There was no doubt that his son, Lui Marcus, currently held the highest chance of ascending the throne.
“The embodiment of God Nruz. The heart of the sun. His Majesty, King Alvis Lukas VI has arrived. Everyone, show your respect.”
The voice of the Grand Chamberlain echoed in the throne room. The door opened and King Alvis, who looked comparatively younger and healthier than before, started walking toward the throne. Lady Ropianna, Marquis Carlos, and Viscount Lakian followed behind.
Silence fell as the nobles and officials in the throne room lowered their heads.
King Alvis sat on the throne and said in a voice filled with vigor, “You may raise your heads.”
The nobles looked at the king sitting on the throne. Although they’d heard the rumors, they were still surprised upon seeing the king in person. Indeed, the king looked vibrant. The small purplish-black spots that used to cover portions of his skin had vanished, and there was an indescribable strength in his eyes. It was hard to believe that this was the same old man who fainted at the celebratory banquet a year ago.
Standing to the king’s right was the retired general, Marquis Carlos. And to his left was the Seer, Lady Ropianna. A step below him stood the Grand Chamberlain.
“First, I must thank everyone for coming here at short notice.” The king’s gaze swept through everyone present. “All of you have probably heard by now. The revelation we received more than a week ago from the Seven Gods.”
It was the hottest topic in the kingdom right now. The reason even Duke Drakus hurriedly came despite the short notice from the crown.
“According to the revelation, the demon sealed in the ice prison has woken from its slumber. After combing the archives and the ancient records in the royal library, we’ve come to the conclusion that the Gods were referring to the Demon Lord Barkuvara. One of the strongest demons to have ever roamed this land. And the only demon to have attained the status of an immortal.
“More than a thousand years ago, this very same demon was said to be the cause of the collapse of the largest and strongest human Empire in history. A demon that killed more than half the population of mankind.”
The nobles and officials were stricken with horror. They’d never imagined that the demon of the revelation would be such a terrifying being.
“K-Killed more than half the population of humans?” mumbled one of the nobles.
“And of the tens of millions of humans killed that time, at least a tenth of them were magicians,” added King Alvis.
Marquis Carlos’ expression turned grim. Even Lady Ropianna showed subtle signs of unease.
“It’s understandable that most of you aren’t aware of this, since this event happened over a millennium ago, and most of the records from that time were destroyed by the demons.”
King Alvis paused, looked at everyone in the room, and said, “I hope that this is enough for everyone to understand the gravity of the situation. An Empire with hundreds of thousands of magicians under its command fell under the hands of this demon. Imagine what would happen if it decided to lay its hands on our kingdom.”
The entire kingdom would be annihilated.
This was the only answer they could come up with.
Even Wizzert City would be powerless before such a powerful being.
“But, Your Majesty!” said one of the officials. “I’m certain that it’s been hundreds of years since a demon was last seen on this continent—if the records are true at all! How certain are we that this so-called Immortal Demon will show up on our doorst—”
“The Gods never lie,” interjected the king.
The high-ranking priests glared at the official who questioned the revelation. Seeing those glares, the official lowered his head and said, “O-Of course. Apologies, Your Majesty.”
“The Gods have no reason to lie to us mortals. Did everyone forget the latter part of the revelation? Seek the help of the one who traveled through time. It’s the only way for our nation—for the human race—to survive,” said the king. “Ropianna.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.” Lady Ropianna stepped forward and amplified her raspy voice using magic, enabling even those at the back to hear it. “Three days ago, I’ve received divination from the Water God. She left two important messages.”
Lady Ropianna’s gaze moved toward the timid-looking boy standing next to Lancaster Kelvin.
“First, we should spare no effort in fortifying the ports of the kingdom. And second, we should immediately seek contact with the one who traveled through time. These were the words of the Water God.”
Fortify the ports of the kingdom?
The quick-witted ones realized what it meant straightaway.
