When night came, Lark's group camped in the middle of the forest. His soldiers pitched tents and made campfires. They started grilling the meat they bought from the capital.
To the sheltered princess, this was an entirely new experience. This was the first time she would be sleeping outside—although she'd been given the free space in the third cart as her own private quarters. It was not much, but she knew she still had it better than the soldiers who would be sleeping on cold hard ground.
Sitting near the campfire, the princess observed the soldiers around her.
Most of them were merrily chatting the night away, while those who wore full plate armor simply stood nearby. She heard from her knights that the latter weren't human.
"Princess, you might catch a cold if you stay outside for too long."
Parzival handed the princess a wool blanket. The princess wrapped herself with it and continued gazing at the campfire, at the crackling and burning kindling, at the sparks which would occasionally fly up into the air.
"Parzival, what if we can't find it?" said the princess.
"Then we'll keep searching, for another place, for another way."
Parzival knew that there were other groups searching for a way to cure the king's curse. He even heard recently that the Captain of the Royal Knights would be organizing an expedition to the Forbidden Region. A group of handpicked elites would venture there and search for the flower.
The princess must have been somewhat satisfied with her knight's answer. She no longer sulked. She regained the glimmer in her eyes.
"I heard that the Endless Forest is big," she said. Her voice was filled with conviction. "We'll surely find it. Even if it takes us months, a year— we'll keep looking."
Parzival smiled. "Your knights will be sure to protect you, Princess."
After eating dinner, the princess went back inside her cart and fell asleep. Her personal knights took turns guarding her.
Parzival went toward the cart located at the rear. He leaned on it and spoke to the coachman.
"It's been a while, Instructor."
The coachman— Mikael—looked at the direction where Lark was located. After making sure that no one was eavesdropping, he spoke, "Parzival. I didn't expect to see you here, and with the princess at that."
"A whim of His Majesty," said Parzival. "And it so happens that it coincided with the current goal of the princess."
Parzival studied his former instructor's appearance. Currently, Mikael looked like a serf. His clothes were worn out and his skin was dirty, as though he hadn't taken a bath for several days.
"I also didn't expect to see Instructor here," said Parzival. "I didn't know that you're the observer assigned to Lark Marcus."
"It's more than half a year now that I've been observing him," said Mikael. "A basket full of surprises. Sometimes I've even started questioning if he's really just a kid."
This was the first time Parzival had heard Mikael praise someone to this extent. He also heard of Lark's feats during the war with the Empire.
"Radulf's been assigned to observe Kalavinka Kelvin," said Parzival.
"The last time we met, he told me that the kid's a shut?in, but becomes a demon during a naval battle."
"The genius of the Navy, huh?" Mikael had heard of Kalavinka before.
"The Mullgray Pirates are becoming hard to keep in check lately," said Parzival. "I heard they even started attacking the ports of the Empire. But they were always defeated by Kalavinka."
"It's great that the young ones are stepping up," said Mikael.
There were a lot of talented individuals in the younger generation.
And, surprisingly, most of them came from noble families.
Lui Marcus, Kalavinka Kelvin, Lark Marcus.
Even the three sons of Count Boris—Aris, Mokuva and Arzen—had already made a name for themselves, despite their young age.
Unfortunately, the Boris brothers weren't eligible for the competition for the throne.
"If Kalavinka wins the competition for the throne, we might enter the golden age of sea exploration." Parzival grinned just thinking about it. "And Lui Marcus is not a bad choic—" Parzival stopped midway. He and Mikael noticed several eyes glowing in the darkness of the forest. Soon, growls were heard. All of the soldiers immediately pulled out their weapons and the knights of Princess Esmeralda surrounded the cart where she slept.
"Wolves," Mikael said calmly. He could clearly see the wolves hidden in the sea of trees. "Parzival, the princess."
The wolves slowly approached the camp. Drool dripped from their mouths. The scent of grilled meat must have attracted the pack.
Parzival immediately went toward the cart where the princess was located. She must have been woken up by the clanking of metal and the growling sounds, as she opened the flap covering her cart and looked outside, only to be terrified upon seeing over a dozen wolves slowly approaching the camp.
