VOLUME 13: CHAPTER 21

While the convention was ongoing, Lark was having tea with Blackie inside the Nasty Tavern.

It was an entirely new experience, even for Lark.

Who would have known that a time would come when he would be having tea with the Scylla like this, sitting at the same table inside a tavern?

"Ah, my hands are trembling."

"Do we hold the cup like this?"

"Kekeke, look at me, brothers! This is how you do it!"

Still unfamiliar with their polymorphed bodies, the seven heads were having a hard time adjusting to their movements.

They could easily perform large actions, but it was an entirely different matter for finer movements like holding a teacup.

"God Evander," said the fourth head.

The fourth head was the undisputed strongest among all of the Scylla's heads. Unfortunately, it was also the laziest. It would frequently spend its day sleeping; it had the bad habit of leaving all troublesome things to the other heads.

"I don't like this tavern," said the fourth head.

Hearing this, the other heads snarled in anger.

"You damn sloth!"

"Huh?!"

"What are you saying now!"

"What did you just say to God Evander?!"

Lark chuckled. "Is that so? I personally like it, though."

The fourth head was flustered. "N-No, that's not what I mean! If God Evander likes it, of course, I also do—"

"—You stupid snake!"

"—This is the best tavern in this world because God Evander said so!"

"—That's right! This is the tavern where we got to spend teatime with him in our polymorphed form!"

"How…! How ungrateful!"

"Such blasphemy! Unforgivable!"

Under the barrage of protests and insults, the fourth head shouted, "What I'm saying is it feels like we're being watched in this tavern!"

The entire tavern went silent after that.

Although the Scylla may seem immature to others, everyone here acknowledged its strength and mastery of mana.

If the strongest head said it felt like they were being watched, then it must be true.

Lady Alice, who'd been sitting by the counter, glared at the innkeepers.

She said angrily, "You dare bite the hand that fed you? Even after we saved your daughter… Be honest, are you working for those old crooks?"

Lady Alice cracked her knuckles, and loud sounds, which shouldn't be possible for her small size, started resounding in the tavern.

The innkeepers were terrified. They desperately shook their heads.

"N-No, not at all!"

"Absolutely not!"

Vulcan, who'd been grumpily standing near the entrance, said, "It's probably the humans outside."

"Now that you mention them, father," said Agnus. "Although I didn't check if they died from my spell, I took care of those nosy humans when I came out of the inn a few days ago."

"They probably replaced the observers," said Vulcan.

"How pointless," said Agnus. "Should I kill them to set an example? They're becoming bolder, huh."

The fourth head looked in the direction of the entrance. "No, that's not it. This feeling… it feels like someone is listening to our conversation, and that person is right next to me."

"Stop with the nonsense! Next to you? I'm the one next to you!"

"Bah! Must be your imagination!"

"That's right! Stop ruining our precious teatime with unfounded worries!"

"Hehehe, God Evander, I see your cup is almost empty. Please allow me to refill it for you."

"!"

"T-This! Since I'm directly opposite God Evander, that should be my role!"

"Huh?! Have you lost your mind! The one sitting next to him should refill his cup, of course!"

While the seven heads continued with their banter, Lark carefully analyzed the flow of mana inside the inn.

Indeed, there was this strange flow that seemed alien in their immediate surroundings.

The flow was so subtle that Lark would have missed it if the fourth head didn't point it out.

"Is it the Republic?" muttered Lark.

All seven heads turned their attention to him. They immediately stopped their squabble and asked worriedly.

"God Evander?"

"Is something the matter?"

"Although it's nearly impossible to confirm, it seems what Blackie said has some basis."

Everyone in the inn turned alert when they heard this.

The eyes of Vulcan turned predatory. "Damn maggots. The Republic dare to eavesdrop on our conversation? Should I just obliterate them?"

"We can't be sure it's someone from the Republic," said Lark. "This flow… it feels closer to life force than mana. Honestly, I'm not even sure if we're being watched."

Lady Alice stood up. The coiled symbols on her left hand started slithering around her wrist, like a snake.

She said, "Just to be safe, let me cast my spell over this place."

With Lady Alice as the center, a thick bubble of mana started gathering at her chest, quickly expanding until it covered the entire Nasty Tavern.

After the spell was cast, Lark analyzed the flow of mana inside the tavern again.

"Blackie, I can no longer feel it. How about you?"

The fourth head carefully scanned the tavern for any trace of the mana from before.

"It's gone, God Evander."

"King Lark, should I ask my people to investigate?" said Lady Alice.

