Building a Kingdom and Conquering the World

Chapter 109  The deal with Luna

Henry sat on his simple wooden throne, with Luke, the midget, standing in front of him while holding a feather pen and parchment in his hands. Following his status and salary increase, Luke visited the most renowned clothing store in the capital under the Sun God Company banner.

He ordered a wool tunic with a golden trim, which suited him much better than his previous clothes that always caused him to trip. He was a courageous small man that had traversed the Frozen Forest with his king. He couldn't keep falling like a dumb person.

The throne room should have been filled by a deafening silence if not for the rhythmic drumming sound of Henry's fingers against the throne's armrest. His eyes were gazing at Luke, but his mind seemed to be wandering while trying to understand all the data he had received after entering the capital. Feeling the gaze over him, small beads of sweat appeared on Luke's forehead as he unconsciously crumpled the parchment in his hands.

For some reason, something felt different ever since the king returned from his journey to the West. Every time those eyes landed on him, Luke sensed as if the judge of life and death was observing him with a sword right above his neck, ready to punish or kill him for any mishap.

"Currently, within the capital, we have three thousand infantry, five hundred cavalry, and a thousand archers. We have also finished putting those devices you invented on top of the walls, the ballistae. There are ten of them aiming towards the White Merchant Road" - Luke said, swallowing hard as he struggled to squeeze out those words. The rhythmic sounds of the king's fingers seemed so loud that they made him feel somewhat deaf.

Upon hearing the information, Henry's eyes returned to the present and refocused on Like. The drumming sound finally ceased as the king intertwined his fingers and leaned forward, peeling his back from the throne.

"Iosif will be arriving in the capital in the next day or two after consolidating Royal power in the East region. That means we have a total of five thousand soldiers" - Henry said, raising his hand and showing five fingers - "And, based on our scouts, Luther is already fighting against Aritreia's troops. Olaro is also about to reach them, is that right?"

The king peered deeply into Luke's eyes, his grey eyes softly hiding the purplish light of a flame.

"Y-Yes" - The small man stuttered, lowering his head, and shifting his gaze to his feet.

Henry continued - "And Luak's army will reach us in the next three days, am I correct?"

"Y-Yes," Luke confirmed again, tightly crumpling the parchment in his hands. This pressure was too much for his small heart.

Before silence enveloped the room, Henry suddenly rose from his throne, loudly clapping his hands. He descended the steps of the throne, the old wood creaking with each step, until he stood in front of Luke.

"Unfortunately, I've taken too long to return, which means we won't have time to organize our forces to face our enemies. We don't have time for logistics and moving the infantry would take too long. It is not as easy as moving the cavalry." – Henry said.

The king lifted his hand and placed it on Luke's shoulders, offering a comforting smile. The pressure seemed to ease a bit, allowing the small man to raise his head and look at the king just in time to see his lips move to finish his words.

"We are going to prepare for a siege. It will be easier to fight them, and according to my calculations, we will have fewer losses with this strategy. I don't want my subjects to die a meaningless death"- Henry said, maintaining the smile on his lips as he withdrew his hands from Luke's shoulder and started walking toward the door.

"I am going to visit Luna; I have some questions for that eccentric mage." – His voice sounded again through the room before the sound of the door closing reached Luke's ears.

The small man could only turn his head and observe as the king walked out of the door, waving his hands without turning to look at him.

"Something changed..." - Luke couldn't help but mutter, noticing a shift in the king's personality and aura. It seemed as if he now cared more about those around him. However, at the same time, he exuded a royal presence that had transcended mere mortality, reaching a state akin to a demi-god. It felt as if Luke had to bow down on his knees merely in the king's presence.

-x-

Outside the capital, near the outer walls that faced the Frozen Forest, a wooden house recently reformed only had a few pillars left supporting the ceiling, as if a runaway carriage had collided against it.

"Where did you find this?" – Inside the broken house, Luna excitedly shouted. Her eyes shone with enthusiasm, holding a book as if she were a thirsty person in the desert finding a small pond.

Henry had a mysterious smile, watching the blonde-haired woman hop around on her toes, her happy green eyes rapidly reading the words in the book.

"This book is incredibly valuable!" - she continued, unable to control the rhythm of her words "It's about an ancient method for enchanting weapons, a technique used by alchemists thousands of years ago. It was with these weapons that knights managed to slay wyverns. Although this is just an introduction book, it's extremely precious."

Henry silently observed as her green eyes shone with excitement, a calculative smile appeared on his lips. Ever since he got to know this woman, he wanted her to do more than just refining seeds. She was an asset that resided on his lands and should be of use.

"I have many more books like this..." - Those words came out of his mouth softly, making the excited Leier immediately stop and turn her eyes toward him.

Suddenly, the world seemed to halt, and silence enveloped the cabin. However, this silence was quickly replaced by an immense pressure that descended upon Henry's shoulders, causing his smile to slightly stiffen. Yet, he managed to remain calm. This pressure was inherently different from Luther's, the most powerful person he had ever encountered. It was more palpable, which caused the wind to turn chaotic, tousling his long hair and allowing his grey-purplish eyes to be even more apparent.

"Where?" - Luna asked, her eyes gleaming with a dangerous light, as if she were ready to attack him and extract this secret by force.

"Wait, Miss Luna! There's no need for aggression" - Henry said, maintaining his smile and raising both hands as a sign of peace. - "I am a pacifist and a diplomatic person. Moreover, if you attack me, you would be surrounded and forced to surrender. There's no need for a fight, is there?"

The chaotic wind lasted for a brief moment before returning to normal. Luna closed her eyes and took a deep breath, trying to regain her composure. She then pulled one of the chairs near her workbench and sat in front of Henry. Adjusting her beautiful and well-fitted red dress that showcased her voluptuous curves, akin to those of a succubus. It was a great contrast to the destroyed surroundings.

"What do you want?" - she inquired, crossing her legs and studying Henry. She wasn't a naive woman, especially being from the Central Region, where the North's political landscape seemed like a childish game. Nôv(el)B\\jnn

"Now we are talking" - Henry said, his eyes gazing deeply into hers, not even glancing at her body - "What I want is really simple…" - Henry paused briefly and intertwined his fingers, as if he wanted his next words to be clearly understood - "I want you to teach me and a few other people how to become a mage and an alchemist."

Luna met his gaze, her emerald eyes gleaming softly, as if she was weighing the proposal made by this puny king. She contemplated whether she had any chance of stealing the books from this man's hands and then escaping, or if it was better to accept the proposal. And she soon came to an answer. It was impossible to easily overcome this man, even if she was already a somewhat experienced mage. She could sense that something dangerous seemed to be hidden deep within him.

"Huff" - Luna calmly exhaled and then flashed a smile as she responded - "Sure, let's go with that. However, I will only be able to teach you guys a common meditation technique and some introductory magics and alchemy. Everything I have learned is directly related to my family, and thus, it's impossible to pass down to those outside of the family."

Upon hearing this, Henry gave a big smile - "Sure, I wasn't expecting anything more"- he said and immediately stretched his hands, as if he was afraid of her backing down on the agreement.

Luna glanced at his hands and then at his smile, sensing that she might have been on the losing side of the negotiation. Nevertheless, she had already gave her approval and couldn't retract it. She clasped his hands and offered another smile, as if trying to reassure herself that she did the right thing. It was an important book.

"It will be great working with you!"- Henry shook her hand before standing up - "I will bring you the other books later. As you can hear, we are preparing for war. But don't worry too much; your house..."- Henry paused and glanced around, assessing the state of the house - "...is in the direction of the Frozen Forest, on the other side of the conflict."

"And I will get someone to fix your house again."