Legend of the Arch Magus: The Expansion
Author: Michael Sisa
Date: 2018-10-23T05:00:00+00:00
Description: VOLUME 1 **Current version has been professionally proofread and edited (for audible). An Arch Magus dies, only to find himself in the body of a young man in a medieval Kingdom. He finds out that he is the second son of a Duke, exiled to a desolated town by his own family. Shackled by the notorious reputation of his new shell, he tries his best to develop his domain, implementing new policies and innovations, leading his subjects to prosperity. In this world where magic is undeveloped, he shall once again pave a new path. **

Chapter One

Who would have known that Evander Alestaer, the so-called Arch Magus, would die not on the battlefield but from a curse? Over a dozen disciples of Evander surrounded him on his deathbed, their eyes brimming with tears.

“Teacher! You promised me that after I become a Royal Court Magician, you’ll tell me the secret of the Void History!” said a young girl wearing a white robe. “You can’t die! You promised!”

Evander smiled and stroked the hair of the young girl. She was the youngest of all his disciples and also the brightest. Five years ago, he journeyed through the Endless Desert in the West. Along the way, he passed by a village devastated by a Ground Dragon. Although those creatures were weak before Evander’s eyes, they still possessed enough strength to lay waste to a village or two. The desert clans were unable to subdue the Ground Dragon, resulting to hundreds of casualties. And this girl was among those that survived.

After killing the Ground Dragon on a whim, the young girl suddenly started following him around. It was easy for Evander to shake off the tail, but his curiosity got the better of him. After three days, he finally turned around and confronted the young girl.

“Why are you following me?” he asked that time.

“How did you do that?” said the young girl. It had been three days since she started following Evander in the desert, and Evander had never seen her eat even once. Furthermore, the skin flask containing the water she carried with her had long been emptied. The girl definitely followed her through sheer will alone.

“Did what?”

“I saw how you killed the Desert Beast. The Dragon. Please,” she knelt down in front of him. “Teach me.”

Others may say it was foolishness, but for Evander, it was one of the most precious memories he had in his short life. Picking up this frail girl had given him a sense of purpose. Back then, he had been killing monsters left and right just to satiate his curiosity, to get rid of his boredom. But after that, he decided to take in disciples, nurturing them to lead the path of the next generation.

And right now, those very same disciples surrounded him in all directions, spouting things one after another, telling him that he should be strong and resist the curse.

Unfortunately, this curse was something he got not from a monster, but from a failed experiment. When he was young, he kept searching for the elixir of immortality, the way to transfer souls, the way to extend a mortal’s life. After countless experiments, this was the result. Instead of prolonging his life, the curse started eating his soul. And now, at a young age of fifty, he was slowly dying.

Looking back on his youth, he knew he had been foolish. It was decades after his countless experiments before he realized the true beauty of life. Life without end was not beautiful – it was nothing but torture.

If he could have travelled back in time and meet with his younger self, he would have clearly told him that what he was seeking was nothing but foolishness, a futile thing that would do nothing but create an endless cycle of agony and suffering.

“Teacher! Please don’t leave us!”

“Teacher!”

“Lord Evander!”

Under the constant sobs, Evander felt his strength leaving his body. He could no longer open his mouth to speak. Moreover, his fingers started disintegrating into ashes. It was only a matter of time before he disappeared completely.

Using what remained of his magic, he spoke through everyone’s mind. “I regret that I would no longer be able to accompany everyone through the path ahead. The war with the Demons will be surely tough, but I have faith in every one of you.”

“Leanne,” said Evander to the young girl. “After my death, go to the Forbidden Tower and take my research. Inside those books I have written is the secret of the Void History. I’ve arranged it so that the Forbidden Tower will react to your magic.”

The young girl still had snot dripping down her nose as she nodded. By now, only the trunk and the head of Evander remained. Everything else had vanished into dust.

“Pollux,” said Evander.

The oldest of his disciples, a bald old man, replied, “Teacher.”

“I entrust the disciples to you.”

Pollux bit his lips as tears fell down his cheeks. “Yes, Teacher.”

Evander closed his eyes. Moments lingered and his entire body turned to dust.

***

Evander never believed in the afterlife. To him, the gods were nothing but an aggregation of magic, nothing more.

But right now, he was starting to doubt his belief. After all, he should be dead, but for some reason, he could feel sensations throughout his entire body. He could feel the pain on his chest and knees. He could taste blood in his mouth. He could smell the scent of burnt flesh.

What’s happening?

Evander heard numerous voices.

“You damn, incompetent bastard!” shouted someone. “I told you to give him a lesson! Not kill him!”

The sound of a fist hitting flesh resounded. The scent of vomitus wafted through the air.

“B-But Boss! That damn noble’s too arrogant! He even spat on my face when I talked to him!”

“So what?!” The sound of wooden boxes flying and breaking was heard. “Tell me, how are we going to get the ransom with a dead body?! Tell me!”

The owner of the voice was filled with vehement fury that Evander could feel his rage pierce his very flesh. With what he heard, Evander tried putting the pieces of the puzzle together.

“M-Maybe we can still revive him? Let’s try asking some magician in the—”

“—There’s no magic capable of reviving the dead! Argh! God, Damn it!”

A moment of silence followed. Only the sound of heavy breathing was heard. Evander tried opening his eyes but failed. The cloth wrapped around his head prevented his eyes from opening.

“Boss, what should we do?”

“Burn the body. We can’t leave any evidence behind. Burn this damn place too after that.”

“But what about the ransom money?”

“Didn’t you hear what I’ve told you?! How are we supposed to get the ransom with a dead body! If you understand, go and burn the damn body!”

Evander felt numerous hands untying him. His eyes were still blindfolded, but the ropes tied around his feet were cut.

Evander was confused on what was happening. He was sure that he died on his bed, but now, he suddenly found himself tied and gagged by some unknown individuals.

“Wait… Boss.”

The men carrying him froze. Slowly, they put his tied body down on the ground.

“He’s… He’s still alive!”

“You felt it too? There’s definitely a pulse!”

After that declaration, the sound of someone running was heard. He felt someone palpating his neck to check for the pulse. A shout filled with glee erupted.

“The damn bastard’s alive! He’s alive!” shouted the Boss. “Quick! The water!”

The cloth stuffed inside Evander’s mouth was removed, along with his blindfold. Without warning, cold water splashed on his face. He blinked thrice then spat out the blood that clung inside his mouth.

It took his eyes some time before it was able to finally adjust to the darkness. Looking around, he realized that he was inside a small chamber. Two small torches were latched on the walls on the sides, while wooden boxes were piled on top of each other nearby. Surrounding him were five grown men.

The one at the center breathed a sigh of relief. He stared at the blinking Evander, then grinned.

“Little pup, so you’re still alive,” he said. He did not conceal the chuckle in his voice. “You got us worried for nothing!”

Judging by the voice, this person was probably the one they called Boss. Evander first imagined him as a large, bulky man. But contrary to his expectations, this person was a thin guy with long, unshaven chin. Numerous tattoos were on his skin. Two large metallic rings pierced his nose.

Still stunned by what was happening, Evander remained silent.

“Speak up!” snarled the Boss.

A fist struck Evander’s face, sending a tooth out of his mouth. The taste of blood became increasingly familiar.

After coughing thrice, Evander spoke his mind. “Where am I? What’s happening? I don’t understand.”

His mind was filled with numerous questions. He almost failed to notice the pain that permeated his entire body due to his confusion.

The men around him looked at each other. Eventually, one of them replied. “Pretending you don’t remember?” He spat on Evander’s face. “Look, if your father doesn’t bring us the money soon, we’ll start cutting off your limbs one by one.”

The confusion within Evander increased. Father? Money? A lot of things did not make any sense.

For now, he decided to get rid of the wounds on his body. Although he was used to pain due to his experiences in the battlefield, it was still an unpleasant sensation.

“The floor feels damn cold,” he mumbled.

To the men’s surprise, the ropes tied around his hands burned and turned to dust. Evander slowly stood up, dusted off his clothes, then channeled his mana through his body. Slowly, the wounds on his skin closed.

The five men took several steps back upon seeing the phenomenon. They have seen magic numerous times before, but not something like this. It was supposedly impossible to heal all of those wounds in a matter of seconds.

Evander looked around. The door of the chamber was locked with a metallic chain.

“I have some questions. I hope you’ll answer them for me,” said Evander.

He frowned. He knew that this was not his body. There was no way he was this small and thin. Furthermore, the clothes he wore was too gaudy, with frills at the neck and the sleeves.

“W-Who are you?” breathed the Boss. He locked eyes with Evander for a moment and couldn’t help but feel a chill crawl up his spine. The previously fearful eyes of this young noble had become predatory. The same eyes of those that have taken numerous lives before.

After wiping the blood that was stuck at the corner of his lips, Evander replied, “Who am I? That’s what I’m trying to find out.”

Chapter Two

Evander flicked a finger and five orbs of light appeared above his head, clearly illuminating the chamber with an azure glow. In front of him, a small mirror made of water magic appeared. Evander stared at the figure reflected. Short silver hair, blue eyes, ivory skin. Although tattered, his clothes appeared gaudy, with golden patterns embroidered on the chest. The frills at the hem reminded Evander of dresses usually worn by women.

A young man?

His mind was filled with various thoughts and questions. He was sure he was dead. After resisting the curse by sheer magic strength alone, his mortal body finally crumbled and turned to dust. There was no mistaking that.

A snarl broke Evander out of his stupor.

“What are you?! There’s no way the incompetent son of the Marcus Family’s capable of silent magic!” The Boss took out his sword from the scabbard. At the same time, his men did the same. Numerous sheathing sounds were heard inside the quiet chamber.

“Grab him!”

On command, four men shot towards his direction. After getting a feel of his body, Evander realized that the mana pool of his current shell was low. The magic he had just performed consumed almost half of his entire mana. Compared to his previous self, the magic capacity of this body was like a drop in a lake.

“I still have some questions I would like to ask,” said Evander. “But the leader should be more than enough.”

Evander flicked his fingers and the orbs of light vanished, the flames on the torches dissipated, and darkness permeated the room. Inside the darkness, he dealt blows towards the assailants one after another. The Boss could not see anything, but he knew that his men have been knocked unconscious. He shivered upon this realization.

The Boss felt a hand grab his neck. In that instance, all of his strength left his body. He could not move. He wanted to scream but no sound came out.

“It’ll be a waste of time to ask,” said the voice within the dark. “I’ll just read your memories.”

Read memories? There was no such magic! The Boss felt that what the young noble just said was absurd, but his instinct was screaming at him otherwise.

“Now, sleep.”

Upon the utterance of those words, the Boss lost consciousness.

***

Evander Alestaer still couldn’t get over his shock. After reading the relevant memories of the leader of the group, he found out that the current body he possessed belonged to a young noble from the House of Marcus. This young noble was well-known for his hedonistic lifestyle. A conceited, invidious young man that would sexually harass every pretty woman he met along the way.

Memories read by magic were usually fragmented and incomplete, that’s why Evander was surprised that despite the limit of this spell, he was able to see so much information about his current shell’s notoriousness. It seemed that the previous owner of his body was someone hated by everyone. A noble that used the name of his family as he pleased.

Most probably, the true owner died in the hands of these guys, and for some unknown reason, his soul took over the body. It was a phenomenon he had never expected before. After all, Evander did not believe in the afterlife. It was the same reason why he kept seeking the elixir of immortality when he was young.

Who would have thought that there was really a life after death? A retake? Evander chuckled.

“Amusing,” he said. “So, this is the Kingdom of Lukas, huh?”

He could not remember a Kingdom with such name. Was this the same world but a different continent? A different timeline? Or maybe, a different world entirely. He shivered as he smiled in glee. His current shell was young, probably fourteen or fifteen years old. He would have a lot of time to explore this whole new environment.

Evander sat on a wooden box. Near him, the unconscious bodies of the five men laid on the ground. It was dark, but his eyes had already adjusted to it. He summoned a pebble-sized orb of light on his palm.

“Just as I thought,” sighed Evander. The magic capacity of his current body was small, almost nonexistent, definitely the same as that of a common person. The series of simple magic he had cast before almost consumed his entire mana pool.

If he were to explore the secrets of this world, he would need a stronger vessel. He decided that he would first train this body in order to achieve his goal.

The sound of numerous footsteps was heard outside. Evander estimated that there were more than two dozen of them. Immediately, he dispersed the pebble-sized orb of light on his palm and darkness once again filled the chamber. Using what remained of his magic, he amplified his senses. He soon heard the hushed voices outside.

“He’s still alive, right?”

“Of course! He should be! Lord Drakus will kill us if he finds out that his son died!”

“Be ready to charge on my signal.”

Evander realized that these men must be the ‘magicians’ mentioned by his assailants. They must be here to rescue him.

“This is really amusing,” said Evander. He couldn’t help but chuckle.

He stood up from his seat then laid on the ground, pretending to be unconscious. He did not know why he was suddenly given a second chance in life, but he might as well enjoy it. For now, he decided to see where things would flow.

BAM!

The sound of the door breaking into smithereens reverberated. Splinters of wood flew in all directions as the metallic lock clanked. Although his eyes were closed, Evander could feel numerous presences enter the chamber. And they all halted at once.

“What the hell…”

“Who did this?”

There was momentary silence. They were probably surprised to see the enemies that they were supposed to fight unconscious.

“The Young Master’s here! Over here!”

Evander felt two large hands lifting him up. His eyes remained closed as he waited for things to unfold. In his heart, he could not help but grin in anticipation. He got to admit, this was exciting.

“How’s the Young Master?”

“He seems fine. No injuries too!”

Ah! Damn it.

Evander almost bit his lips. He forgot that he healed his entire body. It would definitely be suspicious that there was not even a single scratch on him. He inwardly reprimanded himself for being unable to think of such an obvious thing.

“Thank God. Lord Drakus would kill us if something happened to his son!”

Evander could feel the heartfelt relief from the owner of the voice. He felt someone gently slapping him.

This is it. I can finally play that role.

Slowly, Evander opened his eyes. He blinked thrice then looked around him.

“Young Master!”

Surrounding him were relieved faces of men and women. Unlike the guys from before, these group were wearing cerulean cloaks. On their chest was the emblem of a rose and a shield.

Evander pretended to be dizzy as he slowly sat up.

“What happened?” said Evander.

“Young Master, I’m really glad you’re safe!” said an old man with monocles. He was wearing a brown chaleco and a matching bowtie. His ashen hair was neatly combed to the back. “We’ve been searching for you for days!”

He pretended to be familiar with the old man. “You finally came. I’ve been here for so long…” He looked at the unconscious men on the floor. He widened his eyes in an attempt to look surprised.

“They’re unconscious,” said the old man, his brows creased, eyes grim. “Young master, what happened here?”

Silence befell them. Evander shook his head. “I don’t know.”

The cloaked figures looked at each other.

The old man with monocles was frowning. “But young Master—”

“—Stop.” Evander placed a hand on his forehead. “I’m feeling dizzy. Take me back home.”

The old man closed his eyes and eventually bowed his head. “Of course. You must be tired. As you wish.” He turned to the cloaked figures. “Escort the Young Master to the carriage. Ask the Healer to examine his body.”

Five cloaked figures assisted Evander in getting up.

After Evander left the chamber, he amplified his senses. He heard the words uttered inside the room.

“Sir Gaston, what should we do with these men?”

“I’ve spoken with Silver Hand. They’re unaffiliated small fries,” said the old man. There was not an ounce of empathy within his voice. “Make them spill it out. All of it. The method doesn’t matter. Make them talk. You can kill them afterward.”

“Understood.”

Chapter Three

“Lark Marcus,” he mumbled. Evander liked the sound of his new name. At the very least, his parents have good naming sense.

Currently, Lark was inside a carriage heading towards his mansion. Through the window, he was able to see the small town. The houses resembling mud clays were haphazardly built in all directions. The streets were covered with snow, creating a white background.

In the Magic Empire, this place would hardly be called a town. It would be more appropriate to call it a village. By sight alone, he estimated that there were probably only a hundred houses in this place.

Still peeking through the window, his eyes landed on the residents shivering on the streets. They were skin and bones, as though they have not eaten for several days.

“Why are you letting the residents starve to death in this weather?” asked Lark curiously.

Gaston, who was sitting beside him, was surprised by this question. He had known the young master since he was young, and the old man knew that he did not have the slightest care about the residents.

The old butler cleared his throat. “Young Master, you don’t remember the Black Famine?”

Under the watchful gaze of the butler, Lark replied, “Don’t really bother to remember the small stuff. What of it?”

Gaston sighed. “Three months ago, the Black Famine hit the entire Kingdom, just right before the harvest. As a result, all the crops withered. Only root crops remained. Right now, wheat is weighed in gold. The nobles themselves are hardly getting by. We can’t afford to feed those residents.”

Gaston further explained to him that the Black Famine was caused by numerous small insects that ate the crops. Although they did not linger for long, their bites cause crops to die and wither in a few days. The Kingdom had been infested by these insects for such a long time that the King had even tasked the Ministry of Research to find a way to annihilate the pests.

Judging by the description of the butler, those insects were probably Kelnup Flies. Lark had encountered them before in his previous life. And based on his knowledge, it was actually really easy to take care of those pests.

If those are really Kelnup Flies. And the plants growing in this place... They’re the same.

The possibility that this was the very same world was high. But right now, he had not enough evidence to prove that. If possible, he wanted to go to a National Library and learn more about this world. But that have to wait for now. First, he needed to address the immediate problems.

Lark furrowed his brows. “But I don’t understand. There’s so much food growing on the ground. There’s no reason for the residents to die of hunger, right?”

Gaston also peeked through the window. “What do you mean, Young Master?”

Lark pointed at the weeds that grew on the snow-covered ground. If one were to look at the sides, there were actually a lot of them.

“Those things are edible,” said Lark.

Gaston looked at the young master with eyes filled with understanding. “Young Master, those things are poisonous—”

“—if eaten raw, yes,” said Lark. He shouted towards the coachman. “Stop the carriage!”

Immediately, the carriage halted to a stop. Lark opened the door and was immediately assaulted by the freezing snow.

Gaston quickly followed behind him. “Young Master! You’re going to catch a cold! Please go back inside the cart!”

Lark simply ignored the old butler. He bent down and pulled numerous weeds off the ground.

“What do you call these here?” said Lark.

Although hesitant, the butler replied, “Poison Cloud, Young Master. It helps melt the snow during winter, that’s why the residents didn’t pull them out. But Young Master, as I’ve said before, those things are proven to be poisonous.”

Lark smiled. “Have you heard of commoner’s wheat before?”

There was a small pause before Gaston shook his head. He wanted to drag away the young master from this freezing street. He was worried that he would catch a cold from this weather.

“Tell the other servants to pull out as much Poison Cloud as they can and place it inside the carts,” said Lark. When he saw that Gaston was about to object, he added, “That’s an order.”

Unable to object, the old man simply sighed and bowed, “As you wish, Young Master.”

Soon, the servants in the next carriages went down one after another. Wearing nothing but tunics and wooden sandals, they trembled from the assault of snow. After receiving instructions from the butler, they began pulling out the weeds and placed them inside the cart.

“Gaston, how many residents are there in this town?” said Lark.

“Around half a thousand, Young Master,” said the old man.

As expected, this place was almost desolate. It should not even be called a town with such meagre population.

After knowing the population of his territory, Lark instructed the servants to gather enough weeds to fill two carts. Some of the residents walking through the snow would stop and stare at them as they pulled the weeds off the ground.

Gaston could not help shaking his head. What they were doing was a waste of time, he knew, but he could not do anything since it was the young master’s orders.

“That should be enough,” said Lark. He clapped his hands once. “Let’s go.”

After filling two carts full with weeds, the group went back towards the mansion. It was a place located in the middle of the town. According to Gaston, before the House of Marcus gained this territory, it was home to a wealthy merchant from another country. The mansion’s interior was good enough for Lark to give it a passing mark.

After changing his clothes, Lark asked Gaston to summon the servants. Soon, eleven men and women gathered in the hall.

“Listen,” said Lark. He was holding a poison cloud in his hand. “As the Lord of this territory, I do not wish for my subjects to starve to death.”

The servants were clearly confused, but they remained silent regardless. “We will be distributing food to all of the residents in this place. After that we will teach them how to gather their own food during this freezing winter.”

One of the servants timidly asked, “But young master, the reserves in the granary are almost empty. We might even have to import some wheat before winter ends. Forgive me for saying this, but it’ll be impossible to feed all of the residents.”

“We have a solution for that,” said Lark, confidently. He raised his hand holding the weed, showing the poison cloud before everyone’s eyes. “We’ve gathered two carts of these things. You call it poison cloud, correct?”

The servants were baffled.

“Young master, those are poisonous!”

“The residents will die if we feed them those things!”

Lark found it amusing. In his previous life, these things were highly-valued crops. They were easy to cultivate and hardly needed sun and water to grow. The only downside was that they were not as delicious as wheat, but for a starving person, the taste of food was trivial.

“Silence!” said Lark. Everyone immediately shut their lips. “These weeds are not poisonous if cooked properly. First, you will burn it until it turned into dust. Gather all the remnants and boil it. Understood?”

The servants were clearly hesitant. After a fierce glare from Lark, they all bowed their heads. “Yes, Young Master.”

Lark clapped his hands. “Remember the instructions. Now, get to work!”

The servants dispersed and began working. Under the supervision of Lark, they cleared the hearth and used it to burn the weeds. After turning it into crisp and dust, they gathered the remnants and boiled it in water. To their surprise, the small black particles turned pale brown and bloated. They somehow resembled caryopsis.

Gaston was speechless upon seeing it. He looked at the young master and noticed that Lark was grinning.

“T-This…” Gaston’s voice trailed off.

“Commoner’s Wheat,” said Lark. “They aren’t tasty at all, but they’re edible. After burning, the poison within the weed is destroyed by the heat. Tastes a bit nasty, actually, but this should do for now.”

“I-I see…” said Gaston. “But Young Master, are you sure it’s safe to eat? If the residents die because of this, your father—”

“—It’s absolutely safe,” said Lark. He scooped out a caryopsis and placed it on his mouth. Gaston’s jaw hanged when he suddenly saw the young master eat food that was supposedly poisonous. “See?”

After a few more minutes, Gaston was finally convinced. The young master ate the poison cloud but was still fine. Therefore, the burning process must have indeed destroyed the poison.

“Disseminate the news to the residents. The mansion will give free food to everyone.”

Gaston felt that something was different from the young master. His arrogant and invidious demeanor was gone. Instead, he could see a different kind of light within those eyes. The old butler could not define what exactly it was, but he could not help but tremble in excitement. This was, after all, the first time the young master showed compassion for the common people.

Gaston bowed. “As you wish.”

Chapter Four

The news about the free wheat porridge provided by the young master stirred up the citizens of Blackstone Town. According to the servants he sent, the noble from the Marcus Family was going to distribute free food to everyone in the town. All they need to do was go to the mansion and receive it personally.

When Loevar heard of this, he immediately dismissed the news. That young master was an arrogant and condescending noble, even worse than the merchants that would occasionally drop by the town. Three months ago, when the Black Famine hit the entire Kingdom, Loevar went towards the mansion to ask for food. He was willing to take even the scraps, for his younger brother was dying of hunger that time.

Loevar would have understood if the young master was unable to spare them any food, since the Black Famine affected everyone regardless of the status. But instead of simply rejecting his pleas for help, Loevar was beaten up by the guards of the young master. If not for the butler stopping the noble, Loevar would have died from that encounter.

From then on, the hatred within Loevar grew. He knew that there was no way the mansion was giving out free food. There was no way that devil incarnate would care about common people like them.

Luckily for Loevar, his younger brother survived that famine. Although right now both of them were skin and bones from constant hunger, at least they were still alive. During the freezing winter, they would tear off the bark of trees and eat them. If the Gods were benevolent, a frog or a mouse would be available for dinner.

“Anthony,” said Loevar. He grabbed his wooden bow and the quiver. “I’ll try hunting for food outside. Don’t go out. Understood?”

It was freezing outside and the chances of successfully hunting a rabbit or other small animals in the nearby forest was close to none, but Loevar still wanted to try. He needed to find a way to procure food for the two of them, otherwise, they would die this winter.

“Anthony?” said Loevar. There was no response.

He pushed aside the ragged cloth that served as partition between the bed and the kitchen. He found out that his supposedly still sleeping brother was not there.

Loevar furrowed his brows. “Where did that kid go?”

Hurriedly, he wore his tattered coat then went outside. Snow continued falling down the heavens, piling up above the roofs and the streets. A steam would come out every time he breathed.

Usually, there would be very few people outside in this weather. Even the homeless ones would try to find a shelter from this cold. But right now, there were numerous people outside.

‘What’s happening?’ he thought.

He approached the tailor walking in front of him. After grabbing her shoulder, the old woman turned around. “Ah, Loevar. What is it?”

Since it was a small town, everyone knew almost everyone by name.

“Why are there so many people outside?” said Loevar. It was literally freezingly cold right now.

“You didn’t hear about the free wheat porridge by the Young Master?” said the old tailor, raising a brow.

“You mean that crappy news about the noble from the Marcus Family?” said Loevar gloomily. He never believed the news even for a second.

The tailor looked around nervously. “Shh! What if someone from the mansion hears you?!”

“So what?” said Loevar. “They’ll kill me, right? Those guys are demons. Granny, you shouldn’t trust those guys. It’ll be better for you to stay inside. You’ll just catch a cold here. There’s no way those arrogant bastards will open the granary for us common people.”

Although the tailor clearly heard his warning, it seemed that she had not the slightest intention of going back. Loevar sighed in his heart. He could see that more and more people were going out of their houses, probably going towards the mansion.

“By the way, have you seen Anthony?” said Loevar.

The tailor tightened the thin scarf around her heck. “I’ve seen him pass through my shop some time ago. He’s probably headed to the mansion right now.”

Loevar groaned. The kid probably didn’t tell him because he knew that he would refuse.

“I see,” said Loevar. “Thank you.”

Loevar walked along with the other residents towards the mansion. Upon arrival, he saw the excited faces of the people. He could see some of them holding large bowls of soups in their hands, excitedly sipping it.

For a moment, Loevar was stunned that the news was actually true. So, the young master was really trying to feed the starving residents? Loevar could not believe it. In normal circumstances wherein the granary was full, it would have been a miracle for the nobles to feed the common people. But now that the Kingdom was under a state of famine, it was even more preposterous.

How did they gain so much food to feed all these people?

‘Don’t tell me, the young master used his own pocket money to import food from the Lion City? Impossible. A devil’s not that generous.’

“Listen up! Once you’re finished with the food, put back the bowls so that others can use them!” shouted a young man with silver hair. Loevar stared at him in wonder. There was no doubt about it – that was the second son of Lord Drakus.

The servants of the noble would fill the bowls to the brim then hand it towards the ones in line. The queue was long, but Loevar was sure that to the starving residents, it did not matter how long they had to fall in line for. They were just grateful that they would be able to eat at all.

“Anthony!” shouted Loevar. He finally saw his little brother, right at the front of the line.

As he was about to approach the kid, he was stopped by the servants. The butler from the Marcus Family shook his head twice. “No skipping in line. Get to the back.”

A bit helpless, Loevar simply waited for his younger brother to finish the queue. After receiving his share of food, the young master stumped a charcoal mark on the kid’s nail.

“Why did you suddenly leave without telling me?” reprimanded Loevar the moment his brother went to him. Right now, the kid was carrying a large bowl filled with soup.

“You hate the Young Master, right? If I told you, you wouldn’t let me come,” said Anthony.

The voice of the kid was loud, and the Young Master stared at Loevar upon hearing it. Seeing this, Loevar panicked and immediately hushed his younger brother.

“Shhh! Not too loud!” breathed Loevar. He could not help but stare at the bowl his little brother was holding.

“Big brother, you should get a bowl of porridge too,” said Anthony. He scooped the bottom and showed Loevar the contents. “Look. They’ve added a lot of wheat in it.”

Loevar could not help but salivate. His stomach started grumbling. If he fell in line, it would probably take an hour or two before his turn, but the temptation of the wheat porridge was too enticing. A single bowl would probably be enough for them to survive through an entire day.

“Listen!” The Young Master clapped his hands once. Despite the falling snow, he stood outside the manor, as though he was not afraid of catching a cold. “I want all of you to pass the news to everyone. Every day, until the next harvest, we will be giving out two bowls of wheat porridge to each resident! One in the morning and one in the evening!”

The declaration stirred up everyone. Murmurs filled the mansion’s grounds.

“I-Is that true, young master?” asked one of the residents.

The young master nodded and smiled confidently. “Of course. I, Lark Marcus, never lies. You have my word.”

Although Loevar was doubting the credibility of the promise, he could not help but get excited. The news regarding free food for today was, after all, proven true.

“But it is not free!” declared the young master. The residents panicked upon hearing it. This town was among the poorest in the entire region. If the young master started asking silvers for food, then they would have no means to pay up.

“For each bowl of soup, an individual has to pay with three Poison Clouds!” said the young master. He took out a weed from his pocket and showed it to everyone. “You’ll have to give three of this in order to get your share of food. That is the rule!”

“J-Just that?” asked a resident.

“If… If it’s just Poison Cloud… I have many of those growing around my house!”

“Me too!”

The crowd began to get excited. Loevar felt that the payment for a wheat soup was too cheap. After all, it was possible to get Poison Clouds by simply walking through the streets.

The young master was grinning. “I declare that from now on, no one shall starve during the freezing winter under my rule! This is the promise of Lark Marcus!”

Chapter Five

During the past few days, Blackstone Town became lively. Despite the falling snow, people were frequently seen outside their homes, harvesting the poisonous weeds on the ground. Since those plants were ubiquitous, fighting over them rarely happened except in some isolated circumstances.

As Lark looked through the window of his room in the mansion, he felt a sense of satisfaction. After learning that he was the lord of this territory, the first thing that came to his mind was to restore the order of the town. And to do that, the first step was to satiate the hunger of his people. After all, starving men were no different from mindless beasts. It would be unwise to hand important jobs to such people.

Three knocks were heard and the door creaked open. Gaston went inside his room and handed him a stack of papers.

“Young Master, these are the files and records for Blackstone Town,” said Gaston. He was inquisitively gazing at the young noble. He had never known that a time would come wherein the Young Master would be interested in actually governing the place. And to his utter surprise, the Young Master asked him to collect all available documents related to this town.

The stack of papers was as thick as a forearm. A scholar would normally take a week at the minimum before they would be able to absorb those that were written inside. However, the Young Master merely scanned each paper. His eyes swiftly moved through each document, reading them quickly using magic.

After an hour, Lark tossed the last document onto the top of the table. He nodded to himself while holding his chin. Afterwards, he pulled out a quill and began drawing a complex symbol on a parchment.

“I have a clear idea of the town’s status now,” said Lark. “Gaston, I want you to order the mason living in the town to create a hundred stone tablets for me.” He handed the old butler the parchment containing the drawing. “Tell him to carve these symbols on the tablets. For the size, half an arm’s length for both the height and width should do. Make it as thick as a finger.”

The butler was confused on what was happening. He said, “Young Master, a stone tablet of that size would cost us about two to three silver coins each. I don’t think it’s wise to spend it on unnecessary things—”

“—It’s not unnecessary,” said Lark. He sat on his chair then sipped some wine. “Those things will enable my subjects to survive through the winter, at the very least.”

“Young Master… I don’t understand,” said Gaston.

“There’s no need for you to understand,” said Lark, bluntly. “Just do it.”

Gaston creased his brows. “I will obey.”

After the old butler left the room. Lark stood up and took out a document from the stacked papers. Written inside was the number of households and families in Blackstone Town.

“Got to hand it to the merchant that lived here before,” said Lark. The file was around a year old, but it should be good enough as basis for now. “He sure made work easier for me. He even bothered to create a census for the families living here.”

Lark still have no idea why the second son of the powerful Marcus Family was sent to this decrepit town, but he deemed that since this place was a granted territory, he might as well nurture it. His current body was still young, and despite the very low mana pool, there would still be enough room for it to grow. It would probably take a few more years before he could perform Grand Scale Magic just like before.

***

After three days, the stone tablets were finally finished. To say that they were stone tablets was a bit of an overstatement. Those things resembled mud than stone. Their brown finish reminded Lark of the uneven ground in the outskirts of the Magic Empire.

Lark summoned the servants in the hall. Before everyone’s gaze, he announced, “I want these tablets to be strategically placed in between houses.”

“As for their use,” said Lark. He took out a pouch filled with golden sand. “These things are basically heat stones. They’ll adjust their temperatures accordingly, maintaining an optimal temperature in a limited radius. Since this town is small, a hundred stones should be enough.”

Gaston stared at the golden sand the young master held in his hand. If he was not mistaken, those were gold dust, a raw material frequently used to create golden threads.

‘The young master surely wouldn’t…’

Before Gaston could even react, Lark started sprinkling some gold dust on the symbols carved on the stone tablets. He then placed a palm on the center of the symbol, and soon, the hexagram glowed a golden color, before vanishing moments after.

After Lark was on his third tablet, Gaston finally managed to blurt out his protests.

“Young Master! Those are gold dusts! To use them like that—” squealed Gaston. He could not help but shiver upon seeing the gold dusts disappear before his very eyes. It was like throwing gold coins away.

Lark chuckled. “Relax. What’s the use of golden threads anyway? They wouldn’t raise the productivity of my people. With these heat stones, working during winter would no longer be a problem.”

As time went on, Gaston realized that the young master was becoming more and more eccentric. Where did the hedonistic, mischievous, and arrogant young master go? Old as he may be, Gaston could clearly feel that the young master had definitely changed.

Soon, all of the tablets were completed. Lark nodded satisfactorily at his work. Gaston noticed that the temperature inside the manor had changed. It was as though summer had arrived.

“Nice and warm, isn’t it?” grinned Lark. “The advantage of gold dust is that even after a long time, the magic wouldn’t easily fade away. That’s why these things are one of the catalyst when performing Grand Scale Magic. Of course, if it’s High Rank Magic, the effect would not last long with such poor materials.”

Once again, unusual words were coming out of the young master’s mouth.

Lark said to the butler. “The heat stones will easily melt the snow within a certain radius. Place them about thirty meters apart from each other. Just to be safe, bury them half a meter deep into the ground. Also, issue out a decree that anyone who destroys or steals them will be severely punished.”

Seeing the resolute expression of the young master, Gaston nodded. “As you wish, Young Master. I will immediately ask the servants to install it all throughout the town.”

Lark was smiling. “According to the documents, there're around sixty or seventy residents that are currently homeless. Spread the news to them – Lark of the Marcus Family is willing to give them free food and shelter in exchange of their service.”

Gaston was startled. “But young master! That’s absurd! We cannot support such a large number of servants!”

After reading documents, Lark found out that he still had around four hundred gold coins left in the treasury. It was probably a small amount when compared to the other nobles, but in this small town, it would be enough to hire a large number of individuals.

Lark deemed that it would be better to circulate the money than let it stay inside his treasury. After all, as the lord of this town, it would all come back to him in the form of taxes eventually. Right now, his most important asset was not the gold coins but the people. In this town that did not even have a thousand residents, it would be foolish to let them die from hunger and the cold.

He had seen the barren lands he passed by along the way when he was riding the carriage. According to Gaston, those lands were non-arable. Lark could not help but shake his head when he learned that the vast land surrounding the town was not actually fully utilized. According to the farmers, only a small portion of it was suitable to grow wheat. It was utter bullshit born from the lack of knowledge.

Lark was confident that it should be possible to convert those so-called nonarable lands to an abundant wheat field. It would take time, but it would definitely increase the growth of his territory later on.

And right now, those jobless and homeless residents were the perfect candidates for the job.

Chapter Six

Inside his room, Lark sat cross-legged on the floor. Since receiving his new body, he never neglected mana training even once. Although the current vessel was severely lacking, with proper training, he knew that it would someday become powerful enough to perform Grand Scale Magic.

With his eyes closed, he began to forcefully move the small amount of mana in his body. He channeled it through different parts, making it circulate repeatedly. Only through this way would his body become accustomed to the existence of mana. It was this simple and repetitive exercise that will help expand his mana pool.

His breathing slowed down and the sound of his surroundings disappeared afterwards. He could no longer hear the sound of pouring snow. He could no longer hear his soft breaths. He could no longer feel the carpeted ground. All that he could feel was the serpentine-like flowing energy within his body – the erratically moving mana.

