Legend of the Arch Magus: Curse of Agares

by Michael Sisa

  Lark was glad that he chose to lock them up in the dungeons back then instead of killing them, despite the potential risks they would pose against his army. After the post-war reparations, the financial burden on the Kingdom should have been lessened somewhat.

  And the last—but the biggest—news in the Kingdom.

  Lark’s eyes widened as he read this part:

  His Majesty, King Alvis Lukas VI, collapsed during the celebratory banquet!

  According to the news, numerous eyewitnesses saw a black haze enveloping the king’s body moments before he keeled over. The king’s entire skin turned purple-black and he started vomiting blood. It was only after a royal court magician came over and cast healing spells on His Majesty that the king’s complexion returned to normal.

  This scene caused an uproar during the banquet and the news quickly spread throughout the mainland. Some speculated that His Majesty was poisoned by his enemies, while some spread rumors that His Majesty had already been ill for several years, hence his declaration about the competition for the throne. There were also rumors saying that Duke Kelvin was behind all this, despite being currently locked up in the dungeons.

  Lark put down the newspaper and leaned on his chair. He started putting the pieces of the puzzle together.

  The Tears of Ubroxia.

  The king’s sudden collapse.

  The black haze enveloping His Majesty.

  The purple-black marks covering the king’s entire body.

  “A contract with a demon?” said Lark.

  This was the only conclusion he could come up with. The only common point of all the evidence presented before him.

  But why would His Majesty form a contract with a demon? Lark could not understand this. Although he’d only met the king a few times, His Majesty struck him as someone fair and just, a virtuous ruler who cared about the people, the Kingdom.

  Lark could not understand why such a kind ruler would form a contract with a demon.

  Lark sighed. He knew the only way to find out the truth about this matter was to ask the princess herself. He ordered the butler to summon the princess to his office. Thankfully, the princess and her men were still preparing for their next expedition in the Endless Forest and hadn’t left Blackstone Town yet.

  An hour later, the princess entered his office. She was accompanied by Parzival and another knight.

  Lark did not bother dismissing her guards. He immediately went straight to the point.

  The moment the door was shut tight, Lark spoke, “Did His Majesty make a contract with a demon?”

  The princess and her knights froze. Their eyes widened, almost popping out, after hearing this question. Just this reaction alone gave them away, but Lark remained silent and waited for the princess to reply regardless.

  “W-What are you talking about?” said the Princess.

  Lark slid the newspaper toward her. “Here. Read the last page.”

  The princess nervously took the newspaper and after reading the last page, her eyes shook. Her entire body trembled. She croaked, “F-Father!”

  The two knights immediately went to the princess’ side.

  “What happened, Princess?” Parzival asked.

  The princess bit her lip hard, her entire body still trembling from what she’d just read.

  “The king collapsed,” Lark answered Parzival instead. “I’ve known for quite some time now that you’ve been looking for the Tears of Ubroxia. And after reading the news, everything finally made sense. It’s apparent now why you’re looking for the flower.”

  Parzival stared at Lark. “H-How? How did you know that we’re looking for that flower?”

  Lark snapped his fingers. From the open window, a raven flew inside the office. It landed on top of Lark’s desk then cawed. A small gemstone was tied around the raven’s neck.

  Lark stroked the raven’s head. “This little guy here has been following your group for several days now. I’ve heard everything.”

  “You dare plant a spy on the princess?” snarled Parzival. He grabbed the hilt of his weapon but didn’t pull out his sword. “I know you’re the lord of this city, but the princess is part of the royal family!”

  “I know,” said Lark. He didn’t flinch and simply stared at the glaring Parzival. “But His Majesty gave me the sovereignty over the Endless Forest during the last awarding ceremony. I have rights to monitor all trespassers into my territory—even if it’s the princess herself. I forbade you to enter the forest, right? But you didn’t listen.”

  Parzival couldn’t refute this rebuttal. He clenched his fists but didn’t say another word.

  The princess was still silent, her eyes glued on the newspaper.

  “Princess,” said Lark. “I need you to tell me the truth. The reason why you’re searching for the flower. You’ve read the news. The King collapsed. Everyone already knows that His Majesty is ill. There shouldn’t be much difference if you tell me now.”

  “Even if I tell you,” the princess willed her tears back, “nothing will change. Even the royal court magicians and the healers of the capital couldn’t find a cure for father’s curse!”

  “A curse,” repeated Lark.

  The princess paused. She realized she had blurted important information out. Realizing that the cat was already out of the bag, she decided to tell Lark everything.

  She bit her lip, nodded once then said, “Yes. A curse.”

  Silence befell the room. The raven cawed, flapped its wings then flew out of the window.

  “You asked me if my father made a pact with a demon.” The princess shook her head. “No. He didn’t. My father is currently ill due to the curse running down the blood of the royal family. A curse which originated from the king who founded this Kingdom.”

  The princess continued with her story.

  According to her, the first King of Lukas made a pact with a demon called Agares. In exchange for helping the human found a kingdom, the demon would take a portion of the lives of all the king’s descendants—particularly those who ascended the throne. This was why all the previous kings died young, the oldest of them was said to have been the current king—King Alvis Lukas VI.

