Legend of the arch magus

When morning came, almost everyone in Wizzert City came to know what transpired last night. The news of how a single man defeated the magicians of the Tower became the topic of everyone.

Just like any other gossip, the story became exaggeratedly distorted. Some said that the intruder was a giant towering three meters, with an iron club in his hand which he used to beat all the magicians into a pulp. Some said that it was actually an explosion from one of the Tower's experiments which injured the magicians. But the most popular version of the story was that it was an intruder wearing a black get up, his entire face covered by a mask.

Just looking into his eyes was enough to make all the magicians of the Tower fall down their knees and collapse. "But my brother said it was actually a woman!" a kid gave his own version of the story. "No way! It was a man! My father was there when it happened!" another kid argued. Mikael's lips twitched upon hearing these. He knew the truth of the story.

There was no doubt about it. The clothes worn by the intruder, his physical appearance, and the time when he appeared at the Tower. All evidences pointed to one man. Lark Marcus.

Mikael had not expected Lark to come charging at the magicians of the Tower after their fight. That feat was nothing short of suicide, and Mikael doubts that no other person was sane enough to do it. But he pulled through.

Mikael did not know the reason why Lark attacked the magicians of the Tower, but the fact that he actually defeated them remained. He knew that Lark was strong, but not this strong. After all, Alecto and the Elders of the Tower present that time were as strong as the Royal Court Magicians of this Kingdom. Those six purple-robed magicians were the elites of the elites, the strongest of all magicians residing in this city. But still, they were defeated by a single intruder. It was akin to Lark defeating half of the Royal Court Magicians all by himself. "No wonder he easily noticed me."

Mikael smiled wryly. After he was discovered by Lark last night, Mikael doubled the distance between him and the target. It was a necessary precaution to give him enough time to escape once spotted by Lark. Mikael did not want to fight that monster again. Even now, his hand was still a bit numb after deflecting Lark's attacks last night. Had he not escaped using the light scroll, he would have been surely beaten to a pulp by now.

The memories of how Lark had cast several magic at once while fending off his attacks were still playing vividly in Mikael's mind. Honestly, it did not make sense that someone so young was so adept at both swordsmanship and magic. Mikael wondered how Duke Drakus failed to recognize that his second son was such a genius – a monster in human flesh.

Had he known that his son was a prodigy, would he still have thrown his son to that town? *** After beating the crap out of the magicians of the Tower, Lark immediately went out of the City along with his entourage. As expected, crippling the Tower made the security lax despite the incident last night. They managed to get past the security in the gates and continued their journey towards the Capital. "Young Master…" Austen's voice was almost a mumble. Lark stared at the open window of the carriage. The grasses outside swayed from the wind as their group moved through the plains. "What?"

Austen opened and closed his mouth repeatedly, but did not manage to say the words out. George sighed at his brother. He said to Lark, "You did it, right? The masked intruder at the Tower. It's you."

The sudden accusation of George made Lark look towards his direction.

"Don't be stupid. Why would I do something as dangerous as that?"

Hearing Lark's calm and nonchalant voice made George and Austen doubt themselves. When they heard the news this morning, they could not help but think it was the Young Master's doing. But now, after hearing the Young Master's reply, they were no longer sure of who the intruder was. "How's your wounds?" Lark changed the topic. George moved the previously crippled arm. "It still hurts a bit whenever I move it, but it'll probably be fully healed after a week."

Lark looked at Austen. The older of the two brothers said, "I'm perfectly fine. My body no longer hurts and all the wounds are gone."

"Is that so?" Lark was satisfied with their answers. "By the way, if you still haven't learned how to write the magic formations by the time we've returned to Blackstone Town, I'll cut your pay in half. You're fully healed, right? Then stop slacking off and start studying."

The brothers stiffened. They had never heard something so scary in their life. Cut their salaries in half? It was tantamount to losing at least twenty-five silvers a month for each of them!

"O-Of course!"

"We're studying! Right away!"

As though all of the monsters in the forest they passed through had become docile, they did not encounter any troubles in their trip from Wizzert towards the Capital. After almost a week, they finally arrived at Behemoth City, the Capital of the Kingdom. "How do I say this," mumbled George. From the carriage, he looked at the walls encompassing the entire city. "It's huge but—" "—Underwhelming," completed Austen. George nodded. "We've just been through the City of Magic, so maybe that's why."

From afar, the walls of the city stretched endlessly, with no end in sight.

