Legend of the Arch Magus: Legion, page 11
Muuka felt shivers crawl down his spine as he thought of how close he was to his demise. Had he opened the portal instead of the Lord of the Corrupted Land, he would have surely perished instantly.
“Arboa! Help me!” said Muuka.
The metallic snake hissed and shot toward the Great Cavern. Using its large body, it created a new path toward the portal.
Upon arriving at the room where the portal was located, Muuka was stunned speechless.
The Lord of the Corrupted Land was dead.
There wasn’t even a trace of his body, nor that of his officers, remaining. Muuka bent down and picked up the armlet frequently worn by the Lord of the Corrupted Land. It was the artifact that gave him the ability to summon a Corrupted Tower. A structure that siphoned life from the land and gave birth to flesh eaters.
Muuka couldn’t believe it.
A tribe leader died after just a single spell.
Muuka rubbed his brows. His head ached just thinking of how he should report this to the Lord of the Red Tower and the Demon Lord.
Muuka looked around him, at the aftermath of the explosion spell.
For the first time, he understood why Plagas had fled from that unknown magician.
VOLUME 9: CHAPTER 13
After accepting Lark’s offer, Irene Chase immediately started working as the king’s secretary.
The position not only afforded her power on par or even higher than the ministers, it also gave her access to documents and information privy only to the royal family.
Inside her office in the king’s castle, Irene and several assistants browsed through ledgers and documents.
“Wallace, call the Assistant Minister of Finance,” said Irene, her hand adjusting her glasses.
Wallace was among the assistants assigned to help the new secretary. He was a young man in his mid-twenties who’d been working for the finance department for several years.
“The Assistant Minister of Finance?” said Wallace, his voice filled with worry. Two days ago, Irene called over a priest from the Water God’s Temple and accused him of corruption. And now, the king’s secretary was asking him to call over the Assistant Minister of Finance while wearing a frown on her face. Wallace did not have a good feeling about this.
“Is something the matter, Lady Irene?” said Wallace.
Irene placed down the document in her hand. “Wallace. Answer me. How far is the City of Trante from the capital?”
The new secretary terrified Wallace. It was as if she could see through everything. He almost avoided her gaze out of fear. “I-I’m not sure, Lady Irene. Probably a week or two?”
“Five days by cart, at the very least,” said Irene. “The kingdom’s law clearly states that all goods transported from a distance of a hundred kilometers or more will be charged with a tariff of twenty percent. But look at this!”
Irene grabbed the document on the table and raised it. “The total of all goods transported by the Old Peddlers Merchant Group is seven hundred gold coins! But upon entering the capital, they were only asked to pay fifty gold coins!”
Even Wallace could easily do the math and see the issue.
“Assistant Finance Minister Gregory granted entry to these merchants two years ago,” said Irene.
She’d been combing through the old ledgers of the finance department, looking for any anomalies and signs of corruption.
Following King Lark’s will, she made sure to pull out the corruption within the kingdom by the roots. It did not matter if the corruption occurred years ago. She was determined to make sure that the corrupt officials paid for what they’d done to this kingdom.
“What are you standing there for?” spat Irene. “You have two hours! Bring him to me! If he refuses, mobilize the royal army if you must!”
Despite her pretty face, she was a demon. Wallace couldn’t do anything but say yes to her every command.
“Y-Yes! Right away!”
After Wallace left, the entire room fell silent. Irene’s assistants nervously gulped, recalling her words. Some of them had been involved in under-the-table deals before. They were afraid the king’s secretary would find out about their deals sooner or later.
Irene leaned back on her chair. She looked at the ceiling.
Although the work was tiring, it was fulfilling. Moreover, she’d never felt this free before.
Before she became the king’s secretary, she always made sure to undermine her accomplishments. She always made sure to avoid unnecessary conflict. She believed a sticking out nail would always get hammered down. Although she was the daughter of the Lord of Golden Wheat City, they were still low-ranking nobles of the kingdom. They would be helpless, if they made enemies with powerful officials.
