Chapter 126

The northern warriors surrounded the Mountain King's palace.

It was certain that the Mountain King was inside.

But even with armed intruders right at his doorstep, the Mountain King did not show his face.

At this point, one could feel his stubbornness.

One might wonder if the Mountain King was a reincarnated modern human who would rather choose to die than apologize.

He had too much pride to apologize to humans.

He would rather die than say he was sorry!

...Surely, that couldn't be the case.

"Ian."

"What's happening?"

A while ago.

After surrounding the Mountain King's palace, the shamans insisted on being the first to meet him.

The high chieftains readily agreed.

Diplomacy with the Mountain King had always been the shamans' responsibility.

Moreover, the Mountain King was a beast.

Even if the high chieftain spoke, they wouldn't understand each other.

So, the advance party of shamans entered the Mountain King's palace first.

As a foreigner, Ian was part of the rear party.

So he waited for his turn to enter.

"I... can't believe it. The Mountain King attacked the shamans."

"??? Why can't you believe it?"

Ian couldn't understand Pyra's confusion.

Given that they had been fighting, wasn't it understandable that the Mountain King would kill the shamans?

"Because everything is already over! What would he gain from resisting now?"

But Pyra's confusion was reasonable.

The Mountain King and the northerners weren't mortal enemies.

They weren't at odds to the point of dragging each other to hell.

Although they came armed, the northerners still respected the Mountain King.

They expected peaceful negotiations...

Surprisingly, the Mountain King killed the shamans who came to negotiate.

This had clear implications.

Either the Mountain King had decided to fight to the death.

Or, he had simply gone mad.

Pyra openly suspected the latter.

"The Mountain King must have gone mad."

A subtle rage flickered in Pyra's eyes.

There is a certain "etiquette" even in war.

Even when trying to kill each other, there are rules to follow.

It sounds ridiculous at first—fighting to the death, yet talking about manners?

But only the soldiers die in war.

The nobles, the people, the merchants...

And many others entangled in interests.

They don't die on the battlefield.

They need to think about life after the war.

That's why there are rules in war.

Since the Mountain King broke the rules, the angry northerners would slaughter the beasts of the holy mountain.

The Mountain King brought this upon himself.

[Ian. I want to hear what the Mountain King has to say.]

The phoenix, Winnie, chirped.

"Is that your wish? Or is it your soul's wish?"

[Both. I wish for it too, Ian.]

"... Okay. Let's go talk to him."

[Thank you, Dad.]

Ian headed towards the cave entrance to enter the Mountain King's palace.

The closer he got, the more he heard incomprehensible northern curses.

They were roughly cursing out the Mountain King.

"High Chieftain. I'd like to meet the Mountain King next."

"Hm?"

Looking around, Ian saw injured warriors lying around, groaning in pain.

Their injuries were so gruesome that missing limbs seemed minor in comparison.

Many warriors were practically displaying their entrails.

Ian frowned and turned his head away.

"You said you were a wizard. Meeting the Mountain King now is not wise."

"Well. It looks that way."

When Ian agreed, the high chieftain frowned.

"If you go in now, you might end up meeting Hrundal in the Ice Palace. Or since you believe in the Sky God, you might end up in 'Heaven.'"

The high chieftain spoke in a polite yet ominous manner.

To be blunt, it was a warning: "If you mess up, you'll die."

"So, what will you do with the Mountain King?"

"I'll select the best warriors to cut off his head."

Ian nodded.

Since the Mountain King had refused to communicate until the very end, execution was the only option left.

But before that, Ian wanted to attempt a conversation with the Mountain King.

Not only because Winnie wanted it, but also because it was a rare opportunity to converse with a 'wise beast' like the Mountain King.

Ian was a wizard.

Experiences with mysteries would undoubtedly aid his growth.

"What if I insist on meeting the Mountain King myself?"

"Hmph. I won't stop you."

The high chieftain said, mocking Ian.

"You think you're different from the shamans, don't you? Are you so confident in your skills, wizard?"

Translation: Don't mess around and stay quiet, foreign friend.

Ian understood this, but it didn't change his mind.

Ian had many talents.

He knew how to use the right magic for the situation and could even receive Hrundal's blessing through the Arcana cards.

And if worse came to worst, he could always tear a teleportation scroll to escape.

"I can take care of myself."

"Fine. We need to prepare for battle anyway. Do as you wish."

With the high chieftain's permission, Ian headed toward the Mountain King's palace... only to be stopped by his companions.

"You were planning to go in there alone?"

Belenka used harsh words for the first time in a while.

"Are you crazy, Ian?"

"No need to be so harsh..."

"Belenka is right. We'll go with you."

Ian didn't coldly say, 'I'm just going for a conversation, and if things go south, I'll use magic to escape, so you're not needed!'

Even though he could have, saying so would likely dissolve the party as soon as they returned to the Empire.

This was a moment that required social skills.

If his party members wanted to come along...

Ian allowed the two to join him.

At that moment, Takarion intervened.

"Ian! I'll join you too!"

"You too?"

When Ian looked skeptical, Takarion shouted indignantly.

"Of course! Why can they go, but not me?"

"Typical Takarion. You know your stuff."

"Haha. I'm smart... I mean, no, that's not the point!"

