VOLUME 14: CHAPTER 12

VOLUME 14: CHAPTER 12

After returning from their expedition to the Bottomless Gorge, Lark decided it was time to return to the Kingdom of Lukas.

The Ancient Fire Dragons, the dwarven royal family, Gorovir, and other prominent individuals of the Dwarven Kingdom were currently gathered in front of the royal palace to see them off.

“You’re returning so soon?” said Vulcan. “What about the body reconstruction you’ve been planning to undergo before?”

“I don’t have time to wait for the dwarves to mine the adamantite in the Bottomless Gorge,” said Lark. “Judging by the vein’s location, it’ll take them at least half a year to secure the area.”

Vulcan knew this too.

Although they’d killed more than a hundred abyss lurkers during the last expedition, the area where the deposit was located was still at the heart of the Abyss. That place was crawling with monsters, and it would take tremendous effort and manpower on the dwarves’ part to secure and maintain it.

Without securing the place first, they wouldn’t even be able to start mining the adamantite.

“Tch. Damn, incompetent dwarves,” spat Vulcan. “Lerenon.”

King Lerenon replied without looking at the leader of the Ancient Fire Dragons, his head bowed low. “Great Guardian Deity.”

“I want you to personally oversee this matter. I don’t care how you do it, or how many dwarves die in the process. Do not bring shame to me. Mine those adamantite immediately.”

Once again, Vulcan made unreasonable demands to the dwarven king. He even blatantly disregarded the lives of the dwarves who would delve into that place.

There were dwarves like Gorovir who were unhappy with the order, while there were those who simply accepted it as their fate. For hundreds of years, the dwarven race worshipped the Dragons, and they’d been greatly indoctrinated to never question their authority. The current dwarven king belonged to the latter.

“It shall be done according to your will, Great Guardian Deity,” said King Lerenon.

“Hmph!”

Honestly, Vulcan was fond of the current dwarven king. Although Lerenon probably held enough strength to fight on par with Vulcan in his dragon form, the dwarven king remained subservient to their tribe.

This dwarf knew his place, and he prioritized the Dragon’s orders above everything else.

Well, logically speaking, this was the correct move for the dwarven king. King Lerenon knew that there would be no benefit if he antagonized the Dragons. If a fight between the Ancient Fire Dragons and the dwarves broke out, millions of lives would be lost.

Did King Lerenon choose this path after considering the other alternatives? The leader of the Ancient Fire Dragons believed so.

Vulcan’s gaze landed on the crown prince who’d been kneeling next to the dwarven king. Hopefully, this dwarf would be as obedient as his father the moment he ascended the throne.

‘Well, no matter. If he rebels, I can just kill him and assign another dwarf to take his place.’

Unbeknownst to everyone else, the leader of the Ancient Fire Dragon tribe was already calculating the events that could unfold years from now.

Although it was said that the Dragons hardly meddled with the political affairs of the dwarves, in reality, Vulcan greatly influences the ebb and flow of politics in the dwarven kingdom.

“Vulcan, I don’t wish for unnecessary deaths,” said Lark. “I don’t mind waiting. If the dwarves can find a safer method to mine the deposits, I wish they would proceed with that instead.”

Vulcan rubbed his chin. After several seconds of deliberation, he said to the dwarves, “You heard him.”

“Yes, Great Guardian Deity.”

The dwarves who were silently opposing the Dragon’s orders heaved a sigh of relief. It was really fortunate the human king was very reasonable.

Only the heavens above knew how many lives had been saved by that single statement from King Lark.

Lark approached Gorovir. Out of all the dwarves present here, he was the only one who remained standing. Since Gorovir had explicitly stated that he wished to follow King Lark, Vulcan overlooked his impertinence. After that declaration, Gorovir was now considered one of King Lark’s people. Even Vulcan didn’t dare recklessly touch such a person.

“Gorovir,” said Lark.

“Your Majesty,” said the legendary blacksmith.

“I shall be returning to the Kingdom of Lukas,” said Lark. “After taking care of necessary matters in the capital, I will drop by the labyrinth where the elven oaks grow.”

“Then—”

“—Yes, I will chop down a few dozen elven oaks and send them to you.”

Gorovir shivered. Those words were music to his ears. For several decades, he’d already forgotten what it felt like to await a present. For a moment, he felt like a child again.

“I look forward to them!” said Gorovir.