Minutes turned into hours. By the time he was done, his entire body was drenched in sweat despite the cold weather. His heart was loudly pounding, his temples pulsating. Lark exhaled then stood up. A smile slowly emerged on his face.

“This is quite fun.”

The sensation of slowly expanding his mana pool was something he had long forgotten before. Back in his previous life, his body had already attained a colossal mana pool that it was no longer possible to expand it further.

Just when he was about to go down to grab something to eat, three knocks were heard on the door and Gaston’s voice was heard, “Young Master, the residents that answered to the job offer has been gathered in the hall.”

That was fast. Lark approvingly said, “Good job.”

After leaving the room, together with the old butler, Lark went towards the hall. The guards and the servants greeted him upon his arrival. The residents, on the other hand, wore nervous faces. Some were gawking at the paintings and furniture, while some were looking on the ground, seemingly afraid of the guards.

“Welcome,” said Lark. “I’m sure you know me already but let me introduce myself. I am the Lord of Blackstone Town – Lark Marcus.”

The residents bowed their heads upon this introduction. Lark quickly counted the number of applicants. Forty-eight. It was less than he had expected.

“I will cut straight to the point,” said Lark. “I am here to offer everyone a job – jobs that would feed them. Everyone will be well compensated.”

There was a small pause. “How many of you knows how to read and write?”

The commoners looked at each other. As expected, there were none.

Lark simply smiled. He had not really expected them to know of such an advanced skill. After all, you would need at least basic education to know how to do those things. Just right when he was about to continue his speech, to his surprise, a young woman raised her hand.

“I-I know h-how to read and write,” said the young woman. Her blonde hair was frizzy and her face was filled with dirt. Her dress was moth-eaten. After seeing that everyone’s eyes were on her, she hunched her shoulders to appear smaller.

“Oh?” said Lark. His eyes glimmered with interest. “Could you tell me how you learned it?”

There were a few seconds of hesitation. “I… I once worked for a noble in Lion City. During that time, the mistress would let me accompany her to her studies. I learned how to read and write from that.”

Lark felt that she was not lying. He locked eyes with Gaston for a moment, and the old butler seemed to have realized the young master’s intent. He pulled the young woman from the crowd and let her stay near the young master.

“Name?” asked Lark.

“M-Melody, young master,” replied the young woman.

He could see her trembling shoulders. Lark was aware of his vessel’s misdeeds before. Sexual harassment, physical abuse, attempted murder. The previous owner of this body, despite being young, was a total demon. He could understand why she was afraid of a young man like him. For now, all he could do was slowly change the perception of his subjects with the passage of time.

“If you pass my little test, I will grant you an important position later,” said Lark in a small voice, just enough for him and her to hear.

The young woman stared at him in bewilderment for a moment, before nodding once.

Lark cleared his throat. “Anyone else knows how to read or write?”

After some time, no one else raised their hands.

“What I need right now are three kinds of people: Farmers, builders, and soldiers,” said Lark. “One month from now, winter will end. Of course, it’ll take at least two weeks before the snow fully melts. Once that happened, I want my farmers to immediately work on cultivating the lands in the north and the west.”

Lark noticed that some of them wore confused looks upon hearing that statement.

“But young master,” said one of the commoners. “The northern and western lands of Blackstone Town are dead. It’s impossible to grow crops in that area.”

“We have a solution for that,” said Lark.

After reading the documents left behind by the wealthy merchant that used to live in this town, he learned that there was a certain area of the town wherein the residents dumped their night soil. This practice had been going on for more than a decade now, and that single fact greatly pleased Lark. Once winter ends, he would assign some farmers to spread those natural composts to the northern and western land. Of course, there would always be a risk for disease when using human excreta, but Lark planned to secretly deal with it using magic. For now, he simply had to wait until winter ends before he could finally start cultivating the lands.

Lark clapped his hands once. “Next are the builders. It doesn’t matter if they are male or female. Under my supervision, you will be tasked to create houses at the eastern part of Blackstone Town. I plan to expand the border of the town at least twice during this year. Payment will be 6 silver coins per month. The houses built will be granted to those without a residence in Blackstone House. Of course, it wouldn’t be given for free. You will be asked to pay a monthly rent of 2 silvers and 25 coppers. The construction project will start right away this winter.”

This way, the number of homeless locals would be reduced and at the same time, Lark would be able to effectively circulate his money via the salary and rent. Since the residents would still be required to pay taxes later on, it was a win-win situation.

The commoners were clearly interested with the proposal. After all, the normal monthly income of a resident of Blackstone Town was around three silvers. The offered salary of the young master was twice that amount. Even if they were to pay for the rent, they would still have more than enough left to pay for food and other necessities. Moreover, they would be able to have their own house to live in.

But there was one problem.

“But young master,” said one of them. “You said that you plan to start the construction this winter. The snow outside has piled up till our calves. We’ll freeze to death if we work under such weather.”

This was one of the reasons why Lark immediately created heat stones after receiving the documents of Blackstone Town. He could not really wait until winter ends before he started the construction project. Waiting one and a half month just because of the stupid snow would be simply a waste of time.

“I’ve asked some of the servants to install several heat stones near the eastern border of the town,” said Lark. “It will melt the snow and greatly reduce the cold. Of course, we will provide the workers with thick clothes and hot soup to combat the cold. Rest assured, no one will die of cold during the construction period.”

The commoners were still obviously puzzled on what the heat stones were, but they nodded for now.

“Since the cultivation of the land will have to wait until the snow melts, the farmers will temporarily help the builders during this winter season. The payment will be the same, six silvers. Also, the farmers, builders, and soldiers are eligible for a house. They only need to pay the appropriate rent.”

“Lastly, the soldiers,” said Lark. Out of the forty-eight gathered here, only twenty-three were males. Lark secretly hoped that a lot of them would join his army. “Only males are allowed to become my soldiers. Soldiers will get paid eleven silvers, three meals a day, with a free small meat every four days. Also, I will allow them to stay at the cabin behind the Mansion. It should be large enough to accommodate everyone.”

The announcement stirred the crowd. Judging by the expressions of everyone, they would like to immediately jump on the offer. Eleven silvers were an absurd amount of salary for commoners like them. Moreover, they would immediately have a home once they were accepted. Even the old butler seemed shocked by the young master’s sudden declaration. Lark simply grinned at him and wordlessly told him to stay silent.

“Aside from Melody here, I have clearly stated the conditions of employment for everyone,” said Lark. “I will give everyone half an hour to decide which profession you would like to choose. Of course, if you don’t like to work for me, that’s fine too.”

Half an hour later, Gaston gave Lark the results. Twenty-three were interested in farming, while seven for building. As expected, more locals chose the job that was more familiar to them. Lark deemed that the shortage of manpower for the construction would be alleviated by the farmers during winter season. They could help move stones and wood, at least.

For the soldiers, fifteen men were interested. The remaining three locals chose to not accept any jobs. Lark’s reputation was probably the deterrent, since the offers themselves were magnanimous enough for this small town.

Lark clapped his hands once and everyone’s attention turned to him.

“I want all of the farmers and builders to gather in this hall tomorrow, same time,” said Lark. “We will immediately start the construction of the eastern border this winter.”

Those that belonged to farming and construction bobbed their heads and replied, “Understood, Young Master!”

Lark turned towards the group of men on his left. Since they were homeless and the Black Famine had just struck the Kingdom, they were skin and bones. If not for the free porridge he had been giving out during the past few days, they would have been skinnier.

“Now, for the soldiers. I will be giving out a simple test,” said Lark. He signaled the servants and soon, numerous pots made of clay were handed out to each of them. “If you pass the test, I will allow you to enter the ranks of my personal army. All benefits will be given, of course. You have my word. But if you fail to pass my simple test, do not worry. You can still choose to work as a farmer or a builder for Lark Marcus.”

Lark told the aspiring soldiers to fall in line. After receiving their pots, each of them was given three seeds. Lark would scribble down something on a parchment after asking the name of the person in front of him. To Melody’s surprise, Lark also asked her to participate in his little test. The blonde young woman fell in line and also received her pot and seeds.

After everyone received the seeds, Lark smiled. “Now, for the test. All of you will be tasked to cultivate those seeds. Make them grow – in four days.”

The aspiring soldiers were stunned, definitely confused. They applied to be a soldier, not a farmer. Why was the young master asking them to grow some seeds?

As though voicing everyone’s thoughts, someone asked, “Forgive my insolence, but young master, is this little test necessary? We’re… We’re not farmers.”

Lark seemed to have expected this question. He nodded. “Of course. Listen, if you are unable to make those three seeds grow, you will fail the test. Only those that have successfully made all three seeds grow into a small plant within the time period will be allowed to join my personal army.” He looked at Melody and said, “The same goes for you.”

The young woman nodded, saying that she understood.

Lark cleared his throat. “Any questions?”

After a period of silence, he said, “Farmers and builders, you are required to gather here tomorrow. As for the soldiers, come back here after four days. Bring the plants with you.”

After those words, he dismissed them from the hall.

Lark licked his lips and smiled. He was looking forward to the results four days from now.

Chapter Seven

Evander knew that he was dreaming as he watched the scene in front of his very eyes.

A boy, probably five or six years old, was digging through the garden. His silver hair was a mess as his cerulean eyes smiled. Beads of sweat flowed down his face as he chuckled. Butterflies flew around, while birds chirped. It would have been a pristine sight if not for the cat in front of him.

The cat was mutilated. Its ears were cut off while the skin was burnt in many places. Blood dripped down its opened mouth. Judging by the weak purrs, it was still barely alive.

“Mister Cat, I told you to play with me, right?” said the boy. “You should have listened to me. This is your punishment. That’s right! Punishment!”

The boy continued digging on the ground, his small hands scooping out the soil before him. After placing the cat inside the hole he dug, a young man came running towards him.

The young man grabbed the boy’s collar, lifting him up. “Lark! What are you doing?! Didn’t I told you to stop killing the pets!?”

“Big Brother?” said the boy, tilting his head. “What are you talking about? I’m just playing with the cat.”

The boy smiled and the dream ended.

After waking up, Evander slowly sat up on his bed. If he had known that the dream was going to be nasty, he would have cut it off right at the start.

Somehow, he felt that the dream was part of the memories of his current body. He had never experienced taking over the body of another person before, so he was not sure.

“That’s right, I’m Lark Marcus now,” he said with a sigh.

He went towards the window and swept aside the curtains. Snow was still falling to the ground.

After the job offer was issued, he supervised the construction project at the eastern border of the town. To his surprise, the workers did not complain at all. Thankfully, there was an abundance of wood and logs in this town due to the forest nearby. Those materials were left untouched due to the inclement weather, but with the help of the heat stones, the workers were able to immediately start the construction.

He conjectured that since those houses would eventually be handed out to the locals, they felt motivated working on it. Furthermore, the heat stones have greatly shown its effect. Although it was unable to fully eliminate the snow and the cold, it enabled the workers to continue with the construction project despite the weather.

Four days have passed since the recruitment. Now, it was time to assess the soldiers.

***

Qarat was crestfallen. Today was the deadline for the test the young master had given them. He had done anything he could, but for some reason, only one out of the three plants grew. He stared at the plant in the pot. It was small, almost inconspicuous, but it was the only successful one among the three.

He shook his head. “I’m definitely going to fail the test. Maybe I should just consider being a farmer? The northern and western lands are barren, but the Young Master said that he has a way to reclaim those areas.”

Being a farmer was not a bad idea, too. He could plow his fields and enjoy the harvest. Unlike the other regions of the Kingdom wherein battles frequently took place, Blackstone Town was a relatively peaceful area. There were very few cases wherein armies or bandits would loot the town. Being a farmer in this region was definitely safer than the other parts of the Kingdom.

“But I can’t even grow a damn seed.” He smiled in self-mockery. “I’m probably not suited to become a farmer. Then, being a builder is the last choice.”

Honestly, he was after the benefits of a soldier. Eleven silvers were a massive amount. Moreover, he was tempted by the offer of free meat. Although the job of a soldier involved life and death, this was Blackstone Town which was hardly visited by anyone. Even merchants would seldomly drop by this place since it had nothing to offer. If not for the Lion City located two days away, this town would have been isolated from the rest of the Kingdom.

Qarat gripped his black, disheveled hair in frustration. He really wanted to be a soldier, but the test result was already obvious.

He stared at the plant growing in the pot. He had been living in this town for two decades now. He was sure that the plant was called Cal Shrub. A common plant that would grow everywhere. Although it was not as ubiquitous as Poison Cloud, it was still relatively easy to find.

An idea went to Qarat’s mind. “Since those three seeds are the same. If I just find a Cal Shrub on the ground, a small one, then plant it on the pot… Surely, the Young Master wouldn’t notice, right?”

If he managed to do that, he would definitely pass the test. After all, he would be able to meet the requirement of making all three seeds grow.

Qarat stood motionless inside the collapsed shack. The roof had fallen long ago due to the weight of piled up snow. Lost in his thoughts, he ignored the assault of the freezing snow.

After some time, Qarat sighed. A steam puffed out of his mouth. “Forget it. I’ll feel bad if I passed the test like that. If I can’t become a soldier or a farmer, I can still apply for the position of a builder. The Young Master said so before.”

After steeling his resolve, Qarat wrapped his body in a thin blanket, grabbed the pot, then went towards the Mansion.

On his way towards the place, he saw some of the aspiring soldiers carrying the pots in their hands. They held it as though it was something precious, as though their lives depended on it.

To Qarat’s dismay, he saw some of them with three Cal Shrubs growing on the pots.

All three of their seeds grew. Damn it.

He gnashed his teeth as he tried brushing off the bitterness in his heart. Upon arrival in the Mansion, they once again gathered in the hall. The Young Master was already there, with the old butler at his side.

The young master counted their numbers then nodded afterwards. He said, “Good. It seems that everyone’s here. So, how was it? Did you enjoy my little test?”

The Lord was definitely young, probably fifteen or sixteen years old, but Qarat would sometimes wonder why his gaze was full and deep, as though it held wisdom borne from decades of living. It was a stark contrast to the Young Master he had met a few months ago. The playful and arrogant Lark Marcus had totally vanished.

The aspiring soldiers simply nodded at the Young Master’s remark.

After spreading his hands, Lark grinned, “Then, let’s start the assessment.”

The butler told everyone to fall in line, while the young master grabbed a large piece of parchment in his hand. The first in line was a tall man with bony cheeks. His face was full of confidence as he held the pot in his hands. Inside the pot, three Cal Shrubs grew.

The man did not even get to speak when the young master suddenly said, “Failed. Next.”

Upon hearing those words, Qarat was baffled. The man clearly had successfully grown three plants. So, why did he fail? It was the question that rattled his mind, and Qarat was sure that it was the same question currently going through everyone’s mind.

The man gulped down the lump in his throat, looked at the pot he was holding, then asked, “Young Master? What do you mean ‘failed’?”

The Young Master narrowed his eyes. “Didn’t you hear me? I said you failed the test.”

“But! I have grown all three seeds! Look!” The man raised the pot so that the young master could see it clearly.

“That’s the point,” said the Young Master. “One of those seeds are defective, dead, unable to grow. You’ve grown three of them. You’ve clearly cheated.”

The man froze upon hearing this. Qarat noticed that those that grew three plants were restless. Slowly, hope rekindled within Qarat’s heart.

The Young Master said that one of those seeds was defective. Then maybe the reason why my other seeds didn’t grow…

Qarat was soon filled with excitement. The job as a soldier might not be out of reach after all.

“Listen, what is the most important aspect of being a soldier?” said Lark. At this question, everyone turned silent. “Strength? Stamina? Wealth? No. It’s credibility. The rest are secondary. A soldier is not simply a killing machine, a creature meant to subdue another. A soldier is someone that ensures the safety of the sovereign. If the core is rotten, so will be the body.”

A surge of heat flowed through Qarat’s chest upon hearing that speech. He could feel his heart start to pound loudly.

The most important is not strength. It’s credibility. The rest are secondary.

Those words kept resounding within Qarat’s mind.

“We can train your body. We can train your skills. We can train your spirit,” said Lark. “But we cannot train character. That’s the purpose of this test.”

One after another, the aspiring soldiers were judged by the Young Master. Soon, it became Qarat’s turn. The hairs on his brown skin stood upon facing the Young Master. He was nervous. He simply wished he would pass.

Once I passed, I can eat meat every four days. That would be paradise.

To a commoner like him, meat was a luxury he could only dream of. Unless the hunter next door shared the prey he had caught, Qarat was unable to eat meat at all. Just imagining the free meat made him salivate.

“Name?” said Lark.

With a trembling voice, Qarat replied, “Q-Qarat,”

Lark looked at the pot Qarat was holding then at the parchment. He smiled, tapped Qarat’s shoulders then said, “You’ve passed. Congrats.”

Hearing this, Qarat could barely suppress his happiness. He bowed his head and said, “Thank you, Young Master.”

The young master merely chuckled, “The training for soldiers will be harsh. Ready yourself.”

“Yes! I will do my best!”

After the assessment, out of the fifteen aspirants, only nine successfully passed the exam.

Lark clapped his hands. “I will skip the formalities. Starting today, we shall immediately begin your training.”

Chapter Eight

Clark, a middle-aged man wearing leather armor, silently watched as the Young Master made his assessment of the soldiers. As the Head of the Guards, his priority was the safety of the young noble. But honestly speaking, he did not like the Young Master at all. The second son of Lord Drakus was a total brat. There had been numerous times wherein Clark could not help but ask himself how a person could be so evil, so hedonistic, that there seemed no chance for redemption.

If he could, he would have left this small town long ago. But since it was an order from his beloved master, Lord Drakus, he steeled his resolve to stay until the end. Clark repeatedly convinced himself that he should endure this and carry out his duty faithfully.

What is the brat thinking, suddenly recruiting soldiers?

Clark sighed. Near him, he could also see the expressions of the other guards. They were also probably confused of the sudden change in the Young Master these past few days. For some unknown reason, he suddenly started giving out free food to the starving residents. When Clark first heard of it, he laughed at the absurdity of the news. But after seeing the servants actually distributing the wheat porridge, his jaw slacked in wonder.

“Let’s skip the formalities,” said the Young Master. “Let’s immediately start with training.”

Clark frowned. He knew that the Young Master was incredibly weak. Whenever the Young Master got into trouble, he would come running to the guards to ask for help. Although clearly annoyed and hesitant, the guards would always answer his call. Just like Clark, the other seven guards were loyal to Lord Drakus. Otherwise, they would have left this town long ago.

The servants appeared, carrying with them numerous spears. Clark was sure that there were no such weapons in the Mansion, even in the underground basement. He started wondering where they got hold of them.

“Clark—,” said the Young Master. “—And the rest of the guards. Come over here.”

Upon the order, Clark and the other guards went towards the young master. At the corner of their eyes, they could see the spears being handed out to each soldier.

“Young master, you called?” said Clark.

Lark nodded. “The eight of you will join the training. No exemptions.”

The guards looked at each other.

“What do you mean, Young Master?” said Clark, clearly confused of what was happening.

Lark sighed. He pointed at the soldiers holding a spear. The shaft was made of wood while the blade was made of iron. “Get a spear, all of you. Then join those guys.”

“We’re joining the training too?” said one of the guards.

“That’s right,” said Lark. They could see the annoyed stare of the Young Master. “That’s an order. Go.”

After a few moments of hesitation, the guards grabbed a spear then joined the soldiers. As one of the guards belonging to the Marcus Family, each of them have fairly decent strength. They were confident that even if all of these “soldiers” were to fight them, they would easily emerge victorious in the end. They felt that it was a waste of time to be joining the training of these soldiers which, just a few moments ago, were ordinary residents of Blackstone Town.

‘I guess this is better than taking care of the mess the Young Master makes whenever he gets into a fight in the town. That’s right. This is probably better.’ Clark consoled himself with these thoughts.

“Uhm, Young Master?” said one of the soldiers. “Are you the one who’s going to train us?”

Clark almost chuckled. What a stupid question. Of course, the one training them would be somebody else. What would the frail Young Master know about battle, after all?

“Yes, that’s correct,” replied Lark.

The shock within the eyes of the guards, including Clark, was evident. Some of them tried to open their mouth and speak, but eventually chose to stay silent in the end. The guards all knew the temperament of the Young Master. One wrong move and they would be the target of ridicule and punishment.

“Of course, since I’ll be the one teaching you,” said Lark. “It’s only proper that I display my skills before everyone. It’ll be hard to follow the instructions of a sheltered noble, after all.”

Although everyone was silent, they all nodded within their minds. They did not feel like being taught by someone who was clearly weaker than them.

Lark gripped the shaft of his spear. “After a year, I hope that everyone will be able to do at least this much.”

Suddenly, a strong killing intent filled the entire hall. Although Clark had been working as a guard for the Marcus Family, he had never once felt such savage sensation in his life. It was as though someone was devouring him whole, like he was a prey meant merely for entertainment. Even the Royal Knights in the Capital did not give such vehement bloodlust.

Clark’s legs started trembling as the hair on his skin rose. Sweat started forming on his face. His throat started to become dry. He knew this sensation well:

It was fear.

If I, the Head of the Guards, is like this…. Then...

Just like he had expected, the others were no better than him. The other guards were pallid, as though all the blood in their body were drained. The soldiers, on the other hand, were trembling violently. There were even some of them that pissed their pants.

“Now, let’s start,” said Lark.

The strong killing intent vanished entirely. Lark gripped the spear then began stabbing through the air. The moment the blade made a piercing sound, he would immediately twist his wrist, change the grip by releasing one hand, then strike once again. The spear bent wide into different directions, piercing the air numerous times. It was like a moving snake, changing its direction at the last moment.

If that was a real opponent. A human with flesh and bones…

Clark could only imagine the outcome. He knew that even he would be unable to dodge those everchanging strikes.

“So, how’s it?” said Lark, grinning. He playfully spun the spear on his hand. “I tried slowing down the movements so that everyone would be able to easily see.”

Clark’s eyes widened after the casual remark.

He was actually holding back so we’ll be able to follow it?!

Although Clark wanted to refute the statement, at the corner of his heart, he felt that it was true. The bloodlust shown by the Young Master was utterly abnormal. There was no way a normal person was capable of that.

Then, a question came up. If the Young Master was actually this strong, then why did he always run towards the guards whenever trouble came up? Even back in the Gryphon City, the Young Master was always like that.

He would always make trouble, and his personal guards would always have to clean after him.

More and more questions piled up, and Clark was unable to answer each of them. In these past few days, the Young Master he knew became a different person entirely. Not only in the demonstrated skills, even the way he addressed other people had changed.

Lark clapped his hands once. “It’s too early to be teaching you spearmanship. First, we will focus on training your bodies. After all, the basics are the most important.”

The hall was silent. Everyone could still vividly remember the spearmanship the young master has shown them. It was beautiful yet deadly, like a dance with blades and swords.

“While carrying the spear in your hand,” said Lark, demonstrating the proper way of holding the spear. “Run around this hall. Three hundred times.”

The hall of the mansion was vast, and it would take them half a minute at most to run around it. Just thinking about running around it three hundred times was already tiring.

Lark grinned. “Those that are able to finish the task will receive dried fish for lunch.”

“I-Is that true?!” said one of the soldiers.

“Of course.” Lark nodded. “You have my word. Furthermore, the first to finish will get an egg.”

Numerous gulping sounds were heard.

A fierce blaze filled the eyes of everyone.

“Let’s start.”

After a clap, everyone started running around the hall while holding a spear in their hand.

***

While the soldiers were training, Lark approached Melody. She, too, passed the ‘seed’ test.

“It’s a refreshing sight, isn’t it?” said Lark. Melody bowed her head upon making eye contact. “Once winter ends, they can start training outside. Also, I’m planning to recruit more soldiers by that time. The number right now is simply not enough.” He stared at her for a moment. “Melody, I want you to work for me.”

A straight offer.

Melody had heard of the evil deeds of the Young Master before. Honestly speaking, she did not want to work for such a person. But since she was homeless and jobless, just like others that came from Lion City, she was left with no choice.

“Payment will be fifteen silvers a month. Free meals, three times a day,” said Lark. “You will also be given a house once the construction in the eastern border is finished. Of course, depending on your performance, a raise is not out of the question.”

The offer was extravagant. Even when she had been working for the mistress back in Lion City, the amount was not that high.

“Y-Young Master, what kind of job is it?” she asked in a slightly trembling voice. If the young master suddenly told her to service him during the night, she would immediately reject the offer. No matter how many silvers were offered, she would never offer him her body.

“I want you to teach the soldiers how to read and write,” said Lark.

His gaze went towards the soldiers running around. By now, they were terribly huffing, but probably due to the reward of dried fish, they kept running. The guards, on the other hand, did not want to lose to the ‘soldiers’.

Lark smiled in amusement upon seeing this.

“Read and write?” breathed Melody, her voice almost a whisper filled with uncertainty.

It was common for soldiers to be illiterate. After all, only nobles were able to afford basic education. She had never heard of someone training common soldiers such advanced skills.

Lark nodded. “Knowledge is a powerful weapon. Though a lot of people may disagree with me, the soldiers definitely need to learn at least this much.”

He saw that one of the soldiers was about to give up. He shouted, “Only those that finished three hundred laps will receive dried fish! Remember that!”

Upon hearing it, the soldier fiercely looked ahead and continued running. Lark chuckled, “Good! Keep going!”

“So, how about it?” said Lark to Melody. “Would you teach the soldiers for me?”

There was a moment of hesitation. Melody carefully said, “I can teach them, probably… but Young Master, you… you won’t ask me for anything else, right?”

Lark slightly titled his head. “Of course, that’s not all.”

Melody shivered. She was determined to immediately reject him if he asked for ‘that’.

“You will be required to learn arithmetic, together with Gaston,” said the Young Master. “I plan to expand this town further. To do that, I need capable vassals.”

“Arithmetic…” her voice trailed off.

It was a popular skill known by all merchants. Just the thought that she would learn such skill made the offer enticing. After all, even some of the nobles did not know of it.

Melody considered all possible scenarios. After weighting the pros and the cons, she swallowed the lump in her throat then slowly nodded. “I accept the offer, Young Master.”

Chapter Nine

After the training, the soldiers and the guards fell down the ground like stringless puppets. Their entire body was drenched in sweat, and their chests rapidly rose and fell in succession. The heavy spear they carried made running around the vast hall arduous, almost excruciating.

To Lark’s surprise, aside from the three soldiers that fainted from exhaustion, everyone finished the task. As promised, he gave each of them a lavish meal with a dried fish included. Everyone immediately regained their vigor upon seeing the food. Some of them even drooled like rabid dogs. Great food after a rigorous task was definitely more delicious.

Seeing this, Lark was clearly amused.

While everyone was eating, Lark clapped his hands once. “As promised, the one who finished first, aside from dried fish, will also get an extra egg.” On his signal, a servant came and brought out a boiled egg. She gently placed it on the plate of Clark, the Head of the Guards.

Seeing the envious looks of the soldiers on him, Clark smirked and slowly ate his prize. Now that they were in the middle of winter, eggs were a luxury.

“Damn, to be eating wheat porridge with both dried fish and egg.”

“The Head Guard is so lucky.”

“Hey, just think of the guys that are still unconscious over there. At least we get to receive a reward.”

The soldiers looked at their unconscious comrades, their eyes filled with pity.

Lark cleared his throat. “For now, everyone will rest for an hour,” he said. “After that, all of you shall proceed to the room on the second floor to receive further training.”

At the words ‘further training,’ everyone stiffened. They looked at the young master as though he was the devil incarnate. Making them run around the hall three hundred times while holding a spear was already excruciating enough, and now, they were supposed to attend more of those stuff?

The soldiers wanted to protest and grumble, but they were afraid that the porridge and dried fish would be taken away from them if they complained. In the end, they all shut their mouths, except for one – the Head of the Guards.

“Young Master,” said Clark carefully. He knew that the room on the second floor was a bit small for training. “What kind of training is it?”

The young master smiled. “Basic Education. We will be teaching you guys how to read and write.”

***

Night came. Under the light of the candle-filled candelabra, Lark reread the documents Gaston handed to him a couple of days ago. Although Reading Magic enabled him to read at a relatively faster rate, comprehending everything at one go was still impossible. Lark once again checked the documents and reports that seemed confusing or suspicious. Currently, his attention was on the number of deaths in Blackstone Town.

“Five hunters died last year,” mumbled Lark as he contemplated.

The number was actually small considering the risk of the profession. To the citizens of Blackstone Town, a hunter being killed by its prey was a normal occurrence, especially considering the fact that the Endless Forest was uncharted territory. Although fierce animals seldomly attack the town, it was an entirely different thing for hunters who purposely look for such beasts.

Everyone simply dismissed the deaths of the hunters as natural, a consequence of the job. But after analyzing the reports, Lark found out a peculiar point – they all died in the eastern part of the Endless Forest.

Currently, the eastern part of Blackstone Town was the place Lark was trying to expand. After it reached a certain size, he planned on clearing out some trees in the Endless Forest.

“Gaston said that the deaths of the hunters last year must have been a coincidence,” said Lark. He had consulted the old butler for his opinion this afternoon. “But the state of the bodies… all of the wounds are quite identical.”

Lark could not rest easy until he confirmed the authenticity of the state of things himself. He donned a black cloak, swept aside the curtains, then opened the windows. The night breeze brushed against his body.

The entire town was sleeping.

Lark breathed in the night air, amplified the strength of his body using mana, then jumped out the window. He landed with a soft, thud sound. After checking that there was no one around, he quickly ran outside. His body blurred as he sped through the empty streets, his cloak violently fluttering.

Eventually, he arrived at the eastern border of Blackstone Town. He saw some builders resting near the half-constructed houses, their chatters heard through the quiet night. Since several Heat Stones have been installed in this area, the workers were able to stay outside.

“The construction project is going smoothly.” Lark smiled. “Good.”

Although the workers were amateurs, under the guidance of Lark, they were able to build decent houses. It was not as good the houses in major cities, but they were definitely better than the shacks frequently seen here and there. At the very least, each of these half-constructed houses were built with wood and stones. Those houses would not easily collapse from the weight of snow, leaving them homeless during winter.

Lark once again moved forward, towards the eastern part of the Endless Forest. Upon reaching the place, the darkness of the night swallowed him entirely. The canopies of leaves blocked the moon above, amplifying the darkness of the night. The sound of insects and ravens filled the forest.

Now, let’s see. There should be something here. I don’t believe the deaths of those 5 hunters last year are mere coincidence.

Deep within his heart, he sincerely wished that it was actually a mere coincidence, but his instinct was telling him that there was something dangerous in this place. After searching the area using magic, his instinct was proven right.

Over there.

His body shot forward, skillfully moving past the root-blanketed ground. After a few minutes, he arrived at the entrance of a small cavern. If a normal person was around this part, they would not easily see it due to the vines that blocked the view.

Lark once again scanned the area using magic. But this time, he focused it inside the cavern.

His brows rose when he detected numerous presences inside. At the very least, there were around fifty of them.

Lark erased his presence, cast concealment magic, then entered the cavern. Although it was very dark inside, he was able to see the flow of mana. Whatever was inside this cavern, they were definitely not humans. The flow of mana clearly told him that.

As soon as Lark entered the cavern, putrid stench assaulted him. He frowned, crinkled his nose, but kept walking. Eventually, he saw the identity of the creatures living inside.

“Goblins,” the name of the monsters came out naturally in a whisper. Some of them were walking around, rummaging through the piles of loots here and there, while some simply sat on the ground. The nocturnal monsters failed to notice that someone was observing them.

Lark looked around, but it seemed that that there was no Hobgoblin or Shamans. He was amazed that despite having no leader, this group was able to live in this place for so long. Judging by the reports, these creatures never once attacked Blackstone Town.

Still, Lark was not naïve. Although these creatures may seem harmless if they took those reports into consideration, they would definitely kill the humans if given the chance. They were probably unable to attack the human settlements because of the lack of a leader. This was a rare thing, even back in Lark’s previous life.

The hunters must have encountered these creatures and died. That should explain why all 5 of them died in this part of the forest.

For now, Lark decided to leave the group alone. Once he had trained the soldiers, he would issue a subjugation order to eliminate these monsters. After all, real life battle was different from training. Lark decided to make these weak creatures the stepping stone for the growth of his men.

Of course, if these creatures suddenly decided to invade the town, He would immediately eliminate them there and then. No questions asked.

As Lark was about to leave the cavern, he noticed something glimmering near the walls. He increased the flow of mana within his eyes to see better in the dark.

Kalrane Gemstones?!

Lark’s lips visibly rose. For the past few days, he had been pondering on how to solve the current lack of funds for Blackstone Town. Tiling the soil and planting the wheats take time, and it would be several months more before they would be able to reap the harvest. Although Lark still have a lot of gold coins given to him by his father, it would run out sooner or later.

He wanted to find a way to compensate for the lack of funds. But in this town which literally had nothing to offer, he found it hard to find one.

Finally! A product that could become the town’s specialty!

Lark licked his lips in anticipation. He could already envision it. Workers from Blackstone Town gathering Kalranes. Merchants coming and going out of the town to buy them. He could already hear the clanking sound of gold coins.

He looked at the Goblins. At first, he wanted to leave them alone until the soldiers were strong enough to subdue them, but now, he decided to act sooner. Although it would be dangerous for the trainees, Lark would accompany them. He would definitely not let anyone die during the encounter.

***

In the morning, Lark summoned Gaston into his room.

“You called for me, Young Master?” said the old butler.

The young master was sitting at his table, scribbling something down on a notebook. After the butler entered, he closed the notebook then smiled.

“Just in time,” said Lark. “Here, take a look.”

The old butler received a parchment from the young master. There were numerous things listed inside.

“This is…”

“I want you to send a couple of servants, along with some guards, to Lion City and buy those for me,” said Lark. He took a sip from the goblet and stared at the butler. “I want you to prioritize the seeds and the iron ingots. We aren’t really in surplus of funds, so I want you to buy those two first before anything else.”

Since Lark was not really aware of the prices in the Lion’s City, he could only surmise using gathered data from his subordinates.

Gaston looked at the list once again. It was an amazing list with some items he had never heard of before. Wheat seeds, iron ingots, hemp ropes, loi saplings, ormatane dust, and many more.

Gaston mumbled, “A thousand eggs.”

He read it again then asked the young master, “Sorry for the impudence, but young master, isn’t a thousand eggs a bit… unnecessary?”

Gaston knew the state of the town. There was no way the residents would be able to afford eggs right now. Without doubt, the eggs would eventually rot in the storage.

“it’s fine,” said Lark, dismissing the remark. “Just do what I say.”

Lark actually planned on using magic on those eggs and force them to hatch. After all, eggs would be cheaper than poultry.

Gaston felt that the amount of wheat seeds and iron ingots were absurd too. If they actually went ahead with this list, they would end up buying a large portion of the wheat seeds in Lion City. Furthermore, the amount of iron ingots was enough to build armor for more than a dozen knights.

The old butler felt that the Young Master was squandering his money.

“Young master, please reconsider,” said Gaston. “The amount of seeds is too much. The lands of this town are mostly barren. As for the iron ingots, there’s no blacksmith living in this place. Even if we buy those things, they’ll only become unnecessary expenses.”

Lark creased his brows. He sighed then leaned on his chair. “Listen, when I told everyone that I’m going to reclaim the lands in the north and the west, I meant it. Once winter ends, I plan on making a large-scale farming project in those areas. To do that, we need at least this much wheat seeds. Do you understand?”

Gaston was clearly not fully convinced, but he nodded regardless. Still, the old butler did not immediately back down. “As for the iron ingots. Young master, there’s no sense in buying raw materials when there’s not even a single blacksmith in town.”

“We have a solution for that,” said Lark. He was actually planning on using the iron ingots to make farming and mining tools. He planned to include some weapons too. Still, he did not tell the old butler his thoughts. After all, he was going to transmute those raw materials into high grade tools using magic. It was better, at this current time, for the other party not to know.

Lark grabbed a large pouch from the drawer then handed it to the butler. “For now, just do what I say.”

Gaston opened the pouch. Numerous gold coins were inside. He grimaced upon thinking that these would soon be spent on useless things. The list of the young master was simply unreasonable.

After a long sigh, Gaston bowed. “I will do as the young master says.” He bit his lips. “This old man shall obey.”

He took a peek at the young master. He remembered the reports he received just a few hours ago. According to the “inquisitors” hired by Silver Hand, the Young Master was the one who subdued those men that kidnapped him. They all mentioned the use of magic – silent magic. This single fact alone was hard to believe, since even among the Royal Court Magicians, only a handful knew how to perform such complex technique.

