The Runic Alchemist

Damian nodded in thanks for the information. Then he stood up, and with him, everyone else in the room rose as well.

Kazak's situation was beyond Damian's reach without seeing his condition firsthand. But the issues with the beastmen village and the dungeon—those, maybe he could help with. He needed no directions as he made his way through the sea of soldiers, all staring at him and his friends. Especially with bandages all over his body and the casual clothes he had on him, courtesy of some healer. He stood out even more than usual.

Damian sensed the distant mana of Tristan and Aramis but paid it little attention as he headed directly to the largest, most elaborately decorated tent, which held Vidalia and Royce. The guards eyed him, weighing whether to stop him, but ultimately decided against it. Good. Forcing his way in would hardly serve his purpose here.

The tent's interior was unsurprisingly just as well-decorated, considering they'd only been here a few hours, they sure did work fast. Vidalia and Bonecrusher sat on their usual throne-like padded chairs opposite each other, with Royce and Mira standing nearby, mid-story in an interrogation-style exchange. Vidalia looked up as Damian approached with his group. He realized too late that he'd forgotten to tell them to wait outside. None of them even questioned where he was going, and were maybe too shocked to find out with their eyes. Well, no matter—there were no secrets to keep here.

"I see you managed to survive…" Bonecrusher's deep voice resonated as Damian stopped, glancing at Royce and Mira, who looked genuinely happy to see him. They fell silent, whatever they'd been saying left unsaid.

"So have you…" Damian replied, the tension in the room rising. Although he meant it as a compliment, his tone was perhaps too casual for speaking to a superior.

"Hah! Why did I ever think the battles would humble you?" Bonecrusher said, sounding like a teacher who had all but given up on him. There was a relaxed note in his voice, which seemed to put everyone at ease.

"You did a good job here. We barely encountered any Ashenvale forces on our way, just a few scattered runaways," Vidalia remarked, her expression as unreadable as always.

"Not as good as you. I hear you won us a war?" Damian replied, catching a smile forming on Bonecrusher's face. It was a surprising look on his sharp-jawed, bald head, yet it suited him. Even Vidalia seemed to soften a bit; though she'd never break character, he could tell from her subtle expressions after all the time they'd spent together in each other's heads.

"We did what we could," she replied nonchalantly. "But why have you barged in here so rudely?"

"The beastmen," Damian said, causing both third-rankers' faces to grow serious. Clearly, the mention of the hidden power among the beastmen wasn't something they took lightly.

"There is no cure for the forbidden," Vidalia said authoritatively.

So the Devourer's Rite was that serious to them? Legends weren't always welcome, especially when they involved a secret power that could instantly elevate someone to a new rank. It was a nightmare for those in charge, power balance was essential in any steady regime.

"The beastmen have lost too much. They fought with everything they had, and now they've even lost their leader. Don't take their home from them," Damian pressed, getting straight to the point.

He could see the stern expressions soften slightly as he avoided pressing the issue of Kazak. Royce and Mira must have already conveyed their friendly ties to the beastmen leader in their tale.

"The beastmen rely on dungeon resources to survive, my lady," Royce added, Damian noticing the nervous sweat on his brow. Unlike Damian, Royce had much to lose by displeasing political behemoths like Vidalia or Bonecrusher—it was pretty brave of him to speak up.

"That was never our intention. This is their home, and it will remain so," Vidalia reassured him, though her next words made things worse immediately. "The dungeon, however, will be entrusted to another lord. It is the property of the crown, and only a powerful, worthy house can inherit it."

Fuck.. Damian really wanted to say it was unfair but in all honesty.. it adhered to their laws. Still he hated their laws.. Would Kazak have made the same choices even after knowing the dungeon ultimately would be taken from their hands..? The moment it was revealed to the world, it was already a problem. The beastmen had once had the power to defend their claim, but now that power was gone, the nearby lords would scheme and kill to get their hands on this land. The royalty assigning a new lord was not good news for beastmen but given the alternatives, it might be for the best.

If only that brazen chief had listened for a second and not jumped in to protect something that was theirs only in name… He might have secured his position if he'd pledged loyalty to the crown directly. As a transcendent seed, the Eldorians would've supported his growth. But his pride and hatred for humans never let him see past his own valley.. Humans probably deserved the hatred, Damian didn't know exactly the details of the proud Beast Nation's fall but if Kazak's ancestors really were there to see their last days… And had filled his minds with its tales.. there was never a chance for him to trust them with such a thing..

Vidalia continued, seeing their somber expressions.

"I understand your concerns. Worry not—Lord Karsen is a powerful and honorable man. I can personally attest to his character, and he's a beastman. Their community will flourish with him in charge of the region."

Damian just nodded. If it involved him or his friends, he might argue on his future potential alone, but this was a matter of their kingdom's internal politics. He was just an outsider with a bit of potential. Still, there was one thing he could do for them.

"Their mage is a powerful second-ranker, and they have promising talents with a good inheritance of techniques and methods to grow.. If he could be given an official title, it might ease their worries," Damian said, carefully choosing each word, his blank expressions mirroring Vidalia's.

"I see. I'll take that under consideration." She nodded.

Bonecrusher, meanwhile, watched Damian throughout the entire conversation, his eyes amused but, thankfully, he refraining from commenting.

***Note***

[I have something very important thing I need all of your opinions on, I won't say it here making unnecessarily increase the chapter price but please do read the chapter comment if you have a second..]