Lark chuckled upon seeing his enthusiasm. “Ah, yes. You should look forward to them. The quality of their wood is guaranteed. I doubt you’ll be able to find anything as perfect as those trees.”

“I’ll utilize even the smallest branch to good use! No, not just the branches! I’ll use even the leaves! You won’t regret handing them to me, Your Majesty!”

“I expect great things from you. I hope you’ll use them well.”

After talking about several other topics related to elven oaks, Lark asked Gorovir about the adamantite deposits they’d seen in the Bottomless Gorge. He wanted to hear what Gorovir thought about them.

Gorovir said honestly, “Those adamantite? They’re tainted, Your Majesty. Even the adamantite I’ve handled before are purer than them. Well, it’s to be expected. They’d been exposed to various kinds of mana for who knows how long. It’ll be more surprising if they’d remain pure.”

The Bottomless Gorge was formed after the Ancient Fire Dragon Tribe fought against the Earth Elemental living in the Dwarven Mountains hundreds of years ago.

It was a Pyrrhic victory. A battle that took the lives of Vulcan’s older brothers. After the ground was split and the Bottomless Gorge was formed, the mana from the Dragons and the Elemental must have tainted the adamantite deposit back then. Of course, even the fearless Gorovir didn’t dare mention this openly, lest he incur the wrath of the Dragons.

“But please be at ease,” said Gorovir. “Although tainted, adamantite is adamantite. They should be usable. And if we mine deeply, we should be able to uncover parts that are pure enough to use for your body reconstruction.”

Only the exposed parts of the deposits were greatly tainted. After analyzing the vein, Gorovir judged that those that were located in the deeper parts of the deposit should be purer.

Gorovir stroked his beard, thinking of the current hurdles of the project.

“The main issue right now is the mining equipment,” said Gorovir. “The dwarven army is strong, and the military will be able to secure that area eventually. But securing the site and mining the ores are different matters entirely.”

As the strongest metal in this world, there are limited ways to mine adamantite. Although the First and Second Weapons Factory had produced several mining equipment for the expedition army, most of them broke in just a few days.

The engineers realized that simply coating the edge of the mining tools with adamantite wasn’t enough. They needed to create equipment capable of channeling mana into the tip of the blades. Otherwise, cutting down those deposits would be nothing but a pipe dream.

The leaders of the First and Second Weapons Factory, who’d been listening nearby, internally screamed when they heard Master Gorovir’s remarks.

They wanted to tell the blacksmith to stop talking. If he kept pointing at their failures, the Dragons might snap and blow their heads off.

“But again, please be at ease, Your Majesty,” said Gorovir. “As I’ve told you before, I plan on opening the smithy. Starting tomorrow, I will be taking in more apprentices and disciples. My workshop will be personally involved in creating the mining equipment for the deposits in the Bottomless Gorge.”

Lark nodded in satisfaction. “Splendid. Your words are reassuring, Gorovir.”

Gorovir smiled brightly.

It was strange.

Although King Lark was younger than him, Gorovir felt an indescribable sense of pride whenever the human king praised him. It was similar to the happiness a child felt whenever they were acknowledged by their parents.

“This much is only natural, Your Majesty,” said Gorovir.

Lark said to Vulcan, “I’ll visit the Dwarven Kingdom again.”

“To personally deliver the elven oaks?” said Vulcan.

“Yes.”

Even if Lark wished to delegate this task to others, it was impossible. The elven oaks in that labyrinth had already reached full maturity long ago. Moreover, since they grew next to a dragon vein, they were far sturdier and heavier than ordinary elven oaks. 

Transporting them to the Dwarven Mountains would be a logistics nightmare. Currently, only Blackie and Lark could deliver them to the Dwarven Kingdom.

If Lark wished for his projects to progress swiftly, he had to deliver the materials himself.

Lark added, “If the dwarves have managed to mine the adamantite deposits by the time I return, I also plan to undergo the body reconstruction process.”

“Hmm… I see. You can come to the Dwarven Kingdom anytime,” said Vulcan. “If you need anything, don’t hesitate to order the dwarves around. Feel free to use my name, King Lark.

“Haha, that would be too much, Vulcan.”

“Why not?”

Lark simply smiled and didn’t reply.

Several seconds of silence passed. Vulcan stared at his youngest son. Vulcan and Vesta locked eyes with each other. At the same time, they nodded after silently coming to an agreement.

“Agnus,” said Vulcan.

“Hm? Father?”