“I believe that the demons will come from the west, from the direction of the Mullgray Islands,” said the Seer. “This is why we should fortify the ports and naval bases at once.”
Hearing this, the gaze of nobles and officials moved toward Kalavinka Kelvin, the undefeated admiral of the kingdom’s naval forces. Realizing that he’d become the center of attention, Kalavinka lowered his head and his eyes behind his hair.
“Kalavinka,” King Alvis said gently.
“Y-Yes, Your Majesty?”
“We’ll provide you with as many men and resources as possible. I know this is probably too much for someone so young to bear on his own, but you’re the most knowledgeable regarding naval warfare in this room. Rest assured, we shall assist you as much as we can.”
The king was declaring that the nobles should fully support this kid from now on, no matter what. Hearing this, a smile slowly formed on the faces of those who belonged to the Kelvin Faction. They hadn’t expected the royal family to grant this much power to Kalavinka Kelvin.
“Can you do it?” said the king.
There were several seconds of silence.
Kalavinka was about to shake his head when Lancaster whispered, “Don’t you dare refuse this opportunity. Father will be sure to hear of this.”
Kalavinka swallowed the lump in his throat. He looked at the nobles around him. All of them were looking at him with eyes filled with expectation.
Eventually, Kalavinka conceded. “Y-Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Thank you.” The king said to the Grand Chamberlain, “Lakian, assign several guards to protect Kalavinka. Issue a recruitment notice for the ports under the Kelvin Duchy. We shall proceed with the fortification of the naval bases right away.”
“I shall do so at once, Your Majesty.”
“Everyone present shall contribute to the fortification of the naval bases,” declared the King, his voice loud and clear. “It doesn’t matter if you belong to an opposing faction. There shall be no exceptions.”
“Yes, Your Majesty!”
“Yes, Your Majesty!”
King Alvis heaved a sigh of relief. He’d managed to take care of the most urgent matter for now.
“My King, the Seer said that we should immediately make contact with the one who traveled through time. But how are we supposed to… achieve that? We don’t even know if we’re looking for a human,” said one of the ministers.
“We’ve already sent Farsight and several soldiers to investigate the anomaly seen above the Lake of Full Moon. We believe it should give us a proper lead in the investigation,” said the king. “And think about it. If this person mentioned in the revelation is powerful enough to prevent the destruction of our kingdom, he should probably be already aware that we’re looking for him right now. Let us hope that eventually, this person will initiate contact with us.”
***
After the meeting in the throne room, King Alvis summoned Duke Drakus and Lui Marcus into his sitting room.
Duke Drakus had expected Duke Youchester to be present, but to his surprise, it seemed that only he and his son had been invited.
“Welcome,” said King Alvis. He was no longer wearing his mantle and the crown no longer adorned his head. He wore a simple tunic with minimal golden embroidery. “Have a seat. I’v
e prepared tea.”
King Alvis poured tea into the cups and handed it to his guests. “It’s chamomile. I hope it suits your tastes.”
Duke Drakus and Lui respectfully accepted the tea handed to them by His Majesty. After the king was finally seated, the two of them sat down.
“How is it?” said King Alvis.
“It’s delicious, Your Majesty,” said Lui.
“Indeed,” said the duke.
King Alvis smiled gently. “This tea is great in soothing the body. The perfect tea for the evening, don’t you agree?”
The king gently placed his cup on the table. “The two of you are probably wondering why I summoned you here. Duke Drakus, have you heard anything recently from Lark Marcus?”
The Duke stiffened. He hadn’t expected to hear that name here, of all places.
He quickly regained his composure and said, “I haven’t spoken with him, since he was exiled to that town, Your Majesty.”
“I see. How about you, Lui?”
Lui noticed that his father was observing him carefully through the corner of his eye. Still, he truthfully replied, “We’ve spoken since the Coalition Army disbanded, Your Majesty. Back then, I promised to visit him once I’ve finished all of my tasks in the duchy.”
