VOLUME 10: CHAPTER 7

VOLUME 10: CHAPTER 7

Almost half a year since he’d ascended the throne, for the first time, Lark finally found some free time to train his body. This was all thanks to Secretary Irene and the Boris Brothers, who took the bulk of work from his hands.

Lark went to the topmost floor of the castle’s second tower, to the place Kel’ Vual was currently staying. Although Lark had given him his own room in the main castle, the leader of the Arzomos Tribe insisted on staying in this place instead. It was away from people, and its height afforded Kel’ Vual a view of the city.

“Kel,” Lark entered the room without knocking.

The last time Lark had been here, this room was filled with nothing but the bare necessities. But now, the room was filled with various sundries – tubes of paint, empty canvasses, empty bottles of alcohol, used brushes, easels, and palettes. Near the bed, Lark saw several paintings of the castle.

“Now, that’s rare,” said Kel’ Vual. His hand was holding a recently-opened bottle of wine. Judging by the colorful stains on his clothes, it seemed that he’d been spending most of his days painting in this room. “Didn’t you tell me last time that you’ll be cooped up in your room, buried in a mountain of paperwork, until next month?”

“Come on,” Lark picked up one of the completed paintings and inspected it. “How heartless. Is this how you greet a friend? And these paintings–”

“—They’re my masterpieces,” said Kel’ Vual. He placed the bottle of wine on the table. “Maybe it’s because I’ve been stuck in the demon realm for so long, but I’m starting to appreciate the art and culture of humans. To capture the moment and immortalize it through art. How utterly fulfilling and exhilarating.”

Lark smiled. He liked seeing this side of Kel’ Vual.

A High Demon who fell in love with art – if other humans learned of this, their jaws would probably drop down their mouths.

“I’ll send more materials for you lat—” Lark stopped midway through his speech when he saw a painting hidden behind several canvasses. When he was about to bend down to pick it up, Kel’ Vual immediately moved to intercept Lark.

“Don’t touch that!” said Kel’ Vual.

But it was too late. Although Kel’ Vual moved at lightning speed, Lark moved faster. Before Kel’ Vual could even stop him, he’d already managed to pull out the painting.

Kel’ Vual covered his face with his hand and groaned.

Lark said, “As I’ve thought. It’s… me?”

It was a painting of Lark wearing the Sword of Morpheus as armor. It was a painting of Lark when he’d first met Kel’ Vual in the Lake of Full Moon.

Lark chuckled. He said in a teasing voice, “You should have just asked me to pose for you Kel. This… looks terrible.”

Lark laughed, and Kel’ Vual glared at him, before snatching the painting from his hands.

“I’m still practicing!” said Kel’ Vual in an embarrassed voice. “And I’m about to throw this away, then you suddenly barged in here unannounced, you damn stupid Evander!”

Lark sat on the bed and laughed even louder.

Kel’ Vual shook his head, as though giving up. He sighed. “So, what did you come here for?”

After he was finally done laughing, Lark wiped the tears from the corner of his eyes. He said, “Spar with me, Kel.”

“Finally,” said Kel’ Vual. “Just about time. I was wondering when you’ll start training that feeble body. It looks so small and weak – I could probably snap your neck with a single hand.”

It was no exaggeration. With Kel’ Vual’s strength, such a feat was pretty doable. Although he was nearing the end of his lifespan, the leader of the Arzomos Tribe held strength capable of killing even a Dragon on his own. It was the strength of the demon who’d been guarding the portal in the demon realm for over a millennium.

“So, when do we start?” said Kel’ Vual.

“Right now,” said Lark. “I’ll set up a barrier using Morpheus and restrict all but one of the mana channels in my body.”

Kel’ Vual understood Lark’s intentions. He would be basically fighting against the Arzomos Tribe Leader while under restrictions. With all but one of his mana channels sealed, even if it was Lark, he wouldn’t be able to cast anything higher than third-tier magic.

