Volume 3 Chapter 87: Rank S

In the Kingdom of Elist, King Reigas Riworl Elist slowly rose from his bed in the royal chamber.

His golden hair shimmered with an opulent luster, and his piercing blue eyes held a profound, sharp glint.

Despite being well into the latter half of his life, his well-trained body betrayed no sign of decline. Even in his nightclothes, the dignity and authority of a king emanated unmistakably from him.

The royal family of Elist has long upheld a single principle, passed down through countless generations.

He who cannot protect the people has no right to be king.

This is not simply a creed or sentiment.

Every king of Elist throughout history has relentlessly honed their body, mastered the martial arts, and cultivated the strength to stand on the frontlines and fight for their people in times of crisis.

Reigas was no exception.

Furthermore, the royal family possesses a unique piece of Magis Gear, a magical weapon handed down through generations.

This Magis Gear, which can only manifest for those of royal blood, is called “Protective Barrier” (Protection).

As its name implies, it is a Magis Gear capable of erecting a barrier that envelops the entire Capital City of Elist. This barrier serves as an absolute defense, repelling any individual harboring hostility or malice.

Only those capable of manifesting and mastering the “Protective Barrier” are deemed worthy of inheriting the throne.

Even after ascending the throne, the king is expected to maintain their strength throughout their lifetime.

Thus, even in his later years, Reigas still possessed strength comparable to that of a B-rank miner from the Miner’s Guild.

Despite his unparalleled prowess, Reigas let out a small, weary sigh.

It was late at night.

Sitting up on his bed, Reigas surveyed the chamber, illuminated only by the pale moonlight.

The room, contrary to expectation, was not overly luxurious or ostentatious.

Reigas, being a practical man, did not favor unnecessary embellishments. However, as the royal chamber, it was furnished with refined and expensive furniture, tasteful in design.

In one corner of the room, near the moonlit window, stood a figure.

“Allowing such repeated intrusions into the royal chamber… It seems I’ll have to reconsider the castle’s security measures.”

“Oh, don’t bother worrying about it. Nothing bad has happened, after all.”

To Reigas’s surprise, the intruder in the royal chamber responded in an almost casual tone.

The figure removed the gray cloak that had obscured them, revealing their appearance.

Bathed in the moonlight was a woman of striking, unearthly beauty.

Her features were so flawlessly sculpted that they seemed more like a work of art than human flesh. A cheerful smile graced her lips.

Reigas had first seen her two decades prior.

And yet, even after twenty years, her ethereal beauty had not faded in the slightest.

Even among the long-lived demon race, her agelessness was extraordinary.

While I, on the other hand, have grown so old…

Reigas glanced at his own wrinkled hands and allowed a faint, self-deprecating smile to tug at the corners of his lips.

“So, you’ve returned.”

“Indeed. I felt it was only proper to express my gratitude to you.”

“Judging by your demeanor, things went well. What of the Sacred Heavens—’The Floating City of Pharmament’?”

“Destroyed.”

“What…?”

“My apologies. I know you hoped for it to merely be neutralized, but the circumstances left me with no other choice. I had to destroy it. Still, now that your kingdom will no longer be threatened by it, isn’t that a satisfactory outcome?”

“…I suppose so.”

Neutralized? Was such a thing even possible for that monstrosity to begin with?

Reigas nodded, careful not to let his inner turmoil show.

The Kingdom of Elist—no, the entire world—had long suffered under the menace of that colossal entity.

It was one of the Three Great Catastrophic Cities in the world.

To think that it was brought down in less than four days—no, considering the travel time alone, it must have taken even less. If she leisurely returned after its destruction, it could mean that the task had been completed in under a day.

The “Floating City,” elusive and impregnable, had long been the bane of nations.

How many countries had attempted and failed to bring it down? How many lives had been sacrificed in vain?

And yet, this woman had accomplished it so effortlessly—as if mocking the struggles of the world.

If that was the case, I should have relied on her sooner—or no.

That would have been impossible. She is a being who transcends all constraints, living as she pleases. Even if a formal request had been made, she would not have accepted unless it suited her mood. She detests being bound or restricted more than anything.

