Monarch's Rebirth: Chapter 7

FELIX'S POV

Lord Artorius defeated the beast. It was finally dead. But a new danger has appeared out of nowhere.

The beast which we thought was dangerous was nothing in front of it. Tall enough to reach the sky and large enough to destroy entire kingdoms. The definition of power and dominance.

The two stared at each other. Lord Artorius looked at the dragon and it looked down at him.

Everyone watched on as the two faced off each other. But, it seemed that they would not fight. It was like a fight over whose wit was stronger.

"T-that's a dragon!" The bulky bearded man shouted. "One from the stories!"

"B-but, aren't they extinct?" The mage gasped. "How is it... alive?"

ARTORIUS' POV

The dragon stared down at me, giving me an arrogant look. Its mere presence felt heavy. It felt as though the dragon could manipulate gravity, trying to bring me to my knees.

I have read about dragons in books that I read while being here. I read a book that mentioned the existence of dragons from centuries ago when the continent was still developing. The four empires did not exist back then and humans used to coexist with dragons. But the dragons slowly went extinct from the constant fighting that happened with dragons.

The dragons ruled the sky and did not bother humans until they attacked first. They were neutral beings but they fought all the time between each other. The dragons were never under the rule as they were too prideful. Soon enough, they killed themselves to extinction.

"So they still exist, huh?" I scoffed. "Aren't you just a fairytale creature?"

The dragon opens its jaw and roars. The roar was deafening, bringing the entire forest to a standstill.

Felix and the others covered their ears and dropped to the ground. The fog slowly cleared up and the visibility became better. I could see the dragon's full body properly. It had scales like armour. Its body was rigid and looked like a lizard's skin. It was the textbook definition of a dragon.

The dragon bends down to eye level with me and slowly puts forward its head closer to me. We both were at eye level and I could feel it breathing onto me.

It was the first time I saw such a marvellous creature up close. Never would I have thought I'd be face to face with a dragon, a creature that was a myth in my past life, only being in pop culture.

The dragon opens its mouth ever so slightly. "Strength…"

"Strength…?

The dragon grunts and shakes its head. "Meet… Me… Your kingdom…" The same voice whispered.

"Do you mean any harm to my people?" I questioned the dragon.

"No harm…"

"When?"

"Darkest... Hour..."

I nod my head and agree. The dragon tried to speak in the human tongue but only knew a few words. Those words gave me enough idea to work out what he meant.

The dragon growls softly, purring as if it's a cat and resting its head on my hand. His head was heavy and I could barely hold it up with one arm. Realising I was struggling the dragon woke up and looked down on me again before taking flight.

Even as it took flight, the wind generated from its massive wings nearly uprooted the trees and made me stumble back a few steps.

I turned around to face the rest as they stared at me. They seemed startled but also confused.

"We do not speak of the dragon," I told them while walking over to them

"Dragon?" The leader questioned. "What dragon?"

"The dragon th-" I said before stopping abruptly

It looked as though their minds were wiped. The memory of the dragon was wiped in an instant.

"Forget about it," I sigh and climb onto Blizzard. "Let's get back.

The leader and the elf girl climbed back on their horse and began to ride in front of us.

I stopped the group from leaving "Oh right, you haven't told us your names yet," I told them before they could go too far.

They all looked at each other before becoming nervous.

The leader spoke up first. "I apologize! We forgot to introduce ourselves, your majesty!"

"So, what is your name?"

"My name is Blake Vinson, I'm the leader of the adventure party in Redwater."

The mage stepped forward "I'm Nix Wade, a pleasure to meet you, your majesty!"

"And I am Darius!" The bearded axe wielder replied with a confident smile.

"I'm Luna," The elf answered, speaking in a soft voice.

"Good shot back then, Luna," I complimented, remembering the reason we won the battle.

Her face blushed red "T-thank you, your majesty,"

Blake chuckles seeing her reaction "She's still shy with being around humans. She only came a few months ago."

"I see! Welcome to the Faunus Kingdom!"

***

The team led us out of the forest and back on route to the village.

Felix slowly comes closer to me and taps me on the shoulder. He gets close to my ear and begins to whisper.

"Don't worry, I still remember the encounter," He reassured me.

I felt a burden lift from my shoulder "So I'm not insane after all," I replied.

"Let's talk about it when we get back home," Felix said before moving away from me.

