Chapter 108 : Chimera
Chapter 108: Chimera
Before the South reached a dramatic agreement, Cain Arkan. The fifth prince of the Kingdom of Arkan returned safely to the royal capital.
“His Majesty is waiting.”
Without even unpacking from the journey, he was summoned to the royal audience.
“I am Cain Arkan, the fifth prince of the kingdom!”
“Enter!”
With the chief attendant’s shout, the doors opened. He stepped onto the long-laid red carpet. Passing the long line of ministers, he arrived before the throne.
He knelt and lowered his head.
“This subject, Cain Arkan. I have completed His Majesty’s command and returned.”
“Raise your head.”
“Yes.”
The king’s face came into view.
“You have worked hard.”
He asked no further questions.
“You must be tired. Go and rest.”
There was not the slightest sign of interest in Lavinia Arkan.
“Your Majesty.”
“Do you still have something to say?”
“Th-that is.”
“If it concerns Lavinia, it is already a matter that has been discussed. The prince will say no more.”
‘Already discussed?’
The nobles of the magic tower subtly avoided Cain’s gaze.
Why?
It was puzzling, but if the nobles of the magic tower did not support him, Cain’s words held no weight.
“Yes.”
In the end, he had no choice but to withdraw powerlessly.
* * *
“The search party has already departed.”
“Yes?”
After the royal audience meeting ended, Cain could not help but be shocked when he heard the words of the Elder of the magic tower, Ekain Bolbof.
“It happened just before Your Highness returned to the royal capital. His Majesty was not pleased, but she is also a member of Arkan. He does not fail to understand how important Her Highness Lavinia is.”
And the king of Arkan was not foolish enough to let personal emotions ruin the greater trend. Had he been, it would have been impossible for him to become the king of Arkan in the first place.
“But to me, he clearly said....”
“It is because of the matters in the northern part of the Empire.”
“The snowfields, you mean?”
“Yes. The Frost Demon King has begun to stir and is sweeping away the northern barbarians. Before that, the Lust Demon King released succubi into the Kingdom of Dormunt, and before that, the Demon King of Dark Flame kidnapped the two princesses of Hilderan. The actions of the Demon Kings are different from before.”
Nor was that all. The Gold-Steel Demon King was suddenly abducting members of royal families indiscriminately.
Although they were those far removed from the line of succession, having taken human sensibilities into account, the very act of abduction itself was what mattered.
“All the Demon Kings except the False Demon King are acting ominously. This may be a stretch, but perhaps....”
“Perhaps?”
“The Demon Kings may be trying to return to how things were a hundred years ago.”
“...No way. That would only become a self-defeating move for the Demon Kings. Unless they are fools.”
The coexistence between Demon Kings and humans existed by way of an unspoken mutual agreement, but underlying it was the notion that humans held the upper hand.
It was possible only because Demon Kings were seen as something humans could make use of. But if the actions of the Demon Kings changed and it was judged that this was no longer possible? If they were recognized not as a mere risk but as enemies that had to be eliminated immediately?
If humans did not tolerate Demon Kings, the Demon Kings could not survive.
“You never know. A hundred years of time might mean something different to them.”
“Hmm.”
“Either way, since the situation of the demon race is anything but normal, Her Highness Lavinia’s importance has only increased. His Majesty acknowledged that as well.”
“How is the search party composed?”
“The mages of the magic tower have taken action directly.”
The magic tower and the royal family were separate.
Nominally, they followed the king’s orders, but the magic tower was an independent institution.
And the armed forces they possessed were never inferior to those of the royal family. The magic tower and the royal family—those two were the twin pillars that drove the Kingdom of Arkan.
“Do not worry. The magic tower will find Her Highness no matter what.”
“But that place is the territory of a Demon King. It will never be easy.”
“Even so, is it not something that must be done?”
“I only hope my elder sister has not been captured by a Demon King.”
Cain clicked his tongue in regret.
