The Godking's Legacy

by Virlyce

  14

  Thankfully, I managed to convince Lucia to leave the desolate mountains via the academy’s teleportation array. It wouldn’t have been very smart to stay in those lawless lands after everyone found out about our wealth. I’ve told it to Lucia before, but divine beasts are valuable. It wouldn’t have been a problem if only the students came after us, but I’m willing to bet patrol leaders and teachers would’ve been tempted by nine divine beast corpses.

  When we arrived in the capital, we were asked for our I.D. once again, but Mr. Shinx’s name was enough for them to stop hassling us. I wanted to find Mr. Shinx and apologize for spending so many of his contribution points, but he was visiting family in the countryside; thus, we had to leave. I hope he won’t be too angry with me when he finds out. His contribution points were only enough to rent a room for a week, so either he had an abysmally low number of points or that room was insanely expensive. I think it’s the latter.

  It’s been a while since I’ve been to the capital. It’s an ugly, crowded place. There’s people everywhere. It’s loud and noisy. Tourists stand in the middle of the streets or walk side by side along the narrow paths. The roads are littered with horse dung from all the carriages and taxis. The smell is unbearable at times, especially when it rains. It’s nothing like the countryside. I’ve only been here three times: when I begged my father to take me on one of his business trips, when my father was recognized for his deeds, and most recently, when the crown prince came of age. I was ten at the time, which means the prince should be in his twenties now. Speaking of ages, I wonder how old Lucia is. “Lucia? How old are you?”

  Lucia blinked and glanced at me before raising her head again. It seemed like she didn’t like crowds—crowds of demons at least. I’d probably be just as uncomfortable as her if I was thrown into the beastkin’s capital. “Age has no meaning to a warrior.” Lucia nodded twice.

  Well, whatever. It’s not like it matters once she’s above the age of marriage, which I’m sure she is. “You wanted to sell your … stuff, right?”

  “Right,” Lucia said and pushed me in front of her. “Lead the way!”

  Under normal circumstances, I’d avoid the marketplace and have my father buy everything Lucia was selling, but I’m positive my father has no use for beast penises! He hasn’t remarried after my mother died after all. Though I haven’t been here often, I memorized maps of the major demon cities and the human and beast capitals as part of my education to becoming a duchess. I’m pretty sure the mercantile section of the capital is towards the south.

  And I was right. It was to the south, but now the problem is choosing which store to sell to. Apothecaries have been known to create tonics with the goods Lucia’s trying to sell. But chefs have also been known to buy the goods Lucia’s trying to sell from butchers. They’re a delicacy sold in high-class restaurants. And I also have to take into consideration which shops are aligned with which political faction. It wouldn’t reflect well on my father if I sold a tremendous amount of materials to someone unaffiliated with my father. Then I have to take into consideration the beast cores Lucia wants to sell. Those can go to alchemists, magical blacksmiths, or the apothecary again. Price also plays a major role; I can’t let anyone scam Lucia. …I think I figured out why my father hired a butler who used to be a merchant.

  “Are we here?” Lucia asked. “Why’d you stop?”

  “I’m trying to figure out the best person to sell your goods to,” I said. “There’s a lot of things to take into consideration.”

  “Eh?” Lucia tilted her head. “I’ll take over since we’re here.” She sucked in her breath and tilted her head towards the sky. “Beast penises! Beast penises! Come get your beast penises! They come in all shapes and sizes: one head, two heads, three heads; you name it, I have it! Special limited time offer! Buy a package deal and receive two complimentary beast cores!”

  …I think I should hide.

  “But wait!” Lucia shouted. “There’s more! How many of you have seen a divine beast’s penis!? Not only can you look, but you can buy your very own today!”

  Lucia’s voice echoed through the whole mercantile district, and a few curious shop owners stuck their heads out of their stores. A few mothers had covered their childrens’ ears with their hands, and men were laughing at Lucia’s advertisement. One shop owner walked up to us. “Can I see your wares?”

