part0002

King Alvis had met Lark several times before, but this was the first time he had witnessed the young man become visibly flustered. Even when the demon appeared and spoke to them, he’d remained calm, as though it was an everyday occurrence.

“That’s right,” said Lady Ropianna. “Sword of Morpheus. Ah, I think I still have that thing with me. Let’s see.” She fumbled in her pocket and took out a stone sparrow. “A royal court magician called Wisgarus sent this message to the captain of the royal knights before his death.” Sorrow was hidden within the elderly magician’s voice.

She handed the stone sparrow to Lark. He read the words engraved on its body.

We’re probably already dead by the time you read this. The Sword of Morpheus. The trap inside the treasure room in the statue was activated. Symon, take your men and leave this floor immediately.

Lark’s eyes widened. Indeed, the message mentioned the sword. He unconsciously tightened his grip on the stone sparrow.

“Where?” said Lark. “Where did they find the sword?” Lark already had an idea, based on the information he’d heard so far, but decided to ask regardless.

Lady Ropianna studied Lark for a moment. After a long pause, she said, “I’m sure you know already: The Forbidden Region. The same place where the royal knights obtained the Tears of Ubroxia.”

Nickolai was glaring at her. His eyes were clearly saying ‘Are you out of your mind? Why are you telling this brat?’ but Lady Ropianna simply ignored him.

“Judging by your reaction, you must have heard of the Sword of Morpheus,” said Lady Ropianna. “The sword the legendary Evander Alaester created. Although most people considered that treasure a myth, it seems that it really existed. And to think that it’s been in the Forbidden Region of all places. No wonder it was never found.”

Lark nodded slowly. Although he was stunned upon hearing of the sword’s whereabouts, he’d slowly started regaining his calm.

“You said before that a monster is guarding the sword,” said Lark.

“That’s right,” said Lady Ropianna. “A gargantuan monster with seven heads, resembling a dragon. The same monster that almost wiped out the full expedition team. Even the royal knights weren’t a match for it. We heard from Captain Symon that the monster’s attack evaporated a portion of the lake in an instant. We’re truly blessed by the heavens that the captain managed to escape the labyrinth alive, in exchange for losing just a single arm.”

Captain Symon was the only son of Sword Saint Marrozo. It was a well-known fact that, before becoming bedridden, the Sword Saint passed down his techniques to his son. But even Captain Symon couldn’t come out unscathed after entering the Forbidden Region. Even he lost all will to fight after seeing the monster guarding the treasure room.

Several thoughts started running through Lark’s mind upon hearing this. He was sure that in his previous life, one of his disciples had jokingly said to him that in the event of his death, they’d store his beloved sword in a safe place, protected by a strong monster capable of killing a High Demon on its own. A monster capable of fighting even a dragon.

A wry smile formed on Lark’s lips. A certain disciple came to mind. He could imagine that kid stealing his sword from the treasure room in the Forbidden Tower and storing it away in another place, away from the hands of humans and demons.

As for the monster guarding the treasure room…

Gargantuan. Seven heads. Resembles a dragon.

Two monsters came to mind: A Hydra and a Scylla.

A Hydra can have between five and nine heads, and the number increases as they age. Considering that more than a thousand years had passed since his death, the Hydra should have already matured and had nine heads by now.

Then, the monster was most probably a Scylla.

But how did they tame a Scylla? Moreover, task it with protecting Evander’s treasures for more than a thousand years? Those creatures were as prideful as dragons. They wouldn’t bow their heads, even in front of High Demons.

“Kid, don’t even think of entering the labyrinth,” warned Nickolai. “You’d probably be dead before you even reached the entrance. You heard what happened to the royal knights, right?”

Lark remembered what Lady Ropianna said before. It seemed that Nickolai had been secretly gathering his disciples after learning the whereabouts of the sword.

Lark smiled. “Of course. It’s called the Forbidden Region for a reason.” He was sure that if he told them he planned on entering the labyrinth, everyone in this room would do everything in their power to stop him. He’d like to avoid such nuisance if he could.

