Chapter 251: The Terrible King.

Before coming to the Kingdom of Cecilia, the girl had been terrified.

The thought of being presented as a gift to an aging king in his forties or fifties filled her with dread.

But beauty was all she possessed. Her social standing was low, and her life and death were entirely at the mercy of the powerful. She had no choice but to accept her fate.

With a heart full of apprehension, she had entered this magnificent royal palace, which boasted a history stretching back more than ten thousand years. After waiting anxiously for over four hours, she had finally met its master.

Never in her wildest dreams had she imagined that the king of Cecilia, whose very name struck fear into the surrounding smaller kingdoms, would be a handsome man who appeared no older than twenty-five or twenty-six.

When those deep, dark eyes swept over her, her thoughts began to wander. A rosy blush spread across her cheeks, and she lowered her gaze with unmistakable shyness.

She had heard that His Majesty remained unmarried and had never taken a queen. After ascending the throne, he had immediately launched a series of wars, swallowing up neighboring countries with overwhelming force.

He was a powerful man of boundless ambition.

And the girl admired men like him.

If she could become his queen, then...

She would enjoy unimaginable wealth and luxury for the rest of her life. Those nobles who had once looked down on her would be beneath her feet, and she could trample them as she pleased.

Desire surged through her heart.

Seeing Danton's gaze linger on the girl, Lauk assumed she had caught his fancy. He rubbed his hands together and asked ingratiatingly, "Your Majesty, are you pleased with my gift? Besides Jenny, I've brought three others. Would you care to have a look at them as well?"

The two boys and the other girl obediently lowered their heads, ready to do whatever was asked of them.

Danton shifted his gaze to Lauk and asked indifferently, "Have you ever seen an Elf?"

"Well..." Lauk hesitated before answering, "I... I've never actually seen an Elf, of course."

After the War of the Gods, the Elven King had sealed off the Elven Kingdom and the Faerie Forest. Since then, Elves had vanished from the continent.

Lauk's eyes darted about before he added slyly, "But I have seen Dark Elves."

Apart from their unusual skin, hair, and eye colors, Dark Elves should have much the same facial features, physiques, and bearing as white Elves.

Following the descriptions of Elven beauty passed down in legend, he had carefully selected four young men and women with golden hair, blue eyes, and fair skin. His sole purpose was to please the king of Cecilia and secure a peace agreement.

"Dark Elves?"

Danton gave a contemptuous laugh.

A wisp of black energy emerged from his fingertip and instantly coiled around the girl's neck.

"Ah!"

One moment, the girl had been lost in fantasies of a glorious future. The next, she was suffocating.

Before she could even scream, her neck snapped. Dark-red blood sprayed through the air, and her body collapsed into a spreading pool of blood.

Thud! Thud!

Her beautiful head struck the floor and rolled several times before coming to rest beside Lauk's feet.

Her face was frozen in terror, her eyes wide open in a horrifying expression of disbelief.

In the blink of an eye, a living, breathing girl had become a headless corpse.

Lauk and the three young people beside him were scared out of their wits. Terrified screams erupted from their throats.

Lauk stumbled backward. His legs gave way, and his enormous body toppled onto the cold, hard floor with a heavy thump.

But the pain did nothing to lessen his terror.

The remaining two boys and one girl had just witnessed their companion being murdered without the slightest warning. They dropped to their knees, trembling uncontrollably. Whatever hopes they had entertained earlier vanished completely. Now they wished they had never set foot in this audience hall.

Danton extended a hand.

Sahn immediately presented him with a spotless white handkerchief.

Taking it, Danton leisurely wiped his fingers, though there wasn't a speck of dirt on them.

"You dare compare such filthy creatures to Elves?"

Danton paid no attention to the corpse lying before his throne. His dark eyes were utterly cold, and he regarded Lauk as though the duke were already dead.

Lauk was so frightened he nearly wet himself.

He had heard that Danton Trik was cold-blooded and merciless, but he hadn't taken the rumors seriously.

As far as he was concerned, every person had desires. And anyone with desires could be won over by offering them what they wanted.

