Kingdom Building: Civilization Starts with Divinity-Chapter 96: The Lost King

As the group walked up to the sword, Nera curiously hummed.

"They even used spatial magic to put up a weapon display. A real crazy guy made this place." She mused.

"It’s not any odder than the existence of this entire pocket dimension," Alchemy responded, and Nera nodded in agreement.

There was a film hanging around the sword. Nobody present could tell what it was made of, so Nera had reinforced her arm with Divine Energy while she reached in.

The moment her hand touched the sword’s hilt, the lights in the room began to shift, causing the group to raise their guard.

The room darkened like they were in a theatre as a spotlight targeted the platform on which the sword previously rested—in the light appeared a young black man in his early 20s.

"Don’t you think Crazy is a bit much, dear Trial Goer? I’d prefer the word eccentric." The man said with a bow.

He had a translucent body and wore an extravagant black coat adorned with purple accents that matched his eyes. Both his pants and shoes were pure white, alongside his dark gray hair.

{Mother Goddess. That’s not a recording. I have no idea what type of magic this is, but he’s been watching us.}

Alchemy glanced at Nera before giving her a slight, almost unnoticeable nod. She then stepped forward.

"Eccentricity is certainly one way to put it. Who are you, the one who created this place?"

The tall man pointed at Alchemy.

"Ding ding ding! But if you think the trials are over, you’re sorely mistaken! Mistaken indeed!"

The man was very animated, moving his body with every word.

"There’s another trial you’ve left elsewhere?" Alchemy guessed.

The unidentified man looked shocked.

"You know already? No wonder you’ve claimed this land as your own. You’re very smart, little Goddess."

Alchemy’s eyes shuttered for a moment.

’No, it’s fine. Nera has been calling me a Goddess this entire time. It’s not a surprise that he’d call me that. But how did he know this is my land? Has he been watching me? For how long? Since the beginning?’

"You seem to know who I am. Don’t you think it’s rude not to introduce yourself?" She said, hiding her thoughts deep behind a calm facial expression.

Looking at the ceiling, tilting his head, and tapping his chin playfully, the man nodded in agreement.

"Before that, would you reckon you can figure that out on your own?"

’Judging by the setup so far...’

"You’re the lost king? Or maybe one of his retainers?"

"100 Points again! You’re on a roll, Godling! Indeed, I am the Lost King who was lost to the Nightmare! A tragic king beloved by his people but betrayed by false alliances. And that blade you wield is forged from a fragment of the weapon I used back in the day. I’m sure you’ve noticed how powerful the blade was when fighting against that shadow of Caras."

Looking back at the weapon Nera was holding, Alchemy simply nodded. She had no skill to identify items and couldn’t equip weapons.

"Betrayed, huh? Can’t say I know the feeling, but who betrayed you? Since you’ve so graciously gifted us this weapon, maybe I’ll look to... Form an alliance with them."

The Lost King looked idly at Alchemy for several seconds, only stopping as he fell to the floor while laughing hysterically.

"Oh– oh, you’re a funny one, aren’t you?" He said as he wiped a tear from his eye.

"The Severance Empire. Although I wouldn’t do anything rash. They managed to take a majority of my riches 300 years ago. I imagine they’ve only grown stronger since."

"Damn, that’s a cool name," Alchemy mumbled.

"Mother Goddess?" Nera questioned, surprised that she’d cuss like that.

"What? Damn and Hell aren’t swear words. Get off me." She responded, turning her attention back to The Lost King.

"So, this Severance Empire. What exactly did they do to you? What is this Nightmare that you mentioned? It allowed a Species of Mana to use Demonic Energy."

The Lost King’s expression grew a degree more serious.

"That... My Aurelion Empire wasn’t able to figure that out before our fall. As you said, we can only assume it is related to the demons in some way. The Dimensional Wall between the three realms was already growing weaker back then. The fact that even a Goddess has descended on the material plane proves it’s only gotten worse."

’A dimensional plane? How familiar...’ Alchemy narrowed her eyes.

The Lost King regained his original demeanor before Alchemy had time to ponder the thought too deeply.

"Still! The Nightmare is not something you need to worry about! It’d be unbefitting for us to leave such a problem to our juniors and descendants. My close aides and I have created countermeasures that are still holding strong for now." 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

"Instead, you who found this shadow of my earliest kingdom. I’ve left trials across the continent, each with a fragment of my kingdom and original weapon. Not to brag, but I’m sure such a masterpiece is among the best armaments ever created, even to this day!"

’HAAH! I CALLED IT!’ Alchemy laughed inward.

"Well then. I’ll gladly take you as my benefactor. You wouldn’t happen to have any hints for your other trial locations, would you?"

"Now, what fun would that be?! I have a reputation to uphold! That being said, it seems like the girl with the pale skin in the back there already has some ideas. Until next time, Godling. Mutant wolf... Uhm... What is that shapeshifter?"

He tried to look at Nera from as many different angles as possible, but she was a lifeform he had never seen before.

"She’s an Angel. Or something equivalent, at least. We can leave it at that." Alchemy chuckled.

The Lost King seemed satisfied with that answer.

"Very well! Until next time!"

The Lost King gave a deep bow as the spotlight vanished, and the Light Magic Shards began to brighten up the room.

He, too, faded shortly after, causing the group to look at each other dumbly.