Contrary to everyone's expectations, the ritual at Fork Meadow ended with no casualties. Furthermore, the demon left without even destroying the mithril jar and the Pinnacle Grade Spell. None of them could contain their joy, since they'd just survived what was supposed to be a life?or?death situation.
It felt as though the Goddess of Luck smiled upon them.
That very same night, instead of going to the nearest city, King Alvis decided to hold a feast on Fork Meadow. A large bonfire was lit at the camp and food was unsparingly handed out to the soldiers and mercenaries. It was a sumptuous feast composed mainly of grilled meat, bread, wheat soup, and mead.
Lark wondered where the supplies team got hold of the alcohol, when it was strictly forbidden on a military expedition like this. Well, there was no use in pondering over useless things.
"Anandra, you're not going to eat?" said Lark.
Anandra was leaning on their carriage, his sword dangling on his waist.
"I'm still on guard duty, My Lord. I will have my fill later once everyo—" Lark tossed a bottle of mead to him and Anandra caught it nimbly.
"Stop being stubborn. Although our group is currently camped at the periphery of this army, there's a very slim chance someone would suddenly attack us with all of these soldiers around. You're not some old man. Join us."
Austen and George snickered, their mouths still filled with grilled meat. The two always called Anandra 'old man' behind his back. And during the days when the brothers were more audacious, they would sometimes openly call him 'gramps.' Anandra heeded Lark's request. He sat down next to the brothers and cast an icy gaze at the two for a moment. Austen froze, while George choked on the food in his mouth.
It was subtle, but Lark was sure that Anandra smirked after seeing George gasp for air.
"You're picking on kids now?" chuckled Lark. He moved his cup right in front of Anandra and said, "Let's drink." Anandra hesitated for a moment before opening the bottle of alcohol. He filled Lark's cup half full.
Anandra's expression as he stared at the bottle in his hand was a dead giveaway. He was definitely wondering if they were even allowed to drink this thing. "Even the top brass are drinking." Lark gulped down his cup in one go. "And we won't get drunk on mead anyway."
Anandra was surprised that Lark was lenient on this. He also grabbed a cup and silently started drinking. Around them, the sound of soldiers laughing reverberated.
Lark looked at Chryselle, who until now, was looking silently at the direction of the bonfire. The meat in her hand was almost untouched.
"You look gloomy," Lark said to her. "Is something the matter?"
Chryselle looked at him and sighed. "Master Lark… what do you think of the demon's words? The things it said before it vanished."
"That His Majesty is the spitting image of King Tristan?" joshed Lark.
"Not that?" said Chryselle.
Lark chuckled.
"What I'm talking about is Bar—" "—Barkuvara," said Lark. "It's surprising. It seems you're familiar with the name."
"Everyone who studied in the Magic Academy is familiar with him," she said. "That's the same Demon Lord who destroyed the Magic Empire over a millennium ago."
Lark understood where she was coming from, and what she was worried about. Although the soldiers were currently in a festive mood after this morning, the royal court magicians looked uneasy. Their worries were probably the same as Chryselle's.
"The demon said it himself, that Barkuvara is still asleep as of this moment," she said. "After hearing that, everything finally made sense. Why after destroying the Magic Empire, the demons suddenly went into hiding and didn't come out even after a millennium had passed." Chryselle looked down and tightened her grip on the grilled meat in her hand. "If that demon suddenly wakes up…" Lark remembered the words uttered by Agares before he disappeared.
The moment he wakes up, my tri?e will no longer ?e a?le to prevent the demon race from slaughtering the humans. Everything… is only a matter of time.
Lark also had several questions after hearing those words. He had several conjectures, especially after seeing the magic used by Agares during their short encounter, but he knew it'd be impossible to come up with any conclusion with the little amount of information they currently had.
Even if they moped all day and feared for the impending doom of the human race, nothing would change. Lark decided to at least enjoy the festivities tonight and drink to his heart's content.
"Even if the demons suddenly come out of their hiding and started attacking the humans, we won't be annihilated without a fight," said Lark.
Chryselle looked up and stared at him. There was indescribable strength seeping through those blue eyes. Once again, she questioned if the person in front of her was really someone who'd just come of age.
"And even if Barkuvara wakes up today, it's not like he'll be able to incite the demons to attack human nations the next day. Just like us humans, demons have an established hierarchy. Just think of it like the nobility. I'm pretty sure someone else is ruling over the demon race right now, with Barkuvara absent for over a millennium. Agares is probably part of that ruling class, since they're able to stop the demons from slaughtering the humans. The demon said it himself, right?"
Lark plopped himself on the grass and looked at the clear sky. "And besides, humans aren't weak. The human race survived the Cataclysm and the Descent. It's the same even at today. They'll always find ways to survive, no matter what."
Chryselle also looked up. For some reason, the sky looked beautiful tonight. She smiled. "You're right."
While the two were enjoying the view of the night sky, a familiar voice said, "Here you are."