Nickolai stared at Lark, as though probing the young man’s intentions. Fortunately, it seemed he was satisfied with Lark’s answer.

He snorted and said, “It’s good that you understand.”

Their return to the capital was met without hitch or strife. Surprisingly, the moment they arrived at the city gates, they were met with cheers from the citizens. News traveled fast. Although they did not know the full details, the news of the ritual’s success and the king’s full recovery had even reached the ears of the commoners. The cheers “Long Live King Alvis!” echoed as they marched through the streets.

The king, his skin visibly healthier than before, opened the carriage window and waved at his subjects gathered on the streets.

“Look! Doesn’t His Majesty look a lot younger than before he left the capital a few weeks ago?”

“I was worried that war was brewing again, but it seems that the rumors were true. They must have conducted a ritual to cure His Majesty!”

“As expected of Lady Ropianna! She must have found a way to finally cure the king! It’s been so long since we’ve seen His Majesty like this!”

“I heard that a demon appeared?”

“Nonsense! Demons are nothing but myths! Even the Empire never encountered those monsters. Grow up. Stop believing in folk tales.”

“But I heard it from my brother himself! He said he was there when it happened!”

“Then your brother’s a liar. Stop spouting crap.”

“What did you say?”

Numerous rumors and speculations spread among the masses. It seemed that the scouts who had arrived back at the capital a few days earlier couldn’t keep their mouths shut.

Upon arriving at the castle, the king immediately summoned Lark to the throne room. This time, only His Majesty, the retired General Carlos, and several guards were inside.

Lark knelt in front of King Alvis. “It’s an honor to be in the presence of Your Majesty.”

“It’s regretful that we couldn’t conduct the awarding ceremony in public, since we’d like to keep what transpired in Fork Meadow under wraps. I’ve heard that some rumors are spreading among the citizens of the capital. There’s no need to fan the flames with an awarding ceremony held in public, now of all times. I hope you understand.”

“Yes, I understand, Your Majesty.”

“Thank you.” The king sighed. He felt regretful that he couldn’t properly reward this young man for what he’d done. An awarding ceremony held in front of everyone held more significance than a private one. “During our journey back to the capital, I asked you to choose a reward.”

Lark remembered. He hadn’t made up his mind back then; he had apologized to the king and asked for more time to think things through.

“I believe I’ve given you enough time,” King Alvis said softly. “Let me hear it. What reward do you wish to receive this time?”

After careful consideration, Lark had arrived at a conclusion. What his territory was lacking right now was both manpower and gold. He was already blessed with a very large territory. What he needed was funds, and people.

“If it isn’t too much, five thousand gold coins,” Lark said carefully. “And a notice backed by the royal family.”

Monetary reward was among King Alvis’ expectations, but he hadn’t anticipated the last request. In his whole life, this was the first time someone had requested such a reward from him, the king.

“Five thousand gold coins is reasonable.” King Alvis looked at Lark with eyes filled with interest. “As for the notice, it’ll depend on its contents.” It must be something of grave importance, since Lark specifically requested the crown back it up. But Lark’s next words proved the king’s assumption to be wrong.

“It’s a simple recruitment notice, Your Majesty. A recruitment notice for the military, agriculture, education, and other things like arts and masonry. There have been a lot of immigrants coming to Blackstone Town lately, but I believe it’ll soon be just a dribble.”

King Alvis stroked his beard.

Indeed, there was a limit to the amount of people who’d be willing to immigrate to a town in the middle of the wilderness, even if the pay offered was generous.

But with the help of the royal family, it would be a lot easier to recruit more immigrants for Blackstone Town. After all, a recruitment notice with the seal of the royal family held more weight and credibility. Furthermore, it would be possible to post the recruitment notices in the lands ruled by the other nobles all throughout the kingdom. A feat impossible to achieve with Lark’s authority alone.

A smile slowly formed on King Alvis’ face. The second son of Duke Drakus was really something else. For a moment, King Alvis was truly glad that the curse had been lifted. Maybe he’d be lucky to live long enough to see Blackstone Town become one of the major cities of the kingdom.