But Silver Hand has no reason to lie. And I was also there when the leader of those scums finally confessed. But… it doesn’t make sense. I’ve been with the Young Master since he was born. He knows nothing but the most basic of magic – the mandatory education required by the Duke.

The old man breathed in.

“Young master?” said Gaston.

Lark noticed that the butler had been staring at him for quite some time now. “What is it?”

Seconds passed. Gaston sighed.

“Nothing,” said the butler. “Just some useless thoughts of an old man.”

“Gaston, you’re becoming a little thin lately,” said Lark, his brows creased in worry. “Be sure to take some rest every now and then. If you need a vacation, be sure to tell me.”

Gaston softly smiled at the concern shown by the young lord.

That’s right. So what if the young master knows silent magic? Even if it’s true that he did subdue those kidnappers, it doesn’t change a thing. I’ve vowed to serve him the moment he was born. Nothing will change that. This old man shall see things through until the very end.

“There’s no need for the Young Master to worry,” smiled Gaston. “This servant is perfectly fine. Then—” he made a bow. “If you’ll excuse me.”

As Gaston was about to go out of the room, the young master called out to him.

“Ah, I almost forgot,” said Lark. He stood up then handed the old butler two notebooks. “Here. Give the other one to Melody.”

Gaston adjusted his monocles as he stared at the notebooks. “What are these, Young Master?”

“Basic Arithmetic,” said Lark. “I wrote them down myself.”

Chapter Ten

Silver Claw restlessly moved around in his house. He pulled open the cupboard then grabbed the small pot inside. After checking its contents, he groaned. It was empty.

“F-Father!” cried a small, weak voice.

Silver Claw hastily tossed the pot towards the ground, breaking it to numerous pieces, then ran towards the bed. He was violently trembling, face drained of all color as he looked at his daughter.

“J-Just a bit more! Hold on just a bit more! Father will surely find more herbs for Anisette!” he frantically said.

The entire body of his daughter was skin and bones. Furthermore, numerous patches of brown and black was spreading all over her skin. Her eyes were white and sunken. Some of the neighbors speculated that she had been possessed by evil spirits, while those that knew better said that she was inflicted by the Seven Weeks Disease. It was a disease that would always take away the life of a person on the seventh week. Although it was not contagious, its origin was unknown. Silver Claw had tried all treatments available to him. In the end, all he could do was alleviate the pain by using expensive herbs.

He held the head of his daughter and helped her sip water from a cup. The thin girl coughed numerous times, tears coming out of her eyes. After some time, she eventually fell asleep.

Silver Claw looked at the figure of his only family. He could not help but groan in frustration. He knew that even in the Royal Capital, there was no one capable of healing this disease. He even heard of the news three years ago when a noble died because of the Seven Weeks Disease.

Still, even if there was no way of curing her, as a father, he wanted to alleviate the pain as much as possible.

I need to visit Herbalist Mores’ house.

Silver Claw donned his coat then left the house. It had temporarily stopped snowing. The sun above shone, unobstructed by any clouds. Winter was going to end soon.

With heavy steps, he traversed the streets; his goal was the Herbalist’s house.

Along the way, he passed by the Plaza. He stared at the crowd that gathered. They were all looking at a large wooden board. Pinned to it was a parchment with numerous things written inside.

They can’t even read. Why are they crowding around it?

“Is it true that the Young Master will pay us six silvers a month if we worked for him?”

“Of course,” said an old man. After staring at him for a while, Silver Claw realized that he was the butler working in the Mansion. Beside him was a servant. “The Young Master needs not only farmers. He’s also in need of Builders, Poultry breeders, Soldiers, and Miners.”

Silver Claw frowned upon hearing those words. It seemed that the Mansion was trying to hire workers en masse.

How stupid. Poultry breeders? Miners?

Silver Claw was well aware that there were no mines in Blackstone Town. He had lived here for fifteen years. He was sure. He could only snort and snicker at the thought. As expected, nobles were full of lies. This was the same reason why he moved from Lion City to this isolated town. At the very least, there were no nobles living here. Well, that changed half a year ago when the second son of the Marcus Family was sent to govern this territory.

That brat will leave this place soon anyway. Someone like that will never stay in a town like this. Let’s just hope he leaves sooner. This town doesn’t need an incompetent ruler.

After passing through the Plaza, Silver Claw finally reached his destination. He knocked twice on the wooden door of the house.

“It’s me, Silver Claw,” he said.

A few seconds after, a shabby-looking young man peeked through the door. After seeing that it was indeed Silver Claw, he opened it wide then smiled. “Ah, it’s you.”

Silver Claw was pressed for time. He went straight to the point. “I need more Purple Plumes.”

The Herbalist frowned. “So soon? But… the Purple Plumes I’ve given you yesterday’s the last one.”

“Wait! That can’t be! You must have more inside the storage!” said Silver Claw, his voice agitated. “I’ll help you look inside!”

When he was about to intrude, Mores stopped him at the entrance. The Herbalist leaked a sigh, his eyes filled with understanding. “Listen, I understand your situation, but there’s really no more Purple Plumes available at this moment.” He lowered his head. “I’m really sorry, Silver Claw.”

Silver Claw knew that in this weather, finding Purple Plumes would be really hard. It was something that usually grew deep within the western part of the Endless Forest. One would first need to cross the Rile River, which was freezingly cold right now, before reaching the place.

“I see,” said Silver Claw. He gripped tightly the pouch he held in his hand. After receiving a commission from the Mansion to create stone tablets, he had quite a decent amount of money right now. But all of it proved useless since the herbs themselves were unavailable.

“My friend, once I find a Purple Plume, I’ll personally deliver it to you,” said Mores. He knew the situation of Silver Claw’s daughter and sincerely wished to help.

“Thank you,” said Silver Claw. He turned around then went back. Along the way, he once again passed by the Plaza. The butler was still there, answering the questions of the citizens. But this time, Silver Claw no longer listened to the speech. His thoughts were elsewhere.

Mores is unable to go deep within the Endless Forest because of the weather. I have to do it myself. It doesn’t matter if it’s dangerous. I have to find Purple Plumes for Anisette.

When he reached his house, he was surprised to find a hooded figure standing at the door. The figure looked at him and said, “Are you Silver Claw?”

The voice was that of a young man. Silver Claw frowned. “Yes, I am.”

The figure pulled down the hood, revealing his silver hair. His deep blue eyes stared at Silver Claw’s.

“You’re…”

Why is the Young Master here?

“Silver Claw, I plan on developing this town,” the young master went directly to the point. “I want you to work for me.”

Silver Claw gritted his teeth. He was annoyed at the time wasted with the current conversation. He needed to go to the Endless Forest now. Still, he tried to be courteous to the noble.

“I’m sorry, but I will have to refuse, Young Master,” said Silver Claw. He took out his keys then approached the door. The young master slowly stepped aside. The knob twisted open and the door creaked.

“Is that so?” said the young master. “Could you tell me why?”

Damn it. Just go away already. It’s useless to speak with a stupid noble like you. My daughter needs me right now!

“Young Master,” exhaled the mason, “Forgive the impudence, but let us have this conversation at another time. Please.”

“I heard that your daughter is sick,” said the Young Master. He looked through the opened door. “Is that the reason why you wouldn’t work for me?”

Upon the mention of his daughter, a vein appeared on the mason’s forehead. Still, he contained his anger. Each second wasted here would mean more pain for Anisette. He need to drive away the Young Master as soon as possible and go towards the Endless Forest.

“That’s right,” said Silver Claw. “I can probably accept small commissions like the stone tablets from before… but working directly for the Young Master is a no. I simply cannot leave this place. My daughter needs me.”

“Then, if I heal her for you, will you work for me?” said the young master.

The question was thrown out casually, as though it was nothing but a simple task. At this, Silver Claw’s eyes broadly widened.

A few seconds of silence befell them.

“If you can heal her, I will serve you for life,” said Silver Claw. He almost snorted. “But that’s impossible, Young Master. Not even the Court Magicians know how to cure the Seven Weeks Disease. Now, if you’ll excuse me—”

“—Excellent! So you’ll work for me then!” clapped the Young Master. The noble forced his way in then went towards the bedroom. Silver Claw hurriedly rushed after him.

“Wait!” shouted Silver Claw. He wanted to strangle the damn noble but restrained himself. “What are you doing?!”

The Young Master stared at the sleeping girl lying on the bed. Her arms were skeletal, as though she had not eaten for months. The numerous patches of brown and black that spread all over her skin gave her the appearance of a corpse.

“I’ve analyzed the flow of mana while outside,” mumbled the Young Master. “As expected. This is that disease, huh? Then, this should be easy enough.”

“You call this the Seven Weeks Disease here?” inquired the Young Master. "Please do forgive me for this."

Silver Claw had yet to respond when the Young Master suddenly unbuttoned the dress of his daughter.

“You! What are you doing!?” snarled Silver Claw. He was about to grab the young master and throw him outside when suddenly, vines shot from the ground and twined around his body. He could not move from his spot.

“Calm down.” The Young Master looked at him for a moment. “I need to undress your daughter for the treatment to work.”

Silver Claw was livid. “You damn bastard! You fucking bastard! If you dare touch my daughter, I’ll kill you! I swear! I’ll kill you!”

Silver Claw’s voice reverberated. His entire body was red with fury. He knew of the notorious reputation of the Young Master. This noble before him was a demon that would sexually assault women without hesitation.

Silver Claw wanted to pounce at him and tear him to pieces, but the vines held his body tightly. He could not even move a single step. All he could do was spout out curses while the Young Master undressed his daughter.

The young master touched the girl’s forehead, and a faint light appeared on his fingertips. Numerous veins of light appeared from it, slithering down towards the body. Slowly, the black and brown patches started to fade, revealing the girl’s pale skin.

“In the place where I previously lived, we call this the Mushroom’s Revenge. A funny name, isn’t it?” chuckled the Young Master. “Look.”

On the girl’s chest, knees, and arms, numerous brown and black mushrooms started sprouting.

“The patches on her skin are because of these things,” said the Young Master. He started plucking out the mushrooms one by one. Surprisingly, no wound appeared on the girl’s body. “There are three ways to heal someone with Mushroom’s Revenge. First, Tears of Ubroxia. I doubt those rare plants grow in this region, so that’s out of the equation. Second, burn the entire body then heal it using magic. That way, the roots of the mushrooms will die from the heat. Third is this method I am doing right now. Force the mushrooms to sprout using magic then pluck them out.”

In the Magic Empire, a lot of magicians were capable of the third method, that’s why Mushroom’s Revenge was a fairly easy disease to treat. But it seemed that in this Kingdom, it was a disease with absolute fatality. Lark sighed at this thought.

After plucking out all of the mushrooms, Lark released the vines binding the mason. The plants slowly went back towards the ground.

Silver Claw immediately ran towards his daughter. He was huffing, eyes red from anxiety. After staring at her for some time, he finally spoke.

“Is… Is she really healed?” he said in disbelief. He could clearly see that the pained expression on her face was gone.

“Yes, she is.”

Sobbing sounds were heard inside the stone house. It had already been six weeks since Anisette acquired the disease. Helpless beyond words, the Mason thought that her daughter would leave his arms soon. After all, it was a disease said to be without cure.

After some time, Lark said, “Before she got the Seven Weeks Disease, did she go somewhere? Like… the Endless Forest?”

Now that Silver Claw thought of it, she did go to that place before the symptoms appeared. She was picking berries near the forest.

“Yes, she did,” nodded Silver Claw.

“I see. So those mushrooms grow in that place, huh?” said Lark. He took one of the mushrooms he plucked from the girl’s body then showed it to the Mason. “These things are capable of growing inside the body of humans. Your daughter must have eaten one of these when she went to the forest.”

Everything finally made sense. Why his daughter suddenly fell ill after that day. Why those black and brown patches suddenly spread through her entire body. Silver Claw felt that ‘Mushroom’s Revenge’ was a really fitting name.

Silver Claw grabbed the sheet and covered the naked body of his daughter. He looked at the young man standing next to the bed.

Silver Claw had met the Young Master before when the noble first came to Blackstone Town. During that time, he got into a tussle with some man. The reason: the man accidentally splashed mud on the hem of the young master’s clothes. It was a petty squabble in everyone’s eyes, and during that time, Silver Claw immediately judged the Young Master to be incompetent and arrogant.

He’s grown so much during the past few months.

The young master before him seemed so different, as though he was another person entirely. The arrogant eyes from before was now filled with confidence, and peculiarly, strength seeped through it.

Seeing his gaze, the Young Master smiled.

“A promise is a promise,” said Lark.

After a sigh, Silver Claw nodded his head. “You’ve healed my daughter. I’ll listen to your request.”

Although Silver Claw still held questions on why the Young Master was so proficient in magic, he brushed those thoughts aside for now.

“I plan to reconstruct Blackstone Town,” said Lark.

Soon, the young master explained to Silver Claw his plans. A large main road that would run until the eastern part of the Endless Forest. Expansion of the eastern border of the city. Construction of stone houses for the residents. Creating a Mine in a cavern within the Endless Forest. Creating an irrigation system connected to the Rile River. Reclaiming the barren lands in the west and the north. Creating a poultry farm in the south.

After the explanation, Silver Claw felt out of breath. The plan was too ambitious, and he never heard of a noble attempting so many things at once. And judging by the way the Young Master spoke, it seemed that those things were merely the start, the stepping stones of his plans.

Silver Claw carefully said, “Are those things… really possible?”

In the first place, he never heard that there was a cavern located at the eastern part of the Endless Forest. Moreover, that cavern was, according to the young master, a Kalrane Mine. Silver Claw had so many doubts and questions, and his mind was screaming at him that such plan was too grand and ambitious for such a small town.

“Of course,” said Lark, without a hint of hesitation.

After some time, Silver Claw said, “Then, I will keep my promise. I will work for the Young Master.”

Even if the plans seemed unrealistic, Silver Claw deemed that he should at least uphold his promise. Even if the plans failed, he would try his best to see it through the end. That was his resolve.

“Excellent,” said Lark, grinning. He took out a small rolled parchment from his cloak and opened it. “Then, here is your first task.”

Chapter Eleven

Gaston looked at the hall below. The soldiers, including the new recruits, were training. After running around the hall hundreds of times, they would immediately begin the basic training. Stab, pull, repeat. These movements have been done repeatedly for the past few days.

The young master constantly emphasized the importance of the basics, saying that it would determine the overall competence of an individual. With those thoughts in mind, he strictly made everyone repeat the same stabbing movements again and again.

The old butler smiled at this sight. Who would have known that these many people were willing to become soldiers of the Young Master? At the corner of his heart, he was thankful of the small changes that was happening to the young Lord. Despite the numerous criticisms to Lark back in Gryphon’s City, Gaston believed that the Young Master would eventually grow up to become a splendid man. And it seemed that he was right.

“Lord Drakus,” whispered the butler. “Your son isn’t as hopeless as you thought. I sincerely wish that you’ll allow the young Lord to go back to the Duchy soon.”

Gaston had been working for the House of Marcus for more than fifty years now. He had taken care of Lord Drakus when he was young, and now, he was tasked to take care of his son. To the old butler, his duty was his top priority. His old life was irrelevant and secondary. That was why when the Lord decided to send the Young Master to this desolated region, the old butler insisted that he should follow.

After one last look at the soldiers below, Gaston went towards the room on the third floor. He knocked thrice and a young voice answered. “Enter.”

The door softly creaked as the old butler entered.

“Young Master,” said Gaston. “Here’s the report regarding the new workers. A total of 197 residents applied for different kinds of jobs.”

“How many soldiers passed my exam?” said Lark. He sat at the table, his hands moving busily as he wrote down things on a parchment.

“Out of fifty-seven, forty passed the test, Young Master,” said Gaston. His monocles glimmered for a moment. “As you've ordered, I’ve given Captain Qarat the responsibility of training them. They are currently doing the basic training in the hall right now.”

The test given to the soldier applicants was a series of questions with open-ended answers. The main goal was to assess their personalities, whether they were fit to become soldiers or not. Gaston was given the task of administering these little tests. If there were confusions, he would refer them to the Young Master.

“Have you sent the report to Silver Claw regarding the construction projects in the eastern border?” said Lark.

“Yes, Young Master,” said Gaston. “He said that he’ll need more men if we want to finish the eastern border’s construction before Fall. Also, he’s said that it’ll be impossible to commence with the cobblestone project as of the moment. There’s just not enough hands.”

Lark stopped writing. He took a sip from the cup then gazed at the old man for a moment. “I see. How about the poultry farm?”

“Ah, Sir Silver Claw said that he’ll be able to finish the preparations in the middle of spring,” said the butler. “He’s already ordered his men to place wooden fences in the southern border of the town.”

“Good. Tell him to prioritize that one,” said Lark. “I’ve heard that the products I’ve ordered from Lion City have arrived?”

“Yes, Young Master. We’ve placed the items in the storage room in the underground basement.”

“Good job,” said Lark. He stood up. “Lead me there.”

The butler bowed. “As you wish.”

The two of them went towards the underground basement. Along the way, they passed by the soldiers training in the hall. Lark nodded approvingly at the sight, before resuming his steps towards the underground.

Upon arrival at the basement, several servants and guards were seen going back and forth, carrying with them wooden crates. Wheats, iron ingots and several other products filled the underground room.

Lark inspected the delivered goods. After praising the servants and the guards for a job well done, he asked everyone to leave the basement.

Lark went towards the place where the iron ingots were stored. They have been taken out of the crates beforehand. Just these ingots alone have cost around a hundred gold coins, and including the wheat seeds and the other products, he had spent more than two hundred and fifty gold coins in total after this single transaction.

“I need to secure the Kalrane Mine soon,” said Lark. He knew that at this rate, the treasury would run dry before the arrival of the next winter. After all, there were still the salaries of the workers he needed to worry about.

“Now, let’s try making those things, shall we?” Lark licked his lips then placed his two hands on the iron ingots.

A magic circle appeared underneath the pile of iron, sucking the mana within Lark’s body. After the runes spun around the hexagram, a faint light glowed, and the iron ingots started assuming a different shape. Rakes and other common tools were inefficient and not enough, so Lark decided to create a better tool for farming. Since he wanted to convert the barren lands in the north and the west as soon as possible, he deemed that he needed to compensate the lack of workers by using magical items.

After transmuting the iron ingots, a peculiar product had been made. It was a plowing tool that resembled a bicycle. But instead of wheels at the front, it was a long tube with pointed metals embedded all over the shaft. Small magic circles have been engraved at the handles on both ends, and after adding ormatane dust, it was now possible for non-magicians to use the item by simply providing mana.

Lark was well aware that all creatures in this world have mana residing in their bodies. The amount varies, and the difference between magicians and non-magicians was simply the ability to materialize the mana. With these magical engravements, even those without talent would be capable of using the items.

Lark estimated that a non-magician would be able to use the tools for half an hour at most before running out of mana.

“This is tiring,” he breathed. Beads of sweat have started forming on his forehead. His current body was simply too weak, and after creating the third plowing tool, he found out that he had run out of mana.

Lark sat for a while, his chest rapidly rising and falling. If he was in his previous body, transmuting these iron ingots would have been finished in no time. Still, although it was hard, Lark was enjoying himself. He felt a sense of accomplishment each time a magic tool was created. It was a refreshing feeling, something he had forgotten a long time ago.

***

After finishing the magical tools, including those that would be used for mining, Lark gathered all the farmers that decided to work for him. He led them towards the southern part of the town, the place where the residents dumped their night soil.

“Y-Young Master,” said Gaston. The old man was covering his nose. “Please stop. You’ll get sick if you stay in this place.”

Around them, numerous insects hovered about. The air was putrid, as though the scent of death and decay had covered everything. One of the servants vomited on the ground after stepping inside the area.

Lark did not seem to mind the smell. On the contrary, his eyes were glimmering with delight after seeing the piles of dung that covered everything the eyes could see. According to the documents he had read, the practice of dumping the residents’ excreta to this place had been going on for decades.

This is a treasure trove. I’ll be able to fill the barren lands in the north and the west with these composts.

The natural process of decay over the years have made it possible for Lark to immediately utilize these wastes as compost. Although it was crude and there was the danger of acquiring different kinds of disease from using these, Lark planned of taking care of those problems using magic.

“Fill the barrels with these and load them to the carts!” ordered Lark.

The farmers, a bit disgusted by the task, moved and shoveled the night soil into the wooden barrels. There were a couple of complaints why they should move these wastes into the carts. It seemed that in this world, the use of night soil was an unheard-of practice. Even the butler was questioning the sanity of this task. Lark simply shook his head after realizing this fact.

Lark would discreetly cast his magic on the barrels filled with night soil, before loading them to the carts.

Since there was the possibility of gas accumulating inside, Lark prohibited the workers from tightly sealing the barrels. He made sure that there was enough space for the gas to leak out. This, in turn, made the transportation of the night soil towards the farmlands unbearable. All throughout the journey, the farmers were covering their nose. The smell coming from dozens of barrels filled with excreta was simply unbearable.

Lark decided that their first target would be the barren lands in the north.

After arriving at the farm lands, the metallic tools created by Lark had already been neatly placed on the ground. Each of them was around three times the size of a human. There was a large tube at the front of the tools, with spikes protruding all over.

The ground was still covered in snow, but Lark deemed that it would be possible to start the plowing with the help of the tools he had created.

He divided the farmers into two groups. One was responsible for plowing the lands using the tools, while the other was responsible for spreading the composts.

“Listen!” said Lark. He tapped the handle of a plowing tool. “This here is a special item that will make it easier for everyone to plow this land! It requires a bit of mana, but it should be fairly easy to use!”

The farmers looked at each other. Murmurs filled the air.

The butler, seeing this, spoke, “But Young Master, the workers are unable to use mana.”

“That’s fine,” said Lark. He pointed at a skinny man. “You. Try it out.”

The skinny man nervously gulped, looked at his fellow farmers, then went towards the Young Master. After receiving some instructions, he rode the plowing tool. He placed both feet on the pedals then began moving his feet.

“It’s heavy,” said the skinny man. The metallic tool hardly moved despite his desperate attempt at pedaling.

Lark nodded at that statement. “Now, place both your hands over there and do it again.”

The skinny man moved as instructed. He placed both his hands on the handle then started moving his feet. He let out a surprised voice when the plowing tool suddenly moved forward without much difficulty. The shaft in front that was filled with spikes burrowed and plowed through the ground.

Lark cleared his throat and everyone’s attention turned to him. “Winter will end soon. I want this area to be ready for farming once spring arrives. As you have seen, this tool will enable everyone to plow the lands at a relatively faster rate. The handles are especially made to absorb some mana from the user, enabling him to move the tool despite the weight and size. Everyone can use it, even if they are not magicians.”

At those words, the farmers turned to each other and murmured. They were familiar with the ploughs used in major cities, but those things required the use of horses or oxen. In this remote town, they usually used rakes and hoes to plow the land.

“But… Young Master,” said one of the farmers. “Is it true that everyone can use it? We are no magicians. There’s no mana our bodies…”

Lark almost sighed upon hearing this. He felt that the knowledge of this Kingdom regarding magic was too lacking. “That’s incorrect. Everyone has mana in their bodies. Even the animals have it. But the amount varies in each person.” He pointed at the skinny man riding the plowing tool. “He’s not a magician, but he’s able to use it, right?”

Although it felt frustrating trying to teach something so obvious, Lark patiently taught the farmers. If he did not educate them here, problems would arise later.

“Since there are only eight plowing tools right now,” said Lark. “You will alternate in using the equipment. Once the user runs out of mana, another one will replace him. For those that are not using the tools, you will be tasked to spread the composts to the ground. Use the rakes to spread it out.”

Lark opened one of the barrels, and the pungent smell immediately leaked out. He shoveled some night soil then spread them evenly on the ground. Using a rake, he spread it across in a single direction. He planned to plow the area twice to move the compost to deeper areas of the ground.

After the demonstration, Lark approached one of the farmers.

“Oliver,” he said to a man with thick moustache. “I will entrust the northern area to you.”

The man called Oliver bowed his head. He was one of the farmers in Blackstone Town. Unfortunately, he had lost all of his crops from the Black Famine. “Please leave it to me, Young Master.”

Lark nodded. He clapped his hands once and said to everyone, “Start working! I want this area to be ready once spring arrives!”

After those words, everyone started moving.

Lark looked towards the nearby forest, particularly towards the river flowing inside it. His next goal was the irrigation system that would connect to the Rile River.

Chapter Twelve

Inside his office, Lark carefully finished the map of Blackstone Town and its surrounding regions. Yesterday, he flew towards the sky numerous times and recorded the details of the town, along with a large portion of the Endless Forest that surrounded the north and the east, the Rile River that flowed through the forest, the Kastel Plains that spread through the south, and the Prey River that connects to the Lion City in the west.

Since his mana pool was inadequate, Lark had to repeatedly fly to the sky and record the imagery below. It was a toxic task that took him almost an entire day to finish.

“Finally,” he sighed and put his quill down. Spread on the table was a large map of Blackstone Town.

The map was an absolutely necessary existence if he wanted to expand the borders of the town. Upon looking at it, he realized that there was no need to extend the irrigation system from the Rile River until the west. He could just create a second one that connects to the Prey River.

From the door, two knocks were heard.

“Enter,” said Lark.

The door opened and the butler entered the room.

“Young Master, the thing you’ve requested from the Mason has been finished,” said the butler.

Lark raised his brows in surprise. “That’s fast.” He nodded approvingly at the news. “Excellent. Gaston, tell the servants to load the barrels filled with stones to the carts. We shall head immediately to the northern border.”

“Understood.” The butler bowed and the left the room.

On his way towards the garden, he passed through the hall where the soldiers were training. Just like before, they were repeating the same basic movements over and over again. A few days ago, there had been numerous grunts and complaints regarding this, but it seemed that as days went by, the soldiers eventually became used to this routine. Their stiff postures have relaxed somewhat, and although their movements were still crude, they were starting to resemble the trainee soldiers in the Magic Empire.

After buying large quantities of iron ingots and ormatane dust from the Lion City, Lark had been secretly making magic spears for the soldiers. Along the shaft of each spear, Lark would engrave magic diagrams and formations, enabling even non-magic users to use elemental magic with each strike of the spear.

Lark planned on distributing those items once the soldiers have gained a degree of proficiency with the spear. After all, a weapon that would transform a non-magician to a Magic Soldier would be useless in the hands of those that were unskilled.

Upon seeing the young master, Captain Qarat shouted, “All soldiers — Salute!”

Immediately, the soldiers practicing their piercing skills stood in attention, their spears neatly placed on their right. They clenched their left fist then struck their chest, creating a loud and uniform thud sound.

Lark smiled upon seeing this. This was the same salute used in the Magic Empire. Back in his previous life, tens of thousands of Magic Soldiers would strike their chests when greeting their Commanders, and the impact of that single salute would shake the ground itself. Now that he thought of it, it was indeed an overwhelming and invigorating feeling.

Once the number of soldiers increased, I’ll eventually hear that sound again.

Lark looked forward to that day.

“Continue your training.”

“Understood!”

It’ll probably take a year or two before these guys become worthy of wielding the magic spears. If I gave them those items now, their growth will be hindered in an instant. There’s nothing more dangerous than becoming complacent because of magic items. I’ve seen a lot of soldiers die because they’ve put too much trust in those things. At the end of the day, one’s own skills will be the one that’ll save you in the battlefield.

***

Upon arrival at the northern border, Lark saw the thing he asked the Mason to make. It was a structure made of bricks and clay. Its body was like a box, with a long tube at the end that reminded one of a chimney’s. Following Lark’s design, half of its body was buried in the ground. Beside it, two similar structures were being constructed by the Mason and his men.

“Ah, it’s the Young Master,” said Silver Claw. He wiped the dirt on his hands then made a bow. “We’ve finished the thing you’ve asked. We’re currently working on the second one.”

Lark inspected the finished product. He knocked on it and nodded. “Good work. With this, it’ll be possible to speed up the construction of Blackstone Town.”

Silver Claw had discussed this structure with the Young Master before. According to the young master, this thing they’ve made was called a kiln. A necessary tool in creating cement.

Based on the story of the Young Master, a cement was a substance capable of putting stones together in a short amount of time. Furthermore, it was something really easy to prepare as long as one had the necessary materials. Silver Claw did not fully understand the steps and the details, but the Young Master promised to demonstrate it to him.

Honestly, the Mason have doubts about this. After all, if such a convenient method was available, why didn’t the Kingdom and the Empire use it? He had been a Mason for decades, and he knew how arduous and time consuming it was to build things made of stone. He had never heard of such a convenient shortcut before.

“Listen, I want you to prioritize the production of cement from now on. The rate of development of the town is simply too slow,” said the Young Master. “We need the cement to speed up the construction process. Understood?”

“Yes, Young Master.”

Actually, Silver Claw felt that the development of this town was fast enough already. Even in the Lion City, he had never seen so many projects going on at once. Reclamation of barren lands. Construction of poultry farm. Expansion of the border of the town. Building of residences. Main road construction project. And lastly, the irrigation plan for the northern land. All of those were ambitious projects.

Still, it seemed that the Young Master felt that the speed of development was still slow. Silver Claw smiled wryly at the thought.

The Young Master ordered the servants to unload the barrels from the carts. Upon opening, Silver Claw saw numerous stones inside it.

“Listen. We will create cement from these limestones. Luckily, there’s a lot of them of them in area.”

Lark had this theory that this land was once submerged underneath the sea, probably thousands of years ago, which explains the presence of these limestones near the Endless Forest. It was truly a stroke of luck, since he would not have to order them from the other cities.

Lark took a pickaxe and struck the stones, creating numerous smaller pieces. “Break the large rocks into smaller pieces. Pulverizing them would take a lot of time at first, but it the long run, it saves us the effort of putting the large pieces back into the kiln if the heat failed to break it.” He looked at everyone, making sure that they were listening intently to his instructions. “After this, put them inside this thing here.” He pointed at the kiln.

Lark further explained that using firewood or coal, they would heat the kiln. Due to the structure of the kiln, heat would accumulate over time, giving rise to higher temperatures. Once it reached a certain degree of heat, it would decompose the rock, creating quicklime and at the same time liberating a certain gas.

“The finished product is called cement. We’ll use it to make concrete,” said Lark. The Mason and his men were obviously confused, but he continued speaking regardless. He knew that over time, they would eventually understand everything. “Once the lime has been cooled, mix it with this ratio — one part lime, two parts sand, three parts gravel. After that, slowly add water.”

Lark was not really sure about the ratio, but he deemed that it should be a good starting point for now. At the very least, once they have managed to create quicklime, the rest of the steps would be easy. They would just have to perform a trial and error on the proper amount of cement, sand, gravel, and water.

“Everyone should avoid inhaling the dusts produced by the kiln,” said Lark. He also warned about the dangers of coming into contact with the quicklime. He vividly described what would happen should they ever touch those things without first cooling it.

After his warnings and demonstrations, Silver Claw and his men started working on the task.

Lark had finally made the first step on introducing cement to this town.

Chapter Thirteen

[City of Behemoth – Capital of the Kingdom]

“Your Majesty, please reconsider this!” said Marquis Carlos. “If you announce that to the entire Kingdom, we’ll enter a civil war!”

King Alvis glared at the Marquis. “Carlos, are you telling me that I should not choose a successor?”

Despite the heavy gaze of His Majesty, Marquis Carlos did not yield. He knew that if he did not stop the King here, their country would enter a dark age. Even if he was hanged for overstepping his bounds, he had no intention of backing down.

“That’s not what I meant, Your Majesty! Think about it! The three Dukes are the reason why the Empire has not invaded this Kingdom yet! If you announce that now, those three will end up killing each other!” roared the Marquis. He saw that the personal guards of the King started moving after that, but he continued regardless. “Please reconsider, Your Majesty!”

Silence befell the throne room. King Alvis gazed upon the Marquis beneath the throne, carefully embedding into his mind the pallid face of the old man that had accompanied him through numerous battlefields.

Marquis Carlos was his most trustworthy general and his closest friend. He knew that the old man wished nothing but the best for him and the Kingdom. Still, King Alvis had already resolved himself for this one.

“I will not change my mind,” said the King eventually. He waved a hand and two guards approached Marquis Carlos and grabbed his shoulders.

“What the meaning of this?!” growled the retired general. Under the fierce glare of Marquis Carlos, the two guards nervously gulped down.

“My dear friend, I am sorry.” King Alvis was frowning. He closed his eyes for a moment, creating numerous wrinkles on his skin. “Until the declaration ends, I will have to lock you down in the dungeon. Of course, rest assured that you will not be harmed.”

The guards took out chains and cuffed the retired general. Marquis Carlos did not resist, probably because using force inside the throne room would be far too disrespectful to the King. He merely stood there, biting his lips as the cuffs were wrapped around his wrists.

Marquis Carlos and the King locked eyes with each other.

“King Alvis, please.” Marquis Carlos’ voice was almost sobbing. For a moment, King Alvis had the urge to immediately unshackle him. “There must be a better way. Please… Please… reconsider.”

King Alvis knew the implications of his decision. Indeed, just like the Marquis said, their country might enter a civil war once his announcement spread through the Kingdom.

But I’m running out of time.

After a heavy sigh, King Alvis gave the signal to the guards. They took away the bound Marquis. Silence once again returned to the throne room.

***

Two days after the Marquis had been imprisoned, the citizens of Behemoth City gathered in the Central Plaza. The place was crowded despite the cold winter, with more than thirty thousand people gathered to personally hear the announcement from the King. It was almost a fourth of the entire population of the Capital.

Although King Alvis was dubbed as incompetent, he was loved by his citizens. Unlike the tyrant King that preceded him, King Alvis never tormented his people with absurdly high taxes. Also, during his reign, wars have lessened gradually, and this was due to the fact that the current King was a pacifist. The wars that occurred during his reign were on a far smaller scale, with the exemption of the Bloody Thorn Plains incident fifteen years ago.

The Grand Chamberlain, Viscount Lakian, tapped his wooden pole thrice towards the ground, creating loud thud sounds. Everyone’s eyes immediately turned to him. “The embodiment of God Neruz. The heart of the Sun. His Majesty, King Alvis Lukas VI has arrived. Everyone – show your respect.”

Immediately, the entire plaza became quiet. The residents knelt on one knee, their heads lowered on the ground. The sound of several footsteps was heard.

Accompanied by the Royal Guards, King Alvis went towards the pedestal, overlooking the entirety of the crowd that had gathered in this place.

“Raise your heads,” said King Alvis.

“Raise your heads!” shouted Viscount Lakian.

Like a wave, the crowd looked up and gazed at the old man standing on the pedestal. Unlike most Kings, his finery was not gaudy. His long silk tunic was embroidered with very few golden threads, and his cloak had a plain purple color. If not for the scepter in his hand, it would have been easy to mistake him for a low ranking noble of the Kingdom.

“Today, I have gathered everyone to make an important announcement.” King Alvis’ voice echoed with the help of an expensive magic stone.

King Alvis could see that aside from the commoners, several nobles stood among the crowd. Most of them were familiar faces.

He once again remembered his dear friend, Marquis Carlos. Right now, the retired general was locked up in the dungeon, and once this speech was over, he planned on releasing him. He knew that if he had not locked Marquis Carlos away, he would have created a revolt just to stop this announcement. Once that happened, even his status as the King of this country would not exempt his friend from the death penalty. It was something King Alvis would like to avoid at all costs.

King Alvis could feel the gazes of everyone. He breathed in then said, “Four years from now, I will pass the throne to my successor.”

The entire plaza blazed into life. Numerous murmurs filled the air. It was a well-known fact that the King’s children were all female. He did not have even a single son to inherit the title. Since it was in the law that only males were allowed to become the ruler of the Kingdom, everyone thought that the King would try to have a son within the next few years. After all, although old, males were still capable of impregnating a woman.

Therefore, a question ran through the minds of the citizens and the nobles. Who would be the successor the King spoke of? As far as they knew, the King was without a son.

As though answering the thoughts within their minds, the King spoke, “As you are all aware, all of my children are female. Because of this, I will be choosing my successor from among the Three Great Families. All of the sons of the three Dukes will become candidates for the throne.”

King Alvis could see that the nobles were stunned upon hearing this. The common citizens, on the other hand, were ecstatic. They had never heard of something like this before – a King handing over the throne to someone without blood of the Royal Family.

“I will choose the heir to the throne based on that person’s capability. By that, his ability to rule his territory,” said King Alvis. “Since problems will surely arise because of this, I forbid the three Dukes from waging war against each other. If proven guilty of trying to bypass this decree, the House of the perpetrator will be immediately kicked out of competition for the throne.”

