at 1st of September 2019 10:45:28 AM\nChapter 58
Chapter 58After fulfilling their mission, Kurats and Hans left Macbarn and once again set foot in Lapland .
ăâHahaha! Weâve accomplished out task wonderfully thanks to you, sir Mathers!âă
Hans put on a fake laugh while sneakily peeking at Kuratsâ face . Ever since the day Kurats had carried the rock from the Betswana mountains, Hans had become very docile . He now felt deep fear and respect towards Kurats . Â
All men are born with a desire, be it hidden or not, to solve all their troubles through raw strength . Even in a world of magic like this one, that fact still held true . Despite being a meathead, Kurats could be said to be the ideal image of a man in that sense . But the respect Hans felt was nothing compared to how terrified he was of ever facing Kuratsâ anger . This had made him become servile and lose all sense of haughtiness . Kurats was both surprised and irritated by this behavior, but Bernst was in high spirits .
ăThatâs right! Fear me! Respect me! Tremble before the equal of the gods, the magic king!ă
It seemed like Bernst had been bottling up stress without realizing it from Kuratsâ refusal to ever do anything he said . And all that stress was now coming out as excitement . But perhaps these feelings were proof that Bernst was ever so slightly being influenced by Kuratsâ emotions .
ăâHmmâŠ? Whatâs thatâŠ?âă
Kurats noticed something familiar flying towards him at a very fast pace . This was the massive griffon that had fought alongside him in Berglund . Naturally, Frigga was also there, riding on the beastâs back while cheerfully waving her hand, with a big smile on her face .
ăâMy lor-⊠Sir Mathers, Iâm glad to see youâre wellâŠ!âă
After landing, Frigga almost clung to Kurats by reflex, but she barely managed to control herself . Her master had ordered her to be mindful of her behavior in public . While she thought that was regrettable, she had no other choice but to abide by his commands .
ăâThe mission was a success, everything went smoothly . âă ăâYes, Iâve heard from the messengers . My brother is already organizing the dispatch of the troops with the other nations . And itâs all thanks to you . âăWhile acting casual, Frigga tightly grasped Kuratsâ hand . The touch of his large hand made her recall that fateful, enchanting night . Â (ââ Aaah, please torment me again!)Â Â Frigga started blushing from these thoughts, prompting Hans and the surrounding people to look at her with warm eyes . Hans would usually be actively trying to get the princessâ attention at this point, but right now, he was very subdued . Far from being overconfident or pompous, he was actually seeing Kurats as a lord that he could potentially serve under . The fact that he had witnessed Kuratsâ strength for himself made him admire him all the more .
ăâW-well then, sir Mathers, if itâs alright with you⊠would you be willing to ride on Shellacâs back with me and accompany me to the castle ahead of here?âă
As Frigga looked up at Kurats, it looked as if she was waging an invisible tail behind her .
This dog-like attribute was a powerful trait that tickled a man right in his self-esteem, it was something that neither Cornelia nor Lunaria possessed .
ăâI-if itâs fine with you, please hang on to my waist . âă ăâY-yeah . âă
Not paying attention to the eyes of Shellac, who seemed to be saying âHuh? Why would you come with us?â, Kurats clung to Friggaâs thin waist from behind . After barely stopping herself from passing out from the warmth of the embrace, Frigga shouted at her Griffon .
ăâGo, Shellac! Fly!âă
Shellac half-heartedly obeyed and powerfully flapped his wings .
The beast steadily rose above ground until Hans and the people around him started looking like specks of dust . Once Shellac flew high enough, Friggaâs face turned red from shyness before she leaned her head on Kuratsâ chest .
ăâI felt so lonely without you, my lordâŠâă
She rubbed her cheek on his chest like a puppy acting spoiled with its master . ăâGlad to see youâre doing well, your highness . âă ăâWhy are you calling me your highness?! Please call me âdogâ like last time!âă (WHAT THE HELL?! Bernst, you madman, what did you do?!) ăDidnât I tell you that I disciplined her? If I didnât take over your body that day, sheâd have probably assaulted you and taken your virginity away . ă (What are you talking about? This is the first time Iâm hearing of this . )
All that Kurats knew was that when he woke up after that evening, Frigga was acting all sweet for some reason .
ăI didnât know what yous sister would do if that happened, so I had to personally discipline her to put her in her place . ă (What did you do exactly?! But still, I guess I have to thank you, you saved me there!) ăâMy lord? Did I do something to displease you?âă
Looking at the apparent uneasiness on Friggaâs small head, Kurats hugged her closely from behind .
Friggaâs face became even more red than before, it almost looked like there was steam coming out of her head .
