Death King Karnak

Chapter 78: Chapter 77: The Prince's Plot (1)

"What do you mean by that?"

Lloyd was puzzled.

"Not after my body? Does that mean Alford is also a victim?"

"I guess I said something that was a little misleading."

Karnak continued, looking embarrassed.

"It's true that he was after your body, but he didn't covet it."

The plan of Prince Alford, which was discovered through Detzras, was this:

First, the bodies of the two princes would be swapped with the help of necromancy.

Temporarily, at least.

"There was never any intention to make it permanent."

That's why Lloyd, whose body had been swapped, was locked away so carefully.

"Since he would eventually get his body back, he had to keep you in good condition."

They had also discovered a way to reverse the body swap.

"It's possible even without a necromancer."

Karnak took out a small brooch with a black jewel embedded in it from his pocket and continued speaking.

"This is a cursed jewel known as the Soul Exchange Ring. It's the medium used for the soul exchange."

To break the curse, the brooch had to be placed under the light of a full moon, and then the freshly shed blood of Prince Alford had to be poured over it.

"Does it have to be this body? Can't they use the blood from my original body?"

"The beneficiary of the curse is still you, Prince Lloyd. So, the subject of the curse is this body."

"Alford can't undo the curse by himself? So that's why he was so desperate to capture me."

Lloyd, understanding now, sighed in relief.

"It's a relief that the curse can be lifted even without a necromancer."

"Indeed."

With a doubtful expression, Barros whispered secretly.

[...Is this for real?]

[I understand why you're skeptical, but this time it's true.]

Anyway, when the night of the full moon arrives, the bodies of the two princes can be returned to their original state.

"That's why Prince Alford planned his actions for the evening of the full moon."

The plan was to assassinate King Wiscot I.

"He's targeting my father?"

"Yes. He planned to request an audience with His Majesty and then, at the right moment, stab him with a concealed dagger."

Lloyd shook his head in disbelief.

"That's not going to work."

"It's not as impossible as it sounds. No matter how vigilant His Majesty might be, he wouldn't suspect his own son. There wouldn't be a thorough body search either. The opportunity could certainly present itself."

"No, that's not what I meant..."

The prince clicked his tongue.

"Assassinate my father? Using my body?"

King Wiscot I of the Yustil Kingdom was once a renowned knight known for his martial prowess. Even in his old age, he was still in excellent health, frequently going hunting and practicing martial arts.

And now, Prince Lloyd was supposed to ambush such a king?

"Doesn't Alford know how weak my body is?"

Alford was well aware of that too.

"It doesn't matter if the assassination fails."

Karnak continued in a calm voice.

"Just the attempt would mean the plan has succeeded."

If the assassination were successful?

Then Prince Lloyd would be seen as a madman who killed his own father, a heinous act. Naturally, he would be captured by the royal guards and imprisoned.

If the assassination failed?

He would still be considered a traitor who attempted to kill his father. Being captured by the royal guards would be inevitable either way.

"What will happen if the bodies are switched back in that state?"

Only then did Lloyd's complexion turn pale.

"Oh my god..."

No matter how much he tried to explain after returning to his original body, no one would believe him.

If he was unlucky, he'd face execution; if he was lucky, he'd be treated as a madman and spend the rest of his life locked away.

Whether the king lived or died, the second prince, Alford, would become the sole heir to the throne.

"I do not think they plan to keep you alive anyway. Prince Lloyd, you would soon be driven to madness and commit suicide in prison."

"I would commit suicide?"

"Yes."

"And who decided that?"

"Necromancers are quite skilled at making others commit suicide, Prince."

"...Ugh."

Prince Lloyd groaned.

He knew his brother was ambitious, but he never imagined he would go this far...

"Now that I think about it, it's just the sort of thing he would do."

The only silver lining was that he had discovered the entire plan in advance. And it was all thanks to Karnak.

"Truly, meeting you has been the greatest fortune of my life."

"You're too kind."

"No, really. If it weren't for someone as wise as you, how would I have survived until now?"

Barros and Serati exchanged strange glances.

'Greatest fortune?'

'Wise?'

'It's not exactly wrong...'

'But it's not entirely right either...'

