by M Sisa
“I’m glad this territory is untouched by the swarm,” said the King. “Those farmers worked very hard just for this moment, for the harvest season to arrive.”
Now, the farmers were reaping what they sow. Tons of wheats were being harvested each day in these fields.
Lord Chase nodded. He also liked this tranquility. The simple joy brought forth by peace.
“I have to thank His Majesty for that,” said Lord Chase. “If not for His Majesty, the swarm would have destroyed all the fields in Golden Wheat City.”
If they had been late even for just a day, all of these fields would have been dead by now. Whenever Lord Chase thought of that, shivers would crawl down his spine. Had the swarm consumed the fields, his people would have been on the brink of hunger by now.
“The swarm, huh?” said the King. He looked up and saw the clouds covering the sun. “There’s actually no need to thank this old man. After all, I merely copied the technique used by the Lord of Blackstone Town.”
Lord Chase’s eyes grew wide. Seeing this, the King nodded, “That’s right. It was not me nor the Ministry of Research who came up with the method to deal with the Black Famine.”
The King chuckled. “Living this long surely has its merits. Who would have known that the second son of Duke Drakus is so capable?”
Lord Chase immediately linked the pieces of the puzzle together. “Your Majesty… You mean to say that the method of killing the Black Famine came from… that person?”
King Alvis smiled. “Correct.”
Lord Chase’s eyes grew even wider.
The second son of Duke Drakus was quite famous. Lord Chase heard that that person was the devil incarnate – a vindictive noble who treated commoners like dirt. Last time he heard, that damnable kid was thrown away by his father to some remote village or town.
Out of all people, Lord Chase never expected that the method to kill the swarm came from him.
“Chase,” said the King. “In theory, if I were to give you five thousand soldiers to battle against a ten to fifteen thousand strong beastmen army, are you confident in winning?”
The question of the King caught Lord Chase off-guard.
“No, sir,” Chase shook his head. “Even if we have the same number of soldiers, victory’s still uncertain.”
“I thought so,” the King mumbled. He once again looked at the distance, his eyes radiating wisdom.
“You see, there’re actually two reasons why I came here,” said the King. “First is to see with my own eyes the status of Golden Wheat City. This is the lifeline of our Kingdom, after all.”
Chase silently listened.
“And second, I want to temporarily escape from all the politics in the Capital,” said the King. “I’m too old. I want to take a breather once in a while.”
Lord Chase smiled at this. He had not expected the King to confess that he was actually temporarily running away from his responsibilities as the King. Well, King Alvis was human too. He needed to take a break every now and then.
“You can stay here for as long as you like,” said Lord Chase. He resisted the urge to chuckle. “I’ll give word to the Capital that you’re inspecting the farmlands.”
“Hahaha!” The King heartily laughed. “If only you’re not of common birth, I would have made an exemption and thrown you into the competition for the throne!”
Lord Chase did not take offense at this. He knew the repercussions if they broke the tradition of the Kingdom – that only males of noble birth were allowed to sit on the throne. Sparking a civil war right now would give the Empire and the Mullgray Islands a chance to swallow the Kingdom.
“I’m honored, but I would have to respectfully decline,” said Lord Chase. “I do not have any intentions of leaving Golden Wheat City. My people need me here, Your Majesty.”
The King already knew this, and it was not such a bad thing that a competent official was staying as the Lord of this very important region.
“Ah, by the way,” said King Alvis. “I’m turning sixty-five soon.”
The King’s eyes glimmered. Was it excitement? Lord Chase was not sure.
“Two months from now, on my sixty-fifth birthday, I plan on holding a grand celebration at the Capital. And Chase… I plan on inviting all twenty-eight candidates for the throne.”
Kalavinka, Lark, and Lui. These three candidates has piqued the King’s interest lately.
King Alvis chuckled mischievously. “It’ll be an interesting feast, don’t you agree?”
Chapter Four
The next day, Lark personally visited Austen’s abode: a recently finished stone house in the eastern border. It was still dawn when Lark knocked on the wooden door. The door creaked open after several seconds, and a child, probably nine or ten of age, peeked at the gap.
“Who are you?” she said, her eyes still puffy from sleep.
“Is Austen there?” Lark smiled. “I’m here to pick him up.”
From inside the house, Lark heard a familiar voice. “Diana, who is it?”
The girl called Diana looked at the direction of the voice, then at Lark, then back. She hesitated for a moment before shouting, “Brother! Someone’s here to pick you up!”
“Pick me up?” Austen’s voice was filled with uncertainty.
After he looked at the gap through the door, he momentarily froze. “Y-Young Master?!”
“Eh?” Diane was bewildered. She heard last night that the Young Master personally offered her brother the chance to become his apprentice – with an absurdly high salary of fifty silvers a month plus a free house.
The two siblings never expected the Young Master to personally visit them.
Lark gazed at Diane. Unfortunately, unlike her brother, the traces of mana within her was miniscule, same as those of ordinary people.
“Can I come in?” said Lark.
This brought Austen back to reality. “Ah, of course! Please!”