Unlike the City of Magic, there was no air of grandeur and magnificence in this city. It was simply colossal, that's all. This was also the sentiment of Lark. He had expected more, since Behemoth City was the Kingdom's Capital. But aside from its size, it looked ordinary from the outside. Their group passed through the gate and went into an inn in the Middle District. Looking at the date, it seemed that they still have two days before the King's birthday. It was just enough time to look around and prepare for the event. Lark donned a plain-looking cloak. He asked everyone, "I'm going to look around the city." Noticing that his guards were about to speak, he added, "I'm going alone. That is final."

After Lark left the inn, he wandered the busy streets of the Capital. Despite its large size, the Middle District felt cramped due to the amount of people traversing the streets. Numerous stalls were lined up here and there.

Numerous taverns and inns filled this particular area of the Capital. A familiar scent wafted in the air. Lark looked around and saw the source of the smell. "Hey, what do you call these?" he asked the vendor. "Bulbar boar meat." The vendor cast a glance at Lark before flipping the grilled meat in front of him. "Thirty coppers each."

Lark smiled. The name of this particular food had not been changed even after a thousand years. It was the meat of a boar commonly found in the forest of Magic Empire. Despite its bland taste, it had a very long storage life, making it an ideal food for travelers. "Give me one of those," said Lark. He pointed at another piece of meat.

"And that one is?"

"Bihorned rabbit. Twenty-eight coppers."

Lark took out a silver coin and handed it to the vendor. "That one as well."

After receiving his change, Lark continued his tour of the City. Along the way, a hooded man bumped into him. The man mumbled, "Watch it, damn it," then continued walking.

But before he could get away, Lark grabbed the man's wrist. The man angrily growled, "What do you want?!"

Lark simply smiled. "That's mine, mister." Without warning, he fumbled inside the man's garb and grabbed a leather pouch. "H-Hey! What are you doing? That's mine!" Lark lightly tossed the pouch into the air and nimbly caught it, creating loud clanking sounds. He noticed a group of patrols near an intersection. The man must have also noticed them, judging by the way he suddenly stiffened. "This is yours?" Lark tilted his head. "I'm pretty sure this is mine though?"

"Damn bastard!" The man clenched his fists. "Are you telling me that I stole it from you, huh? Is that it?!"

This small form of intimidation did not work the slightest. Lark said, "Then why don't we make those soldiers over there be the judge, mister?"

A bead of sweat flowed down the man's forehead. He stammered, "F-Fine!"

Quickly, the man disappeared amidst the crowd. Lark strapped the pouch into his leather belt. That person was quite a skilled pickpocket. If it was another person, the victim would have not even noticed that his pouch was gone by now. Since he had just arrived in the Capital, Lark decided to let the pickpocket go for now. It was none of his business, after all. He finally finished eating the boar meat he bought. Still a bit hungry, he took out the rabbit meat and began biting on it. As he was walking through the streets, he arrived at the Red Light District. Numerous women wearing thick makeup stood outside the brothels, enticing men to enter the establishment. Naturally, these women started targeting him as well. Lark simply ignored them. "Hey, Lark!"

A loud voice rang out. Lark halted in his tracks when someone suddenly grabbed his shoulder. "Lark! It's you, right?!"

Lark turned around and was greeted by a bald man a head taller than him.

He had numerous tattoos on his hands and neck, giving him the appearance of a typical hooligan. He looks young. Why is he bald?

A weird, senseless question popped in Lark's head. "I was right! It's you!"

Every time the man spoke, the smell of alcohol and tobacco assaulted Lark's nose. The man's entire face was flushed. Silence befell the two. Caught off-guard, Lark did not know how to respond to this man who obviously knew the previous owner of his current body. The man burped then pointed at his face. "It's me! Jepsy! Remember?

Come on, man! It's hardly been a year! How could you forget your best buddy!"

Even the man's name was stupid. Lark almost sighed. He had not expected to run into someone who knew the real Lark this soon. "Jepsy, of course I remember." Lark smiled and wrapped a hand around his supposedly best buddy. Jepsy frowned, "You feel… different."

"Must be the alcohol," said Lark. Jepsy nodded, "Right. Must be the alcohol."

Jepsy saw two men walking out of the brothel. His eyes widened in glee.

He waved his hands passionately. "Omie! Renz! Over here! Look who's here!"

The two men, whose faces were also flushed, were momentarily stunned upon seeing Lark. They grinned at each other and jogged towards Lark. "Lark! You damn little shit!" said Omie, a plump young man with various ornaments wrapped around his neck and wrists. "Hey, I heard you were forced to become Lord of that small town! You should have told us you're coming to the Capital!" added Renz, the smallest of the trio. Like Jepsy, the two also reeked of alcohol. Renz's neck, in particular, had numerous kiss marks. "I can't believe the Four Masters of Lukas have been reunited!" Jepsy heartily laughed. "We should drink! Let's drink! And women!"

