Chapter 73

"I heard that humans were discovered in my kingdom's territory and are being transported away. Is that correct, Prime Minister?"

In response to the question posed by the king of the city-state of Anthromorph, Velence, Prime Minister Norus bowed his head.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"But why haven't I heard anything about it?"

"It was deemed not a matter of concern, so I did not report it."

"Not a matter of concern! Our eternal enemies, the very foes who led our royal family to ruin, dare to set foot in my sovereign land without hesitation, and you say it's not a matter of concern! I am not young! I am fully qualified to hear about and judge such matters!"

In the face of King Velence's outburst, Norus could only force a bitter smile.

'If a seven-year-old tiger cub is not considered young, then who exactly is?!'

Norus, belonging to the Black Wolf Tribe, was from a vassal family that had served the Tiger Tribe, the royal lineage, for generations.

Although he was serving a master who was much younger than his grandson, following the legacy left behind by his ancestors.

Lately, he had been feeling an increasing sense of pressure.

Between his own age and the constant power struggles surrounding the young king and the city, Norus felt like his vitality was being drained away.

'And to top it all off…'

Thump!

Norus discreetly bowed his head while secretly clutching at his left chest, which was pounding as if it might burst, away from King Velence's notice.

Expecting the usual barrage of complaints from the old Prime Minister, King Velence was slightly taken aback by the lack of response.

With a hint of apology on his face, he tentatively asked the question that had been nagging at him.

"So... what about the humans?"

Norus didn't miss the curiosity shining in Velence's young eyes.

Despite all the talk about humans being the enemies of their tribe and the foes of the royal family, the truth was that King Velence, like any child of his age, had a vague curiosity and admiration for the "outside world."

"They didn't seem significant."

"Where are they from?"

"We're not sure yet."

"Age?"

"I haven't received the report yet."

"How many are there? I heard there were magicians among them. Is that true?"

"We're not sure about that either."

With each question met with a lack of knowledge, King Velence could only purse his lips in frustration.

"What exactly do you know, Prime Minister?"

"I know a lot."

"Well, what exactly do you know then?"

"If you recall, Your Majesty, you were the one who drew a map last night. Isn't that enough indication of my knowledge?"

"Ha! That's treason against the king!"

"Oh dear! I've made a grave mistake. Your Majesty, I beg for forgiveness and offer my resignation. Please pardon me."

"Uhhh!"

Unable to utter such words, King Velence could only pound his fist on the armrest of his throne in frustration.

As always, Norus quietly took a step back, realizing it was time to stop teasing the young king.

"The prisoners will soon be escorted to the palace. You can personally interrogate them then."

"W-what? Humans are coming here?"

For a moment, King Velence's face displayed a mix of curiosity about seeing humans for the first time, fear of the notorious reputation they carried since ancient times, and a determination not to show any weakness.

'Right. This must be it. Despite being gradually consumed by this, I was able to hold on forcibly, to see his future...!'

Norus clenched and unclenched his fists while watching King Velence, secretly biting his lower lip.

'Just ten more years... No, I hope I can endure just five more.'

Thump! Thump!

Norus's determination seemed to mock him, as his heart pounded even harder. Because of that, blood vessels bulged on the back of his hand before finally subsiding.

* * *

"King of Anthromorph awaits to interrogate you personally. Although you humans seem ignorant of etiquette, know that any sign of disrespect towards the king will result in immediate punishment."

How surprised Elric was when he heard that the woman whom he had personally rescued was actually the captain of the royal bodyguard.

Identifying herself as "Irina," the woman glared at Elric's group and ordered the soldiers to take them directly to the king.

"Hmm! My old body's already feeling numb from the cold prison floor, just from thinking too much."

"Are you feeling it too, Hyung-nim? I am as well. Huh! Suddenly coming to this desolate snowy wasteland, what kind of suffering is this?"

Although Augustine and Gility gave their only disciple stern looks, urging him to stop this unfunny acting, Elric seemed oblivious to his mentors' gaze.

Instead, his mind was filled with thoughts that things might resolve more smoothly than anticipated.

'So, there are still surviving Tiger beastmen left. And now I can meet them?'

The Tiger beastmen, who had claimed to be the 'royalty' of the Beastmen for generations, had ultimately perished in various wars...

That had been the prevailing theory in magic circles for some time.

After the death of the last Tiger King, the Beastmen who had been constantly threatening the empire from the north had collapsed internally, reducing themselves to nothing more than a mere foreign tribe.

But what if that wasn't true?

'This... could unintentionally be hitting the jackpot, couldn't it?'

Despite the Tiger beastmen lineage still existing, the fact that Beastmen unity hadn't been achieved so far likely meant that their power had diminished, particularly in practical combat.

After all, even the authority granted by lineage would fade without strength.

What if he could help restore authority to such a royal family?

At that moment, how much value would body strengthening art hold?

"Hehehe!"

『You're eager to die for a price you'll sell for a hefty sum.』

Though Mephisto had already peered into Elric's mind, wagging his tongue as he shook his head.

[I heard that the White Rabbit Tribe has a habit of digging tunnels in gold mines, is that correct? The Western Rat Tribe was known for collecting shiny things obsessively. And...]

『Why are these aspects so similar to your ancestors? Tsk!』

No matter how fallen, the royal family must have a considerable legacy.

