Chapter 116: A Jest of Fate

The overlord of the north came about with mugs pulled from a space unknown to men. Gray-skins are magically capable beings that could muster the world and shape the unseen forces around them easily.

“Would you care for wine Sir Arden?”

“No need.” Arden stopped the tankard of the overlord. “I don’t drink, especially with beings that could kill me in one blow. I wouldn’t be stopping for a wine or whatever goodness you have.”

“Understandable.” The overlord laughed dryly. “But the Lady is calmer than you. She acts as if nothing is happening.”

Lafiel leaned on Arden’s shoulder, her eyes closed.

“I am here. That is all she needs to sleep.”

“She loves you much.”

“Don’t misunderstand.” Arden eyed the overlord seriously. “We are merely traveling companions.”

“Does she think that too?”

“I have no idea. All I know is that I am accompanying her. Whether there is love in this travels of ours. That’s something between us.”

Arden said, yet he felt a pinch on his side. The overlord saw this.

“HAHA, my friend, you two are a rather interesting bunch. I could see the deadness in your eyes. There is no light when you talk to me, Arden. Why is that? Are you seething that the overlord of the north is in front of you? Tell me, Arden, why haven’t you strike me down? It has been a week ever since we met on the giant branches. Yet here you are, in our homeland, drinking merrily with the overlord of the North, the bane of the humans.”

“Not really, I am just letting you talk to me. I heard that the situation has been unfavorable. The Crusaders will reach this place. They will bring your head and you will die if they somehow manage.”

“That’s the trick question.” The overlord pointed out, “If they could enter this land easily.”

Arden looked at the balcony of the overlord. There he could see the purple barrier that covers the whole land of the gray-skins. The gray-skins have gray lands and their only light is the barrier of illusion that covers their land. He wouldn’t be able to enter this land at all. Only through meeting the overlord of the north himself, that he was allowed to enter the barren lands.

“The humans will find a way or create one,” said Arden. “That has always been how we work.”

“Aye, your race is stubborn.” replied the Overlord, his hand grasping the mug of wine. “I still remember my father telling me about your short-lived race. Ah, it must be that of your limited lifespan that you lot can infest the lands and breed quickly.”

Arden’s eyes went cold.

“That an insult?”

“A compliment my dear Human Friend.”

“’Human friend’, odd hearing that from the instigator that brought forth death to all humans in order to save his own race.”

“Hah, I never hated the humans. The gray-skins have always been neutral. We are merely doing what was necessary and pray tell, have we ever had a single soldier on the battlefield?”

Arden kept silent, rolling Lafiel’s blue hair around his index finger.

“See?” continued the overlord, “We have never killed any human. We do not hate humans and we never shed any of your blood. “

“But you instigated the war. You let the Orcs and Elves kill people in the south.”

“And that is for the good of my country.” The overlord pointed to his head. “A smart one makes use of their heads. We gray-skins could have joined the war. Unleashed storms of magic upon humanity and blocked the pores that grant magic in the south but we do not. You have seen my portals, Arden. We can travel far and wide. Even if the human army marches this far north they will see nothing but a mountain range. We have already masked our cities, and thanks to your work in dealing with the Etherwind, we are now free to dwell back to our own state.”

Arden kept his cold stares. His brows dancing like a snake following a dirt path. The overlord saw his stare and just chugged his wine of mug.

“Honestly...” said Arden calmly, “for my actions to result in your all getting away with it.”

“Yes, we are lucky indeed. But Arden,” the overlord looked at Arden in the eye directly. “You can have a choice here.”

“I know.”

“Good. I see that you are someone reasonable.”

“I am not.”Arden made a bitter smile. “If this was still three years ago, then this kingdom would be in ruins. The lands will be scorched. The fields of gray will be nothing but ashes. And all of your subjects will scream in agony under nuclear fire.”

“I see.”

“I would have burned this kingdom to the ground. I would be breaking my vows to my foster father just to pretend that what I am doing is the right thing to do. I would have killed everything. But—”

“—I won’t do It.” continued Arden “I wouldn’t do it. I don’t want to choose. Simply, because doing so will make people suffer. I shall merely save those who I can and right now. I am helping someone in her journey.”

“I understand.”

“No, you don’t.”

The overlord stopped his actions. He put his mug down and leaned on the dark armchair he has been sitting. He looked at the blue-haired Lafiel who has worked hard in bringing the lands back to normal. She was no doubt a powerful woman that could fertile the land again. Only a few days have passed since he met the two and in those days his land was now recovering from the Etherwind.

The overlord has been sheltering the two. He planned to kill them for trespassing at first but now the thought of killing them has long passed. They were useful and very dangerous.

“How long are you going to let us stay in this place?”

“Only until the army of humans arrives, I will see their faces and then sent you back to the western plains with my portals. Thanks to you, I have also become lenient and sent a few humans who have intruded back to capital located in the south, telling them that the ether is gone and done for.”

“I thank you for that,” Arden said gratefully.

“Indeed, I believe that your choice of not destroying my kingdom is due to sparing the group. Your foster sister and her lover were in that group. I wonder, would you have unleashed ‘nuclear fire’ in my kingdom if I did?”

“Yes.”

“I see.” the overlord smiled blandly. “I should praise myself.”

Arden curtly sneered.

The overlord could only laugh. The blue flame in the room of the overlord flickered. It danced along with the gush o wind that came from the open balcony. They were the only ones in the castle of the overlord. And even Arden could see the hundreds of banners marching towards the castle.

They were too many and the number of banners flying over and the mages floating with their absurd mana could be seen. Armored men that came from the Empire of light could also be seen. Their giant armored figure as they carry great swords and shields.

“It is time Arden. It was nice meeting you and Miss Lafiel.”

Arden felt like that he wanted to sneer at the Overlord. Lafiel has worked for the overlord and thus she was tired after such tiresome work. She was worried about the fight and thus in exchange for their life, told the overlord that she can cure the lands of the Etherwind. It is the only reason why they are speaking like this.

“Goodbye.”

The overlord form signs and there the portal appeared. Arden woke the tired Lafiel. And together they walked into the portal without looking back. The overlord maintained a calm expression as he watches the two leave without any parting words.

After the portal was closed, the overlord looked at the armies at the barrier and made a wicked smile. He could see the zealousness of the humans with his magical eyes. He wasn’t planning to fight them. He just wanted to watch them knock on the barriers for days before fully closing the domain of the land.

The land of the gray-skins is impenetrable and as masters of magic, the humans will not be able to crave their desire of killing the instigator of the war. The overlord felt pleased, the elves might have died, the orcs have been executed and even the wise dwarves have been buried under their mountains.

Yet his race lived on. He fought smartly and without shedding any blood he was able to attain a rather desirable conclusion that led to favorable circumstances.

“Now, entertain me, humans, let me see how you knock vainly against the domain created by the world itself!”

The overlord spread his hands with glee. His smile stretched widely, reaching his gray ears.