by Michael Sisa
He doubted that the United Grakas Alliance would send another Legion to topple the Kingdom soon. In a time when there was no war, the best thing to do was to focus on the development of the town. As such, Lark chose to create several soldiers instead of one. Soldiers capable of contributing to the prosperity of Blackstone Town.
Lark relentlessly continued making the bodies, stopping only after his mana was nearly exhausted. Afterwards, he would take a quick meal and resume his physical body training.
On the third day, the preparations were finally done. Two large magic circles overlapping each other were surrounded by several smaller ones.
Now, it’s time to harness the souls.
Lark opened the sacks containing the heads of the basilisk. The male’s head was large, almost the size of two carriages combined. The female’s was around a third of that. Lark momentarily amplified his strength using magic and placed the two heads on top of the large magic circles. Immediately afterwards, he placed the humanoid shells he created inside the smaller ones.
Lark took several deep breaths. He started channeling mana into the magic formation, making the runes engraved on it glow.
After some time, he frowned.
It’s not possible, huh?
Unfortunately, it seemed that the soul within the male basilisk had already dissipated due to the amount of time elapsed since its death. Extraction was impossible. It was regrettable, but Lark could do nothing about it.
On the other hand, the soul within the female was still intact. Lark focused all his mana for its extraction instead.
Soon, a malevolent haze started forming on top of the magic formation, slowly assuming the shape of a colossal snake. Its pair of eyes glared at Lark as it hissed. It could still remember the humans who killed it.
After seeing this, Lark calmly said, “I’ll be borrowing your power for a while.”
The magic formation suppressed the soul of the female basilisk, preventing it from going back into the void. Slowly, it split into several pieces. Twelve of them to be exact. The runes glowed brighter and the fragmented souls were sucked inside the humanoid bodies created by Lark.
Upon the completion of the ritual, the runes broke into particles of light then dissipated. Darkness returned inside the chamber, with only a single lamp as source of light.
Lark watched as the humanoid bodies made of iron started to move.
Now was the time to test if the ritual was a success.
“If you acknowledge me as your master, kneel down.”
Nine out of the twelve humanoids knelt upon hearing those words. The remaining three glared at Lark, their killing intent evidently oozing out.
As expected of a Basilisk. Its ego remains even after the soul’s been fragmented.
Those three were probably the ones who acquired the soul containing most of the basilisk’s ego.
It’s a shame, but I’ll have to be content with nine for now.
Without warning, the three humanoids leapt towards him, their long arms aiming for his neck and chest. These three were without consciousness – their desire to take away Lark’s life was born only from the rage left behind by the basilisk’s ego. Knowing this, Lark had no intention of holding a conversation with them. There were no rooms for negotiation with such unintelligent beings.
“Take them down,” said Lark.
The nine humanoids immediately leapt into action and confronted the enemies. Since those three were without intelligence unlike the other nine, destroying them was easy. Lark joined the fray and helped the nine mutilate the rebelling soldiers. After several minutes of futile struggle, the three humanoid creatures fell to the ground, squirming with just their trunks as all of their limbs were cut.
Lark cast his magic and the three were engulfed by flames. Slowly, they melted away, leaving behind nothing but a pile of smelted iron.
Lark turned towards the nine humanoids.
“Your jobs are simple.” Lark raised two fingers. “First, protect the citizens, protect the land – protect the territory. And second, contribute to its prosperity.”
The nine made deep grunting sounds. They were unable to utter a single word, but Lark knew that they understood.
“Help my citizens till the fields, maintain the walls,” said Lark. “Mine ores, explore uncharted territories. From now on, these things will be your priorities.”
***
After creating the humanoids, Lark immediately introduced them to the farmers. As expected, the farmers were stunned speechless upon seeing them. After all, they looked grotesque, like those monsters told in legends to scare children.
Had the Young Master not introduced them personally, the farmers would have already ran away in fright.
Lark looked at the farmers gathered together. Several of them were pallid, their eyes trembling as they warily stared at the humanoids standing behind the Young Master.
“Young Master… they are?” One of the farmers asked.
“Additional hands,” said Lark. “Harvest season’s just around the corner. These guys will help in harvesting the wheat. But for now, they’ll help in tilling the soil and removing the weeds.”
After hearing that these humanoids were going to help them till the lands, the farmers’ expressions softened somewhat. For some reason, these humanoid creatures did not look as terrifying as before.
“You.” Lark pointed at one of the humanoid creatures. “Lift that thing and place it over there.”
The humanoid creature immediately heeded Lark’s instructions. Without uttering a single sound, it lifted a large stone the size of an adult human and placed it on the place instructed beforehand. It easily completed a task which would normally require two to three people to be done.
Seeing this, the farmers let out awed sounds.
“Now, pull those weeds off the ground,” said Lark.
The same humanoid creature pulled the weeds out. Because of their long arms and slender fingers, it did not even need to bend down. The dexterity it showed was on par with humans.