Belenka was a knight, and Kira, though half-baked, was a fire wizard.

But Takarion? What was he?

In RPG games, it was standard to have a cleric in the party.

But this was reality.

Takarion couldn't heal or use holy magic.

All he could do was write impressive gospel texts. What good would that do?

"Takarion. Can you use holy magic?"

"Holy magic? No? I'm not a cleric."

"Then if the Mountain King tries to kill you, what can you do?"

Takarion answered confidently to Ian's question.

"I'll pray!"

"..."

When a clergyman said it, it sounded strangely convincing, which was annoying...

Maybe if Takarion prayed with all his heart, the Sky God might be moved to help?

"Ian. During the avalanche, you used magic to help me."

"..."

"Your courage and character are far superior to mine. I sincerely want to return to the Empire with you. So I won't let you die.

If necessary, I'll sacrifice myself to help you."

Ian looked at Takarion with a confused expression.

Offering to sacrifice his chubby body wasn't particularly encouraging...

But while Ian felt this way, his other companions were deeply moved.

Belenka and Kira both viewed the conversation from a typical medieval perspective.

"Huh. I thought he was worthless, but he has his uses."

"He has loyalty. Takarion is a man of honor."

In the end, Ian accepted Takarion's inclusion.

Although he didn't seem particularly useful... Takarion's thick flesh might make him more likely to be eaten before Ian. (The Mountain King was a herbivore.)

"Ian! I'm coming too!"

Lastly, Shaman Pyra joined the group.

"Alright, let's go."

Ian entered the Mountain King's palace with his party.

The frozen cave was breathtakingly beautiful.

Icicles hanging from the ceiling resembled chandeliers, and the cracks in the walls formed fractal patterns like snowflakes.

"Quite a nice place to live," Belenka commented, summing up the cave's atmosphere in a single sentence.

Ian thought of a giant lizard living in a cave, specifically Longtail, the lucky drake who owned a well-decorated home thanks to Ian.

He didn't even take out a loan, so he didn't have to worry about a real estate downturn...

Anyway.

Judging by the cave, the Mountain King had been living well up until now.

So why did he massacre the Yagons and antagonize humans?

[Humans have entered again...!]

At that moment, Ian heard a low, rumbling animal sound.

Ian immediately knew it was the Mountain King's voice.

Thump! Thump!

A massive body emerged from the darkness.

It was likely the same strike that had annihilated the shamans.

The Mountain King, a Behemoth, attacked with sheer force, using its massive body to push forward!

The creature's weight alone made it a formidable threat that no human could imitate.

If caught beneath it, one would be crushed into human jerky!

"Belenka! To the left!"

Ian shouted as he grabbed Kira and threw himself to the right, pushing Pyra out of the way as a bonus.

"Kira! Are you okay?"

"... Yes, I'm fine."

Kira replied shyly.

He saw that Belenka and Takarion had also managed to avoid the attack.

Belenka immediately prepared for battle.

"Wait!"

Ian shouted loudly, calming his companions.

'Something is wrong.'

The Behemoth had missed its target and collided with the wall.

Ian carefully observed the Behemoth's body.

Even in the dark cave, Ian's excellent dark magic allowed him to see as clearly as if it were daylight.

'Is that... a wound?'

And Ian saw it clearly.

The Behemoth's massive body had several long, gruesome scars on its back.

These were not ordinary wounds.

They were blackened, festering, and crawling with insects.

[This is my home! Get out! Humans!]

Roar!

The Behemoth roared loudly.

Icicles shattered and fell from the ceiling, and cracks spread across the ice walls.

"Ian! The Mountain King is not in a state to talk, we must..."

Pyra started to shout but then stopped.

The shaman's Arcana magic lacked the ability to communicate with such a crazed being. It was too indirect.

But the Empire's [magic] was different.

It was a unique magic created by the great wizard Maronius.

"[Mountain King!]"

Ian shouted in Maronius's tongue.

[... You. Did you call me?]

The Behemoth responded hesitantly to Ian's will.

Pyra was genuinely shocked to witness magic so different from Arcana magic before his eyes.

He already knew Ian's magic was peculiar, but to think it could work on the Mountain King!

"[Yes, I called you.]"

The Behemoth was equally surprised.

It was astonishing that he could understand the other's will, and even more so that the other understood him and responded!

Such a clear conversation was impossible even among his own kind.

[Amazing. Truly amazing.]

The Behemoth, forgetting its previous rage, began to speak with Ian as if entranced.

Ian sighed in relief.

If the Behemoth had been as malevolent as a Manticore, he would have had to flee immediately.

But after speaking with him, Ian could tell.

As the shamans had said, the Behemoth was indeed a gentle and wise spirit.

Ignoring the slight throbbing headache he felt, Ian continued speaking.

"[I am a wizard from across the sea.]"

First and foremost, Ian wanted to emphasize that, unlike the northerners, he had no personal feelings toward the Mountain King.

The reason was simple: the Mountain King seemed extremely unstable.

"[I noticed the wounds on your back. Are you alright?]"

[...]

The Mountain King fell silent at Ian's question.

Ian's uneasy feeling was confirmed.

The Mountain King was highly reluctant to talk about his wounds.

[I... I...]

The Mountain King mumbled.

[I will be fine... I'm sure I'll be fine...]