“For falling to the snake’s provocation, I shall mete out your punishment here.”

It was so out of nowhere that Agnus stiffened from terror and surprise.

He thought he’d gotten away with it already. He thought his father had already forgiven him for becoming the Scylla’s slave.

Didn’t his father beat him to a pulp before as punishment?

Why was his father mentioning that incident now of all times?

“F-Father?” said Agnus nervously.

“Starting today, you’ll be returning to the Lair.”

Agnus’ eyes widened. “W-Wait! What are you saying! Father, didn’t you say that I should accompany King Lark?! Naturally, I should come with him to the Kingdom of Lukas!”

Behind Vulcan, Arcturus smirked. Seeing this, Agnus realized this was part of his elder brother’s schemes.

“No, a slave to a mere Scylla has no rights to accompany King Lark,” said Vulcan.

“B-But—!”

“—Quiet. My decision is final,” said Vulcan firmly. “Arcturus.”

As though he’d been waiting for this, Arcturus replied immediately, “Father!”

“If King Lark permits it, I want you to accompany King Lark instead of your foolish brother,” said Vulcan.

Agnus’ world started crumbling down when he realized what was happening.

That damn older brother of his!

He must have felt frustrated upon realizing what he’d been missing out on by staying at the Lair!

It was no surprise that Arcturus would be greedy after seeing the Primordial Fire cast by King Lark! After witnessing that spell, even Agnus didn’t want to leave King Lark’s side.

“Yes, father! I promise not to bring shame to our tribe!” said Arcturus.

“N-No….!” said Agnus.

Vulcan said to Lark, “Well… are you fine with this, King Lark? Although he’s older than Agnus, my son, Arcturus, has yet to experience this world. I wish you can guide him and teach him as he accompanies you during your travels. Although he looks like this, he’s quite useful. At least, he’ll be better than my youngest son.”

When stated that way, Lark had no choice but to say yes, “I’ll take care of him. But… is this really the right thing?”

Lark was pertaining to Agnus. Currently, the hatchling looked as though his entire world had crashed down.

“Don’t mind that one,” said Vulcan. “This will serve as a great lesson. Everything in this world has repercussions.”

Vesta chimed in, “He deserves it. Becoming the slave of a Scylla? If the older brothers of Vulcan were still alive, they would have beaten him to death. He should consider himself lucky we’re quite lenient.”

“M-Mother….”

Vesta glared at Agnus, and he didn’t dare utter another word.

“It seems you’ll be accompanying me back to the kingdom,” Lark said to Arcturus.

Compared to Agnus who looked free-spirited and rowdy, Arcturus was the very definition of a scholarly young man.

Arcturus fixed his glasses with his fingers. After glancing at the seven old men, who seemed unhappy by how things were unfolding, he said to Lark, “I’ll be in your care, Your Majesty. I promise I won’t cause you any trouble, unlike my little brother here. 

“Arcturus! You traitor!” shouted Agnus.

Arcturus simply ignored the hatchling.

“He won’t cause trouble? Bah! Fat chance. At the end of the day, he’s also a lizard!” said Blackie.

Arcturus ignored the Scylla, too. Without minding his status as a Dragon, he bowed to Lark, “I’m honored to be given this opportunity. I hope to learn a lot as I accompany you, Your Majesty.”

That day, Agnus wept. He couldn’t believe his position among King Lark’s group had been usurped by his brother.

Lark, together with Lady Alice, Captain Symon, the Scylla, and Arcturus, left the Dwarven Kingdom.

***

[Demon Realm – The Red Tower]

“Hmm… I wonder what is missing.”

After Chief Researcher Muuka left the demon capital, he immediately returned to the Red Tower to assist his master in synchronizing with the head of the Arzomos elder.

Currently, Elrenar, the Lord of the Red Tower, was submerged in bluish fluid inside a massive glass tank. Numerous apparatuses were attached to Elrenar’s body, each of them pulsating at a constant rhythm.

As the most trusted vassal of the Lord of the Red Tower, Muuka was aware of Elrenar’s plans.

The old tormentor knew his master’s desire for power. He knew that once his master successfully assimilated with the head of Agreas, he would try to usurp the throne from the Demon Lord Barkuvara.

Although Muuka had a certain degree of loyalty to the Demon Lord Barkuvara, if his master ordered him to rebel, he would gladly do so in a heartbeat.

At the end of the day, his true loyalty lay on the Lord of the Red Tower.

