VOLUME 10: CHAPTER 18

VOLUME 10: CHAPTER 18

After the envoys left, a boy with crimson hair and gaudy clothes entered the throne room.

“I’ve been listening from the outside,” said Agnus in draconian. “Is this alright? You’ve given those foolish humans half the number of soldiers in your army.”

Agnus was referring to the current number of soldiers in the Blackstone Legion. Although Lark’s goal was to create at least thirty thousand Blackstone Knights, he’d managed to create only a thousand so far. The issue of limited resources aside, the quality of monster corpses given to him by the dwarves was quite high. This, in turn, resulted in the increased failure rate of the Ritual.

“I’m a human, too,” Lark replied in draconian. He smiled in amusement.

“Sure,” shrugged Agnus. Compared to before, he’d become quite comfortable speaking with Lark. During their short encounter, Agnus realized that he was a reasonable human. “A human feared even by my father, the leader of the Fire Dragons.”

“So, what do you plan to do next now, King Lark?” said Agnus.

Agnus asked this question, knowing that the portal had split and opened in two opposite directions. The young Dragon already had an inkling of what Lark planned to do the very moment he decided to send the Blackstone Knights to the imperial envoys.

“I’ll be heading straight to the United Grakas Alliance,” said Lark.

Those words confirmed Agnus’ conjecture.

Although Lark was considered by most to be a powerful magician, he couldn’t be at two places at the same time. It was the reason why Lark decided to send half a thousand Blackstone Knights to the Empire. He believed that they should be enough to bolster the Empire’s army. Even if a High Demon were to appear, the Lord Knight should be capable of fighting against it.

The situation of the beastmen, on the other hand, was different from the Empire. Although the United Grakas Alliance was the dominant power in the southern part of the continent, they were still nothing but an aggregation of major beastmen tribes.

From this vantage point, Lark believed the United Grakas Alliance to be the weaker one among the two nations.

Agnus placed both his hands behind his head. He leisurely said, “The stupid dwarves will be staying here, as per my father’s orders. So, how about this? Want me to come with you?”

Although his father asked him to learn from King Lark, Agnus wasn’t doing this entirely due to his father’s command. Agnus was curious. He wanted to see for himself the true strength of this human who made a pact with their tribe of Red Dragons.

Lark considered Agnus’ offer.

Although Agnus was still a hatchling, he was still a Dragon. He would definitely be a welcome addition to their fighting force. If Agnus were coming with him to the United Grakas Alliance, there would no longer be any need for him to bring the members of the Arzomos Tribe along.

Lark wouldn’t feel at ease without the Arzomos Tribe guarding the Kingdom of Lukas during his absence.

‘I plan on bringing Blackie with me,’ thought Lark. ‘He wouldn’t fight with Agnus, right?’

Briefly, Lark had a bad feeling about this. But after some deliberation, Lark decided to accept the hatchling’s offer.

“Then, I’ll look forward to working with you,” said Lark, smiling.

This was the first time Agnus saw Lark smile this warmly. And for some reason, it didn’t feel bad at all. He preferred this over the cold expression Lark showed when they’d first met via the communication crystal.

“I’m just tagging along.” Agnus coughed in embarrassment. “So, when are we leaving?”

“I’d like to leave as soon as possible, but first—,” Lark started speaking in human tongue, “—I should at least entertain our guest.”

Agnus and Lark looked at the entrance to the throne room. From the very beginning, they already knew that someone had been concealing himself in that place. This was the reason they’d been speaking draconian with each other.

“Jacob Fraser, was it?” said Lark. “What is a royal court magician doing here, eavesdropping on the conversation between a King and a Dragon?”

Agnus clicked his tongue, “How distasteful. I’ve been keeping my silence out of respect for King Lark. But how long are you going to keep hiding there like a rat?”

“I apologize.”

A voice was heard near the throne room’s entrance. Slowly, the figure of a man with strikingly thick and sharp eye brows, brown hair, and white skin appeared. The crest of the Fourth Tower of Mages was embroidered on his cloak.