* * *
After returning to the royal capital, Cain once again resumed his duties.
He went out into high society, hosted banquets, and built connections by mingling with mages, knights, and nobles.
And he swung his sword, studying kingship, diplomacy, politics, economics, and swordsmanship. He received instruction in a wide range of fields.
Though he was the fifth prince, he was aiming for the throne.
From the start, Arkan differed from other nations in that it prioritized ability above all else. Even a first prince often failed to become crown prince, and there were many cases where someone with a low place in the line of succession became king.
No, in the first place, Arkan had no concept of high or low succession rights. As long as one was born into the royal family, everyone was given equal qualifications, and only the one who proved their worth to shine the brightest could become king.
‘This time was a failure.’
Seen in that light, his failure—returning after losing Lavinia Arkan without even finding the tower—was painful.
At a time when every achievement mattered, he had committed a fairly serious blunder.
Of course, more than any of that, he was worried about his elder sister’s safety.
‘I just can’t imagine my sister coming to harm.’
The obsession of mages was beyond what ordinary people could imagine, and Lavinia Arkan was an oddity who surpassed even those mages.
By his common sense, he simply could not imagine Lavinia Arkan dying.
Kkaang—
A stinging shock spread through his palm. He lost his grip on the sword. The sword, having lost its master, embedded itself into the ground.
“Your Highness, you seem to have many distracting thoughts.”
The old knight who had been sparring with him sheathed his sword.
“I think so. I apologize.”
“No, ever since you returned from Ergest, you have been pushing yourself every single day. How about stopping here for today?”
“Let’s do that.”
Cain picked up his sword. As he was about to sheath it, a knight came running.
“Your Highness, there is a guest who has come looking for you.”
“A guest?”
“He says his name is Granada.”
“...Escort him to the annex palace immediately.”
“However, he is not alone.”
“Not alone?”
“There are eleven elves with him.”
“Eleven elves, you say?”
Elves were an extremely closed-off race. Their country, Elven, had its entire territory covered in forests, and the powerful will of the forest did not permit the existence of unauthorised intruders.
In the past, during the Great War, armies had advanced by forcibly burning those forests, but now that an accord had been signed, Elven was no different from an unknown world.
There were also hardly any elves who left Elven, so seeing an elf was never an easy matter.
“I will go at once.”
In the reception room of the annex palace were Granada and eleven elves. Cain, murmuring about elves as expected at their splendid appearances, welcomed them.
“Welcome. Sir Granada.”
“I was worried that such a sudden visit might be rude.”
“Not at all. I was the one who told you to come anytime.”
He had not expected him to come this quickly, though.
“But who might these people be?”
“They are elves with whom I have ties.”
“Pleased to meet you.”
Cain exchanged greetings with the elves.
“If it would not be an imposition, may I request a private meeting?”
“Of course. Sir Alben, please guide the guests elsewhere.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
A knight named Alben led the elves away and disappeared. It was not something he needed to do personally, but he had tactfully excused himself.
“Now, please speak.”
“They are elf slaves who had been scattered across the continent.”
When he first heard Berje Deias’s order, Granada had agonized. How to ‘place’ the elves in Arkan was a fairly important matter.
Whether to lie, or to tell the truth.
The elves were slaves. Even if that status had been forcibly imposed by humans, the counterpart was still human. The fact that they were slaves could never be a positive.
But it was also questionable whether telling a lie was truly the right choice.
Arkan’s intelligence network was by no means weak. If one dug just a little into Hillan, the Golden Moon Merchant Company would surface, and it would be easy enough to learn that they had recently been purchasing elf slaves.
In the end, Granada chose the former.
“So the elf slaves said to have been purchased by the Golden Moon Merchant Company were them, then?”
As expected, Cain already knew.
“I will not deny it.”
“For what reason are you doing this?”
“They are slaves. But the status of slavery was ultimately created by humans through abduction. They are all precious elves of Elven.”
“That is not important.”
