VOLUME 13: CHAPTER 10

After it was decided that Lark's group would enter the capital of the Republic, the three Dragons polymorphed into their human forms. Together with Lark, Captain Symon, Reginald Vont, the witches, and several Blackstone Knights, they would enter Quraso City.

The elven commander chose to stay behind to oversee the Coalition Army, while Blackie was forced to stay outside despite its will.

The Scylla was enraged when Vulcan openly smirked at him, mocking him for being unable to accompany Lark inside the city.

"You damn, fucking lizard!"

"Just you wait! Once you come back! We'll make you pay for this!"

"We'll learn polymorph, too! Someday!"

"We promise!"

"Ahh! Fuck it! I want to erase that smirk on his face!"

"God Evander, please let us come with you inside the city!"

Out of desperation, the Scylla even vowed to learn polymorph someday so it could accompany Lark wherever he went.

It kept begging Lark to allow it to enter Quraso, too, but that was simply unreasonable. In the end, Lark told it to stay at this place and await their return.

"I'm sorry, Blackie," said Lark. "But you can't come with us. Just wait here until we come back."

"B-But!"

"Hahaha! Serves you right!" laughed Vulcan. "See you around, snake!"

"L-Lizard!"

The eastern gate opened, and Lark's group, together with the high-ranking officials of the Republic and the army under General Marduk's command, entered.

"Your Majesty, welcome to the heart of the Republic," said the Lord of Five Courts. "Welcome to Quraso City."

A city that was no different from that of Kingdom of Lukas greeted their group.

The main road leading to the city center wasn't as large as the road of the imperial capital, but it was cobbled and well-maintained, enabling five carriages to pass through side-by-side.

Lark noticed that more than half of the soldiers guarding the eastern gate carried not only swords, but also cylindrical weapons. They were revolvers capable of shooting a maximum of two bullets before breaking down.

The bullets were fueled by powdered mana stones, making it expensive and impractical to use. Moreover, despite being made of iron, the pistols would always break, unable to withstand the explosion of powdered mana, after firing two shots.

These were the reasons why the Republic couldn't really use the weapons against the Empire.

They served more as a backup weapon than a main one.

The Lord of Five Courts noticed Lark's gaze. She said, "You seem familiar with the weapon, Your Majesty?"

"I've seen something similar before, yes."

"From the Empire?"

"No, from a different place."

Such weapons were common back in the Era of Magic. They were carried mostly by officials and scholars who did not have any means to defend themselves. Coupled with defensive artifacts, it enabled even non-combatants to fight back against enemies until help arrived.

"Hmm… I see."

She started explaining, "Although the number of shots is limited, each bullet is capable of piercing even metal armor. I'm the one who insisted on arming the soldiers stationed at the gates with at least one of those weapons. With it, they would be able to fight back even if their opponent is a knight."

"I'm surprised the Empire hadn't copied the technology yet," said Lark.

"Oh, they did copy it, Your Majesty," said the Lord of Five Courts. "But Emperor Sylvius, that madman, is prideful. He forbade his subjects from using the technology of the Republic, saying that his Empire has no need for flimsy things to conquer the continent. A fool, isn't he? Well, no matter. It worked out for us in the end. Thanks to his stubbornness, we've managed to repel the Empire's advances on our borders."

Lark felt that there was a high chance this was true, considering the Emperor's personality.

"Uhm…" Ludwig, the temporary leader of Zenith, nervously spoke. "Your Majesty, m-may we be allowed to guide you during your stay in Quraso?"

Ludwig was quick-witted.

Before Lord Caliqua could even offer accommodations to Lark's group, he immediately offered to be their guide.

Although Lark promised them protection, he felt it would be safer if they were to become the coalition army's guide during their stay in Quraso.

There was a fundamental difference between being their guide and being explorers protected by King Lark.

Becoming the coalition army's guide in Quraso would somehow make them 'part' of the group. Even Senator Sima wouldn't dare harm the guide of the coalition army's representatives, as it was the same as declaring war to them.

Senator Sima realized this.

The old man said angrily, "How could we let ruffians guide our esteemed guests! Out of the question! Of course, we'll be the one to guide His Majesty during his stay in Quraso!"

