VOLUME 10: CHAPTER 17

VOLUME 10: CHAPTER 17

[Kingdom of Lukas]

‘What…’

‘What was that?’

Everyone in the capital, the imperial envoys included, were shaken by the sudden appearance of the rifts in the sky. It was the first time they’d seen something so ominous in their entire lives. It felt as though the gates to the Underworld had temporarily opened, threatening to swallow everything whole.

“L-Lord Fraser,” said the representative of the Golden Crow Association. “What… what was that?”

It was the same question that ran through everyone’s mind. Unable to understand the phenomenon they’d just witnessed, they decided to seek the wisdom of the most powerful member of their group.

“Lord Fraser?”

The merchant representative called out the royal court magician’s name once again upon receiving no answer.

“I don’t know,” said Jacob Fraser. He disregarded the terrified merchants and soldiers. He was still gazing at the sky, particularly to the north, in the direction of the Empire.

Jacob had an ominous feeling about those rifts. If his judgment was correct, those rifts didn’t disappear, but instead moved to a different place entirely.

“To the north,” mumbled Jacob Fraser in words only he could hear. “It went in the direction of the Empire.”

Fraser suddenly had the urge to return to the Empire immediately. His instincts were screaming at him that he shouldn’t dally here any longer. His instinct was telling him that the Empire was in grave danger.

Jacob Fraser was deliberating whether or not he should return to the Empire immediately when a messenger of the royal family arrived.

The messenger made a perfunctory introduction, before immediately delivering the message from the King.

“I’m sure all of you are still rattled by what transpired just a while ago,” said the messenger, “but His Majesty, King Lark, wishes to meet the entire group.”

“An audience with the King?” said Jacob Fraser.

It was strange. Just a few hours ago, they’d been told to pack up their belongings and leave the capital immediately. But now, after the appearance of the strange phenomenon, the King suddenly wished to see them. Most of the members of the imperial envoys believed that this was no mere coincidence.

“Yes, esteemed envoy,” said the messenger. “His Majesty said that time is of grave importance, so please head immediately to the throne room.”

Jacob Fraser and Princess Luna locked eyes with each other. The Princess nodded in consent.

Jacob Fraser finally said, “Alright. Lead the way.”

***

The throne room of the Kingdom of Lukas’ capital looked modest when compared to the Empire’s. The walls and the pillars weren’t plated with gold, and the throne itself wasn’t carved from a giant gemstone.

King Lark was already sitting on the throne by the time the imperial envoys arrived. One step below the throne stood the same knight who defeated the Morton Twins.

Since King Lark specifically told them to bring everyone along, the throne room almost looked crowded. Royal guards from the Kingdom, imperial soldiers, merchants from the Golden Crow Association, the mages of the Fourth Tower, Jacob Fraser, and Princess Luna – all of these people were present.

The imperial envoys knelt before the throne, bowed their heads, and greeted Lark in unison.

“We greet His Majesty, King Lark!”

“We greet His Majesty, King Lark!”

Lark scanned the faces of everyone in the room. He said, “Stand up. You may raise your heads.”

Everyone slowly stood up and raised their heads. After witnessing how the knight serving King Lark bashed the heads of the Morton Twins, no one dared to show even the slightest hint of disrespect. Although King Lark looked young, they were already aware by now that he held real power.

“We’re running out of time,” said Lark. “So, I’ll get straight to the point. A portal connecting this land to the Demon Realm has just opened.”

Those statements were so bizarre and unexpected that no one was able to utter a word.

A portal to the Demon Realm had just opened?

Seeing the dumbfounded reactions of the imperial envoys, Lark decided to continue.

“Bring out the map,” said Lark.

“Yes, Your Majesty!”

The royal guards standing near the walls brought out a massive map of the continent. Although the map itself wasn’t accurate, with a lot of territories uncharted, it was the most updated map available in the royal capital. The guards unfolded the map on the ground.

Lark snapped his fingers, and a small sphere of ice manifested itself before him. It flew toward the map and hovered at a particular spot within the Empire’s territory.

