Death King Karnak Novel - Chapter 11

Death King Karnak

3. The Dueling Trial

An ornate full-length mirror in silver and bronze. Above it was the reflection of a man with his upper body undressed. At first glance, it was a normal-looking body.

Moderately fat and muscular, not particularly big or small. Even if you would take a random young man and take his shirt off, he would also look almost the same.

However, it was also a genuinely proud result for Karnak.

“Hey, have I gotten better?” He grinned while showing off his biceps. His former body, which could be said to be ranked somewhere between anchovies and dried fish, now looks quite human.

“Aren’t you pretty muscular at this level, Barros?”

A faithful servant speaks sincerely to the owner, who is delighted by the results of his rigorous training.

“I rolled that much, but I need that much muscle since I’m a man. No, even a woman can do that. You ate too much meat.”

“I’ve changed so much in just one month, so can’t you give me some compliments?”

“If you don’t move your body normally, how can you change that much in just one month? Please understand the matter at hand.”

Karnak was puzzled for a moment. It’s obviously the same cheeky attitude as usual, but what felt different? Realizing the reason, he tapped Barros on the shoulder.

“Don’t worry too much. It’ll be fine.”

Karnak was about to face Randolph in the dueling trial. Barros was feeling too uneasy about that.

“Hmm, I can’t help but worry.”

No matter how well prepared he was, the uncertainty of the happening of unexpected things was the world’s way.

“If things don’t go according to plan, activate your necromancy skills immediately. Kill everyone you see and run away.”

“Ah, if that happens, will it become a repetition of the past?”

“Isn’t it better than dying right away? It’s meaningless to win a duel after having your head cut off.”

Typically, it would end when the head was cut off, but Karnak was different. Even if he was killed, he could resurrect himself as an undead using necromancy. However, he would then lose his human senses.

“Even if you run away, you have to run away alive. You threw everything away and came back to live like a human being.”

“Okay. Okay.”

Karnak turned his head after calming Barros.

He could see the armor, long sword, and shield standing on one side of the room. Those were the weapons that Barros had carefully prepared for today.

“Let’s go to the place of the duel,” Karnak murmured seriously as he moved his steps.

The temporary arena for the dueling trial was built in the northern field where Allium’s temple was located.

That place was the border between Deventer and Zestrad and was a place people rarely visited. Except for the priests and shepherds, people only visited on rare occasions. But now, a large crowd had gathered.

Barros looked around after arriving at the arena and said with admiration.

“Whoa, isn’t the number of audiences way too much than my expectations?”

The people of Zestrad Manor and the people of Deventer Manor were lined up on both sides of the arena, and the priests of Allium were also there to preside over the trial. It was well over 100 people.

The armored Karnak moved and whispered softly, “I guess so. It’s a duel with the fate of Yongjia at stake.”

“Is it really the time to talk so casually like everybody else?” Barros asked while unable to hide his worried expression.

“Can you escape in case of emergency?”

“This number is sufficient.”

Barros finally let out a sigh of relief after seeing his calm expression.

Karnak laughed bitterly inwardly.

‘Well, it’s not a lie.’

He was confident of escaping. But he would never be able to kill them all.

‘If I run away, my real identity will be exposed right away…’

As a necromancer, you would then be forced to live while being chased for the rest of your life. Didn’t Karnak already know what the result would be like?

‘As expected, I have no choice but to win in this duel.’

In a noisy atmosphere, Karnak walked to the entrance of the arena. Every time he took a step, the locals wiped their tears and prayed.

“Oh, young master…”

“May Allium take care of our lord…”

“Please avenge the former head of the household!”

The response was more positive than expected. It wasn’t like he was already a goner, but they believed Karnak could win. It was a funny story from Karnak’s point of view.

In terms of common sense, how could there be a way for a worn-out little boy in a closet beat a proud knight after training secretly for only three months?

‘I must have cleaned my mouth really well.’

As usual, he would have intended to engage in a duel with necromancy magic so that confidence would have been conveyed to the people around him.

‘Actually, I didn’t even know it was also a way to make a living, heh.’

Eventually, a priest appeared in the center of the arena. The middle-aged priest raised his hand to calm the commotion.

“Be silent before the authority of Allium!”

The place became quiet soon after that.

The trial had already begun.

“Since both sides claimed that the other side’s evidence was false, the truth will be judged under the protection of the great Allium!”

The priest’s speech continued.

“Lord of Zestrad, duelist Karnak, stand before the goddess!”

Karnak entered the arena. His appearance, wrapped in shiny steel armor and holding a shield engraved with the family crest, looked quite plausible. Cheers erupted from Zestrad’s side.

“Whoaaa!”

The priest’s voice erupted once again.

“Knight of Deventer, duelist Randolph, stand before the goddess!”

Likewise, cheers erupted, but from the Deventer’s side.

“Whoaaa!”

Amid those cheers, a man with a large body entered the arena.

It was Randolph in plain everyday clothes. Unlike Karnak, he has no armor or shield. He only had that massive sword he used to wear on his back. It was a promise in advance. Considering the skills of both sides, this should be enough for a fair duel.

Of course, even if he does this, Randolph still has an overwhelming advantage. That’s why there was still a confident smile on his lips.