  Lucia nodded and grabbed my hand. She put an earring in my palm and patted my back. “This is the seller. I just work for her.” She leaned closer and whispered to me, “They’ll scam me if I try to sell them goods. You can do this for me, right? Thanks, Ilya, you’re the best.”

  I looked up at the expectant merchant before sending my senses into the interspacial earring. A sea of dicks awaited me. When Teacher told me to gather experience by exploring the world, I don’t think he ever expected me to have this kind of experience.

  What happened next has been forever scrubbed from my memory.

  A few hours later, Lucia was smiling with an interspacial earring filled to the brim with gold, silver, and copper coins. If I had to take a guess at Lucia’s fortune, then I’d say she had as much money as an established marchioness would—more than a common person would ever make in fifty lifetimes. I never realized there were so many depraved people in the capital. I feel tainted after … after that event that never happened.

  “Ah, it feels good to be rich,” Lucia said and stored her earring somewhere beneath her dress. “So, what’s next? Why don’t you take me to your home? There’s so many new things to explore! Ah, the world’s so bright.”

  I think I’m going to cry.

  ***

  Just as I expected! It feels good to be rich. I don’t get why Ilya looks so glum despite mooching off my money by riding the super-expensive carriage I hired to take us back to her home. She didn’t lose anything, and she’s getting benefits! This carriage comes with a portable refrigerator powered by magic; there’s even free drinks! Of course, I offered them to Ilya first to test for poison. I should just hire someone to test all my food for me before I eat it; I think it’d make my life a lot less stressful. That’s right, in the future, I’ll hire a poison tester when I have my own place.

  I took a bone of focus out of my storage and absorbed it. I was starting to get low on its effects, and they didn’t give me as much focus as they used to, but they still work fine. I just have to consume more. And even though I’m eating and sleeping properly now, I still use my bones of strength. I’ve gotten a few tingly feelings and headaches when I don’t use them. One time, I even vomited.

  “Hey, Lucia,” Ilya said. She was hesitating. Was she going to say something that would offend me? “You, um, probably shouldn’t use your bones….”

  What? Nonsense! I have so many; I’d feel bad if I didn’t use them. Waste not, want not; that’s what one of my fellow beastkin army members told me once after licking moldy sauce off of his plate. I avoided him after that.

  I must have given Ilya a strange look because she continued and said, while biting her lip, “They’re addictive. Like really, really addictive.” She withered under my gaze, her shoulders hunching. “And, um, they’re not healthy for you. I didn’t say anything earlier because it looked like you really needed them to sustain your unsustainable lifestyle, but now…” Ilya stiffened. She barely managed to whisper, “I’m going to pee if you keep staring at me like that.”

  Oh, I was activating my Unrelenting Path of Slaughter. I hadn’t even noticed, how odd. But does that mean my aura is as intimidating as Durandal’s was? No, I actually peed under Durandal’s bloodthirst. But then again, Ilya does seem more levelheaded than I was when I first met Durandal, so maybe, my aura’s the same as Durandal’s, but Ilya’s just better at holding it together. …I feel like Ilya was saying something important before? What was it? Darn, this bone of focus is already running out; I should use another.

  “Lucia…,” Ilya said when I took out another bone and consumed it. “Are you
doing that just to annoy me?”

  “Doing what?” Oh, right! She was saying bones were addictive. That can’t be true. “Don’t worry, I can stop whenever I want.”

  Ilya furrowed her brow, her face looking like a concerned puppy’s. “You do know that’s what all addicts say, right?” she asked and pursed her lips.

  “Well, I’m willing to bet that’s what all non-addicts also say.” After all, a person who’s perfectly sober wouldn’t claim to be addicted. That’s me; why admit a problem when there is none?

  “No they, I mean, well, that’s true,” Ilya said. “But the thing is, they actually can stop whenever they want. I don’t think you can.”

  “Hey, it’s my life, and if I’m ruining it by absorbing bones, how’s that your problem? Besides, they’re really helpful.” These bones really help me, okay? They’re all I have to remind me of Durandal—other than mini-DalDal. The ability to engrave symbols onto bones was Durandal’s parting gift to me—other than the Unrelenting Path of Slaughter. I definitely couldn’t have made it to the peak of spirit warrior without them.