Judging by her tone, it seemed she was ready to rip the owner of that mana into shreds the moment she found them.

She seemed overeager to show her worth.

"This will be a common occurrence from now on, especially once the Coalition Army garners more fame," said Lark. "Let it be. It's not like they heard anything important."

"Is this the 'choose your battles' that I kept hearing of before?" said the first head.

Lark was clearly surprised. "Where did you hear that?"

The first head rubbed his nose. He said proudly, "It's something the poison brat, kuhum… I mean, Quervanu, always used to say."

Fond memories started resurfacing in Lark's mind.

Indeed, that would be typical of Quervanu. Out of all his disciples, he was one of the most level-headed, second probably only to Pollux.

"Hahahaha! I'm sure Quervanu said that!"

Noticing how happy Lark was after mentioning a simple quote from one of his disciples, the other heads looked at the first head in utter jealousy.

They tried recalling any cool lines from the God of Poison, but failed.

Ah damn it, they should have paid more attention back then.

"Now that I think of it, we haven't really talked much about Quervanu," said Lark. "Can you tell me some stories about him?"

All seven heads replied in unison, "Absolutely!"

"Who wants to go first?" said Lark.

The fifth head said, "Let me tell my story first, God Evander! It's about that time when the poison brat mixed the ten-thousand-year-old ginseng with the frost lily and fed them to his poison centipede."

"Ah, that one!"

"Kakaka! He failed, and his pet centipede died, right?"

Amidst the laughter, stories, and banters, Lark savored his precious teatime with his people.

***

[The Principality of Rinvixia]

"Oho~ How perceptive of him," said the Voiceless One.

The Wandering Sage was still touching the Voiceless One's wrinkled hand. Annoyedly, she said, "What is it, old man? Are you eavesdropping on another place while listening to the convention in the Five Courts?"

"Haha, are you curious?"

The Voiceless One hardly lingered on conversations unless they interested him. The Wandering Sage knew this, too.

"Ugh! That annoying habit of yours! Let me hear, too!"

The Voiceless One gently smiled as he shook his head, "Unfortunately, they noticed. They're now protected by a thick barrier of mana. It's impossible to hear the conversation now."

It would have been easy for the Voiceless One to penetrate that mana barrier if it was located inside the Principality. But the current distance made it nearly impossible to interfere with it.

"Tsk. Fine. So, who were you listening to?" said the Wandering Sage.

The Voiceless One playfully asked, "Who do you think?"

Seeing the annoyed expression of the Wandering Sage, the Voiceless One decided to reveal the details.

"I've been listening to the conversations of King Lark's group."

"You mean Lark Marcus? And why are you calling that brat a king? Didn't you say his position is temporary? Regent, or whatever you call it."

"Haha, why not? Even if the position is temporary, he's still a king. And besides, I've been watching over him for quite some time now. I'm confident to say he's someone worthy of my regard, at least."

The Wandering Sage didn't utter another word, but it was apparent she wasn't convinced by the Voiceless One's words.

In the end, for her, Lark Marcus was nothing but a brat who hadn't even lived a tenth of her age.

Compared to her or her creator, he was nothing but a speck of dust in this world.

She'd seen numerous people like him during her hundreds of years of life.

She'd seen those people – dubbed to be future legends – fail and vanish in this world, their records disappearing with the passage of time.

If she'd concerned herself with all of the so-called geniuses in this world, there would be no end to it.

Even this old man, bound to apparatuses to sustain his life, could probably easily snuff out the life of that Marcus brat if they fought.

Of course, the Voiceless One was too benevolent and gentle to do that. Unless the security of the Principality was at stake, this old man would simply laugh at everything, even if insults were hurled at him.

Truly, what a fool.

And that's probably how he'd managed to remain friends with someone like her.

"Ah, the convention is nearly over," said the Voiceless One. "Let's listen attentively now, Anisphia."

The Wandering Sage sighed. "You're the one who keeps getting distracted, old man."

***

[Demon Realm]

After the Demon Lord Barkuvara returned to the Demon Realm, tension became palpable in the Demon Lord's castle.

Most of the demons considered the closing of the portals as their defeat, and unrest naturally rose as a result of it.

Their faith in the Demon Lord Barkuvara had started to be shaken.

"Absolute One, I apologize if I'm overstepping my bounds but… is this really alright?"

Elrenar, the Lord of the Red Tower, was currently in the throne room of the Demon Lord's Castle. He'd been granted permission for an audience with the Demon Lord Barkuvara.

Of course, Elrenar, who asked that question, was prostrating on the floor.

"Do you doubt my decision?" said the Demon Lord Barkuvara.