But now things were different.
King Lark promised her he would be a sturdy shield that would protect her, no matter what.
When she accepted the position of secretary, King Lark told her to go all out. He told her to pull out the roots of corruption within the kingdom, without minding who would become her enemies.
It was a liberating feeling.
With King Lark’s absolute might and authority, Irene felt untouchable.
She no longer had to fear for her safety, as long as she was under King Lark’s wings.
“I’m going for some fresh air,” she said as she stood up.
The assistants, relieved, said, “Yes, Lady Irene.”
Irene left her office. Aimlessly, she walked through the vast hallways, looking for somewhere she could stay—for peace and quiet.
‘A Training Hall?’
Judging by the crest on the wall near the entrance, this was an area exclusive to the members of the royal family.
Irene was about to pass by when she heard the sound of air splitting. The sound was so sharp that she halted in her tracks. Her gaze naturally landed on the golden-haired man swinging the sword.
The man noticed her gaze. He stopped slashing the air and stared at her.
Awkward silence fell.
At first, Irene thought that the golden-haired man would ask what a woman like her was doing there. But after several seconds passed, Irene realized that he had no intention of speaking.
Irene scratched her cheek. “I’m… just passing by. I apologize for disrupting your training, soldier.”
The golden-haired man remained silent. After some time, he spoke, “You’re master’s secretary. Lady Irene, is it?”
Master’s secretary?
Irene was surprised that the golden-haired man knew her.
“You… are?” said Irene quizzically.
Seeing her puzzled expression, the golden-haired man spoke, “Anandra. King Lark’s first disciple.”
Irene finally remembered. Indeed. There was a golden-haired man among King Lark’s disciples. She’d been so preoccupied with the kingdom’s matters that she’d failed to recall this fact.
Anandra did not speak after that.
The silence was so awkward that Irene unconsciously told him the reason she was here.
“I was looking for a quiet place to stay while awaiting the Assistant Finance Minister’s arrival,” she said, a bit bothered by the golden-haired man’s beauty. He reminded her of the statues of knights sculpted by master artisans.
Still not hearing a response, she added, “I’d planned to sit in the garden. I should be able to enjoy some peace and quiet there.”
Anandra stared at her for several seconds. Finally, he said, “The castle is large and the garden is in the opposite direction from here. They’re currently reconstructing the garden path near the servants’ quarters. You won’t be able to enjoy your break if you go there.”
Anandra pointed at the luxurious-looking bench near the wall. It was where the members of the royal family usually rest after training. “I’m the only one using this Training Hall as of the moment. As long as you stay quiet, you can sit there in the corner.”
Irene hadn’t expected King Lark’s disciple to make such an offer. And to her surprise, she didn’t dislike it in the slightest. It was peculiar how she looked forward to sitting there, silently watching the man train.
“T-Thank you,” she said.
Irene sat on the bench and Anandra immediately resumed his training.
Irene almost gasped in awe as she watched the trajectory of his sword. It was beautiful. Each strike was simple, but just by the sharp cutting sound alone, she knew that it was a strike honed to perfection.
For over an hour, Anandra continued training, and she stayed there, silently watching. The awkward silence became comfortable, and the slash and stab of the sword became a mellifluous background.
After Anandra was finally done with his training, Irene stood up and commented, “That was beautiful. Who taught you how to wield a sword?”
Anandra sheathed his sword and wiped his sweat with a towel. “I’ve always known how to wield a sword from a young age.”
Had others said this, Irene would have found them overbearing and arrogant. But strangely, she was certain the man was not lying.
A natural genius. The only befitting description for King Lark’s first disciple.
Irene knew that even Sword Saint Alexander had a master who taught him the way of the sword. For a moment, she wondered how far this man would soar in the future. Several years from now, he would probably be a swordsman far more powerful than the remaining Sword Saint.