“I haven’t confirmed it yet, so there’s a chance I might be wrong,” said Lark. “But I believe that the portal opened around here.”

The imperial envoys stared at the place where the sphere of ice hovered. It was the second nearest city to the northeastern border. The City of Meredith, the so-called Second Wall of the Empire. It was one of the cities that bordered the Three States Alliance.

“Forgive me, Your Majesty,” said the representative of the Golden Crow Association carefully. “But… what do you mean by portal?”

Lark knew that confusion was bound to arise during this meeting. He patiently explained to him, “A portal is a massive aggregation of mana that had managed to tear through the space separating two Realms. You can just think of it as a massive, permanent rift. If you still find that hard to understand, just think of it as gates connecting two distant places.”

The imperial envoys started turning pale. After hearing Lark’s explanation, even the most dimwitted ones understood the repercussions.

“T-Then, are you telling us that demons are going to come out of that portal and invade the City of Meredith?” said the merchant.

“Not just the City of Meredith,” said Lark. “The entire Empire and even the Three States Alliance wouldn’t be spared from their wrath.”

“You… expect us to believe that?” said the merchant.

To most people, demons were nothing but creatures in legends. Even their grandfathers had never seen one in the flesh. It was only natural for them to be in disbelief upon hearing Lark’s words.

“Even if you don’t believe me,” said Lark, “it wouldn’t change the fact that demons are probably coming out of the portal as we speak.”

Jacob Fraser and Princess Luna trembled.

The City of Meredith was four days away from the northeastern border, and only around two to three weeks away from the capital of the Empire by cart. If the City of Meredith fell, there would only be two cities separating the Capital of the Empire from the demons.

Jacob Fraser thought of his little brother, whose body was currently in a deep sleep in the Fourth Tower in the capital. Princess Luna, on the other hand, worried about Selina, her Head Maid. Although Selina was of common birth and a mere servant, she was one of the few people she could actually call family.

“After what the Morton Twins did to my people, I honestly had this urge to just let the Empire fall into ruins.” Dangerous words started coming out of King Lark’s mouth. “Let the demons ravage the Empire, let its cities burn, let the citizens be slaughtered. But after some thought, I knew I couldn’t allow that. Although your Emperor is a damned two-faced bastard, the citizens of the Empire are innocent. The children shouldn’t be liable for the faults of their fathers.”

“You!”

Several imperial soldiers shouted in anger and indignation upon hearing Lark disparage their monarch. Had they not surrendered their swords before coming here, they would have unsheathed them by now.

“I can’t stand this any longer!” said one of the imperial soldiers.

“That’s right!” said another. “How dare you slander His Majesty, the benevolent and wise Emperor Sylvius Lockhart Mavis—!”

“—That’s enough!” said Princess Luna.

“—But Princess!”

“—Didn’t you hear me!” Princess Luna glared at them. “Stand down. King Lark must have called us here for a reason. At the very least, hear him out!”

The imperial soldiers were still fuming with anger, but they decided to back down regardless.

Princess Luna observed King Lark’s face and expressions. After almost fainting after using her abilities against him, she no longer dared try again recklessly. Honestly, she wanted to see his current thoughts, but she knew she couldn’t risk fainting here at such a crucial time.

“I called all of you here for two reasons,” said Lark. “First, to warn and inform you of what’s probably occurring in the territories of the Empire. And second, to offer a lifeline.”

A lifeline.

It was something that could be offered only by someone of superior authority, power, and status. Some imperial soldiers were displeased upon hearing this. Most of them thought that a country as small as this one couldn’t possibly offer much help to the Great Empire.

“A lifeline,” said Princess Luna respectfully. “Then, may I presume that you’re offering to send military aid to our country, Your Majesty?”

“That’s correct,” said Lark.

The offer sounded enticing. If the words of Lark were true, then the Empire would need all help it could get, no matter how small. But Princess Luna, who’d managed to survive the politics of the Empire until now, knew that there were no such things as a free meal and unconditional kindness in this world. Everything had a price, a reason.

Now that she’d thought of it, it was funny.

