How could one separate fully mixed milk tea back into its two ingredients: milk and tea? The easiest method was to spin it and rely on centrifugal force. All mages knew such basic physical principles. But strictly speaking, that didn't separate milk from tea. It split them into water, tannins, fats, and proteins.

One could claim that by gathering the milk components and blending them again, one got the milk back, but that was just semantics.

Karnak transmitted to Serati using telepathy.

—You can't do that to a person.

If applied to a human being, that would be like pulling apart flesh, blood, and bone, and then reassembling them. The world had a name for such things: necromancy.

Furthermore, even if one put it back together, would it really be the same person as before? No. There would always be impurities. That was why people revived through necromancy often suffered from physical or mental abnormalities.

Saving Milia was akin to reversing the flow of time on a perfectly blended milk tea. And Karnak, once the Monarch of Death, knew better than anyone that it was an impossible feat, at least for his current self.

Serati looked puzzled.

—Then what did you do?

Karnak insisted he'd failed, but Milia was clearly returning to her human form.

Karnak simply shrugged.

—Sure, once milk and tea are mixed, they can't be separated again. But really, does it have to be separated? So I just blew away all the power that had taken root and reshaped her appearance to look human.

If everyone simply believed milk tea was just milk, wouldn't the outcome be the same? In other words, he hadn't actually separated the milk tea. He just poured it into a milk jug and sealed the lid tight. Then he made a declaration: This is milk. No matter what anyone says, this is milk.

As long as no one opened the lid to check, everyone else would simply accept it as milk.

Serati was still concerned.

—Is that... okay?

Of course, if the lid ever came off, the truth would spill out. So he'd need to take precautions.

—We don't have any better options. I'll find time later to seal it more permanently.

Standing beside Karnak, Leven remarked with a grimace. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

—So, in essence, you're saying she looks human, but in reality, she's something like a half-human, half-demon?

Karnak dismissed it casually.

—Come on, that makes it sound way cooler than it is. It's more like... a rotting soul steeped in corruption.

Just the fact that he found half-demon cool was proof enough Karnak was still, fundamentally, a necromancer.

—So basically, nothing's changed!

—What do you mean nothing's changed? I managed to fool Lapicel, didn't I?

Sure enough, Lapicel was rushing over, eyes brimming with tears. "Milia!"

She knelt beside the collapsed girl and checked her breathing. It was steady. In fact, there didn't even seem to be any major injuries. It was as expected of the former Monarch of Death. Karnak's mastery of anatomical reconstruction had reached a level that could deceive even Lapicel's keen senses.

Completely taken in, Lapicel spoke, moved to tears. "Thank you, Karnak!"

Karnak offered a gentle smile and shook his head. "No need to thank me. She's my comrade too. I just did what I had to."

She was the only one deeply touched. The others watched this miracle unfold with rather lukewarm expressions. Not a single face looked surprised.

So Lapicel felt ashamed. I was the only one who didn't believe in Lord Karnak.

Serati gave a sideways glance and asked.

—Looks like we got past that crisis. So what now?

Karnak turned his gaze toward Harbert.

—What do you think? Now it's his turn.

***

Harbert trembled violently. "Th-this can't be..."

He couldn't believe what he was seeing. Someone already corrupted, already sacrificed, had returned to her original state.

Impossible. This shouldn't be happening...

But he couldn't deny what had clearly just taken place before his eyes. Everything had been lost, including his subordinates and plans. Only one path remained for him.

He gathered the last of his necromantic power and offered a final prayer. "O great Tesranach! I now return to your embrace!"

Harbert's veins bulged across his body. It was a necromantic spell Bloodburst, a suicide technique.

Varos was expecting this, and immediately hurled an aura blade. He had seen far too many cornered cultists try to take themselves out. And these days, with Tesranach spreading strange techniques to his followers, there was no longer any guarantee Karnak could collect the soul after death.

In this situation, capturing the man alive was far more advantageous. The problem with Bloodburst was that a blow to the jaw or spine wouldn't stop it. The easiest way was to sever a limb and drain the blood before the spell could trigger.

Guess I'll lop off an arm so he can't go through with it, Varos thought.

What he didn't know was that he wasn't the only one thinking that. Serati, Leven, and Lapicel all came to the same conclusion and also thought of the same solution: to cut off one of the limbs.

In the blink of an eye, four streams of aura shot toward Harbert. Unfortunately for him, each one targeted a different limb. His arms and legs were all severed at once.

"Aaaaaargh!"

Karnak flinched and muttered under his breath. "Okay, yeah, I know he's a cultist, but wasn't that a little excessive?"

When even Karnak thought it had gone too far, it had indeed gone too far. Everyone stood frozen, looking at one another in confusion.

"Wait, why—"

"I was going to stop him—"

"I just figured since everyone else seemed hesitant—"

"I was just the closest..."

The middle-aged man, now torn limb from limb, shrieked as his blood gushed in every direction. "Aaaargh! Aaaaagh!"

