Two days have passed since the initial convention.
It was finally time for the Coalition representatives and the Republic of Everfrost officials to meet.
After hearing the information gathered by the Silent Wind and the other information guilds, Senator Sima realized the importance of the upcoming negotiations– if it could even be called negotiations in the first place.
The Head of the Senate realized that his contributions to this assembly could either break or further solidify his position in this country.
After the convention two days ago, it was apparent that today's assembly would be nothing but a formality. The atmosphere back then showed how eager the government officials were to become part of the Coalition.
Well, Senator Sima couldn't blame them.
This was a turbulent age where demons and monsters were rampant throughout the continent. Moreover, the Republic of Everfrost wasn't in an amicable relationship with its neighboring countries.
The Empire, in particular, had been trying to invade and capture the Republic's territories for years.
The mere fact that their biggest threat – the imperial army – would vanish the moment they joined the Coalition made the offer very enticing.
Even the Empire wouldn't dare attack the Republic of Everfrost once it became part of the Coalition. At that point, the two nations would become allies, after all.
In the event that the Empire ignored their alliance and still continued its attacks on the Republic, they could just make a formal complaint to the Coalition.
'It's almost decided at this point that we'll be joining the Coalition. Before it's finalized, I need to leave a good impression.'
Senator Sima took it upon himself to personally escort King Lark's group to the Five Courts, the place where the assembly was going to take place. He was currently in his room at his manor, trying various clothes that would fit the occasion.
He was surrounded by several maids and butlers, each of them holding pieces of garments.
"Coat," said Senator Sima.
"Here, Senator."
Senator Sima tried the coat, frowned, then took it off. He tossed it to the side.
"Another one."
"How about this, Senator?"
"Hmm… not bad."
After trying on several sets of clothes, Senator Sima finally decided on his current attire. He also combed his hair – which was on the verge of going completely bald – to the back.
"How do I look?" said Senator Sima as he examined himself on a mirror. "Not too tacky, yes?"
"You look perfect, Senator," said the head butler. "You exude the air of an elegant gentleman."
The other servants nodded and uttered words of agreement.
His head butler's fashion sense was impeccable. If the head butler said he looked perfect in those clothes, then it must be true.
"Is that so? I've taken too long to pick my clothes. We're heading out."
"Yes, Senator."
Escorted by his personal guards, Senator Sima went out and boarded a carriage. Although the blizzard had stopped a few hours ago, the roads remained snow-covered.
Everywhere he looked was covered by white.
Senator Sima uttered, "If only the blizzard had stopped a day earlier, we could have cleared the path leading all the way to the Five Courts."
Even with the use of a carriage, traversing the road covered by thick layers of snow would prove difficult.
After silently cursing the weather one last time, Senator Sima ordered the coachman to drive to the Nasty Tavern, the place where King Lark was currently staying at.
As the carriage started moving, Senator Sima started getting uneasy.
'How annoying. To think I would get this anxious at my age.'
Senator Sima didn't like this feeling. For some reason, he felt desperate to leave a favorable impression on King Lark and the Coalition Army.
How should he describe it? It felt as though if he didn't do well here, his position in the country would be shaken.
'No matter. I just need to be one step – no, two steps ahead of everyone else.'
When trying to climb a ladder, the best way to quickly go up was to gain the favor of the person holding the highest power. Senator Sima knew this more than anyone else. Thus, he woke up very early today in order to personally escort King Lark's group to the Five Courts.
"Senator, we're here," said the coachman.
"Finally," said Senator Sima.
His escorts opened the door for him, and Senator Sima stepped down the carriage. He felt his feet dig deep into the snow. He exhaled, creating clouds of vapor.
Senator Sima noticed the carriages parked nearby.
He frowned. He had a bad feeling about this.
After gazing at the snow-covered board that read 'The Nasty Tavern', he entered the inn.
And soon, he realized the reason why he'd been feeling uneasy since this morning.
"…What?"
To Senator Sima's surprise, he wasn't the first person to arrive at this place.
"What are they doing here!"
Several soldiers from the Justice Army, and two Inspectors working directly for the High Magistrate were already inside. And judging by their expressions, it seemed they'd been here for quite some time now.