Even if it was a narrow-minded status created by humans, Arkan was a human nation.
Wars between humans and other races had ended in human victory, and even after peace accords were signed, it was humans who had remained in the superior position throughout.
Even though a long time had passed, such accumulated prejudices could not simply disappear.
Of course, that was not all.
“Letting elves into the magic tower means taking away what has been allotted to humans. That dissatisfaction will be directed at me. Is there a reason I should accept them while bearing all of that?”
“Please consider your ties with Lord Pale.”
“That is a matter for which a contract has already been drawn up. This is separate.”
“They are outstanding mages.”
“To be precise, they are spirit sorcerers.”
“Spirit sorcery is also a branch of magic. That is not something Arkan denies either, is it?”
“Of course.”
“They will become Your Highness’s strength.”
“Well, I’m not so sure.”
Cain was doubtful whether the elves would truly serve him just because he accepted them.
“As long as it does not go against their beliefs and oaths, they will always support Your Highness. I can swear this upon the World Tree.”
“It is said that elves lose all their mana if they break an oath sworn to the World Tree, is it not?”
“Something like that.”
That part was rather tempting. Eleven elves who could not betray him due to an oath.
Considering that all the elves possessed outstanding talent, they would undoubtedly stand out within the magic tower. If they were recognized by the magic tower and, in that state, supported Cain—
“But if you say ‘as long as it does not go against their beliefs and oaths,’ then that means if it does go against them, they could betray me, correct?”
“I am referring to oaths they had already sworn before pledging loyalty to Your Highness, as well as the duties they must uphold as elves. For instance, even if Your Highness were to give an order, they would not become hostile toward me.”
“I understand. However.”
Cain’s gaze sharpened.
“In doing so, what do you—and what do they—gain?”
“They cannot return to the forest. It pains me to say this as a fellow elf, but elves are closed-off and do not accept back those who were once human slaves.”
“A haven is needed for those who have lost their place to go? That does not necessarily have to be Arkan.”
“Does it necessarily have to not be Arkan?”
“That is weak.”
“It is also a gift from Lord Hillan.”
“...Go on.”
“I gathered them, but I also acted under the orders of Hero Hillan Cargill. Lord Hillan wishes to maintain a good relationship with Your Highness.”
“...May I interpret that as meaning I could receive the help of Hero Hillan Cargill someday?”
“If you allow the elves to settle safely, there is no reason that could not happen.”
“Certainly.”
This was more tempting.
Cain fell silent, deep in thought.
‘Hillan Cargill.’
Although rumors said he had failed in the northern snowfields, that did not diminish his value.
Because he had killed and absorbed two Demon Kings. No matter how many times he fell and broke, as long as he did not die, a great future awaited him.
“...Very well.”
There would be backlash.
If he suddenly placed elves into the magic tower, there was no way the mages would not protest.
Those serving other princes or princesses would react even more strongly. In the end, it would invite countless checks and restraints.
Thus, he also needed certainty.
“Instead, I must meet Hero Hillan Cargill and hear his confirmation.”
That he could support him.
No, that he would show that support.
“That is not possible immediately. Hero Hillan is currently in the northern snowfields of the Empire.”
“Of course. I can wait several months without issue.”
Hillan’s opinion was not important. If the Demon King told him to do it, he would have to do it.
And two months later, Hillan Cargill, having firmly established relations with the Chernian Frontier Count in the northern snowfields, came to the Kingdom of Arkan and met Cain.
It was right after Berje met Reina Sordein.
* * *
“Wah....”
Lavinia Arkan blinked vacantly.
Snow fell, but it could not extinguish the blazing sparks of fire.
There were hundreds of monsters.
Moreover, they were high-grade monsters of the snowfields, untouched by human hands.
No matter how renowned Lavinia was as a chimera creator, could she really have seen so many high-grade monsters gathered in one place like this?
“All of them, mine?”
“You’re going to swallow them all without even spitting on them first?”
“Chimera.”