When Lark entered, he was immediately greeted by the curious gazes of several kids. He noticed that one of them was lying at the far back, his body filled with numerous injuries. Upon seeing him, Lark’s eyes momentarily glimmered. From that kid, Lark could feel decent traces of mana.
The other kids are ordinary, but this one… he might also have the potential.
“Ah, please have a seat!” said Austen.
Austen busily moved about and prepared a cup of tea.
“No need to be so stiff.” Lark waved a hand. “How long has it been since he’s like this?”
Austen followed the line of sight of the Young Master and looked at the second oldest child, George, lying on the ground. He frowned. “Half a year? It’s been quite some time since he lost the ability to move his limbs.”
George’s body was hastily wrapped in bandages, traces of blood and pus leaking out here and there. Lark was sure that such treatment would only aggravate the kid’s condition. It was no wonder he was unable to recover from his sickness.
Lark crouched and stared at George’s eyes. Surprisingly, the kid did not avert his gaze. Lark chuckled. Those were the eyes of someone blazing with ambition.
“George, is it?” said Lark.
The dark-skinned kid wrapped in bandages nodded his head.
“This will be a bit uncomfortable, the same method I used to assess your brother.” Lark touched George’s forehead. “Bear with it for a while.”
On cue, a turbulent sensation flowed through George’s entire body. It was as though a river suddenly gushed out and flooded everything. If he was not disabled, he would have squirmed around in agony.
Lark pulled out his hand and the sensation vanished in an instant. He looked at Austen. The tall young man had been worriedly looking at them since the assessment started.
“It seems that your brother also has the same potential,” said Lark. “Crude gemstones that need to be refined and polished. Truly, what a find.”
Lark breathed in. “First, the wounds.”
He touched the chest of Georg
e, and a magic circle formed underneath the kid’s body. Numerous symbols span around, emitting an azure hue.
“Hey kid,” said Lark. “I’m also taking you under my wing after this. The payment will be the same as your brother’s. How about it?”
George was still stunned speechless when he suddenly found himself surrounded by a magic circle. Although he did not fully understand what the Young Master was trying to convey, he simply bobbed his head.
Lark grinned. “Good.”
He channeled mana into the magic formation and George’s body started to regenerate on its own. The wounds closed and the bruises dissipated.
Unable to feel pain any longer, George started to move his limbs. His eyes widened to the point of popping out upon seeing them move according to his will.
“Magic’s really convenient, isn’t it?” Lark winked. “Can you stand?”
George gulped down. He slowly stood up, his body quivering upon realizing that he had been fully healed.
“Is there anyone among you who can read or write?” asked Lark, just in case.
As expected, there was none.
“Melody’s time is limited, so I’ll be taking only George and Austen with me for now,” said Lark. “As for the rest of you, you can come to the Mansion if you wish to seek a job.”
The smaller kids nodded.
“As for you two,” Lark pointed at Austen and George. “We’ll proceed at a snail’s pace if you’re unable to read nor write. We’ll fix that.”
“Then… the Young Master’s teaching us?” said George.
“Magic, yes,” said Lark. “But for how to read and write, it’ll be Melody’s task.”
The two of them did not have an idea of who Melody was, but she seemed capable since the Young Master was confident of her skills. Excitement surged through their bodies.
Austen froze. He remembered their financial situation.
“But we don’t have money to pay for—,” said Austen.
“—It’s free,” interjected Lark. “Don’t worry about it and just focus on your studies. And since it’ll be considered part of your training, you’ll still be paid fifty silvers each once the month ends.”
It was a mouth-watering offer. The two could not believe their luck.
“You have a week to learn how to read and write. Even just the basics will be fine. You’ll need to be able to at least read the runes and symbols during hexagram formation and magic incantations.”
Austen and George looked at each other. There was no need to ponder over this offer any further.
“Thank you.” Austen was the first to bow his head. Seeing this, all of his siblings followed suit and also bowed their heads. “We’ll do your best not to disappoint you, Sir.”
Lark liked the humility shown by these kids. He also heard from Captain Qarat that Austen did not give up until the end when he fought against the humanoids made from the soul of the basilisk. Humility. Perseverance. There was also the fact that Austen went to this town to grab the opportunity to provide a better life for his family.
“Young Master?” George hesitated for a moment. “Can I ask you a question?”
“Go ahead,” said Lark.
“After we learn to read and write… once we start learning magic from you… is it possible for me to do that too?” George’s voice trailed off.
“Do what?” said Lark.
“Healing magic.” George stared straight into Lark’s eyes.
Those fierce eyes reminded Lark of Leanne, his very first disciple back in his previous life. He could not help but smile. “Of course.”
George clenched his fists.
“But the path will not be easy,” said Lark. “There’s also the chance that you won’t learn a single spell even after a long time passed. It depends on talent, luck, and of course, perseverance.”
Austen and George nodded. “We’ll do our best.”
“Good,” said Lark. “Let’s go to the Mansion. I’ll introduced you to The Scholar.”
***
Upon arriving at the Mansion, Lark was immediately greeted by a panic-stricken Gaston. The old man immediately ran towards Lark the moment he saw him, his face filled with beads of sweat.
