Chapter 23: VOLUME 12: EPILOGUE
October 27
Author's notes: I felt that something was missing, so I decided to add this chapter to Volume 12. Previous chapter will become Chapter 25, this one will be the Epilogue.
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VOLUME 12: EPILOGUE
It had been more than a decade since Lady Haqia 'The All Seeing' retired as an imperial court magician.
She was in the middle of evacuating through the southern gate when she was suddenly taken by the guards to the imperial palace.
"Your Majesty, Lady Haqia is here."
The Chief Royal Advisor was the one who ordered for the guards to take her here.
Her legs weak from old age, Lady Haqia slowly knelt before the Emperor.
"I-I greet the Sun and Moon of the Empire."
Her shaky voice was raspy. And although she was showing reverence to the Emperor, everyone in the throne room could see she did not want to be here.
"Haqia," said Emperor Sylvius. "It's been what? Twelves years? I heard from Gaillart that you've serving as the caretaker of an inn. A waste of talent, really. But enough of that."
The Emperor snapped his fingers, and using that as a cue, a guard placed a chest in front of the old woman.
"That's a middle-grade mana stone. I need your vision magic, Haqia. Show to everyone here what's currently happening in the capital."
The old woman opened the chest and looked at the middle-grade mana stone. Ever since she'd retired, she vowed to never touch anything related to magic again. It was her way of atoning for all the lives she'd taken.
But alas, she knew she shouldn't go against the wishes of the Emperor.
"What… what does Your Majesty wish to see? I am old, and I'm afraid that my magic no longer works like before."
"Show us the coliseum and what's currently happening there."
With trembling hands, Lady Haqia took the mana stone.
"U-Understood."
The former imperial court mage started casting her spell. And using the middle-grade mana stone as an additional source of mana, she started expanding her vision magic until it reached the coliseum.
"I… I will now share the images I see to everyone in this room. Please don't resist my mana."
Slowly, her mana permeated the entire throne room. It touched the Emperor's body, the Chief Royal Advisor, the princes and princesses, the ministers, military officials, and even the knights guarding the room.
The mana felt uncomfortable, and under normal circumstances, the Emperor wouldn't permit it to touch his body.
"P-Please close your eyes."
Everyone in the throne room closed their eyes, and soon, they saw the same vision Lady Haqia was seeing.
The coliseum had been utterly destroyed.
Corpses of the spectators who'd failed to escape were buried under the rubble. At the center of the coliseum was a massive fleshy tower. It's tentacles, which probably served as its roots, continuously squirmed and moved.
"King Lark isn't there?" muttered the Chief Royal Advisor.
King Lark and the demon guarding the obelisk were nowhere to be found.
"Ah… it's the Dragon!"
While everyone was confused about what was going on, especially why the area seemed abandoned, a fifty-meter large Dragon came into view.
At the same time, Lady Haqia finally saw Lark.
"Your Majesty," said Lady Haqia. "I've found King Lark's whereabouts."
"Where? Tell me."
"He's currently flying toward Aldean Plains. A demon is closely following behind him."
There was a limit to Lady Haqia's vision magic.
They were caught in a dilemma. Should they keep watching the fleshy obelisk and the Dragon, or should they watch Lark and the demon?
The most logical choice would be to choose the former, as it directly involved the capital.
But in the end, Emperor Sylvius chose the latter.
"Follow Lark Marcus with your vision spell."
The Chief Royal Advisor frowned when he heard the Emperor address Lark without any honorifics. He nervously looked at Princess Luna, who still had her eyes closed. Seeing no change in her expression, he inwardly sighed in relief.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Following the Emperor's will, Lady Haqia focused her magic on Lark and the Demon Lord's clone. She followed the two of them as they flew toward Aldean Plains, until they landed on the ground.
"It's becoming hazy."
"I-I apologize, Your Majesty."
The farther Lark and the Demon Lord's clone went, the hazier the vision shared with them became.
Lady Haqia worried that Lark and the demon would continue flying. Had they flown a bit farther, her vision spell would no longer be able to see them. Thankfully, the two decided to land at the Aldean Plains.