King Alvis knew that even with this decree, the three dukes will still clash against each other regardless. But at the very least, he would be able to prevent an all-out war of the three large forces.

I’m running out of time. This Kingdom needs a new ruler soon. A great monarch that would lead the people to peace and prosperity.

***

The news of the King’s declaration immediately reached the entire Kingdom and its surrounding countries. In the taverns, discussions on who among the three Duke’s sons would most likely inherit the throne was frequently heard.

Inside his room, Lord Drakus silently sipped wine from the bronze goblet. He looked through the window, gazing at his domain. As one of the three Dukes of the Kingdom and also the Head of the Marcus Family, he possessed power second only to the King. With a single command, thousands of soldiers would march under his flag.

“Haaa.” Lord Drakus deeply breathed. These past few days, he had lost sleep. The sudden announcement of the King was something he had never expected. “Four years… In four years, the Marcus Family will become Royalty.”

He never once doubted this. After all, his son, Lui Marcus, was the Kingdom’s hero. At a young age of twenty-eight, he had made great feats and won numerous wars. Some of the scholars were even saying that he was the second coming of the War God, Rurukashu. With an unbeaten record, Lui Marcus was the current Supreme Commander of the Western Regiment. The Great General that kept the Empire at bay.

Compared to the sons of Duke Kelvin and Duke Youchester, my son is ahead by leaps and bounds. There’s no way the House of Marcus will lose in the competition for the throne as long as Lui is with us.

Lord Drakus had long accepted that Lui had already surpassed him. If not for this sudden declaration, he was even planning to pass on the title of the House Head to Lui next year.

For now, I will have to postpone giving him the title. It’ll be easier to act if I remain the Head of the Family. Even if I have to empty the treasury, I have to support Lui and make him inherit the throne.

As Lord Drakus was submerged in his thoughts, three knocks were heard and a voice spoke, “Father, It’s me.”

Lord Drakus broke out of his fantasies. He fixed his collar. “Enter.”

The door opened and a good-looking man entered the room. His silver hair was the characteristic trait of the Marcus Family. Whenever he commanded the soldiers to battle, his long hair would flow with the wind, and it gave him the nickname – the Silver War God.

After shutting the door, Lui bowed his head. “You’ve called for me, Father?”

Lord Drakus inwardly nodded at this. He approvingly looked at his bowing son.

As expected. My son is perfect. The competition for the throne will surely become our win.

“I’m sure you’ve heard of the announcement from the Capital.”

“The competition decreed by His Majesty?” said Lui. Although he was still wearing the sword on his waist, Lord Drakus did not mind. He knew of Lui’s personality. Even in banquets, his son never took off his weapon. He would always say that a moment’s carelessness could lead to death. “People have been talking about it nonstop that my ears have gone numb.”

Seeing the wry smirk of his son, the confidence within Lord Drakus’ heart rose up a notch. As expected, the competition was no big deal for his genius son. There was hardly a change in the expression of Lui all throughout their conversation.

Lord Drakus grabbed the shoulders of Lui and looked at him straight in the eyes. “Listen, Lui. As my only son, I will support you with anything, using any means necessary. I will use all the power of the Marcus Family to make you ascend the throne.”

Lui’s eyes glimmered. “I understand, Father. I’ve already asked Count Nases to gather all of the nobles within our faction. They’ll arrive here soon within the next few days. I’ve also mobilized half of the Marcus Army stationed in the Rulfort Mountain Range. They’re currently moving towards the Louan Plains to subjugate the monsters residing there.”

“Louan Plains?” Lord Drakus frowned. “Monsters?”

“Yes, Father. The King said that he’ll judge us based on our ability to govern our people. Therefore, instead of prioritizing guarding the border of Rulfort Mountain, we will do better in using the army to subjugate the monsters in Louan. The City of Metesda and the City of Yan are currently separated by the Silen River—but that’s wrong. What really separates the two cities are the monsters that follows the river’s route. I’ve sent several men to do reconnaissance in that area and they found out that the monsters originated from Louan. If we are able to subjugate the monsters in Louan Plains, a trade route between Metesda City and Yan City will open up.”

Lord Drakus was at loss for words. Metesda and Yan were both under the domain of the Marcus Family. If this information was true and the army managed to subjugate the monsters in Louan, then the two cities would prosper once the trading route opened up. Furthermore, the area surrounding Silen River was filled with gemstone mines. But due to the monsters that frequently roamed the area, those mines were never developed. The Kingdom tried subjugating the monsters before, but for some reason, they kept coming out of the River, as though they were birthed by the water.

As expected of the Silver God that defeated even the Empire. In just a few days, he had already come up with a plan to win the competition for the throne. In just a few days, he had already come up with a plan to make their domain prosper.

Lord Drakus tried to stop his body from shivering in delight. He could not ask for a more perfect son.

“But Father, there’s one thing that’s wrong,” said Lui.

Lord Drakus paused before asking. “What do you mean, Lui?”

“I am not your only son,” said Lui.

For a moment, the head of Lord Drakus throbbed. He remembered that boy borne from his concubine. The incompetent boy that, unluckily, have the blood of the Marcus Family flowing through his veins. Personally, Lord Drakus felt that he had been a kind father for simply exiling that boy towards that desolated town.

“You mean, that one?” The eyes of Lord Drakus narrowed. He let out a sigh.

“Father, Lark is also your son.” The face of Lui was grim. “He’s closer to a demon than a human, I’ve got to admit, but he’s still my brother.”

Lord Drakus did not like where the conversation was heading to. He knew perfectly well this side of Lui. Although he was a peerless commander, he had a fatal weakness – he loved his family too much, to the point of kneeling in front of everyone just so that his useless little brother would be forgiven for his atrocious misdeeds.

If possible, Lord Drakus would like to disown that stupid son of his that carried the name of the Marcus Family. If Lui had not stopped him back then, he would have exiled Lark outside the Kingdom, never to be seen again.

Now that I think of it, the brat should still be alive, right? Gaston insisted on coming with him. And I gave him a hefty sum too. But considering that brat’s personality, it wouldn’t be surprising if he’d squandered it by now. Ah.. Damn it. Just thinking about that one is giving me a headache.

“Father, I suggest that you send several soldiers towards that place,” said Lui.

“To that small town?” Lord Drakas could not see the merit in doing that.

“Yes. With my rank as the Supreme Commander of the Western Region, it’ll be hard to target me. Therefore, the other two Dukes will definitely aim for my little brother.”

Upon hearing this, Lord Drakus’ expression turned grim. He sent that stupid kid to a faraway place so that he’ll not be able to harm the reputation of the Marcus Family, but it seemed that alone was not enough to remove the problem.

I really should have killed that brat back then. He kept ruining the Family’s reputation. Fighting with the other nobles. Harming the citizens of the fief. A year ago, he even almost killed the priest due to some petty squabble about religion.

Despite his dark thoughts, Lord Drakus never implemented such plans. His genius son would find out sooner or later, and it would definitely deteriorate their relationship with each other. It was something he would like to avoid at all cost.

Lord Drakus sighed. “Tell me, what merit would the two Dukes get by targeting Lark?”

Even if that son of his was harmed by the Dukes, it did not really matter to Lord Drakus. After all, that kid was nothing but a baggage. He could not see how it would affect him in anyway.

Lui gnashed his teeth as he stared at Lord Drakus. “By targeting my brother, they’ll be indirectly targeting me.”

“Father, if they harmed my little brother, I will slaughter the two Dukes and their entire Army, regardless of the Royal Decree.”

The eyes of Lui was predatory. “I promise you that.”

Chapter Fourteen

“Father, do you really have to go to that place?”

Mikael lifted the bag filled with clothes and tied it on his back. “You’ve been asking me the same question since morning.” He wryly smiled at his daughter. “Elaine, it’s an order from the King. I have no choice but to go to that town.”

“But what’s the point of monitoring that garbage?” Elaine rolled her eyes and sighed. “I’ve heard from uncle Gerald that even Lord Drakus himself does not wish to be associated with that one.”

After the declaration of the competition for the throne, Mikael, along with twenty-seven other knights, have been gathered in the throne room. The King personally assigned duties to each of them. The task was this: Disguise yourselves as ordinary citizens and evaluate the twenty-eight candidates for the throne. Of course, to do that, they would need to go towards the domain of the candidates themselves and monitor them closely.

“Elaine, even if it seems pointless, this is a task personally entrusted to me by His Majesty. I cannot fail my liege. I have to complete this task, no matter what.”

He also knew that the candidate he was going to monitor had the least chance of winning the competition.

Mikael grabbed the skin flask on the table. Although he was a knight by profession, he no longer wore a plate armor. His beloved sword was now hanging on the wall of his room. Instead of an armor, what he was currently wearing was a dirty-looking tunic. The hem was filled with moth bites, and the leather belt around his waist was filled with cracks. Combined with the cheap-looking bag on his back, it would take no more than a glance to see that he was a serf of the Kingdom.

Seeing his father dressed like a rag, Elaine could not help but feel frustrated. After all, although they did not own a land, they were still a family of knights. A noble by title and peerage.

“This is stupid.” Elaine shook her head.

At that statement, her father glared. “The decision of his Majesty is not wrong. Even though Lord Lark Marcus has been thrown away into that small town by his very own father, he’s still a candidate for the throne. After all, he’s still one of the sons of Duke Drakus.”

“But father, His Majesty should have given you a better candidate to monitor, at the very least! You’ve heard the rumors about that one, right? If he treats priests and nobles like dirt, then how much more for the commoners?” Elaine was worried that since her father was disguising himself as a serf, he would be in danger once he arrived at that small town. After all, numerous bad rumors surrounded the noble called Lark Marcus.

Mikael placed a hand on his daughter’s head, ruffling her hair in mischievous strokes. “Your father’s a knight, Elaine. Even if I meet a band of thieves along the way, I’ll survive. A mere noble kid won’t be able to kill this war veteran.”

Elaine knew that this statement was not simply baseless confidence. After all, the title of a knight was something bestowed only to those that have trained themselves in mana. Magicians were regarded as Sages, while the people of the Kingdom regarded Knights as God’s Soldiers. After all, they were adept at both magic and swordsmanship.

Still, even though she knew that her father was strong, she could not help but worry.

“When are you coming back?” she asked, voice soft and soothing.

There was a small pause. “I don’t know. I didn’t get to ask his majesty about that. He only told us to secretly monitor the candidates and send reports every now and then.”

“You’ll send the reports personally, right?” Although Elaine knew the answer to this question, she still asked regardless.

“That’s impossible. Blackstone Town is almost two months away from the Capital.”

As expected, her father was going to use a messenger to send regular reports to His Majesty. Realizing that it would probably be years before they see each other again, tears started forming at the corner of Elaine’s eyes. Ever since her mother died, Mikael had been her only pillar of strength. And now, he was leaving her behind to complete this task.

“My child will be born soon.” Elaine touched her abdomen. “Can’t you stay for a month more? Father, at the very least, see your first grandchild before you go.”

Although Mikael was torn inside by this fact, he did not let it show on his face. He had already resolved himself to complete this task for His Majesty. He simply smiled and did not reply.

After a few more seconds of deafening silence, Elaine sighed, walked towards her father and hugged him tight. “I will miss you, father. Please, be safe.”

Mikael thought that he had raised a good daughter. If his deceased wife sees her now, she would have been very proud. “Of course.”

***

After leaving the inner district of the Capital, Mikael went towards One Stop Clop – the only company that accepted his request to travel all the way to Blackstone Town. Although the price was a bit overpriced, Mikael did not mind. After all, the expenses were paid beforehand by the Royal Palace.

The only downside, aside from the expensive price, was that the company would drop by all the cities along the way, before transporting him to Blackstone Town. This was because merchants were coming with the caravan, and those guys would need to stop and trade with the cities along the way.

“Ah, Mikael, is it?” said a fat merchant. He was the leader of the caravan and also the owner of One Stop Clop. “Ready to meet your old man in Blackstone Town?”

According to the script, Mikael was a serf traveling to Blackstone Town to meet his dying father. This was the reason why although a commoner, he willingly paid a hefty sum to the transport merchant. Since this was a task personally entrusted to him by the King, aside from his daughter, he told no one about it.

Mikael looked at the six carriages lined up in front of them. Workers were loading crates inside, while merchants wearing gaudy clothes facilitated the transfer.

“I’m really glad that you’ve let me join this caravan, sir.” Mikael bowed his head. If his daughter had seen this, she would have reprimanded him for bowing his head to a mere merchant. Mikael could not help but inwardly smile at the thought.

“You have money. That’s enough reason to let you in.”

The logic behind merchants were really simple, and this was why Mikael found it easy to blend with their group. To the merchants, money was above the law. Even if Mikael was a fugitive, the transport merchant would still have let him in as long as he paid.

“Those are…” Mikael’s eyes looked at the naked men and women boarding the fourth carriage.

The transport merchant looked at the direction where Mikael was looking at. “Ah, slaves. Caught by the Furtpert Syndicate. Nasty creatures, those guys, but really effective. Make them work for you and they won’t even complain.”

Mikael understood why the merchant called those slaves nasty. Even from this distance, he could clearly see the animal-like features of the captives. Unlike normal ears, theirs were those of a cat’s or a dog’s, some even resembled lizards and monkeys – Mikael was not sure. But he was certain that those slaves were beastmen.

Mikael narrowed his eyes. “Forgive my impudence, sir… but would there be people who’ll buy them? I mean, they’re beastmen. They’re treated even lower than animals in this Kingdom.”

The transport merchant chuckled. “Keep going west of here and you’ll arrive at the Lion City. You wouldn’t believe this, but the Lord of that city loves to collect Beastmen as pets. I’ve heard that he would sometimes kill them for the meat, not really sure ‘bout that one, but who cares? It’s good profit.”

Mikael immediately connected the dots. He realized the reason why the One Stop Clop agreed on transporting him all the way to Blackstone Town.

So, this group’s actually going to Lion City in the first place. They’re selling those Beastmen there, huh? I’m a bit worried about the Lord of that city. Eating Beastmen meat? I should make a report to His Majesty about this.

Since the Beastmen were not considered humans to begin due to their semblance to the Demons, there was no law prohibiting anyone from enslaving them. Even if these merchants massacred these Beastmen, they would not be punished.

But Mikael deemed that he should report about the consumption of Beastmen meat. It somehow made him question the Lord of the Lion City’s sanity. As a knight of the Kingdom, it was his duty to report these kinds of things.

The cage containing the captives were shut.

After the signal from the leader of the merchants was given out, the caravan starting moving out.

Their final destination was Blackstone Town.

Chapter Fifteen

After the introduction of cement, Silver Claw and his men immediately proceeded to the construction of the irrigation system as instructed by the young master. They began digging a pathway for the water on the ground, and once this pathway was finished, they would connect it towards Rile River that flowed inside the forest.

“Dig a little bit more!” shouted Silver Claw. Over a dozen workers were shoveling through the ground, sending dirt and soil flying towards the sides. “It should be at least as deep as a person’s height!”

Silver Claw did not use complex terms like one and a half meters deep and two meters wide. Instead, he used simple terms the illiterate workers could understand.

“That should be deep enough!” he shouted after seeing the depth of the trenches. “Add the cement!”

Upon his order, the cement mixture inside the wooden barrels were poured on the ground. They slowly added water to it and mixed it briskly using a wooden rod with a flat end. The workers quickly moved and spread the cement on the walls and foot of the canal. This way, according to the Young Master, the irrigation canal would not easily collapse once large amounts of water came pouring out of the Rile River.

This thing invented by the Young Master… this cement… it’s really amazing.

Silver Claw’s heart raced whenever he thought of the many things that would be now possible with this world-shaking innovation. When he first saw how the earth hardened after addition of water, he was speechless beyond words. It took only a few hours and yet, the product was hard enough to compete with stone. And as though that wasn’t enough, this so-called cement adhered so strongly to other stones that it was impossible to separate them without using brute force.

Silver Claw was getting shivers just thinking of these things. He wanted to get back to the eastern border as soon as possible and test this cement out on the houses being constructed there. Still, since this was ordered by the young master, he was to prioritize the completion of the irrigation system first.

As they neared the farmlands, the canal was designed to break into numerous forks. In each fork, a device meant to block the flow of water was to be constructed. According to the Young Master, aside from the main plug at the junction of Rile Rilver, other stopper system should be built to properly distribute the water. He repeatedly emphasized that these devices needed to be made no matter what, in order to avoid overflowing of water into the farmlands. If one stopper broke, then those on the fork would still hold.

Although the Lord of Blackstone Town was still young, Silver Claw could not help but be amazed by his insight. He had seen the plowing tools before, and even just those things alone would be enough to warrant merit from the entire Kingdom. And now, the Young Master introduced this earth-shaking innovation called cement and this ingenious stopper system in the irrigation project.

Silver Claw breathed out. He knew that this was not the time to dally.

I can’t let my men do all the work, right? Let’s finish this quickly so that I could finally test the cement on those houses.

Silver Claw rolled the sleeves of his shirt and joined the workers inside the trenches. He also began digging through the ground.

***

Lark received news that the first chicken coop had been finished. He immediately summoned Gaston and issued his orders.

“Tell the servants to load the chicken eggs to the carts,” he said to the old man. “Two hundred eggs. We have two roosters in the coop at the garden, right?”

“Yes, Young Master.” The old butler was becoming used to the eccentric orders of Lark by now.

“Take those two with us. Also, I’ve ordered Loi saplings from the Lion City before.” Lark bought those things at a relatively cheap price, since it seemed that the people in this Kingdom have no use for those plants. “Bring all of those with us. If the carts aren’t enough, just deliver them in batches.”

“Understood.” Gaston bowed and left.

After the butler was gone, Lark leaned on his chair and smiled. Developing this town was tiring yet exciting. Aside from the management of the town, he never ceased his training. His only time to rest was during the night – those five hours of sleep during bedtime.

He stood up, opened the box near the bed, and took out four thin metal plates. Engraved inside the tablets were magic diagrams and formations meant to accelerate the productivity of the poultry farm. With these items, Lark planned on forcing hundreds of eggs to hatch. An item meant to solve the fertilization process.

Lark went towards the garden. By the time he arrived, the preparations have been already finished. The crates containing the eggs have been loaded, along with the Loi saplings.

“Young Master,” said Gaston. “The saplings will be delivered in batches, as you’ve ordered, since the carts are unable to accommodate all of them.”

There were only three carts in total. Lark remembered that the other carts were being used in the northern construction right now, specifically for the transportation of limestones.

Lark nodded and boarded the carriage. After a neighing sound, the carts moved slowly and exited the Mansion’s grounds.

Looking outside the window, Lark noticed that the snow was starting to melt. Winter was finally coming to an end.

Good. We can finally start planting the wheat seeds. I need to hasten the reclamation of the northern lands after this. It’ll probably take a year before we can start reclaiming the western region.

The plowing of the lands in the north was progressing quickly due to the tools introduced by Lark. According to the reports, the average farmer was able to use the plowing tool for around twenty minutes. Each day, several acres of land were being plowed and fertilized by composts. If things continued progressing this way, they would be able to start planting the seeds within the next few days. The only limiting aspect would be the irrigation system, but the conventional watering method by the farmers should be enough to cover the small available area for now – at least until the irrigation canals were ready.

As Lark was lost in his thoughts, they finally arrived at the southern border of the town. When Lark got down the cart, he immediately saw the newly constructed chicken coop. It was five times as large as a normal cabin, with enough room to house around a hundred chickens.

A large empty space cleared of any grass surrounded the coop, with a waist-length fence serving as demarcating point. Lark was impressed that the workers followed his design thoroughly. Lark planned on using the large empty space as potential feeding ground for the poultry.

“Ah, Young Master.” A tall man wearing a straw hat came running towards Lark and his group. “I’m sorry for not immediately coming to greet you. I’ve though that—,” he removed his hat and scratched his chin. “—You’ll be coming around late afternoon.”

Lark smiled and simply dismissed it. He looked at the large chicken coop made of wood. He could see numerous small windows near the roof, a design meant to lessen the heat during summer. “I didn’t expect that you’ll be able to finish them so soon.”

“We’ve worked day and night to quickly finish it.” The voice of the tall man held unmasked pride within. “We’re still working on the second one. According to Sir Silver Claw, the Young Master wants fifteen of them?”

Lark knew that the worker was probably confused on why there was a need for so many coops. After all, by simply looking at their size, it was apparent that there would be thousands of chickens in this farm. It was an amount excessive for this small town.

“That’s correct.” Lark did not elaborate. He planned on exporting chicken meat to nearby cities and villages once the time came. Also, by smoking it and drying it, those meat would easily become rations for the soldiers.

He told the servants to unload the crates containing the eggs and put them inside the coop.

As the servants unloaded the cargo, Lark turned towards the tall man. “Pico, how long will it take to finish the poultry farm?”

The tall man, probably surprised that the Young Master knew his name, opened and close his mouth. “Ah… Yes. It will take around three to four more months, Young Master.”

Lark tapped Pico’s shoulder. “I’m going to issue another recruitment order soon. I’ll immediately send more men to work on this farm. Make it two months.”

The voice of the Young Master was firm, clearly not taking no for an answer. Sensing this, Pico bobbed his head vigorously. “Yes!”

Lark smiled. The servants have finished their tasks.

“Then, Mister Pico. From now on, you will be in-charge of the entire Poultry Farm,” said Lark.

Pico realized that the Young Master was not pertaining to simply the construction of the farm but to the management of the farm itself. “But, young sir. I’m no poultry breeder. I know nothing about this job. I’m merely a constructi—”

“—That’s fine,” interjected Lark. He motioned for Pico and the butler to follow him inside the coop. On his hands were four thin iron plates. “I will teach you everything you need to know about this.”

After doing his research, Lark found out that the method of taking care of the poultry in this Kingdom was primitive. It was so unproductive that Lark was stunned speechless when he first heard of it. Therefore, he decided that he would introduce the Magic Empire’s way of poultry farming. Although he was a magician in his previous life, basic knowledge such as this one was mandatorily taught in the academies, and he’d heard of it so many times that his ears have gone numb.

The Magic Empire’s education system is indeed great. Both magicians and non-magicians are taught all of the necessary basic knowledge. Mathematics. Science. Religion. Trade. Even Farming.

Lark hoped that one day, such education system would exist in this world. An education system that did not discriminate between magicians and non-magicians. An education system available for people of all status.

Lark looked around inside the coop. Everything was made of wood. Near the ceiling, numerous fan-shaped wooden blades were installed. Lark planned on connecting it to a magic device later, enabling it to rotate and drive away the heat during summer. After all, the summer in this Kingdom was said to be accompanied by ridiculously fierce heat waves which kill people by the dozens – and this was also true for the animals. This was one of the reasons why during summer, the prices of poultry products were ridiculously high.

It’ll be several months more before summer arrived. Lark deemed that would be enough time to implement his plans.

“Ah, right. The rooster,” mumbled Lark. After receiving an order, the butler soon returned inside the coop with a rooster in his hand. The rooster kept struggling out of the old man’s hands.

Lark placed two metal plates on the ground. Each of them had peculiar symbols engraved inside.

“These plates are called Hatchelets. They’re magic devices capable of fertilizing an egg and accelerating their growth,” said Lark. Basically, it solves the problem of fertilization by simply using the “essence” of the hens that had been passed to the eggs.

He could clearly see the confusion on Pico’s face. “Put the rooster over there.”

Following the direction of the young master, Gaston placed the rooster on one of the metal plates. The moment the rooster’s feet touched the plate, the symbols engraved on it glowed for a second, and the struggling rooster froze in place.

Lark pointed at the second plate. “Now, put eggs on that one. Pico, you do it. One egg on each circle.”

Pico saw the strange glow from the first plate. He was now convinced that these plates were magic devices. Still, he held doubts if these things were really capable of making an egg hatch. After all, this was the first time he ever heard of such a thing.

A total of four eggs were placed on the second plate.

“These two plates are connected by a thin strand of magic beforehand. Using these devices as catalyst, we will absorb a small essence from the rooster and transfer it to the unfertilized eggs. And using the same essence, we will forcefully accelerate growth inside the egg, making it hatch.”

Everyone in the room was silent. They all stared at the plates. The rooster that struggled before in the hands of Gaston was now unmoving, as though it turned into a living statue.

“To activate this device, a little bit of mana is required,” said Lark. “But don’t worry. Even non-magicians are able to use this thing.” He patted Pico’s back. “Place a hand on the hexagram at the center of that plate. Do it.”

As instructed, Pico placed his hand on the symbol at the center of the second plate. It took several seconds before Pico felt something being sucked out of his body. It was a tiny amount, but it was continuously being sucked out.

Feeling uncomfortable, Pico was about to pull out his hand when Lark said, “Don’t remove your hands. Wait for the eggs to hatch.”

Under the gaze of the Young Master and the servants, Pico did not remove his hands. Even now, he could still feel something being sucked out of his body. A bead of sweat started forming on his forehead. He wanted to say that hatching the eggs using such method was absurd, and that such thing was not possible, but in the end, he chose to shut his mouth.

The symbols on the second plate glowed and vanished after a full second.

“Alright. That’s enough,” said the young master. “Remove your hand.”

Pico released his hand and sighed in relief. He realized that sweat had formed on his face, and his breathing had quickened somewhat.

Lark grinned at him. “Tiring isn’t it? As a non-magician, you’ll get used to that feeling eventually.” He pointed at the second plate. “Look.”

The moment Pico looked at the second plate, his eyes widened in surprise. The four eggs placed on it started forming cracks. Moments after, newly born chicks started coming out of the shell, their bodies wet and slimy.

“Wha—” a voice of surprise leaked out of Pico’s mouth.

Lark bent down and grabbed one of the newly born chicks. He looked at the frozen rooster standing on the first plate. “The essence from the rooster will recover with rest. At most, I want you to hatch around fifty eggs per day. Rotate with the other workers so your mana won’t get depleted.”

Pico was still stunned of what he saw. When he realized that the young master was staring at him, he finally broke out of his trance.

“Ah, yes. Understood, young master!”

Lark chuckled. “No need to be so stiff.” He patted Pico on the back. “You’ll get used to this method soon.”

Pico stared at the newly born chick held by the young master. For some reason, he felt a sense of accomplishment after realizing that it was him who made those chicks hatch.

Lark led the group towards the outside, particularly towards the place where the carts were. He took out a sapling.

“You call this a Loi plant, right?” The plant Lark was holding was around two inches in length, with small yellow leaves growing out of the stem.

Pico had seen them before. “Yes.”

“I want you to plant these saplings over there.” Lark pointed at the empty area surrounding the coop. “A palm apart should do”

Pico paused, unsure if he should speak of what was on his mind. Eventually, he swallowed the lump in his throat and said, “Forgive me for this, Young Master. But I don’t think we should plant those things.”

“They attract bugs and several insects, right?” Lark smiled mischievously.

“Yes, those pests—”

“—Are food for the chickens in this farm,” completed Lark. “I’m asking you to plant these insect-attracting plants for this very reason. Think about it. Those insects would surely become pests in normal farms. But what about here? With thousands of chickens freely roaming about, they’ll be nothing but convenient food lying around.”

The insects attracted to these plants were generally harmless to humans. Therefore, there were practically no risks but only benefits if they planted these things.

Moreover, the fruits of these plants were the main ingredient in creating Umami Salt. A popular spice in the Magic Empire coveted by all restaurants. The very reason why the insects were attracted to Loi plants was due to the taste of Umami Salt within them.

Lark did not bother explaining the second reason why they should plant the saplings. He deemed that overtime, they would realize these things.

“I want you to build a small fence to protect the Loi sapling from the chickens,” said Lark. “A very small one will do. It’ll take several months before these plants produced fruits. By that time, gather those fruits and bring them to me. Is that clear?”

“Understood, Young Master.”

Chapter Sixteen

The residents of Blackstone Town curiously looked at the soldiers marching in formation. They all wore leather armors, their spears disassembled into two parts so that it’ll be easy to carry during the march. Following behind the soldiers were five carts filled with wood and hemp ropes, with the last cart carrying a day’s worth of rations.

“Hey, did you hear? It seems they’ll be entering the eastern part of the Endless Forest to subjugate some monsters!”

“Yeah, I heard it from my brother! The young master said they’ll be facing Goblins!”

“Are you an idiot? We’ve been living here for decades. There’re no Goblins in the Endless Forest!”

Numerous murmurs and speculations filled the air as the soldiers marched. Due to the training drilled into them, the soldiers did not break formation and walked forth in steady, uniform gaits. They also had their doubts about this mission, but as this was an order from the Young Master, they had no choice but to obey despite the uncertainties.

Lark was riding the first carriage. Through the bowfront, he could see the soldiers marching in front. He was sure that they were nervous of the upcoming battle. After all, they knew nothing but the basic movements of the spear. All this time, aside from the stamina and discipline training, all they did was thrust and pull the spear.

Objectively speaking, it was still too early for the soldiers to face the Goblins living in the Kalrane Mine. But right now, the treasury was constantly being wringed dry by all the developments being made left and right in the town. Lark needed to secure the Kalrane Mine soon and obtain a steady source of income.

The small personal army of Lark entered the Endless Forest. Back when Lark was making a map of the town and its immediate regions, this was the only part he was unable to fully map. The name ‘Endless Forest’ truly befitted this place – even from the sky, the end of the forest was not within sight.

Lark was actually surprised that even though such a massive forest was adjacent to the town, the town itself was peaceful enough. Based on what he’d heard from Gaston, Blackstone Town was a lot more peaceful than the major cities near the Capital. In those places, monster attacks were so frequent that soldiers fight with them on a daily basis.

The trees inside the Endless Forest were far larger than normal. Their leaves created canopies that blocked the sunlight. Occasional rays would seep through the gaps, which gave enough light for the army to traverse the root-blanketed ground.

We’ll be near the Kalrane Mine soon.

“Halt.” Upon Lark’s order, the entire army stopped in its tracks. “Captain Qarat.”

A man with dark-brown skin stepped forward. “Sir?”

“Send two of your most nimble men to scout the area. The Goblin’s den is nearby. Tell them to report immediately if they spot some Goblins in the forest.” Lark leisurely sat inside his carriage. He used Magic Perception before to scan the immediate surroundings. He knew that the area was safe right now. There were some wild boars around, but they would not pose a threat to this small army.

“Understood!” Qarat saluted.

“You’ve briefed the soldiers on what they’re going to fight against, right?” Lark saw Qarat’s restless eyes after that. Indeed, these guys still have a long way to go to even be called proper soldiers.

“Yes… about that,” slowly said Qarat. “There were some doubts about it. All of the soldiers are locals and they’ve never once seen a Goblin before. They’re having doubts since monsters do not really come out of the Endless Forest.”

This was one of the greatest mysteries for Lark as of the moment. There was no way that a forest large enough to be called ‘endless’ would not contain any monster. But since his hands were tied with administering the town and his daily mana training, he had no time to spare to investigate this.

If my hunch is correct, there must be a King residing within the Endless Forest. A creature strong enough to keep all the monsters at bay. That’s probably the reason why no monsters are attacking the town.

“This will also be part of the training,” said Lark. Looking around, although the soldiers were standing straight in attention, they failed to hide the uneasiness within their faces. “There’s nothing more perfect than facing Goblins.”

An hour passed. The scouts sent out returned with news. Their faces were pallid.

“Captain! Just like the Young Master said, there’s a hidden cavern north of this place! Around twenty minutes of march away!”

“And we’ve… we’ve seen them! Goblins! We’ve seen two of them when we peeked inside the cavern!”

Since the voices of the scouts were loud and frantic, coupled with the silent forest, the surrounding soldiers heard it. Numerous gasping sounds escaped the soldiers’ lips, some nervously looked around, probably afraid of Goblins suddenly attacking them from the shadows.

Captain Qarat creased his brows. “Good work. Await further orders.”

The scouts saluted. “Yes, sir!”

After the scouts left, Qarat approached the Young Master. Contrary to his expectations, the Young Master was rather calm. It was probably because from the start, the Young Master really believed that there really were monsters in this part of the forest.

Qarat felt a bit ashamed that he doubted his Lord’s words.

“Young Sir, the scouts spotted Goblins in a cavern nearby,” said Qarat.

Lark grinned. “Tell the soldiers to assemble their spears. March until we’re a five hundred steps away from the target. From there, start unloading those things from the carts and assemble them. That should be easy enough, yes?”

“Understood,” said Qarat. As he was bowing his head, he peered at the Young Master for a moment. “Sir, if this soldier may ask…”

Lark stared back. “What is it?”

There was a moment of hesitation from Qarat. “Is it really alright to use spears? Each of the soldiers are also equipped with short swords. I believe that when fighting inside the cavern, those long spears will hinder us instead. I suggest that we use short swords.”

Lark was pleased that at least this soldier had common sense. And he was also pleased that he was courageous enough to speak of his thoughts and suggestions. Lark approvingly nodded at this.

“What you’ve said is correct,” said Lark. “Fighting with spears when inside the cavern is nothing but foolishness. But Captain Qarat — we wouldn’t be fighting inside the cavern.”

Seeing the confused look of the captain, Lark continued. “We’ll be smoking the Goblins out. That’s why we’ve bothered to bring wooden stakes and hemp ropes with us. We’ll make a defensive line with those things. We’ll fight them outside.”

Qarat remembered the wooden stakes and hemp ropes that filled the first five carts.

“Disseminate the orders to the soldiers. I want the preparations to be completed within two hours.”

Qarat left and began issuing his orders to the soldiers. Immediately the small army began to march once again. Upon reaching their destination, they began setting up wooden fences using wooden stakes and hemp ropes. There were small gaps between the stakes, which would, according to the Young Master, become a convenient place to thrust their spears through. Small pitfalls were placed in front of the fence, which were immediately covered with leaves.

Now, all that was left was to force the Goblins outside of the cavern. Once outside, they would have no choice but to clash against the soldiers behind the barricade.

If only I have more gold in the treasury, I wouldn’t be rushing the subjugation like this. I don’t know when I’ll find another monster’s den. A waste of experience, really, since these guys will be fighting behind already-made defenses. But if they fight the Goblins head-on, there’ll surely be casualties. These guys aren’t proper soldiers yet.

Lark sighed. He jumped down the carriage. Under the command of Captain Qarat, the soldiers gathered before the Young Master. Their spears were already assembled, spanning almost two meters in length. On their waists, short swords dangled.

Lark had decided to make them fight without using the magic weapons he had made. For now, it would be better if these guys had a hard time fighting against the Goblins. Several wounds or maybe a severed finger or two would be good too. It’ll drill into them what a real battlefield was like.

“Listen, from here on, we’ll be fighting against monsters – Goblins. A small army of them.”

Some of the soldiers swallowed, while some quivered upon hearing the name of the monsters come out of the Young Master’s mouth. Although Goblins were at the bottom of the hierarchy of monsters, they were still creatures stronger than these hastily made soldiers. In a one-on-one battle, they would probably be victorious over these men.

Lark was getting a headache when he thought of this. Giving them the magic armor and spears would immediately give these guys an overwhelming advantage, but that would be putting the cart ahead of the horse.

“Your job is simple.” Lark pointed at the small entrance in the fence. “Kill all the Goblins that will come out of that pathway. At most, only two or three of them will come at a time. There’s more than fifty of you. Use those damn weapons to kill them.”

The soldiers were still tense, definitely nervous. Lark could not help but sigh. But he could somehow understand. These guys, after all, were mere residents a month and a half ago. They never held spears before that.

I guess they’re not so bad, since they’re really decent now with the basic thrust and pull of the spear. Qarat did a good job training these guys with the basics.

There were still a lot more they could do with the spear. Even close combat was possible if they used those poles correctly. But for now, Lark had to drill into them the most basic of things.

“Are there any questions?” said Lark.

A soldier timidly raised a hand, “Uhm, Young Master? How sure are we that those Goblins are going to come out of that cavern?”

“There’s a simple trick for that. Although Goblins are monsters, they’re just like other animals. They’re afraid of smoke and fire. We’ll force them out of the cavern with that.” Lark turned to Qarat. “The castrel oil?”

“We’ve put them in the barrels, just like you’ve asked.” Qarat pointed at the three small barrels near the carts. “We’ve also placed some dried leaves inside. All it need now is fire.”

Castrel oil was a bit expensive, but it was a necessary expense. It was an oil that does not burn fiercely like others, yet at the same time, the smoke it produces was far greater than other oils. After adding some dried leaves to it, the smoke would turn black and irritate the eyes, making it hard to see.