'Damn it!'
Senator Sima started regretting taking so long to choose his clothes. Had he arrived earlier, he could have ordered his men to prevent these people from entering the premises.
Without a doubt, these people were also here to escort King Lark's group to the convening hall of the Five Courts.
"Ah, Senator," said one of the Inspectors.
"This… did Yvonne send the two of you here?" said Senator Sima in a spiteful voice.
"Yes, Senator," said the Inspector. "The High Magistrate ordered us to escort King Lark and his men to the Five Courts."
Senator Sima wanted to scream in frustration, but he reined it in. He couldn't afford to look undignified here.
"And you?" he said to the soldiers from the Justice Army.
"The Lord of Five Courts has given us a similar task, Senator."
Senator Sima gnashed his teeth. He said coldly, "I will be the one to escort King Lark to the convening hall. The rest of you may leave."
The two Inspectors looked at each other. The soldiers from the Justice Army remained expressionless, as though they'd already expected this to happen the moment the Senator entered the inn.
"I'm afraid we can't do that, Senator," said one of the Inspectors.
"What? You dare go against my command? Hah! And you!" he turned to the soldiers from the Justice Army. "Don't tell me you'll also ignore my orders!"
The soldiers from the Justice Army simply said, "Only the Arbiters and the Lord of the Five Courts can order us around, Senator Sima. We apologize, but we must escort King Lark. This is a mission entrusted to us by Lord Caliqua."
Senator Sima's face started flushing from anger. Since those bastards were outright ignoring his authority, he wondered whether he should use force here.
But before things could escalate further, he heard footsteps. He looked up and saw Lark and his people descending the stairs.
"How noisy," said Vulcan.
"Arguing over something so trivial," said Lady Alice. "As if we need escorts. Who would even dare attack us on our way to the Five Courts?"
The polymorphed Scylla heads looked below. Upon seeing Senator Sima, they scowled. As fellow old men, they didn't like how the Senator was impeccably dressed. They hated his neatly combed hair, and they wanted to rip apart his well-knitted coat.
"Tch."
"What's this?"
"Ah, fuck. I'm getting annoyed."
"How dare that old man dress so ostentatiously."
"Look at his bowtie. Is he a dog or something?"
"Dog? Kekeke, I'm started remembering something. What do you think, Agnus?"
"H-Haha…."
Agnus started becoming pale. He knew exactly what Blackie was thinking. Thankfully, the Scylla was too focused on Senator Sima, and they didn't have time to torment him.
"Bah! We definitely look better than him! At least we don't look like a living corpse!"
"That's right! Why even compare ourselves to that rotting raisin over there!"
"God Evander even praised our polymorph!"
"And we've followed the advice of those elves!"
"Symmetrical beauty!"
"The perfect face and body!"
Senator Sima's jaw hanged as he listened to the words of the Scylla. He found the words of Blackie so bizarre that he couldn't even get angry at their insults.
But who were those old men?
Strangely, they all looked similar.
Behind Blackie were the explorers from Zenith. They glared at Senator Sima, not bothering to suppress their bloodlust from leaking.
Senator Sima simply ignored them.
Now that the Red Bear was dead, those people were now no different from gold-rank explorers. Even his elite guards would be able to take care of them if a fight broke out in this tavern.
Finally, Lark reached the bottom of the stairs.
Senator Sima didn't miss this chance. He approached him with hurried yet elegant strides.
"A wonderful morning, Your Majesty," said Senator Sima. "If all preparations on your side are ready, I am here to escort you to the Five Courts."
Senator Sima inwardly smirked.
He did it!
So what if he was the last person to arrive? That no longer mattered now that he was the first person to greet and talk to King Lark.
'The ability to grasp an opportunity when I see one. This is the difference between us, fools!'
The soldiers and Inspectors started panicking when they realized what Senator Sima had done.
"K-King Lark! We've been sent here by the High Magistrate to escort you to the Five Courts!"
"Same here! We've been sent by Lord Caliqua to escort Your Majesty safely!"