We approached the village after what felt like days of searching. There were a few who spotted us as we entered but soon enough an audience was once again gathered.

The group moved out of my way and let me talk to the crowd who were eager to hear the news.

"The beast has been slain. The forest is free from all dangers.

The crowd erupted into a roar of euphoria as they heard the news. But amid the delighted crowd, I spotted a few uncertain faces.

"But where is it?" One of those unsure faces asked.

I knit my eyebrows, feeling offended by the question. "Do you expect me to drag a house with six people?"

The overjoyed crowd stared at the man, displeased by his action against me.

Before he could be subjected to more hatred, I changed the subject.

"Where are the guards?" I asked while looking around.

Every guard that was present in the vicinity stepped forward in a straight line. There were 36 guards present in total.

"Is there a high-rank present in this village?" I asked the soldiers.

"There are none present in this village, sir. We get commands from the capital." replied one of the soldiers.

"I shall take command for now then,"

Felix looked at me with perplexed eyes "W-what!?" He gasped in shock.

"I need the best carpenters and lumberjacks this village has to offer. We need to build a cart that can fit the beast and carry it through the forest."

All the soldiers began work instantly, marching towards the carpenter's workshop not so far from where we were.

Felix and I follow them so that I can overlook the making of the cart. It would be drawn by horses that are present in the village.

The carpenters who were busy at work, shrieked at my sudden arrival. The soldiers explained to them the task which caused an uproar.

"This is an impossible task!" Cried out a stubby bearded man.

I get off Blizzard and walk inside the workshop.

"Who is in charge of this place?"

"K-king Artorius!" The man shrieked. "It's an honour to be in your presence!"

I assumed the man was the owner. "Get to work. Drop all other tasks and focus on this. A direct order from me, the king."

He sighs and looks back at his team. "Do as his majesty commands!"

"40 soldiers are willing to get their hands dirty, do not disappoint me."

The man turned back to me, his long brunette hair covering most of his face. "I assure you, your majesty. You won't be disappointed!"

I observed the workshop and noticed a lack of wood. "Do you have enough wood for this?"

"N-no, actually," He realised while looking around. "I'll send a few to fetch a few logs!"

I held my hand up to his face. "No need for that, I'll go."

"T-that won't be necessary!" The carpenter panicked.

"Five of you," I pointed at the guards. "Come with me."

Five soldiers stepped forward, without rushing. "What is your command, your majesty?"

"We will go on a small expedition to bring logs," I explained to them. "Six of us are enough to bring the logs back to the workshop, yes?"

"Yes, your majesty," All the soldiers answered in unison.

"Follow."

We set off back into the forest, trying to find trees that would work best for the cart. I needed wood that was heavy and strong.

I looked around for a few minutes, scanning the forest and noticing the trees. Some were old and looked rotten, as if insects were feasting on them for years.

Before long, I found a dozen trees I can use.

"Let's get started," I said while unsheathing Warrior's Ballad.

"Are you sure about the sword, your majesty?" A soldier voiced his concern.

"Why use a heavy and dirty axe when you have a mighty blade?" I answered.

Everyone seemed skeptical of my tool of choice. Nevertheless, I hold it against the tree I wished to cut and prepared myself.

I take a deep breath and calmed myself. One swift swing and it should break through with ease.

With one swing, I felt my blade ease through the tree, cutting through as if it was butter.

It fell off balance and slowly began to fall to the right. The tree crashed down to earth and made a loud thud that woke up the surrounding wildlife.

The soldiers, who once doubted me, now looked on with astonishment.

Just a little trick I had up my sleeve.

ALEXANDER'S POV

Damn it! How have I found myself in such a situation?

I'm only a few kilometers away from the border between the Luxanor Empire and the Rigel Empire. With only a few hours of sleep, I make my way back on horseback, rushing through the two empires as fast as possible.

It was early morning when I received a letter from Vincent. We had spoken only a few hours prior but he wrote back quickly.

He told me that the assassination failed. Good news that I was waiting for while travelling. But he also dropped me the biggest piece of information that only three people in this kingdom know.

A civil war is breaking out.

"Move away! I carry an urgent message for King Artorius!" I shout at the border guards as I get closer.

Both of them looked at me as I rapidly approached, recognizing me and saluting as I pass through the border.

Darkheart grew restless. Just as I pass through the border, he was becoming disobedient–trying to slow down and shriek in pain.

