The members of the Arzomos Tribe, together with the guardian, greeted Lark the moment he entered the underwater dungeon. Kel' Vual looked so pleased seeing Lark. He stood there with an uncharacteristic broad grin on his face.
"You're back," said Kel' Vual. "We heard from Jaraxus. Someone attacked you the moment you left this dungeon?"
Lark remembered the incident quite some time ago. "Just a petty squabble over some trivial matters," Lark brushed it off. "More importantly, I brought some elven wine."
Seeing that Lark did not think much of the incident, Kel' Vual did not probe any further.
"Elven wine?" Kel' Vual started ushering Lark toward the mansion at the center of the village.
Although he'd seen it before, Lark still found it amazing that a village this large was located underneath the Lake of the Full Moon. Moreover, each of the houses was clearly made by the humans who'd lived centuries ago in this kingdom.
Lark pulled out a bottle from his leather bag. "It's more than five hundred years old. A gift from the elven king himself."
Kel' Vual's eyes glimmered as he looked at the leather bag in Lark's hands. "Half a millennium?!"
Like a kid who'd been presented with his favorite toy, Kel' Vual gawked. The warriors of the tribe had never imagined that they would see this side of the tribe leader. He looked so pure and innocent as he chattered with his lifelong friend.
"But where did you meet those elves? The ones living in Marut were all killed by the demons."
"In the forest next to Blackstone Town," said Lark. "They've been living in hiding there all this time. Their king gifted me this wine after my territory became trading partners with their kingdom."
Kel' Vual was surprised to hear that the elven race still existed. The race loved the most by the spirits.
Lark glanced at Luvart. He handed him the bag in his hand. "Here.
Inside is a high demon core."
Luvart halted in his tracks. Although Lark made it sound as though he was handing him an ordinary item, Luvart and the rest of the Arzomos knew how precious a high demon core was. Just killing a high demon was already an incredibly hard feat. Making sure the core was left intact was a different matter entirely.
With trembling hands, Luvart received the bag. "T-Thank you, Lord Evander. But… is it really alright for someone like me to receive this? If I fail to incorporate this into my body—" "Then we'll just try again," said Lark. "I still have a couple of those in the treasure room."
"That would be too wasteful!" protested Luvart, his hand tightly holding the bag.
"Luvart, this much is nothing for the son of a friend of mine," Lark said firmly.
Kel' Vual's pupils trembled. He felt a squeezing sensation in his heart, hearing those words. He looked away and knitted his brows to conceal his thoughts. He willed back the tears forming at the corner of his eyes and inwardly reprimanded himself for being so sentimental.
He'd really gotten too old for mere words to move his heart.
Still trying to maintain a stoic face, Kel' Vual cleared his throat. "We're here."
They stood in front of the largest mansion in the dungeon. The three-story stone structure was located right at the center of the village. For some reason, the design was similar to the king's castle in the capital. Not only did it have a gate, it even had a lawn filled with grass that grew only in this dungeon. The founding king of the nation had really put his everything in helping create this haven for the Arzomos.
"We prepared a feast the moment the nests notified us of your arrival," said Kel' Vual. He grinned. "Look forward to it."
True to his words, a sumptuous feast had been prepared in the dining hall. The Arzomos must have frozen the meat and stored it, all in preparation for an event like this.
"You've been leaving the dungeon?" said Lark, noticing some of the dishes.
The feast consisted not only of fish found in the lake, but also meat found in the nearby forest. Moreover, Lark could see several delicacies from Lion City.
"We've been entering the city," Kel' Vual admitted.
Lark did not utter a reply. He would probably have done the same if he was in the same predicament. Although the village was habitable, there was no real reason for them not to wander outside the dungeon. There were no real threats to the powerful Arzomos Tribe in this kingdom. Even Luvart, in his current state, was probably more powerful than "The Thunderlord" Nickolai.
The residents of Lion City wouldn't be able to catch these Arzomos, even if they tried.
They probably stole these things from the merchants, thought Lark. He made a mental note to give them several gold coins later, so they would no longer have to steal such items.
