"It's been a while since we've taken a stroll like this in the garden," said the former King Alvis.
Together with Lark, King Alvis walked through the royal garden. Now that winter was looming, the plants had already shed their older flowers and leaves, as they prepared for dormancy.
"When they're in full bloom," said King Alvis as he looked at the plants in the royal garden, "or even when their petals have fallen off—these precious children of mine are still beautiful."
"Indeed, they are, Your Majesty," said Lark.
After Lark ascended the throne, King Alvis made sure the royal faction would fully support him. He even went as far as retiring inside his room, only coming out to tend to the flowers in the royal garden every now and then. He sometimes attended to some tasks that required the presence of royalty, but aside from those, he chose to hand all authority to the new king.
King Alvis knew it would be easier for Lark to rule the government officials and the nobles if he disappeared from the background completely.
After all, there was no need for two rulers in this nation.
"It feels like the war with the empire was just yesterday," said King Alvis. "This pile of old bones can still vividly remember that day when we deliberated who we should choose to lead the Coalition Army."
Lark remembered too. He received the title 'Commander of the Third Army' in this very same garden.
Almost two years had passed since then. Fortunately, the blow the empire suffered from that defeat had rendered them unable to rally their armies to wage war with the Kingdom of Lukas once again.
Lark hoped to maintain this status quo. After all, it would be hard to fight against not only the demons, but also an adjacent human nation.
"To be honest, I didn't expect you to come up with the idea of mana bombs," said King Alvis. "Some of our engineers had tried creating something similar over a decade ago, but to no avail." He chuckled.
"Imagine my surprise when a young lad came up with the idea, even a working blueprint. As expected of the man who defeated the United Grakas Alliance with just a thousand men."
King Alvis grabbed a watering can, and looked at Lark through the corner of his eye. "Or should I say, as expected of the legendary magician from the Era of Magic?"
Lark smiled.
He found it pleasant that there was no longer fear in King Alvis' voice.
Back then, although he'd tried his best to hide it, Lark felt the fear and anxiety within King Alvis' voice whenever he talked to him. But now, all that remained was anticipation and curiosity.
"You give me too much credit, Your Majesty," said Lark.
King Alvis laughed. "Is that so? Even Emperor Sylvius Lockhart Mavis would need to bow his head to you, should he learn of your real identity.
But here you are, treating this old man as an equal."
After watering the plants before him, King Alvis placed down the watering can, then took two slender keys from his pocket. He handed them to Lark.
"You must be familiar with these," said King Alvis.
"The keys to the royal sanctum," said Lark, immediately recognizing them.
"They're yours now, along with all the treasures the royal family has accumulated over the centuries," said King Alvis.
Lark fell silent. There were several items in that treasure room that interested him. In particular, the sword called Darkmoon—one of the four named swords of the kingdom—could easily rival some of the swords he'd used in his previous life. Like the sword he'd given Anandra, Darkmoon was made of adamantite.
"I can't take this, Your Majesty," said Lark. "We already agreed—I'm only a temporary king. A regent."
"I know," said King Alvis. "I've pondered on this for several days before arriving at this conclusion. You told us before that a war capable of turning the continent upside-down will soon fall upon us. What use will all those treasures be, if the demons end up annihilating us humans? They may be useless to me, but it's an entirely different story if they end up in capable hands."
Seeing that Lark was still undecided, King Alvis decided to land the finishing blow. "With those keys, you would no longer need to ask for permission to enter the royal sanctum, like last week, when you altered the conditions of the portal. You can come and go as you wish, King Lark."
Lark closed his hand holding the keys. He said, "I'll use them well."
Although he still had a lot of treasures left in the golden statue, it wouldn't hurt to have more. And it would be convenient if he could come and go as he wished in the royal sanctum—where the barrier's medium was being kept.
"Your Majesty," one of the guards assigned to escort Lark spoke to him.
