Chapter 182: An S-rank Beast [300 PS Bonus Chapter]
"Your majesty, I think we should stop the hunt," one of the officials of the Convergence Festival approached the king and said.
The magic tool currently broadcasting the representatives’ actions showed that they had long stepped out of the forest and into a region that was truly not accounted for.
As far as he recalled, there was supposed to be a barrier enveloping the entire forest, one stronger than the one placed at the eastern markers.
But the representatives had somehow crossed that too, and now, they were in genuine danger.
After all, that volcano was where the S-Rank beast resided, and the roar they had heard earlier, combined with the volcano’s trembling, left little doubt that it had awakened.
King Magnus watched the scene unfold with narrowed eyes. Deep down, even he knew that Lucian was in danger.
And so, he came to a decision.
"The festival will continue," he declared in a flat, emotionless voice.
That....was not what he had intended to say, but for some reason, he was convinced that it was the correct decision.
The Archbishop glanced at him for a while before smiling and turning back towards the screen before them.
None of the other Grand dukes said anything either, Ignis, because he saw this as a chance for his sons to grow.
Grand Duke Boreas, on the other hand, had a deal with Adrian; besides, he trusted in his kids enough to know that they would remain safe.
Grand Duke Horus was merely a puppet who would only say something if Marion ordered it, and finally, Grand Duke Zephir had a scheming look in his eyes.
Like his daughter, he was always planning something or the other, and yet, none could tell.
This time, his goal was to get Linda closer to Lady Renelle, and what better place to do that than a battlefield?
Why?
Well, from all the information gathered so far, it was safe to say that there was something slowly brewing, and he’d ensure they were on the winning side.
And right now, the North felt like his safest bet.
The official looked at the king for a while before turning to the other Grand Dukes, none of whom said anything, so he just sighed and went back to his position with a single thought in his mind,
Please remain safe
***
Back in the scorched earth, the representatives turned towards the trembling volcano where the roar had come from.
Soon enough, the ground began to tremble, which caused the group to look ahead, only to spot a large horde of beasts charging toward them.
And then at the very peak of the volcanic mountain, a stream of lava erupted, pulling the group’s attention back towards it.
Within said stream of lava was a lizard-like beast with black scales and an orange glow between said scales.
The creature moved through the lava stream the way a fish moved through water, completely at home.
Its four limbs were propelling it downward with a speed that definitely didn’t match its size.
"What the hell is that?" Conan couldn’t help but let out as he watched the creature rushing down the mountain.
For a moment, he forgot that he possessed a scanner that could answer exactly that question.
"A Lava Salamander," Orion answered as he also looked ahead, "the S-rank beast that dwells within the volcano."
"Though we always thought of it as just a scary bedtime story," he added as he placed a hand on his chin.
"That thing has been in there since you were little?" Linda was the one who asked.
"Hmm," Darius nodded.
"Then why didn’t the Grand Duke deal with it?" She couldn’t help but ask again with a confused look on her face.
"It wasn’t causing anyone harm," Darius answered with a shrug, "besides, it wasn’t strong enough for the old man to be interested in."
Yeah, that made complete sense.
If a beast wasn’t strong enough and wasn’t causing any harm, you should gladly let it stay within your territory and get stronger.
"As if!" Linda let out, "That thing is an S-rank, a beast capable of destroying the entire capital!"
"I guess," Darius muttered, "but the old man’s stronger, though.
"That is not the point!"
"Now’s not the time," Seth spoke up, placing a hand on her shoulder, "we have more beasts incoming."
"Right," Linda let out a sigh before turning towards Renelle, "what’s the plan?"
Renelle looked at her for a while before focusing back on both the approaching horde and the salamander.
"I’ll handle the lizard," She finally said, "you handle the horde."
"But—" Linda wanted to say something else, but the prince cut in.
"I’ll help," Lucian said without a change in his expression, "you might be strong, but even you can’t handle an S-rank beast alone."
Though now that he thought about it, it was impossible for her to be alone, after all, she always had her butler with her.
Speaking of which,
He turned towards the direction where Adrian had previously been standing, only to realize that he was gone.
The prince looked ahead, wondering if the butler had made a move first, but no, he really had disappeared.
The same could be said for the third year, Cassian.
Lucian looked towards Renelle and realized that she was looking towards the sky, so he followed her gaze.
"..."
In the air, headed towards the Volcano was the butler, and floating just behind him was the third year.
Lucian was about to say something, but Renelle interrupted, "Do as you wish."
The prince looked at her and noticed that she had stepped forward, waiting for the incoming beasts.
He then turned towards Noelle and just nodded, an action which she immediately understood.
"Alright, Bob," Darius stepped forward with a grin, black flames igniting around both arms as he cracked his knuckles.
Orion looked at the flames with surprise evident in his eyes, yes he had seen his brother’s dragon flames, but this one felt quite different.
And it felt a lot stronger, too.
’What have you become, younger brother?’ he thought to himself.
Darius, unaware of his thoughts, continued,
"Let’s make some lava beast skewers."