When she first arrived in this Kingdom, her goal was to entice and beguile the King of Lukas. But now, after all of the incidents that transpired, after she’d seen the military might of this nation, such impure thoughts vanished. With just their first meeting alone, Princess Luna already arrived at the conclusion that King Lark was no fool like the rumors.

Despite his young age, this King was a man who made carefully crafted plans and calculated decisions.

Princess Luna was trying to avoid using her abilities on King Lark until now, but she realized that she didn’t have a choice. She needed to know the ulterior motive behind the King’s actions.

“What the Morton Twins did to your people is already enough justification to execute all of us here,” said Princess Luna. “Your Majesty is already being merciful, when you allowed us to return to our country.”

The merchants from the Golden Crow Association trembled upon hearing the words of the Princess. They couldn’t understand why she was trying to bring up that topic again. They were afraid that if the Princess kept this up, King Lark might change his mind and order everyone to be sent to the chopping block.

“P-Princess…”

“That’s enough… please.”

Princess Luna ignored the terrified whispers behind her.

“I don’t understand why Your Majesty would go this far to help us,” said Princess Luna. “At this point, after that incident, our nations are practically enemies, Your Majesty.”

Princess Luna judged that she’d led the conversation to the way she wanted. She activated her ability. Blotches of ink started appearing on top of Lark’s head. Slowly, they formed words.

[What a wary kid.]

[Well, only a fool would blindly trust another person’s words.]

[But I can’t let the Empire, one of the strongest nations, fall in the hands of the demons.]

[It’ll be a terrible blow to the human race.]

Princess Luna flinched as she felt her mana rapidly draining. She immediately stopped using her ability.

“I am just one man,” said Lark. “And my Kingdom is a single nation. There’s a limit to what my Kingdom and I could do. Making sure the Empire doesn’t fall in the hands of the demons would be in our best interest, Princess.”

Princess Luna was surprised that the words and thoughts of King Lark were one and the same. It was rare for her to see a ruler who was this straightforward and honest.

“There are six nations adjacent to the Empire,” said Lark. “The Republic of Everfrost, the Principality of Rinvixia, the Three States Alliance, the Kingdom of Steelwall, the Dwarven Kingdom, and the Kingdom of Lukas. If you include the Mullgray Islands to the west, that would be seven.”

Lark stared straight in the eyes of the Princess.

“Now, think about it. If the Empire falls, what would happen to these adjacent nations?”

It was a no-brainer.

The demons would advance and start attacking the countries surrounding the Empire. Once the so-called strongest nation in the continent fell, it would only be a matter of time before the other countries fell into ruins.

“The Dwarven Kingdom would probably be able to put a decent fight against the demon army. Their technology is at least on par or more advanced than the Empire, and Dragons are protecting their borders. But what about the other nations?” said Lark. “If the Empire falls, there’s a chance that my country would be next. This military aid I’m offering you – just think of it as strengthening the shield protecting my people.”

Looking at it this way, everything made sense. Although there were still some doubts regarding the motives of King Lark, most of the imperial envoys started entertaining the idea of receiving help from the Kingdom of Lukas. It eased their minds knowing the real reason why the King was offering a helping hand.

There were several seconds of silence.

Princess Luna bowed. “We understand. As the representative of the Empire, please allow me to show our gratitude. I am truly thankful, King Lark. I will be sure to relay your intentions to my father, the Emperor. And once given the chance, we’ll return this favor.”

The Princess carefully added, “That said, may I know the number of soldiers you’ll be sending to our country?”

Lark looked at the knight standing a step below his throne.

“This guy here is the current Lord of the Blackstone Legion,” said Lark. “I will send him, together with half a thousand Blackstone Knights to help the Empire repel the demon’s advance. Rest assured that the strength each Blackstone Knight is comparable to that of a high-ranking knight. They’ll be of great use to you.”

Although five hundred people were few, the mere fact that each of them were comparable to a high-ranking knight would be enough to tilt the tides of war. The so-called Lord Knight, in particular, was absurdly strong. Those who’d been fighting the Morton Twins had seen its strength with their own eyes.

