038 The Figure in the Black Robe

Caine’s final words, at first glance, sounded entirely like a threat. In reality, however, there was no threatening intent behind them; at least, Caine himself believed he was merely stating a fact.

Karen’s environment was far more complex than he had anticipated. Karen, however, remained unaware of this. From the very beginning, he had viewed the Bourbon Kingdom and the Silver Hand as two monolithic entities, believing that as long as he reached a tacit agreement with them, he could secure his footing. To put it mildly, this was a grave error. While it was true that they were two separate nations, nations are not necessarily singular, unified entities. Every nation is a coalition of interests; though they may appear as one, the interests within them are rarely aligned. The Bourbon Kingdom had its radicals and conservatives, and the Silver Hand was similarly fractured by various factions.

In such a convoluted environment, Karen had suddenly leaped to the center of the stage, drawing far more attention than he could have imagined. Under these circumstances, the reason Caine and his cohorts dared to stand with Karen was not because they possessed overwhelming confidence in their ability to protect him. Rather, they had been dormant for too long, and having finally glimpsed an opportunity, they were unwilling to let it go regardless of the cost. It could even be said that when Caine stepped forward, he had already prepared himself for death.

Yet, Karen knew nothing of this. Nor did he wish to know; he had no interest in such matters. To Karen, as long as he could continue to elevate his own strength, he could handle any situation. Strength was the only true capital. This was not a wrong mindset—it could even be called the most correct one—but sometimes, correct actions do not lead to correct outcomes.

Almost immediately after Caine’s departure, an incident occurred at the market. It concerned Bailey. After Karen had retrieved Bailey’s wife and son, he had settled them in the market, not only giving them Bailey’s entire estate but also hiring people specifically to care for them. Karen had been particularly diligent regarding Bailey’s young son, hiring various tutors to provide him with an early education. Coupled with Karen’s frequent visits to the "Soul Searcher" to help untangle the wife’s memories, the mother and son had been improving day by day over the past three months.

However, just as they were on the verge of returning to normal lives, misfortune struck again. Following the compromise between Karen, the Silver Hand, and the Bourbon Kingdom, a wave of commercial interests had flooded the area over the past few days. Among these commercial entities came official forces, including men belonging to the Lord of Audo City. These people had originally come for business, but upon entering the market, they discovered that Bailey’s wife and son were still alive. Furthermore, they were living quite comfortably, having inherited Bailey’s thousands of gold coins. This greatly displeased the Lord of Audo City.

Previously, Bailey’s theft of corpses had caused a massive stir in the Bourbon Kingdom, and the Lord himself had suffered a period of disgrace because of it. For this reason, he had specifically ordered his nephew, Karon, to dispose of Bailey and had sent men to kidnap his wife and son as an act of retaliation. Although he knew they had been rescued, he had no idea it was Karen who had saved them, nor that he had provided them with such a lavish life. How could this be? Allowing them to live was already an immense act of mercy; how could they be allowed to live so luxuriously?

Consequently, the men from Audo City took action. They stormed the house where Karen had placed them, seized the mother and child once more, and demanded that Karen surrender Bailey’s assets to them. Upon hearing this news, Karen was consumed by rage and immediately gathered his army of the undead to march upon the Market of the Dead.

...

In a corner of the courtyard where Bailey’s wife and son were held, the two wretched figures huddled together, trembling. Before them stood a dozen guards, casting lecherous glares at Bailey’s wife. Their gazes deeply unsettled her, causing the woman to tremble even more violently.

"Don't be afraid, Mother. Teacher will protect us!" sensing his mother’s terror, the young boy reached out with his small hand, gripping hers as he spoke in a whisper. Although the child’s voice was soft and milky, it carried an unwavering firmness and confidence. In the boy’s small heart, the teacher he had met only a few times was the strongest and best person in the world. He was certain Karen would save them.

The boy’s words brought a spark of light into his mother’s trembling eyes. "Yes, yes, he will come to save us. He will definitely come!" Over the past three months, the Soul Searcher had not only sorted her memories but had also deeply implanted the belief that Karen was invincible, the most powerful and greatest existence. Though this was not a memory Karen had ordered to be instilled, it had profoundly influenced her. "He will save us. He is the greatest, most powerful Undead Monarch!"

Just as she kept murmuring these words, a slightly neurotic voice chimed in. "Great? Powerful? Undead Monarch? Are you telling a joke?"

Almost simultaneously, a figure shrouded in a black robe appeared before the mother and child. "He is nothing more than a fourth-tier necromancer, an existence barely stronger than an ant. Who gave you the confidence to believe he could save you? Besides, do you truly think he values you that much? No, he doesn't. In his eyes, you are merely a pawn. When he discovers that saving you requires a price far exceeding your value, he will not come."

Before the black-robed man could finish, the young boy became enraged. Like a furious little lion, he shouted at the man, "Don't you dare say that about my teacher! He will come to save us! He will, he definitely will!"

The angrier the boy became, the brighter the black-robed man’s eyes grew. "Yes, he will come, but not to save you. Even if he wanted to, he couldn't. He can't even save himself!"

"Teacher is invincible! He will save me, and he will beat you, you bad man!"

Watching the boy’s resolute expression, the man in black let out a neurotic laugh, as if he had discovered a fascinating toy. "Invincible, you say? Very well, then. I shall kill your invincible teacher right in front of you. I look forward to seeing your expression then!"