The royal guards, who’d been unaware of the man’s presence, were startled upon his appearance. They unsheathed their swords and pointed it at the intruder’s neck.

“You! How dare you enter the throne room without His Majesty’s permission!”

“Please give us your orders, Your Majesty!”

The royal guards were indignant. It was a great blunder on their part. They couldn’t believe they failed to notice the presence of the magician. Some of them were fuming with rage, ready to slice the throat of the intruder the moment Lark gave the order.

“It’s fine,” said Lark. He waved his hand and ordered the royal guards to stand down. “There must be a reason why you came here, going as far as concealing yourself. Let’s hear it. Surely, you didn’t come here to assassinate me, right?”

Fraser walked toward the throne, and upon reaching an appropriate distance, knelt on both knees.

“Of course not! I wouldn’t dare!” said Fraser fervently. “And I didn’t mean to eavesdrop on Your Majesty! It pains me to say this, but I don’t trust any of the members of the imperial envoys! That’s why I came here on my own, without their knowledge!”

“Get straight to the point,” said Lark.

Without hesitation, Fraser prostrated on the floor.

“Anisette, daughter of a mason in Blackstone Town,” recited Fraser. “The only person known to have survived the Seven Weeks Disease! I heard from a reliable source that Your Majesty is the one who cured her!”

Fraser sounded close to crying.

“Please, I beg you,” said Fraser. “Please help me cure my brother!”

Fraser’s desperate cry echoed in the throne room. The royal guards who saw this couldn’t believe that this was the same royal court magician who visited them a while ago.

Hearing no immediate reply, Fraser pushed his head even deeper into the ground. His forehead started bleeding, but he didn’t mind.

“Seven Weeks Disease,” said Lark. “It’s been years since I last heard the name of that disease. Stand up and raise your head. At the very least, I’ll hear your story.”

Fraser raised his head, and blood dripped down his forehead. He said in a determined voice, “Yes, Your Majesty!”

Fraser didn’t even bother wiping the blood off his face. Without caring about appearances, he recounted his story from the beginning.

“Your Majesty must have already heard of this,” said Fraser, “I’m the only surviving member of a fallen noble house. The only survivor of the noble House Fraser.”

“I am aware,” said Lark.

“This makes things easier then, Your Majesty,” said Fraser. “In reality, that information is inaccurate. It’s true that the noble House Fraser had already fallen into ruins, but it isn’t true that I’m its only surviving member.”

Fraser took out a locket and opened it, revealing the painting inside. It was the image of a boy and a young man. Both were warmly smiling, as though they were the happiest people alive.

“This boy in the painting is my little brother,” said Fraser. “Three years ago, he contracted the Seven Weeks Disease during our stay in the City of Volkheim.”

Jacob Fraser continued his story. According to him, he’d already combed most of the libraries in major cities in his desperate search for a cure. He’d visited almost all famous healers and herbalists in the Empire, but to no avail. To his utter despair, none of them held the cure for his little brother.

“This might sound cruel, but luckily, one of the royal court magicians of the Empire died after fighting against Pirate King Zayn Pierson three years ago,” said Fraser. “And I was offered the vacant position.”

Fraser said that under normal circumstances, he would have rejected the Emperor’s offer. But he was so desperate back then. In order to gain access to the Imperial Library and several resources, Fraser accepted the position of a royal court magician.

“Something doesn’t add up,” said Lark.

At first, Fraser was afraid that Lark would immediately dismiss his story and order his men to throw him outside the castle, but surprisingly, the King patiently listened to him.

“You said your brother contracted the disease three years ago,” said Lark. “But until now, you’re still searching for the cure.”

“Your Majesty is truly wise.” Fraser nodded. “My little brother, Jake Fraser, is still alive.”

Lark found this interesting. He knew of several methods of artificially prolonging one’s life even if they’d been inflicted with an incurable disease or curse. But the methods he knew were unconventional and made use of precious resources and artifacts.

Lark was curious about the method Fraser used to prolong the life of his younger brother.

“Interesting,” said Lark. “Your brother should have been long dead by now. Tell me. How did you do it?”