Karnak clicked his tongue and walked over to Harbert. The man wasn't innocent by any means, but this, this seemed like a punishment far beyond what his sins warranted.

"Sigh. Let's stop the bleeding first," declared Karnak.

He used an ice spell to freeze the stumps where the limbs had been severed, halting the blood flow. Whether from shock or the unbearable pain, Harbert passed out shortly after.

"Well, we caught him. If you can call this caught..."

Given his condition, there was no way they could start interrogating him immediately. That would have to wait.

Turning back, Karnak looked toward Milia. "Alright, I'll take her into the cave for a bit."

He still had to purge the remaining darkness using Redeemer of Necromancy. He sternly warned the others not to follow, so as not to interfere with the ritual. Though, strictly speaking, only one person really needed to stay out.

That one person nodded nervously. "Okay."

With a levitation spell, Karnak gently lifted Milia and disappeared into the cave. A moment later, a faint mixture of death energy and malice began to drift from within.

Lapicel blinked, muttering with fascination. "Lord Karnak really does seem like a necromancer when he uses Mediator of Necromancy."

Her words prompted the others to exchange uneasy glances.

—He's leaving too many traces.

—He's bound to get found out at this rate.

—Honestly, isn't it more surprising no one's caught on yet?

***

Inside the dark cave, a soundproofing spell sealed the air. Karnak gently laid Milia on the ground. A few moments later, her eyelids fluttered open.

She struggled upright and blinked dazedly at her surroundings. "Captain Karnak...?"

"You're awake?" he asked flatly.

She responded with a faint nod. "Yes."

He continued. "Do you remember what happened?"

"To some extent," she answered.

He asked once more, "So, you know what was going on?"

"Again... to some extent."

Her consciousness hadn't been completely dormant while she was in her angelic state. She had been vaguely aware of her surroundings, like in a dream.

Looking up at him calmly, she murmured, "You're a necromancer... aren't you?"

Karnak gave a wry smile. "Well, considering how blatantly I've been using necromancy, I'd be surprised if a priest didn't pick up on it."

It was just like with Alius. When one was close enough to witness necromancy firsthand, a priest couldn't help but recognize it. But oddly, Milia didn't show anger or alarm. There was no panic and no fury. There was no righteous indignation at being face-to-face with a necromancer. It was not the reaction one would expect from an inquisitor.

There was a reason for that. Her consciousness had still lingered while she was an angel. By the time she awakened, she had already processed everything—her horror, her outrage, her despair. She had woken only after she'd accepted it all. There was no reason left to lash out.

"It's strange," she said, voice almost hollow. "You're a mage and a necromancer..."

She sounded more resigned than indifferent. "But at least, you're not a cultist, right?"

"I'm not," he said.

"That's good. I'd hate to be killed by a cultist." She closed her eyes.

As an inquisitor, she could tell. Her soul had already been tainted. For now, Karnak's obscure technique had allowed her to maintain a human form, but it wouldn't last forever.

"Still, if possible... I hope you'll make it quick and painless when the time comes," she asked him.

"You want to die?" Karnak asked her.

"Of course not." The small girl smiled faintly, eyes distant. "I just don't see any other way out."

Now, only two paths remained for her: to die as a human, or live on as a monster. Living as a human was no longer an option for her.

"Yeah," Karnak agreed, "those really are your only choices."

"But," he added, "I can slightly alter the second one."

She asked with a frown, "What?"

"It means, you can live on as a monster pretending to be human. Technically speaking, you're still human, though just barely. Roughly seventy percent of you is still human."

To be precise, the human parts still made up the majority.

Naturally, Milia showed no joy at that. Who would be glad to hear that a third of their being was no longer human? What puzzled her was Karnak's intent.

She questioned, "What are you trying to say?"

"I mean, I can't turn you back into a full human," Karnak replied, "but I can help you stay like this."

As he had said before, Milia's current state was like a milk carton with the lid half-screwed on. If shaken too hard, it would burst. If twisted from the outside, it would pop open. Conversely, if that lid were sealed tightly, her human form could remain stable.

A flicker of light returned to Milia's eyes. Wait... I don't have to die?

But her expression soon hardened again. "If I must forsake Latiel, I'd rather take the path that leads to her heaven."

Karnak let out a dry laugh. "I never said you had to forsake your goddess. You can still use divine magic, you know."

If Milia couldn't use divine magic, she'd be useless. And for Karnak's own purposes, it was a power that absolutely had to be preserved.

She was bewildered. "Y-you can do that?"

"If I use necromancy." Looking straight into her eyes, Karnak continued in a calm tone. "Before I'm a mage, I'm a necromancer. So when it comes to healing a soul like yours, there's only one method I know."

Milia's face went pale. "Th-that's..."

As an inquisitor trained specifically to deal with necromancers, she instantly grasped what he intended.

Then, Karnak rose to his feet and looked down at her with cold eyes.

"Milia Testiad, servant of Latiel." His chilling voice began to stir the depths of her soul. "Become my vassal, and I will return your life as a human."