It's been four days since our encounter with Verpace, and finally, tranquil stillness enveloped our territory once more.
As promised, Lord Randolph provided us with three dwarves, each possessing a valuable skill set that could prove to be essential in the development and growth of our city.
Sangria, our trusted scout, led them through the treacherous Great Forest, ensuring their safe arrival.
The three dwarves were Beorn, Kipper, and Thrain - their areas of expertise being architecture, mining, and metallurgy respectively.
Beorn, with his extensive knowledge of structural design and fortification, would oversee the construction of new fortified walls and buildings in the city, while Kipper's mining expertise would lead to the discovery and extraction of valuable minerals and resources in the dungeon for the city's growth. Thrain, on the other hand, would utilize his knowledge of metallurgy to develop and craft advanced weapons and tools for the city's defense and progress.
I wasn't picking favorites but Thrainʼs skills were the most needed.
The delegation of tasks to these three highly-capable dwarves would allow me return to the royal capital to tend to personal affairs.
Thrain and I were discussing the challenges we faced in the Industrial Sector, specifically with regards to weaponry.
Our standard dungeon-issued weapons were insufficient, and we needed to invest some of our minerals into blacksmithing.
Thrain, deep in thought, stroked his beard and asked, "What kind of minerals are we talking about?"
I replied with a note of excitement, "We have a large supply of Xeranium!"
Thrain's face lit up, and he replied, "That's fantastic news! I'd be honored to work with you on this project."
I laughed and responded, "Of course! It's great to have you on board."
As we were speaking, a loud explosion shook the ground outside of the Grygan territory, near the uncharted regions of the forest.
We rushed to the window and saw nothing but smoke in the distance.
Thrain asked, "What the hell was that?"
Before I could answer, another tremor rocked the northeastern region.
I knew it must have been a massive impact.
Acting swiftly, I used Additional Skill: [Demon Wings], causing pitch-black bat-like wings to sprout from my back.
"Thrain, gather the residents of the Industrial Sector and head for the Central District... fast." (Lumiere)
I took off flying towards the site of the explosion, wondering what could have caused such an enormous blast.
Many of the Grygans and Minotaurs who witnessed my flight knew that something serious was happening.
After a few minutes of flying at blinding speed, I arrived at the crash site and saw a gigantic crater in the ground.
I hovered, examining the destruction, and asked myself, "What happened here?"
I suddenly heard a deafening explosion and saw Mojito get flung a dozen meters away, hitting the ground with a loud thud. Without a second thought, I flew towards him.
"Mojito are you okay?!" I asked.
Mojito, with his usual laid back attitude, brushed off the attack as if it was nothing, "I-it'll take a lot more than that to bring me down boss!"
But my mind was racing with questions and concerns. What caused the explosion? Who could possibly have the power to knock down Mojito like that?
As I scanned my surroundings, I noticed a dense cloud of dust rising from the spot where the explosion occurred. And then, amidst the dust, I saw a pair of glowing red eyes.
"I'm guessing that's what caused the tremor?" (Lumiere)
Mojito followed my gaze and pointed towards the source of the explosion. "Yes," he said, whispering as if he didn't want to draw attention to himself.
Intrigued, I used my [Magic Detect] skill to probe the area and was hit with a massive wave of mana.
[Magic Detect] was going haywire, so I estimated her mana capacity and my jaw nearly hit the ground.
"It's... it's over 30,000..." (Lumiere)
Whoever was causing it had enough mana to put the entire place in jeopardy.
As the dust cleared, I saw a young girl with gorgeous golden hair, a furry pair of ears of the same colour and light blue eyes. She was wearing armor, but it was quite revealing, and my mind briefly wandered before I quickly shook my head and refocused on the situation at hand.
"Who are you?" I asked, unsure of whether I should be afraid or not.
The girl simply smiled, revealing a set of impeccable pearly white teeth. "I'm Eris Fergonius, Daughter of the Beast King, the one and only reincarnation of the Immortal Beast King. But you can call me Beast Princess." She announced cheerfully, her voice ringing with a childish excitement.
I was speechless.
The reincarnation of the immortal beast king?
What does that mean?
What kind of powers does she possess?
I'm a negotiator, not a fighter. This was way out of my depth!
