Legend of the Arch Magus_The Upheaval

by Michael Sisa

  Why do they keep following us?

  An idea dawned to him.

  He shuddered.

  What if those birds have been keeping watch on their group this entire time?

  Stone shook his head. Impossible. Animal tamers capable of such an advance skill were rare even in the United Grakas Alliance. There was no way they would encounter a human with those same skills in that desolated town. At most, the best those couriers could do was deliver messages.

  I must be getting paranoid. Damn it.

  Stone shook off the thought from his mind. He breathed in the cold breeze of the night then sat down cross-legged on the grass-carpeted ground. He closed his eyes as a part of his consciousness stayed awake and kept watch.

  Footsteps?

  Stone opened his eyes and grabbed his scimitar. He looked around. No one was there. Only the grasses, which swayed left and right from the wind, were in sight.

  “Oh, are they sleeping? Those companion of yours.” A chilly voice was heard. “What a pity. But I guess this is enough for now.”

  Stone unsheathed his weapon. “Who are you? Show yourself!”

  There was momentary silence. Stone was sure that the owner of the voice was staring straight at him. “Thankfully, the poison’s been effective thus far. It would have been hard to catch you guys if you kept moving forward.”

  “Show yourself!” shouted Stone. Behind him, he could feel that his comrades started waking up.

  “You used a similar magic to infiltrate my territory, didn’t you?” said the voice. The anger within it was palpable. “Not only that. You dared harm my people.”

  Without warning, a fist struck Stone’s face. His neck bent sideways, his body conceded, and he flew and rolled through the ground several times. The impact was so tremendous that he felt numb all over. It was though he was struck with a sledgehammer.

  By now, his men have woken up from all the clamor. They went out of their tents and upon seeing their Captain sprawled on the floor, they immediately pulled out their weapons.

  Stone wanted to warn them – to tell them to run, but only inaudible words came out. If only he was in perfect condition, then escaping would be possible.

  But I still have to try.

  Just when he was about to cast his invisibility magic, vines popped out of the ground and ensnared his legs. He tried pulling them out but failed.

  Stone instinctively looked up. He shuddered when he saw several swords made of fire hovering above. He knew to whom those things were pointed to.

  “Run!” He shouted.

  But it was too late.

  The swords of fire shot at his men, piercing their chests. As though that was not enough, their bodies were soon engulfed by flames. Their cries and wails echoed as the flames licked their bodies. Eventually, they fell down the ground, scorched and lifeless.

  Stone noticed that the tent where Salith was recuperating was also on fire. For a moment, he heard a cry for help coming out of it.

  Stone clenched his fists. He felt powerless. He could do nothing but watch as his men succumbed to their banes. Even now, he could not pull himself out of these shackles.

  “The old man you took hostage before,” said the voice. “He’s someone like a family to me, you see.”

  Stone could feel the hatred directed at him.

  Slowly, a figure manifested himself right in front of him. A human. A young man with short silver hair and cold, blue eyes.

  Upon locking eyes with the human, Stone froze. He could not move even his fingertips. Was this magic, or was this absolute fear after seeing those predatory eyes? He was not sure.

  “I still need your head so I won’t be burning you,” the human whispered in his ear. “But the same isn’t true with the rest of your body.”

  The human took out a small seed from his pouch. His hand blurred and it pierced through Stone’s chest, along with the seed. Stone tried screaming in pain but no words came out. Inside his body, he could feel the seed forming roots and expanding. It was as though several worms were continuously squirming inside him. It was a disgusting feeling.

  “Flowers,” said the human. “Bloom for me.”

  On cue, the roots of the seed expanded further. They pierced through the different parts of Stone’s body, eventually forming vines and leaves. Seconds lingered and flowers started blooming. A sweet fragrance wafted through the air.

  Aside from the head, the entire body of Captain Stone had turned into a plant. A beautiful one filled with fragrant flowers.

  The human pulled out his sword and cut off the lizardman’s head. He then placed it inside a small sack.

  He sighed. “It took me almost three days to catch these guys, huh?”

  He looked up. The night sky was moonless tonight.

  “I should head back. It’s just about time for my reinforcements to arrive.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  The time for departure towards Blackstone Town arrived. A thousand-strong army, which consisted mainly of soldiers from the city and several mercenaries, gathered at the outskirt of Lion City. The news of an armed force marching towards a certain town in the East reached the ears of many. Near the gates, several onlookers gathered.

  “Brother, are you really coming with us?” said Big Bun. “If what that young noble said in the letter was true, then war could break out at any time. It’s too dangerous.”

  Big Mona took a large bite from the bread in his hand. He spat, “It’ll be fine. These guys will protect me no matter what.”

  Behind Big Mona were the elites of his personal army. Big Bun knew those guys very well. Even a seasoned veteran from the Mercenary Guild would have a hard time defeating even a single one of them. Seeing that they would tag along, he could rest assured somewhat.

  “I see.” Big Bun looked at the army gathered outside the City. It was actually an amazing feat – gathering these men – since the Lake of the Full Moon Incident occurred just recently. According to their intel, a large bulk of the soldiers of Lion City was sent to fortify the defenses around that place, just in case monsters started invading the city borders.