Ludwig refused to back down. "That's not up to you to decide, Senator."

"What?! This damn explorer!"

Even the High Magistrate didn't like Ludwig's proposition. She said, "We can't possibly leave royalty from another country in the hands of explorers."

"Like I said, this isn't something for you guys to decide."

"This arrogant, little bast—"

"—Now, now." Before things escalated further, the Lord of Five Courts intervened. "It isn't proper for the highest-ranking officials of the Republic to bicker with explorers here like this."

"But Lord!"

"The explorer has a point," said the Lord of Five Courts.

"W-What?"

"Why don't we let King Lark decide? What do you think, Your Majesty?"

Lark observed the expressions of the people around him. Senator Sima and the High Magistrate were furious, Lord Caliqua seemed amused, while the members of Zenith looked anxious.

Although choosing the Senator's offer would probably land them a better accommodation, he'd already promised to help the explorers when he asked them to come back to Quraso with them.

Lark understood that becoming their group's guide was Zenith's way of paving their road for survival.

"Do you have a place in mind?" Lark said to Ludwig. "A place that could accommodate all of us."

"O-Of course!"

"Then, it's decided. Please guide our group well."

The faces of the explorers visibly brightened. They sighed in relief after realizing that Senator Sima could no longer touch them.

"Yes!"

Senator Sima slowly walked toward Lark and said in a shaky voice, "Your Majesty. Please reconsider. Mere explorers acting as your guide? How cou—"

"Hey, human." Vulcan slowly released his Dragon fear. Not too much that it would make them faint, but enough to make their legs wobble. "King Lark has already decided. I know you hold a relatively high position within the Republic, but how dare a mere mortal question the decisions of the Coalition Army's leader?"

Senator Sima trembled. He nervously gulped after being subjected to Vulcan's Dragon fear.

General Marduk nervously gulped, but he still readied himself to defend the Senator should the Dragon decide to attack.

"T-That's not what I mean."

"Hmph. Then it's settled. The explorers will guide us."

Senator Sima no longer dared to protest after that.

The Lord of Five Courts chuckled, "Ludwig, was it?"

"Yes, Lord."

"I hope you guide them well. Your Majesty, please feel free to look around the city during your stay."

"Looking around…," said Lark. "Does that include the recently-discovered dungeon?"

"A-About that… the danger aside, the ruins and dungeon are properties of the Republic. Even for King Lark…."

The Lord of Five Courts paused. After a while, she shook her head. "But if His Majesty insists… No, before that, may we know the reason at least?"

"There's something I need to confirm before meeting the other officials of the Republic," said Lark.

It was a difficult request even for the Lord of Five Courts.

But knowing that Lark could have forced his way to the dungeon if he wished to, Lord Caliqua decided to make an exemption.

"Normally, I would stop you. But you have Dragons within your group. I doubt anything inside the dungeon could even post a threat to your group."

Aster happily said, "I know a way to bypass the giant spiders! So, it's okay!"

"Hey, shut up!"

"Mmm!"

Lord Caliqua said carefully, "…Entry to the dungeons, I'll grant it."

"L-Lord!" said Senator Sima.

The old senator wanted to protest and say that the ruins and dungeons were under their jurisdiction, but he was afraid of angering the Dragons.

"But please promise me that you won't take anything inside, King Lark."

"I promise, Lord."

"Haah… alright. I'll send word to the camp so they'll let you in. The explorers have already been there. They're the best guide you can get in this city."

"Thank you."

Lord Caliqua wryly smiled. "Then, see you in two to three days, Your Majesty. I sincerely wish you enjoy your stay in the city."

After those words, Lord Caliqua left together with her escorts. Soon, Senator Sima and the High Magistrate followed after the Lord.

"Tch. Damn explorers," muttered Senator Sima before leaving. "General Marduk, we're leaving."

"Yes, Senator."

After bowing once to King Lark, General Marduk left, bringing his soldiers with him.

After realizing that they were finally safe, the explorers were finally felt relief.

"Haaah."

Ludwig fell down on his butt.

"I guess we survived."

From the moment they dived into the dungeons, until the time they returned to Quraso after escaping the city – a lot had happened since then.

