by Michael Sisa
Chryselle thought that magic was similar to the blade, probably even more barbaric and cruel. Since she was a child, she had seen firsthand what magic was capable of.
But it was apparent that the princess had already made her mind to become a magician, no matter what. Chryselle felt no merit in convincing her otherwise.
“Hey, Chryselle.”
“Yes, Princess?”
“I told you to just call me Esmeralda.” The Princess pouted. “How long do you think it’ll take the blacksmith to finish the phylactery?”
Lark was currently at the smithy, discussing the details with the blacksmith. Since they already had the flower and the rest of the materials in their hands, all that was left was the phylactery.
“Master Lark said it’ll probably take at least several days, a week at most.”
“A week,” the princess mumbled to herself as she stared at the ceiling. A week felt too long right now. “I wonder… how my father is. Lady Ropianna’s with him, so nothing too dangerous should happen, right?” The Princess sighed.
The bells of the city rang. Numerous footsteps were heard outside.
Chryselle stood up, swept away the curtains and opened the window on the second floor. Below them, she saw several soldiers running toward the direction of the western gate.
“What’s happening outside?”
Curious of the clamor outside the inn, the princess peeked her head out of the window. She noticed that the residents started going back to their homes, the door of the nearby inns and taverns were shut, and more soldiers started moving toward the west.
“Monsters again, eh?” one of the soldiers below said.
“That’s obvious, idiot. It’s a full moon tonight.”
Chryselle and the princess looked up and saw the twin crimson moons above.
Chyselle understood immediately what was happening. Near this city was that monster-infested lake. She heard that for the last several months, the monsters of the lake had started attacking the human settlements in the area.
Loud knocks were heard at their door. Chryselle opened it and Parzival and the rest of the knights entered the room. After the door was shut, Parzival said, “Princess, monsters are attacking the city. We should probably get out of here while we still can.”
The hair on the princess’ nape bristled upon hearing this. She stuttered, “M-Monsters? Why are monsters attacking here? It’s one of our Kingdom’s major cities!”
“I asked one of the inn’s servants. She said the monsters probably came from the Lake of the Full Moon,” said Parzival. “Hundreds, if not thousands of them, are attacking the city right now.”
Color started draining from the princess’ face. She’d been sheltered in the king’s castle her entire life. The idea of a city being overrun by monsters never crossed her mind. The mere thought of innocent civilians being eaten by those beasts was too terrifying.
“Don’t worry, princess,” said Tomas. “The soldiers are gathering at the western gate even now as we speak. Even if the military fails, we’ll make sure the princess safely escap—”
“—There’s no need for that,” Chryselle finally spoke. She was the only one in the room who’d remained calm throughout the conversation. “If this monster invasion is as terrible as you guys make it out to be, the citizens of this city would have already left a long time ago. People value their lives above anything else, after all. I saw the soldiers down below just a few minutes ago. And they looked too carefree for someone going to confront a horde of monsters.”
Now that Chryselle mentioned it, the princess also realized it. She also saw the soldiers moving toward the western gates. Some of them were merrily chatting with each other, as though going to a picnic.
“Then are you saying that this monster invasion is a trivial matter?” Parzival frowned. He clearly did not like the fact that Chryselle was dismissing the potential danger of this monster invasion.
“I’m saying that the city probably has a way to defeat all of those monsters,” said Chryselle. “You’ve seen the towers before, right?”
Parzival and the rest of the knights remembered the towers scattered throughout the city. Each of them looked imposing, as though they were relics from the ancient era.
Parzival was about to utter a reply when several loud explosions were heard outside. Looking through the window, they saw a nearby tower activate. At its tip, several balls of lightning started forming, before shooting toward the west. Bright light momentarily illuminated the night sky as streaks of light shot forward.
Shortly after that, another tower was activated, and several balls of lightning once again shot toward the same direction.
“Amazing,” muttered the princess. “Parzival, I want to see it! Let’s look at the towers!”
Anything related to magic was fascinating for her, even when she was still a kid. The Princess ran out of the room.
“Princess!”
Her knights immediately followed suit. Chryselle also decided to go with them. She wanted to see for herself what those towers were capable of.
Soon, their group arrived at the area near the gate.
Contrary to their expectations, the soldiers weren’t fighting with the monster horde. Instead, they simply stood before the gates, forming a human barricade, ready to cut down any monsters who managed to bypass the walls.
“It’s dangerous here,” one of the soldiers said to them. “Go back home, keep your door shut, and sleep. There’s no need for you to worry. The monsters will all be dead by morning.” The soldier spoke with absolute confidence, as though this monster invasion was a mere daily occurrence.
Every now and then, beams of light would shoot out of the towers in the city, creating loud explosions outside the walls. Even from this distance, they could hear the cries and death throes of the invading monsters, and the scent of charred flesh started permeating the air.
It was a one-sided slaughter.
“T-Tomas,” said Parzival. “Aren’t these towers very similar to the ones in Wizzert City?”
Tomas was slack-jawed as he nodded his head. “Y-Yes. There’s no mistaking it.”
