'As expected of the king of Proximus. His knowledge level practically overshadows that of Robin's. However, it's still far off from comparing to Orion's or Kryxelsia's.'
NPC Name: Zenrou Proximus, King of Proximus(???)
NPC Level: ???
NPC Knowledge Level: 345.12
Zenrou spoke in a respectful manner to Kryxelsia. Given Zenrou's position as king of a powerful kingdom like Proximus, his respect towards the Wiseman demonstrated just how high in regard he held her.
"There is an important matter that I must discuss with the king. I will have to excuse you, gentlemen." Kryxelsia said as she tapped her staff on the ground.
The next moment, a magic circle formed at the feet of every noble before they suddenly disappeared. Of course, she had done nothing to harm them and simply expelled the nobles from the throne room. After all, she was one of the main individuals who helped design the castle's magical defenses.
Zenrou released a small sigh as he shook his head with a helpless smile on his face and said, "Honored teacher, those nobles are sure to give me a headache about being excluded."
"This is a matter that it is not yet time for them to learn of until you have decided on your declaration. When the time comes, they will naturally be informed." Kryxelsia stated without worry.
As Zenrou and Kryxelsia exchanged a few simple pleasantries, Kryxelsia displayed the contents of the mind beads to Zenrou.
There was a multitude of scenes that revealed themselves. However, the scene that caught his attention the most had to be a certain location hidden away in the depths of Tempest territory. At that place was a tear in space and though it was just for a brief moment, Zenrou saw a shadahi of great power who was bound by chains and sat upon a large throne.
He personally knew the identity of that creature because there was a point during the great shadahi disaster where it caused a devastating amount of destruction and damage to the kingdom of Proximus. At that time, his elder brother was away from the kingdom with the goal of defeating the eternal darkness that started that seemingly neverending war.
If not for the Wiseman appearing and personally taking action at when she did, then who knew just how many more lives would have been lost?
But, even for someone as powerful as the Wiseman, it was no simple task defeating that shadahi. After that fight, Kryxelsia was weakened to the point that she was unable to move for the rest of the war. However, in the end, she was only able to seal that shadahi away with a powerful spell of her own creation. Of course, this was before Kryxelsia earned the title of Wiseman.
That creature was not the leader of the shadahi who was a source of eternal darkness, but instead, it was one of the first beings to be birthed from that monstrosity.
Zenrou had a look of anger on his face and the rage that burned in his eyes dwarfed that of the blazing sun. He gripped the side armrest on his throne and crushed it into pieces. That shadahi was not only responsible for the death of countless Proximus subjects, but it was also the one who killed the previous king of Proximus and Zenrou's father, Zendou Proximus.
"Syxirius…!" Zenrou scowled as he stood up from his throne. A powerful wave of mana spread throughout the room that caused the atmosphere to become dense and heavy in the process. Although it was not as boundless and vast as Zendai's mana, it could still be considered a tremendous quantity.
Sorval was shocked when he witnessed the king in an enraged state. The king he knew was always calm, collected, and in control at all times. Never had he seen such a clear level of pure hatred come from his king. What a terrifying experience!
Izroth was also surprised when he first saw Syxirius appear in the image of the mind beads back at the Wiseman's abode. The last time he crossed paths with that shadahi, the creature was sealed tight onto the throne in their palace. However, his knowledge when it came to the shadahi, in general, was still incredibly lacking.
All the stories and details in the library only depicted the horrors that the shadahi committed during the war and how evil they were. But, none of the books went in-depth about the shadahis themselves. Izroth figured that given the dangers that the shadahi represented, such information must be located on the higher floors of the Amaharpe palace library.
After all, if those with bad intentions got their hands on that information then it could create a potential disaster!
"Calm yourself and control your mana, King Zenrou." Kryxelsia spoke in an unhurried manner. She knew of the hatred Zenrou held for Syxirius, therefore, she understood his rage. But, Zenrou was a king. He had to think about more than simple revenge, otherwise, the entire kingdom of Proximus could suffer. This is why she emphasized the word "King" when she spoke.
Zenrou slowly calmed himself when he heard Kryxelsia's words. He controlled his mana as the heavy atmosphere disappeared and he returned to his seat upon the throne. The throne had fixed itself using some form of self-pair magic.
"I have behaved in an unsightly manner. You'll have to forgive my sudden outburst, honored teacher. Your words are correct as always." Zenrou said as he gave a weary smile.
"I understand your frustration and anger, however, there are greater things at stake as you have seen with your own eyes. You cannot delay your declaration any longer." Kryxelsia stated.
Zenrou had a troubled look on his face when Kryxelsia mentioned his declaration. He wanted to find another way, but it seemed that there were no longer any other options for him to pursue at this point.
"As the king of Proximus, my first duty is to the people. The last thing I wish to do is drag them into a dangerous confrontation. However, it is also my duty to ensure the safety of my subjects, even if that comes at a great cost." Zenrou said.
