VOLUME 15: CHAPTER 14

VOLUME 15: CHAPTER 14

Lark decided to meet the envoys in the throne room instead of his office.

Although Lark wasn’t fond of such ceremonies, he would get nagged by Secretary Irene later if he didn’t adhere to even the most basic formalities.

Moreover, as the king of a nation, Lark had an image to uphold. Meeting mere merchants or nobles from the kingdom was one thing, but meeting delegates from another country was another.

“It’s an honor to finally meet Your Majesty, King Lark, in person,” said the leader of the envoys. “I am Yian Sima, leader of the Republic of Everfrost’s envoy.”

The leader of the envoys from the Republic of Everfrost was a middle-aged man wearing an emblazoned surcoat over a doublet.

Although this was Lark’s first time meeting him, the man felt familiar.

“How are you related to the Senator?” said Lark.

The envoy respectfully replied, “He’s my father, Your Majesty.”

“The son of Senator Sima, huh?”

Lark finally realized why the man looked familiar.

If you added wrinkles and removed some hair, the man before him would be the spitting image of Senator Sima.

Lark’s gaze moved to the towering man standing behind Yian. Wearing military clothes, the man resembled a ferocious beast ready to pounce at any time.

“General Marduk, it’s been a while,” said Lark.

The general smiled and bowed his head in greeting. “Indeed, Your Majesty. I’m glad you still remember me.”

Lark laughed. “How could I forget? You left quite an impression on me back when I visited the Republic.”

The general awkwardly scratched his chin. He faked a cough. “Haha… is that so?”

For some reason, the general looked pleased upon hearing Lark’s statement. He seemed genuinely happy that Lark remembered him favorably.

Lark calmly surveyed the two before him.

Although he’d been skillfully hiding it, Lark could see that Yian was quite nervous during this meeting.

Was this his first time acting as a delegate?

Senator Sima himself would have probably come here in person if his health permitted it. But unfortunately, the treacherous journey to this kingdom would have taken a tremendous toll on the old man. This was probably the reason why he’d sent his son instead. And to show his sincerity, he even sent the renowned General Marduk to escort him.

According to Mokuva, the envoys were escorted by almost three hundred soldiers from the Republic, and they arrived in this kingdom by traversing the Mullgray Sea.

Due to the recent events on the continent, particularly the formation of the Pendara Coalition, the Republic must have feared that the pirates would attack them the moment they entered the territory. Thus, they purposely allotted a small army to escort these people here.

The sheer number of soldiers alone probably deterred the pirates from attacking their ships.

“It must have been arduous traveling all the way here. I hope you’ve rested well during your stay in the capital.”

Lark started off with pleasantries, and Yian Sima eagerly responded.

“Arduous? Not at all. The journey to the kingdom has been quite pleasant, and I must say… peaceful. Surprisingly.”

“I heard you used the sea route to get here. The pirates didn’t attack you?”

“We sighted several ships, but they all turned around after seeing our fleet.”

“The naval forces of the Republic must be impressive.”

The envoy leader said proudly, “I don’t mean to brag, but our navy is second only to the pirates, Your Majesty.”

Based on Lark’s intel, this wasn’t true, but he didn’t bother correcting Yian.

As far as he knew, the Empire had the strongest navy on the continent. By quality of ships alone, the Empire was even superior to the pirates.

Of course, ships alone wouldn’t be enough to win battles. Although the Empire’s navy was strongest in terms of quality, the pirates practically lived at sea, and they were capable of using the sea’s unpredictability to their advantage.

In terms of battle experience, the pirates were still unmatched.

“Indeed,” said Lark in agreement. “The Republic’s navy is impressive.”

That praise had a miraculous effect. It immediately eased Yian’s nervousness.

“I had several commitments to attend to previously, and it took me some time before I could finally meet you,” said Lark.

Since he couldn’t carelessly apologize due to his status as king, this was Lark’s way of saying sorry to them.