"Of course, women!"

"Another round, eh? Not bad!"

Swept by the mood, Lark was forced to enter a nearby tavern. Unsure of what to say, he decided to keep his silence for now. Less talk, less mistakes. "So, you were also invited by His Majesty for his birthday, eh?" said Jepsy. Lark was surprised at this statement. After all, according to the Sword Saint, this was highly classified information. Seeing Lark's surprised expression, Jepsy grinned. "What? You think I'll be kept in the dark in these things? I may be the third son of a Viscount, but I'm still a noble, pal."

"I see. So, it's for the crown, huh? And here I thought Lark paid us a visit," Omie smirked, then chugged down a bottle of alcohol. After emptying it, he burped then wiped his lips with his wrist. Renz lit a tobacco. "Doesn't matter. Let's just be glad that Lark's here with us. Honestly, I thought you died. We haven't heard from you for several months."

The other two nodded. "I'm still very much alive," Lark chuckled, doing his best to blend in with this weird atmosphere. He took a bottle of alcohol and half-emptied it. The trio smiled upon seeing this. They probably felt glad to see Lark being his usual self once again. "So, tell me more about what you know about the crown's invite."

Renz blew out a puff of smoke. Jepsy crossed his legs, leaned his body on the couch, then said, "They're going to conduct a small test after the King's Birthday."

"A small test?" Lark was curious. "That's all I know," Jepsy shrugged. "My family paid a large sum just to obtain that information, you know? It's not easy to get anything from the Royals these days."

"I know what the test is about."

Everyone's attention turned to Omie. He grinned. "I don't know what exactly the test is, but I'm pretty sure it's a test to assess the candidates to the throne."

"Assess the candidate, huh?" Renz blew out another puff of smoke. He was staring at Lark. "Well, it's not like it'll matter. You're not the type to be interested in such things, after all."

Jepsy chuckled. "Hahaha! That's right! As long as we have alcohol and women, we're all good!" He shouted, "Hey, where're the women?!"

One of the staffs of the tavern bowed his head, "Apologies! They're being prepared, sir!"

Jepsy threw a bottle to the ground, breaking it into several shards. "Hurry up, you damn incompetent piece of shit! Do you have an idea how much I pay every month in this tavern?!"

The staff bowed repeatedly, before scurrying away in fright. Lark frowned at this. "Alcohol's enough for now. I'm not in any mood for a woman right now."

The three froze. They looked at Lark with wonder. They began whispering with each other, casting glances at Lark every now and then.

"Hey, seriously?" "Lark, the womanizer… rejecting women?"

"Must be the town. The Duke's really harsh, eh? Throwing him away to a place like that."

The whispers continued for a while. Unable to bear it any longer, Lark made a firmer remark, "I'm not in the mood for women. Do you understand?"

His sharp gaze made the three concede. Jepsy shouted again at the tavern staff, telling him that they no longer want the company of some women. The 'reunion' continued until midnight. By the time Lark left the tavern, he had come to learn many things about the original owner of his body. It seemed that the original Lark was a far bigger bastard than he originally thought. Women, alcohol, drugs. He did it all. Jepsy even mentioned a time when the original Lark coerced a commoner to come to his room late at night. It was no wonder that his father, the Duke, threw him away to that town. He also came to learn more about the members of their group, The Four Masters of Lukas. Although the name of the group sounded stupid, it was actually comprised of rich nobles who practiced a hedonistic lifestyle. It also seemed that Lark was their leader, with each of them having some kind of influence on the underground organizations of the Capital. It was the same reason why they were able to get their hands on several forbidden drugs. Jepsy was the third son of Viscount Lakian, the Chamberlain of the King.

Omie was the second son of Baron Morivar, and Renz was the fourth son of Viscount Amarozo. Lark, who had the highest status among them, easily solidified his position as their leader. Friendship easily formed among the four of them, stemming from the mutual vices and hedonistic lifestyles they each led. All four men had no fear. Peculiarly, what Lark felt from them were admiration. The trio probably respected how Lark did anything he wanted without thinking of the repercussions. It's been a tiring day.

Lark sighed. He reeked of alcohol and smoke. He looked towards the direction of the King's Castle. It was a lot smaller when compared to the Wizzert Tower, but it was still the tallest building in the entire Capital. Two more days. The King's birthday was nearing. After learning that there would a test for the candidates, Lark grew curious. What could it be? I'll find out soon. No use pondering about it.

He went back to the inn and fell asleep immediately.