"I have a report from the leader of the patrol, Commander Danack."
"What is it?" said Lark.
The guard hesitated for a moment. "Dwarves, Your Majesty. Over a hundred dwarves have just arrived at the capital outskirts."
King Alvis's eyes widened. Observing Lark's expression as the soldier made the report, the former king realized that Lark had already anticipated this.
"Just about time," said Lark. "Did they bring the corpses with them?"
The guard seemed taken aback. His expression seemed to ask 'how did you know?' "Yes, Your Majesty," said the guard. "Based on the report of the patrol, the dwarves brought several thousand monster corpses with them." The guard paused then carefully added, "Your Majesty… the monster corpses… I believe the citizens are uneasy."
"I am aware," said Lark. It was the natural reaction when thousands of monster corpses were suddenly brought to their doorstep—by dwarves at that. "The underground chamber of the castle's third tower is massive. They can store the corpses there. If they need help preserving the corpses, contact Kel' Vual. He'll know what to do with them."
The large men who resembled the members of the Marcus Family had been frequently seen in the castle ever since Lark ascended the throne.
According to rumor, these men were comparable in strength to royal court magicians and served as King Lark's secret guards. Of course, this was all speculation, and people had no way of verifying the truth. Still, it was apparent that Kel' Vual and his men were gaining fame as days went by.
"As for the dwarves," said Lark. "I will meet them in the throne room, two hours from now."
Normally, it would take days before someone was given an audience with royalty. But Lark deemed it inappropriate to make the dwarves wait that long, when they'd traveled all the way from the dwarven mountain range. Furthermore, there was the issue of how long they could keep preserving the corpses.
"As you wish, Your Majesty."
After the guard left, silence fell between King Alvis and Lark.
King Alvis wisely said, "So, this is why you asked permission to alter the entry conditions of the portal a week ago. Did you already foresee this happening?"
"Yes. I've known that the dwarves would be coming for quite some time now," said Lark.
"Haaa." King Alvis sighed. He shook his head. "At this point, there's no longer anything that would surprise me."
King Alvis covered his mouth with his fist. He cleared his throat and made a fake cough. "So, any change of heart? How about marrying my daughter, Esmeralda?"
*** After meeting with King Alvis, Lark went to the throne room and summoned the dwarves who'd just arrived at the capital.
The leader of the group was a dwarf who reminded Lark of a mole-rat.
The top of his head was bald, with sparse stubble running along the side of his stubby face. His nose was remarkably long, and his teeth were missing, save for the two at the very front. Unlike most dwarves, he did not sport a beard or a mustache.
The dwarves did not kneel. They simply placed a hand on their chests and bowed their heads in respect.
"We are honored to be in the presence of the human king, His Royal Majesty, King Lark Marcus," said the dwarf. His etiquette was impeccable.
Despite his rough appearance, his body moved elegantly as he introduced himself and his comrades. "I am Ninirukiriri. I frequently hear that my name sounds quite… complex to the tongue, so please just call me Nini.
The leader of this group. Chief engineer of the Third Weapons Factory. We came here under the command of His Majesty, Dwarven King Lerenon."
It was a very odd name, even for a dwarf. Lark decided to keep this thought to himself. If what the dragon told him was correct, Nini was among the greatest minds in the dwarven kingdom. He was among the dwarven engineers who paved the road in artifact creation and even spell formations.
Lark heard that some of the traps in the Lair where the dragons lived were created by this bald dwarf.
Lark smiled. "Welcome to the capital of the Kingdom of Lukas."
It was unexpected—although the human king's voice did not sound deep, it emanated indescribable authority. For a moment, they were reminded of King Lerenon 'Blood Mithril' Rugard in his younger years.
"It pleases me that His Majesty, King Lerenon, has sent such remarkable dwarves to my kingdom," said Lark.