Lark quickly scanned the three groups who'd come to escort him. Since these three were from the three largest factions in the Republic, it was easy to come to the conclusion that the Republic had decided to join the Coalition Army.
Their discussions a few days ago must have solidified this decision.
Lark remembered how stubborn Emperor Sylvius was when he asked the Empire to become part of the Coalition. Had it not been for the Demon Lord's clone personally coming to kill the Sword Saint and killing thousands of imperials soldiers in the capital, the Empire would have probably refused becoming a member even now.
Compared to the Empire, convincing the Republic of Everfrost seemed a lot easier.
"If they wish to show sincerity, the High Magistrate and the Lord of Five Courts should have come here themselves," said Senator Sima. "I believe I am the only one qualified to escort King Lark's group out of us three."
"Senator!"
"But we've been here—!"
"—Silence," spat Senator Sima. "We'll let King Lark decide on this matter."
Senator Sima felt that this was his win. No matter how he looked at it, the only logical choice was to choose him over the other groups. He, the Head of the Senate, had personally come to escort King Lark, after all.
"Eh? Why choose? Why not just let all of them escort King Lark?" said Aster in a loud voice.
Senator Sima looked at the owner of the voice, and his eyes widened. The kid was broadly grinning. It seemed he'd realized what Senator Sima was scheming.
"Y-You! It's you again!"
"Hehe, I'm just thinking it'll be a waste if those people end up coming here for nothing."
The other explorers didn't cover Aster's mouth this time. They also agreed with the kid's words, and they loved the look of despair on Senator Sima's face right now.
Aster continued, "And besides, it's just escorting. What's the big deal? Why not let everyone do it? Kehehe!"
Senator Sima clenched his fists.
He could still remember that time when the kid purposely gave him the wrong formula for the concoction, causing them numerous casualties in their dungeon dive.
And now, he's trying to sabotage his attempts to garner favor from King Lark!
"Ohh, the kid is right!"
"Please let us escort you, too, Your Majesty!"
The Inspectors from the faction of the High Magistrate and the soldiers from the Justice Army immediately grabbed his opportunity. They looked at Aster with eyes filled with affection, as though the kid was their savior.
Lark gazed at the three groups. He had a fair idea of what was going on, but decided to ignore it. He didn't really care much about such trivial things.
It's not like being escorted to their destination would be enough to change his perception of these people.
Reginald and Captain Symon had returned yesterday. And according to their investigations, the explorers from Zenith were innocent.
Senator Sima really did kill Zenith's leader.
Of course, Lark had no intentions of intervening in their internal affairs. He promised to protect the surviving members of Zenith if they were truly innocent, but that's all. He had no intention of passing down judgment to Senator Sima or anyone involved with the death of Emyrson.
"Sounds good to me," said Lark. "Let's go to the convening hall, shall we?"
Aster stuck out his tongue, and the other members of Zenith raised their middle fingers at Senator Sima.
The old Senator wanted to scream in rage, but couldn't since he was in King Lark's presence.
In the end, Senator Sima surrendered.
Together with the Dragons, Blackie, the witches, Captain Symon, and Reginald Vont, Lark left the Nasty Tavern.
To err on the side of caution, he left the Lord Knight and several Blackstone Knights at the Nasty Tavern to look after the explorers.
***
The blizzard had started raging again the moment they arrived at the Five Courts.
Personally guided by Senator Sima, Lark traversed the main hallway and arrived at the convening hall – a massive room a third of the size of the Empire's coliseum.
Nearly a hundred people were already inside, each of them holding key positions within the Republic. Some were high-ranking officials of the government, some were military officers, some were representatives from the temple, and some were from large merchant groups.
A few of them arrived only yesterday and weren't present in the initial assembly two days ago, making this their first time meeting King Lark in person.
"M-Marduk, is that them?" said General Astares in a shaky voice.
General Astares was among those who'd vehemently opposed joining the Coalition Army. He dismissed all of the information gathered by the Silent Wind as mere exaggerations. After all, they did not make sense.
How could someone who was nearly at the bottom of the Council of Scholar's ranking be able to tame a seven-headed monster and work together with Dragons?
He even said back then that those people weren't really Dragons and merely pretending to be ones.