“What happened?” Lark frowned.
The old man huffed. “Y-Young Master! Someone’s here to see you!
Who could it be? Who was important enough to cause Gaston to act like this? This butler was usually stoic, his every movement an embodiment of calmness. But now, he was quivering as though he saw something really frightening.
Was it the beastmen?
No, impossible. Lark made sure to periodically check the surrounding regions using the vision crystal. There should be no beastmen army nearby.
Then, was it someone from the Marcus Family? For a moment, Lark pondered on how he should react upon meeting him. He knew very little about the original owner of this body, after all.
As Lark was pondering on who the visitor was, the old man said, “T-The Sword Saint! One of the two Sword Saints of the Kingdom has come!”
“Alexander,” the name of the visitor escaped Lark’s lips. That man was so famous that even Lark, who had been here in this era for less than a year, knew him.
The two kids behind Lark looked at each other. Even Austen and George could not believe that a Sword Saint had come to visit the Young Master.
“You,” Lark said to a servant nearby. “Guide these two to where Melody is. She should know what to do with them.”
“Yes, Young Master,” the servant bowed. “This way please.”
With the servant leading the way, Austen and George climbed the stairs leading to the second floor, eventually disappearing from sight.
“So, what did the Sword Saint come here for?” Lark had an idea why, but he wanted to ask just to be sure.
“He said something about a letter he received several months ago.” Gaston was clearly puzzled. “He told me that he’s here to meet its owner.”
As expected, the Sword Saint came here because of that.
“I see,” said Lark. “Lead the way.”
A bit nervous, the butler led the Young Master towards where the Sword Saint was. Along the way, Gaston tried to warn Lark, “Sir, Sword Saint Alexander never abides by the rules of the Kingdom. Please do your best not to get on his bad side.”
“What do you mean?” said Lark.
Gaston hesitated. “He has killed several nobles before. Two years ago, he killed Baron Fosler after witnessing him beat several farmers to death. But since he’s a monster, the Kingdom never tried to arrest him. There’s also the fact that he always participates during large scale wars with the neighboring countries despite being retired. That’s why the Kingdom can’t touch him.”
“Killed several nobles, huh?” said Lark. “Interesting.”
They finally arrived at the room.
“I’ll be fine on my own,” said Lark. “I’ll call you if something comes up.”
Gaston frowned before bowing his head. “Please take care. I’ll be waiting here just in case.”
“Relax.” Lark tapped the old man’s shoulder. “There’s no need to be too stiff.”
Lark knocked on the door, twisted the knob, and entered the room. While closing the door, he stared at the old man sitting on the wooden couch.
As expected of a Sword Saint, the old man’s presence could be hardly felt at all. It was as though he was not there.
The Sword Saint gently placed the wooden tea cup on the table. With a raspy voice, he said, “I’ve got to give my thanks. I’ve been having a hard time trying to think of ways to drive away those beastmen.”
It seemed that Master Alexander was sure that the letter came from Lark.
Lark decided not to play around and pretend he was uninvolved in the matter. He sat down on the opposite couch. “What happened to the retreating beastmen?”
Although Lark had seen the clash between the retreating beastmen and Alexander’s army via the vision crystal, he pretended
to be oblivious of the outcome. There was no need to reveal all his cards, after all.
“We’ve killed around half of them,” said Alexander. His sword rested on his shoulder. “They shouldn’t be coming back to invade the Kingdom anytime soon.”
Lark almost creased his brows. He was sure that they killed way more than half of the retreating beastmen army. When the clash ended, there was only around a thousand beastmen who managed to escape. Magic Poisoning played a major role, but the monstrous strength of this old man was pivotal.
“I’m glad then.” Lark proceeded with pleasantries. “Thank you. I’ve been worried that those guys will come and invade this town again.”
For the first time, the old man smiled. He chuckled. “You’re a cheeky one, aren’t you? Those eyes. You’re one shrewd fox. You know fully well that those guys aren’t going to come back.”
Lark was finding this old man hard to read. For now, he did not want to become his enemy. Lark cordially smiled. “Of course not. How would a mere Lord like me know?”
Alexander sighed, “I didn’t expect the kid I carried in my arms ten years ago to grow up like this. You’ve become very shrewd like your father. I can’t believe it.”
What? For a moment, Lark was stunned. He never expected such words to come out of the Sword Saint’s mouth.
“That’s right,” said Alexander. “You must have forgotten about it, but I took care of you when you were a child. You see, your mother and father were my former students when I was still teaching in the Magic Academy.”
It was a stunning revelation. He did not expect someone related to the original Lark to suddenly show up in front of him like this, even more so one of the two Sword Saints of the Kingdom. The Living Sword, The Mercenary Guild Master, Alexander.
“But let’s not talk about that. It’s been several years, after all. And it’s not like you still remember that time.” Alexander fumbled inside his coat and took out a folded parchment. “I’m here for a different matter.”
He slid the letter towards Lark. “Here. It’s supposed to be sent via a messenger from the city, but since I’m coming here anyway, I took it upon myself to deliver it.”