Chapter 157 - Swamp King.
[Chapter Size: 1800 Words.]
Third Person POV
Orario.
...
...
"Welcome, visitors. This is unexpected—the princess of the High Elves here with a companion. To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?" the goddess Bheara asked in a friendly tone.
The room fell silent for a moment before someone broke the quiet, speaking before either Lucius or Riveria could respond.
"So the rumors are true..." Uskari, the captain of the family, commented, looking at the two.
Lucius narrowed his eyes as he observed the elf scrutinizing both him and Riveria.
"What do you mean by that?" Riveria asked, her eyes narrowing in the same way.
"There are rumors—ones that have even reached us here, despite how secluded we are—about the Elven princess being involved with a human," Bheara replied, studying them.
"The rumors go further than that, my goddess... They claim the Elven princess has abandoned her race and is in a relationship with a human," the elf added.
"You are correct, and the rumors are true. It's quite obvious these two are in love," Bheara said with a small smile. Known for her Malicious Honesty, she made no effort to sugarcoat her words.
"What?!" The elf appeared flustered, still struggling to believe the rumors.
"It's true. Riveria is my woman," Lucius said, stepping forward. Riveria looked at him calmly, as both were prepared for such comments sooner or later. Being the heir to the throne, it was scandalous for Riveria to be involved with a human. Yet, Lucius had vowed never to let anyone insult her in his presence—his duty was to protect her.
"Hm... A man determined to fight for his woman. Admirable..." Bheara remarked with a note of admiration as she regarded Lucius.
"I think we should stop discussing someone else's relationship—even you, Uskari," Talvi interjected, ending the topic while turning back to the guests. "In any case, can we discuss the reason for your visit? Why are you here?" she asked, looking at them.
"Of course," Lucius responded, taking the lead as Riveria allowed him to handle the conversation.
"I'm here for two reasons. First, I'd like to purchase some ores from these mountains—I'm willing to pay handsomely. Second, I want to visit the Fountain of Life and acquire its elixir," Lucius stated plainly, his posture exuding confidence, which even the goddess couldn't ignore.
"Isn't that asking for a bit much?" Talvi murmured under her breath.
"Why are you making such an absurd demand?" one of the guards, a member of the Bheara family, asked, narrowing his eyes at Lucius as though the mage had insulted them.
"I'm not just speaking idly, nor do I intend to ask this without offering something in return. I have something that could compensate you," Lucius replied.
"And how exactly do you plan to achieve this? After all, I can't allow you to approach the Fountain of Life since we haven't prepared the ritual for the creature that inhabits it," Bheara said. A sacrificial ritual was necessary to appease the beast guarding the Fountain.
"You won't need that anymore. After all, we're here to destroy the Swamp Monster," Lucius declared.
"You must be joking," the goddess replied skeptically.
"Riveria, what level are you?" Lucius asked, not turning to face her.
"Six," she answered calmly.
"And tell me, what level am I?" he asked again.
"Four. But with your status, you could reach level seven," Riveria replied confidently.
Lucius nodded at her response and turned back to the goddess. "We have a level six and a potential level seven here. Your monster is, at most, level six. Don't you think it's time to rid yourselves of it for good?" he asked.
His calm tone made the goddess furrow her brow as the family members exchanged uncertain glances, unable to provide an immediate answer.
"Why are you doing this? Just for the request?" Bheara asked.
"We're on a mission to hunt three level-six monsters. This just happens to be one of them," Lucius explained.
"..." Bheara remained uncertain, her hesitation causing Lucius to sigh.
"This is your chance to get rid of that creature once and for all and never again need to make any sacrifices," Lucius insisted, breaking the silence as the gathered audience seemed deep in thought.
"Do you think you can do it?" the goddess asked again, scrutinizing Lucius more carefully.
"Don't underestimate us, Bheara. We can deal with that monster easily. Just show me the way to it," Lucius responded.
Bheara appeared to ponder for a moment. She had come to this world seeking amusement among mortals and eventually took on the role of a goddess after helping the citizens with the Fountain of Life. The fountain was crucial in curing a debilitating disease that prevented people from leaving the country. The problem was the monster guarding the fountain, which demanded sacrifices, making the place perilous and controlled by a malevolent creature. She had adopted a magical ritual to access the fountain despite the monster's presence, sacrificing beings of all races, indifferent to being seen as a villain.
"You want our ore and the Fountain of Life. Is that all?" Bheara asked, trying to gauge Lucius's intentions.
"Yes. I want exclusive trade rights to the ores. I'll pay handsomely, but I want a monopoly for ten years," he replied, casting a glance over everyone and noting that the Bheara Familia seemed to be waiting for their goddess's decision.