Such doubts were blown away the moment Lark and his group entered the convening hall.
Seeing the people following behind King Lark, General Astares felt his hair bristle. His body started to quiver.
What the hell were those… people?
The seven old men with identical faces, in particular, felt really dangerous. They really felt evil – or maybe cruel was the right word for it. It felt as though they wouldn't hesitate to snap someone's neck if that person annoyed them.
They felt closer to savage beasts than humans.
General Astares realized that none of the people following behind King Lark were normal.
General Marduk, who sat next to General Astares said, "Do you understand now?"
"Haha, what the hell. Marduk, you escorted that?"
Even now, General Astares couldn't stop trembling. Knowing that General Marduk fearless escorted that group in the underground city, General Astares started having newfound respect for his colleague.
The normal people in the convening hall were probably oblivious of it, but someone of General Astares caliber could intuitively feel how powerful and dangerous those people were.
It was similar to how Sword Saint Isaac Segarus knew that the Lord Knight was a dangerous entity at first glance.
It even felt wrong to allow them inside this place where all of the prominent officials of the Republic had gathered.
If they suddenly decided to slaughter everyone here, even General Astares would be helpless to stop it.
General Astares finally realized why General Marduk kept insisting that they should join the Coalition Army, no matter what.
General Marduk crossed his arms. "Relax. As long as you don't provoke them, they're a reasonable bunch."
"…Is that so? That's a relief, then."
Senator Sima made a short speech introducing the people behind him. After that, he asked Lark to go to the dais, right in front of the voice-amplifying artifact.
"Greetings. I am Lark Marcus, Regent King of the Kingdom of Lukas, leader of the Coalition Army," said Lark, his voice unwavering and confident.
He paused and scanned the room. "Before we start – Lady Alice, please."
Murmurs were heard.
"Lady Alice?"
"Isn't she that witch?"
"Wow! I never expected to see her in person!
The leader of the Witches of Aravark understood her assignment. Swiftly, she cast the same barrier she'd cast in the Nasty Tavern. The barrier covered the entire convening hall, preventing anyone from eavesdropping on the conversations.
"Thank you, Lady Alice. Everyone, just think of it as something similar to a silence spell," said Lark. "It prevents unwanted ears from hearing the conversation we'll be having from here onwards."
The officials looked uneasy, but since the head of the Magic Institute had no qualms about it, they deemed the spell safe.
Lark continued, "I'm glad to finally meet everyone here. It must have been hard coming to this city on such short notice. I'm grateful to you all who are attending this assembly despite the inclement weather."
Senator Sima rubbed his hands together. He smiled and said, "It's only natural, Your Majesty. Of course, they'd come. It's not every day one gets to be visited by the leader of the Coalition Army, after all."
Hearing this, the people who weren't present in the previous convention started to realize that the outcome of this assembly was already set in stone.
If the Head of the Senate was blatantly showing favor like this, then this meeting was just a formality.
The Republic had already decided to become part of the Coalition Army.
"Such kind words," said Lark. "Thank you, Senator."
Senator Sima lightly bowed his head.
Lark's speech continued after that. He started introducing the Coalition Army, its members, capabilities, and objectives. He also made sure to reiterate that their goal was to create an alliance that would protect all of its members from the threat of demons.
Throughout Lark's speech, Senator Sima was frequently seen nodding and agreeing, making sure to insert words of praises every now and then.
For those sitting at the convening hall, this was their first-time witnessing Senator Sima sucking up so much to a person. They felt that if Lark told him to lick his boots, the Head of the Senate would gladly do so. It was honestly repulsive.
Still, the mere fact that the Head of the Senate was trying to cajole King Lark to this extent showed how much power the Coalition Army wield.
After discussing the details regarding the Coalition Army's compositions and goals, it was finally the turn of the Republic to ask questions.
The first to ask a question was the Lord of Five Courts.
"Your Majesty, do you truly have no intention of claiming any rights over the underground city?" said Lord Caliqua.
"I don't," said Lark without hesitation. "I stand by my words. As I've promised before, I will not take anything from the underground city."
Although the Kingdom of Lukas was far from here, if King Lark suddenly declared that they have rights over the ancient city, there would be nothing the Republic could do to stop him.