"Princess, it's dangerous. Please go back inside."
Parzival stood right in front of the princess, his hand holding his sword.
The leader of the pack howled, and, on cue, the entire wolf pack attacked. The soldiers were about to engage in battle when lightning suddenly rained down from the sky and struck several wolves at once. The lightning crackled dangerously as it burned down the wolves' bodies. The yelps and death throes of the wolves echoed in the forest.
Seeing this, the remaining wolves immediately halted in their tracks.
Even the alpha wolf was apparently terrorized, frozen in place, unable to attack.
After the lightning spell ended, several scorched bodies laid on the forest ground, lifeless.
The soldiers looked at the red?haired woman who cast the spell.
Unbaffled that the soldiers were looking at her, Chryselle pointed a finger at the alpha wolf. A bolt of lightning shot out and pierced the target's body, killing it on the spot.
After the death of their leader, the rest of the wolves immediately scurried out of sight, disappearing into the dark forest.
Chryselle sighed and wiped the sweat off her forehead. She was glad that her spell had worked perfectly.
"Chantless magic," said Lark. "Quite impressive for someone your age."
Chryselle smiled wryly after hearing that from Lark—a magician younger and more powerful than her.
"Oh? As expected of an Elde—" Austen almost blurted out her identity. Chryselle covered Austen's mouth and glared at him. Lark smiled, amused upon seeing this sight.
Chryselle would probably become stronger than this once she underwent Lark's private magic lessons. She already had the fundamentals, after all.
"Who's that?"
Parzival and his fellow knights stared at the red?haired woman. Just from that spell alone, they were sure she was a high?ranking magician of the Kingdom. The princess was wide?eyed as she looked at Chryselle. It was the first time she had encountered such a strong female magician.
"Princess?"
Parzival was surprised when the princess suddenly jumped out of the cart and approached the red?haired woman.
"That was amazing?" said Princess Esmeralda. "And you're quite beautiful too? How perfect?"
Chryselle froze when the princess suddenly approached her and muttered embarrassing praises. She didn't reply, not knowing what to say.
The princess' eyes were glimmering as she stared at Chryselle.
"Ah, I haven't introduced the two of you to each other," said Lark.
"This is Princess Esmeralda, the youngest daughter of His Majesty."
Chryselle nodded slowly. She knew this already.
"And Chryselle," said Lark. "My fourth disciple."
The princess stared dumbfoundedly at Lark after that last statement.
"D?Disciple? Her?"
The sheltered princess couldn't understand why someone like her, who could kill several wolves at once, was a mere disciple of a young man who hadn't even undergone the coming of age ceremony.
The princess was a very easy person to read, unlike Lark.
Chryselle bent her head forward slightly and made a curtsy. She held elegance only seen in High Nobles. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Princess. I heard that you're also coming to Blackstone Town. We'll be seeing each other often then. I hope we can get along."
The princess was thrilled at those words. She found Chryselle as beautiful as her second oldest sister. Furthermore, unlike the royals, she was very capable in magic spells.
"Chryselle, is it?" The princess held out her hand. "You can just call me Esmeralda. There's no need for formalities? Become my friend?"
How straightforward.
The princess had frequently avoided Lark's gaze since they'd met, but she seemed determined to make Chryselle her friend. Lark smiled at this innocence.
Chryselle smiled. Her voice was soothing. "Is that so? This is my first time making a friend from the royal family."
The two chattered with each other. The princess completely forgot the fact that they were almost attacked by wolves just a while ago. Parzival and the rest of the knights were conflicted about whether or not this was a good development.
"Well, at least the princess has made a friend," sighed Parzival.
Parzival looked at Lark's group. There were a lot of strong people in this army—even his former instructor was here, pretending to be a mere coachman. Tagging along with them was indeed a wise decision. At the very least, the princess would be safe until they'd arrived at their destination.
*** Days passed by quickly.
As they made their way toward Blackstone Town, the group was occasionally attacked by monsters, but the living suits of armor and the Blackstone Soldier easily dealt with them. It seemed that after fighting with the imperial soldiers, mere goblins and kobolds no longer felt threatening to them.
