VOLUME 6: CHAPTER 3

VOLUME 6: CHAPTER 3

After parting with his disciples, Lark immediately went to the breeder and bought the fastest and strongest horse available. Although it cost him a hefty sum of money, investing in a good mount was a must for this expedition. 

He also bought a woolen coat, several days’ worth of rations, and a large water flask. 

“Four gold, five silvers,” said the merchant in front of him. 

Lark handed the merchant the exact amount, strapped the items on the horse, and look the direction of the nearby tailoring shop. He was sure that several people had been following him for quite some time now. 

“Ah, since you’ve bought a lot, take this. It’s free.” 

The merchant tossed a plaid scarf to him. 

Lark stared at the scarf then at the smiling merchant. 

“Winter gets harsher each year,” said the merchant. “You’re going on a long journey, right, young man? You’ll need more than a coat to survive the freezing snow in the coming months.” 

Lark wrapped the scarf around his neck and lightly bowed his head. “Thank you.”

After buying all the things he needed for his journey, Lark immediately moved out of the capital and headed southwest, toward the direction of the Forbidden Region. 

Lark frowned. Several people continued following him from a safe distance. 

Lark clicked his tongue. He did not like being followed and monitored by unknown individuals. 

Lark reined in his horse and dismounted. He amplified the strength of his body using mana and increased his speed using wind magic, before shooting toward direction of his pursuers. 

The three men clad in cloak following Lark were surprised upon seeing a figure shooting toward them at a frightening speed. 

“What is that?” 

The figure blurred and vanished entirely. A split second after, the head of the horses flew and rolled on the ground. Blood spurted out incessantly, splattering on the pursuers and ground. 

“Who sent you? Why are you following me?” 

A cold voice was heard.

Although they couldn’t see the owner of the voice, they realized to whom it belonged to. The three looked at their headless mounts. They realized that had Lark willed it, he could have killed all three of them on the spot. 

“W-Wait!” shouted one of them. “Master didn’t tell us it’ll be like this! H-He simply told us to follow you and report to him our findings!”

Based on what he’d seen so far, these three were definitely not assassins. The assassins from Black Midas could parry Lark’s attacks, and the leaders of that criminal syndicate were even more proficient with the sword than Lark, but these three couldn’t even react with his movements. 

Right now, the three were frozen, as though they feared they would be beheaded if they made the slightest movement. 

Like a mirage, Lark’s figure slowly appeared in front of everyone. 

“Master?” said Lark. 

The three looked at each other. The one who first spoke pulled down his hood, and the rest followed suit. Surprisingly, all of them were young, probably around the same age as Lark. The oldest was probably the same age as Anandra. 

The oldest of the three swallowed the lump in his throat. Fear was evident in his eyes. “M-Master Nickolai.”

An unexpected name came up. Lark silently urged him to continue. 

“W-We’re all disciples of the Thunder Lord. T-The master asked us to monitor your movements in the capital,” said the disciple.

“Monitor my movements,” repeated Lark. His cold voice sent shivers down the three disciples’ spines.

When their master, Nickolai, told them to monitor a certain individual, they expected it’ll be an easy task. After all, the three of them were capable of spells until the fourth-tier. An ordinary soldier wasn’t their match. But after seeing the inhuman strength displayed by Lark, the way he unhesitatingly beheaded all of their mounts, the three disciples all lost the will to fight. 

They realized that the man they were tasked to monitor was at least on the same level as a high-ranking knight. They even surmised that he was probably as strong as the captain of the Royal Knights. 

This was someone capable of killing them before they could even cast their spells. 

“Yes, we’re merely tasked to monitor your movements!” said another disciple.

It seemed true, as Lark didn’t feel killing intent the entire time. Still, he did not like being followed by these guys. 

“Why?” said Lark. 

A single word. 

But for some strange reason, the three felt that the fate of their master rested on their answer to this question. The three fell silent for a moment. 

The oldest disciple choked his words out, “T-The treasure in the Forbidden Region! The master had been gathering all of his seventeen disciples and several mercenaries for an expedition to the City of Bones!”

Lark furrowed his brows upon hearing this. 

Seeing Lark’s displeased expression, the oldest disciple hurriedly added, “T-The master was afraid that you’ll steal the treasure stored in the labyrinth! That’s why he asked us to monitor your movements!”

“Steal the treasure? I won’t,” said Lark. 

This was true, since the Sword of Morpheus was his to begin with. He would be simply taking what was rightfully his. Hopefully, the information passed on by the captain of the Royal Guards before he lost consciousness was true, that the sword could really be found in that labyrinth. 

“R-Really?” said the youngest-looking disciple. 

“I’m not so shameful as to steal another person’s treasure,” said Lark. 

He sounded resolute and convincing. 

“But the direction you’re going… it’s the opposite direction of the Endless Forest. It’s the same direction of the Forbidden Region.”

“That’s none of your concern. Wherever I’m headed to is none of your business,” said Lark. He stared at the three for a moment then sighed, “The three of you are still young, and seeing that you have no harmful intentions, I’ll let this one slide.”