“Place those barrels near the entrance of the cavern. Make sure that the Goblins doesn’t notice you.”

Qarat saluted. Several soldiers began moving stealthily towards the cavern’s entrance, carrying with them the wooden barrels. After placing it near the entrance, they retreated back to the camp.

“Qarat,” said Lark.

“Yes!”

“I will not interfere after this. Once those Goblins come out of the cavern, all of the soldiers will be under your command. Direct them as you see fit,” said Lark. He planned on secretly saving the soldiers if ever they came into grave danger, but he had no plans of helping them subjugate these goblins. After all, if he helped, these guys would lose this valuable experience.

“I understand,” said Qarat.

Lark walked towards the front. He had used Magic Perception before. He was sure that the Goblins still have not noticed that they were surrounded. As expected, moving through the day was the best choice when dealing with these nocturnal creatures.

He pointed a finger. Three orbs of fire started forming at the tip of his finger. The soldiers curiously stared at this phenomenon. Most of them did not know that the Young Master was capable of military-grade magic.

“Now, let’s start.”

The orbs of fire shot towards the barrels near the entrance of the cavern, creating a deafening blast upon impact. The barrels exploded and black smoke swirled up into the air, a portion of it entering the cavern. Even from this distance, the soldiers were able to hear the numerous squeaking sounds inside the cavern, which was quickly followed by numerous footsteps.

Lark nodded at Qarat. It was now his responsibility to command the small army.

From the cavern’s entrance, the oil burned into thick smoke. From within the gap, numerous small green creatures came running out. They were screaming in rage, their eyes teary from the gas that entered the cavern.

Qarat gnashed his teeth.

“Soldiers! Spears up!” shouted Qarat.

Immediately, the soldiers pointed their spears at the charging horde. There were around the same number of goblins as that of the soldiers.

These guys are lucky. There’s no Hobgoblin or Shaman in the group. Even in the Magic Empire, that’s a rare find.

Seeing the humans that made a barricade around their den, the Goblins shrieked in utter fury. The Goblins held weapons as they ran. Their eyes were still teary, but the rage within those yellow pupils were apparent.

The soldiers gripped their spears tight, their bodies trembling, as dozens of Goblins came charging towards them. Most of the Goblins came rushing towards the only open path, while some of them collided with the barricade.

“Attack those that are stuck on the fence!” shouted Qarat. He stabbed a Goblin through the gap between the fences. “Those that are guarding the entrance! Spears ahead! Prepare for impact!”

Probably because of the gas that struck their eyes, the Goblins charged towards the soldiers without much thought. Those that charged through the open entrance were impaled by the spears, while several Goblins managed to breach the soldiers guarding the entrance. The Goblins and the soldiers quickly engaged into a melee. Several Goblins were still pouring out of the cavern. Some of them would fall into the traps and get impaled by spears, some collided with the barricade, while some charged towards the open entrance.

Lark sat on the bowfront of the carriage. He was a good distance away from the chaos, but he could see everything clearly.

That guy’s done for.

One of the soldiers dropped his spear. Currently, he was crawling through the ground. A Goblin struck his calf using a dagger. The soldier screamed in agony as blood came flowing out of the wound. The Goblin shrieked in delight upon seeing this.

Lark opened the small pouch beside him. Inside were several pebbles. He took one pebble, added some mana into his fingers, and flicked it. The pebble whizzed towards the Goblin and hit its forehead, instantly killing it.

The soldier stared dumbfoundedly at the Goblin that suddenly fell down the ground. He looked around and saw nothing but his fellow soldiers engaged in a melee battle.

Over there. Another reckless one.

Lark saw another soldier about to succumb into his bane. His spear was stuck on the ground and he was unable to pull it out. The Goblin on his left jumped and tried stabbing him with a pointed stone. The soldier rolled on the ground in panic and successfully evaded the attack. He pulled out his short sword and engaged the Goblin in a fight.

Just like what Lark expected, the soldiers were weaker than the Goblins in a one-on-one fight. The soldier’s short sword flew into the air in just a few seconds, and the Goblin’s weapon made a deep cut on his arm. The soldier took several steps back until he fell down butt-first towards the ground.

“H-Help!” shouted the soldier. But those that were around him were too busy fending for themselves.

Lark took another pebble and flicked it towards the Goblin. It pierced the Goblin’s chest, making it shriek in agony. As the Goblin wobbled towards the ground, the fallen soldier immediately stood up, grabbed the pointed stone from the Goblin’s hands, and stabbed it into its neck. The Goblin croaked as the light in its eyes vanished. The soldier fell on the ground, huffing.

Good job.

Lark was glad that the soldier made a follow through after that pebble strike. At the very least, they have a great sense of survival.

Secretly babysitting these soldiers were tiring, but he cannot afford to let them die here. After all, training these guys took a lot of time. Lark hoped that in a year or two, these soldiers would be worthy enough to wield the magic spears.

The fighting went on, and Lark would secretly help the soldiers every now and then. By the time the battle ended, more than half of the soldiers were injured and unable to move. Thankfully, because of Lark interfering during crucial moments, there were no casualties. Those that were injured were immediately treated with herbs and bandages.

Looking around, numerous green corpses were scattered about. The oil near the cavern’s entrance had dried out and the smoke subsided.

Captain Qarat, his leather armor tattered, saluted at the Young Master. “Young Lord, we’ve finished subjugating the Goblins. Thirty-seven soldiers are heavily wounded, but none of them are in grave danger.”

Lark gazed at the Captain. He was a former resident too, but it seemed that he had a bit of talent in the spear. Although he had numerous cuts here and there, his body was in a far better state than most of the soldiers.

“Good work,” said Lark. He jumped down the cart. “Continue tending to the wounded. Take five soldiers. We’ll be going inside the cavern.”

After gathering the soldiers, Lark led them inside the cavern. The smell of castrel oil was still strong and it assaulted their noses upon reaching the entrance. As they went deeper inside, the smell of oil was soon replaced by the putrid stench of decay.

The torches carried by the soldiers illuminated the cave. Judging by the size of the walls, if they had fought the Goblins here instead of the outside, the soldiers would have been annihilated. There were hidden pathways here and there, which was probably meant for surprise attacks from the Goblins.

The soldiers accompanying Lark realized that just by simply taking the fight outside, they eliminated such advantage in terrain for the Goblins.

Lark saw the uneasiness within the soldiers. “Relax. There are no more Goblins here. We’re not here to fight.”

As he said that, he signaled everyone to stop. He smiled and pointed at the glimmering stones at the end of the cavern.

“We’re here to inspect the spoils of war,” said Lark. He completely ignored the weapons and items left behind by the Goblins.

“Kalrane stones,” said Lark. “From now on, they’ll be the town’s special product.”

Chapter Seventeen

Several days passed since the Goblins were subjugated. Lark went towards the eastern part of the Endless Forest, the area where the Mine was located.

“Good morning, Young Master.” Silver Claw greeted Lark the moment he went down the carriage.

Lark looked around. Contrary to before, this part of the forest was bustling with life. Numerous workers came in and out of the cavern. Some carried wood, while some carried shovels and pickaxes.

“You’ve been really busy lately,” said Lark.

Since Silver Claw was the only Mason in town, all of the construction works were given to him. It was no exaggeration to say that he was the busiest person in Blackstone Town right now. From the farmlands, the poultry farm, the irrigation system, until the construction of the residences – all were handled by him. And now, he was also tasked to oversee the construction of the railways and the fortification of the walls of the Mine.

“I’ve been enjoying myself these past few days.” Although his body had become thinner since the last time they’ve met, Silver Claw’s eyes glimmered with vitality and passion. His crooked grin held unmasked pride within.

“How’s the exploration?” said Lark. He felt someone staring at him. Upon looking, he saw a teenage girl, around the same age as him, hiding behind the logs near the entrance. It took him a while before he remembered who she was.

“About that…” Silver Claw scratched his chin. “We’re unable to go beyond the fifth tunnel.”

Two days ago, they found out that the Mine was absurdly vast. The cavern was filled with numerous tunnels and forks that even after exploring it for several hours, they were unable to see its end.

Silver Claw continued. “A worker almost died yesterday while exploring the fifth tunnel. He suddenly lost consciousness. We’ve investigated the cause and we’ve found out that–”

“—Air is unable to flow through that area,” completed Lark.

Silver Claw’s eyes widened a bit as he nodded. “Exactly. Yes.”

“As expected.” Lark had seen the tunnels within the Mine before. They were small and narrow, just enough for a single person to pass through. After seeing the twists and turns that formed numerous forks, he expected these things to happen sooner or later. That was why he repeatedly told Silver Claw to explore the tunnels very slowly, as accidents were bound to happen within such a complex maze. “It’ll take several months, but I want you to slowly widen the tunnels leading to the fifth area.”

Silver Claw nodded. “Understood. I assume that we’re also going to place wooden rails in that area after widening those tunnels?”

“That’s correct,” said Lark. The girl hiding behind the log finally revealed herself. She slowly walked towards Lark and Silver Claw. “Since the Mine is vast, it’s highly possible that there’ll be other stones aside from Kalrane. Who knows, maybe if we’re lucky, we’ll find Arcolnium there.”

The last part was said with a chuckle.

Hearing this, Silver Claw almost shivered in realization. Indeed, just like the Young Master said, this Mine was a treasure trove filled with untapped possibilities. When he was young, he heard that the Emerald City started from a small village. After discovering a Mine in the area, the merchants built numerous settlements there, forming a town, and eventually a large city was formed. Just thinking that this could also happen to Blackstone Town due to the appearance of a large Kalrane Mine made his heart pound.

“She’s fully healed, huh?”

Silver Claw looked at the direction where the Young Master was looking at. Upon seeing the timid girl tottering towards them, he said, “Ah! There she is! I’ve looking all over for you!” He gestured for the girl to walk faster. He grabbed her hand and whispered to her ear, “You begged me to bring you here, right? Go on. Say it.”

Seeing the flustered look of the young girl, Lark smiled. “Your name’s Anisette, right? How’s your body?”

The young girl looked at the smiling Young Master. Upon locking eyes with him, she quickly averted her gaze and said, “The Young Master knows my name?”

Lark chuckled. “Of course.”

Anisette’s face flushed red. “About before… for healing me from the curse.” She tried her best to look at the Young Master in the eyes. “Thank you.”

Lark smiled.

Silver Claw laughed and ruffled her hair. “My daughter really wanted to see you, Young Master. You see, she begged me to take her to this place last night.”

“Father!” The young girl glared at him.

Seeing this exchange between father and daughter, Lark could not help but feel warmth within his heart. He was reminded of the time he had spent with his disciples back in his previous life. To him who never had a wife or a child, those disciples were family.

“Young miss.” The young girl froze once again. “Your father’s been a great help to me – to this town. I should be the one thanking you and your father.”

Lark meant it. Without the Mason, the development of the town would have proceeded in a slower pace.

Silver Claw scratched his cheeks in embarrassment.

Lark looked at the workers coming in and out of the Mine. “We’ll be able to start tomorrow, huh?”

Silver Claw also looked at the workers. “Yes. It should be safe to mine Kalrane Stones after we’ve put the wooden pillars in the First Area. The workers can start mining tomorrow.”

It was a piece of good news. Lark said to Silver Claw, “Good. Gather the workers. I have something to tell them.”

Soon, dozens of workers gathered in front of the Young Master. They put down all they were doing just to hear the announcement. Since the news about the generosity of the Young Master to his workers have spread throughout the town, the look of contempt within the eyes of the people have lessened somewhat.

Lark was glad that the residents were starting to accept him little by little. He hoped that in a few more months, or maybe years, the former image left behind by the previous owner of his body would be forgotten by those living in his domain.

“Since time is of the essence, I will get straight to the point,” said Lark. The eyes of everyone was on him. “I will be implementing a yield-based profit system for this Mine. To put in simpler terms, the amount of Kalrane Stones you mine will dictate the number of silvers you’ll earn in a month. The more Kalrane Stones, the more silvers. Clear enough, yes?”

Lark gestured for a woman to come to him. A blonde woman wearing a plain dress.

“This here is Melody.” Lark noticed that most of the workers were aware of her identity. As the one teaching the soldiers how to read and write, some of the residents started calling her The Scholar. “Everyday, before dusk, she will inspect each harvest and record it. At the end of each month, all of you will be appropriately compensated based on the amount of Kalrane Stones you’ve mined.”

Lark’s voice rose. “You want your own house? Work hard for it! Want delicious food? Work hard for it! Those that do not work do not eat! But I promise you this in the name of the Marcus Family! As long as you work hard, you will never go hungry! As long as you work hard, you will experience prosperity!”

The crowd was silent. The words of the Young Master carried vehement strength within that they could feel heat surging through their chests. At first, they thought that they would be given a monthly wage just like the rest of the other workers. But with this system, as long as they worked harder than their peers, they would earn more to satisfy their needs.

The workers clenched their fists.

***

After visiting the Mine, Lark went towards the northern area. The plowing of the land was almost done, and since the snow have melted, they began planting the seeds.

The farmers bowed upon seeing Lark.

“Don’t mind me. Continue.”

Along with some servants, Lark strolled through the reclaimed lands. Unlike other places, the soil in this area had some stench to it, definitely due to the large amounts of night soil spread through the ground.

He pressed a foot firmly into the ground, and without much effort, it dug several inches deep.

They did a good job plowing these. The amount of compost is good too. With this, even those ‘seeds’ wouldn’t pose a problem.

After buying several barrels of wheat seeds from the Lion’s City, Lark immediately cast magic on them. It took him several days, but he had successfully made the seeds into a more superior version that would yield three times the amount of a normal one. Since those seeds yield more than the normal ones, they also consume a far larger amount of nutrients. But with this amount of composts, that should not pose a problem for the land.

Lark knew that once harvest season came, the amount of wheat they would harvest was so large that it could feed a Major City or two. He planned on storing the excess in the basement in cases of emergencies and export the remaining towards other places. The timing could not be more perfect since the Kingdom had just experienced the Black Famine back in the previous harvest. It would take a year or two before the farmlands in the Kingdom fully recover. Lark planned on exploiting this to gain more profit for his domain.

Lark inspected the water canals. It was not connected to the Rile River yet. But with the help of cement, it would only be a matter of time before the irrigation system was opened.

After looking at it, Lark noticed that the foundations were a bit lacking. Just the water from the Rile River alone would not be enough to destroy the canals, but if heavy rain came, the water would overflow and destroy the surrounding farm.

Lark called over one of the men working on the canals.

“Young Master?” The man was covered in dirt.

“This area.” Lark pointed at the canal. “The depth is not enough. Dig half a meter more. Also, tell everyone not to remove the weeds growing at the sides. Just pour cement on them. The roots will help keep the ground in place and further strengthen the walls of the canals.”

The man bowed. “Understood! I will tell everyone the Young Master’s orders!”

***

After the inspecting the northern farmlands, Lark went back towards the Mansion. He went towards the underground basement, the place he strictly forbade the servants to enter.

He unlocked the metallic door and pushed it open, creating a loud creaking sound. Upon entering, the door shut. It was dark and a nauseating stench filled the air.

Lark flicked a finger and two orbs of light formed in front of him. They slowly hovered up, illuminating everything. At the corner of the room was a pile of green corpses. Their bodies were rotting, and the blood that covered the ground had long coagulated. They were the Goblins killed by the soldiers.

Lark took the large pouch on a nearby table. He opened it and slowly poured down the powder inside while walking, drawing a hexagram with numerous symbols inside. He repeated the process again, but this time, using a different powder.

By the time the magic formation was completed, there was a large magic circle, with twenty smaller circles around it.

“It took me two days to finish you,” said Lark as he approached a suit of armor. It was made entirely of iron, an expensive item that costed him several gold coins. If Lark was a bit richer, he would have bought steel, but that was impossible with an almost dried up treasury.

He amplified his physical strength using magic, grabbed the suit of armor, and placed it on the largest magic circle.

“Next, the Goblins.”

Lark took the corpses of the Goblins and placed them on the small circles surrounding the suit of armor. A total of twenty corpses.

Lark breathed in. “Let’s start.”

After channeling mana into the magic formation, the hexagram and the symbols inside it glowed violently. A soft whizzing sound was heard, and slowly, the corpses of the Goblins started turning into particles of light. Black smoke manifested themselves for a moment, cursing at Lark who initiated the ritual, before vanishing into nothingness.

After the magic formation lost its light, the suit of armor started quivering. Clanking sound was heard as iron rubbed against each other. A pair of yellow eyes peered through the gaps of the helmet.

“I am your master,” declared Lark. “If you acknowledge, kneel and bow your head.”

Since there were some instances wherein the Soul Morphosis spell fails and the creation attacks the caster, Lark wanted to make sure.

The suit of armor groaned and knelt on one knee then bowed its head.

Lark grinned upon seeing it. It seemed that his first attempt at alchemy in this world was a success.

“Stand over there and await further orders.”

As instructed, the suit of armor moved and stood next to the wall. It simply stared at Lark as he once again repeated the ritual.

After several hours, all of the Goblin corpses had been consumed, and Lark was able to create three living suits of armor.

Since their cores were from Goblins, their strength was mediocre, probably only as strong as ten soldiers combined. But with a body covered in iron, their enemies would be hard pressed in killing them.

Lark summoned the three of them and they all knelt down in unison.

“Four days from now, I will be leaving for the Lion City. During my absence, you are to protect this place if danger arises.”

Along with some servants and soldiers, Lark planned on personally selling the Kalrane Stones. That way, he would be able to examine one of the major cities of the Kingdom and also see the extent of technology this civilization currently had.

I’ll also need to check the library of that city. The records in this town aren’t enough to answer my questions regarding this Kingdom. Is this a different world? A different timeline?

“Wear this.” Lark tossed black cloaks to the suits of armor. “Do not show yourselves unless necessary.”

“From now on, the three of you will be this town’s Guardians.”

Chapter Eighteen

The day of departure for the Lion City had come.

“Young Lord, we’ve finished loading all of the cargo,” said one of the servants.

There were three carts in total. The first was meant for Lark’s personal use, while the rest were filled with products, servants, and guards.

Lark nodded, his eyes transfixed on the second cart. It was the one carrying the Kalrane Stones, the main purpose of this expedition. Due to the limited time, they were hardly able to fill an entire barrel with Kalranes, but it should be enough for now. After all, the goal of this visit to Lion City was to assess the prices of goods and create connections with the merchants.

“Good work everyone.” Lark clapped his hands twice. “Board the carts.”

After everyone boarded the carts, the caravan started moving out. Sitting near the bowfront, Lark had a clear view of the road ahead. He saw the soldiers running through the town, carrying their spears with them. Some of the residents were plucking out Poison Clouds from the ground and placing them inside their baskets. They passed by a group of workers along the way, their bodies filled with dirt as they merrily chatted.

A town bustling with life.

This was a scenario that would have been impossible several months ago.

After surviving through the winter without even a single casualty and furthermore, being given ample food, job, and security, the residents of Blackstone Town have gone through visible changes in just a few months. People no longer appeared to be on the brink of death, their bodies no longer skin and bones.

“Old man,” said Lark. “How long will it take us to get to the City?”

The coachman slapped the reigns. “Two days, if we don’t run into trouble along the way, Young Master.”

“Trouble?”

“Well,” The old man scratched his stubbles. “Unlike Blackstone Town, monsters would sometimes appear near the Lion City. I don’t really get why the area near the Endless Forest is free of monsters, but the other regions are far from being peaceful. Once we reached the Galphea Forest near the Lion City, although low, there’ll be chances of encountering monsters, you see.”

The coachman chuckled. “But don’t worry, Young Master. There’s a really low chance of that happening. Winter’s just ended, after all. Those guys don’t get active until the end of spring.”

This was one of the greatest mysteries of Blackstone Town for Lark. According to what he’d heard, the other regions were infested with monsters that it was impossible to travel safely without escorts. But Blackstone Town, although surrounded by a forest so large that it was called ‘endless’, was free of such problems. Even the Goblins living in the forest never once attacked the town.

The Prey River.

Lark looked at the river that flowed through the plains. Unlike the Rile River, this one was colossal, probably large enough for several masted ships to pass through side by side.

Lark frowned. The river was drying up. By estimate, the water was probably only around the waist of a man. With the current state of the river, Lark would have to modify his plans of using the Prey River to create an irrigation system for the western lands.

The coachman saw the expression of Lark. He sighed. “I’ve heard that the locals used to fish in this area. But a year ago, the water in the river suddenly started drying up. Don’t know what caused it, but it’s quite hard to catch a fish nowadays. Stay all day and you might not even catch a single one.”

A year ago? It’s something that happened just recently, huh? No wonder the merchant that used to live in the Mansion did not mention it.

“Right when the river’s started drying up, the Black Famine suddenly hit the Kingdom,” mumbled Lark. He looked up the sky and sighed. “No wonder everyone’s dying of cold and hunger. I’m just glad no one died this winter.”

Silence befell them. The caravan kept moving west, towards the direction of the Lion City. They soon entered a small forest.

The coachman broke the silence. “Maybe the decision of the Duke was right.” The old man smiled softly. “Sending the Young Master to this town… is probably the best choice, after all.”

Seeing the old man suddenly sentimental, Lark curiously asked, “What do you mean?” He leaned on the metallic wall of the bowfront, his eyes gazing at the sea of trees.

“Forgive this old man for saying this, but you’ve changed a lot, Young Master,” said the coachman. The rattling of the carts as they passed through the root-blanketed ground served as background. “How should I say this? The young Lord seemed calmer and more composed after coming to this town. Back in Gryphon City, the Young Master was…”

A total brat – the coachman did not dare say the words out.

“Is that so?” Lark simply shrugged. He opened a small pouch and took out some bread. “Want some?”

The coachman shook his head. “This old man is still full. But thank you, Young Master.”

Lark stared at him. “Say, Gramps. You used to be a soldier before, right?”

The coachman was obviously startled by the question. He turned around and faced the Young Master.

“Keep your eyes on the road,” chuckled Lark. The old man averted his gaze.

“How?” said the old man.

“It’s obvious, Gramps. Those scars. Those trained movements. A normal servant wouldn’t move like that.” Lark sipped some water from the flask. “So, why did you decide to work for the Marcus Family? I’m pretty sure a veteran would have found a better job than being a coachman.”

The coachman smiled at the Young Master’s insight. “Only Sir Gaston and the Duke knows of my past. I didn’t expect that the Young Master would see through it. I guess this should be expected of someone with the blood of the Marcuses, huh?”

A wild boar appeared in front of them. After seeing the caravan, it ran away into the thickets, disappearing from sight. Birds chirped as a gentle breeze passed.

“The Young Master’s right. I used to be a soldier, you see. A soldier of the Marcus Family. Just like other soldiers, I’ve been sent to numerous battles. The last one took several fingers off my hand.” The old man showed the Young Master his left hand. It was missing two and a half fingers. “And an arrow shot through my knees. I’m just glad I’m able to walk now, but for the battlefield… I had no choice but to quit being a soldier.”

The story of the old man was quite common, a fate frequently visited by soldiers and veterans alike.

“But I’ve sworn to devote my life to the Duke. Even if this old man loses his limbs, I will continue serving my Lord.”

Hearing the coachman’s story, Lark started getting curious on what his father was like. In the short time he had interacted with the butler, the servants, and the guards, he was sure that they were absolutely loyal to his father. There must be something about Duke Drakus Marcus that made everyone choose to stay regardless of the consequences.

Lark decided that once given the chance, he would visit the man once.

The cart suddenly halted. Lark saw the reason why.

In front of them, several figures wearing weird masks – made of leaves and vines – stood and blocked the path. They were all holding weapons – axes, short swords, even shovels.

The coachman furrowed his brows. “Young Lord, please stay inside the cart.” The old man jumped down the bowfront. Behind him, the guards quickly followed.

“Who are you?” said the coachman. He took out a whip as he surveyed the forest. The guards warily watched their surroundings too.

“L-Leave the carts behind and everything inside! And we’ll spare your life!”

Lark raised a brow. The trembling voice was that of a boy, probably younger than him. Now that he had a careful look, it was apparent that their limbs were thin like twigs, shaking as they held their weapons.

“A kid?” mumbled Clark, the Head of the Guards. He unsheathed his sword and the rest of the guards did the same.

The masked figures took a few steps back the moment the guards unsheathed their swords. Their legs kept wobbling, giving the impression that they could fall down the ground at any moment.

“D-Don’t be afraid!” shouted one of them. “We have the numbers on our side! We… We can win!”

“Arthus is right!”

“Y-Yeah! Let’s go everyone!”

“Charge!”

Lark leaped off the cart, landing right in front of the guards and the coachman.

“Young Master! It’s dangerous! Please go back inside!” shouted Clark.

“You might kill the kids.” He said to the guards. “All of you, stand back. I’ll handle this one.”

Lark pointed a finger to the ground. After a second, vines started protruding out of it, twining around the legs of the masked figures. Most of them stumbled to the ground, their weapons flying off their hands. Those that managed to maintain their balance desperately tried getting out of the entanglement.

“What the hell is this!”

“It won’t come off! Damn it!”

Lark slowly approached the group. Seeing him, everyone desperately struggled to get out.

“Who are you? And why did you attack us?” said Lark.

After receiving no response, he flicked a finger and a monster plant resembling a sunflower emerged from the ground. The monster made a hissing sound, its sharp set of teeth filled with silvery threads of saliva.

“N-Noooo!”

“D-Don’t eat us!”

Lark sighed.

They’re just a bunch of kids. Really. But, why are they doing this? They should have known that they wouldn’t even be a match for my guards.

“Still not going to talk?” Lark shrugged. “Well?”

“Kill me! If you’re going to kill someone, then kill me!” The one at the very front of the group shouted. He took off his mask, revealing an emaciated face. His cheeks were sunken, and black circles encircled his eyes. His lips were crusted and dry. He was probably eleven or twelve, Lark was not sure. “I’m the leader of this group! If you’re going to punish someone, punish me!”

Sobs leaked out of the other masked figures. As time went by, it became more apparent that these guys were nothing but a desperate group of kids.

Lark approached the leader. He stared straight into his eyes. “I’m a bit lenient with kids. Depending on the reason, I may let you go. So, tell me. What’s the reason for you guys to suddenly attack us?”

The sunflower monster hissed and a thick thread of saliva dropped down the ground. Even the guards of Lark warily took a distance from it.

Seeing the monster, the leader gulped down. “I forced everyone to do this. If you are to punish or kill someone, do it to me!”

Lark clicked his tongue. “Answer the damn question.”

The sunflower monster hissed.

The leader once again swallowed. “We need food. The villagers… Everyone… They’re dying right now!”

Food, huh? They don’t seem to be lying. These guys are skin and bones. They’ve probably not eaten anything decent for several weeks.

“How many people are in the village and how far is it?”

The leader did not reply. He simply bit his lips and shut his mouth.

Lark willed the sunflower monster to approach the masked figure on his left. The leader, seeing this, shouted, “Around a hundred! There’s around a hundred people living in the village!”

The sunflower monster stopped in its track. The leader heaved a sigh of relief.

“How far is it?” said Lark. “And it doesn’t make sense. Stealing food would have been easier if you brought the adults with you.”

Lark was sure by now that the over a dozen masked figures around him were all kids.

“I can’t tell you where it is.” The gaze of the leader was still fierce, unyielding.

Lark sighed. He flicked a finger and the vines that were twined around the feet of the kids receded and went back to the ground.

Seeing this, the guards immediately went to the Young Master’s side, but Lark signaled them to stop.

“If you were grown men, I would have probably killed several of you on the spot,” said Lark. “I’m a bit soft on kids, you see.” He said to Clark. “Give these kids some food and water to drink.”

Everyone was stunned by the sudden orders.

“But—”

“—Do it,” said Lark, firmly.

“Y-You’re feeding us?” said the leader of the kids in disbelief.

“It’ll be hard to talk with an empty stomach, right?” grinned Lark. “Eat. Drink. After that, I want to hear the fully story.”

Chapter Nineteen

Kenny stared at the scenery in front of him. Pieces of bread were being handed out to the kids one after another. As the coachman of the Young Master, it was his duty to make sure the Young Lord arrives safely to his destination. Meddling with the matters of rations was not part of his task, but he could not help but wonder why the Young Master was giving their share of food to these assailants. After all, just a few moments ago, these group tried robbing them.

He started feeding the starving residents in the town. And now, he’s feeding these kids. The Young Master a few months ago would have never done this.

Kenny was sure that he was not the only one perplexed by this sudden development. The guards were obviously baffled too.

“So, you’re telling us that the entire village was attacked by a serpent monster?” said the Young Master. Kenny perked up his ears as he attentively listened. “The village somehow managed to fend it off, but it destroyed the storage of food, leaving everyone hungry during the entire winter.”

Arthus, the leader of the kids, bobbed his head. He was a bit younger than the Young Master, probably ten or eleven years old. His black hair covered half his face, his lips constantly moving as he chewed the bread given to him. After swallowing, he said, “Yes. All the kids are fine. The adults gave most of the food to us, you see.” He was close to sobbing. “We can’t even hunt during the winter. The red berries would have been our last resort, but the serpent monster made that place its lair. Those that tried to get close got eaten by the damn bastard. We’ve been eating bugs and worms these past few weeks. Just a bit more and the entire village’ll die of hunger.”

Kenny was reminded of Blackstone Town. Before the Young Master started feeding the residents, it was common to see people digging through the ground in search of worms and insects to eat during winter.

The Young Master looked up. The sun seeped through the canopies of leaves above.

“I have a rough idea of the situation,” said Lark. “But no matter how harsh the current situation is, do you think it’s the right thing to assault other people just to survive? Self-defense is one thing, but for this case – it’s an entirely different matter.”

“We know,” said Arthus. The other kids were crestfallen. “But it doesn’t matter anymore. You can call us devils, demons. But we need to save the village no matter what.”

Lark sighed. “Clark, how much rations do we have left?”

The Head of the Guards checked the carts. “Just enough for a day’s journey, Young Master.”

“That wouldn’t even be enough to feed half the villagers.” Lark clicked his tongue. He looked at the thickets. “I saw a wild boar before. Since winter’s just ended, it should be possible to hunt some animals in the forest.”

Clark tilted his head to the side. “What do you mean, Young Mas—”

“—We’re going on a hunt.” Lark stood up. He ignored the bewildered stares of the kids around him. “Those villagers, these kids — they’re not really our responsibility. But don’t you think it’ll be too cruel to simply let them die?”

Lark raised his voice. “All guards, spread out and search for any edible food nearby. If you spot an animal, kill it. We’ll go to the village and help the dying villagers.”

“We’re feeding an entire village?” croaked the Head of the Guards. He sounded exasperated just from the idea alone.

“That’s an order,” said Lark. “Go.”

Although obviously reluctant, the guards started spreading out while carrying their weapons with them. Lark turned to the kids. “You guys are helping too. After you finish eating, help my guards in procuring food. Those weapons of yours – point them at the animals instead. Hunt. Eat. Survive. You’re capable of that, no?”

The kids clenched their fists and nodded.

Lark said to Arthus. “And you. Tell me where the village is.”

***

Valak’s stomach growled. How long had they been searching the forest for food? All of the food stocked in the basement were eaten by the abhorrent monster that attacked their village more than a month ago, just right when it was middle of the winter, when it was close to impossible to hunt through the forest. To make matters worse, the area where the red berries grew had become the lair of the giant serpent.

Now that winter had ended, they hoped to catch a prey or two and revive the village, but to no avail. For some reason, there were no animals nearby. Valak conjectured that this was probably due to the giant serpent.

“Damn it,” he snarled. “If only there’s a way to kill that monster.”

The red berries that grew near their village were edible plants that grew throughout all seasons. Before the giant serpent appeared, their village did not worry about hunger during winter, since those plants were readily accessible.

“Forget it,” said Jalak, his twin brother. The two of them looked identical: brown, bushy beard. Long sunken face, and thick eyebrows. “We’ve lost Kurt and Manis already. It’s impossible to kill that damn bastard.”

The two of them were skin and bones, their clothes filled with dirt as they carried their bows on their backs. They used to be among the strongest hunters in the village, but more than a month of constant hunger reduced them to such state.

Still, when compared to the other people left in the village, they were in a fairly better shape. The guys back there could hardly move, and some were on the brink of death.

The twins were the only ones left capable of hunting right now. By each passing moment, the heavy weight of responsibility on their shoulders gradually increased. They knew that if they did not catch a prey, the other villagers would soon die.

“At least the kids are safe,” Valak consoled himself. Along with the village Elder, he was the one who insisted that they should prioritize the children. Despite the shortage of food, they made sure that none of the kids die from hunger and cold during winter.

Before they went out to hunt, they strictly told the children to stay inside the village, since it was too dangerous to be in the forest with the giant serpent lurking around. They gave the task of overseeing the young ones to Arthus, the strongest kid in the group. While they were away, it was the task of the children to search for edible bugs and worms in the barks of nearby trees.

The twins heard rustling sounds. Immediately, they grabbed their bows and pointed the arrows at the source. They prayed to god that it was not the giant serpent. Otherwise, this very place would be their grave.

They held their breaths.

From the shrubberies, a rabbit appeared. Two of them.

The two could hardly contain their excitement. The rabbits looked left and right, sniffed at the air, and looked at them. After they locked eyes with the humans, they immediately scurried away, disappearing through the shadows of the trees.

The twins looked at each other and nodded. Although famished, they mustered their strengths and ran after their prey. Using their keens ears, they tracked the movement of the rabbits. Their every step was quick but silent.

When the rabbits stopped in their tracks, the twin hunters pointed arrows at the two. They were several dozen meters away from their targets. They released their grip and the arrows whizzed through the trees, hitting the rabbits at the same time, instantly killing it.

“Yes!” shouted Valak. They walked towards the dead rabbits, bent down and picked up the bodies. This was their first successful hunt several days after winter ended.

“Let’s go back to the village,” said Jalak. “Rabbit stew’ll be good in this cold weather.”

Valak was broadly grinning. He was holding the dead rabbits by the ears, blood dripping down their bellies.

They were about to return to their village when a hissing sound reverberated in the forest. The two of them stiffened as blood drained off their faces. They knew that sound very well. There was no doubt about it.

Using their keen sense of hearing, they realized that it was coming from their left. Looking through the shadows of the trees, they could see nothing but a sea of forest. But judging by the speed of that monster, it’ll be only a matter of time before it reached this place.

“It’s probably attracted to the scent of blood,” said Jalak.

Valak gnashed his teeth. “Damn it. Should we return to the village?”

He was worried that they would be bringing the giant serpent with them if they headed back.

Jalak paused for a moment. He stared straight into his twin brother’s eyes. “Listen, if we don’t bring those meat back with us, the villagers will definitely die.” He took out a small knife and made a large cut across his forearm. Blood dripped down to the ground.

“What are you doing?” Valak was baffled.

“I’ll run to the opposite direction,” said Jalak. “That monster prefers human meat. I’m sure of it. Once it starts chasing after me, use the opportunity to go back to the village.”

“But—”

“—Listen, brother!” Jalak’s voice was grim. “We have no time to argue about this! Just trust me on this one, okay? The life of everyone in the village is far more important than ours! Do you understand that?”

Valak wanted to refute this statement, but the determination within his twin’s eyes made him shut his mouth regardless.

“Do you want Carina to die too?” Jalak said, almost whispering. “You’ve promised to marry her this year. A true hunter does not go back on his promise, Valak.”

Valak swallowed the lump in his throat. “Don’t die.”

“I won’t.”

“Swear it. Swear on the God of the Forest.”

Jalak sighed. “I swear on the name of God Gaia. I will survive.”

Valak place the dead rabbits inside his bag. He nodded at his twin. “Then, see you at the village.”

Chapter Twenty

“Over there,” mumbled Lark. He pointed a finger at the sea of trees on his left. Lightning crackled and shot forth, buzzing past numerous trees. A split second after, a yelp echoed.

“The three of you,” said Lark. “Go retrieve the body.”

Three kids went towards the direction the lightning spell struck. After some time, they went back carrying a small wild boar. It was still barely alive, its body quivering as blood dripped down its snout.

Arthus and the rest of the kids were at loss for words. This was their fourth catch for the day. After the Young Master issued out his orders, the guards dispersed and combed the forest for any food. And with guidance from the Young Master, they were able to easily hunt animals. This was something that happened in the span of just two hours.

Lark saw one of the kids pull out a knife. When he was about to stab the half-dead boar, Lark said, “Stop. There’s no need for mercy killing right now. Let it stay alive. It’ll be a waste to let it die and rot. I made sure to hold my spells back solely for that.”