Moreover, based on reports, it seemed that the witches had been protecting that place for centuries, long before the Republic even discovered it.
Discussing its ownership would be a tricky and lengthy topic.
It was really a relief that King Lark had no interest in it.
"I am glad," said Lord Caliqua. "Thank you for keeping your promise, Your Majesty."
The leader of the Merchants Guild raised his hand. He asked, "This is important for us merchants. Emperor Sylvius Lockhart Mavis – how confident are you that that madman will not attack the Republic if we join the Coalition Army?"
"I cannot guarantee that the Empire will cease all attempts to conquer the Republic," said Lark.
"Then—"
"—I have no control over Emperor Sylvius' mind. I am a single man, and it's impossible for me control the entire Empire. But what I can assure you is that the Coalition will impose penalties over the Empire the moment it starts attacking the Republic."
"Penalties…."
"As I've discussed before, we plan on building defensive magic towers in the nations that are part of the Coalition. We'll also station Blackstone Knights at key locations – of course, this will be implemented once we have adequate Blackstone Knights to mobilize. The Dwarven Kingdom also agreed to lend their powersuits to the other members of the Coalition."
People started whispering to each other when they heard this.
"Power suits…"
"Magic towers…."
Lark continued, "All of these benefits will be revoked the moment a nation goes against the rules imposed by the Coalition. Moreover, we will send reinforcements to our members – whether they're being attacked by humans or demons."
The whispers and murmurs in the convening hall grew louder.
"Your Majesty," said General Astares cautiously. "You said you'll be stationing knights in the Republic. How can you guarantee us that you won't control the Republic from within? It pains me to admit it, but if our intel is correct, you have enough military might to conquer the Republic of Everfrost if you so desire."
The first head of the Scylla was about to curse General Astares when he heard that question, but the third head managed to stop him on time.
"I'm willing to undergo an Oath promising not to harm the Republic," said Lark. "If that's what is needed to put everyone's heart at ease."
Hearing this, Blackie and the witches started feeling uneasy. They felt that Lark didn't need to go that far just for the sake of these strangers.
"I am a mere regent," said Lark. "Once everything is over, I plan on going back to my territory – Blackstone City – and live there peacefully. Any more questions?"
A frail-looking hand was raised. It was from a priest in the Temple.
"Your Majesty, what do you gain from doing this?" she said. "No matter how I look at it, the only one benefiting from this deal is us. We'll be sending out soldiers to aid the other nations, too, sure. But compared to the military might of the Coalition Army as a whole, what our nation could contribute seems negligible."
Lark smiled. He liked this question.
"Neglible? That's not true. Humans are resilient and adaptive creatures. From here onwards, the Republic of Everfrost will continue to grow, and there will come a point when you'll be able to protect your borders from the demons on your own. It will take decades, maybe even a century, but this country will eventually reach such advancement."
The Lord of Five Courts found this ironic. She couldn't believe that this young King believed in the Republic's ability to prosper more than most of the officials here.
Most of the people here were probably thinking of what they would gain from this alliance. They were concerned about the immediate benefits rather than the Republic's future advancement and survival.
Even Senator Sima was shaken when he heard those words come out of Lark's mouth.
He never thought that Lark's perspective encompassed decades or centuries, and not just a couple of years.
"What do I gain from this?" said Lark. "Hope."
The entire convening hall turned silent.
Although those words felt too idealistic – cringey even — they felt Lark's sincerity.
"Founding this Coalition gives the human race the ability to stand up against stronger opponents. It gives all of the nations in this continent – whether big or small – a chance to defend themselves. Creating the Coalition Army gives me hope that the human race will remain standing and never fall, no matter the threat, no matter the adversity."
"It is the wish of mine, not as a King, but as a person, to save as much lives as possible."
The priest who asked the question was satisfied with the answer. She closed her eyes and clasped her hands, as though in prayer.
"I see. May the gods guide you on your path, Your Majesty."
On that day, the Republic of Everfrost became the sixth member of the Coalition Army.
This news immediately spread to the adjacent nations, reaching even Emperor Sylvius.