Lark looked at the source and saw Farsight walking toward his direction. The man's skin was as white as before. His black eyes were even darker than the night itself.
"His Majesty's calling for you," said Farsight. "Come with me."
For a moment, Farsight looked at the direction of Anandra, then at the brothers devouring the food, before finally resting on the red?haired woman.
Lark stood up and dusted his clothes. For a royal court magician to personally come and get him, the matter must be of great importance.
"What is it about?" said Lark.
"You'll know when we get there," Farsight gave an apathetic reply.
After telling his disciples that he'd be right back after meeting His Majesty, Lark followed Farsight all the way to the largest tent at the center of the camp. The guards standing outside saluted upon seeing the royal court magician and Lark.
"His Majesty is waiting for you, please come inside," said one of the guards.
Farsight swept away the tent's flap and entered, along with Lark.
King Alvis, Lady Ropianna, Nickolai, General Carlos, and several high?ranking officers in the military were already inside. They stood around a round wooden table. At the center of the table was the phylactery. Even now, it was lightly glowing. A crystal?like substance was still enclosing it.
"It's an honor to be in the presence of Your Majesty." Lark bowed the moment he entered the tent.
"As I said before, there's no need for formalities, especially when we're not inside the throne room," said King Alvis.
The king never looked as healthy as he was tonight. The numerous small black patches on his skin had vanished entirely. After the curse was severed, Lady Ropianna's healing spells had worked wonders on the king. It looked as though the king had become younger by five years.
King Alvis directed his gaze at the direction of the tent's entrance.
Outside, the ebullient voices and laughter of the soldiers resounded.
"It'll be a shame if you aren't able to enjoy the feast because of this old man here." King Alvis smiled gently. "So I'll make this quick. We plan on giving you an appropriate reward for this feat the moment we went back to the capital. Please use this time to think of what you want. As long as it is within my abilities, and as long as it is something that will not harm the Kingdom, I promise to grant your desires."
Lark already had several things in mind. If they included the Endless Forest, his territory in the east was probably even larger than the entire Kingdom itself. He had an incredibly vast territory—but he lacked people.
He lacked manpower.
"I'm forever grateful. I'll think about it carefully, Your Majesty." Lark bowed his head.
"The kid keeps getting accomplishments one after another." Nickolai smirked. "It's not even a half a year since the war with the Empire had ended. It's like he has the devil's luck or something."
King Alvis ignored Nickolai's derisive statement. He laughed heartily.
"Isn't that right? With all these achievements… at this rate, you'll end up becoming the heir to the throne a few years from now?"
Although the King was probably jesting, everyone in the room stared at His Majesty in shock. The words of a royal carried far greater weight than those of a normal individual's.
Who would have known a year ago that Lark Marcus, the candidate said to have the least chance of winning the competition, would be praised personally by the king like this? Had the king said these words in the throne room and the nobles heard of it, those hungry hyenas would have turncoat to Lark Marcus' side and flocked to him like flies.
And as though that statement wasn't enough, the king added, "You've been taking care of my daughter for quite some time too." King Alvis smiled mischievously. "How about it? Why don't you take her as your wife already?" The king laughed boisterously, not minding his status as a sovereign.
Lark thought they'd discussed this before already. It seemed that the king had no intention of giving up that easily.
"Taking care of His Majesty's daughter?" said one of the military officers. "T?The Flower of the capital? Princess Esmeralda?"
The military officers started having weird ideas after hearing the words of His Majesty. Lark was worried that at this rate, a weird rumor was going to spread.
The king was clearly enjoying this. The old man's broad grin never slid down his face.
Lady Ropianna smiled wryly. "Your Majesty."
The king scratched his cheek. "Ah, that was fun." He coughed and said to Lark, "Please forgive this old man. Let's proceed to the topic, shall we?"
King Alvis straightened his garb and signaled Lark and Elias to come closer to the table. Everyone looked at the phylactery placed on top of it.
"Nickolai and Ropianna have finished analyzing this thing," said King Alvis. "And according to them, the Pinnacle Grade Magic enclosing it is still active." King Alvis looked at Lark expectantly.
"That's correct, Your Majesty," said Lark. "The phylactery and the Pinnacle Grade Magic contained inside were practically untouched."
King Alvis stroked his ashen beard. "Even the phylactery, huh? Can you tell us the reason for this?"
Lark paused for a moment as he deliberated if what he was going to say was the proper response to this statement. After all, to humans who'd never met demons before their entire life, his next words wouldn't make any sense.
"I believe that answer is quite simple, Your Majesty. The demon called Agares didn't resist the spell and simply let his fragment disappear completely. The demon did not try to destroy the phylactery at all."
"Ropianna said the same thing to us before you arrived," said King Alvis. "Based on the demon's words before he disappeared, it seemed that he's quite fond of humans. But is it possible for a demon to be so… amicable with humans?"