Honestly speaking, they’d never expected that King Lark would willingly send the so-called Lord Knight to assist them. It went to show how much he wished to prevent the Empire from falling into ruins.

“Five hundred powerful knights,” said Princess Luna. “We are grateful, Your Majesty.”

“Give them the vials,” said Lark to one of the royal guards.

“Yes, Your Majesty!”

A royal guard placed a small wooden chest right before Princess Luna, then retreated to his post.

“Open it,” said Lark.

Princess Luna twisted the lock and lifted the lid open, revealing the vials inside. There was also a burnt-looking root carefully stored inside the chest.

“They’re the cure for the parasitization,” said Lark. “Since supply is limited, I can give you only twenty vials for now. Use them well. As for the root, it’s from a mandrake. Feed it animal blood and expose it to adequate sunshine. The leaves are one of the key ingredients for the medicine. Underneath the root is the medicine’s formula.”

Princess Luna’s eyes widened as she stared at the chest filled with vials before her. Even Jacob Fraser and the other members of the imperial envoys couldn’t comprehend what was happening.

They couldn’t understand why King Lark was suddenly giving something so precious to them.

Princess Luna took the folded parchment underneath the mandrake root. She opened it and read its contents. Indeed, it stated the materials and the step-by-step process needed to concoct the medicine.

Princess Luna breathed in deeply.

“W-Why?” she said. “We are grateful, but why is Your Majesty giving us these medicines? You even went as far as giving us the key ingredients and the formula.”

“I’ve already told you this before,” said Lark. “My goal is to ensure the Empire’s survival during the war with the demons. Giving you the medicine for the parasitization is only natural if I wish to accomplish that objective.”

The entire throne room went silent.

For a moment, the imperial envoys felt ashamed. They’d remembered that the Morton Twins nearly killed one of the Kingdom’s royal court magicians just to get a single vial of the medicine. But now, King Lark was willingly giving it to them.

“That said,” said Lark. “It’ll take more than a month from here before you could arrive at the City of Meredith.”

The distance was more than enough deterrent for Lark’s magic. Even his unique magic – the Sun God’s Army – wasn’t capable of crossing such distances. The spell would surely run out of duration before the golden soldiers could even arrive at their destination.

He was a single man, and now that the portal had opened in two different locations, he had to choose a territory to prioritize. Honestly, even now, he was still doubting if this was the right decision.

Should he personally go to the Empire instead of the United Grakas Alliance?

“The military of the Empire is well-developed, Your Majesty,” said Princess Luna. “Our nation wouldn’t fall in just a month.”

How naïve.

These people probably hadn’t seen a High Demon before. Just a single one could slaughter an army on its own. Even Plagas, one of the weakest tribe leaders, could fight on par with an entire order of knights by himself if he utilized his abilities to their fullest.

A single Fire or Frost Giant could destroy the walls protecting a city.

Now, what if dozens of such demons entered the portal?

Still, Lark didn’t voice his thoughts out loud. He had no intention of causing unnecessary worry and panic among the imperial envoys. The last thing he wanted was for them to be utterly terrified that they no longer wished to return to their homeland.

“I see,” said Lark. “But it would still be prudent to make haste and immediately return to your country.”

“I believe so, too, Your Majesty,” said Princess Luna.

“I will send a message to Lord Argus of Yorkshaire City. With the help of his soldiers, it’ll be easier for you to cross the Yorkshaire Mountains. This would be a lot faster than taking the sea route.”

Lark paused for several seconds as he pondered over something. Eventually, he said, “And take a communication device with you.”

Lark ordered one of the royal guards to get a certain item from the treasury. Soon, they came back with a metallic container and handed it to the imperial envoys.

“Inside is an intercity communication device,” said Lark. “It’s connected with what I have in the castle.”

It was the same item used by Arzen Boris to communicate with Lark. Honestly, Lark was hesitant to give this to the envoys since it was a limited item. But Lark needed a way to communicate effectively with the Empire, regardless of the distance.