“The room below this is more spacious than this one,” said Kel’ Vual.

“Alright,” said Lark.

The two of them went down one floor and entered a room five times larger than the previous one. Since Lark restricted access to this tower, all rooms were empty, save for the one being used by Kel’ Vual.

Using the mana from Sword of Morpheus, Lark cast a silence spell and a protection barrier in the room. The protection barrier was only ninth tier at most, but Lark deemed that it should be strong enough to block all attacks from reaching the outside. He would be restricting his mana channels, after all.

After the barriers were cast, Lark used the Sword of Morpheus to forcefully block the channels in his body, leaving only one channel open. A feat that was feasible only due to the presence of a strong artifact like the Sword of Morpheus. Without such artifact, although possible, performing this technique would have been more dangerous.

Lark felt most of his strength leaving his body. He felt vulnerable, like a fish that had been entangled with nets and forcefully thrown onto dry land.

Unlike Lui Marcus, who’d been blessed with a strong body, his current shell had its clear limit. Despite sharing the same blood, the natural talent of their bodies was heavens apart. Lark knew that he needed to do this much if he wished to progress with his training. Fortunately, he had one of the strongest demons to spar with him.

“Let’s start,” said Lark.

“I’ll try to hold back,” said Kel’ Vual. “I might accidentally kill you with a single punch, otherwise.”

Lark agreed. There was no refuting that.

“But I’ll still beat you into a pulp though,” Kel’ Vual devilishly grinned. “That’s what you’re aiming for, right?”

“Of course.” Lark nodded. “There wouldn’t be any meaning to this training, otherwise.”

With those words as the cue, Lark forced the meagre amounts of mana he could currently utilize through the only mana channel open in his body. He strengthened his body with mana, and shot toward Kel’ Vual at a speed comparable to high-ranking knights.

“Gahahaha!” Kel’ Vual laughed. He pulled his arms back, his hands curled into fists, ready to pummel Lark into the ground. “You shouldn’t have taken that painting out! This is payback, Evander!”

                                                                              ***

Several weeks had passed since the imperial envoys landed on the Kalavinka Port. After leaving Kelvin Duchy, they passed through Rock Castle, Quasan City, eventually arriving at the capital of the kingdom – Behemoth City.

Their journey had been smooth sailing thus far, and this was largely due to the guidance of Big Bun. The One Stop Clop merchant group made sure to take care of all inconveniences along the way. They also made sure to take the shortest and safest routes, and whenever rumors of nearby bandits arose, they even went as far as temporarily hiring mercenaries and soldiers to secure the roads.

“Your Highness,” said Big Bun to Princess Luna. He was riding his mount, right next to the Princess’ carriage. “We’ll be reaching our destination in an hour or two.”

Princess Luna looked out her carriage window. To her surprise, what she saw from a distance wasn’t a city, but a walled fortress. A translucent, mist-like bubble covered it, along with a portion of the nearby forest.

“Is that… the capital of the Kingdom of Lukas?” said Princess Luna. “Behemoth City?”

Princess Luna tried her best not to show the surprise on her face. Not only was the city enclosed by a massive barrier, it was also protected by a gigantic wall that was around sixty meters in height. The walls were so high and gargantuan that they couldn’t even see a single structure inside the city from this distance.

“That’s correct, Your Highness,” said Big Bun.

Princess Luna read the words that had formed on top of Big Bun’s head. She was hoping to learn more information regarding that fortress, but to her dismay, the merchant’s mind was filled with nothing but thoughts of profit.

[Ah, we’ve finally arrived. This is an easier mission than I’ve thought. Who would have known that earning two hundred gold coins is this easy?]

[Even the bandit groups roaming near Yan City didn’t dare attack our group.]

[Maybe I should volunteer to escort the Princess to the port on her way back?]

Realizing that she wouldn’t be able to glean any important information this way, Princess Luna tried redirecting the fat merchant’s thoughts.