He had chosen exceptionally beautiful young men and women as gifts because he knew Danton had yet to marry. Lauk had simply assumed that the king's standards were so high that ordinary women failed to interest him.

In that case, why not present him with beauties who could rival Elves?

Since he couldn't determine whether Danton preferred men or women, he had brought both.

Two boys and two girls. Surely at least one would appeal to him.

When Lauk first arrived in Cecilia, he had been brimming with confidence. He believed he would complete his mission quickly, obtain the peace agreement, and return home without difficulty.

But now, after watching Danton mercilessly kill a breathtakingly beautiful girl, his courage had deserted him.

Would he even make it out alive?

Lauk swallowed nervously. Ignoring the pain in his backside, he shifted his enormous body, bent both knees, and prostrated himself humbly on the floor.

"Y-Your Majesty, it... it was my ignorance! I know nothing of Elven beauty. I offended your eyes by presenting these four people to you. Please forgive my thoughtless mistake!"

He struggled to knock his forehead against the floor. Large beads of sweat rolled down his face, dampening the stone beneath him.

"If Your Majesty doesn't like them, p-please feel free to kill them! Once I return home, I'll find you real Elves instead. Would... would that be acceptable?"

He raised his head fearfully toward the black-haired man on the throne.

"Heh."

Danton chuckled, his amusement impossible to interpret.

"You're saying I may kill them as I please?"

The three young people shrank back at his words. Their faces turned deathly pale, and sweat mingled with tears as they trembled in misery. Nothing remained of their earlier polished beauty.

"Y-yes!"

Desperate to survive, Lauk was willing to say anything.

"They were gifts I presented to Your Majesty in the first place! Whether they live or die is entirely up to you!"

Clap. Clap. Clap.

Danton applauded slowly.

"Duke Lauk, you truly are a shameless coward who values his own life above everything else."

Lauk wiped the waterfall of sweat from his face with his sleeve and readily agreed.

"Your Majesty is absolutely right! Absolutely right! I... I'm a shameless scoundrel! Hehehe! Hehehe..."

As long as he could return home alive, he wouldn't even mind barking like a dog right there in the audience hall.

Standing below the throne, Sahn curled his lip.

No wonder Kakawen had sent this man as its envoy. Most nobles could never bring themselves to grovel and flatter someone so shamelessly.

Danton watched Lauk's performance as though enjoying a clown's antics.

The duke's awkward laughter echoed through the vast hall.

Gradually, his laughter grew quieter until his smile froze on his face. He remained kneeling in terror, waiting for Danton to sentence him to death.

Danton waved a hand at Sahn.

Understanding immediately, Sahn went to a nearby table, poured a glass of strong liquor, and presented it respectfully.

Danton accepted the glass and gently swirled the clear liquid, studying the obese duke with an icy gaze.

"What is it you want?"

Lauk's heart stirred.

He hadn't expected Danton to give him another chance to speak.

"Well..." He hesitated, too frightened to answer.

Danton took a sip of liquor and narrowed his eyes.

"Did the king of Kakawen send you to Cecilia merely to offer me beautiful people?"

"Ah... Please forgive me, Your Majesty."

Summoning his courage, Lauk continued, "The Kingdom of Kakawen has no intention of becoming Cecilia's enemy. His Majesty sent me to negotiate peace in the hope that you might show mercy and spare our kingdom. We are willing to form an everlasting alliance with Cecilia! At Your Majesty's command, Kakawen will be ready to serve you at any time!"

Ever since Danton Trik had murdered his elder brother and usurped the throne, none of the neighboring kingdoms had known peace.

Pedam Kingdom had been the first to suffer invasion and was now part of Cecilia. The Kingdom of Masha, the Kingdom of Hadan, and the Kingdom of Lidren had also fallen.

In just eighteen years, Cecilia's territory had expanded to four times its former size.

Kakawen lay to the north, separated from Cecilia by Hadan and Lidren. Now that both kingdoms had been conquered, Kakawen was in imminent danger.

Fearing that his kingdom would be the next to be swallowed up, the king of Kakawen had dispatched an envoy to negotiate peace before Cecilia could launch an invasion.

Lauk hadn't wanted to come.