After a brief moment of silence, he then continued, "Honored teacher, I will proceed with my declaration as you've suggested. We may not prevent it from happening, but we will be prepared in every possible way. This time, Proximus will not suffer the same catastrophe." Zenrou had a serious look on his face and spoke in a stern tone.
After Kryxelsia and Zenrou discussed a few more details, Zenrou finally turned his attention towards Izroth and his party.
"To you, young adventurers who risked their lives to deliver the mind beads, you have my eternal gratitude. If not for your success, we would not have known just how much the situation had truly deteriorated. For this, the entire kingdom of Proximus is in your debt." Zenrou said.
As soon as Zenrou finished giving his thanks, Izroth and his party received a surprising wave of system alerts.
〈System Alert: 3/3 Successfully reach the magic capital city of Proximus with the Wiseman of Everpeak and deliver your final findings to the current ruling king of Proximus.〉
〈System Alert: Congratulations, you have completed the quest «Final Request».〉
〈System Alert: You have gained +1 level.〉
〈System Alert: You have been awarded +3 stat points for leveling up!〉
〈System Alert: You have been awarded +1 skill point for leveling up!〉
〈System Alert: You have received +250 World Fame!〉
〈System Alert: You have received 150 gold coins!〉
〈System Alert: You have received the title «Oathkeeper»!〉
〈System Alert: You have acquired x1 «Lost Skill Book: Call of the Thunder God».〉
Izroth's party was surprised when they received the barrage of system alerts. They had successfully completed the quest! However, there was a look of disbelief on everyone's face. Was an S-ranked quest supposed to be so easy?
"It's over already? So easy..!" Mirage muttered to herself as she was dumbfounded. She thought for sure that the king or the Wiseman would ask them to complete some ridiculous and impossible task before the quest was over.
"I wonder if all S-ranked quests are like this." Midnight pondered.
"I suppose time flies when you're constantly on the move." Qi Jiguang commented.
But, while it may not have appeared to be that difficult of a quest, it was, in fact, an extremely daunting task even for the most skilled of parties!
They fought against a mysterious cloaked figure who called themselves a Faceless One who was capable of one-shotting an entire party. Not only that, but they were constantly bombarded by bandit and monster attacks while carrying the mind beads. Not to even mention their run-in with Zephyr, a rare NPC who could actually fly!
To call such a quest easy, if any other players heard this, they would certainly want to strangle Mirage and the others. Easy? It was next to impossible!
The only reason that the S-ranked quest appeared so easy on the surface was due to one reason, the irregularity known as Izroth.
Who was it that prevented the ambush of players? Who was it that pressured the Faceless One to destroy themselves? Who was it that crushed hundreds of bandits and Tenedi Demon Wolves with a single attack? Who was it that provided Ocean Spring Pills to his party members that were fatigued? Who was it that soared into the air and forced Zephyr to concede the skies when everyone else could only try to endure his attacks from above?
The answer was Izroth!
If not for Izroth being present, who knew just how many times more difficult the quest would have turned out to be?
Of course, everyone knew just how valuable a role Izroth played in the completion of the quest, however, they failed to realize just how massive that role truly was since they were not viewing it from an outside perspective.
'Call of the Thunder God?'
Izroth knew that he would receive a lost skill book, however, he had no idea what a lost skill book was beside the obvious meaning of its name. But, besides that simple piece of information, this was the first time he had come across a lost skill book.
As for the title, Oathkeeper, it turned out to be a primary title! One had to know that trying to obtain a primary title was exceedingly challenging.
When it came to the other rewards, Izroth was overall satisfied with it. Though while he was nonchalant about his rewards, the clear excitement could be seen on the face of his party members!
Everyone received their own unique lost skill book which was what they were the most excited about. Of course, they enjoyed the other rewards that came along with it like the generous amount of gold coins and the increase of level.
"Normally, I would host a banquet in your names as welcomed guests of the royal family. Unfortunately, the current circumstances do not allow me to extend that leisure hand as I have much to do in such little time." Zenrou stated.
He then turned towards Kryxelsia and said, "Honored teacher, you are always a welcome guest of the royal family. I hope that every time I receive you is not to discuss unpleasant news."
"I will keep that in mind." Kryxelsia responded as a small smile found its way onto her lips.
After things settled down and everything that needed to be said was said, Izroth and his party took their leave from the palace along with Kryxelsia. As for Sorval, the king requested that he stay as he had a special mission to assign him.
It did not take long for Izroth's party and Kryxelsia to arrive outside of the palace.
"Traveling to the magic capital city and not experiencing all that it has to offer would be a waste of a good opportunity. Therefore, I ask that you postpone your return trip to Amaharpe. I would like for all of you to accompany me somewhere before the time of the declaration." Kryxelsia stated.
"Are you sure you can spare the time?" Izroth asked in a carefree manner.
Kryxelsia gave a simple smile in response and replied, "The first move is for the king alone to make. Until the moment of his official declaration, I shall receive you all as my personal guests."