***
Now that they'd completed what they came here to do, Lark decided it was time to return to the Kingdom of Lukas.
His fight against the Demon Lord's clone reminded him of how severely lacking his current abilities were.
If he meets the real Demon Lord Barkuvara, he would surely perish if they fought.
Before recruiting the other nations in the continent, Lark deemed he should train his body first, improve his equipment, and create more Blackstone Knights to supply reinforcements for the Coalition Army's members.
To do this, he needed to gather the necessary materials to create them. For his equipment, he needed adamantite, in particular.
Although some adamantite remained in the golden statue, they wouldn't be enough to recreate the equipment he'd been using in his previous life.
To recreate them, he needed a lot of adamantite.
"Vulcan, you said before that Second Prince Hafnir discovered an adamantite vein in the Dwarven Mountain Range," said Lark.
According to Vulcan, the adamantite vein was located deep within the Bottomless Gorge, a place filled with innumerable monsters.
"That's right. After I crowned him as the successor of Lerenon, he gave me the vein's location, demanding I spare his brothers in exchange for that information."
The Ancient Fire Dragons normally killed the other heirs after a successor had been chosen in order to prevent future uprisings. The only exemptions were those who showed exceptional skills in blacksmithing.
Realizing that the Ancient Fire Dragons were the ones behind the deaths of the defeated heirs, Crown Prince Hafnir Rugard gave out the location of the adamantite vein so that Vulcan would spare the life of his siblings.
Vulcan said, "A fool, isn't he? He told me he initially planned on using that adamantite deposit as a bargaining tool to preserve his life in the event he lost the competition. But now that he's the crown prince, he realized he didn't want his siblings to die just so he could secure his position."
"Did you agree to his demands?" said Lark.
"Yes. I don't mind sparing a dwarf or two. An adamantite deposit is more precious to me than the lives of mere dwarves, even if they're princes."
Lark felt relief. Hearing Vulcan's story, he felt that the new crown prince was a decent person. It felt wrong not to grant that request even after he had gone to all that trouble.
"I'm glad to hear that," said Lark.
"Although I can't give them to you for free, I'll be willing to sell those adamantite to you at a cheap price. You need them to create equipment, don't you?" said Vulcan, grinning.
"How about this as the payment?" Lark grinned back. "The strongest technique of the Fire Elemental Lord, Candela. One of the strongest existences in the Demon Realm, comparable to the Demon Lord Barkuvara. I'll teach you the technique in exchange for some adamantite. What do you think, Vulcan?"
"What? A Fire Elemental Lord?"
"It's my teacher. The same Elemental who taught me the fire spells I've been using even now."
Vulcan was stunned for a moment. He broke into laughter. "Hahaha! I've been wondering where you learned those spells! So, you learned them not from a human, but an Elemental Lord, huh!"
Hearing about the technique of the Fire Elemental Lord, the ears of Agnus and Shahaneth perked up. As fire element users, they were also interested in learning it.
"It should be compatible to Fire Dragons," said Lark.
"Candela... I never thought I would hear that name from your mouth. All this time, I thought it's a creature from legends. Even my father said it's a fearsome existence. So, it's currently living in the Demon Realm, huh? That explains everything. Still, I'm surprised it agreed to teach you. The Earth Elemental we've fought three hundred years ago didn't even want to speak to us Dragons."
Lark started remembering the time he'd spent with Fire Elemental Lord.
Even after Candela realized that Lark had already killed two Elementals in order to harvest their cores to create the Sword of Morpheus, it didn't take it against him.
It even told Lark that it didn't care about the other Elementals, and that he should feel free to hunt them down in order to complete the Sword of Morpheus.
Candela was quite individualistic. But for some reason, it took a liking to Evander and even sheltered him in the demon realm.
'Candela, you're still alive and well, right?'
Lark said, "How about it, Vulcan? Are you interested?"
"The most powerful spell of a Fire Elemental Lord in exchange for some adamantite," said Vulcan. "Not a bad offer, King Lark. I accept!"
"Then, let's go," said Lark. "Before returning to the Kingdom of Lukas, let's drop by the Dwarven Kingdom."