Just thinking about it made the king tremble with excitement.

“A recruitment notice, huh?” said the king. “Very well. You shall be granted five thousand gold coins, and the royal family shall do everything in its power to help you recruit more people for your territory.”

Lark grinned. With this, the problem regarding Blackstone Town’s population would soon be resolved. “Thank you, Your Majesty.”

Had Lark been greedy, he would have also asked for a high-grade mana stone. But he knew that such item was so rare that Lady Ropianna had to pull one out of her family heirloom just to obtain one.

It was regrettable, but he’d have to settle with these rewards this time.

“Now that we’re done discussing the rewards…” King Alvis looked at General Carlos, who’d been standing right next to him. “Carlos.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

General Carlos removed the cloth covering the item he was holding in his hand, revealing the phylactery they had used to temporarily store the fragment.

“You said before that it would be possible to use the pinnacle-grade barrier spell stored inside the phylactery to protect the entire capital,” said the king.

Lark nodded. “Yes, that’s correct, Your Majesty.”

King Alvis paused for a moment, as though ashamed that he would be asking Lark for another favor today. He said gloomily, “The flower used to complete the spell was obtained in exchange for the lives of almost a hundred of my most loyal men. This old man sincerely hopes that you’ll be able to erect the barrier here, to protect the capital.”

“Of course, Your Majesty,” Lark said without hesitation. He also believed that this spell should be used to protect the capital. This way, the souls of the knights who died to obtain the flower would be appeased somewhat.

“You said before that it’s possible to control the barrier as long as someone is holding the phylactery,” said General Carlos.

Lark nodded. “Yes.”

General Carlos turned to the king. “Your Majesty, I believe it would be best to install the barrier at the most secured place in the castle.”

“Then, the Royal Sanctum,” said King Alvis.

“Yes. There’s no place more secure than the Royal Sanctum,” said the General.

The Royal Sanctum was different from the treasure room of the king’s castle. The treasure room was where the gold, silver, jewels, and other important notes were stored, while the Royal Sanctum was where the treasures of the past royals were kept.

Even royal court magicians would have a hard time breaching it.

“Although only those with royal blood are allowed entry, it’d be wise to make an exception this time. Very well, let us install the barrier there.”

Following the lead of His Majesty, Lark and General Carlos arrived at the entrance of a large underground chamber. The four royal guards standing in front of the door immediately knelt the moment they saw His Majesty.

King Alvis took out two long, slender keys and pushed them into the keyholes, before twisting them at the same time. Loud clinking sounds were heard.

“Carlos,” said King Alvis.

General Carlos placed both his hands on the iron door and started pushing it with all his might. The iron door, which was almost two meters thick, slowly creaked open as the General pushed it. Stale air seeped out of the gap.

General Carlos’ muscles bulged as he pushed it open, making a gap just enough for two people to pass through side by side. After the king, Lark, and General Carlos entered the room the iron door was shut tight again.

Darkness momentarily swallowed them. General Carlos summoned an orb of light and willed it to hover right above them, illuminating the entire chamber.

It seemed that this was merely another passageway, as another iron door stood at the end of the chamber.

“A trap room,” said Lark.

He noticed the irregularly placed blocks of stones forming a portion of the walls. Below them, the ground felt hollow as they walked. Above, three medium-sized magic formations were engraved on the ceiling. At their center were three middle-grade mana stones.

“That’s right,” said King Alvis. “Those who tried to force their way in without using these keys would trigger the traps. Poison arrows, pitfalls, and explosion magic would rain down on the intruders.”

Lark studied the magic formations engraved on the ceiling. There were three of them, all explosion magic. Judging by the runes and layers in the magic formation, each of the three spells were seventh-tier at the very least. Even a royal court magician would not come out unscathed if he was bombarded with three powerful spells in this confined space at the same time.

The king opened another thick iron door, and they arrived at a chamber similar to the first one. Just like before, several powerful traps were installed in this room. Their group passed through five trap rooms before eventually arriving at the Royal Sanctum.