  Big Mona leaned closer to his little brother. He whispered, “Listen. If war do breaks out, leave quickly. Our priority is not to win the war, but to secure Lark Marcus — to make sure he stays alive. If he dies, the bloodstone disappears together with him. Do you understand?”

  Big Bun nodded. This meant one thing: Right now, the life of Lark Marcus was secondary only to his and his big brother’s. It was an understandable fact, since the man could potentially hold the key to unlocking the secrets of that legendary artifact – the bloodstone. The elixir capable of healing the gravest of wounds. The so-called elixir of life.

  Big Bun tested the Low-Grade Potion before. Indeed, it was comparable to the Healing Potion created by the Alchemists in the Capital. No, it was probably even better than that.

  They have to get their hands on the so-called Middle-Grade Potion, no matter what.

  A rough-looking man with numerous scars on his face approached the two merchants. Had they not known any better, they would have mistaken him for a forest bandit.

  “Sir, the preparations are complete.” The man lightly bowed his head.

  “Commander Daltos, good job.” Big Mona tapped the man’s shoulder. “Order everyone to move out.”

  “Yes, Sir!”

  After receiving their instructions, the army started moving out of the city’s outskirt. Several carts filled with rations followed the infantry, while the cavalry led the front.

  All of the soldiers have been briefed of the goal of this expedition – that they were here to block the advance of the Beastmen towards the Kingdom. But not everyone believed this. They were all aware that the Valley of Witches have not fallen yet from the hands of the enemies. As long as Alexander was blocking those damnable beastmen’s path, there was no way for them to even step foot on the soil of this Kingdom.

  But since the commission provided by the Lord’s Castle a
nd the Merchant Guild was overgenerous, the soldiers willingly accepted the task. The same went for the mercenaries hired from numerous small guilds within the City.

  The deal was that even if the army from the United Grakas Alliance did not come, everyone in this army would still get their share of profit. A win-win situation for everyone.

  With haste, the army relentlessly marched, stopping only to recuperate several hours after dusk.

  After four days, they finally reached Blackstone Town. This could already be considered a feat for such a large army composed mostly of infantry. After all, it would normally take five to seven days to reach the town by foot. By cart, it would two days at most.

  Mikael looked out of the cart he was riding in. Just as described in the reports given to him personally by the King, the town was located next to the wilderness. One needed to pass through a thick forest, then through a small plain, before arriving at the town.

  The arrival of the army caused a commotion over the residents of Blackstone Town. Most of the locals hid in their homes, while the younger men went to the town’s border to meet the officials of the Army. Leading them was an old man wearing a suit.

  “Welcome. We’ve been expecting you,” said the old man. “I’m sorry that we’re unable to give a proper greeting, honorable Sirs. This town is undergoing massive reconstructions, after all.”

  Mikael doubted the ‘we’ve been expecting you’ part of the old man’s statement. Most likely, the old man was the only one who knew the arrival of this army. This was apparent after just looking at the terrified and wary faces of the people behind him.

  “My name is Gaston.” The old man bowed his head. “And the Young Master ordered me to lead our esteemed guests to the Lord’s Mansion to partake in a small feast.”

  Big Mona and Commander Daltos stepped forward.

  “Big Mona,” said the fat merchant. He looked around, as though expecting to see a familiar face among the crowd. “I came here after receiving the request of your master. Where is he?”

  Gaston bowed his head lightly. “I’m sorry, but the Young Master is currently unavailable at the moment.”

  “Unavailable?” Big Mona raised a brow.

  “Yes.” Gaston’s back remained ramrod straight. “He’s been gone for more than a week now after leading the soldiers to intercept the invading beastmen army.”

  Despite his old age, the voice of Gaston was loud and clear. Several soldiers froze upon hearing the story – and Mikael was among them.

  Intercept the beastmen army? So, it was true then? These questions ran through the minds of everyone who heard what the old man said.

  Surprisingly, Big Mona accepted this reasoning. Instead, he asked a completely unexpected question in return. “He’s not dead, is he?”

  Gaston’s eyes glimmered for a moment. “Ah, of course not. The Young Master is the embodiment of wisdom. He wouldn’t die just like that.”

  It was a hyperbolic statement, but it was apparent in the eyes of the old man that he believed each of the words he just spouted.

  Embodiment of Wisdom was a description totally contrary to what people thought of the second son of Duke Drakus. To the nobles in the Capital, he was nothing but an arrogant brat that knew nothing of his bounds. Mikael was sure that the other candidates to the throne did not even see him as a competitor at all.

  Mikael was starting to get curious of this so-called Lark Marcus.

  “Embodiment of wisdom?” chuckled Big Mona. “That brat?” He shrugged. “Well, I’ve got to admit that that one’s shrewd, like a fox. You said you prepared a feast for us?”

  Gaston momentarily closed his eyes. “Of course.”

  “I’m hungry. We’re going to eat,” declared Big Mona. “Dalton, command the army to make camp outside the town. This place’s too small to accommodate everyone.”

