Chapter 25
The day after I returned to Avalon, I called a meeting of all my councilors and told them about my experience at the Tempest Festival. Most of all, I talked to Tuatha and Brown about my conversation with Elmesia.
"Elmesia wants to sign a trade agreement between Sarion and Avalon. I told her that I had to ask you guys first." – I told them both.
"Avalon is a nascent nation, Lord Rogan. We need all the support we can. To be honest with you, now that we have a place to call home, I don't hold a grudge against Elmesia or her people. I too would do anything to protect Avalon." – said Tuatha, solemnly.
"I have no problems either, Lord Rogan. In fact, I would like to ask you something." - Brown said.
"What is it?" – I asked.
"I would like your permission to marry Riannan." – He declared.
"Wow, wow! Since when do you and Riannan have a relationship? – I asked surprised.
"Well…remember that time…when I went to apologize for treating her badly, when she came to live in our village? Well, one thing led to another, and we ended up going on a date. Now we want to get married, so I came to ask your permission." - He said.
"Browen, if you want to marry Riannan, and she reciprocates, you don't need my permission to marry. I hope the two of you to be very happy." - I answered.
"Thank you very much, Lord Rogan!"
After Brown's statement, I introduced everyone to Edward, the guy Mjöllmile had recommended to me to become my finance minister. Edward and I had met shortly before the festival ended. He was a tall, skinny boy, somewhat lanky, but his eyes shone with great intelligence, and he came recommended by Mjöllmile, so I decided to trust him and hand over the reins of the economic side of Avalon to him. It wasn't like I knew much about it.
After telling everyone about my adventures at the festival and its wonders, we ended the meeting.
Almost a year had passed since the festival and our return to Avalon, and everything was going perfectly. Already the statues that would constitute the pillars of our barrier were almost finished, and the construction projects around the city were finished. At that time, Avalon was capable of sustaining a population of at least a hundred thousand people and monsters. More than enough space for our current population.
Currently the population of Noah City was only twenty-one thousand individuals.
Of these, the Dark Elves were the most abundant, their numbers already reaching ten thousand.
These were followed by the mermaids, some five thousand of whom had joined our kingdom, coming from the seas around the island, seeking protection from the sea monsters. Triton was their leader.
Then came the Undead, who numbered five thousand.
Then came the Elementals, numbering seven hundred and nine, including Thorny and Willow.
Followed by the elementals came the Thunderbirds, with two hundred members.
The Arachnids with one hundred and fifty members.
The Trihorns with one hundred members.
The Hoggremlins with seventy members.
the nightmares Wolfs with fifty members.
The High Brownies with thirty members.
The Oni, which were only four.
The humans, who were two.
And the Elves, which were only two, too.
There was more than enough space to accommodate many more people. In addition to the houses, we already had several communal dining rooms; a hospital with the latest in healing potions, antidotes, and healing magic; a complete school with all kinds of teaching subjects; a harbor with enough space for a fleet of at least five hundred ships, and many other buildings that made Noah City a fully functioning and self-sufficient city.
I was in my office going through the endless mountain of documents that needed my signature when I received a "Thought Communication" from Hiroka informing me that a large battleship was approaching our port, bearing a flag of a human kingdom.
With a couple of thoughts, I teleported to the port, from where the big ship could be seen in the distance. Hiroka, Tuatha, and Okimura joined me soon after. A few minutes later, the battleship docked in our port, and five humans got off it. Two of them were soldiers, their bodies completely covered in armor, while the other three appeared to be dignitaries.
"Greetings. My name is Ballard Hartman. I am an ambassador from the human kingdom of Sybilla. I have come to deliver a message from my king to the King of Avalon." – said one of the dignitaries. He was elegantly dressed and his bearing showed pride.
"I am Rogan, King of Avalon." - I said.
"King Rogan." – He said, bowing. "On behalf of King Roland, King of Sybilla, it is my honor to invite you to visit our kingdom as a guest. It is my king's wish that this visit foster relations between the two kingdoms."