There was also a group of archers with frighteningly strong firepower.
Each of their arrows was capable of shattering the skulls of the kobolds, rendering the monsters unable to even initiate an attack.
No wonder Instructor Mikael remained calm all throughout the journey. He was already aware of the strength of this army.
The group arrived at Wizzert City and started restocking their rations.
Lark asked Chryselle if she wanted to visit the tower for a moment while they restocked their supplies, but she adamantly refused the offer. She also concealed her identity with a hooded cloak and refused to come inside the city, afraid that her brother would detect her magic signature if she came closer.
Lark's group stayed in the city for only a few hours, before continuing their journey toward Blackstone Town.
Finally, the group arrived at the Lake of Full Moon. The lake was vast, probably as large as the capital itself. The water was crystal clear, as though it had never been soiled by human hands.
"Leader," one of the knights said to Parzival. "Those ruins…" Parzival frowned as he looked at the direction where the knight pointed at. A ruined fortress was seen near the lake. The walls had crumbled and the watchtowers had fallen down the ground.
Before coming, the knights did their research. They knew that they would need to pass this dangerous lake in order to arrive at Blackstone Town. They knew that during a full moon, thousands of monsters would come out of this lake and attack everyone nearby.
"It'll be a week before another full moon comes," said Parzival.
"There'll be no need for us to fight the monsters of the lake."
The knights were relieved upon hearing this.
"Chryselle, look?" The princess gawked at the lake. "Isn't it beautiful?"
Currently, Chryselle and the princess were inside the same cart. They both stared at the crystal?clear water of the lake, admiring its beauty. This was the first time the princess had seen a lake of this scale. It was so large that she couldn't see its end.
"Yes, it's beautiful, Princess." Chryselle smiled as she watched the glimmering eyes of Princess Esmeralda.
Chryselle knew that this lake was monster?infested, that it would turn into the most horrendous place on this continent once the twin moons appeared in the sky. But she decided not to tell that to the princess. They would simply be passing through this place, after all. She did not want to shatter such a pure soul.
After passing the lake, the group eventually arrived at Lion City. The towers Lark built for the city were still intact. And judging by the scorch marks they saw outside, it seemed that the monsters from the lake could no longer even come close—they were immediately shot down by the towers before they could even climb the walls.
Lark decided they would stay here for the night. He rented an entire inn for his men then went to visit the merchants guild.
After revealing his identity, the clerk's eyes widened.
"W?Wait a moment, please?" she said, almost squeaking. "I'll inform the head merchant right away?"
She ran up the stairs and moments after, returned, and said to him, "The head merchant agreed to meet you. This way, please?"
Lark was led to the same room on the second floor. But this time, he could no longer feel any guards hiding next to the walls.
Big Mona entered the room. He grinned broadly upon seeing Lark.
"My dearest partner? I'm so glad you've come back alive?"
The middle?grade potion had been selling for a fortune these days, and even the low?grade healing potions were selling like rye bread. Their quality was far superior to those made by the alchemists in the capital.
Soldiers, mercenaries, and even nobles started coveting them.
Furthermore, the kalrane stones were starting to become popular among the High Nobles. Big Mona had made several hundred gold coins from them since his deal with Lark started.
To Big Mona, Lark was like God Gaia—the God of Earth, Harvest, and Benevolence. He was really pleased when Lark came to give him a visit.
Big Mona poured wine into a goblet and handed it to Lark. "Please drink. It's been months since we've last seen each other. How's the capital?
I heard you're the one who slew the Ghost of the Empire."
Lark sipped his wine. "Just a lucky strike."
"Is that so?" Big Mona understood that Lark didn't want to recount the story.
"How are the towers?" said Lark.
"Perfect. After the towers were completed, the monsters from the lake couldn't even come close to the city. The soldiers are also becoming more proficient in using them. During the last wave, we suffered zero casualties."
Lark was impressed. The soldiers were probably capable now of freely shifting the tower blocks located at its base, switching from long?range, single magic attacks to shorter?range, wide?area spells.