Elrenar said in a fluster, "N-Not at all!"

Although the Demon Lord Barkuvara lost a bit of his power after losing his clone in the Human Realm, the aura he radiated still felt overwhelming.

Elrenar didn't even dare raise his head out of fear of angering the demon before him.

"It's just that… it's causing unrest in the Kingdom," said Elrenar. "The demons are saying we lost that war, when in reality, we willingly went back."

Silence fell for a long time.

Eventually, the Demon Lord Barkuvara spoke, "I do not care about mere rumors."

"Well, it's true that someone like you shouldn't concern themselves with the opinion of mere maggots, Absolute One," said Elrenar. "But… in order to quell the unrest, can you tell me the reason for our retreat, at least?"

This was already a bold move on Elrenar's part.

If he made a mistake here and displeased the Demon Lord Barkuvara, he could consider his life forfeited.

Elrenar still hadn't assimilated fully with the body of the Arzomos Elder yet. Once he did, it should be somewhat possible for him to fight against the Demon Lord Barkuvara on equal grounds. But until then, he should tread carefully and avoid angering this monster.

Minutes passed by, but the Demon Lord Barkuvara didn't answer.

Instead, he simply sat on his throne, emptily gazing out the window.

'He's lost in his thoughts again. This is so frustrating, damn it.'

Elrenar said carefully, "I apologize for taking much of your time. I shall take my leave now, Absolute One."

Elrenar waited again for a reply, but after receiving none, he used that as the cue to leave the throne room.

Like a cockroach, he crawled back and exited the throne room. It was only after the giant doors had been shut did he dare stand up.

The subservient eyes of the Lord of the Red Tower turned poisonous.

'How frustrating. Just what happened in the Human Realm? Why did he order all of the demons to retreat?'

If it were Elrenar, he would have ordered all of the demons to massacre all of the humans and thoroughly corrupt their land using the Corrupted Tower.

If he had the same strength as the Demon Lord Barkuvara, he would have conquered the Human Realm long ago.

'No matter. Your days are numbered anyway, Barkuvara. Once I become fully assimilated with the Arzomos, it should be possible for me to kill you.'

The Arzomos was known as one of the strongest species of demons for a reason.

In their prime, Agreas and Kel' Vual were capable of fighting the Demon Lord Barkuvara on equal grounds.

This was how the Arzomos Tribe managed to protect the portal connected to the Human Realm despite the relentless attacks from the other demon tribes.

'Just a bit more.'

Chief Researcher Muuka was a loyal servant of the Lord of the Red Tower.

And according to the Chief Researcher, it should be possible to kill the Demon Lord Barkuvara as long as they cut off the link connecting him to his souls scattered throughout the world.

They did not even have to destroy all of the souls.

They just have to target and isolate the main body.

And to do this, Elrenar needed the power of the Arzomos corpse he'd obtained recently.

'Luck is on my side. Who would have known I would get my hands on the corpse of Agreas, the Elder of the Arzomos Tribe.'

'I will assimilate with this body, no matter what.'

'When that time comes, I'll kill Barkuvara and become the Demon Lord.'

'Once he's dead, I'll assimilate with his body too.'

'The power of both the Demon Lord and the Arzomos – I'll be the strongest demon in history once I achieve that goal."

'Becoming the first ever Demon Lord to conquer both realms will no longer be a dream.'

'Just a bit more.'

'A little bit more.'

The Red Tower had been developing chimeras for this sole reason. In the end, their ultimate goal was absolute power capable of conquering both realms.

***

After the Lord of the Red Tower left the throne room, the Demon Lord Barkuvara continued to sit silently on his throne.

He never told anyone the real reason why he ordered the demons to return to the Demon Realm.

He knew it would cause unrest if the demons found out he did it to give Evander Alaester enough time to gather his strength.

"It'll be a shame to kill you in your current state," muttered the Demon Lord Barkuvara.

All of the memories of his clone had returned to him after its death.

The Evander his clone had met that time could hardly be called complete. How should he say it? It felt as though more than half of Evander's abilities and power had been sealed. The Evander he knew would have been able to kill his clone without struggling.

Although Evander Alaester carried a maginus and the Sword of Morpheus with him, the majority of the artifacts he'd used before were missing.

At Lark's current state, the Demon Lord Barkuvara was confident of killing him if they fought.

"Five years," said the Demon Lord Barkuvara. "I'll give you five years, Evander. Gather and grow your forces. Train your body. And once you are complete, face me."

In the empty throne room, the Demon Lord's voice remained unheard by anyone else.