I remembered meeting King Roland during the festival in Rimuru City. Although I found his dealings with Yuuki, whom I didn't fully trust, suspicious, he seemed to be an affable and well-behaved man. Starting relations with other countries, aside from Tempest and Sarion, would be hugely beneficial to Avalon. As such, I had no reason to refuse a visit to the kingdom of Sybilla.
"I will gladly visit the kingdom of Sybilla. I will plan a trip in the next few weeks. You and your crew are welcome to stay in the city for as long as you like." – I told them, and told Tuatha to look for accommodation for them.
"We will accept your invitation. My crew is exhausted after our journey from Lake Ismar, from which we started, and across the entire ocean."
"If I may ask, why not just send a written invitation instead of coming in person?" – I asked Ballard, as we started our way towards the city.
"My king thought that a written invitation would be too informal, and not up to the standards of both kingdoms. My king wishes to make a good impression." – he explained to me.
We continued talking a little more about our kingdoms until we reached the building that Tuatha had designated for them. Only Ballard and about twenty humans seemed to be the ship's crew, with the help of magic.
That night we celebrated the invitation of the kingdom of Sybilla, and showed Ballard and his men all that Noah City had to offer. He seemed especially interested in our plans to create a barrier around the entire island. After a night of rest and sampling the delicacies of our city, our guests began their journey back to Sybilla the next morning. Normally it would take a ship at least a month to travel from Avalon to Lake Ismar, on which the port of Sybilla's capital, Bellheart, was located, but the battleship Ballard was traveling on was one of Sybilla's flagships, and thanks to magic, it would only take him a week to travel back.
By the time Ballard had gotten back to Sybilla, we would be on our way there.
The week passed quickly with the preparations for the trip. Since this would be an official trip to another country, I was expected to have an escort, so I would be accompanied by Okimura, Ignis, and Arthur, along with a group of ten Fire Elemental Spirits and ten Undead Warriors. We would be traveling in one of our flying ships, so it would take us a few days to reach Sybilla.
When all the preparations were made, we set out on our journey to the human kingdom.
We arrived at Sybilla a few days later, without incident. We thought of going out of the way for a few days to visit Tempest, but Hiroka, with whom I had a connection through "Thought Communication", informed me that Rimuru had left for Clayman's old kingdom to investigate some mysterious ruins he had found there. Since Rimuru wasn't in town, I thought I'd postponed my trip to Tempest until after I got back from Sybilla.
The Kingdom of Sybilla was located to the south of the Kingdom of Ingrasia, bordering Lake Ismar, which continued in the river of the same name, until it emptied into the ocean to the south, between the main continent, and the continent in which the Demon King Leon Cromwell reigned.
It was a prosperous and highly militarized kingdom, evidenced by the fact that they had a true Hero as their king, and most of their soldiers were veterans who reached Rank A+. We landed our ship in Bellheart's Harbor and were greeted by King Roland himself, along with Ballard and a group of dignitaries and soldiers.
"King Rogan, it is a pleasure to have you visiting our kingdom." - Roland began.
"I am grateful for your invitation." – I replied.
"Allow me to introduce you to my closest associates." - He said. "This is Malark Grayrock." – He pointed to one of the men who accompanied him.
He was so tall and muscular that he could easily be mistaken for one of Demon King Daggruel's sons. He carried a large sword on his back that was almost as big as himself, and an armor that seemed to be made of dragon scales.
"He is my right hand, and represents me in all military matters. And this is Gregg Stormwind, my other hand. He is one of the most powerful human wizards in the world." – He continued, pointing to another of those present. He appeared to be in his thirties, and was dressed in an ornate blue robe.
King Roland continued to introduce all the other companions, and then it was my turn. After the introductions, we proceeded to the king's palace. The palace was not like mine, but rather looked like a monstrosity of dark stone, filled with towers and walls. It looked more like a war fortress than the residence of a king.
Inside, it seemed a bit more civilized, with lighter colors and paintings on the walls. One of them especially caught my attention. In this one, a beautiful blonde-haired woman smiled kindly at the artist. Her beautiful silver eyes contrasted beautifully against her violet dress making her delicate face shine.