“Yeah, it’s true that you’re supposed to make chimeras out of those.”
“There are a lot.”
“Of course there are.”
To be honest, even Berje had not expected Reina to hand over several hundred monsters so readily.
It showed just how important she considered this alliance.
Which was why, all the more—
‘I need to be careful.’
If the relationship went awry even once, the sense of betrayal would be immense. When frost demons harbored grudges, snow fell even in magma zones. And she was a demon of such caliber that she could ascend to the seat of a Demon King.
“Really.”
“Really, you can do whatever you want. But there is a condition.”
“A condition?”
“You clearly said you wanted to make chimeras for me and keep them in the tower.”
“Yeah.”
“And I want to accept the chimeras you make as my subordinates.”
“Engraving. I won’t do it.”
Lavinia gave the answer Berje wanted.
From a human perspective, chimeras were combinations of exceedingly violent lifeforms, and to properly control them, an appropriate safety device was necessary.
That was the obedience engraving.
A spell carved inside during the creation of a chimera.
Of course, even if the engraving was applied, it would break once they were accepted as subordinates, but there was no need to go through that extra hassle in the first place.
‘Still, I wonder if this is really fine.’
As the elves settled in the Kingdom of Arkan, Granada had passed along various pieces of information.
Among them was the newly dispatched search party from the Kingdom of Arkan.
Their target was, naturally, Lavinia Arkan, and they were currently staying in Hortonwork. They had not made any notable moves yet, but it was merely the calm before the storm.
They would definitely climb the mountain, and they would be desperate to find Lavinia.
Thinking rationally, releasing Lavinia Arkan would be the right choice.
But—
‘I’m greedy.’
In his previous life, he had deliberately kept his distance from her, but after spending time together, she was merely someone with a peculiar mental world. Or rather, it might not be accurate to call it simple, but she was controllable to a certain extent.
And the utility of a controllable Lavinia Arkan was difficult to put into words.
She was essential both for the creation of golems and for making chimeras.
At the very least, if he had to name the most necessary people in the tower right now, it would be her and Roger.
‘At least for now, it’s not possible.’
Not until the golem was completed and all these monsters became chimeras.
‘I’ll leave it alone for now.’
There was no need to poke the hornet’s nest. If left alone, they would tire themselves out and withdraw on their own.
“I’ll place all the monsters on the second floor.”
“Yeah.”
“But before making chimeras, complete the golem core first.”
“...Why?”
“Because that’s obviously more important.”
“No.”
“Are chimeras more important?”
“Yeah.”
She nodded and raised her thumb, as if she wanted to express that nothing in this world was more important than chimeras.
If that was the case, she could have just explained it properly. Was her tongue cut in half or something?
“This isn’t Lavinia’s tower, it’s my tower. So my words are the law, and my words come first. Golems are more important than chimeras.”
“...Bad.”
“Thanks for the compliment.”
“Exploitation.”
“That’s what I’m best at.”
“Hurry.”
“Fine. The faster it’s made, the more beneficial it’ll be for you.”
Lavinia slumped her shoulders and headed into the tower.
“Hurry!”
“Your Highness, this isn’t something that can be rushed like that—!”
“Excuses!”
“I haven’t had a single moment to rest since coming to the tower!”
“Lies. Work.”
Lavinia covered the golem artificer’s mouth. Under her sharp gaze, he shed tears of blood as he was worked to the bone in real time.
Berje, who was leading the monsters toward the second floor, let out a snort of laughter at the sight.
A princess exploiting a kingdom’s talent for the sake of a Demon King. It was quite an amusing spectacle.
‘I should get an elixir and make him drink it soon.’
He couldn’t die from overwork before completing the golem core.
“...Ugh.”
“What is it?”
“I don’t know. I suddenly have chills—”
“Faking.”
“No, really! Isn’t this too much, Princess?!”
“Work.”
“...Yes.”
The golem artificer, Raymond, resumed his work with a tearful expression.