“Coalition Army,” the king stroked his beard. “That was last year.”
Seeing the king in deep thought, the duke said, frowning, “Did that brat do something shameful and repulsive again, Your Majesty?”
King Alvis shook his head. “No, no. I’m just wondering… as his father,” he turned his gaze to Lui Marcus, “and as his brother. Did you notice any… peculiar changes in him recently?”
Although Duke Drakus and Lui tried to hide it, the king noticed the subtle changes in their expressions. It was apparent that they’d noticed the drastic changes that Lark Marcus had undergone in the past several months.
“Changes?” said the duke.
King Alvis looked the duke straight in the eyes. “More than a week ago, your son, Lark Marcus, single-handedly annihilated a thirty-thousand strong monster horde.”
The eyes of Duke Drakus and Lui widened. They’d heard the news that Lion City was almost overrun by monsters over a week ago. But they’d never expected the unknown magician who killed all of the monsters was Lark Marcus.
“Daltos, the commander of the soldiers of Lion City, testified that it was the Lord of Blackstone Town who killed all of those monsters. Drakus, I hope you won’t mind the question of this old man. The Lark Marcus that you knew… The son you exiled to that small town. Would he be capable of annihilating all of those monsters on his own, in such a short period of time?”
Duke Drakus opened his mouth but failed to utter a response. He finally realized why the King had summoned him and Lui to this room.
“Lark Marcus. That young man was even knowledgeable enough to sever the curse that was running through the royal family for generations.”
“Drakus,” said the king. “Ropianna and I believe that your son is the one mentioned in the revelation of the Seven Gods.”
VOLUME 7: CHAPTER 8
Lark ended up staying at the underwater dungeon for several days. He merrily chatted the time away with Kel’ Vual and the rest of the members of the Arzomos tribe. Lark found so many stories to listen to. He was really glad to have met his friend once again in this new life.
Lark also ended up modifying the parasitic nests in the breeding ground, enabling the mother nest to gain full control over all of the monsters in the dungeon. This way, these monsters would no longer come out of the lake when the dungeon’s entrance opened during a full moon. The last thing Lark wanted was for another nest to escape and attack a human settlement.
What if a middle-ranking nest escaped?
Even Commander Daltos would be killed if he fought against it.
“It was really wise of you to cultivate a mother nest in this dungeon,” Lark said to Jaraxus. “Although these monsters obey the commands of the Arzomos, in a sense, they’re still parasitic demons. But since the mother nest grew up believing that you’re its master, it’s possible to control them all.”
Jaraxus’ tail stiffened. She tried her best to suppress her glee from showing on her face. “It was an idea from Lord Agreas. I merely followed his command.”
“Is that so?” muttered Lark. There was a hint of loneliness within his voice.
He’d discovered that his friend, Agreas, had chosen to remain in the Demon Realm to seal the portal and sever its connection to the mana well located deep underground. Furthermore, he also learned that the demon who helped the first king found this nation was the very same demon. It was a surprising revelation. After all, he even heard Agreas’ voice back when he severed King Alvis’ curse.
So, that was why it felt so familiar. Even the name was almost similar. Lark felt stupid for not realizing this instantly. He regretted not asking more questions when he saw the demon’s golden eyes back in Fork Meadow.
“You’re going back to your town?” said Kel’ Vual.
“Although I left a letter in my office, I’ve been gone for quite some time now,” said Lark. “And you said it yourself, Kel. It’s only a matter of time before the portal’s seal is broken. I need to prepare some countermeasures before that times comes.”
Kel’ Vual thought that despite taking over the body of that fragile-looking human, Evander remained the same. He hadn’t even flinched when Kel’ Vual told him that the Immortal Demon was close to awakening from its slumber.
Well, Evander had managed to regain his beloved weapon. He would surely survive even if Barkuvara started invading this nation.