  Ilya lowered her head and looked up at me through her lashes. “But are they helping you now?” She sighed. “You’re eating and sleeping. You don’t need to constantly maintain vigilance. So why are you using them?”

  “Because it makes me feel better. And why are you asking so many questions? Are you upset that I’m not sharing any with you? What’s so bad about using them anyways?” I don’t see a problem. Sure, I can sell them for money, but I’m rich! I don’t need money. I could buy a mansion full of bones if I wanted to.

  “I’m not upset,” Ilya said. “And they’re bad for your health. Everyone who’s used them has died an early death.”

  “Correlation does not imply causation! Most people who would use these bones are mercenaries. And mercenaries have a high rate of death. It’s not the bones’ fault.”

  “But major schools ban bones of focus even though students live a life filled with a need to stay focused.” Ilya’s lips were trembling, and she bit her lower one to make them stop.

  “Clearly, they don’t want rich people to win out over the poor.” What a considerate school. “Everyone deserves a fair chance.”

  “If that were the case, the administrations wouldn’t put the wealthier students into the classes with the better teachers,” Ilya said. “It’s the bones that are the problem. If you want me to, I can list out their major problems.”

  “You should’ve done that from the start.” She can’t just say bones are bad without explaining why. It doesn’t make for a very convincing argument.

  “Well,” Ilya said and hung her head. “I don’t know them off the top of my head, but I’ll show you the books in my father’s study! There’s lots of them about addictive substances and their corresponding health hazards. But I do know nearly all addictive substances tears families apart because of communication and financial issues.”

  “Hah! I’m an orphan. There’s no way my family can be torn apart.”

  Ilya scratched her head. “They’re … they’re just bad, you know?”

  “No, I don’t. And you haven’t said anything to convince me that they are.” Sheesh, why’s she so persistent about this topic? It’s not like my bones are interfering with me becoming a divine warrior, right? …Right? “Ilya! Do you think these bones interfere with becoming a divine warrior!?”

  “Oh! That was one of the side effects!” Ilya said, her eyes widening. “Consuming bones hampers mana circulation in the long run because of the beastly properties!”

  “But I have like literally no mana circulation. Do you think it hampers qi too?” That would be a serious problem! A serious, serious problem! But wait, Durandal wouldn’t give me something that prevents me from advancing. But then again, the Godking probably consumed bones too, and he never crossed the wall to become a divine warrior.

  “Maybe? I’ll check my father’s books when we arrive.” Ilya nodded.

  I guess, for now, I’ll have to … stop. …After this last one.

  ***

  I may have created a monster. Lucia had handed over all her bones to me and told me to hold onto them to prevent her from consuming any for no reason. I didn’t think my persuasion would work, and I have no idea if consuming bones affects her qi circulation, but my words worked. The first few minutes weren’t too bad. That’s right, just minutes. Maybe she got anxious from not having them on her, but she threatened to tear my lungs out if I didn’t return them to her, so I did.

  After that happened, she consumed a bone and gave the whole thing back to me again, and told me to not give them to her no matter how much she asked. But as anyone who’s had a sharp object pointed at their face would know, if the wielder of said object asks you for something, you hand it over without objection. When Lucia realized handing the bones over to me wouldn’t work, she decisively dumped them out the window of the carriage. Five minutes later, the carriage driver was forced to turn back under the threat of never having kids in the future.

  So Lucia did the most logical thing to do when she realized as long as the bones existed, she’d seek them out. She consumed all of them at once—a whole interspacial ring’s worth of them. I thought she’d explode or at least turn into an idiot from the backlash, but I guess someone who would consume that many bones at once had no fear of turning into an imbecile because they already were one. Did I just call Lucia stupid? Well, as long as the person in question doesn’t know, it’s fine.