"What are they doing?" mumbled one of the ministers.
For some reason, the two started talking instead of immediately fighting.
"Tch. I knew it! It's strange that Lukasian made that offer! He's in cahoots with the demons!"
Hearing the words of the minister, veins formed on the Chief Royal Advisor's forehead.
"ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND!"
Everyone, including Emperor Sylvius, was startled when the Chief Royal Advisor suddenly shouted. His voice was filled with so much rage that even Emperor Sylvius didn't dare poke about the matter further.
"YOU DARE SLANDER KING LARK? HOW DARE YOU! KNIGHTS! TAKE HIM AWAY!"
"W-Wait!"
A similar scenario had occurred in the throne room recently. And now, another minister who carelessly uttered words he shouldn't was being dragged away by the knights.
After the minister was gone, silence returned to the throne room.
The Chief Royal Advisor nervously looked at Princess Luna. Thankfully, it looked like she didn't take offense from the minister's words. The Chief Royal Advisor was worried about what would happen if this incident reached Lark's ears.
The Chief Royal Advisor closed his eyes and watched the vision being shared with them by Lady Haqia.
Soon, after their brief conversation, Lark and the demon started fighting.
The hair of the Demon Lord's clone glowed white. And from his back, wings made of particles of mana grew out.
Everyone in the throne room trembled when they saw the massive sword of mana that reached the sky. And when it struck the ground and created a fissure that spanned kilometers in length, they nearly lost their minds.
That single attack could have destroyed the entire imperial palace.
If that attack was aimed at them, they had no way of blocking it.
The fight didn't stop there.
Spears of mana, massive hands made of hardened earth, compressed mana spheres that created a kilometer-large crater upon impact. Such absurdly strong spells were released by the demon, one after another.
Finally, it was Lark's turn.
"W-What is that?!"
Everyone was mesmerized and terrified at the same time when tens of thousands of ethereal butterflies started descending from the night sky. The hazy vision spell made it hard to see them clearly, but the explosions each of the butterflies created upon touching the demon's body were more than enough for everyone to know how powerful the spell was.
It was the first time Emperor Sylvius had seen Lark fight.
And it was the first time he fully agreed that the Chief Royal Advisor was right regarding the matter concerning the Coalition Army.
Although he would never openly admit it, right now, Emperor Sylvius was glad Lark had become their ally.
The ethereal butterflies that kept bombarding the demon with explosions seemed endless. And when the last ethereal butterfly exploded, Lark dashed toward the demon and slashed him with a glaive. And when it didn't work, his bracer turned into a sword and pierced the demon's body.
The hands of the demon fell limply. Slowly, his body turned into particles of mana.
It was a fierce fight. In the end, the human emerged victorious.
"He won," mumbled the Chief Royal Advisor.
When they forced Lady Haqia to come here, they weren't expecting much from her vision magic.
But now, they realized they were lucky to have witnessed such a great battle.
Judging by how the demon created that fissure spanning kilometers in length with a single strike, and how he survived tens of thousands of explosions, he was no ordinary individual.
It was definitely the demon that had killed half of the imperial soldiers in the capital.
The same demon that had been guarding the fleshy obelisk.
This demon, who seemed invincible, was defeated by King Lark on his own. The spells and battle sense he's shown in this battle was so preposterous – they wouldn't have believed it had they not seen it with Lady Haqia's vision magic.
"The… the fleshy obelisk? What happened to it?"
The voice of the Emperor was trembling.
Now that the demon had been killed, they decided to turn their attention to the obelisk.
"I'll look at it right away, Your Majesty."
Lady Haqia moved her vision magic to the place where the coliseum was located. As this place was near, her vision spells were clearer.
"It's dead…," mumbled Emperor Sylvius.
The obelisk had been turned into a charred corpse by the Ancient Fire Dragon.
Vulcan, who'd reverted into his human form, was now sitting on top of the burnt corpse. He didn't even bother killing the flesh eaters who still roamed the imperial capital, as it wasn't part of the job entrusted to him by Lark.