“But impossible,” said Parzival. “The elders of Wizzert would never allow another city to use their towers. So how—”
“—They’re not from Wizzert,” the soldier from before interjected. “They’re towers commissioned by Lord Valcres. I heard that these towers were designed by the Lord of Blackstone Town.”
“By the Lord of Blackstone Town?” said the princess.
An unexpected name suddenly came out of the soldier’s mouth. Everyone, aside from Chryselle, was dumbfounded upon learning this fact. For a moment, they doubted if what they’d heard was right.
“What was his name again? That young man from the Marcus Family? Pretty neat invention, don’t you think?” The soldier stared at the princess and her knights. He sighed. “Look, we always get curious daredevils like you during this time of the month. But there’s literally nothing to see here aside from flashy explosions and deafening sound. Go back home.” The soldier looked around. “The commander will punish me if they see you here.”
***
By the time the princess and her knights went back to the inn, Lark had already returned. He was standing at the hallway on the second floor, waiting for them to come back. Next to him were Anandra, George, and Austen.
“You’re back,” said Lark.
The princess stared curiously at Lark. She had not expected that the one who invented those towers was someone they knew all along. He never mentioned anything related to those magic towers, after all.
It seemed that the Lord of Blackstone Town was somewhat popular among the citizens of Lion City. After he created the magic towers, the citizens no longer feared the coming of the next full moon. They no longer feared the monster horde. They were simply grateful that they could continue their peaceful lives in this region.
“Her Highness’ room is the largest,” said Lark. “Let’s go insid
e first and discuss the things I’ve talked about with the blacksmith.”
The princess agreed.
After everyone was inside the room, Lark went straight to the point. “Five days. Garma told me that it’ll be possible to complete the mithril phylactery in five days.”
The princess breathed a sigh of relief. It was faster than she expected. “So we’ll have to stay at Lion City until then, huh?” said Princess Esmeralda.
“That’s right.” Lark nodded. “It’s a full moon tonight, and the monsters will keep attacking the city for the next two to three days. We can’t go out of the city even if we want to. It’ll be too dangerous. But staying in the city should be safe, as long as we stay inside the walls, under the protection of the towers.”
Lark noticed the peculiar gazes of those around him, particularly the princess and her knights. He decided to dismiss it.
He added, “We’ll go to the merchants guild tomorrow morning to gather additional rations and materials.”
CHAPTER 17
Five days had passed. The monsters attacking the city had retreated to the lake. At the same time, the phylactery had been completed.
Unlike the mithril cubes, the phylactery had a simple design, with runes engraved only in its interior. If not for its silver-black sheen which screamed of the word ‘mithril’, people would have mistaken it for an ordinary jar.
After obtaining the phylactery, Lark’s group immediately set out to the capital. They hired the fastest carriage in city, and would change horses upon reaching the next territory, stopping only to restock their rations now and then.
***
It had been more than two months since the king collapsed. Although the healers and magicians managed to stabilize the king somewhat, he still hadn’t woken up.
Inside the administrative office of the king’s castle, the ministers and other various officials of the capital gathered.
Everyone gathered here knew the truth of the king’s current predicament. They all knew that the king was currently afflicted by the demonic pact running through the blood of the royal family. A curse passed down from generations to generations.
“It’s been a week since that item arrived at the capital,” said Lord Hais, one of the ministers of the Kingdom. “Isn’t it about time we use it to cure His Majesty? Various rumors are already going around the capital and the other cities of the Kingdom. The citizens are demanding to know the current state of His Majesty.”
“There are already rumors that His Majesty’s dead,” said another minister. “I’m sure the neighboring countries have already heard what happened to the king. Thankfully, Everfrost is keeping the Great Empire in check—”
“—But the Mullgray Pirates have already started gathering their fleets,” said another official.
“The port in Aurora Island was finished just recently. I’m confident that the Kalavinka Navy can hold off those damn barbarians.”
“Are you stupid? The Kalavinka Navy may be strong, but the pirates outnumber them more than a dozen times! It’s only a matter of time before we lose Aurora Island again!”
“What did you say? Are you doubting the might of our Kingdom’s navy!”
“I’m just stating the reality! We’ve lost Aurora Island before and we’ll lose it again this time!”
“Enough!” Marquis Carlos snarled.
Everyone immediately shut their mouths. Silence befell the administrative office.
Although Carlos was a mere marquis, he was the closest friend of His Majesty. Furthermore, he was among the prominent figures of this Kingdom—a retired general, a man who once led tens of thousands of soldiers to war back in his prime.
Despite his age, the marquis could easily snap the neck of these bickering officials.
“We’re here to discuss the current status of His Majesty. Take your petty arguments somewhere else.”
Marquis Carlos looked at the hunched, elderly woman who’d remained silent until now. “Please let us hear your thoughts, Lady Ropianna. There must be a reason why you insisted that we postpone healing the king.”
Ropianna took out a parchment from her cloak. “Almost a hundred lives were lost just to obtain the flower,” she said, her voice raspy. “His Majesty would surely regain consciousness once he consumed the flower, but it wouldn’t cut the root of this problem. The same thing would happen again. A few weeks after this, maybe months, and if we’re lucky, maybe a year. But it is certain that His Majesty would collapse again, eventually.”