Now that Lion City was capable of suppressing the monsters, Lark would no longer have to worry about them reaching his territory.
"The monster corpses?" said Lark.
Big Mona started filling his mouth with snacks. He spoke, his mouth half?full. "We've sent them to Blackstone Town. I've always kept my part of the deal, partner."
There were probably hundreds of monster corpses stored in the underground chamber of his mansion by now, rotting. Lark was satisfied that he could immediately proceed with creating more Blackstone Knights once he arrived at the town.
"How long are you going to stay here?" said Big Mona.
"We'll go back to Blackstone Town tomorrow morning."
Big Mona rubbed his chin. "Tomorrow, huh? Listen—" Big Mona's voice turned serious all of a sudden. "?alcres plans on subjugating the monsters of the lake."
Shrewd. Cowardly. These were Lark's first impression of the Lord of Lion City when he'd met him back then. Lark had not expected that stubby man to organize a subjugation force to clear the lake of monsters.
"That's impossible," said Lark. "It'll be a suicide mission."
Based on reports, the monsters attacking Lion City were only a portion of the monsters from the lake. Although a major city, Lion City had only a few thousand soldiers to protect its territory. Even if the City Lord sent all of them to subjugate the monsters of the lake, it would be impossible to kill all of those monsters.
"That's right," Big Mona agreed.
"How does he plan to subjugate them?" said Lark.
"About that," Big Mona said slowly, "?alcres hopes that you'll be able to build some towers near the lake. You'll have a few weeks to finish it with the help of the soldiers after the next full moon passes."
"No," said Lark. "Tell him that I won't be building any more towers for his city. If he truly wishes to subjugate the monsters of the lake, ask for help from the royal family."
This should be enough to deter the foolish lord from sending his soldiers to their deaths.
Based on the available data on the lake, Lark surmised that it was not simply a monster?infested region. There was no way tens of thousands of monsters could remain hidden underneath that lake for almost a month, only to come out once the full moon was high above the sky.
Even if they cleared all the monsters during the full moon, there was no guarantee that they wouldn't respawn afterward. Lark felt that it was too foolish to form a subjugation team with just the current information they had in their hands.
Big Mona shared Lark's sentiments. He seemed pleased at Lark's reply. He chuckled. "Of course, I'll be sure to tell the lord that."
"Why does the lord suddenly want to subjugate the monsters of the lake?" said Lark. "I heard that the lake had remained untouched for several decades. Even the previous lord of this city didn't dare touch those monsters."
"Money," said Big Mona. "We've recently learned that there's an adamantine vein deep within the lake."
Lark's interest was piqued. An adamantine vein was hard to find, even back in the Magic Empire. It was the ideal material when making a maginus and other magic weapons.
"Normally, it would take several days, or weeks to mine a single ore.
It's harder than mithril, after all," said Big Mona. "But with the vein's current location, we'd be lucky enough to mine even one in a month or two.
And there's also the monsters of the lake to consider."
"I see."
Everything finally made sense. Why Lord ?alcres suddenly started organizing a subjugation force to annihilate the monsters of the lake. If he gained unrestricted access to the adamantine vein, he'd become one of the richest lords not just in this country, but in the entire continent.
"I've already told ?alcres to forget about the adamantine," said Big Mona. "I'm pretty sure we're not the first ones to discover it. The previous lord might even be aware of it but decided to conceal this fact to the general public. There's a reason why no one managed to mine those ores all these years."
Lark was reminded of the mithril given to him by ?iscount Zacharia.
"I heard there's a blacksmith called Garma in this city," said Lark. "Do you know where I can find him?"
"Ah. That old man's quite famous." Big Mona walked toward the map of the city plastered on the wall and pointed at the place where the smithy was located. "Here. Just ask around. He's pretty famous around the area, so it should be pretty easy to find him. But that old man's grumpy. He's quite picky and won't take just any request."
Lark was told that the blacksmith would immediately agree to work on his weapon as long as he mentioned Zacharia's name. He was confident that the blacksmith would agree to make him a weapon made out of mithril.