Lark nodded satisfactorily at this. “I’m sure there’s a lot of questions in your mind, but what you need to know is this—” He paused and locked eyes with the farmers. “—These guys are on your side.”
The last statement ignited the fire within the farmers’ hearts. For some reason, these humanoid creatures felt so dependable. They did not look scary any more.
“Gaston,” said Lark.
The butler bowed his head. “Young Master.”
“From now on, you’ll be in-charge of these guys. Be free to order them around.”
Gaston stared at the humanoid creatures then bowed once again at Lark. “As you wish, Young Master.”
Lark turned to his creations. “This man shall be your master from now on. Listen to everything he says.”
The nine of them all grunted, saying they understood.
Good.
With this, his territory now had a workforce capable of carrying out heavy tasks left and right. Since the humanoids’ bodies were made entirely of iron, they would not wear out easily even if they were to carry logs and large stones.
Gaston started issuing out his orders to the humanoids and each one of them immediately followed the commands of the old man.
I should make them fortify the walls after this, just in case.
The invasion of the beastmen was still vivid within his memories. If some variables had gone missing that time, the town would have been under the beastmen’s hands by now.
As Lark was contemplating on these things, he heard a horrified shout. One of the farmers was pointing at the sky, his entire body quivering in fright.
Everyone looked up, and immediately, creases formed on their brows. A portion of the sky had turned black.
That is…
Lark squinted. From the distance, he could make out the hundreds of thousands—if not millions—of insects forming a canopy in the sky. Each of them was the size of a thumb, their scales reminiscent of the abys
s. When they flew past by, day momentarily turned into night.
“T-The Black Famine?!”
“But why? It hasn’t even been a year since the last one!”
The entire town went into uproar upon seeing the swarm of insects flying in the sky. Color drained off the faces of everyone.
The Black Famine… So they’re really Kelnup Flies, huh?
Contrary to the ghastly expressions of everyone, a smile slowly formed on Lark’s face. He had been a bit worried about the so-called Black Famine that’s been devastating the entire Kingdom and the Empire for several years now. But after confirming that they were indeed Kelnups, he quickly moved into action to prevent the withering of the plants.
Harvest season’s just around the corner. I won’t let you damn bastards foil my plans to prosper this Town.
“Bring me around five barrels of castrel oil. The more, the better,” said Lark. “Now!”
With a jolt, Gaston and the servants quickly moved into action. A few minutes later, a horse-drawn carriage arrived. Several barrels of castrel oil – an expensive commodity – were inside. By now, the swarm was still encircling the sky, bidding their time before consuming everything in sight.
Lark ordered the humanoids to toss the barrels into the air. He channeled mana into his fingertips and shot several balls of fire. The barrels filled with oil exploded with a deafening bang. Thick smoke filled the sky.
Lark manipulated the fire created from the explosion, then with a single motion, shot them towards the swarm. It struck tens of thousands of insects, burning them into crisp and dust in the process.
But it was not enough. It did not kill even a tenth of the swarm.
Everyone thought that the damnable insects would soon come down and suck everything dry.
But a different scenario unfolded before their eyes.
The swarm, which was previously encircling the sky, suddenly flew west and slowly disappeared from sight.
Several farmers fell on their knees. “T-Thank God.”
“But what if they come back?” One of them voiced his thoughts out loud.
“It doesn’t matter,” said Lark. His calm voice felt soothing to the ears. “It’s impossible to annihilate them anyway with a single shot. But with this, we’ve bought enough time to prepare for the time they come back.”
“Gaston,” said Lark.
“Yes, Young Master?”
“I want you to prepare these things for me.” Lark started enumerating a myriad of things. “Make it quick. I want everything prepared within half a day.”
The time limit felt absurd, considering the amount of items the Young Master requested, but the old man simply bowed his head. “I shall do my best.”
The things enumerated by Lark were common goods which could be found even in Blackstone Town. But the time limit and the amount requested would require dozens of helping hand to finish the task.
“Time is of great essence!” said Lark. “We can’t let those damn insects destroy the crops!”
Everyone started moving at once.
***
Meanwhile, in different parts of the Kingdom, swarms of Kelnups started appearing one by one. They appeared only for a fleeting moment, but the devastation they left behind made everyone pale from shock. The crops the farmers painstakingly planted for several months withered after a few hours.
The farmers wailed and groaned, but they could do nothing to stop the swarms which nearly covered the sky.
King Alvis received the reports of these incidents all throughout the Kingdom.
“Why now?” he grabbed his ashen hair in utter frustration. It was not even a year since the last Black Famine. He could not believe that those damnable swarms would come back a month before harvest season comes.
“This is why I told the officials to increase the budget for the Ministry of Research!” said the King. His chest tightened at the thought of how gravely this would affect the Kingdom.
The thirty thousand barrels of wine… It’ll be impossible to produce such amount now.