  The demon fulfilled his part of the deal and the small city of the first king prospered and became the Kingdom it was today. Agares was said to be a virtuous creature, despite being a demon. He even compromised and took only a small portion of the life of the monarchs. This was the reason why the royal family did not condemn Agares. But as the Kingdom grew and expanded, the short lives of its rulers proved to be a problem. Their bodies also became weak and sickly from a young age, making it hard for them to lead the country.

  “I see,” said Lark, after hearing the story. “Judging by your story, this demon, Agares, should be at least a High Demon. The prerequisite of a Demon Lord.”

  For a moment, Lark remembered the times he fought with the Demon Lords back in his previous life. He almost died several times, but, without a doubt, it was one of the most exhilarating moments in his life. He wondered if the Demon Lords he’d fought back then were still alive. Demons were known to have very long lifespans, after all.

  “A High Demon?” said the princess.

  “Yes, a High Demon.” Lark nodded. “Tears of Ubroxia, a high-grade mana stone, ormatane and gold dust, blood of the sacrifice, and a phylactery—preferably made of adamantite, but mithril should be enough for a short ritual. These are the things you’ll need to sever the link binding the demon and the royal blood.”

  The princess and her men looked at Lark quizzically. The royal court magician told them that ingesting the Tears of Ubroxia would temporarily halt the progression of the curse. They weren’t told about its ability to sever the link entirely.

  “I-It’s possible to sever the link entirely?” said the princess.

  “Of course. It’s also possible even without the flower, but we’ll need at least a dozen high-grade mana stones to compensate for it, to make it work.”

  The male basil
isk produced only a middle-grade mana stone. The female basilisk, on the other hand, dropped a high-grade. Gathering more than a dozen of them would definitely be hard, since basilisks were already considered calamity class monsters in this Kingdom.

  Hearing that there was a way to finally rid the royal family of this curse, the princess unconsciously leaned forward and grasped Lark’s hands. She stared straight into his eyes. “Is this true? You really have a way to save Father?”

  The princess continued gripping Lark’s hands tight, not willing to let go until she received her answer.

  “That’s right, but princess,” said Lark. “There’s one problem.”

  The princess frowned. “What is it?”

  “I told you we’ll need a phylactery, right?” said Lark. “There’s a very high chance that this demon called Agares would appear after the completion of the ritual. No matter how virtuous this demon is, he’s still a demon. He wouldn’t simply allow the contract to be severed without putting up a fight. Although there are exemptions, demons generally hate humankind.”

  The princess shivered upon hearing this. To think that they would need to face the wrath of a High Demon to successfully cure His Majesty—just the mere thought made her entire body tremble. Even Parzival turned pale at this revelation. If a High Demon—said to be almost as powerful as a dragon—appeared at the capital, the entire Kingdom would face the risk of annihilation.

  “The demon surely planted a fragment into the founding king of this nation, and this fragment is passed down to each succeeding generation. The moment the ritual is complete, this fragment will become the link, the passageway for this so-called Agares to cross over. But if we have a phylactery to store this fragment, it should be possible for us to seal the passage before the demon could even have the chance to cross over.”

  The princess finally let go of Lark’s hands. Her face visibly brightened upon hearing the last part of the statement.

  “Then we can prevent the demon from appearing after we cure Father!” she said excitedly.

  Lark raised his index finger. “But we’ll need a strong phylactery, Princess. As I’ve said before, adamantite is the ideal. If by chance Agares is stronger than a High Demon, a mithril phylactery wouldn’t be enough to contain the fragment. He’ll appear before us, sooner or later. And by that time, we’ll have no choice but to face him in a battle of life or death.”

  CHAPTER 9

  Princess Esmeralda was thrilled upon learning that the Lord of Blackstone Town was knowledgeable of curses. With just a few pieces of evidence presented to him, he even managed to come up with the conclusion that His Majesty had an existing contract with a demon.

  But her excitement was short-lived.

  Lark soon revealed that she would probably not find the flower in the Endless Forest. According to him, the Tears of Ubroxia grew only in mana-dense areas—and the Endless Forest was clearly not among those places.

  “Then… we’ve wasted our time coming all the way here?” she said in dismay. Just the journey to Blackstone Town alone took them a month.

  “That’s not true, Princess.” Parzival stared at Lark. “We’ve gained something more valuable by coming to Blackstone Town.”

  The princess understood what Parzival was trying to convey. Indeed, meeting Lark was a godsend. Even the royal court magicians didn’t know the way to rid the royal family of the curse, but this young man before them had just declared that it would be possible to sever the link entirely.

  She steeled her resolve. If they couldn’t find the flower in this region, then they’d just need to find it somewhere else. It was definitely for the best that they’d learned this early that they couldn’t find the flower in the Endless Forest.

  “Mana-dense places,” she said. “Do you have any places in mind, Lord Lark?”