The kid looked at the boar with pitiful eyes. The kid sheathed the knife and complied.

“As for the rabbits, we’ll smoke them once we arrived at the village.” Lark gestured for the Head Guard to come to him. “The scouts?”

“Like you’ve said, there’re some dead trees in that area.” Clark pointed at a certain direction of the forest. “My men told me that those trees have turned into stones.”

“Arthus,” said Lark. “Does the giant serpent have the ability of turning something into stone?”

Arthus and the other kids looked at each other. Arthus shook his head. “None that I know of. The villagers died from the poison, while there are some that were swallowed whole. But I’ve never heard of anyone turning into stone.”

“I see. So there’s a male and a female, huh?”

Arthus did not like what he’d heard. “What do you mean, Sir?”

“There’s probably two of those monsters.” Everyone stiffened upon hearing that. “If my hunch is correct, we’re currently dealing with basilisks. Two of them.”

Clark nervously gulped down. “Y-Young master, if this is true, then we should head back to the main road immediately! There’s no way for us to win against a Calamity Class Monster!”

Lark raised a brow. It was the first time he heard of such a term since taking over this new body.

“Calamity Class?” said Lark.

Clark vigorously nodded. “Yes. I’m pretty sure that Basilisks are included in that list. They’re creatures that’re impossible to subjugate without the help of the army. A Basilisk appeared near the Gryphon City a few years ago, and if I remember correctly, it took several knights and platoons of soldiers to subjugate it.”

“Young Sir, we should leave this area immediately,” said the coachman. “It’s our job to make sure you’re safe. If anything happens to you, the—”

“—It’s fine.” Lark waived a hand. “Just follow my commands.”

The soldiers looked grim.

Lark could win against the male basilisk, since he only needed to dodge those poisonous fangs, but the female was an entirely different matter. The eyes of a female basilisk have the ability to petrify people. At his current strength, he could survive an encounter, but it’ll be impossible to protect those that were with him. After all, an anti-petrification spell encompassing a large area would cost a considerable amount of mana.

“Listen,” said Lark. Everyone’s attention turned to him. “There’s nothing cowardly with running away from something you are unable to beat. If you see the basilisk, run. Prioritize your safety. We did not come here to kill it. We came here to save the dying villagers. There’s a clear demarcation to that. Understood?”

“Yes, Young Master,” the guards and the servants replied in unison.

One of the guards that scouted the area returned. He approached Lark and reported his find. According to him, a good distance from this place, there was a corpse of a man. A portion of his body was bitten off by some monster, with only the head and half the torso remaining intact.

The soldier nervously looked at the kids then at Lark. He whispered. “Sir, it’s probably one of the villagers. There’s a bow near the corpse, and the tunic’s a bit similar to what the kids wore.”

Lark furrowed his brows. “I see. Take another guard and lead me there.” He said to Clark. “You heard the conversation, right? I’ll leave this place to you. I’ll be right back.”

“W-Wait! Let me come with you! If something happens to the Young Master!”

“Stay here,” said Lark. He turned to the guard from before. “Guide me there.”

Along with two guards, Lark went towards the place where the corpse was found. The remaining body was in a far worse condition than what was stated in the report. A portion of the head had melted, probably from some poison. The innards spread out on the ground. The pungent stench of decay made them crinkle their nose.

Lark picked up a dagger on the ground. This man probably made a desperate struggle against the monster before he died.

“Young Master…” said one of the guards, his voice trembling from the sight. “There’s no way an ordinary monster’s capable of this. You’re probably right. That giant serpent they’ve talked about – it’s probably that Calamity Class monster.”

Lark sheathed the dagger into the scabbard. “Let’s go back. We’ll head to the village immediately. Time is of great essence.”

After coming back to the caravan, Lark ordered everyone to immediately head out towards the village. Since it’ll be impossible for the carts to move further beyond this point due to the sea of trees, they had no choice but to untether some of the horses and use it to carry the food.

The kids led the way towards their home.

After a few hours, they finally arrived at their destination.

“A wall? Impressive,” said Lark.

A wooden wall surrounded the entire village. Although small, around two meters in height, it was pretty well made. A small broken gate was seen not far from their current spot. Peeking through the gap, they could see the broken houses inside the village. It was as though a typhoon raged through the place, tearing the wooden shacks and cabins apart.

Arthus and the other children ran towards the broken gate.

“Elder! We’re back! We’ve brought food for everyone!” shouted Arthus.

There was no reply. The entire village was unusually quiet.

“Stop,” said Lark. The kids halted in their tracks. “There’s something inside.”

As though on cue, a loud hissing sound reverberated. A gargantuan snake appeared, a large portion of its body hidden behind the wall. Seeing this, the kids turned pallid, screamed, and ran back towards Lark and the guards.

The snake continued hissing, its slit-like pupils glaring at their direction. Despite the smell of death emanating from it, the silver scale of the giant creature was beautiful. It reminded Lark of the carapace of giant crabs, like an armor polished by artisans several times.

“T-The giant snake!” breathed the kids.

Lark stared at the fangs that protruded out of its mouth. Viscous, pale green liquid dripped down it, and upon touching the ground, it made sizzling sounds.

“What a relief,” said the Young Master. “I’m not really sure I can protect everyone if we encounter the female basilisk, but it should be possible to kill this one.”

Lark was almost entirely sure that this one was the male basilisk. The corroding poison of those creatures were a characteristic trait.

The guards of Lark reflexively stood in front of him and drew out their swords.

“Take the Young Master out of here!” said Clark. “We’ll hold off that monster somehow! Go!”

But Lark refused to budge.

“Young Master! Please run away!” one of the guards pleaded. Three servants started tugging at the clothes of Lark, pulling him back.

“It’s fine.” Lightning crackled at the fingertips of Lark. “We might not get another chance like this. We should take this opportunity when the male’s not together with the female.”

Slithering sounds were heard beyond the wooden wall of the village. The walls cracked and broke and the entire body of the male basilisk came into view. It violently hissed and slowly approached the humans it saw.

Clark and the rest of the guards trembled, but they stood their ground regardless. Lark was amazed that these men were so loyal to him – rather, to his father. Despite facing imminent death, none of them chose to run away.

Although his father threw him to this desolated region, he still wanted to see what the man was like. He wanted to see what kind of person the Duke was, which made his subordinates unconditionally loyal to him like this.

“Clark, protect the kids. If the basilisk attacks, just run away. A single graze from its poison’s enough to kill anyone of you.” Lark shook off the hands that grabbed his clothes. “Prioritize your safety.”

After that warning, Lark stomped on the ground, his right foot digging through the soil upon impact. His entire body shot forward, blurring towards the hissing colossal serpent.

The basilisk opened its mouth wide and a string of poison shot towards Lark. His body blurred and the poison hit nothing but the ground. The area it hit sizzled as the poison soaked the ground.

Lark ran left and right, evading the poison strikes from the monster. He lifted a finger and a spear of lightning manifested itself before him, before shooting towards the body of the basilisk. The lighting spear struck the thick carapace, creating a small burnt mark. The beast angrily hissed as it shot forward, its mouth wide open as it attempted to swallow Lark whole.

“That’s it, open your mouth.” Lark grinned. Another spear of lightning manifested itself before him. He grabbed it, and using the entire momentum of his body, threw it towards the opened mouth of the basilisk. It was a direct hit.

For a moment, the basilisk froze, as though petrified. It soon regained itself and shook its head angrily. Its slit-like pupils dilated as rage filled its very eyes.

“Young master! What are you doing?!”

At the corner of his eyes, he saw the guards running towards him. Lark clicked his tongue. He did not want to waste the little mana he had on this, but he had no choice. He channeled mana through his hands and punched the ground. A small wall of vines sprouted, blocking the path of the guards. Lark was sure that if he did not do this, those guys would still rush to his rescue despite the danger the task entailed.

“I’ve got very little mana to spare,” said Lark. “Let’s finish this quickly.”

Lightning crackled on Lark’s feet. His body blurred and his figure disappeared, only to reappear right below the basilisk. A small cyclone started forming on Lark’s right foot. He twisted his entire body and kicked the basilisk. The giant snake screeched in pain upon impact.

Another kick connected to its head, sending it flying backward along with half its body. After a split second, the monster regained its balance and lunged at Lark. Lightning crackled on his feet and his figure disappeared. The attack of the basilisk struck nothing but the air.

Lark pulled out the short sword on his waist. He channeled mana through it, making it vibrate with very high speed. He kicked the ground and shot towards the basilisk. Using the momentum of his charge, he slashed at the giant serpent.

“Not enough.” Lark clicked his tongue. The cut he inflicted was shallow. Most of the damage was deflected by the basilisk’s thick carapace.

“Again.”

Lark’s body blurred through the battleground, making slashes left and right. Numerous cuts quickly formed on the basilisk’s body, its blue blood dripping down the ground. It hissed in pain as it started slithering back.

As it started escaping, arrows suddenly flew out from the direction of the village, hitting the injured serpent numerous times. Some of the arrows were deflected by the thick carapace, while several struck the wounds, inflicting some damage.

Looking at the village, Lark saw around a dozen men pulling their bows. They released arrows one after another despite their emaciated bodies. They looked like dead men walking with those skeletal frames, but their eyes blazed with vehement fury towards the giant monster.

After one last violent hiss, the basilisk slithered towards the forest, disappearing into the shadows.

“It’s severely wounded! Chase after it!” shouted a man with thick beard. Lark felt that he looked familiar. “Everyone! Follow me!”

The villagers started coming out of the broken gate, all holding bows and carrying quivers. They were all panting, as though just moving alone was excruciating.

“You’ll all die if you chase after it,” said Lark. Everyone halted in their tracks.

If possible, Lark would have finished the male basilisk back then, but his mana pool was almost empty after casting consecutive spells. It was regrettable, but his current body was unable to match up with his skills and experience. Fighting in such a state would be suicidal, even for him.

The villagers looked at each other. The one with bushy beard spoke. “If we don’t chase after it now, it’ll come back for us later once its wounds healed. We need to kill it now while its wounded.” He raised his voice. “Everyone, follow me!”

“There’re two of them,” Lark warned. The eyes of the villagers widened. “And inside that forest, you’ll be easy targets. Forget it.”

“Two of them?”

Lark nodded. “That one’s the male basilisk. We’ve found petrified trees on our way here. The female’s out there somewhere. If you go out now, you might come across it. You will all die.”

The last part of the statement made the villagers shiver.

“Two…” said the main with thick beard. There was a long pause. “That explains it. The reason why we suddenly encountered that damn monster when it’s supposed to be resting in its lair.” He clenched his fists. “Damn it!”

“The female’s a lot tougher than that one. Are there magicians among you here?” At Lark’s question, no one replied. “Then, it’ll be impossible for you guys to win against it.”

“Who are you?” carefully asked the leader of the group. “Why do you know so much about those monsters?”

Lark shrugged. “Just a lord of a small town. More importantly,” Lark looked at the direction of the kids. Upon seeing them, the villagers shouted one after another.

“My son!”

“Arthus, you damn rascal! Where did you go?!”

“Thank God they’re alive!”

As Lark expected, these kids went out of the village on their own, without the consent of the adults. And he could understand why: The adults were clearly famished, and it would not even be surprising if they suddenly dropped dead here. At such state, it would be impossible for them to hunt for wild animals and procure food for the village. So, in their stead, the kids went out and tried hunting.

Lark disable his magic and the wall of vines receded to the ground. Arthus came running and leaped towards the chest of the bearded man.

“Uncle Valak! I’m really glad you’re safe!”

Instead of a warm reply, Valak shouted. “You damn kid! Didn’t I tell you to stay in the village! But what did you do?! Not only you went out on your own! You also took all of the kids with you!”

Valak slapped the cheeks of Arthus. “You could have died! And those children too! Arthus, do you understand the consequences of your actions?!”

Arthus lowered his head. Everyone around them turned silent. “I’m… I’m sorry. But the villagers…”

Valak sighed. He bit his lips and stared at Arthus. The kid was close to tears.

“Jalak and I caught some rabbits. Come, eat.” Valak placed a hand on Arthus’ shoulder. He looked at Lark and his companions. “It’s not much, but please come with us to eat. That’s the least we could do for our saviors.”

Lark smiled at this. “Impressive. The entire village is dying of hunger and you still wish to share what little you have to those that saved you. I’m not sure if its foolishness, but it doesn’t matter. What matters is the resolve.” He looked at Clark. “Take out the rations and the animals we’ve hunted. We shall revive this dying village.”

The guards started unloading the bodies of the animals they’ve hunted a few hours ago. Three boars, five rabbits, and a small deer. The villagers stared upon seeing this.

“This should be more than enough to feed the entire village.” Lark nodded.

“Y-You’re giving it to us?” Valak could not believe his ears.

“That’s the purpose of this visit,” said Lark. “We’ve heard from the kids that this village is dying of hunger. We didn’t really expect to encounter the basilisk so soon though.”

Valak looked at Arthus. The kid grinned and nodded.

“H-How could…” Valak choked the words out. He willed back the tears from coming out. He was afraid that his fellow villagers would succumb to their banes, but with these much food, they’ll be able to feed everyone. “How could we repay this…”

A hissing sound was heard from within the forest. Everyone became on guard as they stared at the direction the sound came from.

Lark frowned. “Now’s not the time to discuss such things. You have carts or horses in this village?”

Valak shook his head. “Three carts, no horse.”

“That should be enough.” Lark signaled the guards to put the animals inside the village. “It’ll probably take several days before the male basilisk recovers. After eating, you guys need to leave the village.”

Valak frowned. “Evacuate? This village had existed for almost a century. This is the place of our birth, our grave. We cannot leave.”

Lark and Valak locked eyes with each other. “You will all die if you stay here. That monster will come back eventually. You’re just lucky that the female’s staying at its lair. But what if it suddenly decides to go out?”

There was deafening silence. The villagers that listened to the conversation wore conflicted expressions.

“But even if we leave, where can we go?” Valak was exasperated.

“Come and live in my domain. Come to Blackstone Town.” Lark’s declaration took everyone by surprise. “I am the Lord of that place. Right now, the town’s undergoing drastic developments. We have the resources, but the meager population’s unable to accommodate the amount of work needed to be done.”

“Blackstone Town,” repeated Valak. “If you’re the Lord, then… a noble.”

“Does that matter?” Lark wryly smiled. “I won’t coerce you, but I am giving you this choice. You can either remain here and eventually become food for the basilisks or move to my domain and become my citizens. You have until tomorrow to decide. For now, we’ll stay here in this place and help revive this village.”

Chapter Twenty-One

[City of Bones – the Duke’s City]

A man was hanged upside-down in the underground chamber of the Lord’s Castle. Numerous cuts riddled his muscular body, with several bruises here and there. Half his face was swollen, and a fresh burn mark ran across his chest.

“Not going to talk, huh?” snarled the Tormentor. He slapped the whip onto the man’s face, and a crisp sound reverberated. The torches on the walls flickered for a moment, casting numerous shadows in the room.

The Tormentor continued whipping the man, asking questions in between breaks. Still, the captive refused to speak.

Duke Kelvin silently sat on his chair as the interrogation continued. Minutes passed. He spoke, “Enough. Take those out.”

The Tormentor bowed. “As you wish.” He said to his subordinates, “You heard the Duke! Take it out!”

Soon, several men came inside the chamber, carrying two unconscious women with them. They placed the two in front of the man. The eyes of the tied captive almost popped out of its sockets upon seeing them. His face turned pallid, before becoming livid from rage.

“Y-You! Touch them and I’ll kill you! I’ll fucking kill you!” For the first time, the man finally spoke. Hearing this, the Tormentor and Duke Kelvin grinned.

“Do it,” said the Duke.

The Tormentor grabbed an axe nearby and wordlessly struck the hand of the younger of the two women. A loud thud was heard which was quickly followed by a scream filled with pure agony. The woman whose hand was cut off instantly woke up and rolled on the ground. The blood on her severed arm flowed out profusely, blanketing the ground.

The other woman, on the other hand, remained unconscious.

“Bastard! What did you do to my daughter! I’ll kill you! I’ll fucking kill you!” He tried unshackling himself, but failed.

“I’m not going to repeat this,” said Duke Kelvin. “For every minute that you refuse to speak, we’ll cut off a limb from these two. Once we’re done with them, we’ll feed them to the hounds outside. I’m getting tired of waiting for you to open your damn mouth. This is your last chance.”

The face of the man twitched. He looked at the woman sobbing on the floor, then at the Duke. “Promise me.”

The Duke raised a brow.

“Promise me that you’ll set them free after I tell you everything,” said the captive.

“Of course.” Duke Kelvin smiled. He said to the Tormentor, “Stand back.”

The Tormentor lowered the axe on the ground and stepped aside.

“So, tell me. Why did you infiltrate this city?” The torches cast a shadow upon the Duke’s stubby body. “There’s no point in denying it. We know that you’re all soldiers from the Marcus Duchy.”

The man hesitated for a moment. He swallowed. “This city isn’t our original goal. Our group’s true destination is Blackstone Town. A town located in the far east, several days away from the Lion City.”

“Blackstone Town?” repeated the Duke. It was an unknown town that was not even listed on the map.

The man, still tied upside-down, nodded. “Yes. We’re headed to that place after receiving our orders from the Silver War God.”

“So, you’re telling me that you just happen to pass through this city on your way to that place?” said the Duke.

They captured about fifty soldiers a week ago. After some interrogation, they found out that they were all from the Marcus Duchy, under the direct command of Lui Marcus – the Silver War God that defeated the Empire.

Just like this man, the other soldiers refused to speak despite the tortures they went through. Most of them died without uttering a single word despite the atrocious defilements and pain they were subjected to. Still, there were some of them that opened their mouths to speak in the end. And this man was one of them.

Luckily, this was a city the man grew up in. Using his family that resided in this place, they were able to successfully coerce him to spill the beans.

The story of this man corroborated the story of the other soldiers.

“Yes.” The captive coughed out blood. “We’re tasked to protect the Young Master. The second son of Duke Drakus.”

This was the third time he heard of this story, but Duke Kelvin still found it funny regardless. He knew very well of how the second son of the Marcus Family was thrown away by his own father. He could not see the reason why Lui Marcus bothered sending soldiers to protect that brat. To him, it was nothing but a waste of resources.

The criteria for choosing the successor to the throne is clear enough. I don’t see a reason why the Marcus Family bothers to protect that brat. Out of all the candidates, he has the lowest chance of winning the competition. I’m sure even Duke Youchester knows of this.

Duke Kelvin was not sure if it was a stroke of luck, but he somehow managed to annihilate the soldiers that were supposed to protect that brat. It was definitely a foolish decision for them to pass through his city on their way towards that place.

A shadow appeared next to the Duke.

“My Lord, the Information Merchant has submitted his reports.”

The Duke nodded. “Give it to me.” He received a thick pile of parchment. After skimming through it, he licked his lips and grinned. “Good work. With this, we no longer have to force these guys to spill out everything. Gather your men. I have a task for everyone.”

“As you wish.” The shadow bowed then disappeared.

“I’ll be returning to my room,” said the Duke. “Burn the bodies. Make sure there are no traces of it.”

Duke Kelvin walked towards the exit. Hearing the statement from the Duke, the captive shouted. “Wait! You promised that you’ll free my wife and daughter! You’ve promised!”

His desperate voice resounded.

The Duke chuckled. “Did I?” He looked at the Tormentor. “Did I give a promise like that?”

The Tormentor, still wearing a leather mask, shook his head. “No, My Lord.”

Rage filled the eyes of the captive. He spat out, “You fucking pig! You promised! You fucking promised that—”

A fist struck his face and he immediately shut up. The Tormentor giggled. “You’re the toughest of the soldiers we’ve captured this week. As expected of the Captain.” He grabbed the man’s hair and pulled it out, removing several strands. The man groaned in pain, his face fully swollen. He could hardly open his eyes from all the blood and wound.

The Duke took one last look at the Captain of the captured soldiers. “I’m no demon. So, I’ll give you a parting gift.” He said to the Tormentor, “Kill the wife and the daughter in front of him. Make sure he sees everything.”

The Duke chuckled. “It’s nice, isn’t it? To see the end of your most precious family.”

Amidst the shouts and curses. Duke Kelvin went out of the underground chamber.

***

Inside his room, Duke Kelvin once again read through the documents. He got to admit that he never expected the Information Merchant to gather this much information in just a few weeks. With this much, he would be able to come closer to his goal of winning the competition for the throne.

“As expected, Lui Marcus will the toughest one,” he mumbled. “Rumors say that he’s as strong as five knights combined.”

He slammed the documents onto the table. “Black Midas.”

Around a dozen shadows appeared inside the room. They all knelt down in unison. “Yes, Lord.”

“What do you think? Can you take down the Silver War God?”

The leader of Black Midas replied, “It should be possible, My Lord, but—”

“—But what?”

The leader paused. “We’ll probably lose half of our men in the process. The Silver War God’s capable of both martial arts and magic. He’s literally a Knight and a Sage at the same time. It’ll be impossible to assassinate him without great casualties.”

“Half of your men?” The Duke smirked. “So, what? Would that be an issue?”

The leader of Black Midas lowered his head. “Of course not. We live for the sake of the Duke. Our lives are yours to decide.”

Duke Kelvin was satisfied with the answer. He had raised over a hundred assassins since they were young just for moments like these. If the Marcus Family boasts of their overwhelming military might, then his House’s were the shadows that lurked in the background, waiting to kill their prey in a moment of carelessness.

“My Lord, if you would allow this servant to speak,” said the Leader of Black Midas.

The Duke gestured for him to continue.

“I think we should use this opportunity to send some assassins to that desolated town. The one where the second son of Duke Drakus lives.”

Duke Kelvin frowned. “Are you stupid? That brat has no chance of winning the competition. There’s no point in killing him.”

“But My Lord, we’ve received an intel before,” said the leader. “It seems that the rumors are not entirely true.”

The leader of Black Midas usually simply accepts his task without bothering to speak of his thoughts. This was one of the few moments wherein the leader of the assassin group tried giving his own suggestions. Duke Kelvin decided to at least hear him out.

“Speak.”

“We’ve gathered information that Lui Marcus prevented his younger brother from being exiled out of the Kingdom. It’s the same reason why he’s been sent to that desolated town instead of being exiled to the neighboring countries.”

Duke Kelvin’s eyes broadened. He immediately understood the implications if this information was indeed true. Most of the nobles thought that Duke Drakus and Lui Marcus have long disowned the second son of their family. This was the reason why Duke Kelvin did not even bother to target the pathetic kid that’s been exiled to that desolated town. But what if the Silver War God was actually a caring brother? The total opposite of what the House of Marcus was trying to convey?

If this information was true, then they would be able to obtain a crucial weapon against the Kingdom’s Hero.

“Duke Drakus tried his best to suppress rumors from spreading out, but two years ago, Lui Marcus knelt down in front a group to plead forgiveness for his brother’s misdeeds.”

“Have you confirmed this?” The Duke could not imagine that formidable warrior kneeling in front of everyone.

“Yes. This came from the mouth of one of the servants himself, moments before his death. We are sure of it.”

Silence befell the room. Duke Kelvin stared out the window, his face twitching in glee. Eventually, a maniacal chuckle escaped his lips. “Change of plans. We shall include that brat in the list of our targets.”

Duke Kelvin grabbed the pile of parchment on the desk and flipped through it. “Kalavinka Deposo, Reid Deposo, Yunan Deposo, and Lark Marcus. I want these four dead within this year.”

“As you wish,” the leader said. “And what about the Silver War God?”

“Lui Marcus?” said the Duke. “Forget it. He’s too dangerous to target right now. After we take care of his brother, he’ll come out on his own. An enraged beast’s easier to ensnare into a trap.”

After killing those four people, Duke Kelvin would set his eyes on the Silver War God next. Once these men have been killed, there would be no one to stop the ascend of his sons towards the throne.

Duke Kelvin looked forward to that day, four years from now. The day their house rules over the entire Kingdom.

Chapter Twenty-Two

Night came. Everyone was busy preparing the food that have been handed out by Lark. Numerous cauldrons were filled to the brim with soup and meat. Lark instructed his guards to take turns surveying the surroundings. Although they have stoppered the wooden wall that enclosed the entire village, it would not stop the colossal serpent from entering inside.

“T-Thank you, young Lord,” the village Elder bowed his head low. “With this, we’ll be able to save everyone.”

“It’s fine.” Lark waved a hand. “More importantly, there’s something I want to know.”

“As long as it’s within my capability, this old man shall answer the young Lord’s inquiry.”

Around them, the group of hunters from before started feeding the villagers that were unable to move. It was amazing that the effect of being fed was almost instantaneous. After taking a sip of soup and taking a bite of meat, the villagers regained their strength and were able to move their limbs after just a few minutes.

“How did you do it?” said Lark. “How did you drive away the basilisk back then?”

When Lark fought the basilisk, he consumed more than half his mana just to inflict fatal injuries to it. In the end, when the colossal serpent started fleeing, Lark decided not to pursue it. It would have been too dangerous to fight it inside the forest when his mana was at its lowest. He could not see anyone here who appeared strong enough to drive away such monster.

“Ah.” The old man averted his gaze. “Anandra. He’s the one that fought the beast to a stalemate.” He looked at a cabin far from them. “He’s inside that house. It’s been weeks since he lost consciousness. We’ve treated all his wounds but he still refuses to wake up.”

Lark’s curiosity was piqued. He wanted to see the warrior strong enough to fight that basilisk.

“Can I see him?”

The elder hesitated for a moment. “It should be fine… but the wounds… the Young Master might not like what he would see.”

“It’s fine,” said Lark. “Lead me there.”

The two of them went towards the cabin where the warrior was recuperating. Upon entering the room, he saw an elderly woman and the hunter from before. The two of them sat next to a man lying on the floor.

What’s his name again? Valak?

Lark’s gaze went from the elderly woman, to Valak, then at the injured warrior. He creased his brows upon seeing the state of the one who fought the basilisk. The entire body of the man was wrapped in bandages. The nauseating scent of decay permeated the room. If not for the slowly rising and falling chest of the warrior, people would have mistaken him for a corpse.

“Ah, Young Master!” the elderly woman got up to her feet. Valak, on the other hand, remained sitting. His gaze clearly said: what the hell is he doing here?

“He’s Anandra?” said Lark.

The village Elder nodded. “Yes.”

I don’t have much mana remaining right now. This new body’s far too weak. My former self would have easily killed that basilisk in the blink of an eye. It’ll be hard, but I need to apply my remaining magic to heal this guy. It’ll be such a waste to simply let a strong warrior die.

“Take off the bandages for me,” said Lark. He then turned to Valak. “And you, go tell one of my guards to bring the medicinal herbs from the carts.”

Valak did not budge. “What are you going to do? Anandra’s in a dangerous state. If we remove the bandages, his wounds will open and he’ll die.”

“He’s been bitten by the basilisk, right?” Judging by the expressions of the villagers inside the room, his guess was spot on. “It’s amazing that he’s still alive, but if we don’t remove the poison, he’ll die soon. A day or two at most.”

Valak, the woman, and the Elder looked at each other. Eventually, the Elder spoke, “None of the herbalists were able to cure him. This might be our only chance to save Anandra.”

Valak bit his lips then stood up. “Medicinal herbs from the cart, right? How much do you need?”

“Half a barrel. I’ve exhausted most of my magic. We’ll have to compensate with those herbs somehow.”

After Valak left, the elderly woman started removing the bandages carefully. Lark was stunned for a moment after the entire body of Anandra was revealed. Calling him injured was clearly an understatement. Lark could not even believe he was still alive.

Half of his body was rotting, corroded by the poison from the basilisk. Numerous pustules were scattered along his skin, while several ribs protruded out of his chest. The skin on his left thigh had come off entirely, revealing all the muscles.

The Elder went out of the room and vomited on the ground. The elderly woman closed her eyes in agony.

Despite the putrid stench that filled the room, Lark remained unmoved. His mind was filled with various thoughts of how he should manage this dying warrior. With very little mana left, his main goal was only to make sure this warrior does not die within the next few days. At the very least, give him enough time to recover by himself.

Just in time, Valak finally returned, carrying a barrel filled with herbs. “The guard told me that you plan on selling this to Lion City. Are you sure about this?”

“Stop with the pleasantries,” spat Lark. “Soak those herbs in water. Grind it using your hands. We’re running out of time.”

Valak and the elderly woman did as they were told. The village Elder, on the other hand, simply stood next to the door. Lark could see that he was trying his best not to vomit.

Lark breathed in.

Let’s do this.

He channeled mana into his fingers and pushed the ribs back to their proper places. Anandra flinched and a groan escaped his lips. Lark applied healing magic and forced the broken bones to attach back to each other.

Damn it. I’m almost out of mana.

“The herbs.”

Quickly, Valak handed him a basin filled with herbs and water. Lark poured the water out slowly onto the wounds on Anandra’s body. The warrior groaned in pain, his entire body twitched for a moment, and his fingers curled up into a fist.

“H-Hey, is this really alright?” asked Valak, nervously.

“It’s fine,” said Lark. “I need more. Quick.”

After pouring the medicinal herbs onto the body, Lark would potentiate its effect by applying a little bit of his mana to it. If he had a full mana pool, the process would have been far swifter. But with the current circumstances, he had no choice but to excessively consume the herbs to compensate in the process.

It was gradual, but results started showing eventually. The pustules on Anandra’s skin started subsiding, and the parts that have been corroded by the poison started regaining its color. The repaired ribs successfully remained in place.

Lark felt wobbly after consuming too much mana. Reaching the bottom of his mana pool, he had the urge to throw up, close his eyes, and sleep. Still, he fought off the urge. “We’ll repeat this tomorrow morning. I’ll be able to recover a little bit of mana by then. For now, cover the body with bandages.”

The elderly woman swiftly moved and bandaged the injured warrior. Although he still looked like a corpse, his breathing was somehow more stable now.

Valak stared at Lark.

“We don’t have much right now, but we’ll return this favor someday,” said Valak. He pulled out a dagger and handed it to Lark. The sheath was made of bronze, with numerous spiral patterns engraved on it. “Sell this at Lion City. It should be able to give you a fair bit of money. It’s supposed to be a twin dagger, but the other one’s with Jalak right now.”

“Valak! That’s your family heirloom isn’t it?!” said the old woman.

“It’s fine.” Valak shook his head. “Anandra’s life worth more than this. If he hadn’t stopped the serpent back then, we would have all been dead by now.”

Lark stared at the dagger for a moment. It looked really old, with numerous scratches here and there. Although it was considered an heirloom, it would probably not give him much even if he sold it at the Lion City.

“Keep it,” said Lark. “You might still need it once we try to get out of this village. The journey to Blackstone Town would take several days by foot from here.”

By cart, it would take around one to two days to get to the town. But considering the number of the villagers, they would have no choice but to go there by foot. And that was if they eventually decide to leave this village and live in his domain. Lark decided not to coerce them whichever their decision was. If they decided to stay here and die fighting, he would respect that.

“Think about it thoroughly. Give me your answer by tonight,” said Lark. “If you agree with my suggestion, we’ll immediately depart once the sun rises.”

The Elder said to Valak. “Son, what is this about?”

“Well…” Valak looked at Lark then at the old man. After he shared his part of the story, the village Elder approached Lark.

“We accept your offer,” said the village Elder.

The sudden declaration took Lark by surprise. A small smile floated on his face. Somehow, this old man was quite interesting.

“Are you sure you’re deciding just like that?” chuckled Lark.

The old man smiled. “Living this long made me see things in different lights. The path you’re offering is the salvation of this village. What use would this village be if we’re all dead? The people are the village.”

The old woman beside the village Elder nodded affirmatively.

“Don’t worry about the kids,” said the Elder. “I’ll take care of all the oppositions. After all, it’s not like we have a better alternative right now. If what you’ve said is true and there is indeed a female basilisk out there, then quick decisions like these would save the lives of my fellow villagers.”

Lark thought that this old man was quite wise despite his senile-looking face.

“I need to recover some of my mana, so I’ll have to sleep early.” Lark said to Valak, “But before that, I need to talk to you in private.”

Valak shot a quizzical stare. “What is it?”

“Come.”

With Lark leading the way, the two of them went out of the cabin. Lark led him to a place devoid of people.

“That dagger,” said Lark. “You said it has a twin, right?”

“Yes. The other one’s with my brother.” There was a hint of grimness within his voice. “We got separated in the forest back then, but I’m sure he’s still alive. He promised me that he’ll return safely.”

Lark breathed in and sighed. He paused then slowly took out a similar dagger. “Is it this one?”

Valak opened and closed his mouth upon seeing it. A groan, which somehow reminded Lark of a pig being slaughtered, escaped his lips. His eyes shook as he fell down his knees.

“W-Where? Where did you get it?” he said, voice trembling. “Jalak, where is he? Did he give it to you? How’s he?!”

“He’s dead,” said Lark, bluntly. “We found his body in the forest.”

Valak swallowed and made a croaking sound.

“I thought you’re quite familiar, and I now understand why,” said Lark. “You’re twins, right? You look really similar to the owner of this dagger.”

It took Lark some time to realize the similarities since the corpse of Valak’s twin had been mutilated by the basilisk. But after seeing the dagger, everything finally fell into place.

“Y-You’re lying!” Valak shouted. “Damn you! Jalak’s not dead! He promised me that he’ll come back here! That he’ll just lure the monster away!”

Several men came into the place where Lark and Valak were. They silently stood and listened curiously.

“I don’t have time to comfort you for your loss,” said Lark. He tossed the dagger to Valak. “Here. Take it. I know the feeling of losing a loved one, but now’s not that time for that. Once you’re safely out of this forest, you can grieve and mourn all you want.”

Although cruel, this was reality. Lark knew that if they were not careful, several more lives would be taken away by the basilisks. Things would have been a lot simpler if he had more mana in his arsenal, but with the current state of things, he had no choice but to evacuate these guys to his town.

Lark turned to the spectators. “I’ve spoken with your village elder. We’ll leave this place at dawn. Prepare the carts and rations. Those that are capable of moving will pull the carts. Bring only the necessities with you. Our priority is the life of the villagers.”

The villagers, under the fierce stare of Lark, were silent.

“Sleep,” said Lark. “Regain your strength. We depart tomorrow.”

He turned around and disappeared from their sight.

Chapter Twenty-Three

Dawn came. The villagers placed those that were unable to move inside the carts. The hunters that have regained a bit of their strength would pull it as they leave for Blackstone Town.

“Elder, are you sure about this?” said one of the villagers. He was not the only one hesitant about moving towards that town. After all, they have lived in this villager their whole lives.

“It’s not like we have a choice.” The village Elder sighed. “If you have a way to kill those basilisks, then go ahead.”

The man frowned and bit his lips. “Why did those monsters suddenly made this place their lair?” There was anger within his voice. “If only those bastards didn’t come, we would have been celebrating the end of winter by now! This village that our ancestors have—”

The Elder tapped the man’s shoulder. “—Lower your voice.” Around them, several spectators started listening to the conversation. “Do not let the children hear you. Unlike us old men, they still have their lives ahead of them. They can still have a fresh start. We shouldn’t let our attachments to this village hinder their lives. It’s a pity, but we have to let go of this place.” He looked at the direction where a young man with silver hair stood. “The Gods haven’t abandoned us yet. Once we’re out of this predicament, our tribe shall offer our prayers to the God of the Forest.”

The man also looked at the young noble. He had heard of it before: it seemed that the young man was the ruler of a town east of this place, near the Endless Forest. Surprisingly, unlike most nobles, this young man was neither arrogant nor condescending. Although he held the air of a ruler, the villagers could feel his genuine desire to help them.

“Lark Marcus,” mumbled the villager. “Elder, could he be part of that family?”

The Elder combed his beard. “The possibility of that is high.”

The name of the Marcus family was as prominent as that of the Royal Family. Even their secluded village in the middle of the forest had heard of them.

“But what is someone with such background doing in this place? In that town?”

The Elder shook his head. “I don’t know. But that’s no longer important.” He shouted at a couple of youngsters. “What are you doing? Bring only the necessities with you!”

The kids flinched and whispered among each other. “Hey, I told you! We can’t bring these with us!”

“But maybe we could just carry it? I’m sure the Elder wouldn’t mind!”

The Elder scratched his head and went towards them. “We’ll need the carts to carry those that are unable to move. Aside from food, bring nothing else with you.”

“But Elder!”

“Would you rather keep those toys than let Anandra comfortably sleep in the wagon?”