“Lord, how do you feel?” said Muuka.

From within the glass tank, Elrenar answered, “The head of Agreas is still rejecting me. I can’t tame it even after consuming all of that miasma.”

“Let me look into it again, Lord.”

Muuka analyzed the data presented before him. He manipulated the apparatuses attached to his master’s body, figuring out the places where the rejection was most apparent. 

This would have been easier if his master could personally help him, but that was impossible since he needed to stay inside the glass tank.

Muuka performed consecutive tests for several days, and eventually, he found the root cause of the rejection. 

“I found it, Lord.”

“Finally! Tell me, Muuka. Why does this damn Agreas’ head keeps on rejecting me?”

Muuka looked over the data once again just to be sure. He replied, “It’s a problem originating from your demon core, Lord.”

“My demon core?”

“Yes, Lord Elrenar,” said Muuka. “I apologize for saying this, but Master used to be a lesser demon, no?”

Inside the glass tank, bubbles formed from Elrenar’s mouth and moved to the surface.

It was well known that the Lord of the Red Tower used to be a lesser demon. With his great intelligence, he climbed the ranks, assimilated with numerous powerful bodies and heads, and founded the Red Tower.

“Are you saying a lesser demon’s body is incompatible with an Arzomos?" 

“Yes, Lord. And not only your original body. Even the windigo you assimilated with is incompatible with an Arzomos. Although your flesh is different now, your demon core remains the same. That is the root cause of the rejection, Lord.”

Elrenar fell silent for a long time.

The Lord of the Red Tower understood what Muuka was trying to say to him.

If he wished to assimilate with the head of Agreas, he had to make sacrifices and abandon his current body. Of course, that meant also abandoning the beastman head he was currently using.

After some time, Elrenar said, “So, in the end, I need to abandon even the beastman head I painstakingly collected.”

The beastman head he was currently using was indeed powerful. It was a beast king who united the beastmen race over a thousand years ago. But even that beastman was lacking when compared to Agreas.

If forced to choose between the two, Lord Elrenar would rather abandon his current beastman head if it meant he could assimilate with the Arzomos elder.

“No, Lord. If my calculations are correct, it should be possible to assimilate with the Arzomos head without abandoning the beastman head as long as you integrate with another body first. Even if your demon core remains the same, if the flesh used is far superior, it can compensate.”

“Another body?”

“Yes, Lord. The body of an Elemental.”

Hearing this, Elrenar spat, “Muuka. Are you out of your mind? I will die if I fight an Elemental. And besides, there are hardly any Elementals living in the Demon Realm. Surely, you’re not talking about hunting Candela?”

Even the Lord of the Red Tower feared the Fire Elemental Lord.

Even if he had a hundred lives, he knew he would perish if he fought that monster.

There was a reason why out of all the territories in the Demon Realm, only the Volcanic Region where Candela resided remained untouched for generations.

“Lord, we don’t need to take the entire body of an Elemental. Even just a piece of its body is fine. A finger, a horn, a flesh.”

Elrenar frowned. He manipulated the glass tank from within, quickly draining the fluid he was submerged in. After pressing several buttons, he came out of the tank, completely naked.

“You’ve been spouting nonsense for quite some time now,” said Elrenar. “Muuka, even if our goal is just a piece of the Fire Elemental Lord’s flesh, we’ll die if we confront it." 

It might be doable if the opponent was a mere demon. But the Fire Elemental Lord was an entity that could no longer be classified among mortals. That creature was no different from a living, moving natural disaster.

There were even demons who believed that the strongest existence in the Demon Realm wasn’t the tribe leaders or the Demon Lord, but the Fire Elemental Lord Candela.

A rare smile formed on Muuka’s lips. The old tormentor said, “Lord, did you forget? Although we may be helpless if we fight the Fire Elemental Lord Candela, there exists a demon who can hold this ground against that monster.”

Elrenar finally understood what his vassal was scheming.

Indeed, it would be possible if they pitted that demon against Candela.

Muuka said, “We’ll make the Demon Lord Barkuvara fight against the Fire Elemental Lord Candela. Even if they fail to kill each other, surely, a piece of the Fire Elemental Lord’s flesh will fall off during that battle.”

Elrenar smiled, too.

They would gain something no matter who wins or lose that battle. If the Demon Lord Barkuvara won, they would be able to harvest Candela’s body. If Candela won, it would be easier for the Lord of the Red Tower to usurp the throne.