However—if I had approached her not as the king of a nation but as a friend of two decades, perhaps she would have accepted the request.

That is, assuming she considers me a friend at all.

If Reigas could freely converse with her, he might have begged her to resolve all his troubles.

But the reality was that she only initiated contact when she needed something. Any undue interference from his side would risk upsetting her.

This time, their interests had merely happened to align.

Thanks to the fact that someone important to her had been imprisoned in the Floating City of Pharmament, the threat posed by the Sacred Heavens had been eradicated.

Truthfully, Reigas had hoped to secure the Floating City after she had neutralized it, but so be it.

In hindsight, the disappearance of the Floating City without falling into the hands of any nation might even be considered a stroke of good fortune.

After all, this prevented a drastic upheaval in the balance of power among nations.

Or rather, perhaps that balance had already been disrupted.

Elist now had a “monster” capable of toppling the Floating City.

While she wasn’t guaranteed to ally with Elist unconditionally, the fact that she resided in the Kingdom of Elist was a stroke of unparalleled fortune.

But her “important person”…

Perhaps the focus should be less on her and more on that individual.

Depending on that person’s actions, she could easily become an enemy or an ally.

Four days ago, when the pure white beauty appeared before Reigas for the first time in years, she had exuded an overwhelming, suffocating fury.

Had that rage been directed at Elist, it could have spelled the kingdom’s end.

If that were to happen—

“Reigas.”

Her voice snapped him out of his thoughts.

“If you so much as lay a hand on Noil, I will kill you.”

Her tone was calm yet absolute, leaving no room for argument.

To an ordinary person, just hearing her voice might have caused them to lose consciousness. Mere words could hardly capture the sheer terror she instilled.

Yet Reigas, as a king, could not afford to falter.

He had his pride as the ruler of a nation.

“Does that person pose any threat to my kingdom?”

“Absolutely not.”

“In that case, I have no intention of interfering. Though, I must admit, I am curious about someone you hold in such high regard.”

In truth, Reigas was already aware of who Noil Arlens was.

The information he had gathered over the past few days was—

“Let me make myself clear once again.”

“…”

“You are forbidden from interfering with Noil in any way. You may investigate, but if you so much as attempt to take away Noil’s freedom—”

“Rest assured, I will do nothing further.”

“That would be wise. I would prefer not to become your enemy. After all, you’ve been helpful this time.”

“If one Divine Relic was enough to bring down the Floating City, I’d say it was a fair trade.”

Her previously stern demeanor softened into a bright smile, and Reigas responded with a faint smile of his own.

As part of the deal, Reigas had handed over a Divine Relic known as the Seeker’s Compass (Sagashimono) to her.

The relic, capable of locating one’s heart’s desire a single time, had been in Elist’s possession. However, if exchanging it meant the Floating City was eradicated, there was no room for complaint.

Moreover, the Seeker’s Compass was not a unique relic. While rare, others had been discovered from time to time.

In light of what had been achieved, it was an exceedingly favorable trade.

“Now, regarding the matter of recognition for this achievement—”

“I require no rewards.”

“I expected as much. But then, who should I honor?”

The sudden disappearance of the Floating City within Elist’s borders would undoubtedly raise questions.

If they feigned ignorance, someone might investigate, potentially uncovering the truth about who had accomplished the feat.

If word of her existence spread to other nations, Noil Arlens would inevitably draw attention.

That was something neither she nor Reigas wanted.

In that case, it would be better to openly credit someone with the accomplishment.

An individual to praise and reward for bringing down the Floating City was necessary.

“Hmm… ‘Spirit Wind’ should do just fine. They also fought alongside us, after all.”

“I see. The ‘Spirit King’—Elshan Falceid’s party, was it?”

This revelation was news to Reigas.

Although he had been keeping track of her movements, her swift actions had left gaps in his information. While he had learned that she had headed toward the Floating City with her companions, he hadn’t known that Spirit Wind had joined them.

For a moment, Reigas wondered about the connection between them, but then the answer quickly came to him.

Come to think of it, there had been rumors circulating among miners recently that the ‘Spirit King’ had been keeping a certain man close.