“I need to train the royal guards after this,” said Anandra. He went toward the entrance. After noticing that Irene did not understand what he was implying, he frankly said, “Only those with permission from the royal family can stay here. Since I’ll be gone, you need to leave, miss secretary.”
Irene’s ears flushed. “O-Of course! I’m leaving!”
What a straightforward man, Irene thought.
The two of them left the Royal Training Hall. Anandra locked the room and hooked the keys to his waist.
Seeing that the two of them were going in opposite directions, Irene decided to speak what was on her mind. “Do you always train here, at this hour?”
Anandra gazed at her, his face difficult to read. “Yes.”
Irene fiddled with her fingers. She mustered up her courage and said, “Then… can I watch you train again? Tomorrow?”
The man was really quiet, and the cutting sound from his sword was strangely soothing to the ears. Irene couldn’t explain it, but she was certain that this place was far more peaceful than the royal garden.
This is so embarrassing. What are you doing? Asking a man such things when you’ve only just met him, she thought.
She was afraid that Anandra would say no outright. But to her surprise, an entirely different response came out of his mouth. “As long as you do not disturb my training, you can come again tomorrow, miss secretary.”
Irene’s eyes glimmered and a smile bloomed on her face. She happily said, “Then, I’ll see you again tomorrow, mister disciple.”
VOLUME 9: CHAPTER 14
After meeting with Lark in the capital, Vulcan and Shahaneth returned to the dwarven kingdom. Upon reaching the Lair, Vulcan recounted to the other Fire Dragons the events that transpired during their visit to the Kingdom of Lukas.
“Father, are you sure about this?” said Agnus, the youngest dragon within their tribe. “An oath made of dragon blood for a mere human?”
Vulcan understood exactly where the young dragon was coming from. Still, he couldn’t help but be vexed regardless. Vulcan angrily spat, “Foolish child. Do you think I made this decision without thinking it through?”
“T-That’s not what I meant, Fath—”
“If you can win against that damn Scylla even once, I’ll abdicate the position of tribe leader and let you lead !” snarled Vulcan. “Listen! King Lark! He is the same human who reared the Dragon Devourer!”
Under Vulcan’s fierce gaze, Agnus cowered. Although he’d already heard the gist of what happened during their visit to the human kingdom, he still couldn’t help but wonder what truly transpired for his father—the so-called Ancient Fire Dragon Vulcan—to become so submissive to a human.
“Now, now,” said Vesta, the wife of Vulcan. “Calm down, dear.”
Vulcan snorted, steam puffing out of his snout. Vesta affectionately rubbed her reptilian head against Vulcan’s.
“The two of you have already made the oath,” said Vesta in a sweet voice. “There’s no going back. All we can do now is serve that human, King Lark, to the best of our abilities. Isn’t that right, dear?”
Vulcan finally calmed down. He nodded. He said affectionately, “You’re the only one who truly understands me. I’m really glad I have you with me, Vesta.”
Vesta cast a glance at Agnus, wordlessly telling him not to babble and ruin his father’s mood any further.
“So, what do you want us to do, dear? You said that King Lark gave you a task before you left the capital,” said Vesta.
Vulcan recalled the conversation he’d had with Lark.
Before they parted ways, Lark asked him about the existence of powerful monsters around the dwarven kingdom. And upon learning that there existed several powerful species of monster within the dwarven mountain range, Lark requested Vulcan brought him the monsters’ corpses.
According to Lark, the more powerful the monster was, the better. Moreover, it did not matter if the corpses numbered in the thousands. The human king was willing to take all they could gather.
It was an odd request. Vulcan did not know why the human king was requesting the corpses of powerful monsters.
Well, at the end of the day, it did not matter. Vulcan already knew how to fulfill this task perfectly. As the absolute ruler of the dwarven kingdom, they could easily mobilize millions of dwarves to help procure the materials. Hundreds of thousands of dwarven warriors would march to the battlefield with a single command.