In history books, demons had been depicted as the cruelest of monsters. Creatures who hated humans to their cores. Lark could understand the confused expressions of everyone gathered in this room.
"And Barkuvara…" said King Alvis. "Isn't that the name of that Demon Lord?"
"I believe so. Not all demons are born with names. To demons, names are special. There should only be one demon with the name of Barkuvara," said Lark. "It's impossible to give the same name to a different demon, Your Majesty."
The air inside the tent suddenly became heavier than before. They all heard what the demon said back then before it disappeared—that the Demon Lord Barkuvara was going to wake up soon. That everything was only a matter of time.
The name of that Demon Lord was frequently associated with myths and legends. And now, in the foreseeable future, it seemed that there was a chance they would meet that monster in flesh.
"As for Your Majesty's question regarding the nature of demons," said Lark. "Not all demons are evil. This, I truly believe. It's not black and white. Even demons have their own nation, their own society, their own aspirations and convictions."
"So, are you saying that Agares is part of demon faction who wish to coexist with humans?"
"I believe so, Your Majesty. That demon is definitely powerful enough to destroy the medium holding the Pinnacle Grade Spell, but it chose to let itself be suppressed instead."
Lark pointed a finger at the phylactery on the table and it slowly floated toward him. The moment he grabbed hold of it, he willed the pinnacle magic inside to heed his command. The crystal?like substance enclosing the phylactery rapidly expanded. In just a second, it enclosed everyone gathered around the table.
"This is probably Agares' way of telling us to make sure to keep this mithril jar intact. Right now, we have on our hands the same Pinnacle Grade Spell protecting the Dwarven Kingdom."
The King's eyes slowly widened. He realized the implications of Lark's words. "D?Don't tell me…" breathed the King. "You can control the diameter of the barrier at will?"
"As long as I'm holding the medium," said Lark. "That's correct."
Nickolai shuddered for a moment. He said to the king, "Forgive me, Your Majesty. But I'll need to test out something."
A sword made of lightning suddenly appeared in Nickolai's hand. His muscles bulged, he gnashed his teeth, and made an earth?shattering strike at the crystal?like dome enclosing everyone.
The sword of lightning struck the barrier but didn't make any scratches or dent on it.
The sword of lightning dissipated.
Nickolai stared at the phylactery Lark was holding. "The strength of this barrier is real," said Nickolai. "Kid, the dragon managed to enclose the entire Dwarven Kingdom with this spell. Perhaps, it's possible to do the same?"
The military officers looked at Lark expectantly. If that was indeed possible, it would greatly reduce the number of casualties in the military.
Monsters would no longer be a threat if a pinnacle grade barrier was protecting the entire Kingdom.
"It's impossible to cover the entire Kingdom," said Lark.
Those inside the tent were dejected upon hearing this.
"The medium maintaining the barrier of the Dwarven Kingdom is the dragon's body itself, while we have this mithril jar holding our spell. It'll be like comparing iron with rye bread. We can probably cover the entire capital with the spell, but anything beyond that, the phylactery will break."
"I see," said King Alvis. "But that's still a lot better than nothing, isn't it?"
"I agree," said General Carlos. "If a barrier as strong as this one is protecting the capital, we can allocate more soldiers to the frontiers. It'll greatly alleviate the burden on the Kingdom." The general rubbed his chin.
He slowly added, "The dragon managed to put a restriction on its barrier spell—only dwarves are allowed entry into the Dwarven Kingdom. Could you do that too, Sir Lark?"
"It should be possible. A barrier which permits only the entry of humans," said Lark. "Please just give me some time to alter some runes on the medium."
General Carlos smiled. "Thank you. The knights who lost their lives just to obtain the flower must be smiling from the heavens right now. Their deaths weren't in vain. We managed to sever His Majesty's curse, and now, we've obtained the strongest barrier spell to protect the capital."
Everyone in the room agreed to the general's statement.
"But it's still a shame, isn't it," said Lady Ropianna. "If only Wisgarus and Minerva didn't try to obtain that so?called Sword of Morpheus. Maybe they wouldn't have lost so many lives. Maybe the majority of the royal knights are now with us, enjoying the fruits of their success."
"Ropianna?" snarled Nickolai. "Didn't you say that we should keep that information a secret?"
Lady Ropianna titled her head. "He saved the life of the king. He's no outsider. And Sir Lark doesn't strike me as someone who wouldn't be able to control his greed. Honestly speaking, I'm more worried about you, Nickolai."
"What did you say?" Nickolai glared.
"Nickolai, you heard what the survivors of that expedition said, right?
The monster guarding the treasure isn't something mere humans could hope to match. You started gathering your disciples after hearing of the sword.
Please don't be foolish. We already lost two royal court magicians this year."
While Lady Ropianna and Nickolai were bickering with each other, Lark interjected.
"W?What did you say?" said Lark. "Sword of Morpheus?"
For some reason, he was visibly shaken. As though he'd never expected to hear the name of that sword here, of all places.
End of Book 5