Emperor Sylvius said, "Lazarus!"
The General replied, "Your Majesty!"
"The fleshy obelisk and the demon guarding it are dead! Rally the imperial soldiers! I order you, as your Emperor, to kill all of those grotesque demons roaming the city! Restore order to the capital immediately!"
"As you command!"
General Lazarus immediately left the throne room after receiving the Emperor's decree. He gathered the surviving soldiers for a counterattack.
***
After Lark killed the Demon Lord's clone, he returned to the capital.
Upon arriving, he found Vulcan sitting on top of the burnt corpse of the Corrupted Tower.
"You didn't burn the city," said Lark in a surprised voice.
Vulcan smirked, "What do you take me for?"
"Your son, Agnus, would have burned down the entire capital," Lark laughed.
"Tch. That damn foolish son of mine. He still has a lot to learn when it comes to controlling his strength."
Vulcan looked at Lark from head to foot.
"You look like a mess."
"A small price to pay for winning that battle."
Vulcan had several questions, but decided not to inquire about the battle Lark had with the Demon Lord's clone for now.
"So, what do we do next?" said Vulcan. "I'm getting sick of this place."
Lark looked around him. He could see the imperial soldiers subjugating the remaining flesh eaters. Now that the Corrupted Tower and the clone were dead, the imperial soldiers should be able to take care of this matter themselves.
Vulcan followed Lark's gaze.
"Don't help those soldiers, King Lark. Let them take care of this mess themselves. We've already done enough. Let them take care of the small fries."
"I know."
Although it was cruel, Lark agreed with Vulcan.
Helping more than necessary would be detrimental for the Empire in the long run.
"Let's meet with Emperor Sylvius," said Lark.
"Alright."
The two of them flew toward the imperial palace.
Unlike before, the soldiers no longer stopped them from entering. Even the defensive spells had been disabled, as though they were expecting the two to visit the imperial palace.
And to their surprise, the Chief Royal Advisor and Princess Luna were waiting for them at the entrance.
"Sir Gaillart?" said Lark. "Princess?"
"We've been expecting you, Your Majesty, King Lark," said Princess Luna.
The Chief Royal Advisor said, "I'm glad to see you safe and sound. Are you here to meet the Emperor?"
Lark nodded, "Yes."
The Chief Royal Advisor always made sure to show the minimum courtesy to Lark, even when they first met. But this time felt somewhat different.
How should Lark describe it?
It felt like whenever their eyes met, he could see fear and reverence.
"This way please," said the Chief Royal Advisor. "The Princess and I will be the ones to guide you."
Princess Luna's ears were red. "This way please, Your Majesty."
"We have a magician who specializes in vision magic," said the Chief Royal Advisor as they walked. "She informed us that you were coming, so we prepared a feast, Your Majesty."
Prepared a feast?
What was he talking about?
The capital was literally still swarming with demons right now.
Lark could not understand why they would prepare a feast for him now, of all times.
True to the Chief Royal Advisor's words, instead of the throne room, the place where they lead Lark to was the banquet hall.
'They look exhausted.'
The servants they passed by along the way looked as though they'd ran several kilometers in a single breath. Lark didn't know that they'd all been given the unreasonable order to prepare a grand feast as quickly as possible by the Emperor.
"Welcome! King Lark, welcome!"
Lark almost took a step back when he saw the Emperor approaching him with wide open arms.
For a moment, he doubted if the man with ashen beard smiling at him was truly the Emperor.
"Have a seat! Have a seat!"
From a tyrant who wouldn't hesitate to order his men to send an innocent man to the chopping block, the Emperor had turned into a benign old man.
The way he smiled at Lark was reminiscent of a grandfather doting his grandson.
"What… happened to His Majesty?"
In the end, Lark couldn't help but ask the Chief Royal Advisor this.
The Chief Royal Advisor faked a cough. "What do you mean, King Lark? Haha."
"I feel grossed out," said Vulcan.
Lark also felt the same, but he didn't voice his thoughts out loud.
This was odd, no matter how he looked at it.
"Please sit! We've prepared a banquet for the leader of our Coalition Army!"