With these thoughts in mind, Elric entered the central hall.

"I have brought the prisoners.

Irina and the soldiers knelt down, showing respect, as King Velence nodded from his throne.

Below, several officials stared them down in a line.

"Well done."

'He is a kid?'

Despite his attempt to sound formal, his young age was unmistakable.

'But... cute?'

Perhaps around seven years old?

The young Tiger King had sharp eyes and pointed fangs like a tiger, but his chubby cheeks were quite charming.

Heize, who couldn't resist cute things, seemed captivated already.

'What should I do about this?'

Elric felt quite bewildered.

He had intended to sell body strengthening arts for a hefty price.

He didn't think this cute little guy could learn body strengthening arts and become formidable anytime soon.

'But let's give it a shot, anyway.'

Since Beastmen were mostly known as warriors individually, they could potentially overpower him, but with Augustinee and Gility present, escaping wouldn't be too difficult, he figured.

"Are you humans? We wish to know why creatures living on the other side of the Great Wall would trespass into my territory. You must answer truthfully and respectfully...!"

King Velence was about to continue his interrogation like reading from a textbook when Elric abruptly interrupted.

"Are you 'king'?"

One of the attendants beside the throne spoke up.

"You! How dare you! You insolent fool! How dare you lift your head so arrogantly in front of us...!"

"Old man steps aside."

"Huh? Old man?"

"Isn't it a crime of lese majesty to interrupt the king while he's talking? Don't you know that?"

"You...! Wicked!"

The old minister's face instantly turned red.

『You haven't even started yet, and he reacts like this. A few words exchanged, and he'd probably collapse. Weakling. The once proud Beastmen seem to have weakened over the millennia.』

The minister shouted, completely unaware of the fact that because of him, a certain great demon king had devalued their race.

"Captain of the Royal Bodyguard! What are you doing? Drag those criminals out immediately...!"

"Stop."

"But, Your Majesty!"

"Let me handle the conversation. Alright. Do you have anything to say?"

King Velence's eyes were gleaming.

Although he might have been angry for being interrupted, there was a hint of curiosity in his tone.

His demeanor was quite dignified.

'Maybe convincing him will be easier than I thought?'

With a smirk, Elric asked, "Do you know magic?"

"I'm somewhat interested... but it's human skill."

Elric caught the momentary flicker in the young king's eyes, as if he were contemplating casting stars, then swiftly glancing at the attendant beside him before composing himself.

'Right. Even if he's a king, it's unlikely he'd be interested in magic. But wait, is that strict-looking old man the real deal?'

The real deal hadn't said a word so far.

But even he seemed swayed by Elric's next question.

"What about body strengthening arts?"

"What's that...?"

All the ministers, including King Velence, showed a vehement reaction.

"If I were to sell it, how much would you pay?"

Elric threw a bombshell right there.

Before the ministers could react with exclamations of nonsense, Elric moved first.

Crack!

With a forceful pull on the restraints binding his hands, they shattered into pieces on the ground.

"Protect His Majesty!"

"The criminal has broken free! Hurry, subdue him!"

While the officials and ministers were bustling around to protect the young king, Irina and the royal bodyguards rushed towards Elric urgently.

"Haha, now I can finally breathe. What should I do? Shall I help?"

Augustine chuckled as if to alleviate the boredom and promptly smashed the restraints just like Elric did.

"No, I'll handle it myself."

"The beastmen might not be that easy to deal with, though?"

"But I still need to sell my goods, don't I? And they say practice makes perfect, right?"

"Back when I was young, nothing beat a good fight."

"But there's always the risk of overdoing it, isn't there?"

With that response, Elric lunged at the approaching royal bodyguards.

As his mana surged, both seals of cruelty and ferocity activated simultaneously, filling the central hall with a chilling frost within moments.

Selling the body strengthening arts directly to the beastmen was a daunting challenge.

"Sigh! Well, that's right. I thought there was something strange about him coming here so quietly."

"But aren't you satisfied enough just by seeing Young master Elric's acting? I certainly am."

"Even though he is my younger brother, I sympathize with you. This place will soon become chaotic, won't it?"

Following suit, Sean, Karl, and Heize casually released the restraints one after another.

"Hahaha! This chaos is exactly the spectacle I love!"

Gility grinned as he saw his disciple using magic armament.

The restraints that had been restraining the group were inferior.

Meanwhile...

In an instant, the royal bodyguards, who had inadvertently exposed the lone king to the assailants, were locked in confrontation with Elric.

Crash!

As the leading soldier—or rather, warrior—clashed fists with Elric, a powerful boom accompanied by a series of cracking sounds reverberated through the air. At the moment their fists collided, the marble floor beneath them froze instantly, spreading outwards like a sheet of ice.

"Ugh!"

While the warrior stumbled back a few steps, unable to overcome Elric's formidable strength, Elric showed no sign of yielding.

Crack!

Instead, he leaned forward, his five fingers curled inward, and unleashed a ferocious flurry of blows.

His demeanor resembled nothing less than that of a tiger about to pounce on its prey.

Body Strengthening Arts.

Ferocious tiger rush.

It was the moment when a complete Body Strengthening Art was revealed to the world for the first time in hundreds of years.