“Quite impressive. The walls protecting the capital of the Kingdom of Lukas are even larger than ours, Sir Gaultier,” said Princess Luna.

Big Bun coughed and cleared his throat. He puffed his chest out with pride. “Of course. Even I was surprised when I first saw the walls of the capital. I believe it’s even larger than the walls of the Yorkshaire City, the so-called impregnable fortress protecting our Kingdom.”

Princess Luna heard of Yorkshaire City too. It was the city that served as the stopper preventing the imperial troops from invading the Kingdom of Lukas. Protected by the harsh and steep terrain of the Yorkshaire Mountain Range from the north, and the deep fissure surrounding the city, it was a city that truly lived to its name as the impregnable fortress.

Princess Luna read the words that had formed on top of Big Bun’s head. Fortunately, this time, she’d managed to successfully redirect the thoughts of the merchant.

[I said all that… but I still can’t believe those massive walls suddenly sprouted from the ground overnight.]

[They said the new King personally cast a spell to summon those walls, but I don’t believe it.]

[If he was really capable of that, then he’s no longer human. He’s a god living among mortals.]

[Bah. But that’s impossible. People really love to gossip and exaggerate rumors.]

Princess Luna’s mouth gaped open upon reading the thoughts of the merchant. For a second, she lost herself there.

Those massive walls sprouted overnight?

And it was created through the spell of a single magician? By the King himself?

All of these felt ridiculous, but with her ability to read thoughts, she knew that there was no way the fat merchant would be lying.

[And that massive barrier…]

She continued reading the thoughts of Big Bun.

[I heard from my older brother that it could take on even a dragon’s breath attack.]

One after another, preposterous thoughts started floating above Big Bun’s head. Princess Luna even blinked several times, making sure that what she’d read were correct.

“Princess?” Big Bun noticed the change in the Princess’ expression. “Is something the matter?”

“No, it’s nothing,” said the Princess calmly.

Although she looked calm outside, her heart was racing right now. Before coming to this kingdom, she believed this mission would proceed smoothly, as long as she avoided the Morton Twins who came with their group. But now, she realized that the name of the Great Empire and her status as an imperial princess wouldn’t be much of a bargaining tool to someone of King Lark’s status. Just the massive walls and the barrier were already testaments to his strength and authority.

After an hour, the envoys finally reached the outskirts of the capital. They entered the barrier and joined the long queue of carts and wagons outside the city gates.

“Do not cut in line!” shouted one of the members of the patrol. “Anyone who causes a commotion will be apprehended and restricted access to the capital!”

Dozens of patrols, along with several knights in suits of armor, guarded the entrance to the city. They carefully inspected the identity of everyone who entered and left. They also inspected the goods the merchants brought with them, and those without proof of their identity were taken to a nearby small building near the gates for further verification.

Big Bun dismounted, approached the patrols, and handed them an identification card made of bronze. In a voice none of the envoys could hear, he spoke to the leader of the patrols assigned to the northern gates. The two seemed to be in a heated discussion for a few minutes, but eventually, the leader of the patrols conceded and granted them prioritized entry.

“We’ve been granted permission to enter the city, Princess,” said Big Bun upon returning. “We no longer have to go through the long queue.”

Big Bun mounted his horse. He was about to lead the envoys inside the city when suddenly, a massive shadow loomed over them.

Everyone looked up toward the sky and was terrified by what they saw.

“W-What’s that?”

“Oh Gods, is a monster?”

“I-It’s a Dragon! A red Dragon!”

The people waiting in queue outside the city went into an uproar upon seeing the Dragon enter the barrier and circle around the Outer District of the capital. It turned its head in the direction it came from, and after some deliberation, flew back. Slowly, the Dragon shrunk in size as it turned into a human.

A boy who appeared to be in his early teens. Crimson hair, ivory white skin, and crimson slit-like pupils. He wore gaudy clothes customarily worn by princes. On his waist, twin red daggers hung.

The boy softly landed right next to the One Stop Clop merchants.