Yian knew this too. He shook his head. “It’s only natural for someone like His Majesty to be busy. We’re already grateful that you’re granting us an audience this soon.”

“Lord Yian is as understanding as your father,” said Lark. “So, how was your stay in the capital?”

“The capital is beautiful, Your Majesty,” said Yian Sima. “A city where artistry, power, and tradition intertwine beneath the gaze of heaven.”

No matter how you listened to it, those words were exaggerated, and Lark didn’t take them at face value.

“The streets are bustling with life and color! I went to the tallest building in the Middle District a few days ago, and from there, I saw the capital sprawled out like a living tapestry!”

Lark chuckled. “I’m glad you like it. After this meeting, please feel free to roam and look around the capital as long as you like, Lord Yian.”

“I shall do so, Your Majesty.”

“So…”

Now that the pleasantries were over, Lark decided to get to the point.

“What brought you here, Lord Yian?”

The warm atmosphere in the room slowly dissipated. For a split second, Lark heard an audible gulp.

Yian Sima took several seconds before he managed to muster the courage to reply.

“Your Majesty… we came here to ask for a favor,” said Yian.

“A favor?” said Lark.

Yian nodded. “Yes.”

“Tell me.”

Yian looked at the royal guards nearby. Although most were standing next to the walls, those with keen hearing would be able to hear their conversation.

Noticing Yian’s unease, Lark reassured him, “Don’t worry. All of my guards can be trusted. Now, please speak.”

Honestly, Yian would have preferred if all of those guards left the place so they could speak with the king in private. But he knew he couldn’t ask for that. If he requested such drastic measures, Lark’s favorable impression of him would drop.

“Alright,” said Yian. “It’s regarding the ancient city, Ist’ Tamat. You’ve been there before, haven’t you, Your Majesty?”

Lark wordlessly urged the middle-aged man to continue.

“After you left, we organized a large army and stormed the second level where the arachnias had made a nest.”

General Marduk’s expression turned grim. Lark was certain at this point that the expedition had failed, even without Yian completing his story.

And true to his inference, the army had failed to conquer the arachnia nest.

“Thanks to the non-aggression pact between Coalition members, we managed to move most of the troops bordering the Republic and the Empire back to the capital. We recalled as many forces as we could, leaving behind only the bare minimum to protect the border territories.”

Yian Sima clenched his fists. In a slightly trembling voice, he continued his story.

“A total of thirty thousand soldiers, most of them elites. Out of thirty thousand, only seventeen thousand managed to return alive from that expedition, most of them injured.”

General Marduk hung his head low, as though he felt responsible for the expedition’s failure.

“Thirteen thousand deaths,” muttered Lark. “And the arachnias?”

“According to reports, they managed to kill seven of them.”

“Only seven, huh?”

The last time Lark had visited that place, there were easily more than a dozen of those colossal spiders. To think that the Republic had managed to kill only seven of them, even after sending in such a massive army...

The expedition was undoubtedly a total failure.

Honestly, setting fire to the entire second floor would have probably yielded better result. Of course, the Republic couldn’t recklessly do that out of fear of the tunnels collapsing.

Yian Sima raised his head for a moment, then closed his eyes. After opening them, he knelt on both knees. General Marduk, who’d been standing behind him, followed suit.

“We beg of you, Your Majesty! Too many lives have been lost to turn back now! Please! Help us reach Ist’ Tamat!”

Even General Marduk pleaded, “Please help us!”

Seeing the two kneeling before him, Lark felt conflicted.

Although their story was pitiful, Lark didn’t have any reason to intervene in the Republic’s problems.

As a member of the Coalition, he promised them support and protection during the war with the demons, and that deal didn’t encompass matters related to dungeons.

Moreover, granting them unrestricted access to the ancient city entailed danger. If the Elementals sealed underground awoke, it wouldn’t only be the Republic of Everfrost that would suffer. Even the Empire, the Three States Alliance, and the Kingdom of Steelwall would be swept up in the aftermath.

