Normally, it would take more than a month to travel from the capital to Blackstone Town. The roads leading from one city to another were frequently winding, built to circumvent the monster-infested territories in the kingdom.
King Alvis knew he couldn't wait that long. People were dying in the hands of the demons. If he dallied any longer, several more cities of the kingdom would have already fallen by the time he reached his destination.
To solve this problem, King Alvis and General Carlos came up with a plan of taking the shortest, most direct route to Blackstone Town. They decided to pass through the monster-infested territories, forgoing the comfort of paved and soldier-patrolled roads.
"Sir, isn't this too dangerous?" said one of the royal guards escorting King Alvis.
King Alvis was not given even the luxury of riding a carriage. He was riding his mount, along with several dozen royal guards. This made it possible for the king and his entourage to move through the forest.
"It's not like we have a choice," spat the retired General Carlos. "If we want to reach Blackstone Town in two weeks, this is the quickest path.
Keep your eyes straight ahead. Focus and stop yapping. Look, even His Majesty isn't complaining."
The royal guard glanced at King Alvis, who was in the middle of the group. Although the old man looked exhausted, he never complained and hadn't requested for them to rest for more than an hour for several days now. The royal guard was worried the king would suddenly faint and fall off his mount if they kept proceeding at this rate.
"Kobolds ahead!" General Carlos shouted the moment he noticed the four-foot tall monsters hiding in the thicket.
The monsters, which could be mistaken for goblins at first glance, were aiming their wooden spears at the guards. Although the tips of their spears were made of stone, they could still kill their target when properly thrown.
Elias 'Farsight,' who'd been positioned at the rear of the group, took out his bow and fired almost a dozen arrows in a mere second. Each of his arrows hit the monsters directly in the head; some of the arrows even swerved at incredibly sharp angles, before hitting their target.
After taking care of the small fries, Farsight nocked another arrow into his bow and aimed it straight ahead. The other soldiers couldn't see it yet, but a kilometer away, Farsight noticed the kobold leader lying in wait.
Farsight imbued mana into his arrow before releasing it from his bow.
The arrow whizzed past the soldiers and swerved past the trees, eventually hitting the six-foot-tall monster. The kobold leader couldn't even scream as the arrow snuffed the life out of it in a single strike. Seeing their leader dead, the other kobolds hiding in the forest scampered away in fright.
"What did you kill?" said General Carlos.
"Just another kobold," said Farsight.
General Carlos was really grateful that the best archer of the kingdom had decided to escort them all the way to Blackstone Town. This reckless plan of traversing these monster-infested territories would have been incredibly dangerous without Elias Farsight.
"I'm almost out of arrows," said Farsight.
The royal guards in charge of rations and weaponry handed him a full quiver.
"Hey," Farsight said to the woman riding next to him. "If you keep this up, you'll die before we even arrive."
Lady Ropianna, who was clearly struggling with her mount, replied, "How could I dare rest when even His Majesty has hardly slept these past several days?"
"You should have just stayed behind," Farsight said in his usual unfriendly voice. "The alchemists still haven't come up with an antidote to cure those humans, right?"
"Nothing would change even if I stayed at the capital. You know it too, Farsight. It's impossible to create a cure in days."
Farsight clicked his tongue. This old woman, really... He sighed and said, "Don't be stubborn. Come here. Ride behind me. You're skin and bone anyway. Your weight should be negligible."
"My, how gentlemanly." Lady Ropianna chuckled. "It's very unlike you, Farsight."
"Shut up and come over here," spat Farsight.
Using a wind spell, Lady Ropianna skillfully rode the same mount as Farsight. She gently wrapped her arms around his back. Indeed, it was far easier for her now that another person was maneuvering the mount.
"Thank you," she said softly.
The two fell silent for a moment.
"Do you remember the words of the demon that appeared at Fork Meadow?" said Farsight.
"Of course. How could I forget?"
"Listen, old woman. The enemies this time will probably be far stronger than any we've encountered during our lifetime. They'll be unlike those rebel soldiers and the scum of the empire," said Farsight. "If you encounter one of those so-called high demons, run away and don't look back."
"You're telling me to run away like a coward?" Lady Ropianna asked incredulously. It was extremely rare for Farsight to be this talkative.
Moreover, he was even giving her a warning.
"I'm telling you to live out the remaining years of your life," said Farsight. "Out of all the Royal Court Magicians, you've served the royal family the longest. Between you, Nickolai, and I, you'll probably be the first to die."
Lady Ropianna knew it too. Even before Minerva and Wisgarsus died in the Forbidden Region, she was the weakest among the Royal Court Magicians of the kingdom. Although she specialized in healing and protection spells, she hardly had any offensive spells at her disposal.
"How ironic, the youngest among us is telling the oldest to run away and survive," said Lady Ropianna. "The little kid I took care of is all grown up."
Farsight frowned. He took out his bow, nocked his arrow, and aimed at the monsters he spotted half a kilometer ahead.
Without uttering another word, Farsight continued slaughtering the forest monsters.
*** Two weeks quickly passed by. Finally, King Alvis and his entourage arrived at Blackstone Town.
"Is this really… a town?" murmured one of the soldiers.
A colossal wall, far larger than the capital's, surrounded Blackstone Town. Moreover, a translucent, dome-shaped barrier, similar to the famous barrier protecting the capital, was enclosing it, giving it the appearance of an impregnable fortress.