Just to be sure, Lark asked, "No one saw any of you, right?"
Kel' Vual laughed. "Of course! Who do you think we are?"
Lark sighed. "Good thing I brought some blood emeralds with me."
With Kel' Vual at the lead, they all sat at the table. As though she'd been practicing for this moment for a long time, Jaraxus skillfully served Lark, Luvart, and Kel' Vual. It was apparent that she treated them as her superiors, compared to the other members of the Arzomos Tribe.
"Blood Emeralds?" Kel' Vual was clearly surprised.
They were rare items.
First the high demon core. And now, blood emeralds. Kel' Vual wondered where Lark managed to get all of these things in such a short period of time.
Although more than a thousand years had passed, Kel' Vual could still vividly remember how they used blood emeralds to alter their physiques into that of a human's. Agreas and Kel' Vual used them to enter human cities, together with Evander Alaester. It was one of the reasons they managed to accompany him during his travels.
Magic barriers would easily reveal illusions and face-altering spells, but a body altered by blood emeralds was different. With their help, it should be possible even for demons to enter human cities protected by the strongest of barriers.
Fortunately for humans, blood emeralds were incredibly rare.
Lark took out several thumb-sized stones from his pocket and slid them on the table, toward Kel' Vual.
"I need your help, Kel," said Lark.
There was not even a pause nor hesitation as the leader of the tribe replied, "Of course. What do you need me to do, Evander?"
Lark looked at the other Arzomos. Judging by their expressions, it seemed that they, too, were willing to assist him in anything he asked for.
"I'm going to be the king of this nation soon," said Lark.
Kel' Vual was dumbfounded. He looked at Lark bewilderedly. "What?"
It sounded absurd. In his previous life, Evander Alaester had been offered similar positions several times by the emperor of the Magic Empire —and he refused every single time. Back then, he'd been offered to become the monarch of the smaller nations annexed by the Magic Empire.
"I'm going to be the king soon," repeated Lark. "Although it's a temporary position—I'm going to become the ruler of this nation."
Kel' Vual still had a quizzical look on his face. "But why? Why did you accept such a position, after all this time?"
"This time is different," explained Lark. "This kingdom will fall into ruins if I don't do anything." He paused and looked at the leader of the tribe in the eyes. "Kel, this isn't the Magic Empire."
The Magic Empire was the strongest nation on the continent during Lark's previous life. A powerful nation capable of defending itself against the demons—even against dragons. This was why he found it easy to reject the emperor's offers. Even without him, he knew that the Magic Empire would survive. Lark was certain that had it not been for the cataclysm—a catastrophic event that wrung dry the mana of this world—the Magic Empire wouldn't have fallen.
"Of course," Kel' Vual said in a serious voice. "This isn't the Magic Empire."
When they visited the nearby human settlements, the Arzomos also realized how weak the humans in this nation were. Their magic aside, the technology of this kingdom was far too primitive to defend against the demons' attacks.
Even Plagas alone could probably topple this nation.
"What do you want us to do, Evander?" said Kel' Vual.
Lark picked up one of the blood emeralds. "I need a powerful unit under my direct command. A unit similar to the Black Mages of the Magic Empire."
The Black Mages.
A group of powerful magicians under the direct command of the emperor of the Magic Empire. Evander Alaester used to belong to this organization, back in his younger years. But eventually, he left to search for the elixir of immortality.
It was a common belief back then that the Black Mages held equal might to the Royal Court Magicians of the Magic Empire.
"So, you want us to alter our bodies and pretend to be humans," said Kel' Vual, fully understanding the intent of the young man in front of him.
"And follow you to the capital."
Lark nodded. "That's right."
Kel' Vual looked at the members of the Arzomos Tribe. "What do you think, everyone?"
"That sounds exciting, leader."
"I'll follow you, Lord Evander!" said Luvart.
"An elite unit under the direct command of King Evander." Kel' Vual stroked his chin. "Or is it King Lark? It doesn't sound so bad, right, everyone?"
In the crowning ceremony at the capital three weeks from now, Lark planned on introducing the elite unit to all of the nobles of the kingdom and the residents of the capital.