In any case, now that they had uncovered the enemy's plot, it was time to devise a solution.

"The conditions for lifting the curse are the light of the full moon and freshly shed blood from this body, correct, Lord Karnak?"

"Yes, Prince."

"Are you certain it must be freshly shed blood? I'm asking if they could extract Alford's blood—this body's blood—in advance and use that instead."

"I'm certain. That's why they went through all that trouble to capture you, Prince Lloyd."

If the curse could be lifted with pre-extracted blood, they wouldn't have cared whether Lloyd escaped or not—they could have just lifted the curse on the planned date.

"That makes sense."

Lloyd stroked his chin, lost in thought.

"So, the choice is mine then..."

Since the condition involved the full moon, the timing for lifting the curse was fixed.

But whether to switch the bodies back at that time was now entirely up to Lloyd.

"In this situation, Alford won't be able to proceed with his plan recklessly."

The plan only made sense if they could switch the bodies back afterward.

In the current situation, Prince Alford was also cornered.

If he made a move and couldn't recover his body, he'd die as Lloyd.

"Does that mean my father is safe for now?"

Lloyd murmured with a hint of relief.

"But we still need to assess the situation... However, if I return to the palace, who knows what might happen..."

He couldn't trust his original subordinates, and pretending to be Prince Alford was too dangerous. That's why he had been hiding, not daring to act rashly.

At that moment, Karnak quietly spoke up.

"That shouldn't be a problem, Prince."

"Why not?"

"Because I've obtained some valuable information."

Detzras was the leader among the cultists involved in this plot. Thanks to that, he knew secrets that even Kale and Olt didn't.

"I have a list of who knows about this plan and who doesn't."

"Oh! Is that true?"

Lloyd's face lit up with joy.

"Then I can finally pretend to be Alford!"

Until now, Lloyd had no way of knowing which of Alford's close aides were involved in this plan. As a result, he had been on guard against everyone, keeping himself hidden.

But with that list, it was now clear who to avoid.

As long as he avoided those individuals and interacted with the other subordinates of Alford, he could easily pass himself off as the second prince.

"Of course, it won't last long, but it doesn't need to."

All he had to do was be cautious until the night of the full moon.

He could return to the royal palace, pretending to be Alford, prepare for any unexpected situations, and when the time came, switch back to his original body, restoring everything to normal.

"It bothers me a bit that Alford might get away without any consequences for causing all this trouble."

A cold smile suddenly appeared on Lloyd's previously kind-looking face.

"Or perhaps this could be a good opportunity. Should I drink some slow-acting poison before switching back? Or maybe cut off one of his legs?"

Karnak intervened.

"That would be problematic."

For the soul change to be reversed, it was crucial that both bodies remained as unharmed as possible. If either body was injured, it could prevent the curse from being lifted.

"If that weren't the case, Prince Alford wouldn't have needed to target His Majesty at all. He could have just injured himself and then switched back."

Lloyd nodded reluctantly, understanding the point.

"Ah, I see."

Baros watched, secretly impressed.

'Not bad. He's not as naive as I thought.'

Prince Lloyd had a reputation for being a kind and compassionate person. In fact, that was the impression Baros had always had of him.

Yet here he was, casually talking about killing or crippling his own brother.

'Well, considering they've been trying to kill each other for over ten years, it makes sense.'

Meanwhile, Karnak pointed out another issue.

"I just want to confirm something. Prince Lloyd, all of your assumptions are based on the premise that Prince Alford knows his plan has gone awry, correct?"

"Why? Is there a problem?"

"The thing is, it's possible that Prince Alford doesn't know you've escaped."

Alford, now in Lloyd's body, would naturally find it difficult to contact his original subordinates. Their living spaces were different, and they had little interaction.

Moreover, he couldn't proceed with the plan without any communication.

There's always the possibility of unforeseen circumstances, isn't there? If things went awry, he would need to halt or adjust the plan.

"So, Prince Alford likely established a secret method to stay in constant contact with his close aides, like Sebastian."

"That makes sense. It's a basic precaution."

"The problem lies with that method of communication."

The body swap through necromancy was such a forbidden act that it couldn't be disclosed to anyone, not even to his own people, lightly.