The three of you are still young. Those words sounded peculiar, coming from someone their age. 

Lark sheathed his sword. The disciples sighed in relief upon seeing this. 

“Tell your master this – I dislike being followed. I won’t be as merciful next time.”

Lark started walking toward his mount, then stopped. He turned around and looked at the disciples. “The three of you seems to have some talent in magic.”

The amount of mana in their body and its flow was a dead giveaway. These three probably had at least half the talent of Chryselle’s. 

It felt like a waste to see someone so young die due to the greed and arrogance of their master. A Scylla wasn’t something they could hope to survive even if they trained for another decade. 

“An advice,” said Lark. “Don’t participate in this expedition. You’ve heard what happened to the Royal Knights, didn’t you?”

The three looked at each other. They were also afraid of going to the Forbidden Region. But since the master clearly told them that he would disown anyone who refused to come with him, they had no choice but to join. Furthermore, the rest of the disciples were eager to join the master. They were all looking forward to seeing the legendary sword in flesh. 

“B-But if we don’t join the expedition...” The youngest-looking disciple gazed on the ground. “Master Nickolai will throw us away. He’d done it before. I’m sure the three of us won’t be an exemption.”

“Then leave,” said Lark. “It’s that simple, isn’t it? It’s called a Forbidden Region for a reason. Stop throwing your lives over something as petty as a legendary treasure.” 

He’d said his piece. What they would choose to do next would be up to them. Whether they’d choose to throw their lives away for their master or choose to wander around the Kingdom as fourth-tier mages without affiliations. 

Without uttering another word, Lark went to where his mount was located. He looked up. 

“Winter came earlier than expected, huh?”

Snow finally started falling down the sky. Fortunately, he’d already bought a thick woolen cloak. Furthermore, the merchant gave him a nice-looking scarf – free. 

Lark thought of Blackstone Town for a moment. 

It should be different than last year, wherein people were dying from hunger and the cold. This time, they had more than enough food stored in the granaries to last them the entire winter, moreover a year. They’d also built several houses in the Eastern District. 

Lark smiled. He felt at ease leaving the town in his people’s hands.  

He mounted his horse, slapped the reins and went toward the direction of the Forbidden Region. 

***

The three disciples tasked to monitor Lark went back to the capital. Immediately, they headed to the residence of their master in the Inner District. 

“You lost track of him?” Nickolai asked incredulously. He gripped the parchment he was holding in his hand, crumpling it in an instant. 

“O-Our horses were killed and we didn’t have any other means to chas—”

“—Then use your magic, goddamnit!” snarled Nickolai. “The three of you are among my five strongest disciples! That’s why I specifically tasked the three of you to monitor that stupid Marcus brat! You’ve mastered the thunderclap spell a long time ago, didn’t you!?”

Thunderclap was a spell which enabled the caster to move at a frighteningly fast speed for a short period of time. It was true that had they used it, they could have chased after Lark for some time until they ran out of mana. 

But the warning of Lark echoed in their minds. After seeing him beheading their horses without hesitation, they all lost the will to fight. That was a monster in human flesh. It would be like facing against their master. 

“These useless disciples!” Nickolai slammed the crumpled parchment down the table. 

“But Master! He told us that he doesn’t have any intention of stealing the treasure in the Forbidden Region!”

“And you believed him?” sneered Nickolai. “As I’ve thought. That old hag should have kept her mouth shut. Spouting nonsense here and there! There’s no need to tell that Marcus brat about the legendary sword, right?!” 

The disciples inside the room silently listened as Nickolai started cussing at Lark and Lady Ropianna. They all knew of the temper of their master. The Thunder Lord was known as one of the strongest magicians in this Kingdom, and he was also among the most ruthless ones. 

He couldn’t openly show his hostility before, since His Majesty and General Carlos was there with them in Fork Meadow. Furthermore, he was not in an amicable relationship with Elias ‘Farsight.’ 

That archer held no interest in power struggles and politics. He was only interested in archery and magic. A stark contrast to the Thunder Lord. 

Naturally, their views often clashed and they held each other in bad light. 

Nickolai gritted his teeth. 

He was sure of what he saw that night. The moment Lady Ropianna mentioned the Sword of Morpheus, the Marcus brat’s eyes glimmered with greed. He wanted that treasure for himself, Nickolai was sure of it. 

“Stealing what’s supposed to be mine,” Nickolai clicked his tongue. “I won’t allow it.”

Nickolai said to his strongest disciple, “Videl, the mercenaries?”

Videl respectfully bowed his head. “We’ve managed to recruit over a hundred mercenaries from the guild, master. They’re all willing to join our expedition in the Forbidden Region as long as we pay the asked price.”

“Good,” said Nickolai. 

Finally, some good news. 

“Those ruffians will be our meatshield. We’ll recruit more mercenaries once we’ve arrived at the Boris County. I’m sure everyone will easily jump into the offer once they heard of the name of the Thunder Lord.” 

---

Next chapter: 2-3 days