Bloodbound Codex: I Grow Stronger in Secret

Chapter 106: Buthchered - II

"Yes...I am talking about exactly that." The moment Thorsin said this, Marthino felt his mind go blank. His legs and hands trembled slightly as he stood there, and the only thought that formed properly was, ’B-Butchered a King?’

His mind could not accept it at all. To Marthino, a King or Queen was someone revered by every subject in their land, and their position was not something that could be held by name alone. A ruler had to possess strength that justified sitting above everyone else, because no one could simply become King if their power was not enough to make the rest of the continent accept that position.

That was even more true for the rulers of the continents. They were EX-ranks, they could erase half a continent with just one attack, individuals who existed beyond the any laws of control. It was not accurate to say they only followed the laws of the world, because at that level they could control those laws directly and use them in ways that lower ranks could not understand, which was why the thought of a person like that being butchered did not fit anywhere inside Marthino’s understanding.

Marthino still could not believe it. However, the words had come from Thorsin himself, the King of the Dwarves, their king, who had helped the Dwarves build nearly everything they possessed now. Without him, many of them would no longer be alive because of the circumstances the continent had gone through in the past, and Marthino knew that Thorsin would not use something like this as a joke or say it only for entertainment.

Then another thought entered his mind, and that thought was the...Dragon Emperor.

That title had always been spoken mysteriously. Even the most powerful people Marthino knew rarely said anything about that person, and some avoided speaking the title entirely. Marthino had heard rumours and incomplete stories, but despite being the right-hand man of the Dwarven King, he had never met the Dragon Emperor or even been allowed to enter the Dragon Continent.

The Dragon Emperor had always remained a mystery to him, and Marthino had often wondered how powerful someone had to be for even EX-ranks to avoid discussing him openly. But now, after hearing Thorsin’s words, his mind slowly began accepting the statement, and that was what confused him more.

Only a few moments ago, the idea of an EX-rank King being butchered had felt completely impossible, yet after connecting it to the Dragon Emperor, the resistance inside his mind started disappearing on its own. It was as if something had forced his thoughts to recognise the statement as truth even though he had no personal proof of it. ’How am I able to believe something this unreasonable?’

He tried to question it, but his thoughts became heavier the more he focused on the Dragon Emperor, and even keeping that title inside his mind started feeling like something he should not continue doing.

Thorsin noticed the change and waved his right hand once. "I knew it....speaking about him is not good for you. Even though you are an SSS-rank, you still cannot pass through his ’Natural Binding’. It is already surprising that you are still standing, most others would have fainted by now, haha."

The tension around Marthino’s thoughts lessened after Thorsin stopped speaking about the Dragon Emperor directly. He took a slow breath and nodded, understanding only that the problem was connected to something called Natural Binding, though he did not know what that term actually meant or why simply hearing about one person could affect his thoughts like that.

After recovering enough to speak, Marthino asked, "What are your orders regarding the Monsters, Your Majesty?"

Thorsin turned back toward the direction of the barrier and the Monsters beyond it. "I know you have been holding back because I had not given a direct order. Kill those pests now, I will personally deal with the matter connected to the Human Continent, and we will hold a proper Royal meeting with everyone after the immediate situation is settled. For now, go and finish this."

While speaking, Thorsin continued calculating the condition of the Monsters from the way the unknown energy moved through their bodies. The energy had merged with their Spirit, but the process seemed... incomplete with just a glance. The two did not move like one stable force, and that instability meant the Monsters could not maintain their current condition forever.

They still had time, even if that time was not much.

It might only be a few days, but for Kharzach that was enough. Their technology, barriers, crafted weapons, and prepared defence systems could remove the current threat even if they were do something surprising, and the Monsters outside the city had already shown that they could not pass through the barrier.

Thorsin thought for another moment and added, "Also compensate the ordinary families who lost members before the barrier was fully activated. Five hundred gold for each family should be enough to support them for some time. They are our people, but mercy is not something this damned world shows."

Marthino bowed once. "Understood, Your Majesty." He turned and left the platform to carry out the order, while Thorsin remained where he was, still looking toward the Monsters and studying the strange energy mixed into them.

- - -

Far away from Kharzach, near the border of the Dragon Continent, the land was arranged differently from the other outer regions of the world. The Dragon Continent stood at the centre, and its borders touched all four of the surrounding continents, making its position absolute in both geography and influence.

From the north-east to the south-east, its border separated the Dragon Continent from Celestara, the Angelic Continent. From the south-east to the south-west, it separated the Dragon and Dwarven Continents. Continuing from the south-west, another section divided the Human Continent from the Dragon Continent, and the final stretch moved from the south-west toward the north-east, separating the Elven Continent from the Dragon Continent.

The Elven Continent was larger than the Human, Angelic, and Dwarven Continents in total land area, but even it was small compared to the Dragon Continent. The size of the central land could no longer be discussed in only thousands of kilometres, because it extended across hundreds of thousands.

At the border between the Human and Dragon Continents, a curved and uneven forest stretched across the land. It separated the outermost cities, eventually making the boundary between the continents themselves.

PICTURE*

Inside this forest, near the right end of the border region, two figures rested on separate tree branches. One was sitting upright while the other lay across a branch broad enough to support his full body comfortably.

The one lying down had one leg crossed over the other and his eyes closed, showing no concern about the forest around him. On the opposite branch, the female figure sat while moving her legs back and forth in a slow rhythm.

She looked toward him and spoke, "Let’s go back home now, Xakro."

Xakro opened his eyes and turned his head toward her. He stared for a short moment before answering, "Hah....fine, let’s go. Father will start suspecting that I only came here with you because you wanted some ’fresh air.’"

The female figure frowned immediately and let out a "Hmph!" before stretching one hand across the gap between the branches, catching his cheek, and twisting it tightly.

"You never learn, do you? You were the one who wanted to see me, so say that properly. Do not place the blame on me."

"Ahh! Why are you getting angry over one joke?" Xakro complained while reaching for her hand. "I only said it to improve your mood, and this is what you do?"

When she released him, Xakro rubbed the swollen part of his cheek and made his face look as though he was about to cry. She watched him with twitching brows because she already knew he was acting and had not actually been hurt by something that small.

Xakro realised his acting had failed, so he stopped pretending. He brushed one hand over the swollen cheek, and the skin returned to normal immediately without any visible Spirit, energy fluctuation, or other force being released. He sighed and spoke, "Looks like I need to improve my acting if I want to fool you next time."

"You....if I catch you doing that again, I will beat you properly," she replied. "You cannot even take care of your future wife without behaving like this. Acting will get you nowhere."

Xakro looked at her for another moment, then turned his head away. "Let’s go, Melina. Enough joking for now. And do not worry....I know how to take care of you after our marriage, hehe~."

Melina did not like the smirk on his face after he said that, but she decided not to respond to it for now. She moved from the branch and answered, "Okay....let’s go."

The next moment, both of them vanished from the forest.