The question of the Elder made them immediately change their minds.

“Of course not!”

“It’s for Anandra’s sake… Everyone! Listen to the Elder! Leave those behind!”

“Yeah!”

All of the kids in this village greatly admired Anandra, the strongest warrior of their tribe. Although they were young, they clearly understood that if it were not for him blocking the assault of the basilisk, they would have been dead by now.

The Elder looked at the cart where Anandra was. ‘The young Lord should have finished the second part of treatment by now, right?’

The Elder decided to check on the state of the injured warrior. Just in time, upon checking the cart, the young noble stepped out.

“Ah, young Lord,” said the Elder. “How’s he?”

Lark wiped the sweat on his forehead. “He’ll be safe now. It’ll probably take several days more, maybe a week, before he regains consciousness though.”

The Elder sighed in relief. “I see. I’m really glad to hear that. Thank you.”

“Are the preparations finished?” said Lark. “My men and I are ready to move out any time.”

“Yes.” The Elder nodded. “We’re just waiting for the young Lord’s signal.”

“Is that so?” Lark looked around. “Tell everyone to gather here. There’s something I need to tell them.”

“As you wish.”

Soon, all of the villagers gathered before Lark. They were clearly emaciated, and fear were evident within their eyes.

“Listen,” said Lark. “I’m sure everyone’s aware – currently, there are two basilisks in this forest. The one we’ve fought before’s the male. It’s currently injured and it’ll probably take a week or more for it to fully heal. The problem’s the female. Although it seems that it rarely leaves the nest, it’ll still be best to prepare for the worst circumstances.”

Lark looked at them in the eye. “I’ll be blunt. I need sacrifices.”

Silence befell everyone.

“Right now, I’m not strong enough to protect every one of you here,” said Lark. “The female basilisk is far stronger than the male. If it attacks us on our way out of this forest, there will surely be casualties.”

“So you’re asking some of us to hold it off as everyone escapes?” said Valak. A quiver filled with arrows was on his back. “I’ll do it.”

The other hunters nodded. “Me too.”

“Same here.”

There was a total of nine volunteers.

“The female basilisk has the ability to petrify its targets. You need to constantly move around to avoid the spell. Stay too long under its gaze and you’ll turn into stone.” Several villagers grimly looked at the volunteers. “All of you will probably die. You’re aware of that, no?”

Valak was the first to reply. “We know.”

“But if it’ll save the lives of my wife and kids…” said another hunter.

Lark was starting to really like this tribe. Unlike most people, this group held honor highly. Their resolve to protect their fellow villagers and family was something seldomly seen in this day and age.

“Let’s just hope that the female doesn’t attack us,” said Lark. “Avoid making too much noise as we go out of the forest. Our goal is to reach the main road before the day ends. Everyone, get ready. we’re moving out.”

Numerous carts pulled by men and women started leaving the village. Upon reaching the forest, rattling sounds were heard as the wooden wheels struck the root-blanketed ground.

Dawn quickly passed. Noon came and everyone stopped to recuperate. They have travelled a fair bit of distance by now, a good distance away from the lair of the basilisks.

“Elder, can’t we really eat anything until we get to the main road?” said Arthus. “Aunt’s been groaning from hunger for quite some time now inside the cart. Big sister’s like that too. Surely, we can take some of the roasted boar and feed the people.”

The Elder sighed. “I understand, young one. But the Lord clearly told us not to open the bags of rations. He didn’t want to unnecessarily attract the monsters. It’s unfortunate, but we’ll have to hold it in until we arrived at the main road.”

Arthus was unsatisfied of the answer but nodded regardless. He went back to the group of kids and disseminated what he heard from the Elder.

Lark clapped his hands twice. “Rest is over. Move out.”

To the villagers that have been emaciated for weeks, this journey was arduous, almost excruciating. If not for the feast they received last night, they would have no energy to travel this far. At the very least, their desire to survive kept pushing them forward.

Hours quickly passed and by dusk, they finally reached the main road. It was still surrounded by trees in all directions, but with such distance, it should be fairly safe to consume the rations.

Lark ordered the guards and the hunters to distribute the food. The kids started making a campfire.

Every now and then, Lark would use magic to scan their immediate surroundings. It was a very small area when compared to this large forest, but it was better than nothing. After making sure that the area was safe, he would then proceed to heal the injuries of Anandra. By now, the stench of decay from the warrior had dissipated. His breathing normalized and the skin that have been peeled off started to regenerate. Lark avoided using too much mana on the treatment since there was still the risk of being attacked by the basilisks.

After everyone have been fed, Lark instructed the guards to take turns taking watch. Two hours passed and to everyone’s dismay, he once again ordered them to move out. Still, no one openly complained. They all knew that this was for their sake.

The group continued walking, and by the next morning, they finally reached the end of the forest. The plains and the Prey River were in sight.

Lark was really glad that luckily, the female basilisk did not give chase. They have avoided the worst and did not sustain a single casualty.

“Here, take this.” Lark handed the Elder a scroll.

The Elder opened it. “This is… a letter to a person called Gaston.”

Lark raised a brow. “You can read?”

Including Melody and Silver Claw, this old man was the third person to know how to read.

The Elder scratched his beard. “Just a little bit. This old man has lived for over seventy years. I’ve been to numerous cities back in my youth. I’ve been a daring young man back then, you see.” He chuckled. “Learned a few things here and there, and reading’s one of them.”

Perfect. These hunters are really good with bows, and this old man knows how to read. They’ll be really good additions to the town.

Lark suppressed the excitement from showing on his face. “Gaston’s my butler. Show that to him and he’ll understand eventually. The eastern part of the town’s still under construction, so it might take some time before we’ll be able to give settlements to everyone.”

The Elder understandingly nodded. “I see. We’re just grateful that you’re willing to go that far for us, young Lord.” He bowed his head low. “Since you’re giving me this…”

“That’s right,” said Lark. “This is where we part ways. I still have to visit Lion City. We’ll meet at Blackstone Town in a week or two.”

Lark called one of the guards over.

“Yes, Young Master?”

“Accompany them to the town.” Lark leaned over and handed him a palm-sized stone tablet. “Make sure you carry this with you on your way inside.”

“This is?” the guard stared at the tablet. There were unknown symbols engraved on it.

“An entry pass,” said Lark. “Be sure not to lose it. It’s a sign of your group’s identity.”

The guard did not fully understand what the Young Master was trying to say but he nodded regardless. The instruction of bringing it with him to the town was very simple, after all.

“Understood!”

The stone tablet was imbued with Lark’s mana. With it, the ‘Guardians’ he had created would not attack their group upon entering the town. It was a small precaution to avoid such accident. After all, it would be easy for the Guardians to mistake their group as hostile forces with such numbers. Lark wanted to avoid that at all costs.

After the necessary preparations have been made, the two groups parted ways in the plains. One was headed towards Blackstone Town, the other towards the Lion City.

Chapter Twenty-Four

[Lion City – Merchants Guild]

Big Mona, the Merchant Guild Master, skimmed through the documents he held in his hands. He stopped and leaned on his chair, making it creak from his sheer weight. He took a handful of biscuits and threw them inside his mouth.

“I heard that you guys are having a hard time defending the Valley of Witches.” Big Mona’s spit flew out as he spoke. “And you expect me to provide more weapons and rations?” He chuckled and took a sip of wine from the goblet.

The representative of the Mercenary Guild frowned at the blatant crude display. He had heard of how gluttonous and barbaric the Head of the Merchants Guild was, but he had not expected this much. Even now, Big Mona continued grabbing snacks from the plate in front of him, throwing it inside his mouth. Every time he spoke, crumbs and spit flew out.

“But Master Alexander told us that you’ve prepared them already,” said the representative. “It’s supposed to be part of the agreement—”

“—The agreement’s valid only if he doesn’t lose the Vespa Fortress in the south.” Big Mona glared at him. “Surely, before coming here, you’ve read that, no? Or are you simply too stupid that you couldn’t even think of something so simple?”

Big Mona slammed his stubby fists unto the table. “Tell Alexander to meet me here himself! I wouldn’t continue supplying his army otherwise!”

“But the Master’s in the Valley of Witches right now! He’s busy fending off the invaders from the United Grakas Alliance!” The representative refused to yield. “You know that it’ll be impossible for him to leave his post and come here himself! That’s why he’s been sending representatives—”

“—Enough with the excuses!” snarled Big Mona. “I don’t plan on wasting resources on such an incompetent leader! You’ve been incurring defeats left and right and you still expect support from the Merchants Guild? Hah!”

“Master Alexander’s not incompetent! And those were not defeats! We purposely left those strongholds to prevent further casualties! You damn merchants have no idea on how we risk our lives just to defend the invasion from the United Grakas Alliance!”

Big Mona snapped his fingers and the two guards standing next to the wall grabbed the representative. “Throw him out.”

“Wait! Please! Our army really needs the weapons right now!” He was grabbed by the guards. The representative struggled, but was soon thrown out of the Merchants Guild.

Big Mona burped and wiped his mouth using a napkin. A button on his gaudy dress popped off after he deeply breathed in.

“Is this really fine?” asked his assistant. “It’s the Mercenary Guild.”

Big Mona chuckled. “It’s fine. He’ll come back tomorrow.” He grabbed the documents on the table and started flipping through it. “The spies I’ve planted in the United Grakas Alliance told me that the attack on the Valley of Witches wouldn’t escalate until the reinforcement from their capital arrived. They’re currently in a deadlock with Alexander’s army. We’ll be able to buy two more months with just that. It’s better to make the Mercenary Guild beg for help, no? We’ll be making them a bigger favor that way.”

“But what if the information sent by the spies are wrong?”

“Then Alexander will lose his life.” Big Mona was nonchalant. “It’s not like there’s no one to replace him as Guild Master of the Mercenaries. And even if the Valley of Witches gets seized by the United Grakas Alliance, they’ll think twice before attacking this city. After all, the Lord governing this place’s far too dangerous to be an enemy.”

The last part was a bluff. Big Mona knew that once the Valley of Witches was razed to the ground, there would be no stopping the invasion of the United Grakas Alliance – even the Lord of this City wouldn’t be able to stop it. But he knew that Alexander would not croak that easily. As long as that man was alive, the beastmen would have a hard time invading this Kingdom.

The assistant of Big Mona felt that the merchant was too laidback on this. Right now, a massive war was breaking out in the Eastern Region, specifically at a place called Valley of Witches. The United Grakas Alliance sent out a legion to claim the castles in that area. One after another, cities fell under their military might. If not for Alexander personally setting out to stop the invasion, the army of the Alliance would have reached this place by now. He could not understand why Big Mona, the number one supplier of weapons and arms in the city, refused to give aid to the army.

“I know what you’re thinking.” Big Mona pointed a quill at him. “You think I’m stupid, right? You’re thinking why this fatso’s withholding those weapons when war’s about to break out.”

The assistant felt chills crawl down his spine. Everything was spot on. “N-No! Of course not!”

“Stop lying.” Big Mona grinned. “Listen, kid. You’ll never survive as a merchant if you keep being a compassionate moron. An offer made on the brink of death carries more weight, even if it’s from the devil. Remember that.”

Three loud knocks were heard at the door. “Sir, the son of Duke Drakus wishes to see you.”

Big Mona paused. “Son of Duke Drakus?”

The Silver War God was among the most prominent figures of the Kingdom. Even for a merchant like him, it would be very hard to meet the Supreme Commander of the Western Army. Big Mona doubted the report of the servant.

“Are you sure about this? Why would the Silver War God suddenly come here from the Gryphon City?”

“Ah, it’s not Lui Marcus, sir,” replied the servant. “It’s the younger brother.”

Even this was surprising. He had seen the Silver War God a few times before back in the Capital, but he never once caught glimpse of the supposedly incompetent little brother of his. He heard several months ago from his information merchant that he was exiled to a desolated town.

“The purpose of his visit?” said Big Mona.

“About that…” There was a pause. “He told us that he’s here to make a business proposal.”

“Business proposal?” Big Mona knitted his brows. His stare was piercing.

“H-He refused to tell us what kind!” The servant’s voice trembled for a moment. “He said that you’ll understand once you meet him!”

Normally, Big Mona would not bother meeting with the lord of a small town without prior appointment, but his mind was screaming at him to find out the purpose of the visit. His intuition never failed him before.

Big Mona stood there and contemplated. Eventually, he decided. “Bring him to the room on the second floor.”

“As you wish!”

After the servant left, Big Mona looked at himself in front of the mirror. He satisfactorily nodded upon seeing his bloated body and fat, rosy cheeks. “I look dashing today.”

It had been his routine to check himself before meeting a potential client, no matter how small the transaction may be. It was a habit engraved into him since he was a kid. Although his father died before becoming a successful merchant, the lessons he had instilled into Big Mona helped mold what he was today.

Accompanied by his personal guard, he went up the stairs and entered a spacious room. Inside, a young man, probably in his early teens, leisurely sat on the couch. Upon seeing Big Mona, he smiled, nodded once, then stood up.

“You’re the head of the Merchants Guild?” said the young man.

Big Mona did not like the haughtiness within the guest’s voice. “That’s right. You’re the Lord of that small town near the Endless Forest, right?” He sat on the opposite couch. “I normally don’t entertain such guests without prior appointments. Consider yourself lucky. Boy, get straight to the point. What did you come here for?”

Lark took out a wooden box and placed it on the table before them. “Take a look.”

Big Mona leaned forward and opened the lid. He stared at what was inside for a moment before taking it out. A crystal shaped like a lotus flower.

“Kalrane stone?” muttered Big Mona. Although the shape was different from the usual, there was no doubt it was made of kalrane after seeing the translucent crystal and the specks of silver dusts inside it.

“Yes. Now, touch the tip of the flower.”

Big Mona did not like how he was being ordered around by some brat. Still, he did as he was told. He touched the tip of the flower. To his surprise, the specks of silver dusts inside began emitting bright light. It was bright enough to overshadow the large candelabra near the window. For a moment, Big Mona reflexively closed his eyes.

“Touch the tip again.”

The blinding light vanished. It took Big Mona some time before he was able to adjust to the now dimly-lit room. He blinked thrice and stared at the crystal he held in his stubby hands.

Was this really a kalrane stone? Those things were rare within this region, but he could easily procure several barrels of them from the Emerald City in the far north. Still, the stones from that mining city were not this bright.

“Is this really a kalrane stone?” Big Mona finally asked. “Even the shape is different.”

With the instinct he honed from several decades of being a merchant, Big Mona was immediately able to realize the potential of this product. He almost sniffed the air after smelling the potential crates of gold this would bring.

“It’s kalrane. No doubt about it,” said Lark. “Stones capable of absorbing and storing light from the sun.” Lark took out a smaller version of the crystal, around half a palm in size, and placed it on the table. He touched the tip of the flower and it glowed brightly, illuminating the entire room. “Even this small stone’s capable of lighting up the entire room.” There was a small pause. He added slowly, “For several hours. Eight hours at most. The larger ones can go way more than that.”

Big Mona was stunned for a moment. The kalranes from Emerald City would run out of light after half an hour! Although he was still stoic on the outside, his mind was actually in full throttle after seeing the product.

Lark stood up. “I’ll leave these two here. Consider them as a gift. Verify yourself if what I’m telling is the truth.”

Wait, he was leaving just like that? What about the deal? This young man did not even haggle for any money! Big Mona realized that this person in front of him was no simple brat. This technique was something he was very familiar with – if you wanted to take control, take the reigns, make the opposition want more.

Of course, Big Mona have no intent of letting him take charge of this deal just like that. “Then, we’ll end the discussion here.” There was no hint of tremor and hesitation within his voice. “Come back here tomorrow. At the same time.”

“Tomorrow, huh? We’ll see.” Lark scratched his chin and fell silent for a few moments. “I’ll be staying in this city for a week. There’re some places I need to visit.” He did not budge an inch against the reticent merchant. “If we’re unable to meet again, just consider those as my gift.”

Big Mona understood that this was him indirectly saying that he could sell these peculiar stones to other merchants if things did not go well on this side. He did not like how things were progressing – with this young man taking the helm – but he got to admit that this guest was no pushover.

The two stared at each other, gauging each other’s intents.

“Then, I’ll be taking my leave,” said Lark. “It’s been a pleasure meeting you, Sir.”

As Lark was about to leave the room, Big Mona stood up and hastily said. “Just tell me one thing. How much kalranes are you able to supply this city?”

“This city? That’ll be too short-sighted.” Lark grinned. “I plan on supplying light stones to the entire Kingdom.”

Chapter Twenty-Five

After Lark left the Merchants Guild, Big Mona summoned several of his men.

“Investigate that man,” said the fat merchant. “Make sure you aren’t spotted.”

The men bowed and disappeared from sight. Big Mona knew the capabilities of those guys. Their ability to acquire information from a target was second only to the Information Merchant. As long as the opponent was not a Lord Knight or a Royal Court Magician, they would be able to successfully retrieve information in the end.

Big Mona stared at the small crystal. Even now, it was still emitting bright light. It was as though the sun descended into this room, illuminating everything with a bright azure glow. He could not believe that this phenomenon would continue for several hours more. A normal kalrane stone would have started dimming by now after emitting such energy.

He noticed the peculiar symbols carved on the petals of the crystal. It was probably engraved using a chisel or a knife, he was not sure. Still, he knew that those symbols were somehow responsible for this peculiar phenomenon.

If what the Lord of that small town was saying was true, then this would be a great potential market in the future. Big Mona could already see it – a world devoid of night. A world where people could still work normally all throughout the day. A city filled with unending sun.

“Of course, this should be monopolized by the Merchants Guild.” Big Mona licked his lips. “If he refuses to sell them exclusively to us, we’ll just have to kill him and take over the Kalrane Mine. He’s just the Lord of a small town, after all.”

Big Mona was aware that Lark Marcus had been thrown away by his father to that desolated town. He was sure that even if that noble was killed, his family would not bat an eye. Rather, they might even reward him for finally getting rid of such nuisance.

“But of course, if he proves himself useful, then being partners might be the better deal,” said Big Mona. “Let’s wait and see.”

***

After leaving the Merchants Guild, Lark felt several men following him. It was something he expected given how shrewd the Head of the Merchants Guild was.

Only seven of them?

Lark almost chuckled. These guys could not even properly hide their presence. For now, Lark decided to enjoy their tail. After all, even if they followed him all throughout his stay in this city, they would not be able to glean anything useful from him. On the contrary, it would be beneficial to him after this information was passed on to the fat merchant.

“Go back to the inn,” he said to Clark and the rest of the servants. They had been waiting for him all this time outside the Merchants Guild. “There’s somewhere I have to visit after this.”

“But sir—” said one of the guards.

“That’s an order. Go.”

Under his piercing gaze, the guards and the servants conceded. They started boarding the carts.

“Here.” Lark gave the Head of the Guards a pouch. “Some pocket money. Once you’ve secured the kalranes in the inn, go out and look around the city. Have some fun.”

The guards looked at each other. Who would have thought that a day would come wherein the Young Master would become this benevolent to his subordinates? They noticed it before, but slowly, the Young Master was changing. The demonic noble that would harass commoners have disappeared.

“What? Don’t want it?” Lark chuckled upon seeing the surprise on his men’s faces.

“Ah, of course.” The Head of the Guards received the pouch. A soft clanking sound rang out inside. “Young Master, t-thank you.”

“This is normal.” Lark waved a hand. “I’ll be here for dinner. Be sure to be back in the inn by then. Of course, some of you have to stay behind to look after the goods we’ve brought with us. But don’t worry, you’ll have your turn tomorrow.”

After seeing the carts off, Lark raised his hands and stretched his limbs. He broadly smiled. This was a fairly large city, probably fifty times the size of Blackstone Town. Although it was vastly inferior to the Magic Empire back in his previous life, it was leaps and bounds more prosperous than his small town. Numerous stalls were seen here and there, with merchants and customers haggling with each other. The roads were cobbled. Every now and then, a group of soldiers would patrol the streets. Over all, this place was peaceful.

Five guys left huh?

Out of the seven guys that were tasked to tail him, two disappeared and followed Lark’s servants. He did not really worry about them stealing his goods, since it would not in any way benefit the fat merchant. Those guys were probably tasked to simply observe him.

“Now then, I’m getting a bit hungry,” he mumbled. He could smell the scent of roasted meat. Upon looking around, he saw a stall selling grilled food. He licked his lips and went there.

“How much?”

The vendor flipped the skewered meat on the grill. “Nine coppers each.”

Lark’s stomach growled. “Give me ten of those.” He handed a silver coin.

The vendor grabbed several skewered meat from the grill and placed them inside a paper bag. He handed Lark his change.

“Keep it,” said Lark. “In exchange, could you tell me where I can find a library in this city? Even a small one would do.”

The vendor quickly pocketed the change. “You’re not from this city, huh?” He pointed at a tall tower that cast a shadow over the city. “See that over there? That’s the Tower of Pollux. There’s a library inside. It’s open for everyone as long as you pay several silvers, but the floors above it are restricted only to the Magicians of this city.”

“Tower of Pollux,” repeated Lark. It had a nice ring to it. “Thank you.”

“It’s nothing,” dismissed the vendor. “Come again tomorrow. I’ll give you an extra.”

Lark chuckled. “I’ll do that.”

Still holding the bag filled with meat, Lark went towards the direction of the tower. He could still feel numerous presences following after him. Somehow, this was amusing.

He leisurely strolled through the busy streets until he reached the tower. On closer inspection, it was far bigger than he thought. The entrance was open, with occasional cloaked figures coming and going. They all wore the same crests on their backs. Lark surmised that those were the magicians the vendor was talking about.

Lark entered. Immediately, a short man wearing an over-sized coat came to him. He looked at Lark from head to foot.

“This is the first time I’ve seen you,” said the man. “I’ve good memory, ya see. Been living in this city for several decades.” He momentarily looked at the pouch on Lark’s waist. “A noble from another city, perhaps?”

Lark did not answer the question. “I heard there’s a library in this place.”

The short man did not pursue his interrogation any further. “There’s three, actually. But only one’s available to the public. Ya need to pay fifteen silvers to enter.”

“Fifteen silvers,” muttered Lark. Considering the level of education in this world, it was a fairly cheap price. After all, books were almost non-existent in his domain. Of course, to commoners, it was a fairly expensive commodity. “How about the other libraries?”

“Don’t think about entering those places at the higher floors.” The short man shook his head. “The Magicians will rip you to shreds. The place’s forbidden to outsiders.”

It was the same to what the vendor told him a while ago. For now, Lark decided that he’ll visit the library on the lower floor.

“Fifteen silvers. Pay upfront if you want to enter.” The short man opened his palm. Seeing the slightly surprised expression of Lark, he added, “What? I may not look like it but I’m a first class warrior, lad. I’m here to make sure visitors pay.”

Lark fumbled through his pouch and took out exactly fifteen silvers. After receiving the money, the short man gave Lark a green card. “Here’s the pass. Green will give you access to the library on the second floor. You’ll need red card to access the other two above. But like I’ve said before, don’t even bother trying to go up. You need to return the card to me when you go out.”

In short, the visitors need to pay fifteen silvers every time they visit the library. Lark was sure that only nobles and merchants could afford such luxury.

After receiving directions, Lark climbed a flight of stairs and entered the second floor.

First class warrior? He couldn’t even detect the five guys following me around.

Even now, the guys pursuing him were perfectly hidden from other people’s eyes. Even the short guy that proclaimed himself to be a seasoned veteran failed to notice their presence. Lark was a bit disappointed. He somehow wished that the short guy notices them and creates a commotion in the tower. It would have been a hilarious moment.

“So, this is the library?” he breathed. Although the place itself was huge, the shelves were filled with very few books. Lark showed his green card to the man wearing a cloak right next to the entrance.

“Enter,” said the man.

After Lark took a few steps inside, the man said, “Wait.”

Lark turned around. He stared at him.

The man wearing a cloak frowned. He looked left and right, his eyes scanning the surroundings. Eventually, he said, “Nothing. Must be my imagination.” He waved a hand and wordlessly told Lark to go on.

Lark was sure that the man felt the presence of his pursuers during that single moment they entered the library. It was really amusing.

“Books, finally!” he excitedly went towards the nearest shelf. The people inside the library could be counted in just a hand. It was something expected considering the entrance fee.

Lark searched through different book titles. Eventually, he picked a particular book, went towards a table and sat.

History of the Continent of Quanan

The title of the book would make any student cringe in disgust. But to Lark, it was a treasure trove. His first step in finding out the truth of this new world. He opened the book and dust flew everywhere. The smell of parched ground wafted through the air. Lark smiled at this.

This book is one of the fifteen records of the Grand Historian, Gustav Chavalion.

He flipped through the next page.

I, Gusav, have seen it all. The records of the old have been passed down to me through the Eye of Magic. I have seen wars in the eyes of soldiers, of demons, of beastmen, of divine creatures. Someone has to record this down in history. Someone has to reveal to the world the truth that dawned upon the mortals.

Numerous texts have faded away, probably from age. Lark had no choice but to flip through the next few pages.

…Shepard lost her life in the battle against the Demon God Kalkarus. The battle took a million lives. The Kingdom of Hanya has been ravaged to the ground. Those that survived fled into the far south, into the direction of the Land of the Savages. The Eye of Magic has told me that today’s not the end of humanity. The Eye of Magic has told me that the survivors will prosper in the Land of Savages and establish kingdoms anew. I will probably be dead by then, but humanity will rise once again.

Lark kept reading, unaware of how much time had passed.

…The Demon God Kalkarus entered his slumber. The Institute of Magic founded by the Grand Magician Pollux has produced five heroes. The demons are being wiped out one after another…

…In the far north, a new king ascended the throne. A beastman. He successfully conquered twenty tribes through sheer strength alone. The United Grakas Alliance has been born.

…I am slowly dying. The Eye of Magic has started eating away my soul. But I have no regrets. I still have time. I have written nine books. I will keep writing down the history of this world until my last breath…

…Three of the five heroes perished in battle. The demons have gathered their strength. The remaining heroes are desperately defending the front. The Institute of Magic has been ravaged to the ground.

There were blotches on the pages every now and then. Lark was sure that it was blood.

“Time’s up,” said a voice. “We’re closing.”

Upon looking, Lark saw the cloaked man from before. Through the windows, he noticed that it was already dusk. Time flew by so fast as he was so immersed in the book he was reading.

There was no longer anyone around the place, except for the cloaked man and Lark – and the still hiding pursuers.

It must have been really boring, watching a man read a book all day long.

Lark’s lips rose upon this thought. He could only sympathize with those men hiding in the shadows.

“Damn. And I was so close to finishing it all.” Lark stretched his arms. “Can I take it home?”

“Stop kidding around. We’re closing,” spat the man. He looked at the book on the table. “The History of Quanan? I’m pretty sure the antique shop near the border alley sells copies of that.”

“Copy?” Lark had not expected that such technology would exist in this Kingdom. After all, the people in his domain did not even know that the proper concept of mana.

“You think that’s the original?” jeered the man. “That’s a copy, kid. Ever since the Magic Academy started using that book for their school, several copies have been released in the market. It’s become hot stuff a few years ago.”

“I see.” It explained why such an important book was stored away in this run-down library that almost no one entered. What amazed Lark the most was the quality of these so called ‘copies.’ Even the blotches and the stains were copied into these parchments, making him think it was the original.

“How much are these things sold nowadays? Any ideas?” said Lark.

“Several gold coins. Don’t ask me and just go. We’re closing already, damn it.” The man took the book on the table and pointed at the door. “Leave.”

“I paid several silvers for this,” sighed Lark. “I’ll be back tomorrow.”

After leaving the tower, Lark was filled with various thoughts. He was bothered by the names he read in the book.

“Kingdom of Hanya,” he mumbled. “I could recall a city with that name before. But a Kingdom? And the name of Pollux was recorded in that book. If it’s him, it wouldn’t be surprising if he founded an Institute of Magic. But Pollux’s a fairly common name. It could be a coincidence.”

Lark ruffled his hair in annoyance. “Damn it! I need to read more of those history books!”

His sudden shout took the men hiding in shadows by surprise. Lark clearly felt one of them jump in reflex. He suppressed his urge to laugh at this.

Those guys are persistent. Isn’t it about time they return to the fat merchant? For now, I’ll just go back to the inn and check on my guys.

Chapter Twenty-Six

Another day quickly passed. Lark once again spent his day inside the library. Finally, he finished reading the book written by the Grand Historian. To his dismay, the events recorded in that book were focused on the war of demons and mortals. The history of how several Kingdoms were founded were written too, but he was unable to find a definitive clue whether or not this was the same world or a different one entirely.

My only lead is the magician called Pollux. He’s supposed to have founded that so-called Institute of Magic.

According to the book, the Institute of Magic founded by Pollux held enough strength to rival an Empire. If he looked further, he should be able to find records about it.

Lark went to the man guarding the lower floor of the library. He asked him where he could find records about the Institute of Magic.

“Pollux? Institute of Magic?” said the man. He yawned. “Easy enough. After all, this tower’s named after that great magician. See those shelves over there?” He pointed at the shelves near the back. “Turn right after that one. If my memory serves me correct, there should be records about him over there.”

“Thank you.”

Lark went towards the shelf the man indicated. After brushing away the cobwebs, he looked through the titles. He picked two books and went towards the nearest table.

Pollux, the Millennium Magician.

The title of the book made Lark wonder what kind of person the magician was, for him to be given such title by historians. He started flipping through the pages and was struck speechless by what he read.

More than a thousand years ago, there existed a group of magicians capable of toppling Kingdoms on their own. Each of those magicians held enough might to fight against a dragon. The records of the old said that those people have reached the pinnacle of magic, a height never seen before.

Leanne, Deity of the Desert.

Pollux, the Millennium Magician.

Kubarkava, the Dragon Devourer.

Loumen, King of Beasts.

Leonard, God of Fighting.

Qeurvanu, God of Poison.

Uurvesk, the Great Emperor.

Dantes, Ruler of Fire…

These magicians, who were considered invincible in their own might, have one thing similar –

—They were all under the tutelage of a single person. A magician known to be the absolute strongest. The Arcane God – Evander Alaester.

After the death of their master, these invincible magicians went on their separate paths. Loumen, the King of Beasts, confronted the Demon Lord in the south and lost his life. Dantes, the Ruler of Fire, sacrificed his own life to resurrect the Phoenix. To this day, the whereabouts of the divine creature remained unknown. Leonard founded his own school, the Martial Arts school located in the Savage Land. Uurvesk conquered several small Kingdoms and founded the Great Empire.

In an attempt to revive their master, the Devourer of Dragons and the God of Poison conducted a ritual to open the gates to the Realm of the Dead. Unfortunately, the spell failed and the two lost their lives in the process. After their deaths, Leanne went back to the desert and created the White Stream Oasis, an absurdly large paradise where water and food never ran out.

Pollux, the oldest of all disciples, founded the Institute of Magic. There had been records that time indicating that Pollux successfully completed the Ritual of the Immortal. The ritual extended his life for another several hundreds of years, before he finally perished at the age of more than a thousand. As the oldest human in history, he was granted the honorary title – Millennium Magician.

Before the Institute of Magic was destroyed in the Fifth Great War against the Demons, it nurtured numerous geniuses that soon led different Kingdoms and Empires.

It was suffice to say that out of all the disciples of the Arcane God, Pollux engraved his name the most in history of humankind. His a thousand years of existence paved the way to the prosperity of magic.

Lark breathed in heavily. The things written in this book struck him speechless. He felt his chest tightening from shock.

So many questions ran through his head, but one thing was sure now: this was the same world, but a different timeline. If he went according to the dates in the books he read, then it had been more than a thousand and a half years since he died.

But why did he suddenly reincarnate now? And in the body of this noble at that? Did it have something to do with the attempt of Kubarkava and Quervanu to revive him? He was not sure. He held no answer right now.

And Pollux…

So, he successfully completed the spell I left behind before my death.

Lark was not sure if he should be happy or sad about this truth. That very same spell was the one that cursed his soul and led him to his death. Although he was sure that Pollux was unable to perfect the spell he created since he still died from age, he was certain that his disciple somehow managed to complete the spell.

Lark continued reading the book. After finishing all of the available titles related to his disciples, he finally came to a conclusion.

“Agh! This is driving me crazy!” he shouted as he ruffled his hair. The things he learned after reading those history books drove him nuts.

He felt the piercing glare from the guard.

“If you’re not going to shut that mouth, get out!” he snarled. “It doesn’t matter if you’re the only person here right now. This is a damn library. Shut up!”

“Sorry,” breathed Lark. The furious guard quickly faded away from his mind. His head was filled with various thoughts – thoughts of the fate of his disciples. Reading about their lives felt surreal, as though he actually went with them throughout that journey.

Lark knew that they were all dead by now. After all, more than a thousand years have passed since then.

“If I was reincarnated a bit soon. Around five hundred years ago, then maybe…”

Maybe, he could have met Pollux again, at the very least. He wanted to personally ask him why he performed the ritual that took the life of his master. Why such a sincere disciple like him extended his lifespan despite knowing the risks. Lark also wanted to see what kind of Institute of Magic he built. If it was Pollux, then he would have surely focused on support magic.

My disciples paved the way for the next generation. They created the path for the future magicians. But why is it that the level of magic in this era’s like this? If the teachings of those guys have indeed spread far and wide, why is that common people don’t even know the proper concept of mana?

Lark could not correlate the things he had read to what he was experiencing right now in this life. After all, a basilisk was already considered a Calamity Level beast in this Kingdom. Back in the Magic Empire, monsters like that would be eradicated in the blink of an eye.

It’s unfortunate that my current shell’s unable to move according to my will. I had to let the female basilisk go back then. Otherwise, it’ll be too dangerous for this weak body.

A creature like a basilisk held a decent-sized magic core inside of their bodies. It would have greatly help Lark in expanding his mana had he gotten his hands on it. It was unfortunate, and he decided that he would hunt that monster down once he finished training his new body.

It’ll take several years before I finish expanding the mana pool of this body to a decent level. Maybe the Head Merchant knows where I can find high grade mana stones? I’ll ask him later.

Lark looked out the window. It was getting dark, probably an hour or two before dusk.

Originally, he planned on touring the city. But he no longer have the energy for that. After the shocking revelation, he simply wanted to lie down on the bed and rest, and think of various things.

He was surprised that only Loumen openly confronted the Demon Race after he died. It was a completely unexpected outcome considering the hate Leanne and Pollux have towards the demons.

What made them forgo of their hatred and live on normally after his death? Why did Dantes try to revive the Phoenix? Even Leonard, who used to hate associating with other people, founded his own Martial Arts school.

So many questions without an answer.

After putting the books back to their proper shelves, Lark wordlessly left the library. As expected, the men tailing him quickly followed suit.

Lark looked back and stared at the tower named after Pollux. According to most historians, Pollux was among the greatest magicians that have ever roamed this land, probably even greater than his master – Evander Alaester himself.

The bald, old man that used to follow him around have accomplished so much after Lark’s death. Lark felt proud and at the same time crestfallen that he was unable to witness that day.

Lark heaved a sigh. “I guess I’m not such a bad teacher, after all.” He smiled softly. “My disciples have accomplished so much in their lives. I only wish I could be there to congratulate them.”

Lark noticed that tears have started forming at the corner of his eyes. He rubbed them off. “Damn, I’m getting sentimental.”

After one last look at the tower, Lark went back to the inn and immediately fell asleep.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Big Mona received the report of his men. After tailing Lark for two days, they did not see anything out of the ordinary. The same went for his servants and guards. On the contrary, the routine of the noble was so mediocre that they doubted it at first, thinking that the young man was faking it. After all, it was not frequent to see a man so absorbed in reading books that he sat inside the library for more than a dozen hours, unmoving.

After checking the contents of the books the young man read, they found out that it was nothing but history. The information inside were nothing special, probably something mandatorily taught to schools for the nobility.

“Books, huh?” mumbled Big Mona. “Are you sure that’s all he did during these past two days?”

Even the fat merchant couldn’t believe it. After all, the young noble gave off the impression of a shrewd fox. He could not understand why such person, who came from a faraway town, would spend two of his precious days in the city inside a library – reading history books.

“We’re sure,” said the leader of the group. “We’ve been watching him even as he slept. We’ve also watched over his men. Aside from the guards spending some money on brothels, they did nothing unusual.”

If possible, Big Mona wanted his men to find out how the young noble made the kalranes absorb so much energy from the sun — how he made these light stones shine so bright for such a long period of time.

“Ah, also a messenger from the Lord of the city came here.”