But his king had promised him countless gold coins, treasures, beautiful companions, and vast tracts of land. The rewards had been generous enough to persuade him.

Now that he had witnessed Danton's terrifying methods firsthand, however, Lauk no longer dared entertain any fantasies.

He would do absolutely anything to return home alive.

Danton held his stemmed wineglass elegantly in one hand, resting the other on the throne's armrest.

After listening to Lauk's request, he curled his lips into a mocking smile.

"An everlasting alliance? Heh. There's no need to go to such trouble. If Kakawen willingly becomes part of Cecilia, I can spare your lives."

Lauk's expression changed dramatically.

"Why?" he blurted out. "Why must you invade other countries?"

"I'll forgive your insolence."

Danton took another sip of liquor and handed the glass to Sahn.

Then he rose from his throne and walked unhurriedly across the blood the girl had spilled on the floor.

Stopping before Lauk, he looked down at him with open contempt.

"Duke Lauk, you've chosen the wrong word. I'm not invading anyone. I'm reclaiming territory that rightfully belongs to Cecilia."

"W-what?"

Lauk's eyes widened in horror.

Danton regarded him disdainfully.

"Three thousand years ago, Pedam Kingdom, Masha, Hadan, Lidren, and even your precious Kakawen were all part of Cecilia. Our ancestors were incompetent and lost those territories. As their exceptional descendant, I have both the responsibility and the duty to reclaim every piece of land they lost."

He continued arrogantly, "You should consider it an honor to become subjects of Cecilia. Within a few years, I will restore the kingdom to the glorious heights it enjoyed ten thousand years ago."

Lauk was completely stunned.

He sat motionless, his mind blank, while the two boys and one girl beside him nearly fainted.

None of them had imagined that Danton's ambitions were so vast.

He actually intended to swallow every neighboring kingdom!

Had they known this would happen, they should have helped Pedam Kingdom when it appealed to the other countries for assistance.

Instead, they had stood aside and watched coldly.

They had believed the flames of war would never reach their own doorstep, never realizing that they had long since become prey waiting to be devoured.

Now, with several kingdoms fallen one after another, it was far too late for regrets.

Kakawen would not escape the same fate.

As though Lauk hadn't suffered enough of a shock, Danton added with arrogant confidence, "In fact, my true ambition is to become the ruler of the entire Austin Continent. I want every race to prostrate themselves at my feet and become my slaves."

Lauk raised his head in disbelief.

He looked into those bottomless black eyes and felt a chill spread through his entire body, as though he had been plunged into an icy cavern.

A madman!

Danton Trik is completely insane!

How could humans possibly surpass all the other races and become masters of the continent?

Even setting aside the Elves and Fairies in the distant West, the Dark Elves and beastfolk living much closer would never agree to such a thing!

Danton ignored Lauk's horrified expression.

"Go back and tell your king that he has two choices. Either he willingly surrenders his territory, or he and his people will die beneath the swords of the Black Knights."

Lauk collapsed onto the floor in despair.

"Sahn, see our guest out."

Danton paid him no further attention. He returned to his throne, closed his eyes, and appeared to doze.

Sahn bowed respectfully to the king before approaching Lauk with a cheerful smile.

"Duke Lauk, why the long face? You should be happy you're getting out of here alive."

Lauk managed a smile that looked more like a grimace.

He was still alive.

Yes, he really ought to be happy about that.

"Um... what about them?"

He pointed toward the remaining three young people.

The two boys and the girl looked at him pleadingly, hoping he would take them home.

They didn't want to remain in Cecilia for another moment.

Sahn raised an eyebrow.

"Since when does anyone take back a gift they've already given?"

With that single sentence, he sealed their fate.

The three young people were overcome with terror.

Lauk hurriedly agreed.

"Yes, yes, of course! One must never take back a gift that's already been given!"

He scrambled to his feet and bowed toward Danton on the throne before fleeing the hall as quickly as he could.

In his haste, he stumbled and nearly fell flat on his face.

He flailed about, barely managing to regain his balance, then hurried away even faster, half running and half stumbling in his desperate escape.

He was terrified that if he lingered a moment longer, he would lose his life.