"Who is she?" – I asked the king. We were in the hall of the castle, and only King Roland, Malark, Gregg, Okimura, Ignis, and myself were present. Arthur had stayed outside to organize the twenty soldiers we had brought.
"Her name was Orianna. She was my queen." - He answered, his voice filled with pain and sorrow.
"I am so sorry for your loss."
"I lost her during an assassination attempt orchestrated by another kingdom some twenty years ago." - Roland continued. It seemed that the rumor that true Heroes did not age was true. He hardly looked older than thirty.
"This is a very violent world." – I commented.
"It is." – he agreed. "That's the main reason you're here today."
Before I could ask him about his ominous comment, Raziel alerted me…
Warning. An anti-magicule barrier has been detected. The power of this one exceeds several times that of the "Holly Field" used by Grambell Rosso. Its effects cannot be countered at your current moment. All magic and magical skills have been sealed.
I didn't know what was going on, but it definitely couldn't be good...
Beside me, Okimura and Ignis drew their swords, but their movements were slow and their bodies seemed to be under great stress. Malark and Gregg also drew their weapons.
"What is the meaning of this?" - I asked Roland.
He continued to look at his wife's painting, even as he answered me.
"Tell me, King Rogan, do you know how this world came to be?" – He asked me instead of answering my question.
"It was created by Veldanava, the greatest of the True Dragons." – I replied, while trying to use "Thought Communication" with my friends, but it didn't seem to work. The barrier could block even these kinds of skills, it seemed.
"That's right. Veldanava. The creator god of this world. I would have liked to meet him, but he died long before my time. I would have liked to ask him if he was proud of his creation. A corrupt world, full of wars and senseless violence. A world where the strong can do as they please, while the weak must submit or die."
"What does that have to do with me?" – I asked. The vast majority of my skills were gone. I haven't felt this helpless since I faced Granbell.
"But there was one who opposed Veldanava. One who wanted to destroy this whole world, to start over from scratch, to create a better world." – Roland continued, ignoring me completely.
"Veldark." – I murmured.
"Oh! So, you know the story? I guess that was to be expected, since you found the stone plate."
"Wait... Is this all because of that stone plate I found?" – I asked surprised.
"That's correct. You see, King Rogan. I have no grudge against you. I do not seek the riches of your land, nor do I pray to some foolish god who hates demi-humans. The only thing I need from you is that stone plate."
"Why? It's certainly a powerful artifact, but I don't think it's worth all this circus to get it."
"That's where you're wrong. That stone plate is priceless, to me. When Veldark opposed Veldanava, they met in combat. Legend has it that their attacks rent the skies and scorched the seas, but in the end Veldanava prevailed. But during the fight, Veldark managed to injure his brother. A single scale fell from Veldanava's large body. Just one scale. Obviously, the attack did not affect him at all, and once he won the match, he proceeded to lock his brother for all eternity in another dimension, sealing him with his own flesh and blood. That stone plate that you possess, King Rogan, is that single scale that Veldanava lost. That's why it can create magicules indefinitely, like Veldanava could do when he was alive. It is a part of the body of the Creator God. And it is the only key to free his exiled brother, Veldark."
"That is what you are looking for? Release Veldark? - I asked, while trying to assimilate everything he had told me.
"That's right. Once I have the plate in my possession, I and my allies will use it to free Veldark, our master. And he, with his purifying fire, will cleanse this world full of despair and sadness. And from the ashes of this world, a new one will rise. A world where there will be no strong and weak. Where there will be no Demon Kings or Heroes. A world where there will be only one king, and we will all surrender to him."
"You are insane! Do you really want to destroy the world? – I exclaimed.
"It is this world that is insane! This world that took my beloved wife from me! And with the help of Veldark, I will finally get my justice! Now decide, King Rogan. Will you give me the plate, or will I have to take it from by force?"
There was no way I was going to give him the plate. I may have only lived in this world for a few years, but it was home to many people I cared about. All in Avalon. Rimuru and his city. Even some of the demon kings.
"I'm afraid I can't give it to you." – was my answer.