Although Lark had successfully modified his left arm, he wasn’t confident about suppressing the Frost Elemental Lord. He could probably kill it if he put his life on the line, but the fight between them would cause innumerable casualties throughout the continent. It would alter even the weather itself.

Silence fell for several minutes as Lark fell into deep thought.

Yian Sima and General Marduk remained kneeling before the throne, their uneasiness apparent.

Eventually, Lark spoke.

“Lord Yian.”

“Your Majesty.”

“I assume you’re aware of the creatures sealed underneath the Republic.”

“If you’re talking about the three Elementals, then yes, I know them.”

“Then you must also be aware of how dangerous those creatures are.”

Yian Sima looked up and said desperately, “We know, Your Majesty! And that’s the reason why we’ll make sure their slumber won’t be disturbed once we enter the ancient city!”

General Marduk chimed in, “Lord Yian speaks the truth, King Lark. We’ve already made arrangements and plans on how to prevent the Elementals from waking up.”

“I’m sure you have,” said Lark. “But there’s no guarantee that there isn’t a mechanism in the ancient palace. Do you remember what the witches told us about the tomb?”

“You mean how the Wandering Sage ransacked everything?” said General Marduk.

“Yes. According to the witches, the Wandering Sage took everything inside the tomb but left the ancient palace alone. What do you think is the reason?”

It didn’t take long for both General Marduk and Yian Sima to realize why the Wandering Sage didn’t ransack the palace.

“Ah…!”

“Yes. You must have realized it by now,” said Lark. “The Wandering Sage probably knew there was a mechanism in the palace that could potentially awaken the Elementals. That’s probably the reason why they left it alone and ransacked only the tomb.”

Now that he’d mentioned it, the story of the witches finally made sense.

For a moment, General Marduk envied the citizens of the kingdom for having such a wise ruler.

While the Kingdom of Lukas was experiencing its golden age, the Republic was busy diving into the dungeon, losing thousands of soldiers in its futile attempts.

“Then…,” muttered Yian.

Lark sighed. “I’m sorry. I cannot help you.”

The risk far outweighed the benefits.

If the Republic had an infallible method of securing the artifacts in the ancient palace without awakening the Elementals, he wouldn’t hesitate to help them.

But the current situation was too dangerous.

If those Elementals awakened and started rampaging, millions of lives would be lost.

The envoys knew what Lark was currently thinking. They slowly rose to their feet.

“It’s a shame, but we understand, Your Majesty,” said Yian Sima.

“Please don’t take this the wrong way,” said Lark. “But I hope you’ll stop sending soldiers into the arachnia nest.”

Lark was basically telling them to stop sending soldiers to their deaths. Since the first expedition had failed, the second would probably be no different.

General Marduk made a self-mocking smile. “We can’t stop now.”

Lark sighed once again.

The Republic was a member of the Coalition—it wasn’t a subordinate of the Kingdom of Lukas. He couldn’t order them around as he wished.

“Then, we’ll end this meeting here. I hope you’ll enjoy the rest of your stay in the capital, Lord Yian, General Marduk.”

The two bowed their heads.

“We shall do so. Again, it’s an honor to have been granted an audience, Your Majesty.”

***

After the meeting, Lark stayed in the now empty throne room for several minutes.

His mind was filled with various thoughts.

Did he make the right decision?

Should he have offered to help the Republic?

He could easily send some Arzomos to help clear the arachnia nest, saving thousands of soldiers in the process.

But he was afraid of the repercussions of that decision.

If, by chance, the Republic accidentally triggered the mechanism that would awaken the Elementals, Lark’s decision to help them enter Ist’ Tamat would haunt him for the rest of his life.

“You look gloomy.”

A voice echoed in the throne room. Without even looking at the source, Lark knew to whom it belonged.

“Kel.”

“I’ve been eavesdropping on your conversation.”

“Is that a new hobby? You’re becoming a perverted old man as you approach death. How disgusting.”