Sahn shook his head with an amused smile.

Once Lauk had disappeared, he clapped his hands.

A moment later, Yali, the head maid, appeared.

"Lord Sahn."

Yali placed both hands over her chest and bowed respectfully.

Sahn pointed toward the two boys and one girl kneeling on the floor.

"Send them to Hemon. Tell him they're gifts from His Majesty and that the men are free to enjoy them however they please."

Yali cast a cold glance at the beautiful young people, showing not the slightest trace of sympathy.

"Yes, Lord Sahn."

Sahn then pointed toward the corpse on the floor.

"Clean that up."

Yali nodded and immediately set about carrying out his orders.

Ten minutes later, the audience hall had been restored to its original immaculate condition.

Even the heavy stench of blood had disappeared.

Standing in the center of the hall, Sahn nodded in satisfaction.

He was just about to seek praise from Danton when the air suddenly rippled.

His brows drew together.

Space split open, revealing a dark rift from which a black-robed necromancer emerged.

"Sheen? Weren't you at Woba Gorge?" Sahn asked in confusion.

Sheen ignored him.

He bowed toward Danton on the throne and spoke in a hoarse voice.

"Your Majesty, Demon Lord Ansedram is dead."

Danton opened his unfathomable black eyes and fixed the necromancer with a piercing stare.

"When? Who killed him?"

"This afternoon. The killer is unknown," Sheen Puson replied. "By the time I arrived, His Lordship had already been reduced to ashes. Even his soul crystal was missing."

"That's impossible!" Sahn exclaimed in astonishment. "Lord Ansedram is an immortal Demon Lord! Unless the Elven King himself intervened, even Mage Sovereign Danlov couldn't kill him!"

Sheen Puson turned a cold gaze on Sahn.

"The scene showed signs of a magical battle, with fire magic being particularly prominent. Whoever fought him possessed power surpassing that of a Mage Sovereign."

Sahn stroked his chin, frowning deeply.

"Is there a human fire mage whose abilities surpass those of a Mage Sovereign?"

"A fire mage couldn't kill Ansedram," Danton said.

Sheen Puson nodded.

"Your Majesty is correct. Although Lord Ansedram ranked last among the Demon Lords, he possessed the ability to survive virtually anything. He emerged unscathed from the War of the Gods ten thousand years ago, let alone the present age, when magic is steadily declining. Unless..."

"Unless what?" Sahn demanded.

Sheen Puson's expression darkened.

"Unless an Elf or Fairy traveling outside their homeland intervened, I cannot imagine anyone powerful enough to kill Lord Ansedram."

Sahn considered this for a moment.

"Have you investigated how many adventuring parties entered Woba Gorge today?"

"Three," Sheen Puson replied coldly. "Two high-ranking adventuring parties and one low-ranking party composed entirely of Mage Apprentices."

"What was the highest rank among the members of those two high-ranking parties?" Sahn asked.

"They're all dead."

Now that they were dead, their ranks hardly mattered.

Sahn raised an eyebrow.

"What about the party of Mage Apprentices?"

"They escaped unharmed."

An unusual gleam flickered through Sheen Puson's eyes.

Sahn opened his mouth in disbelief.

"Are you suggesting that they killed Lord Ansedram?"

Sheen Puson did not answer.

"Don't be ridiculous!" Sahn exclaimed. "Mage Apprentices? Those greenhorns who need ten whole seconds just to recite a spell? You expect me to believe they killed Lord Ansedram, one of the Ten Demon Lords? Besides, Lord Ansedram was more than three thousand meters down in the gorge. No one without considerable ability could even reach him!"

"No. Lord Ansedram died in the northern part of Woba Gorge, at the rocky field near Put Town," Sheen Puson replied expressionlessly. "Furthermore, the Bloodhell Grass planted more than three thousand meters below the surface has been stolen."

Sahn's eyes widened.

"What did you say? The Bloodhell Grass was stolen? Who stole it?"

Bloodhell Grass was a magical plant from hell.

After escaping through a crack in the seal, Lord Ansedram had brought a specimen with him and planted it deep within the gorge.