While I was still trying to wrap my head around the situation, it became clear that Eris was not to be underestimated. The bruises on Mojito's body spoke volumes about the kind of power the Beast Princess possessed.
Honestly, Mojitoʼs job sucked. As the head of the security division, he always took the most brutal beatings from powerful invaders like this girl.
As we continued to stare at each other, she suddenly lunged towards me, giving me no time to react.
"It's so nice to finally meet you!" She exclaimed, wrapping her arms around me in a tight embrace. I could sense the incredible amount of mana radiating from her body, so much so that it was almost suffocating.
When she freed me from her bear hug, I could feel her immense physical strength.
As I stood there facing Eris, I felt two things: confusion and disappointment. Wasn't she supposed to come here with a sinister intention? I mean, she's the daughter of the Beast King, or so she claimed.
Well, Verpace probably delivered my message to her father, and he sent Eris as his representative.
"Welcome to my domain," I said, offering her a handshake.
Eris accepted, and Mojito watched us with his black and blue bruises.
Eris accepted with a smile, but I couldn't help but feel a little intimidated by her. Her mana levels were absurdly high, over 30,000, well to be more accurate it was 32,000, which meant she was undoubtedly the most powerful person I had ever met.
Well, after All-Father and Serena of course.
If anything then she was a battle addict, and if she encountered anyone with a higher magic power, she'd be overcome with the need to fight. I didn't want her anywhere near Serena, as that could spell disaster.
"How did you know I was the ruler of this domain?" I asked her.
"Your mana was almost as high as mine, so you had to be the strongest in this territory," Eris replied, looking at me from head to toe, focusing on my supposed curves, glistening long black hair, and slender appearance.
I tensed up, unsure of what to expect. She then looked at my chest and blurted out, "You're pretty flat for a girl, even more than I am."
I couldn't hold back my irritation. "I'm not a girl, I'm a boy," I corrected her.
It was too late; Mojito burst into laughter, saying that I'd make a sexy girl.
"Screw you, Mojito," I muttered, rolling my eyes.
Eris giggled and told me that Lumiere was a girl's name. "You must have a lot of female admirers," she said, looking at me.
"I'm a guy," I said, exasperated. "And I don't really have any admirers."
Sure, that was a big lie but why should she care about romantic entanglements? Especially one as complex as mine.
With a grin on her face, Eris said, "Well, you're a pretty handsome guy, even if your name is a bit confusing."
I sighed, knowing that her antics were far from over. "So, what brings you here?" I asked, trying to steer the conversation back on track.
"My father sent me here to negotiate with you," Eris replied. "He wants to make sure that our two domains can coexist peacefully."
"I see," I said, nodding. "Well, I'm open to negotiations. What does your father propose?"
She grinned mischievously and leaned in closer to me. "Well, my father has only one request," she said.
I raised my eyebrow, intrigued. "And what might that be?" I asked her.
Eris's grin only widened as she replied, "The Beast King only wants the death of the Curse King."
My heart sank. I knew that the world in general held a grudge against the Curse Kings, but I never imagined it would come down to this. I tried to keep my composure as I responded to her.
"I see. Well, I may hold the title of the Curse King, but I am not like those before me." (Lumiere)
I raised my hands slightly, indicating my peaceful intentions. "We can always find common ground and come to an agreement."
However, Eris's reply was not what I expected. With a sigh, she explained, "It's unfortunate, but that doesn't change my orders. I may not see you as a bad guy, but I can't go against my father's wishes."
My heart sank even further as she cracked her knuckles, and I realized the gravity of my situation.
I was angry, but I tried to contain my emotions as I asked her, "Does that mean you were planning on killing me here and now?"
Eris shrugged nonchalantly as she replied, "Yes."
I braced myself, ready for a fight, but I was surprised when Mojito intervened.
"Hold on now, Princess Eris. The boss isn't lying. I've known her— I mean him for a while now, and he's nothing like the other Curse Kings you've heard of." (Mojito)
Eris looked at Mojito skeptically, but she seemed to be listening.
I decided to jump in and plead my case further.
"Listen, Eris. I may hold this title, but I do not wish to harm anyone. I want peace between our domains just like your father does." (Lumiere)
I tried my best to convey my sincerity, hoping that it would be enough to stop her.
I couldn't beat this girl, she'd slaughter me.
"Sorry Lumi, no can do," she said.
Daddy's orders were absolute.