He needed to communicate in secret, away from the eyes of both his enemies and allies.

In other words, he required a third, unknown method, one that neither Lloyd's side nor Alford's side would suspect.

And what better method than using the necromancy of the cultists? That's likely how Prince Alford had been maintaining contact all along.

But hadn't those cultists just been sent to the afterlife by Karnak and his group?

Though, in reality, their souls were still under Karnak's control, but that's just a figure of speech.

Lloyd, listening to the explanation, asked with a puzzled expression.

"Wait, are you saying those three cultists were the only ones working with Alford?"

"Yes."

"How is that possible? Wouldn't it be foolish for someone in charge of such an important task to act alone? Shouldn't at least one of them have stayed behind as a precaution?"

Karnak chuckled.

"That's the mindset of someone used to being in charge."

Those in power often have the bad habit of assuming that their subordinates will understand and execute their wishes without needing explicit instructions.

They believe that since the subordinates are under them, they will naturally grasp their intentions and act accordingly.

But how much time and effort does it take to cultivate a subordinate who is genuinely that trustworthy?

Besides, these cultists weren't originally Alford's subordinates, were they? They were merely cooperating under the orders of their cult.

"A good opportunity has come to increase their necromantic power, and they wouldn't want to lose it to someone else. So why would they care about Prince Alford's situation? What has the prince ever done for them?"

"Th-that's true," Lloyd said, scratching his head awkwardly. Then, he looked at Karnak with a curious expression.

"You've got a pretty straightforward way of speaking, don't you? Most people wouldn't be so direct in front of a prince."

"Is that so?" Karnak felt a pang of guilt inside.

He had lived as an absolute ruler for so long that, despite his efforts, his habits had slipped out without him realizing it.

"I apologize. I'm just a country bumpkin, so I'm not very good with formalities..."

"No need to worry about that. You've done so much for me; how could I be angry? Besides, your bluntness shows you're thinking of my best interests."

Surprisingly, Lloyd wasn't bothered at all. He seemed genuinely intrigued rather than upset.

"So, you're saying that Alford's means of communication was through those cultists, and now they're all dealt with?"

"Yes. That's what makes things uncertain now."

Of course, it's possible that Alford had prepared other methods of communication besides the cultists.

Even with necromantic interrogation, it's hard to determine the truth if the person truly believes they're telling it.

"Detzras was certain that they were the only contacts, but we can't rule out the possibility that Prince Alford secretly prepared another means of communication."

If that were the case, things would proceed as Prince Lloyd predicted.

"But what if the communication really has been cut off?"

At Karnak's question, Lloyd's expression darkened.

"How will Alford respond to that...?"

Will he postpone the plan because there's no communication?

Or will he proceed with the plan regardless?

"Logically, postponing would be the reasonable thing to do, but..."

Is Prince Alford a reasonable person?

Lloyd wasn't sure about that at all.

If Alford were a reasonable person, he wouldn't have committed such a dangerous act as body-swapping using necromancy in the first place.

"This is troublesome. So, does that mean I should inform my father before the night of the full moon?"

Karnak shook his head.

"And what would you tell him? Wouldn't it be difficult to explain everything?"

The idea that human souls had been swapped was unprecedented. Convincing someone of this would require some very compelling evidence.

"Do you have any secrets that would convince His Majesty?"

Prince Lloyd gave a bitter smile.

"Unfortunately, no. My brother and I were never that close to our father."

Their father had always been the type to say, "Let the son who survives after fighting his brother become king." He wasn't exactly the kind of father his sons would be fond of.

Lloyd's voice grew a bit louder, as if he were suddenly irritated.

"Now that I think about it, I almost feel like letting my father die, though I know I can't actually do that."

Setting aside filial duty, it would create practical problems.

If Alford went through with his plan, Lloyd would still be branded a traitor even if he managed to return to his original body.

"I can't afford not to get my body back."

As Lloyd grew more serious, Serati cautiously spoke up.

"Um, Prince?"

"What is it, Dame Serati?"

"This might be unethical and immoral, but..."

Choosing her words carefully, she asked,

"...Is it really necessary for you to get your original body back?"

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