Reigas also knew that Noil Arlens had once been at the same magical academy as both Elshan Falceid and Mina Carat.

I see. This Noil Arlens seems to find himself in some rather interesting situations.

Is it a natural talent for attracting strong women, or is he simply cursed with a star of misfortune when it comes to women?

From what Reigas had heard, the women frequenting White Road—her business—were all closely connected to Noil Arlens.

Oh, how I’d like to meet him just once.

The inability to make contact himself was deeply frustrating. From an outsider’s perspective, the situation must have been utterly laughable.

Even imagining the circumstances made Reigas want to laugh.

Based on what little information he’d gathered, it was easy to picture Noil Arlens being dragged into chaos, unable to keep up with the strong personalities around him.

No matter how outrageous the scenes might seem to a normal person, Reigas, with his steady nerves, would likely find them highly entertaining.

Despite his stern and solid demeanor, reinforced by his physical appearance, Reigas enjoyed humor.

Though strict with himself and others, rarely smiling in public, he was a man who loved to laugh in his private moments.

He relished amusing sights and odd individuals, and he found joy in moments spent with family or in rare moments of solitude.

“Then there was the leader of Azure Doll, was there not?”

“Hmm…”

Ah, so that cunning young woman was there too.

“Hm?”

“Nothing… I see. So, we’ll attribute the accomplishment to a collaborative effort by those two groups. Hmm, let’s also add the ‘Twin Dragons’ to the story. They rarely make appearances anyway, so it won’t cause any issues. As for Azure Doll, we’ll say that not only the leader but also other party members were present. Let’s claim that a few additional knights from Elist’s Royal Guard were dispatched, along with some Divine Relics from Elist’s own collection—this should make the story plausible in terms of military strength.”

Reigas quickly suppressed the laughter threatening to escape and crafted a false narrative: the Floating City was brought down as part of a large-scale operation.

Though the story had its flaws, an official announcement would deter any unnecessary probing.

“And as for rewarding this unit’s achievements, I’ll use my authority to promote the rank of Spirit Wind’s leader—”

Reigas stopped mid-sentence.

Elshan Falceid was already an A-rank.

Which meant that the next rank would be…

“I don’t care either way,” she interjected, leaning lazily against the wall.

The pure white beauty—once known as Milis Albama—would need to be promoted to Rank S… the same rank she herself held.

Though, as a miner, Milis Albama went by a different name.

Reigas’s mind drifted back to the first time he had met Milis Albama—the only S-rank miner.

At the time, she had been wearing a perception-altering cloak, the Eccentric’s Disguise, which obscured her true identity. Reigas had seen an entirely different face.

“Fufu…”

For the first time that night, laughter openly escaped Reigas’s lips, prompting a suspicious glance from Milis.

Oh, I remember.

That overwhelming presence.

The fact that I… lost control of myself.

“No, it’s no good,” Reigas muttered to himself.

Elshan Falceid, though promising, had yet to reach the same incomprehensible level as Milis.

The S-rank, created specifically for Milis’s absurdity, was still far beyond his grasp.

A different reward would suffice.

“Well, I’ll leave the details to you. I’m heading back to Noil’s side,” Milis said as she donned the Eccentric’s Disguise once more.

“Of course. I won’t do anything untoward,” Reigas assured her with his ever-present smile.

As Milis’s altered figure prepared to exit through the window, Reigas called out.

“Milis Albama.”

“Hm?”

“For what feels like the hundredth time… are you sure you don’t want to officially serve the royal family?”

“Hmph. No matter how many times you ask, my answer won’t change. That boldness of yours, thinking you can keep me bound, isn’t something I dislike, though.”

“That’s unfortunate.”

“I hate being constrained. Well then, take care.”

“Ah,” Reigas replied.

Milis gave a final smile, disappearing into the moonlight.

Reigas gazed at the open window for a while before slowly reclining in his bed.

The window remained open, but it didn’t matter. No one besides Milis Albama could possibly intrude.

“You remain the same… and yet, you’ve changed,” Reigas murmured softly, closing his eyes with a contented expression.