The Emperor emphasized the word 'our' as he uttered those words.
Hesitantly, Lark sat at the table, with the Emperor sitting directly opposite him.
"We don't know which food you like, so we prepared everything."
Lark realized there were more servants waiting nearby, and each of them was holding a food-filled cart.
"Your Majesty, I'm not really in the mood to eat right now."
Lark had just killed the clone of the Demon Lord Barkuvara. And although it was the right thing to do, it still left a bad aftertaste in his mouth. For some reason, it felt as though he'd killed a friend he hadn't seen in a long time.
"Of course," said the Emperor, nodding. He roared at the servants, "HIS MAJESTY, KING LARK, ISN'T IN THE MOOD FOR A FEAST! TAKE THESE AWA—"
"—N-No, that's not what I meant, Your Majesty!"
The Emperor brushed his beard with his fingers. "Is that so?" he cleared his throat. "Kuhum… then, as you were. There's no need to clear the food away."
The servants replied, "Yes, Your Majesty!"
"You've come to meet me, King Lark, correct?"
"Yes, Your Majesty."
For some reason, the Emperor looked relieved whenever Lark called him 'Your Majesty.' It looked as though he was glad Lark was still this respectful to him, despite the power he held within the Coalition Army.
"I've come to report about the demon I've just killed outside the city."
Lark then proceeded to tell the Emperor about the clone of the Demon Lord Barkuvara. The Corrupted Tower, and the other things he deemed the Emperor should know about.
When the Emperor heard that the demon Lark fought was the clone of the Demon Lord, his determination to be part of the Coalition Army solidified even more.
If the clone was already that powerful, how much stronger would the original be?
After the capital nearly fell overnight, and after watching the fight between Lark and the clone, something snapped within the Emperor. It was only at that time he truly understood what kind of predicament this continent was facing right now.
"You did well, King Lark," said the Emperor. "On behalf of the Empire, thank you for saving not only the capital, but also the people of the Empire."
Hearing this, the Chief Royal Advisor and Princess Luna nearly dropped the cutleries in their hands.
In their entire lives, they'd never heard the Emperor speak such kind words before.
This was the first time.
The Emperor cleared his throat again. "Kuhum. King Lark, I know we're already part of the Coalition Army, but…."
The Emperor snapped his fingers, and a butler came and respectfully handed Lark an ink and a parchment.
"…would it be alright for us to document it? I would like our alliance to be written in black and white."
Hearing this, everyone understood what was happening.
Emperor Sylvius had finally decided to fully submit to Lark Marcus.
Lark smiled, "Of course, Your Majesty. I'd love to do that."
After several more discussions, it was decided that they would write a contract here at the banquet hall.
Emperor Sylvius looked pleased when Lark handed him the contract. Without hesitation, he stamped the Emperor's seal on it, making it official.
"As part of the Coalition Army," said the Emperor. "The Great Empire shall do it's best to assist the Coalition. You have my word, King Lark. We will not spare anything to help with your endeavors."
"I'm grateful, Your Majesty."
The Emperor looked at Princess Luna, then at Lark.
After reading the blotches of ink that had formed on top of the Emperor's head, Princess Luna's face flushed red.
"King Lark, I'm not well-versed with the laws in the Kingdom of Lukas," said the Emperor. "But I'm pretty sure that polygamy is allowed in the royal family in your kingdom."
"Yes?"
Lark quizzically looked at the Emperor.
Princess Luna put both of her hands on her face, unable to face Lark any longer. She already knew the next words her father was going to say.
"What I mean is," said the Emperor. "Luna here would be a good addition to your harem. Take her as your concubine. No, even as a mistress is fine."
Lark awkwardly said, "I'm not married yet, Your Majesty."
The Emperor shamelessly replied, "Does that matter? Take her once you're ready. A familial bond would be better than this contract, no? And I'm sure Luna would like it, too."
Hearing those words, Princess Luna's face turned even redder.
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Zexos
Zexos Hi guys it's ZEXOS, and it is the end of Volume 12. See u guys in Volume 13, have a good time till then
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