“Vesta,” said Vulcan.
“Dear.”
“I’ll be gone for a while,” said Vulcan.
Without waiting for his wife to utter a response, Vulcan activated the sigils within the heart of the Lair. The ground rumbled and rocks and dust started falling from the ceiling. Slowly, a two-hundred meter large entrance started opening above.
Vulcan flapped his wings, flew up, and went toward the Dwarven Royal Palace.
***
The Dwarven Royal Palace was in an uproar. The dragon had visited the capital of the kingdom. An extremely rare occurrence. It was a well-known fact that the Ancient Fire Dragon hardly left the Lair, even when meeting with the dwarves. Based on their records, the last time the dragon personally made an appearance was sixty years ago, a time when King Lerenon was still the crown prince of the kingdom.
“Where are the princes?” roared King Lerenon. His dignified demeanor was gone as he nervously paced back and forth near the throne room’s entrance.
It had already been several minutes since the Ancient Fire Dragon arrived at the royal palace and demanded the presence of King Lerenon and his four sons.
“T-The princes have arrived, Your Majesty!” said the chamberlain.
King Lerenon’s crumpled expression lightened somewhat upon seeing the four princes briskly walking toward him.
“What are you doing!” said King Lerenon. “The dragon is waiting! Hurry!”
“Yes, Father!”
Nervously, the five of them entered the throne room. The colossal door opened, revealing the gold-embroidered carpet leading all the way to the throne.
All of the dwarves inside the throne room were looking down to the floor, unmoving, afraid to meet the dragon’s gaze. Most of them controlled their breathing, terrified of making even the slightest unpleasant sound.
On the throne, Vulcan sat in his polymorphed state.
“King Lerenon and his sons humbly pay their respect to the Great Guardian Deity!” said King Lerenon.
The four princes uttered in unison, “We humbly pay our respect to The Great Guardian Deity!”
The hearts of everyone in the room thumped loudly. All of them anticipating what the dragon—the deity and the guardian of the kingdom—was going to say.
“Since this is a special occasion,” said Vulcan in a deep, domineering voice. “Just this once, I shall allow everyone to raise their heads. All of you are granted permission to lay sight on my visage.”
“This is the greatest honor!” said King Lerenon.
Everyone also followed suit, “This is the greatest honor!”
Slowly, the dwarves in the throne room raised their heads. They gazed at the middle-aged man sitting on the throne. His crimson hair was reminiscent of blazing flames, his red armor glistened from the touch of light. His slit-like reptilian pupils looked down on everyone as though they were ants.
“I came here in person today to make two important announcements,” said Vulcan.
The Ancient Fire Dragon paused, arrogantly gazed at everyone in the room, and said, “From today onwards, this nation shall be allies with the Kingdom of Lukas.”
Those words stunned everyone in the throne room—King Lerenon included. For centuries, the dwarven kingdom had kept to itself. It was regarded as the strongest nation in the entire continent. A nation that surpassed even the Great Empire, not only in technology, but also military might. They couldn’t believe that a time would come when the dwarven kingdom would ally itself with another kingdom, moreover that of humans.
King Lerenon opened then closed his mouth. He almost blurted out questions regarding the dragon’s decision. Thankfully, he managed to rein himself in at the last moment. Among everyone in this room, he knew the most that the dragon’s word was tantamount to law.
It would be too far foolish to question the dragon’s decision.
In the end, King Lerenon said, “Your will shall be done, Great Guardian Deity. From today onwards, the dwarven kingdom shall be allies with the Kingdom of Lukas.”
The Ancient Fire Dragon was satisfied with this answer.
“Lerenon,” said Vulcan.
“Great Guardian Deity.”
“I shall alter the entry conditions of the barrier. In order for us to become a haven for the residents of the Kingdom of Lukas in times of peril, we shall be opening the gates of our country to our allied nation.”
