, so that's how it's done."

And then, she immediately felt disheartened.

'Wait a minute, why am I accepting such a scene so nonchalantly?'

It seemed that spending time with these inhuman individuals had gradually worn down her own humanity. This is why people say it's important to choose your friends wisely.

While Serati was lost in self-loathing, the necromancer finally drew his last breath. He had died from excessive blood loss.

Baros's indifferent voice cut through the silence.

"Oh, he's dead."

"He screamed a lot before he died, didn't he?"

"Yes, young master."

"Alright, then."

His voice was utterly devoid of emotion.

Now that the "pretend interrogation" was over, it was time to get to the main event.

Standing in front of the corpse, Karnak summoned his necromantic power.

It was a dark energy that any competent cleric could easily detect, but Karnak wasn't concerned.

After all, the necromancer had spread dark energy everywhere as he was dying.

Since the energy originated from the Darkness of Doom, it had the same attributes as Karnak's necromantic power. No priest would be able to distinguish between the two unless they witnessed the scene firsthand.

"Alright, let's extract some information."

***

Karnak performed necromancy, summoning the freshly deceased necromancer's soul. He then oppressed the soul, forcing it to reveal everything.

Even for a powerful necromancer, this would be a difficult task, but for Karnak, who had been the Death King, it was a simple matter.

"Confess everything you know about the cult of the Dark God and the god of death, Tesranak."

"I shall obey, O King of Death. May your will be fulfilled..."

While he was alive, the necromancer had resisted to some extent, but now that he was a soul, he was nothing more than a loyal slave. He revealed all the information he had.

However, none of it was particularly useful.

The necromancer's soul was sincere and confessed everything it knew perfectly.

The problem was that the content was worthless.

"What exactly is Tesranak?"

"He is the god of death and darkness, a destroyer, and a creator who will change the world and bring forth a new order."

"I'm not asking about public doctrine. Tell me the truth that the cult of the Dark God knows."

"He is the god of death and darkness, a destroyer, and a creator who will change the world and bring forth a new order."

"Damn it, this guy genuinely believes this."

It seemed that the captured cultists weren't high-ranking enough in the cult of the Dark God to know anything substantial.

But when he thought about it, it wasn't all that surprising.

If you captured a priest from the Churches of the Seven Goddesses and asked the same questions, would the answers really be that different?

Human understanding of divine beings is inherently limited.

But this applied when Tesranak was a normal god.

"A god that didn't even exist suddenly appeared, and it never occurred to you that this might be strange?"

"Death and darkness have existed since the beginning of time. How could a god suddenly appear? He has existed since the beginning, but foolish humans were simply unaware of him."

"Oh, that's how they teach it?"

He's only catching the small fry.

None of them know the truth about Tesranak.

"It seems like only those with higher status within the cult would know the truth."

Thanks to capturing several heretics, Karnak had managed to gain a general understanding of the cult of the Dark God.

The Dark Sect was governed by three leaders.

Beneath them are six cardinals, thirteen archbishops, and dozens of regional diocese's bishops who manage the organization.

The priests of Tesranak they had captured so far were all subordinates operating under these bishops.

Bishops are so adept at hiding that even the priests of Tesranak often have no idea who their superiors are or where they live.

Baros, who had been observing, spoke up.

"We'll need to catch at least a bishop to get any useful information."

"Exactly. Only then can we trace the higher-ups."

With a dissatisfied expression, Karnak ended the necromancy.

"This is it. This one was utterly useless too."

The necromancer's soul turned into a dark, malevolent energy and was absorbed, becoming part of Karnak's power.

"Aaaah!"

Even in death, the soul couldn't find peace and let out a final scream of despair, but neither Karnak nor Baros, nor even Serati, paid any attention. They had seen this scene too many times before.

Karnak sighed, expressing his frustration.

"I went through the trouble of joining the King's Order, and yet nothing is working out."

Baros shared the sentiment.

"It would be great if we could catch a big shot like an archbishop or a cardinal."

Serati shook her head.

"That would mean a serious incident is happening, and we can't really hope for that, can we? That would mean more innocent people would suffer."

Karnak and Baros turned to her, looking surprised.

"Oh, so there's that perspective too."

"I guess that's what you have to say to sound like a decent person around here?"

"I learned something good."

Serati looked at the once mighty beings with a mix of disdain.

"...Is this something you actually need to learn?"

In any case, they were right that a major incident would have to occur. Only then would they have a chance to penetrate the core of the cult.

Karnak stroked his chin.

"Maybe a real major incident will break out?"

***

His wish was granted.

At the headquarters of the King's Order, in Commander Erantel's office.

It was there that new orders were given to Karnak and the 7th Battalion.

"There are rumors that someone in the capital, Drunta, is in league with the cult. You are to investigate, determine the truth, and punish them in the name of the Goddess and the King."

For some reason, the commander's voice was strained. It lacked the usual confidence and authority.

So Karnak asked directly.

"Who is the suspect?"

"Well, that's..."

Commander Erantel responded hesitantly, his reluctance clear in his voice.

"...It's His Highness, Alford Rudan Yustil, the second prince of the Kingdom of Yustil."

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