Once the Bloodhell Grass fully matured, its essence could be extracted to alleviate the king's suffering.

The human body was far too fragile to withstand the Dark God's power.

Every night of the full moon, the king suffered agonizing attacks of pain.

Damn it!

Who the hell stole the Bloodhell Grass?

That idiot Ansedram couldn't even protect a single plant! Serves him right for getting killed!

Sahn cursed viciously in his thoughts.

Sheen Puson sneered.

"If I knew who stole it, I wouldn't be standing here wasting my breath on you."

"You—!"

Sahn was furious.

He turned toward Danton, dropped to one knee, and declared, "Your Majesty, I volunteer to investigate this matter at Woba Gorge."

Danton tapped his fingers rhythmically against the armrest of his throne.

After a long silence, he finally spoke.

"Both of you will go."

Sheen Puson bowed.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

At midnight, the carriage from Put Town finally arrived in Igya City.

Igya City truly deserved its reputation as the most prosperous city in the Central Court.

Even at this late hour, the city was brilliantly illuminated.

Shops lining both sides of the streets displayed glowing magical signs as colorful as neon lights. Pedestrians still wandered along the roads, while the taverns were packed with night owls determined to stay awake until dawn.

"Phew! We're finally back."

Budno leaned against the carriage window, gazing out at the streets, and let out an enormous yawn.

"I'm so sleepy I could die."

As a Little Fairy who loved eating and sleeping, he would normally have been tucked into bed and snoring away long before this hour.

Angel affectionately patted his head.

"Hang in there a few more minutes. We'll be at the magic academy soon."

Shu Li turned to Seriu.

"It's so late. Will we be able to get through the academy gates?"

"Under normal circumstances, no," Seriu replied.

Hector asked curiously, "And under unusual circumstances?"

Seriu touched his storage pouch and took out the adventuring party's badge.

"With this, we can get in."

Senior students at the magic academy frequently went on adventures outside the school. Plenty of them returned in the middle of the night.

As long as they presented their adventuring party badge, the gatekeepers would let them through.

Hector breathed a sigh of relief.

Fortunately, Seriu had joined them. Without him, the Light Squad wouldn't have been able to register successfully as an adventuring party.

Fifteen minutes later, the carriage stopped outside the gates of St. Velia Magic Academy.

Shu Li took some gold coins from the party's shared funds, paid the fare, and led his teammates toward the entrance.

Sure enough, just as Seriu had said, the senior student guarding the gate let them through without any trouble after they showed their adventuring party badge.

The academy grounds were enormous.

With no rail carriages running at night, they had no choice but to walk back to their dormitory.

"It's so faaar..."

Budno trudged along listlessly, wishing he could simply teleport there.

Unfortunately, he hadn't forgotten that he was supposed to be disguising himself as a Mage Apprentice.

He couldn't openly use teleportation inside the academy. If someone saw him, there would be no explaining it away.

"Hang in there! It's only another twenty minutes," Shu Li encouraged him.

"Twenty minutes?!"

Budno nearly collapsed on the spot.

Dixio gave him a hearty smack on the back.

"You're even worse than the two girls!"

Sitty and Nasha covered their mouths, giggling.

Budno lowered his head pitifully.

He really was sleepy!

Amanda kindly offered, "Want me to carry you?"

He was strong enough that carrying a Little Fairy on his back would be no trouble at all.

Budno hurriedly shook his head.

"No, no, I'm fine."

Shu Li sighed.

To be fair, he was sleepy too.

Now that they had finally returned to the magic academy, the tension that had kept him going began to fade, and exhaustion swept over him.

All he wanted was to throw himself onto a soft bed and enjoy a wonderful night's sleep.

The group forced themselves to keep walking for another twenty minutes or so.

Just as they were about to reach the dormitory building, a figure appeared ahead of them.

"Well, well! Where have you little rascals been? Look at you, all covered in dirt. Have you been rolling around in the mud?"

A familiar, teasing voice rang out.

The Little Fairies shuddered involuntarily.

It was Ilio!

What was he doing here in the middle of the night?

Why wasn't he fast asleep in his dormitory?

And why on earth was he waiting here to ambush them?!