“I didn’t do it alone, Your Majesty,” said Fraser. “Leveraging my status as a royal court magician, I sought the help of a certain individual.”

Fraser hesitated for a few seconds. He eventually revealed the name of the person who helped him prolong the life of his little brother.

“Lady Alice, the leader of the Witches of Aravark, helped me create the artifact which prevented the further spread of the Seven Weeks Disease on my brother’s body,” said Fraser.

Lark had heard of the Witches of Aravark before, and he’d also received intel regarding the group after he ascended the throne. Based on the information they’d gathered, the Witches of Aravark was an all-female group of magicians stationed at the City of Atarus in the Empire.

“Lady Alice is a powerful necromancer,” said Fraser. “And with her knowledge, we were able to force my little brother into suspended animation and preserve his life until this day.”

“Looking back,” Fraser continued. “It was a truly fortunate encounter. I was already close to giving up when I met Lady Alice in the capital back then. I was truly lucky that a woman rumored to hate speaking with men agreed to help me.”

Fraser bowed his entire upper body. “So please, I’m begging you, Your Majesty. Please let this be another fortuitous encounter. Please help me finally cure my brother of the damnable curse.”

Fraser’s heart loudly thumped. He closed his eyes, afraid of the next words that were going to come out of the King’s mouth. Time seemed to slow down as he awaited Lark’s response.

And to his relief, Lark agreed to his request.

“Alright,” said Lark. “Do you remember the messenger we’ve sent to your estate before?”

“The merchant?” said Fraser. He was confused why King Lark was bringing him up.

“That’s right, Big Mona,” said Lark. “Come to him and tell him to give you a copy of Lost Paradise. Around the middle of the chapter in the book, I’ve written the cure for the Seven Weeks Disease. The first method is probably out of the equation due to the rarity of the material, but with your talent, it should be feasible for you to perform the second and the third one even without my help.”

Lost Paradise was a book Lark had written a few years ago. It was the second book he wrote, right after Principles of a Just Sovereign.Unfortunately, both books didn’t become popular outside of Blackstone Town.

Lost Paradise recounted the story of an orphan that had fallen into slavery at a young age. It recounted his struggles, his escape, and eventually his freedom. It was the story of an orphan who gained insight into the world of magic and sword arts.

Although Lost Paradise heavily emphasized the need for an overhaul of a corrupted system and government, it also detailed mana breathing techniques applicable to real life. It was possible to reproduce in reality the spells and techniques the protagonist used in the story. Even the herbs and medicines, their formula and concoction processes, were derived from real elixirs. And among these medicines, the method of curing the Seven Weeks Disease was included.

Fraser was bewildered upon hearing this. He couldn’t believe that asking for the cure for the disease was this easy. It felt as though King Lark did not care if the method spread to everyone in the Empire.

“I-I am grateful!” said Fraser in a loud, trembling voice. “Once my brother is cured, I vow to repay this favor! Whenever and however Your Majesty may need me in the future! I shall always answer your call!”

“Go. Seek Big Mona’s whereabouts and take the book with you to the Empire,” said Lark. “As for the mana breathing technique written in the book, I am giving you permission to use them and teach them to your fellow magicians.”

Mana breathing technique?

Although Fraser hadn’t read the book yet, it was something written personally by King Lark. It was written by the same person who could order that monstrous Lord Knight around. That mana breathing technique was probably not ordinary.

Although he was grateful, there was still something Fraser couldn’t understand. He had to know the answer to his question. Otherwise, he would be able to put his mind at ease. Like Princess Luna, he also believed that in this world, there was no such thing as a free meal.

“Why… are you granting us these favors, Your Majesty?” Fraser couldn’t help but ask.

Lark replied without hesitation. “I said it before, didn’t I? My goal is to ensure the Empire’s survival.”

It was a baffling answer.

With just those words alone, Jacob Fraser realized the differences between King Lark and Emperor Sylvius.

For a moment, he felt jealous of the Lukasians. If only the Empire had King Lark as their monarch.