"Oh no, the pleasure is ours, Your Majesty," Nini clearly had a glib tongue. He spared no effort in pleasantries and flattery. "We heard that your kingdom is in need of monster corpses. So, please accept this gift as our token of gratitude."
Taking that as the cue, the dwarven escorts at the back moved and gently placed a four-meter large metallic container in front of Nini.
"The corpse of one of the strongest monsters in the entire dwarven mountain range!" said Nini in a heated voice. "The corpse of the ruler of the Death Cavern—The Black Puppeteer!"
The moment the dwarves opened the metallic container, chilling air seeped out and swept through the throne room. Slowly, the frozen and perfectly preserved body of the Black Puppeteer was revealed before everyone. A large creature that resembled a ghoul, with two circular horns jutting out of its head, a hairy tail, three eyes, and a large serrated mouth.
It was a monster Lark recognized.
A nightwalker.
A fully grown adult at that.
Even back in the Magic Empire, they were considered powerful monsters. Back when Evander Alaester was still young, he'd received a mission as a member of the Black Mages to annihilate a group of nightwalkers in a ruined city. It was a memorable mission to the young Evander, since it was the first time he'd brushed so close to death in a battle.
The nightwalkers were already strong individually, but when banded together, they were an incredible force to reckon with. They were creatures capable not only of necromancy, but also spells of the highest tiers.
Furthermore, brute strength aside, nightwalkers were intelligent creatures who frequently hid inside the deepest parts of the mazes they built themselves, hiding behind the undead army they raised from the grave.
This nightwalker was probably stronger than the two basilisks they'd encountered before, combined.
"A nightwalker," said Lark.
Nini was surprised hearing that word come out of the human king's mouth. There were only a few people within the dwarven kingdom who were aware of what kind of creature the so-called Black Puppeteer really was.
"Indeed," said Nini. A gleam of curiosity flashed within his eyes.
The dwarven engineer wanted to ask Lark how he learned of this, but his intuition told him not to delve too deep into this topic.
"How did you kill it?" said Lark.
To kill a single nightwalker, one would need to enter its territory filled with traps and powerful undead monsters.
"Even I don't know of the exact details, but I heard that His Highness, First Prince Margaro, rallied his army and went inside the Death Cavern himself," said Nini. "The Margaro Army, who'd been pushing themselves to the limit in training every day, did not rely on petty tricks. With pure brute strength alone, they massacred the monsters of the Death Cavern."
"I hope you don't rebuke me for saying this," added Nini, "but it's truly a shame that the first prince wasn't the chosen winner in the dragon's trial.
The difference in strength between him and the crown prince is simply worlds apart."
Nini was quite daring, spouting such slanderous words before everyone. Looking at the other dwarves in the throne room, Lark realized that most of them felt the same way. They, too, found it a pity that the first prince wasn't chosen as the crown prince.
Lark heard from the Fire Dragon Vulcan that he chose the winner based on merit alone—he chose them by the number of 'useful' corpses they'd procured within the time period.
"I'm sure the dragon has his reasons," said Lark. He had no intentions on pressing the matter any further. He already had his hands full dealing with issues in this kingdom.
"Of course," said Nini. "The Great Guardian Deity must have his reasons. His word is law. Mere dwarves like us just need to follow."
Nini took two steps back, bowed his upper body, and spread his arms wide. "It would be too rude—an insult to His Majesty—if we came here presenting only corpses as gifts."
Several dwarves stepped forward and placed three large chests at the foot of the throne. Slowly, they opened them, revealing the silver-black metal ores inside.
"As such, we've come to present you another gift!" said Nini. He closed his arms and clasped his hands as though in prayer. "Mithril ores!
And not only that! These dwarves behind me are among the best blacksmiths and craftsmen in our kingdom! Please feel free to use them as you see fit, King Lark!"
Lark carefully observed the gifts and the dwarves standing behind Nini.
Some, if not most, of them were probably forced to come here. But since the words of the king and the dragon were the law, they had no choice but to accept their duty.
