The next day, while inside his office in the mansion, Lark received his weekly newspaper from the traveling merchants of Lion City.
It seemed that while he was on his way back to Blackstone Town, a storm had brewed in the capital of the Kingdom. Several shocking events unfolded one after another, enough to stir up the masses.
"Duke Kelvin's convicted of high treason?" said Lark as he read the newspaper.
According to the news, after the Empire's defeat at Yorkshaire Mountain Range, Rock Castle was also freed of enemy soldiers. The royal court magicians tasked to rescue Lancaster Kelvin were successful, and they managed to annihilate all the enemies occupying the fort.
But this did not change the fact that the Kelvin Duchy refused to take part in the war with the Empire. Under the pretext that the heir of the House Kelvin was under the enemy's hands, Duke Kelvin forbade all of his soldiers from taking part in the war. This was a tremendous blow to the Kingdom's overall military might. After all, the Kelvin Army was the second most powerful army in the Kingdom, next only to the Marcus Army.
After their victory, the king and his ministers summoned Duke Kelvin to the capital. After heated discussions, the duke was sentenced to lifetime imprisonment and a hundred lashes.
For a moment, Lark was worried that this would result in civil war. The Kelvin Duchy owned five out of the seven major ports in the Kingdom, and they also boasted a strong army of hussars. They held enough military might to threaten the throne.
But after reading some more, Lark was surprised to find out that the duke silently accepted his punishment and was locked up in the capital's dungeon without any resistance. According to the news, the duke negotiated with the king: He would accept his due punishment as long as he was not stripped of his title and nobility. This way, his sons would still be eligible for the competition for the throne. Afraid of a civil war toppling the entire Kingdom, the king agreed to the duke's demands.
Duke Kelvin was apparently confident that one of his sons would win the competition. And by the time a Kelvin ascended to the throne, he would naturally be freed from the dungeon. If things went according to the plan, then he would only have to endure for three more years.
Lark sipped his tea. He continued reading the news.
"The Empire sent an envoy, huh?"
A few days after the duke was convicted of lifetime imprisonment, an envoy from the Empire arrived at the capital. Post?war reparations were immediately discussed by both parties, with the Empire demanding the Kingdom to return the captives locked up in the dungeons of Akash City, along with the glaive of General Alvaren. Although the Empire refused to sign a peace treaty with the Kingdom, according to the news, they agreed to pay a hefty sum to retrieve the maginus and for the captives to be returned to their homeland.
Lark nodded in satisfaction at this. The maginus—although a mere replica—should be worth at least thirty thousand gold coins, probably more.
There were also the captives in Akash City they had to consider. Five hundred soldiers, and two of them were from prominent families in the Empire. Their freedom should have netted the Kingdom at least tens of thousands in gold coins.
Lark was glad that he chose to lock them up in the dungeons back then instead of killing them, despite the potential risks they would pose against his army. After the post?war reparations, the financial burden on the Kingdom should have been lessened somewhat.
And the last—but the biggest—news in the Kingdom.
Lark's eyes widened as he read this part:
His Ma?esty, King Alvis Lukas VI, collapsed during the cele?ratory ?anquet!
According to the news, numerous eyewitnesses saw a black haze enveloping the king's body moments before he keeled over. The king's entire skin turned purple?black and he started vomiting blood. It was only after a royal court magician came over and cast healing spells on His Majesty that the king's complexion returned to normal.
This scene caused an uproar during the banquet and the news quickly spread throughout the mainland. Some speculated that His Majesty was poisoned by his enemies, while some spread rumors that His Majesty had already been ill for several years, hence his declaration about the competition for the throne. There were also rumors saying that Duke Kelvin was behind all this, despite being currently locked up in the dungeons.
Lark put down the newspaper and leaned on his chair. He started putting the pieces of the puzzle together.
The Tears of Ubroxia.
The king's sudden collapse.
The black haze enveloping His Majesty.
The purple?black marks covering the king's entire body.
"A contract with a demon?" said Lark.
This was the only conclusion he could come up with. The only common point of all the evidence presented before him.
But why would His Majesty form a contract with a demon? Lark could not understand this. Although he'd only met the king a few times, His Majesty struck him as someone fair and just, a virtuous ruler who cared about the people, the Kingdom.
Lark could not understand why such a kind ruler would form a contract with a demon.
Lark sighed. He knew the only way to find out the truth about this matter was to ask the princess herself. He ordered the butler to summon the princess to his office. Thankfully, the princess and her men were still preparing for their next expedition in the Endless Forest and hadn't left Blackstone Town yet.
An hour later, the princess entered his office. She was accompanied by Parzival and another knight.
Lark did not bother dismissing her guards. He immediately went straight to the point.
The moment the door was shut tight, Lark spoke, "Did His Majesty make a contract with a demon?"
The princess and her knights froze. Their eyes widened, almost popping out, after hearing this question. Just this reaction alone gave them away, but Lark remained silent and waited for the princess to reply regardless.
"W?What are you talking about?" said the Princess.
Lark slid the newspaper toward her. "Here. Read the last page."
The princess nervously took the newspaper and after reading the last page, her eyes shook. Her entire body trembled. She croaked, "F?Father?"
The two knights immediately went to the princess' side.
"What happened, Princess?" Parzival asked.
The princess bit her lip hard, her entire body still trembling from what she'd just read.
"The king collapsed," Lark answered Parzival instead. "I've known for quite some time now that you've been looking for the Tears of Ubroxia.
And after reading the news, everything finally made sense. It's apparent now why you're looking for the flower."