“Countermeasures.” Kel’ Vual nodded. “Of course. Agreas… He told me that he’ll be redirecting the portal to the ocean.”
Lark understood the implications of his words. If the portal appeared right above the ocean, the only demons that could reach their kingdom were those that belonged to the sky or sea, and parasitic demon tribes. This single move of Agreas had cut their enemies’ battle strength by half. Altering the coordinates of the portal was indeed a wise decision on his part.
There was a very high chance that Mullgray Islands—the haven of those bloodthirsty pirates—would be the first to be hit by the brunt of the demons’ attack.
Hopefully, the Kingdom of Lukas would have enough time to set up its defenses by then.
Lark said to Kel’ Vual’s son, “Your name’s Luvart?”
“Yes, Lord Evander,” Luvart politely responded.
“I have several high demon cores stored in the treasure room. They’re all well-preserved too,” said Lark. He was certain that there were at least three high demon cores stored inside the golden statue. As for where his two disciples had obtained it—Lark had no idea. “I’ll give one of them to you the next time I visit. I’ll even help you integrate your core with it. You can look forward to it.”
Luvart’s eyes widened. In human standards, it was akin to Lark swapping his initial mana pool with Austen’s. An undamaged high demon’s core was extremely valuable even in the Demon Realm. After all, it was extremely hard to kill a strong demon without damaging its core. More so if the opponent was a high demon.
But how had Lord Evander managed to obtain several of them?
Furthermore, judging by his words, it seemed that those cores had been preserved in their optimal state.
“I… I don’t deserve such a precious item, Lord Evander!” Luvart bowed his head. “It would probably be better if you give something so valuable to my father.”
“Give it to him? I’m sure you know it too. Your father is nearing the end of his lifespan. He has only around a decade or two to live, at most. Even if he consumes it, nothing will change. He’s too old to fully merge himself with another core. It’d be wasted on him.”
Lark chuckled. “Hey, Kel, how about it? Want to have the core instead?”
Kel’ Vual shrugged. “Well, I don’t really mind? Who knows, if I’m lucky, maybe it’ll
extend my life by several more years, maybe even decades? I might even live long enough to see you become a hunched, old man, Evander!”
“I doubt that.” Lark grinned. “You’ll probably be dead by then.”
Lark and Kel’ Vual laughed, as though it was the most hilarious thing they’d ever heard. It was bizarre how those two could talk about their life and death so nonchalantly.
Luvart stood there silently as he watched and listened to the two’s antics.
“See? Your father doesn’t want it,” said Lark.
“What? When did I say that? Hey, give me at least one. You have several of them, right?” said Kel’ Vual, broadly smiling, his usual stoic image was gone.
“Shut up, Kel. I’m talking to your son.”
This was the first time Luvart had seen his father act without reserve in front of others. He was normally cold and hard to read, even when speaking with the warriors. Luvart couldn’t recall the last time he’d heard his father laugh and enjoy himself like this.
Luvart realized that he liked this version of his father a lot better.
Kel’ Vual had carried the heavy weight of responsibility of guiding their tribe and protecting the portal for so long. Luvart hoped that his father would continue to smile more.
After discussing several contingency plans with Kel’ Vual, Lark finally left the dungeon. The high-ranking nest’s body, which served as gate to the main entrance, opened.
Lark cast a concealment spell on himself, shot out of the lake, and flew up into the sky.
While hovering in the sky, Lark froze. He felt the gaze of someone watching him from a distance. Looking at the source, he saw a familiar face. A man with incredibly pallid skin and deep, black eyes.
Elias Farsight.
The best archer of the kingdom and one of the royal court magicians.
Although Lark was currently concealed by his spell, he was certain that Farsight knew his exact location.
“Waiting here for days finally paid off,” said Farsight, his eyes gazing at the place where Lark was currently located. He took an arrow from his quiver, nocked it on his bow, and pointed it in Lark’s direction. “Show yourself.”
Revelation Page 8