If he wanted to utilize their talents to the fullest, Lark knew he had to address their grievances sooner or later. But for now, as the first step, he planned on giving them the best treatment possible during their stay in the capital.
"I must relay my gratitude to King Lerenon for presenting me not only these gifts, but also craftsmen and blacksmiths capable of handling them," said Lark. "We've prepared a suitable estate in the Middle District of the capital. It comes with a large smithy, a workshop, and several servants. I believe it's large enough to accommodate everyone. As for the corpses, we can store them in the third tower of this castle."
"Lakian," said Lark to the Grand Chamberlain.
"Your Majesty."
"You will personally guide our esteemed guests to their place of residence," said Lark. "Make sure they're as comfortable as possible."
"As you wish."
Lark looked at all the dwarves in the throne room. "If you have anything you need, just inform the head servant in the estate, and he'll be sure to relay it to Lakian here. I hope you enjoy your stay in the capital."
*** After meeting with the dwarves, Lark called for Anandra in the throne room.
"You called for me, Master?" said Anandra.
"How's your training?" said Lark.
Anandra replied in his usual stoic voice, "I've learned how to coat my weapons with mana. But other than that, my training has been unremarkable thus far."
A mischievous smile formed on Lark's face. "Is that so? But there's this rumor I've been hearing, you see."
Anandra said quizzically, "Rumor?"
"I heard that you and the new secretary have been getting along quite well lately," said Lark, grinning.
A flustered look formed on Anandra's face, but he managed to hide it quickly. He said unhappily, "I simply gave the secretary a place to rest during her break. There's no deeper meaning to it, Master."
Lark leaned back on the throne. "What a boring man. Irene would feel embarrassed if she heard those words." He sighed. "Anyway, I called you here for an important matter. Do you remember what I promised you before?"
"That you'd teach me the Seven Gates," said Anandra.
"That's right." Lark nodded. "But before that, I need to test if you're qualified for it. It's a technique that could easily kill you, when performed in the wrong manner. Fortunately, I've found a potential sparring partner for you that may be your match."
Lark said to the Grand Chamberlain, "Call them in."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
After Lark had given his permission, Arzen, Mokuva, and Captain Symon were finally granted audience with him. The three entered the throne room and knelt before Lark.
"We greet His Majesty, King Lark!" the three said in unison.
"You may rise," said Lark. "Raise your heads. Seeing that the famous captain of the royal knights is here," he looked at the arms of the captain, "it's apparent that the potion worked quite well."
"The words 'quite well' are an understatement, Your Majesty," said Mokuva. "Not only did the potion manage to restore the missing arm of the captain, it also brought my father back into full health. For that, I am truly grateful."
Unlike before, there was now reverence within Mokuva's voice.
"As promised, I returned the moment my father was healed. All so I could serve His Majesty with every fiber of my being," said Mokuva.
Lark was glad to hear this. These past few weeks, he hardly had the time to train his body and expand his mana pool. The mountains of work ate away even some of his personal time.
But with the addition of Mokuva to their workforce, Lark's workload would be lessened somewhat.
"There's a mountain of work to do," said Lark. "I expect great things from you."
"I'll do my best not to disappoint His Majesty." Mokuva bowed his head.
The captain was the next to speak.
Captain Symon saluted. "Symon Marozzo, former captain of the royal knights. I've heard from Lord Arzen that the potion was given to him by His Majesty! Words can't describe how grateful I am! Please give this soldier a chance to serve you, King Lark!"
The way the captain spoke reminded Lark of the first time he'd met Anandra. In terms of character, they were like two peas in a pod.
Straightlaced people who wouldn't budge even when faced with difficult trials.
"What happened to the royal knights in the Forbidden Region was quite unfortunate," said Lark. "And I feel partly responsible, especially now that the beast who killed your comrades has become my tamed creature."