  “Understood!”

  “Bun,” said Big Mona. “Come.”

  Big Bun fixed his collar upon the mention of his name. “Yes, brother!” He briskly walked towards Mikael then flashed a smile. “I guess this is where we part. You are no longer under the protection of my caravan. Go. See you your old man!”

  Big Bun slapped Mikael’s back then jogged towards his brother. After a while, the officials of the Army aside from Dalton disappeared with the old man.

  To Mikael, this made things much easier. From now on, he could move freely and assess this candidate for the throne. Just thinking that he could serve the King once more filled him with pride and joy.

  While the soldiers were busy making camp, Mikael entered the town.

  It seemed that the reason why the army was here was finally explained to the locals. He could see several men and women, children included, coming out of their homes and curiously looking at the army camped outside the town.

  “H-Hey, the Young Master’s safe, right?”

  “Of course! Father’s with him! He told me that he’ll protect the Lord!”

  “But to think that the Young Master managed to bring this much reinforcement. I somehow feel we could really defeat those lizards! As expected of the Young Master!”

  His tattered old clothes and his common-looking face made it easy for Mikael to blend with the locals. As he surveyed the town, he listened to the conversations of the residents every now and then.

  He had not expected the residents to be this amicable to the young noble. According to the reports from the Capital, the noble called Lark Marcus was a devil incarnate. An abomination hated by everyone. But after listening to just these few conversations, it seemed that the rumors were not totally true.

  Mikael especially took note of the word ‘lizard.’

  Judging by the way the residents talked about those beastmen, it seemed like they’ve encountered those guys before. It was as though they personally saw those barbarians eye-to-eye.

  I’ll include this in my report later.

  Mikael kept looking around the town, all the while carefully blending himself with the locals. He realized that the road was becoming more paved as he went deeper in. It was not cobbled, but made of a different material entirely. It was as though the road itself had solidified into a single piece of flat rock. By estimate, this road could probably accommodate four carriages running side by side. It was a road comparable to those seen in major cities – probably even better than that.

  He was still busy observing the road when he finally arrived at the Eastern District. Numerous houses were being built here and there. But what surprised Mikael the most was not those things, but the dirt used to build them. It was probably made of soil or clay. He was not sure. The workers would put solid blocks on top of each other. In their middle was the peculiar clay.

  Would these houses actually hold using such method? Mikael doubted this at first, but soon realized that the houses around him were all uniformly built. Therefore, those finished houses he saw here and there were made of the same materials.

  Mikael approached one of the finished houses. He knocked on the wall. It was firm and solid.

  For a moment, he fell silent.

  Mikael did not know much about construction works, but he was sure of one thing: This clay – or whatever it was called – was a revolutionary item capable of improving the lives of everyone in the Kingdom.

  He had never seen such a convenient method of building structures before. Based on what he heard from the conversations of the workers, it seemed that these clay needed only several hours in order to harden like rocks.

  “Ah, Anthony! You’re delivering food to the Mines again, eh?”

  Mikael saw a child pulling a wooden cart. It was filled with small crates at the top.

  “Of course!” The child grinned, showing an incomplete set of teeth. “I’ve earned quite a bit of money last week! I’ll treat you to some jerky once I got my next pay, Uncle! Look forward to it!”

  “Treat me to some chicken from the Poultry Farm instead! Come to my house! I’ll cook it for you!”

  “Hey! That’
s too expensive!”

  Laughter filled the air.

  Mikael’s thoughts wandered somewhere else.

  Poultry farm? There was a poultry farm in this small town? That was not written in the report. As far as he knew, this was a desolated town with literally nothing to offer.

  And… Mines? There’s no record of any Mines in Blackstone Town.

  Mikael decided to follow the child.

  After walking through the Endless Forest, he finally arrived at that place. A cavern whose size was hard to estimate. He could see several men coming and going, and after seeing the child called Anthony, they all cheered.

  “The free porridge from the Mansion’s here! Finally!”

  The workers dropped their pickaxes and approached the child.

  “Hey, what’s the toppings this time?”

  The child grinned. He opened a large sack next to the crates. “Guess?”

  “Meat jerky?” The workers were enthusiastic.

  The child shook his head. “It’s eggs!”

  The workers clenched their fists and cheered upon hearing it. Mikael could sympathize with these guys. After all, eggs were a luxury. Commoners could probably eat only one or two of it in a week. At least, that was the norm in the Capital.

  Mikael silently observed the miners as they ate their fill.

  Something’s wrong.

  Mikael frowned.

  The Black Famine struck the entire Kingdom last harvest season. Those pesky insects destroyed the crops, sparing no one regardless of rank. According to the reports, the famine extended its claws even to some cities in the Empire. Mikael was sure that this desolated town was among those that were affected.

  But what’s going on?

  These miners were all obviously well-fed. There were no signs of emaciation at all. It was as though this particular town had been spared from the famine several months ago. The same could be said of the locals he passed by along the way.

  As Mikael continued listening to the laughter-filled conversations, he soon learned the truth.

  The Lord is feeding all of his subjects? At least until the next harvest arrives?