"What do you think of this?" Bheara asked the elven leader of the family. He looked at Lucius and Riveria for a moment before responding.
"You say you're level four but fight like level seven... That's hard to believe. I don't know if we can trust you," he said.
Immediately after the elf's words, Lucius decided to prove his worth. He vanished and reappeared among the guards, holding a blade to the neck of the girl they were protecting at the center, leaving everyone stunned.
"You are the guardians of the princess, yet you cannot protect her from me," Lucius declared calmly, his posture intimidating. He then removed the blade from her neck, making it disappear, and in the blink of an eye, teleported back to Riveria's side.
Everyone stood in shock, unable to speak, until Bheara broke into a smile. "Excellent. It seems you've impressed him enough, Uskari. Let's give this stranger our trust. Perhaps this is what we need," she concluded.
"Great. Let's deal with this quickly. We're in a hurry," Lucius spoke again, eager to face the monster.
"Very well," Bheara said. "Follow me." The group left the audience chamber.
They wasted no time, leaving the castle and heading to an area outside the city. The entire Bheara Familia accompanied them, traveling through a forest until they reached a waterfall at the edge of the area, in front of a mountain.
Ascending a staircase alongside the waterfall, they found a large lake above. Behind the thick bushes beyond it was a doorway leading to the fountain, located inside a cavern.
Entering the cave, they saw a small spring at the center with a tree rising beside it. Thick mud covered nearly everything around the spring.
"So this is the Swamp King..." The place itself was the monster, as Lucius could perceive using his magical vision.
"Yes... it's here. If you approach, it will attack, even while dormant. It detects any intruder in the cave," Bheara warned, observing them closely. "Remember, once you attack the monster, we don't know what will happen. You must destroy it, or my people will perish. I might be making a mistake trusting you, so don't disappoint me," she said cautiously.
"Very well, we'll handle it," Lucius replied.
Before Bheara or her family could react, Lucius conjured blue magic circles, activating teleportation magic around everyone. They had no time to resist as he transported them out of the cave. He knew they would only get in the way, leaving only him and Riveria to deal with the monster.
"Let's begin," Lucius said as his body began to glow with the effects of various spells, activating his boosters.
Meanwhile, the Bheara Familia fell to the ground at a distance from the cave, unsure of what had just happened, realizing it was Lucius who had done this to them.
"Goddess, are you sure we made the right decision? They don't seem trustworthy. I've heard rumors about adventurers summoning monsters in the middle of the desert. Couldn't they be those two?" one of the guards asked cautiously.
"Maybe they are, but this is our chance. Don't you see that human mage is not normal? If they deal with the monster, we won't have to perform sacrifice rituals anymore... Let's wait and see what happens," Bheara replied.
Before anyone could respond to their goddess's remark, explosions began to echo, causing the lake ahead to tremble. Surprised, they turned their attention to the entrance of the cave.
"They've started fighting," Bheara murmured, hearing more explosions growing louder from within.
"They're using magic inside the cave? This can't end well," one of the guards commented, concerned that the magical spring might collapse.
Suddenly, one of the mountain walls broke apart with a thunderous explosion. Something shot out of the cave, forcing everyone to look up.
It was Lucius, flying in the sky, dodging mud tentacles trying to grab him. He moved skillfully, teleporting mid-air. The Bheara Familia was astonished by his abilities. Lucius wasn't famous, and no one truly knew him. A man capable of such feats without even reciting spells was unusual—perhaps unique in this world's history.
"Riveria, hold it!" Lucius called out, his voice echoing clearly even outside the cave.
While Riveria followed his command, Lucius clasped his hands together, creating a dark ball of energy. Moments later, he hurled it directly into the cave. Riveria teleported out using Lucius's magic, reappearing beside him as he landed on the ground.
Lucius stared at the cave as the monster emerged, then quickly closed his hands, manipulating the black hole spell. All the mud began to be sucked into the black hole he had created. In a matter of moments, the monster was entirely consumed, leaving only a crystal on the ground. The crystal vanished from the ground and appeared in Lucius's hand as he smiled.
"Well, that was quite easy," Lucius remarked, adjusting his cloak. He had exploited the monster's natural weakness and defeated it so effortlessly that the entire battle lasted only a minute.
He then turned back to the onlookers, who were stunned, unable to react as they stared at the crystal in Lucius's hand.
"Well, it looks like we're done here," he said with a confident smile.
Raccoon Here:
I created my own version of the Swamp King since I don't have many details about it.
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