Parzival stared at Lark. "H?How? How did you know that we're looking for that flower?"
Lark snapped his fingers. From the open window, a raven flew inside the office. It landed on top of Lark's desk then cawed. A small gemstone was tied around the raven's neck.
Lark stroked the raven's head. "This little guy here has been following your group for several days now. I've heard everything."
"You dare plant a spy on the princess?" snarled Parzival. He grabbed the hilt of his weapon but didn't pull out his sword. "I know you're the lord of this city, but the princess is part of the royal family?"
"I know," said Lark. He didn't flinch and simply stared at the glaring Parzival. "But His Majesty gave me the sovereignty over the Endless Forest during the last awarding ceremony. I have rights to monitor all trespassers into my territory—even if it's the princess herself. I forbade you to enter the forest, right? But you didn't listen."
Parzival couldn't refute this rebuttal. He clenched his fists but didn't say another word.
The princess was still silent, her eyes glued on the newspaper.
"Princess," said Lark. "I need you to tell me the truth. The reason why you're searching for the flower. You've read the news. The King collapsed.
Everyone already knows that His Majesty is ill. There shouldn't be much difference if you tell me now."
"Even if I tell you," the princess willed her tears back, "nothing will change. Even the royal court magicians and the healers of the capital couldn't find a cure for father's curse?"
"A curse," repeated Lark.
The princess paused. She realized she had blurted important information out. Realizing that the cat was already out of the bag, she decided to tell Lark everything.
She bit her lip, nodded once then said, "Yes. A curse."
Silence befell the room. The raven cawed, flapped its wings then flew out of the window.
"You asked me if my father made a pact with a demon." The princess shook her head. "No. He didn't. My father is currently ill due to the curse running down the blood of the royal family. A curse which originated from the king who founded this Kingdom."
The princess continued with her story.
According to her, the first King of Lukas made a pact with a demon called Agares. In exchange for helping the human found a kingdom, the demon would take a portion of the lives of all the king's descendants— particularly those who ascended the throne. This was why all the previous kings died young, the oldest of them was said to have been the current king —King Alvis Lukas ?I.
The demon fulfilled his part of the deal and the small city of the first king prospered and became the Kingdom it was today. Agares was said to be a virtuous creature, despite being a demon. He even compromised and took only a small portion of the life of the monarchs. This was the reason why the royal family did not condemn Agares. But as the Kingdom grew and expanded, the short lives of its rulers proved to be a problem. Their bodies also became weak and sickly from a young age, making it hard for them to lead the country.
"I see," said Lark, after hearing the story. "Judging by your story, this demon, Agares, should be at least a High Demon. The prerequisite of a Demon Lord."
For a moment, Lark remembered the times he fought with the Demon Lords back in his previous life. He almost died several times, but, without a doubt, it was one of the most exhilarating moments in his life. He wondered if the Demon Lords he'd fought back then were still alive. Demons were known to have very long lifespans, after all.
"A High Demon?" said the princess.
"Yes, a High Demon." Lark nodded. "Tears of Ubroxia, a high?grade mana stone, ormatane and gold dust, blood of the sacrifice, and a phylactery —preferably made of adamantite, but mithril should be enough for a short ritual. These are the things you'll need to sever the link binding the demon and the royal blood."
The princess and her men looked at Lark quizzically. The royal court magician told them that ingesting the Tears of Ubroxia would temporarily halt the progression of the curse. They weren't told about its ability to sever the link entirely.
"I?It's possible to sever the link entirely?" said the princess.
"Of course. It's also possible even without the flower, but we'll need at least a dozen high?grade mana stones to compensate for it, to make it work."
The male basilisk produced only a middle?grade mana stone. The female basilisk, on the other hand, dropped a high?grade. Gathering more than a dozen of them would definitely be hard, since basilisks were already considered calamity class monsters in this Kingdom.
Hearing that there was a way to finally rid the royal family of this curse, the princess unconsciously leaned forward and grasped Lark's hands.
She stared straight into his eyes. "Is this true? You really have a way to save Father?"
The princess continued gripping Lark's hands tight, not willing to let go until she received her answer.
"That's right, but princess," said Lark. "There's one problem."
The princess frowned. "What is it?"
"I told you we'll need a phylactery, right?" said Lark. "There's a very high chance that this demon called Agares would appear after the completion of the ritual. No matter how virtuous this demon is, he's still a demon. He wouldn't simply allow the contract to be severed without putting up a fight. Although there are exemptions, demons generally hate humankind."
The princess shivered upon hearing this. To think that they would need to face the wrath of a High Demon to successfully cure His Majesty—just the mere thought made her entire body tremble. Even Parzival turned pale at this revelation. If a High Demon—said to be almost as powerful as a dragon—appeared at the capital, the entire Kingdom would face the risk of annihilation.
"The demon surely planted a fragment into the founding king of this nation, and this fragment is passed down to each succeeding generation.
The moment the ritual is complete, this fragment will become the link, the passageway for this so?called Agares to cross over. But if we have a phylactery to store this fragment, it should be possible for us to seal the passage before the demon could even have the chance to cross over."
The princess finally let go of Lark's hands. Her face visibly brightened upon hearing the last part of the statement.
"Then we can prevent the demon from appearing after we cure Father?" she said excitedly.
Lark raised his index finger. "But we'll need a strong phylactery, Princess. As I've said before, adamantite is the ideal. If by chance Agares is stronger than a High Demon, a mithril phylactery wouldn't be enough to contain the fragment. He'll appear before us, sooner or later. And by that time, we'll have no choice but to face him in a battle of life or death."