He successfully made contact with the King of Dwarves, but it would be all for naught if he was unable to seal the contract. The dwarves adamantly insisted that the Kingdom provides them with thirty thousand barrels of high-grade wines in exchange of weapons to resist the invasion of the Empire.
The reports stated that several cities tasked to produce the wine were infested by the Black Famine.
King Alvis closed his eyes. He could not imagine how they would repel the invasion of the Empire without the help of the dwarves.
The amount of soldiers in the Empire is five times that of the Kingdom. It’s impossible. If they decided to invade us now…
And there was also the risk of invasion from the Mullgray Islands.
King Alvis’ head throbbed as he tried to find a way out.
Then suddenly, he remembered the report of Mikael stationed in Blackstone Town. He remembered how a local Lord drove away enemies numbering in the ten thousand despite the odds.
A thousand soldiers destroyed an entire Legion of beastmen. And according to Mikael, the amount of casualties on the human’s side did not even reach half a thousand.
If was a feat close to a miracle.
A feat possible only with a very competent leader of the army.
No, being merely competent was not enough. Someone needs to be a genius to pull through such act.
Amidst the chaos brought forth by the reports of different City Lords, a single name resounded through the King’s mind.
Lark Marcus. If you're in my position, what will you do?
Chapter Twenty-Nine
The next day, as expected, the swarm came back. Everyone held their breaths as a part of the sky turned black as the insects flew past by.
Lark stood on the watchtower inside the town. From his position, he could see some of the teams spread all throughout the northern farmland.
The preparations were set. All that’s left was the Young Master’s orders.
“Sound the gong,” said Lark.
The soldier next to him breathed in a gust of air, and with his entire might, struck the gong in the watchtower. The first strike was followed by several others, its metallic roar reverberating throughout the land.
Upon hearing this, the different teams in the northern farmland started igniting the barrels prepared by Lark beforehand. Each of these barrels contained sticky, putrid substances inside. They did not know what it was, but it burned nicely upon fire’s contact. Thick white smoke swirled up into the sky as numerous barrels started burning one after another.
“The locusts are coming down!” shouted one of the farmers.
True enough, the swarm started coming down, their aim were the crops spread all throughout the northern land.
The farmers turned pallid as they embraced themselves for the worst. They did not expect that the crops they painstakingly cultivated for the past several months were going to be consumed by the damnable bastards.
“Eh?”
Voices of surprise escaped their mouths.
A surreal scenario unfolded before their eyes.
The insects, which were about to devour the crops, started falling down one after another. The amount falling down the sky was so numerous that it temporarily created an image of a black haze – a black rain.
“W-What’s happening?”
“The insects are dying! They’re falling down! They’re falling down!”
The different teams stationed in different parts of the northern farmland were bewildered. Soon, they all stared at the barrels. They were still burning fiercely, its thick smoke swirling up towards the sky.
They realized that the death of the swarm must have been due to the white smoke now covering the sky. They could not believe that these demons – these insects that had infested the entire Kingdom – were falling down like dead flies.
Inside the watchtower, the soldiers next to Lark could also not believe their eyes. After the gong was rang, s
moke from different parts of the northern farmland swirled into the sky. Moments after, the insects were dying one by one.
“What do you call those insects?” said Lark.
It was peculiar that a man who knew how to kill the damnable bastards did not even know its name, but the soldier next to him answered regardless, “They’re called Desert Locusts, Young Master.”
“Desert Locusts, huh?” repeated Lark. He gazed at the black rain falling from the sky.
“Those insects never spare the farmlands they pass by. Without exemption, the crops wither after a while. In just a few days, a previously lush land will resemble a desert. A land devoid of life.” The soldier explained how the insects acquired its name.
It was amusing that such easy-to-kill insects were given such a terrifying name. These insects were called Kelnup Flies back in the Magic Empire, despite their obvious semblance to locusts. The reason was simple: it was because they easily died from the smoke of a burning kelnup, the same substance which filled the barrels Lark asked the farmers to burn up. Once exposed to the smoke of a burning kelnup, they would immediately drop dead like flies.
After an hour passed and the swarm previously hovering above had all fallen down to the ground, Lark went down the watchtower. He called Gaston over.
“You called, Young Master?”
“Ask the farmers to retrieve the insects’ dead bodies,” said Lark. “Afterwards, store them in barrels half-filled with dirt.”
Gaston had become used to Lark’s eccentric orders by now. He no longer questioned them. “This old servant shall obey.”
Lark nodded.
After half a month, the dead bodies of the insects would start decomposing, leaving behind nothing but their shells. Those shells were valuable materials in making strong adhesives. All Lark had to do was ask the servants to melt them under intense flames, then retrieve the sticky liquid it would leave behind.
Although those adhesives could not cement stones together, it was very effective in gluing wood, to the point that one could build a wooden cabin if he had enough adhesives.