"Haha, temporary Boss! You look like a mess!" laughed Aster.

"I don't want to hear that coming from you, brat!"

"The kid is right, though," said Karlo. "Get up. You're embarrassing us right now."

"I know, I know." Ludwig slowly stood up and dusted his garb. He sighed again, "Haah… Your Majesty, have you stayed in a tavern before?"

***

The place where the explorers led Lark's group was the Nasty Bucket.

It was one of the largest and most popular taverns in the capital. The ground floor served as a pub and a place where explorers, hunters, and mercenaries could gather commissions. The two floors above served as an inn.

On their way to Nasty Bucket, Karlo sent a message to the Explorers Guild. He briefly explained the current situation, and he asked them to let Margaret's parents know that she'd come back to the capital unharmed.

As a result, her parents, who'd been hiding under the protection of the Explorers Guild, immediately came back. To accommodate Lark's group, they even cleared the tavern and reserved all of the upper floors for Lark.

"You don't have to go this far," said Lark after learning that the tavern owners closed the entire establishment for them.

Margaret's parents were hugging her. After reuniting with her parents, Margaret kept crying, pouring out all of the emotions she'd been bottling up the past several days.

Her mother said, "No, this much is natural, Your Majesty. You saved our daughter from the soldiers of the Republic. No amount of money can repay what you've done for us."

Her father added, "We'll do our best to cater to any of your needs and demands. Please don't hesitate to call for us should you need anything."

Lark could feel the tavern owners' genuine desire to pay him back for saving their daughter.

"Thank you."

"We should be the ones saying that, Your Majesty."

After that, Lark's group went upstairs. Before entering their respective rooms, Lady Alice said to him, "King Lark, regarding the dungeon… can we come along with you?"

Lark planned to look around the city first before entering the dungeon.

"Of course."

Lady Alice smiled brightly.

"Your majesty, regarding your promise before…," said Ludwig.

"I remember," said Lark.

"…Then—!"

"I promise to help you escape the Republic," said Lark. "But that's only once I'm certain you're innocent."

It was one of the conditions Lark had told them about before.

The explorers did not mind getting investigated since they believed they did nothing wrong.

"Yes," nodded Ludwig.

"Symon."

"Your Majesty."

"I'll leave the investigations regarding this matter to you."

"Understood."

***

Lark rested a couple of hours in the tavern before deciding to explore the capital of the Republic.

He'd been hearing about Everfrost since the time he first came into this timeline. Now that he was here, he wished to see what it was like with his very eyes.

"Hm? It's snowing."

Looking out the window, Lark saw snow falling from the sky. Although a bit early, winter had finally arrived.

"Perfect for a stroll."

He'd already assigned a blackstone knight for each of the rooms the members of Zenith were staying in. Even if something were to happen while he was gone, the explorers should be safe somewhat.

After donning a hooded cloak, Lark cast a simple concealment spell on himself.

The window was too small for a person to pass through, so he had no choice but to exit through the main door.

The Lord Knight, who'd been standing guard near the entrance, was the only one to notice Lark's presence. The tavern owners were oblivious as they moved about, rearranging the tables here and there.

The Dragons and maybe Lady Alice would have seen through Lark's concealment spell, but they were currently in their respective rooms, resting.

"Shh…"

Lark put his index finger on his mouth, wordlessly telling the Lord Knight to pretend it didn't notice Lark.

The eyes of the Lord Knight glowed for a second.

"Guard this place well while I look around the city."

"Guuah!"

The Lord Knight grunted in affirmation. And the tavern owners flinched when the large metallic knight at the entrance suddenly made a sound.

"Hiieek!"

"W-What's that?"

Lark found it funny. He almost laughed out loud.

He felt like a kid sneaking out at night while their parents were asleep.

Well, this change of pace wasn't so bad. Tomorrow would be a busy day again. Tomorrow, he would visit the dungeon together with the witches.

After everything that transpired this year, Lark honestly wanted a day dedicated solely to rest like this. He wanted to stroll the city aimlessly, eating delicacies available only in the Republic.

With light steps, Lark started leisurely exploring Quraso City.