Big Mona raised a brow. “And?”

“He asked me to give you this.”

The envelope was sealed with the crest of the Lion City. Big Mona ripped open the envelope and read the letter inside.

“It’s the same request,” said Big Mona. “I’ll be needing a dozen beastmen. Women, children, it doesn’t matter.”

“It’s that time of the year again, huh?” said the masked leader. “Understood. We’ll deliver it to the Lord.”

Every year, a month after winter ends, the Lord of the Lion City would request several beastmen from the Merchants Guild. Big Mona was well aware of the fate of those slaves, but he couldn’t care less. Even though he knew that they would be eaten by Lord of the Lion City to satiate his carnal desires, he would gladly sell them to him in exchange of vast amounts of money.

Several of the bigwigs in the Merchants Guild knew of this, but they kept quiet. After all, although the Lord have this peculiar desire for the meat of beastmen, he was a competent ruler. In just a few years after he assumed the position of the Lord, the Lion City prospered and quickly became one of the major cities of the Kingdom.

Two knocks were heard outside the door. A servant spoke, “Sir, the son of Duke Drakas is here.”

Big Mona consciously fixed his tie. “Same place. Bring him to the room on the second floor.”

“As you wish.”

After his men finished their reports, Big Mona climbed the flight of stairs and went towards the room on the second floor. Just like before, a young noble, probably in his middle teens, awaited him while sitting on the couch.

“How’s it?” Lark smiled the moment Big Mona entered. After the door shut tight, he added, “It’s more than a day, right? I’ve made sure those samples would light up for a long period of time.”

“A day and seven hours to be exact.” Big Mona sat on the couch, his body sinking several inches in. “I doubt any kalranes from Emerald City’s capable of that.” He placed the samples given by Lark onto the table. “Those symbols engraved on the kalrane crystal – it’s the reason for that phenomenon, right?”

“That much is obvious.” Lark took the smaller sample and played with it using his fingers. “A normal kalrane wouldn’t function like that otherwise.”

As expected, Big Mona’s conjecture was spot on. He studied the young noble before him. Although the trick behind the kalranes was revealed, he remained unbaffled, as though he expected it.

“You do realize that I can simply copy those symbols, no?” Big Mona’s voice was grim, almost threatening. “Even if you protest against it, I can simply shut your lips. Even your father wouldn’t notice.”

Lark looked at the fat merchant, his eyes filled with amusement. He chuckled, “Is that supposed to be a threat?” Lightning crackled on the fingertips of Lark. After it channeled through the kalrane stone, the gem lit up for a split second then burst into minute pieces. Lark felt the men hiding in the shadows immediately move after that.

“What are you doing?” Big Mona glared. He raised a hand, signaling his men to stop and stay hidden for now.

Lark did not shrink and simply looked at the fat merchant in the eyes. “There’s no need to tell your men to keep hiding. I couldn’t care less anyway even if they’re here.”

That statement baffled Big Mona. His pupils dilated for a moment, but he immediately regained his composure.

But how did this young noble know that there were assassins hiding in the shadows of this room? Those men were warriors capable of competing even with low ranking knights. There was no way a noble dubbed as ‘incompetent’ by everyone would be able to sense them.

But the lightning. It’s clear that this brat knows a bit of magic. And silent magic at that.

Big Mona stormed his mind for possible explanations. For now, he decided to feign ignorance.

“Men? What are you talking about—”

Lightning shot from the fingertips of Lark and hit the wall next to the door. It was so sudden that Big Mona reflexively jumped up from his couch. After several seconds, coughing sounds were heard in the room as a figure clad in black emerged from the place the lightning hit. He wobbled for a moment but managed to remain standing.

“That’s what I’m talking about,” said Lark. “There are nine of you. Come out, little pups.”

Big Mona did not like what was happening. He could feel his grip on the negotiation table slowly slipping away from him.

“Show yourselves,” said Big Mona.

One after another, figures clad in black appeared next to the fat merchant. They grabbed the hilt of their swords as bloodlust seeped out of their bodies.

“Your orders, sir?” said the leader.

“Stand over there for now.” Big Mona pointed at the wall.

“Understood.” The leader lowered his head. The assassin group went towards the wall and remained standing there, unmoving, eyes fixated on Lark.

Big Mona sat again on the couch. He stared at Lark. “How?”

“They’ve been tailing me for two days now,” said Lark. The black figures obviously flinched upon that statement. Big Mona bewilderedly looked over their direction. “Of course, I’ll notice.”

Lark sighed. “Hey, it’ll be quite troublesome to make an enemy of a big wig like you, but listen – there’s no way for you to copy those symbols and inscriptions on the Kalranes. I’m pretty sure of it. I’m here to make a fair deal with you. You’re a merchant, right? It should be obvious by now that you’ll make loads of money from this.”

If Lark had said these moments ago, back when he had not yet shown his abilities, Mona would have easily brushed it off as a joke. But now, he had this impression that this young noble was telling the truth. If there was a special method known only to him, and that it would be impossible for others to copy the symbols on the kalranes, then it would explain why he willingly gifted these stones to the Merchants Guild.

Should he torture him and make him spit out information? Big Mona pondered for a while and eventually decided against it. The risk far outweighed the benefits. Furthermore, he was now unsure if the assassin group in this room would be capable of stopping him once he directly attacked the merchant. After all, this was the first time someone easily saw through his men hiding in the shadows.

Although he would be unable to gain full monopoly in this deal, it would still be a good business proposition.

Big Mona finally decided.

“Alright,” sighed Big Mona. His predatory eyes turned cordial. “I’m sorry for the behavior of my men before,” he brushed off the incident as though he never gave them the order at all, “Rest assured, they’ll stop following you after this.”

“And my men too,” added Lark. “Stop following them.”

Big Mona almost swallowed. “Of course.” He looked at the larger sample of the kalrane stone. “I’ll get straight to the point. Two golds and fifty silvers for large ones, a gold for the smaller stones. How’s that sound?”

“Three gold.” Lark raised three fingers. “A gold and fifteen silvers for the smaller ones.”

The price was within Big Mona’s set haggling limits. He pretended to ponder for a while before eventually bobbing his head. “Alright.”

Lark smiled and offered his hand. “Then, it’ll be a pleasure doing business with you from now on.”

Big Mona shook his hand for a few seconds. “You said before that you plan on supplying kalranes to the entire Kingdom. I want to hear more of that plan.”

“Of course,” said Lark.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

[United Grakas Alliance]

The United Grakas Alliance was a large country composed of seventeen major beastmen tribe.

Urkawi, a gorilla beastman and the Commander of the Third Legion, creased his brows as he read the reports sent from the front. His hairs stood on their edges as he shook in anger.

“Aleeexaandeer!” he roared, making the entire hall tremble. His adjutants flinched and avoided his glare.

This was probably the fifth time Alexander, the Mercenary Guild Master, toppled the beastmen’s advance towards the Kingdom of Lukas. As the leader of the Third Legion, all blame towards these defeats fell on Urkawi. He even received a warning from the Beast King, stating that if he failed to capture the Eastern Region of the Kingdom of Lukas, he would be stripped off his title as the Commander of the Third Legion. There were only six months left until the deadline.

Urkawi slapped the parchment on to the table, creating numerous cracks on it. “Phantomim.”

“Commander.” One of the adjutants, a leopard beastman, stepped forward.

“The assassins we sent to kill Alexander?”

Phantomim almost swallowed upon seeing the glare from Urkawi. “W-We’ve lost contact with them, Sir.”

A suppressed growled escaped out of Urkawi’s lips. “Why are you reporting this only now? If the assassins were discovered this fast, then it’ll be easy to conclude that they’ve seen through our plans. No wonder our army’s unable to advance in the Valley of Witches!”

“Because you’ve told us to handle the assassination by ourse—”

“—Enough!” Urkawi spat. “Damn it! If only that damn Alexander didn’t exist! That shrewd human’s been winning battles left and right despite the huge difference in our numbers!”

It was a well-known fact within the Third Legion that Alexander have no more than two thousand men under his command right now. And using such a small army, they were able to block the attacks from the Legion which numbered more than fifteen thousand. This was clearly no small feat. All of the officials of the Legion wanted nothing but the death of that Mercenary Guild Master.

Since several months ago, the Third Legion have been the laughing stock of the armies within the United Grakas alliance, and the military officials could do nothing but swallow down the ridicules thrown at them left and right.

“Commander Urkawi.” A small voice spoke. It was a beastman from the rabbit tribe. “If you’ll permit this humble servant to speak.”

Urkawi furrowed his brows. This was his first time seeing this beastman. The Rabbit Tribe was known to be the weakest among the seventeen tribes.

Seeing the scrutinizing expression of the commander, the rabbit beastman bowed his head. “Ah, I haven’t introduced myself yet. Please do forgive me.” He smiled, showing two large teeth. His large eyes glimmered. “I go by the name of Fior, a member of the Rabbit Tribe. I was promoted to the position of assistant adjutant three days ago by the Beast King himself.”

By the Beast King himself? That was an outrageous claim.

“I’ve never heard of this,” said Urkawi. Seeing the expressions of the other officials, they too have never seen nor heard of this person before. “So, a greenhorn? You must be finding us funny and incompetent, knowing that we’re unable to win against a mere human despite the huge difference in numbers.”

The voice of Urkawi was grim, taunting. Any other beastman would have trembled by now after hearing it. But surprisingly, Fior remained unbaffled. He shook his head. “Not at all. I must say that the Third Legion did well during the attack on the Valley of Witches. After all, the humans used the Silver Moles to their advantage during that fight. To have come out of that battle without so much deaths speaks loads of your competency, Commander.”

Urkawi did not know if this rabbit beastman was simply flattering him. “Silver Moles? You mean those monsters that hole themselves deep within the ground all seasons long?”

“Yes, exactly.” Fior bobbed his head.

Urkawi’s eyes slowly widened. Everything made sense now. The numerous pitfalls. The earth suddenly opening up and swallowing their warriors. The massive landslides. Those phenomenon were on a grand scale that they’ve never thought that it was done by the humans. After all, there was no magic capable of creating catastrophes of such level. But if the Silver Moles, monsters that naturally lived in the ground, became involved, it would be a different matter entirely. Urkawi heard that those monsters were capable of digging through the ground as though swimming through water.

“Silver Moles,” said one of the adjutants. “But how did they tame those monsters? And those things live underground. It’s really rare to even encounter them.”

Judging by the story of Fior, the humans have used several of those monsters, probably over a hundred in total.

“They probably have a monster tamer on their side. Just like you’ve said, encountering the silver moles are rare, but a monster tamer needs only one of them to get several others. Once he got his hands on a single one, it’ll be easy to find the rest.” The conjecture of Fior made sense. “I suggest that we assume that they have indeed gained control of the silver moles, which explains the reason why they chose to hole themselves up in the Valley of Witches. It’s basically a fortress, after all. And if they are to combine the ability of those monsters to alter the terrain, then that place will become impregnable.”

The head of Urkawi throbbed upon hearing this. “So, you’re saying that it’ll be near impossible for the Third Legion to capture that pivotal place – is that it?”

Fior shook his head. “No. What I’m saying is that it’ll be foolish to directly attack that fortress.”

One of the military officials angrily spat out, “This damn rabbit! So you’re telling us that we’ve been doing it wrong all this time, huh? This arrogan—”

Urkawi waved a hand, signaling the official to stop. He turned to Fior. “Since you’re telling us this, surely, you have an alternative? A solution to this deadlock.”

“Of course.” Fior’s voice was filled with confidence. He walked towards the map spread out on the table. “Currently, this is where our army is.” He slid his fingers up and pointed at an x mark. “This is where the humans are.”

“We know that.” One of the officials remarked.

Fior brushed the ridicule aside. “Commander, forgive my insolence, but what is the true goal of this Legion?”

There was silence. Urkawi eventually spoke. “To capture the Eastern Region of the Lukas Kingdom.”

“Exactly,” said Fior. “Defeating Alexander is secondary. Although losing the Valley of Witches is a terrible blow, it’s not like there’s no other way around this. I suggest this alternative.” His finger slid towards the east and stopped near the area marked with numerous trees. “The humans call this place the Endless Forest. It’s so massive that it’s basically a natural wall that protected the north-east part of the entire Kingdom. Based on the information I’ve gathered, there is a small town here situated near the Rile River.”

The military officers still have no idea what Fior was trying to say. The rabbit beastman diligently continued explaining to them. “There’s a hidden path here where our army can cross through. Basically, we’ll be giving up the Valley of Witches, make a small garrison over here in this area to protect our escape route, and capture this small town. It’ll take several weeks, probably even a month to cross over, but once we’ve captured this town, we can simply convert it into a stronghold without the humans knowing. It’s an isolated town, after all.”

Looking at the map, the area where the town was located was a strategic location almost comparable to the Valley of Witches. It was protected by the Endless Forest at the rear and was only several days away from the Lion City. If they managed to successfully convert it into a stronghold, they would be able to focus all of their forces towards the front, with such a large forest serving as shield in their backs.

“But if that damn Alexander notices our plans…” said one of the officials.

“It doesn’t matter.” Fior smiled shrewdly. He pointed at an area in the map, specifically at the path towards the town. “If they choose to stop our army from building the fortress, the garrison over here can simply attack the Valley of Witches. He’ll be stuck in protecting it. Knowing the humans, they’ll definitely choose the Valley over the small town. It’s an obvious decision, after all.”

Urwaki was silent for a moment, his mind filled with various thoughts. By far, this was an ingenious plan. He could not believe that such a brilliant tactician was unknown until now. He could see why the Beast King personally promoted this rabbit.

“Did the Beast King send you to this camp for this?” Urkawi had to ask.

Fior smiled and nodded.

“Very well, we will go with this plan.” He turned to Fior. “How much warriors should we send to this side?”

“Four thousand warriors for the garrison, ten thousand warriors for the town,” said Fior. “Just to be safe, leave a thousand warriors near the Valley of Witches. It’ll keep those humans from poking around as we make our march.”

Chapter Twenty-Nine

After traversing the wilderness, Valak and his group finally arrived at their destination. Normally, the journey takes only two days, three at most by cart. But with so many emaciated villagers on their side, they had no choice but travel slowly, all the while slowly making the villagers regain their strength by feeding them. Thankfully, the young noble from before gave them enough meat and rations to last the journey.

“That’s Blackstone Town, huh?” said Valak. From here, they could make out the numerous houses haphazardly built in different directions. There were no walls, no watchtowers. It gave off the impression that it had never been attacked by monsters before.

“Hey, is this really fine?” said one of the villagers. “There’s almost a hundred of us here. I doubt this small town will be able to accommodate such number.”

This was also among the worries of Valak. Although the young noble told them that he was the ruler of this domain, they were doubtful if they would be welcomed by the citizens. After all, he and his fellow villagers were nothing but additional mouths to feed.

“I heard that there’s a forest near here,” said Valak. “If these guys don’t want us, we can simply build a new village at that place.”

His statement calmed the uneasiness within the hearts of the villagers. They have numerous excellent hunters with them, after all. As long as a Calamity Level Monster like the Basilisk did not appear, they would be able to survive all throughout any season.

“What’s that?” A villager pointed at three figures blocking the road.

Valak and his group halted. Each of the three figures were clad with a black, hooded cloak. From the gaps of their clothes, their armors glistened from the rays of the sun. Valak momentarily locked eyes with one of them and he felt his hairs stand on their edges.

These guys were dangerous. He was not even sure if they were human. His instinct screamed at him that they should not take any more steps from here.

The other villagers could probably feel it too, as silence befell everyone.

“Each of these guys are probably as strong as Anandra,” said Valak. His intuition was usually correct in times like these. His statement stirred the villagers. He said to the soldier accompanying them, “Judging by your expression, this is also your first time seeing those guys too.”

The soldier nodded. “There’s no way the soldiers in town’ll be able to afford those armors.”

Valak creased his brows. “I see.” He raised his voice. “We’re here under the orders of the noble ruling over this place! We’re refugees! We mean no harm in our coming here!”

His voice echoed for a moment. The three figures remained still.

“Maybe they’ll believe us if they see the letter,” said the village Elder. He walked towards the cloaked figures. And upon taking his third step, the three pulled out the swords on their waists, creating mellifluous unsheathing sounds.

Valak felt their murderous intents. This was dangerous. His instinct told him that even if they all attacked together, they would not be able to win against the three.

Holding their swords, the three started walking towards the villagers. Valak and the abled men immediately pulled out their bows and daggers. Women and children went towards the back.

“Damn it,” snarled Valak. “What are these guys? Knights?” He shouted, “Aren’t you listening?! We’re not here to fight!”

Just right when the three armored figures were about to attack, the pocket of the soldier accompanying them glowed. A soft buzzing sound was heard. Everyone looked at the direction where the sound came from.

The soldier took out the palm-sized tablet in his pocket. It was the thing given to him by the Young Master before they parted ways before.

Upon seeing the tablet, the three armored figures froze. Moments lingered and they sheathed their weapons. They turned around and ran away from sight. Valak and the rest of the group were dumbfounded of the sudden turn of events.

“What the hell was that?” mumbled Valak. He said to the soldier, “They seem to have reacted to that stone.”

By now, the tablet lost its glow. The soldier continued holding it, as though it was a talisman to ward away those dangerous beings. “The Young Master told me that this thing’s a pass. So, he meant it like that…”

The soldier finally understood a little bit of what the Young Master tried to convey. Had he not brought the tablet with them, these refugees would have been slaughtered by now – him included. He shivered at the thought. But who were those armored men? Each of them were huge, probably more than two meters in height. He was sure that none of the soldiers were like that.

“Elder, the Young Master gave you a letter for Sir Gaston, right?” said the soldier.

The Elder nodded. “Yes.”

“Then let’s go straight to the Mansion.”

The group entered the town. Contrary to their expectations, the town was not decrepit at all. The streets were cobbled, just like those seen in large cities. Even if it rained, it wouldn’t be too muddy. Although small, the people living in this place blazed with life. They refugees expected the citizens of Blackstone Town to be skinny and famished, but reality gave a different picture.

The residents of Blackstone Town walked with purpose, their gaits firm and lively. Some children played on the streets, while the adults pulled carts filled with woods and stones. They saw dozens of men wearing leather armors running while carrying their spears.

“Soldiers?” mumbled Valak.

Normally, a town as small as this would not have such number of soldiers. The local lord would frequently have only a handful of people to protect him, about a dozen guards at most. Furthermore, each of those soldiers were wearing full leather armor, coupled with spears and short swords.

“Halt!” shouted one of the soldiers. Immediately, the men holding spears stopped in their tracks and rigidly stood.

The one that shouted the orders approached Valak and his group.

“I am Qarat, Captain of the Blackstone Soldiers,” he said. “Name yourselves.”

The Elder stepped forward. “Greetings, Sir. We are from the Mahelpa Village west of here.”

“Mahelpa?” said the soldier. He obviously never heard of it.

The Elder started explaining the circumstances, the events that eventually led them to this place.

After listening to the story, the soldier rubbed his chin and nodded. “I see. The seal on the letter’s indeed from the Marcus Family.” He turned to the soldier that accompanied the refugees. “The Young Master? How’s he?”

“We parted ways near the plains. He’s probably at the Lion City now.”

“Is that so?” said Qarat. He pondered for a moment. “The Young Master is wise. He probably has his reasons for allowing this group to come here.” He pointed at a street. “The Mansion’s just beyond that one. Turn left after that wooden cabin then keep walking. Sir Gaston usually goes out to check the farms by noon. If you hurry, you’ll still be able to meet him.”

The Elder lightly bowed his head. “We are grateful, Captain.”

Qarat embarrassingly scratched his cheeks. “Then… the soldiers are waiting for me.”

After Qarat returned, the soldiers once again started running while holding spears in their hands. It was a beautiful sight, seeing numerous men wearing uniform clothes running during broad daylight.

“Last year, a merchant that passed through our village told me that this is a ghost town,” said the Elder. He shook his head, as though dismissing the thought.

It was evident that the merchant was wrong.

Chapter Thirty

Two days passed since the refugees entered the town. After meeting with Gaston, it had been decided that their group would stay at the Eastern Border, near the construction site. Since the Young Master specifically stated that they should provide homes to the wounded and emaciated, several complete houses were given to the newcomers. This eventually led to several local residents of Blackstone Town looking at them with contempt. Soon, friction started forming between the two groups.

Anthony hummed as he pulled the empty wooden wheelbarrow. His gait was filled with purpose. Ever since the Mine in the Endless Forest was discovered, he started helping out with various mundane tasks like cleaning the mining equipment and delivering food.

Today, his task was to deliver food to the miners. He stopped by the Mansion and filled the cart with rations. It mostly consisted of commoner’s wheat, several dried jerkies, and fish. Even now, Anthony was still amazed that the Lord of the town kept opening the granaries for the citizens. Sometimes, Anthony worried that food would run out soon, but he was proven wrong everyday whenever he came to restock for rations.

I heard that the Young Master’s developing the northern farm lands. I heard one of the villagers say that we’ll be able to sustain ourselves this year after the harvest.

“Big Brother’s right. The Young Master’s changed,” hummed Anthony. “He’s really a wise and benevolent Lord to this town.”

Several months ago, majority of the citizens of Blackstone Town despised the Young Master. He did many atrocious misdeeds and assaulted several villagers. But now, those that hated him numbered only in the few. Though still a child, Anthony was sure of this. He saved the starving and freezing locals, after all.

After getting the rations, Anthony went towards the Eastern Border, a path he needed to take to arrive at the Mine. Just like before, numerous constructions were being done left and right. Workers poured cement on the ground, while some erected posts, pulled logs and stones.

This had been the usual scenario these past several weeks. Although the sound of hammer striking metal and stone was deafening, it was music to Anthony’s ears.

As Anthony passed through the construction site, he was greeted by some of the workers.

“Anthony! Working your ass so early in the morning again, eh kid?”

“Hey kid, could we have some of those jerkies? I’m sure those guys in the Mine wouldn’t mind.”

“No, this is for the miners!” Anthony stood his ground. “Uncle, if you keep slacking off like that, I’ll tell Sir Silver Claw!”

Upon hearing the name of the Mason, the workers tensed up and nervously looked around.

Anthony heard before from his brother that the Mason was really strict with work, but he had not expected it to this extent. A grin formed upon the lips of Anthony. He could use this to threaten these guys if he sees them slacking on the job.

“H-Hey don’t joke around! We’re doing our job, alright?”

“Then stop lazing around and get to work.” Anthony sighed. He really wished to help the Lord in developing the town. But for now, this was all he could do. He was still a child, after all.

“Ah, also what’s that over there?” Anthony pointed at a shabby tent near the constructed houses. He could see numerous unfamiliar guys come in and out of it.

The workers frowned upon looking at the place Anthony pointed at.

“The mutts,” mumbled one of the workers. “The guys that came here two days ago. We’ve finally convinced them to stay out of the finished houses.”

“Those damn bastards have the guts to occupy the houses meant for us locals. If not for Sir Gaston stopping us, we would have chased them out of this town already. Damn freeloaders.”

“Wait, isn’t the Young Master the one who ordered the allotment of those houses for the refugees?” said Anthony. “We’re going against the order of the Young Master by driving them out!”

Anthony could still remember the time when he first received the soup filled with wheat and meat during winter. If not for the Young Master, several locals would have starved to death during that time. Letting the refugees have several houses as their own seemed unfair for the locals, Anthony believed it too, but he knew that the Young Master must have his reasons for doing so. The Young Master was wise and benevolent, after all.

“You’re still a child, so you wouldn’t understand,” said one of the workers. “If we allow them to have the houses, they’ll think the locals are pushovers, that we’ll give up the homes meant for us just because the Lord told us to.”

“That’s right. We’ve been living here for several years! Why should we give them the finished houses first? Just because they have wounded people on their side? Then go blame the damn giant snake that attacked their village!”

“The Young Master must have been fooled by those bastards! Those guys should be grateful enough that we’re even allowing them to stay in this town!”

The tension within the air escalated quickly. Anthony was sure that the refugees could hear the curses even from this distance. He nervously glanced towards the large tent. Sure enough, one of the refugees finally had enough of the insults.

“Aren’t you bastards going to shut up?!” snarled the man. His brown beard was bushy, and after coming right in front of the workers that fired insults, his towering height became apparent.

The workers did not get intimated by the man’s glare. They stood up, grabbed some hammers and wooden poles and threateningly surrounded him.

“If you got problems, then stay the fuck out of this town,” said one of the workers. “You mutts should just be grateful that we’re allowing you to stay in this place!”

“That’s right! Go back to your village!”

The workers jeered. A vein popped out of the refugee’s forehead. He turned livid as his entire body trembled in rage. As he was about to punch the nearest worker, a raspy voice echoed.

“Valak!” shouted an elderly man.

Valak stopped his fist and turned around. “Ah, Elder.”

The Elder briskly walked towards him. “What are you doing?! We’ve all agreed to bear with it until Anandra wakes up! Do you think we can afford to camp out in the wilderness when Anandra’s in such a state?! And there’s still the debt we have to pay! We can’t just go without repaying the young Lord for his kindness!”

Valak lowered his head in shame. He was still livid from rage, but his trembling stopped entirely. He snorted, then turned around. “Let’s go, Elder.”

The Elder sighed. “This child…”

The two stopped in their tracks when a familiar voice spoke.

“So, you’ve been waiting for me to wake up?”

Upon looking at the source of the voice, their eyes widened in disbelief.

“A-Anandra!”

“What are you… You’re awake! It’s really you, Anandra!”

Valak and the Elder almost hugged the man before them. Unlike before, the strongest warrior’s face was no longer corroded. The skin that were missing before had grown back, fresh and new. His chest was still bandaged, but his handsome face radiated an air of strength and pride. His golden hair and eyes seemed to glimmer beneath the morning sun.

Several kids came running from the tent and surrounded Anandra.

“Anandra! You’re finally up!”

“We were so worried!”

“I saw how you fought the basilisk! You were so cool back then!”

“Thank you for protecting us!”

Despite the wounds on his body, Anandra bent down and hugged the kids. The sound of laughter filled the air as the refugees celebrated the recovery of their strongest warrior.

Anandra went towards the workers. “I understand where the anger’s coming from. On behalf of the villagers, I’m sorry for taking away the homes you’ve painstakingly built. We’ll be leaving this town soon.”

“Wait Anandra…”

“Elder, I’ve heard the conversations during the time I was recuperating. I have a general idea of what’s happening here during our stay,” said Anandra. “The village is the people. We can still build a new village in the nearby forest. I’m sure the Lord of this town wouldn’t mind—”

“—Rejected.” Silver Claw’s voice made all the workers tense up in reflex. Behind him was Gaston, the Chief Butler of the Young Master.

“I’ve heard that the friction between the two group’s been escalating recently,” said Gaston. The Butler was obviously displeased by what he saw. “The Young Master specifically told me to quell all discontent while he’s away. I can’t believe that you guys would quarrel over this petty stuff.”

“But the houses—”

“—Were all built using the Young Master’s money!” snarled Gaston. It was the first time they saw the butler so enraged. His fierce glare made them shiver. “You all worked hard in building it, but at the end of the day, the entire town is still under the domain of the Young Master! It is his property! An asset of the Marcus Family!”

Silver Claw nodded at this. “I can understand the source of resentment, but I’m sure you all know this – those houses are not yours. It’s the Young Master’s. Once this part of the town finished its construction, those houses will be given to the locals with a corresponding rent. It’ll not be given for free.”

“We’ve given the houses to the refugees in hopes that their wounded will be able to recover quickly! But what did you do?!” Gaston shook in anger. “You went against the orders of the Lord!”

“But—”

“—A punishment is in order,” said Silver Claw. “I can’t believe these blockheads dare go against the orders of the Young Master.”

Silver Claw have never seen such massive changes in a town within a short span of time. He had been long convinced that the Young Master was a wise ruler despite his age. The Mason was even sure that a few years from now, this town would prosper and become a splendid city.

“No free food for two days.” Silver Claw raised two fingers.

“Three days,” corrected Gaston. His piercing glare made the workers cower. “We can’t let guys like these – those that disobey the rules – be punished lightly. Remember, the food you’re eating for free every day came from the Young Master. The least you could do is obey his orders and help this town prosper!”

Gaston turned to one of the refugees. “Anandra, right? I’m really sorry for the behavior of these men. It’ll take time, but hopefully, you’ll be able to get along with them.”

Anandra slowly said, “Does that mean…”

“Yes.” Gaston nodded. “You are free to stay in this town. We’ll provide you with houses. That’s the order of the Young Master.”

The Elder was momentarily at loss for words. “W-We are grateful, Sir.”

“Ah, but it’s not for free,” said Gaston. “Just like the locals, you’ll have to pay for the rent. But the Young Master’s in need of several workers – men or women. You’ll be able to find a job in no time. And the Young Master specifically wants to hire Anandra for a certain job.”

Anandra and the Elder looked at each other. “A job.”

“Yes,” said Gaston. “Once you’re fully healed, the Young Master wishes to see your skill.”

The eyes of Gaston glimmered for a moment. “If you’re qualified enough, he wishes you to train the soldiers of this town.”

Epilogue

An owl flew through the open window of Zen’s room. It flew around for a moment before landing on the windowsill.

Zen took the letter attached to its leg, grabbed a dried fish and threw it to the owl. It immediately swallowed the fish and looked at Zen with expectant eyes.

“Here.” He threw another one. After the owl finished its second treat, it flapped its wings twice, jumped off the window and flew through the night.

Zen lit the lamp and started reading the letter. As expected, it came from Black Midas, the Assassin Group funded by one of the Dukes.

The message was clear: as one of the assassins based in the Lion City, his task was to infiltrate a town east from here and investigate the noble called Lark Marcus. If given the chance, kill the target.

“Lark Marcus,” mumbled Zen. For a moment, he stood there staring at the name written at the bottom of the letter. He was sure he heard that name before. After some thoughts, he realized the reason why it felt familiar.

It was the name of the noble that went to the Merchants Guild several days ago. The very same noble that struck a deal with Big Mona. Working as a clerk for the Merchants Guild was part of his way of blending into the crowd, so he knew.

If I’m not mistaken, that guy’s leaving the city soon. The leader tasked me to investigate him in the town, but since he’s already here…

Zen deemed that it would be easier to assassinate Lark in the city, since he brought only a handful number of guards with him here. Furthermore, being killed in a city as large as this would make it hard for anyone to pinpoint the culprit. After all, there were many gangs and several syndicates running around the dark streets.

With these in mind, Zen immediately donned a black get up, covered his face with a mask, and grabbed his weapons. After killing the noble, he would probably be forced to leave this city soon, but that did not matter. Black Midas was his priority. His job as a clerk in the Merchants Guild was simply a façade and secondary.

He should still be in the city. If I’m going to kill him, now’s the perfect time.

Zen jumped out the window and landed softly on the ground. The chilling breeze of the night brushed against him. Although it was late in the evening, several people were walking through the streets – the city was still bustling with life.

Zen activated his magic and erased his presence. Using his skills, he blended with the night. He ran through alleyways and streets, eventually reaching the inn where the young noble was staying at.

There were no guards around and the door was wide open. The attendant on the desk was half asleep when he entered.

The logbook.

Literacy skills were mandatorily taught to all of the assassins of Black Midas. Zen looked through the logbook, searching for the room of Lark Marcus. After finding it, he immediately went up to the third floor and stopped in front of a room. The entire inn was quiet. Everyone was probably asleep.

Zen skillfully unlocked the wooden door and entered the room. It was pitch black, but his trained eyes could see everything clearly. On the bed, a young noble with silver hair was sleeping soundly.

He was young, probably twenty years his junior, but Zen did not feel a single hint of remorse. He would kill him here and fulfill the assignment given to him.

After confirming that the young man sleeping was the same noble that visited the Merchants Guild a few days ago, Zen creeped towards the bed and pulled out his poisoned dagger. He was about to stab him straight at the neck when a voice spoke.

“You’re not among the guys that followed me before,” said the voice. It came directly behind him, as though the owner was speaking directly to his ears. “Who are you?”

Zen stiffened. On reflex, he swung his dagger to the back and struck nothing but air. He looked around and saw no one. He looked at the bed and realized that the young man was gone.

“Answer me.” The voice was ice cold.

A cry almost escaped Zen’s lips when he felt a fist striking his abdomen. He bent in pain and looked around the room. No one was there.

Impossible! How could he, an elite assassin from the Black Midas be unable to detect the presence of his enemy?

Another fist struck him, this time hitting his face. His nose bent and blood spurted out of his lips. Still, he did not falter and remained standing still.

Where is he? Why can’t I see him?!

“Damn it,” spat Zen. He started activating his magic. A small magic circle glowed underneath his feet and runes span around. The symbols broke into numerous particles of light and his entire body started to become covered with lightning.

“My room’s going to burn if you do that,” said the voice.

To Zen’s surprise, the magic that covered his entire body started dissipating.

My magic’s almost complete! It failed?!

Zen’s eyes widened when he realized that it was forcefully disrupted by the owner of the voice. But that’s absurd! Impossible! Only those with the rank of Royal Court Magicians were capable of such feat!

Shivers slowly crawled down his spine.

The leader of Black Midas told him that several assassins would be sent here soon, and his job was to get as much information about the noble until the time they arrived. He should have waited for them. He should have not acted so rashly. If he had known that the supposedly incompetent son of Duke Drakus was such a monster, he would have taken this slowly and carefully.

The temperature in the room suddenly dropped. Zen could not move. Looking below, he realized that half his body was already encased in ice, along with both of his hands.

The owner of the voice was still nowhere to be found.

“Not going to talk, huh?” said the voice. “Reading through your memories might not give me what I want. It’s random, fragmented info, after all.”

A cold hand grabbed his face. Zen felt the murderous intent behind it. He wanted to scream but no voice came out.

“Even tough guys like you will eventually speak once broken.” Pain shot through Zen’s entire body. He clenched his teeth as his entire body trembled from the excruciating pain. Tears streamed down his eyes as muffled groans escaped his lips.

“Let’s see the extent of your loyalty, shall we?” The voice was cold and piercing.

Zen screamed but no voice came out.

***

The “interrogation” consumed almost the entire Mana Pool of Lark. Surprisingly, it took him almost an hour before the man eventually decided to speak. He was half-dead by then, begging Lark to kill him.

Contrary to his initial speculations, the man was not sent by Big Mona. According to the assassin, he was part of a criminal group called Black Midas – an association owned by one of the three Dukes. He received an order from their leader to investigate him, and if given the chance, kill him.

But what surprised Lark the most was the motive behind it. It was not for ransom or gold, but due to something else —

– The competition for the throne.

According to the assassin, four year from now, the King would choose his successor among the sons of the three Dukes. As the second son of Lord Drakus, he was among the candidates for the throne.

So, my brother’s the strongest candidate right now and they’re hoping to use me bring him down.

Lark smiled wryly. Who would have known that such drama was going around while he was busy developing the town? Things have suddenly taken an interesting turn.

He chuckled.

“A King?” Lark looked out the open window. “I don’t really care about that. But if they’re going to come and attack me…”

His eyes were predatory.

Lark decided to crush anyone who would dare take his life or harm his town.

Afterword

Thank you for reading Legend of the Arch Magus! Please take the time to go to its Amazon page and leave a review. I’ll need at least 50 reviews before the system of Amazon promotes my work. Kindly help me on this part.

You can read the drafts here: www.patreon.com/crazyblackchili

Be warned that the chapters posted there are drafts, unproofread versions. If you are a grammar nazi, I advise against reading it on that page.

The next book will focus on the Legion of the United Grakas Alliance (15,000 strong army) versus Blackstone Town. Again, if you like my work, please leave a review. It’ll greatly motivate me to work faster.

Thank you!

Table of Contents

- Chapter One
- Chapter Two
- Chapter Three
- Chapter Four
- Chapter Five
- Chapter Six
- Chapter Seven
- Chapter Eight
- Chapter Nine
- Chapter Ten
- Chapter Eleven
- Chapter Twelve
- Chapter Thirteen
- Chapter Fourteen
- Chapter Fifteen
- Chapter Sixteen
- Chapter Seventeen
- Chapter Eighteen
- Chapter Nineteen
- Chapter Twenty
- Chapter Twenty-One
- Chapter Twenty-Two
- Chapter Twenty-Three
- Chapter Twenty-Four
- Chapter Twenty-Five
- Chapter Twenty-Six
- Chapter Twenty-Seven
- Chapter Twenty-Eight
- Chapter Twenty-Nine
- Chapter Thirty
- Epilogue
- Afterword