“Those damn dwarves sure are late,” the boy grumbled in draconian. “I wanted to fly past those walls, but I’m sure my father would beat me up if he finds out. These annoyingly useless rules and procedures of humans.”

The Dragon was Agnus, the youngest among the Fire Dragons of the Dwarven Mountain Range. Not only was he tasked by his father to procure more monster corpses for the human king, he was also ordered to personally deliver them, as a sign of sincerity, to him.

“We’ve been trying to hide the fact that there are several dragons living in the Lair,” grumbled Agnus in draconian. “But the moment father made that pact with that human, he suddenly revealed to the dwarves our existence.”

Agnus growled, and the small amount of Dragon Fear he exuded made the people around him fall to their knees. Only the Blackstone Knights guarding the gates, a handful of elite soldiers from the Empire including the Morton Twins, the high-ranking magicians from the Empire’s Fourth Tower, and the royal court magician, Jacob Fraser, managed to remain standing. Even Princess Luna, who held the status of an imperial princess, was forced to kneel by Agnus’ Dragon Fear.

The imperial envoys did not take this sight kindly. Jacob Fraser, in particular, was very displeased.

“A Dragon,” said Jacob Fraser fearlessly. “It’ll be in your best interest to cease your spell immediately. You are making our Princess uneasy.”

The other people who heard that statement trembled. They couldn’t believe that a human would be this bold before a Dragon.

Agnus finally noticed their presence. He turned in the imperial envoys’ direction, particularly at the Princess who was currently kneeling on the ground. She was breathing heavily, and beads of sweat had formed on her face.

Agnus retracted his Dragon Fear. Using human tongue, he said in a non-hostile voice, “You are?”

“Jacob Fraser, royal court magician and Vice Master of the Great Empire’s Fourth Tower.”

Agnus furrowed his brows. He smirked. “You got me nervous for a moment there, human. I thought I unconsciously involved one of the people of King Lark.”

Fraser frowned. He helped the Princess stand up, then glared at the Dragon.

“You are quite fearless,” said Agnus. “If we were not in King Lark’s territory, I would have blown off your head immediately. Mere humans like you would normally be unable to even lay sight on a Dragon’s visage. Consider this an honor, human.”

Fraser wanted to retort to that threatening statement, but decided to shut his mouth in the end. Although he did not fear death, he still had to live for the sake of his little brother. He needed to return alive in order to cure than damnable Seven Weeks Disease.

The leader of the patrols guarding the gate nervously approached the Dragon.

With a trembling voice, the leader said, “W-What brought such an esteemed guest to our city?”

Agnus said in human tongue, “You are?”

“A-Assistant Vice Leader of the Patrol,” said the man. “I go by the name Stefan, oh mighty Dragon.”

“One of King Lark’s people,” mumbled Agnus.

To everyone’s surprise, the young Dragon’s tone turned amicable upon learning of the soldier’s identity. Although the rank of the soldier was far below that of Fraser’s, he was treated in a visibly better manner.

Agnus lightly nodded his head in acknowledgement. “I am Agnus, son of Vulcan, one of the Fire Dragons protecting the Dwarven Kingdom. As ordered by my father, I’ve come here to personally deliver fresh monster corpses to the King of Lukas.”

Although the Dragon wasn’t acting subservient, there was a hint of respect within his tone, unlike when he was speaking with the members of the imperial envoy.

“Monster… C-Corpses?” said Stefan.

“That’s right,” said Agnus. He turned to his rear. In an annoyed voice, he said, “And the stupid dwarves have finally arrived.”

Over a hundred dwarves had just arrived outside the city. Dozens of carts, each filled with mountains for monster corpses, line on the main road. Each of the monster corpses sitting on top of the carts looked grotesque and strong. Everyone was amazed that the dwarves managed to gather this many corpses.

Agnus said to Stefan, “If you would permit us entry, I would like to meet with His Majesty, King Lark, and present these corpses to him personally.”