"It is not His Majesty's fault," said Captain Symon. He meant it. "No one, not even my dead comrades, would pin the blame on a king who's just ascended the throne."
"I'm relieved to hear that," said Lark. "I'll find a suitable arrangement for you later on. Rest assured, you'll be given a similar position."
"I am grateful, Your Majesty," said Captain Symon.
Lark's gaze moved to the last person remaining. "Arzen Boris."
"Your Majesty," said Arzen.
"Have you arrived at a decision?"
As before, there was a commanding air surrounding Lark despite his young age. Yet, at the same time, he wasn't too domineering. It did not feel like he was forcing them to work for him. They knew that it was an offer they could refuse without any repercussions.
Arzen closed his eyes for a few seconds, as though pondering if this really was the right decision. Finally, he said, "Yes." He added with conviction, "Please allow me to become your right-hand man, Your Majesty."
Become his right-hand man.
Such ambition. Lark laughed. The man hadn't changed in the slightest.
He still dreamed of greater heights, and he did not even cower when he asked for the highest position among Lark's vassals.
"We'll have to see first if you're deserving of that position," said Lark, amused.
"I'll prove my worth," said Arzen, cupping his hands together. "Your Majesty, we saw the dwarves outside and the corpses they brought with them."
"I see," said Lark. "What of it?"
"Is His Majesty perhaps planning to use those corpses as a material to make weapons or equipment?" said Arzen.
Lark planted his elbow on the armrest and rested his chin on the back of his hand. He pondered for several seconds. "Now that we've come this far, there's probably no need to hide it from my vassals. Arzen, you've seen the living suits of armor I used during the war with the empire, right?"
Arzen remembered. Although he didn't see them in action, he'd seen them walking around within the Third Army. Based on reports, those living suits of armor were strong enough to fight against the elite unit under the direct command of General Alvaran.
"Yes. I remember," said Arzen.
"You are not wrong with the assumption that the corpses will be used as a material," said Lark. "But I don't need their skin, I don't need their fangs, their horns. What I need is the essence within the depths of their cores."
Arzen looked at Mokuva and realized he wasn't the only one who did not fully comprehend what the king was trying to imply.
"The living suits of armor used during the war with the empire were created using the essence of weak monsters," explained Lark. "Some were even created using the essence of mere goblins, while most were created using the essence from the monsters of the Lake of the Full Moon."
Arzen's body quivered upon realizing the truth of the matter.
He'd seen the corpses outside the capital. There were thousands of them, and each looked strong and terrifying. If Lark were to create an army of living suits of armor out of those monsters, he would end up creating an unstoppable legion far more powerful than he had before. Just thinking about it gave Arzen the shivers.
With such a powerful army, even toppling the Great Empire would be feasible.
"T-The legion you mentioned before," said Arzen, unable to hide his disbelief. "Are you going to create them using the corpses the dwarves brought with them?"
Lark nodded. "That's correct."
Arzen felt his neck going numb. Cold sweat flowed down his back.
He was going to lead that monstrous legion?
It was only at this moment that Arzen realized how incredible this offer was. He was glad that he'd accepted it. Compared to being the lord of a mere city, the power he would be able to wield once he was given command of this undying army would be several times greater—no, the two could not even be comparable.
"Captain Symon," said Lark. "I have a favor to ask of you."
Captain Symon said in a heartbeat, "Anything. Please tell me what I need to do, Your Majesty."
"My disciple here," Lark looked at Anandra who'd been standing quietly near the throne, "is in need of a sparring partner, you see."
Captain Symon gazed at Anandra.
"I heard that the captain is the successor of the Marozzo Swordsmanship. The technique used by our kingdom's Sword Saint Marozzo," said Lark.
There were only two people who held the title of Sword Saint within the kingdom. And Captain Symon had inherited the technique of one of them. It was no wonder he managed to come out alive after encountering the Earth Scylla in the Forbidden Region.
"Just once, can you spar with him, Captain?"