  “I’m afraid I’m not familiar with the topography and territories of this Kingdom. But what we should be looking for are these three: labyrinths, mana wells, or any areas connected to the Dragon Vein below. Those three will always contain the greatest amount of ambient mana, a place suitable for the growth of the flower. We could also try our luck at the territory near a dragon’s lair, but I doubt His Majesty will permit an expedition to that land since it might incite war with the Dwarven Kingdom.”

  Parzival frowned. All of the areas mentioned by Lark were terribly dangerous places usually infested with monsters.

  The princess said slowly, “Parzival, what about the City of Bones?”

  “Absolutely not, Princess!” said Parzival, his voice almost a shout. “It’s called a forbidden region for a reason! Even the United Grakas Alliance doesn’t dare go through that territory in fear of annihilation!”

  “But there’s a labyrinth at the center of the ruins, right? And it’s one of the two places they told us about. The place where we could potentially find the flower!”

  “Princess, I’m curious,” said Lark. “Who told you that you’ll be able to find the Tears of Ubroxia at the Endless Forest?”

  The princess looked at Parzival, wordless asking if it was alright to reveal this information to Lark. After Parzival subtly bobbed his head in confirmation, the princess said, “The royal court magician, Lady Ropianna. She’s a magician under the direct supervision of the royal family. She’s been protecting the crown for several decades now, and she’s also the one who’s been halting the progression of my father’s curse with her magic. If not for her, the curse would have already killed Father several years ago.”

  “She’s capable of halting the progression of a curse from a High Demon?” mumbled Lark. “Impressive.” Lark pondered for several seconds. “Did she tell you the reason why she considered the Endless Forest?”

  Lark had visited the Endless Forest several times before when he was making the map of the surrounding region, and he did not encounter any mana-dense areas nearby. Based on the story of the princess, this royal court magician seemed capable. Lark could not understand how someone of her caliber would make this simple mistake.

  The princess shook her head. “She didn’t tell us the reason…”

  Parzival added, “It’s a bit vague… The lady simply said that we’ll find the cure to His Majesty’s curse in the Endless Forest and at the Forbidden Region. She said this was the Water God’s revelation to her at the temple.”

  For some reason, Parzival stared at Lark as though he’d arrived at a realization. As though he finally understood what the Water God’s message to the royal court magician meant.

  Lark remained silent upon the mention of the Water God. Even now, he still did not believe in the existence of such higher beings. Even back in his past life, he’d never encountered them, nor did they make contact with the humans. Even if they did exist, Lark deemed that they were probably just massive aggregations of mana capable of coherent thoughts, just like the demons.

  “Are there other labyrinths in this Kingdom, aside from the Forbidden Region?” said Lark.

  “There are none,” said Parzival.

  “How about mana wells?”

  “There’s only one mana well in the entire continent,” said Parzival. “And it’s located at the center of the Empire’s capital.”

  Lark sighed. “Then the Forbidden Region’s the only remaining option.”

  Parzival looked at the princess, then at Lark. “I believe there’s no need for us to go to that dangerous place ourselves. The captain of the royal knights and his men are probably on their way toward that labyrinth as we speak. Before we left the capital, the royal knights were already organizing an expedition to find the flower in the Forbidden Region. They finally have a chance to organize an army for expedition now that the Imperial Army has retreated from our land.”

  Parzival was obviously against the princess going to such a dangerous place. Lark agreed with the knight on this. Even if he went to the Forbidden Region, he wouldn’t take the princess with him. She’d only be dead weight.

  “An army of knights is already on its way to
ward the labyrinth to search for the flower, huh?” said Lark.

  Parzival nodded. “It’s an elite unit serving directly under the king. The captain is the son of Sword Saint Marrozo. I heard that before the Sword Saint became bedridden due to old age, he managed to pass down his sword techniques to the captain.”

  Lark heard before that there were two Sword Saints in this Kingdom. He’d met Master Alexander several times before, but this was the first time he’d heard the name of the second Sword Saint. Unfortunately, based on Parzival’s story, the Sword Saint was already bedridden.

  “Since an elite unit is already on its way to the Forbidden Region to retrieve the flower,” said Lark. “All we can do now is wait. Please send a message to the capital. List down all the things I’ve told you and have them procure the materials immediately. Also, if by any chance they’d be able to gather a dozen high-grade mana stones, we can also use those as an alternative option.”

  The last part of the statement was probably wishful-thinking, Lark knew.

  “Understood!” Parzival said firmly. “I’ll send out a messenger immediately!”

  The princess frowned. “Parzival, why are you agreeing to what Lord Lark’s saying? Isn’t it better if we also go to the Forbidden Region? What if the royal knights can’t retrieve the flower!”

  Lark stared at the princess. He pondered for a moment if he should say what was on his mind to the princess.

  “And what difference will it make if you’re there, Princess?” Lark asked. He didn’t hesitate to shatter the princess’ naïve way of thinking. “You’ll be dead weight. Baggage. It’ll only make it harder for the army to retrieve the flower if they also have to protect you in that labyrinth.”

  The princess’ entire face flushed, probably from anger, or maybe from shame—Lark was not sure. And he didn’t care.