“Hahaha! What’s wrong with listening? It’s not like you’ve forbidden me from eavesdropping.”

From the entrance, the image of Kel’ Vual slowly appeared. He was smirking, his hands holding a bottle of alcohol each.

“Here,” said Kel’ Vual.

He tossed one of the bottles toward the throne, and Lark caught it.

“Let’s drink,” said Kel’ Vual.

Without asking why the leader of the Arzomos Tribe had brought him a bottle of liquor, Lark uncorked the bottle and started gulping down its contents.

By this time, Kel’ Vual had already reached the throne steps.

“You did the right thing.”

“I didn’t ask for your opinion.”

“Really? You look like you need someone to talk to, though.”

Kel’ Vual sat down a few steps below the throne. After uncorking his bottle, he also gulped down his alcohol.

“This one is popular lately,” said Kel, frowning in disappointment. “But it lacks the stinging sensation of a firebeard ale. Well, still better than nothing.”

“You’re an expert in these things now, huh?”

“Stop being grumpy. And if you’re not going to finish that, give it to me.”

Lark pressed the bottle to his lips and took small sips.

“Who said I’m not going to finish it?” said Lark.

“Your expression did,” said Kel’ Vual.

“Stop putting words into my mouth. I actually like the taste of this thing.”

“Hoh~ is that so?”

Lark looked up at the ceiling. He muttered, “Kel… what you said before. Do you really think I made the correct decision?”

Although Lark always appeared as a wise and omnipotent ruler to others, he sometimes showed his vulnerable side to his friends. And today was one of those moments.

“We can never know what the future holds,” said Kel’ Vual. “We can simply act based on the current information.”

Kel’ Vual paused, then continued, “Even I have things I regret. What if I did it that way back then? Maybe things would have turned out differently. Evander, even now, I wonder what would have happened if I didn’t lead the tribe out of the Demon Realm.”

Lark gazed at Kel’ Vual but didn’t utter a word.

“Agreas and I have grown incredibly weak from the passage of time. The injuries we’ve sustained from the innumerable fights have also taken their toll on our bodies. That’s why, when we realized that the seal of the Great Cavern was about to break, we were afraid—terribly so. We knew that even the Immortal Demon in his weakened state could kill us if we fought.”

Kel’ Vual smiled wryly.

“That’s why… we escaped. No, we sacrificed Agreas so that the tribe could live on.”

Lark could feel how brokenhearted Kel’ Vual was right now. And the least he could do was listen without offering words of consolation or advice.

Listening to his story—

That was enough.

“Not a day has passed when I don’t think of what would have happened if I stayed behind. Maybe Agreas wouldn’t have died. Maybe we could have protected the portal with the two of us combined. So many what-ifs. The regret from that day haunts me even now.”

Kel’ Vual emptied his bottle. He looked at Lark with clear eyes.

“We all act with the best knowledge and tools we have at the moment. Regret often comes with the benefit of hindsight. So… what I’m saying is—trust your judgment.”

“Did you hear that from one of the theater plays you’ve been going to recently?” said Lark teasingly.

“Y-You! Of course not!”

“Hahaha!” Lark laughed. “What’s the deal, Kel? Why are you suddenly offering me words of advice? That’s so unlike you.”

To be honest, the mere presence of Kel’ Vual here had brought Lark peace of mind.

Although he couldn’t describe it in words, after hearing Kel’ Vual’s statement, he realized that there was no sense in dwelling on things he had no control over.

Indeed, he had made that judgment with the best knowledge he currently held.

Kel started cussing at him, but Lark simply laughed it off.

“Hey, Kel,” said Lark.

“What?”

“I’ll teach you something interesting. I’ve been meaning to form a tournament similar to the Republic’s, but I’ve been holding it off.”

“Tournament?”

Lark grinned. “Hayangji. A tabletop strategy game. I’ll teach you how to play. How about it—are you interested?”