"Isn't this a fortress?" mumbled another soldier.
Unlike King Alvis, General Carlos, and the Royal Court Magicians, most of the soldiers hadn't heard about the gargantuan wall that had recently erupted and enclosed Blackstone Town overnight.
They recalled the massive northern farmland they passed along the way here. Unfortunately, the farmers had just finished harvesting the wheat.
Otherwise, they would have been greeted by a vast golden field encompassing several kilometers.
This territory was surprisingly thriving, even more than the major cities of the kingdom.
Seeing this, King Alvis was even more convinced that his decision to come all the way here had been right.
"Let's head inside right away and meet with the Lord of Blackstone Town," said King Alvis. His previously tired voice had regained its strength. His hope had been rekindled and conviction strengthened.
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
Without concealing their identities, King Alvis and his entourage entered the barrier and the gate. The guards stationed at the gate were dumbstruck upon learning the identity of the old man.
"The… the r-royal seal?!" The guard stared at the royal seal shown to him by General Carlos, then at the old man in the middle of the group.
"H-His Majesty, King Alvis?!"
"His Majesty wishes to meet with the Lord of Blackstone Town," said General Carlos. "We are running out of time. Lead the way."
The guards finally broke out of their stupor. One of them saluted and said in a loud voice, "Right away! P-Please follow me!"
With the guard at the lead, King Alvis and his men entered Blackstone Town. They were first greeted by several hundred shacks upon entering the town. Seeing the curious gaze of King Alvis and his men, the guard explained.
"They're temporary houses made for the migrants from the city," said the guard.
"I see," said General Carlos. He immediately understood what had happened. What transpired at Lion City had been written in the news, after all. "The frequent monster attacks at Lion City forced all of these people to migrate to Blackstone Town."
"The lord plans on relocating all of them once the residential houses in the Eastern District are complete," said the guard. "But for now, they're staying in those shacks."
"They look well fed," said King Alvis. Despite staying in those small houses, the migrants looked healthy and motivated. "Did the lord provide all of these people with ways to earn a living?"
The guard was disconcerted to receive a question from the king. Never in his life had he expected to see His Majesty, never mind speak to him directly.
The guard replied, "Most of them have received appropriate jobs from the town hall, Your Majesty. The lord has been keen on expanding this territory. The town hall is always on the lookout for helping hands. As long as they're willing to work mundane jobs, there's always one available in this town."
"A town hall…" King Alvis stroked his beard.
"I heard… that it's something similar to the local government offices in major cities, Your Majesty," said the guard carefully.
"Similar to the local government office?" said General Carlos.
The guard guiding them scratched his head in embarrassment. "Forgive me, sir. I was a former illiterate. About the town hall and how it truly works… I'm not certain of the specifics."
General Carlos did not miss the words 'former illiterate.' "You've received education, soldier?" said General Carlos.
The guard nodded. "I know how to read and write, sir. But unlike the veteran soldiers, I've yet to receive higher education like theology and arithmetic. I've only received a basic education, sir."
The king and his entourage were stunned.
Basic education?
Theology and arithmetic?
Their guide sounded as though he was a noble or the son of an affluent merchant from the city.
No, even a merchant's son would seldomly receive that much education. Such education was normally available only to the high nobles.
The guard misread the peculiar expressions of His Majesty and his men. Afraid that he had sullied the image of the Lord of Blackstone Town, the guard added, "M-Most of the other soldiers are unlike me, sir. The majority of the original residents have already learned how to read and write and are capable of basic arithmetic now!"
King Alvis and General Carlos locked eyes with each other. Without uttering a word, the two of them understood what was going through each other's minds.
All of these developments were incredible for such a small territory.
Judging by the shacks and migrants they passed along the way, it seemed that even after taking thousands of new residents, peace and order had not declined in Blackstone Town.
Not only were the fields vast and abundant, the town felt secured and protected, and its residents were filled with vibrance.
As the king and his entourage continued traversing the streets of Blackstone Town, more and more residents started recognizing who he truly was.
How could they miss the insignia of the royal family? Moreover, General Carlos and the two Royal Court Magicians riding alongside the group were famous throughout the kingdom. It did not take long before the news of the king's arrival spread around Blackstone Town.
Mikael Garios, who'd been feeding the horses at the stable, immediately ran out of the mansion hearing of His Majesty's arrival.
"Your Majesty!" Mikael knelt on one knee seeing King Alvis.
King Alvis and his men halted. On the streets, onlookers had gathered.
"It's been a while, Mikael," said King Alvis.
"Apologies," said Mikael in a heated voice. "For me to not realize His Majesty's arrival!"
"It's fine." King Alvis waved his hand. "Stand up, Mikael."
Mikael stood, placed a hand on his chest, and lowered his head.
"More importantly, is it alright for you to reveal your identity in front of his crowd?" said General Carlos.
"The candidate already knows," said Mikael. "It shouldn't matter if I reveal my identity to these people."
Out of the corner of his eye, Mikael saw Arturo looking at him with wide eyes. The short man was clearly baffled why a coachman like him was speaking to His Majesty and the general directly. Arturo almost ended up dropping the bag filled with ecaruits in his hand.
Mikael glanced behind him. As expected, if he, a coachman, had heard the news, the lord would naturally have heard that the king had arrived at Blackstone Town.
"Your Majesty," said Mikael, after seeing the young man walking toward their direction. "The man you've been wanting to meet—the Lord of Blackstone Town—is here."