She handed the parchment to Marquis Carlos.
“This is?” Marquis Carlos started reading the letter.
“A letter from Princess Esmeralda,” she said.
Marquis Carlos frowned as he read the letter. “They have a way of curing His Majesty?”
“Yes,” said Ropianna. “After receiving this message, I asked for a divination from the Water God. I asked God Nereus if this is the correct path.”
There was momentary silence. The elderly magician slowly spoke, “And the Water God agreed that this is the best path for the Kingdom.”
The officials looked at each other. There had never been a time when the divination of the Water God was incorrect. Although the messages were frequently abstract, when followed faithfully, it would eventually lead the believer to the right path.
“The Princess and her men, along with the Lord of Blackstone Town are on their way here as we speak,” said Ropianna.
“Lord of Blackstone Town?” asked Lord Hais.
Marquis Carlos showed them the letter from the Princess. “Princess Esmeralda says that the Lord of Blackstone Town has found a way to sever the king’s curse.”
The eyes of Lord Hais and the other officials widened for a moment. First was the Black Famine, and now this? How the hell did that brat obtain such crucial information?
“Ridiculous!” said Lord Hais. “How can a mere lord of a small town know how to cure the curse of His Majesty! It’s a demonic pact that’s been passed down through the royal family! It can’t be broken that easily!”
For some reason, Lord Hais seemed more agitated than usual.
“But the Water God has already given us the answer.” Marquis Carlos looked at Lady Ropianna. “The Water God believes that this is the right path, isn’t that right, Lady Magician?”
Ropianna closed her eyes and slowly nodded her head.
One of the officials sighed. “The Water God is never wrong. She has already given us the approval. All that’s left is for us to wait for the princess group’s arrival.”
No one could rebuke this statement. If they did, it would be tantamount to questioning the words of a God.
***
After the meeting, Lord Hais immediately went to the castle’s dungeon. Clad in cloak and escorted by three of his most trusted men, he went to the lower floors of the dungeon.
Using magic, they moved through the guarded cells and eventually arrived at the prison where Duke Kelvin was being held.
“Do it,” said Lord Hais.
One of his men activated his spell, creating a mirage next to the prison gate. The guards didn’t notice the group’s arrival, and they safely entered Duke Kelvin’s cell.
“It’s been a while, Duke.” Lord Hais pulled down his hood, revealing his face.
Duke Kelvin had gotten thinner than before. He no longer looked like a bloated pig, and his stubble had grown thicker.
“Hais.” Duke Kelvin didn’t seem surprised to see him. He looked at the oblivious guards next to the prison gate, then at the three men behind Lord Hais. “How’s Alvis?”
Lord Hais bowed his head, and the three men behind him did the same. “His Majesty is still unconscious at the moment. I’ve made sure that he ingests the toxin every other day. Even that damnable Ropianna and Carlos don’t suspect a thing.”
Duke Kelvin gloated upon hearing this. He laughed. “Serves him right! That damn bastard dared to lock me up in this filthy cell? Once my son ascends the throne, I’ll make sure to slaught
er everyone with the blood of the royal family!”
For a moment, Duke Kelvin looked like a maniac thirsting for human flesh.
Unbeknownst to everyone else, the collapse of the king was a ploy of Duke Kelvin. Despite being locked up in the dungeon, he still managed to pull the strings and ordered his men to poison His Majesty. And since they’d managed to turn the chief healer to the Kelvin Faction, it was never revealed that His Majesty had been poisoned.
Furthermore, the poison used was made from the toxin of an alcavar ringtail turtle. A rare species found only in the ports of the Kelvin Duchy. Although its toxin easily dissolved in the blood, it wasn’t immediately fatal. But prolonged exposure to it would eventually cripple the body and destroy the meridians.
With the king’s body weakened, the curse of Agares used this opportunity to devour His Majesty’s soul.
It was a perfect plan concocted by Duke Kelvin the moment he was locked away in this filthy dungeon. He was sure that right now, no one suspected that a prisoner like him was pulling the strings.
“But we have a bit of a problem, Duke.”
Duke Kelvin broke out of his fantasy. “A problem?”
“It seems that Princess Esmeralda has found a way to sever the curse of His Majesty.”
Duke Kelvin turned grim. “What do you mean? How did that sheltered brat find a way to sever a pact made with a demon?”
It sounded ridiculous. After all, even the seer wasn’t able to cure His Majesty. She was capable of halting the progression of the curse, but that was all.
“According to her, the Lord of Blackstone Town is capable of curing His Majesty,” said Lord Hais. “And this was confirmed by Lady Ropianna herself after a divination.”
The duke’s eyes widened. The Princess was one thing, but if even the Water God approved of the method, then there was a very high chance that it would work. God Nereus had no reason to lie to mere mortals, after all.
If the king’s curse was severed, then all of their plans would be for naught. Without a doubt, the moment the king was healed, that Marcus brat would have the highest chance of ascending the throne.