ăââŠHow do I say this⊠. Iâm sorry I left you by yourself for so long . âă ăâI-itâs okay! Iâm not worthy of bothering my master with such matters⊠B-butâŠIâm glad that you were concerned about me, even if just a little bit⊠. âă (I canât get enough of this cute girlâŠ)ăThat other princessâ mind is already in the right place, but youâll have to think of counter-measures against your sister . ă
Lunaria wouldnât complain as long as she had a good place in the hierarchy among the girls . The problem was Cornelia . If she lost control over herself, would Kurats be able to survive?
ăâOoooh, I see how it is, you went for a third girl right after confessing to me? Iâll teach you to make light of me!âă
Kurats could already hear Cornelia say that . He felt a cold sensation around the region between his legs, which was soon followed by a cold sweat .
(Canât I just pretend nothing happened?) ăYeah, thatâs not gonna work . ă ăâHaaaahâŠâă
As he brushed the hair of Frigga, who was clinging to him like a cat, Kurats was becoming more and more worried about the calamities that could be waiting for him in the near future . ăâMy lord⊠I want you to hurt me moreâŠâă ăâFrigga⊠It might a long time, but weâre going to fix you up, okay? OKAY?âă
Siegfried greeted Kurats, who came in with Frigga, with a big smile on his face .
ăâSir Mathers! I have no word to express my gratitude for everything youâve done! Not only Macbarn and Elsrid, but even Mountbatten has joined our alliance!âă
The alliance formed between the four northern countries was large enough for them to compete against the major powers of the continent . They had even gotten in touch with one of the big five, the Katarael kingdom, and it was said that, in Jormungand, the faction that thoroughly opposed Asgard was rapidly gaining influence .
(Looks like Rosberg and the others are hard at work . )
Kurats smiled to himself . The truth was that Lapland, by itself, was ten times weaker than any of the big five . After losing twice against such a small country, Asgard started to look like it wasnât such a big deal after all . It was only natural that Lunariaâs faction was able to make a come back within the kingdomâs internal conflict for power . The marquis of Strasbourg, Albert, was probably in a terrible mood by now .
Kurats silently laughed .
ăâJust one more battle . If we gain victory in one more battle, Asgard will probably give up on occupying our country . The potential gains would no longer be worth the risks and losses . âă
Asgard had naturally more than enough forces remaining . If Lapland tried its hand at attrition warfare, then the kingdom would undoubtedly be defeated, even with the support of the northern alliance . However, if Asgard managed to occupy Lapland without being able to gain back the funds lost in doing so, their power as a whole would be weakened . And if a powerful country like Jormungand aimed for that opportunity, that would spell a major crisis for the empire . Although he was very ambitious, Asgardâs emperor, Heimdall, was probably not incompetent enough to let that happen .
ăâThere are already 10 . 000 men coming here from Macbarn . Their fire mages will be a valuable force . Elsrid and Mountbatten will probably send 5000 men each, so in total, our numbers should reach about 35 . 000 men . âă
The reorganized forces of Lapland, excluding those who were in charge of maintaining public order, barely reached 15 . 000 men . This was the result of their crushing defeat at the start of the war . Meanwhile, the numbers on Asgardâs side had gone past 50 . 000 after Cabernardâs squadron was joined by Brigitteâs ranger squadron . That being the case, Lapland was still facing the exact same predicament as before . HoweverâŠ
ăâIâm sorry I have to depend on you again, but I believe your power is a comparable to that of an army, sir Mathers . Our alliance may have been built in a hurry, but with you by our side, weâll have our chances of winning!âă
Kurats had been able to protect all of Berglund with just the help of Frigga . It was only because of his presence that Elsrid and Macbarn had accepted to join the alliance despite their disadvantage in numbers . Although he was ashamed to say it, Siegfried had no other choice but to rely fully on Kurats .
ăHahahaha⊠Just as planned!ă
Bernst proudly sang his own praises with a wicked smile on his face .
(You planned something?)Â ăLetâs just say that I prepared a stage that would be appropriate for a magic king such as myself . ă
Within the newly formed northern military alliance, which was as powerful as some of the big five, no country had as much influence as Lapland . What would happen if the alliance defeated Asgard and started supporting Lunaria? And if, with that support, Lunaria managed to become Jormungandâs successor, how would Kurats be treated for all his contributions? Not to mention that Lapland would have a debt for life towards Kurats, as he would be considered their savior . In that scenario, there should be very few people left on the continent who could restrain or control Kurats in any way . Then, with Cornelia, Lunaria and Frigga as his women, he would vanquish Asgard, and reign as the supreme king of this continent . Â
Long ago, before he became the magic king, there was a time when Bernstâs power alone was not enough for him to single handedly impose his rule on the world . He was powerless back then, but for some reason, he missed those days .
ăWhatâs the matter with me? I was such a weakling back then, what am I getting nostalgic forâŠă
Bernst had been forced to pick the most roundabout and bothersome way to reach his goals due to Kuratsâ weakness . But he secretly enjoyed that .
ăGood grief, this meathead is a living headache . ă