The two walked slowly and finally stood facing each other in the middle of the arena.

The priest asked while presenting the holy relic of Allium.

“Duelers, do you swear to fight fair and square in the name of Allium?”

Karnak replied as he drew his sword and brought it before his helmet.

“On the honor of Zestrad, I swear!”

Randolph did not draw his sword. Instead, he only shouted triumphantly.

“I swear on Deventer’s honor!”

The priest took a step back while nodding his head.

“Under the goddess’s protection, the balance of justice will tilt!”

A middle-aged priest, who had left the arena, let out a final cry.

“The dueling trial begins!”

Randolph drew the sword behind his back.

Speerreung!

The eerie sound of steel stings the ears. It wasn’t very loud, but that strange sound could make one’s body shrink.

Of course, Karnak was not intimidated by that. To prepare for this, Barros had deliberately made a lot of crowing noises while sheathing and unsheathing his sword.

“The child of Zestrad family.”

Randolph laughed fiercely as he lightly hung his sword.

“I don’t know what you’ve been doing for the past three months…”

He took a light step forward. At the same time, a slash aimed at Karnak’s shoulder landed.

Karnak quickly raised his shield and slammed it.

Tuong!

He took a few steps back while groaning. But he didn’t collapse.

Randolph wasn’t stunned that the opponent blocked him. Rather, that slash just now was so lightly swung that it would be shocking if he couldn’t block that.

“The path of the sword is not shallow enough to be mastered in just a few months.”

Randolph launched another attack while smirking. Karnak also responded seriously.

After blocking Randolph’s attack with his shield, Karnak counterattacked. Then, Randolph lightly dodged and landed an additional hit. Karnak blocked it with his shield again and counterattacked.

Clang, clang!

The sound of iron resounded continuously, and the barrage continued.

At first glance, the sight of the duel seemed credible, so cheers erupted from Zestrad’s side.

“Whoaa!”

“Young Master is fighting well!”

“He isn’t the young master anymore! You should call him Lord!”

Karnak was also relieved.

‘Fortunately, the beginning is just as Barros expected.’

It was neither fast nor powerful at all. It was an attack with the sole purpose of trying to assess the opponent’s level.

Even the attack’s trajectory was so obvious that if he moved as he practiced, he could easily block it.

He only had one thing to do now. His fighting spirit was bursting more than anyone else…….

“Taaaat!”

By mobilizing all the eyes and momentum, he displayed the spirit of not wanting to lose his life!

Ha! Haa!

A few more sword attacks came and went. Randolph murmured contentedly.

“Your eyes are pretty good.”

Honestly, his skills didn’t matter. You couldn’t call him a proper knight. No, they were at a level that he couldn’t be called a proper soldier, either.

However, his attitude towards battle was worth acknowledging.

‘This is enough to knock him down in a dueling trial.’

Randolph’s sword power went up a notch. A different sword pressure from before hit Karnak in front.

“Haa!”

If he tried to block it with the shield, he would get sliced in half. Karnak wasn’t surprised at all.

‘This one too!’

Karnak threw himself and rolled on the ground like he was waiting for that.

“Oh?”

Randolph was a bit taken aback as he didn’t expect the other person to subserviently avoid it to such an extent. If this was a battlefield, it would have ended if he had just chased him after and stabbed him.

‘But it’s a duel in name, so it’s kind of hard to do something like that.’

For now, he waited for Karnak to get up. And strike with the sword again…

Roll and roll!

“How come you?”

He lowered his sword again…

Roll, roll, and roll!

“This guy?”

He didn’t care, but he was starting to get worked up a little. Could it be that he thought that if he continued to roll against himself like this, an opportunity would present itself?

‘Do you mean to say that knights are funny people?’

Randolph’s mood slightly changed.

“This, I’ll now take this a little more seriously.”

It was a transition from just seasoning to salting properly. Any experienced warrior would know that only full-fledged strikes would come from now on.

Of course, Karnak had no experience in sword fighting. So, he wouldn’t know if the opponent’s momentum has changed or not.

But instead, he had a loyal servant who was overflowing with combat experience.

“Young Master!”

Barros shouted. It was a planned signal.

“Oh, is it now?”

Honestly, he had no idea what the hell had changed in Randolph’s eyes, but since it was Barros, that would probably be the case. Karnak quickly threw away his shield.

“Eh?”

Randolph was a little bit surprised.

‘Throwing away his shield, has he gone crazy?’

Of course, though it was a real shield, it didn’t matter. Randolph could decapitate Karnak at any time he wanted to. But that was Randolph’s decision, and it wasn’t something Karnak could decide.

Karnak took a formal stance after throwing away his shield.

“I’m coming with all my heart, Sir Randolph!”

He held the long sword firmly with both hands and aimed at the opponent. It was a jockey technique that Barros had imprinted on his body after spending half a day.

Meanwhile, a buzzing sound came from the side of Deventer’s Knights.

“Eh?”

“That posture…”

“How?”

It wasn’t the swordsmanship of the Zestrad family.

Much more famous than that, especially in the northern part of the Yu Steel Kingdom, it was a swordsmanship technique only known to quite a few knights.

Randolph murmured incredulously.

“Delphia’s Sword technique?”

[To be continued.]