We had only just passed the border, I cannot take a rest now!

It became harder to control Darkheart. The longer we went, he swayed from one side to another, trying to throw me off him.

I pulled back on the lead and brought him to a stop "Alright! Stop!" I shouted. "You win! We can take a break!"

Darkheart became tipsy. I climbed off him and sat down at the side of the road.

He stayed calm and began resting. I gently pat him on his head as he bows down, snuggling his face against mine.

"Easy..." I whisper to him while caressing his head. "Take rest, boy,"

I rummage through my pouch where I packed a bunch of random vegetables. I fed him a few to help him recover, hoping we can set off soon.

As he ate the vegetables, I looked in front of me, at the vast empty glades, surrounded by many cut-off sections of forests. A clear blue sky that stretched as far as my eyes could perceive.

***

About 20 minutes passed by. I sat and admired the view as Darkheart rested. It gave me time to recollect my thoughts for once.

As I got on top of Darkheart, a carriage was approaching. I began to trot gently, trying to pass by it without being noticed.

"Oh my, aren't you Lord Arnold's son?" The old chauffeur spoke out as he came closer and halted.

Nevermind that.

"Yes, I am," I turned back and answered.

The chauffeur that recognized me was an ageing man. He looked at me with a look of star shock on his face.

"It is an honour to be in the presence of royalty from another kingdom!" He smiled and said.

"Where are you from?" I asked, trying to make small talk.

"We are just coming from Deathfall," He pointed towards the general direction. "We are headed towards the Triveni kingdom!"

My eyes lit up hearing the name. "Is that so?" Have a safe journey then!"

"You too, young master."

I nodded and watched as the carriage slowly drove away. The carriage was filled with a family, three children and a woman and a man.

Rather than wasting my time, I whipped Darkheart's leash and sped up. There isn't time to waste when a war is brewing.

ARTORIUS' POV

"Where are the nails!" I exclaimed looking for more nails.

"Here they are!" A soldier shouted from across the workshop.

He ran towards me with a box of nails. I began hammering them down to the plank of wood.

"Felix! Tell the soldiers to bring the horses!" I shout to him.

Felix hears me from across the workshop. "As you command!" He shouted and got up, dashing out of the workshop.

"Alright! We're done!" The chief stands up and shouts.

I hammer the last nails on the cart and stand up, feeling glad that we finished building the main cart.

All we had to do was fit the wheels on it and bring the beast on it.

We all came off the cart and tried to lift it.

"I-it's too... heavy!" A soldier squealed as we all tried to lift it.

"Just... lift it a bit," I clenched my teeth and said. "I have an idea...!"

The cart hovered just slightly above the ground. It gave me just enough space to crawl under.

"Master Artorius!" Felix cried out as he saw me crawl under. "This is suicidal!"

"It's the only way!" I replied from under the cart. "Help us lift will you!?"

Felix grabbed the cart and began to lift it. I pushed my arms up and gave all my strength to lift it.

We moved forward and came out to the street. A crowd had gathered, watching everything as if it were an act.

"Put the wheels on, quick!" The chief shouted.

I held the cart up on my back and kept pushing with all my might. The crowd had noticed me under the cart and gasped.

While the wheels were being installed, everyone began to lose strength.

A soldier stumbles to the ground, gasping for air as he lays on the ground. Everyone notices him but no one could help him.

It became harder to hold it up, especially from the bottom. The workers were as swift as they can, installing the wheels as quickly as possible.

Soon enough, I felt the weight of the cart become lighter. Everyone let go of the cart and fell to the ground, breathing heavily and coughing as they could catch a break.

"It's done! We've finished it!" Felix shouts at me, bending under the cart. "Come out of there now!"

I crawl out from under the cart, looking around at the crowd and the team who accomplished what we thought was impossible.

Dripping with sweat and covered in dirt, I stand proud and feel overjoyed to see what mankind can accomplish through teamwork.

I sat down on the cart "Get the horses attached," I ordered Felix. "Let's not waste any more time."

The group of adventurers who helped us came to me. Everyone was exhausted but had a smile except for the elf.

"Shall we come with you?" The leader asked, offering his help.

"Who else will take us to the corpse?" I asked him back.

The cart was attached to six horses. "Shall we go then?" Felix comes to me and says

"Let's go get that hound of hell back!"