  After consuming all the bones, Lucia sat around in a daze for a while, letting out the occasional burp or hiccough. The peace and quiet lasted for nearly a day, but after that is when the nightmare started. Lucia trembled and muttered to herself like a homeless person in the streets, staring at her hands while licking her lips. Her sock spirit, the wolfman named Puppers, finally came back to life around the time Lucia started chewing on her tail, and she, uh, dismembered him to acquire a new set of bones to engrave. I don’t know what the poor spirit had done in his past life to deserve an owner like Lucia, but it couldn’t have been good. But disregarding his unfortunate fate, Lucia’s newest supply of bones has dwindled severely over the past few days, and I’m afraid I’m going to be next if she runs out before we make it to my home. Now I know why addicts are scary; they’ll do anything to get their next fix.

  The carriage driver is also frightened, and in turn, the horses are frightened too. They’ve been running nonstop through the nights to reach our destination faster. Of course, I’ve been renewing their stamina and increasing their speed with magic, but there’s only so much I can do. I’ve thought about giving Lucia the corpses of the divine beasts I currently have stored away, but I’d like to save that as a last resort lest anyone discovers them. It’s unlikely anyone would have designs on me or my father to steal away some corpses, but it never hurts to be careful. …Unless a slightly crazy beastkin wants to rip the bones out of your body to draw pictures on them.

  I have never been as relieved as I was when I saw the statue of my father on the horizon, signaling we were getting close. Lucia hasn’t spoken a word since she tore apart her spirit, mostly keeping her eyes closed with a pile of bloody bones in her lap. The past few days in the carriage with Lucia have been like sitting in a cage with a sleeping manticore. The stress has caused my mana levels to soar, and looking inwards, I could tell my fifth circle was starting to form. Meeting Lucia, I’m still not sure if it’s a blessing or a curse.

  Just a few more hours and I’ll be back home. I hope my father’s doing well. He had chosen to pass me off to Teacher because he was busy with work, and anything that could keep a high-ranking magician occupied for extended periods of time was most likely troublesome to handle. I wonder what Father would think when he meets Lucia. Speaking of Lucia, she’s still muttering to herself with her eyes closed. Eh? They opened? But why are they so … strange? They’re not as white as they are when she turns cruel and savage, but her irises and pupils are definitely dimmer.
>
  “Someone’s looking to die,” Lucia said, her eyes narrowing. She glanced at me, and I stiffened. It was almost like she could see past my eyes, right into my head. “Sixteen? No, seventeen.”

  What? “Are you sober?”

  “Shh.” Lucia put her finger to her lips. Her ears twitched a few times. “So that’s how the path knows where to find prey: sounds and smell.” She grinned at me, her smile brightening up her face. It was almost like the deranged companion I had for the last few days had never existed. “There’s seventeen people hiding behind that particularly large mound of dirt. Is that normal? They’re talking like bandits, saying things like, ‘hush, they’re coming’, ‘do you see their crest’, and ‘how many are there?’”

  “Bandits? This close to my father’s lands?” That’s definitely not normal. My father would never allow bandits to exist along his roads. No one would be stupid enough to anger a duke either; what are they thinking? “What do they look like?”

  Lucia rolled her eyes. “Do you think I can hear appearances?”

  I guess that’s impossible even for someone like her. But I bet if she could, and I didn’t ask, she’d respond with something like, ‘But you didn’t ask me if I could do that.’ Anyways, as my father’s daughter, there’s no way I can let bandits roam free like this. Sadly, I can’t take care of seventeen people by myself if they’re all magicians. “Will you help me subdue them?”

  Lucia’s tail twitched. “Will I get paid?”

  A typical Lucia response. “Yes.”

  “Then I’ll gladly help!” Lucia beamed and drew her sword. She muttered to herself, “I wonder if I can use bloody qi without activating the path.”

  ***

  Lucia signaled for the driver to stop and hopped out of the carriage. “I know you’re out there,” she shouted and pointed her sword at the hill. A moment of silence passed with Lucia standing as still as a statue, the wind causing the hairs on her tail to rustle. “Come out!”