Building a Kingdom and Conquering the World

93  Throne

Unbeknownst to Henry and Leier, mighty waves had begun to stir the borderlands of Stahl, with the potential to reshape this small part of the North. The war between the three kingdoms was on the brink of eruption.

"I'm sorry, my liege. It's impossible" - Leier said, turning her gaze toward the man sitting by the door, with the doll's head at his side, while leaning against the hard wall covered in a thin layer of ice.

She had helped her king settle there, while she tried to push open the heavy stone doors. Henry could only sit with his eyes closed, taking deep and loud breaths, which Leier could clearly hear from where she stood.

"Let me give it a try" - Henry said, using his trembling hands and legs to lift himself to his feet, fast enough to not give Leier time to assist him. He still couldn't bring himself to look directly at her face, a feeling that he shouldn't harbor for a person that saved him.

*Huff*

Henry closed his eyes and took a deep breath, assessing the condition of his body. After his battle against the doll, his Mana circuits had overloaded, and cracks had begun to spread throughout them. Furthermore, the chaotic flux of Mana coursing through his circuits had also taken a toll on his muscles, tearing some of them. Although he had managed to reach the Fifth Stage, a level that could classify him as a powerhouse in these Northern regions, capable of single-handedly facing a thousand soldiers, it was still impossible to recover from such injuries in just a few days or hours.

After his finished checking his body's condition, a red light seemed to flash in his grey eyes as he opened them. He raised his trembling hands and touched the heavy stone doors, sensing the coldness permeating it, prepared to muster his remaining strength to force them open. However, just as he was about to summon the Mana inside his heart, gathered after fighting against the doll, a soft sound echoed from the doors. It was only a second after he touched it.

*Click*

The doors that Leier couldn't open despite using all her strength opened effortlessly, as if by magic. It was as if they responded to Henry's Mana and touch, seemingly acknowledging his status and granting him passage. Similar to the statue's room, the light in this chamber was soft and came from an unknown source.

Beyond those stone doors was a spacious room with a high ceiling and rugged walls covered in a thin layer of ice. The ice reflected the mysterious light, illuminating the entire room. The chamber had four levels on each side, supported by frozen pillars reaching up to the cave's ceiling. Shelves filled with books decorated the room, and you could only reach the higher shelves by using the white, frozen staircases attached to the pillars.

Henry's grey eyes scanned the entire room, trying to figure out the reason why someone would bring this many books to this desolate place. He wanted to thank this person, who had delivered such a great trove of knowledge in his hands, something that might become the greatest tool in this war.

Henry walked towards the nearest bookshelf and extended his hand toward one of the books. In his heart, he hoped that time and the cold environment hadn't damaged the words written inside. He picked up a brown book that seemed to have been made by the scales of some kind of fish.

Henry used his hand to gently remove the layer of ice covering the book's cover before reading aloud – "The Various Whales of the West: A Pirate's Diary."

He then opened the book and turned its pages, thanking his ancestors that the letters inside had survived the harsh passage of time and the challenging environment. Without hesitation and wishing to check the others, Henry returned the book to its place and picked up another book, flipping through the pages.

"The Road to the West"

"How to Build Great Ship's Vessels."

Henry roamed the bookshelves on the first floor, examining around thirty to forty books. A broad smile formed on his lips. This library had books from all over the continent and the first floor seemed to be a collection of general knowledge on everything about it, from the monsters found on each area to how to build ships or warfare weapons used around the world. It was something that Henry desperately needed, principally the ones about ships.

Henry was so excited that he momentarily forgot about his shame and turned to Leier, looking directly at her face. His voice brimming with excitement as he exclaimed – "This is a treasure trove! We need to send someone here to collect all of this when we find a way out of this situation".

Henry's hands unconsciously rested on Leier's shoulders, his smile reflecting in her blue eye as he once again turned his gaze towards the countless bookshelves filling his vision. Henry's gaze remained upon the books for a full moment, before he unwillingly turned it back towards the door. There was no way out of this situation, at least not inside this library. These books were important, but not so important as getting out of this place.

"Let's go"- Henry said, the excitement fading as weariness returned to his body. Leier followed closely behind him. – "We can explore this place later; let's focus on finding a way out first."

When Henry and Leier passed through the door, it closed automatically behind them, like the automatic doors in Henry's original world. He glanced at it briefly, but unlike Leier, who had never encountered such technology or magic, he wasn't startled or amazed by it. He pressed on, now heading toward the 'King's Way' door, which, despite being on the opposite side from the first door, they reached in no time.

This time, unlike the first door, when Henry's hands made contact with it, he felt a peculiar energy coming out of the door and entering his circuits through his hands. The energy moved through his Mana Circuits akin to a swift swordfish, as if it were searching for something within each circuit, until it reached Henry's heart. Suddenly, as if sensing an unknown body, Henry's heartbeat surged powerfully, akin to a king commanding a subject to bow. At that very moment, like a startled beast, the energy rapidly retreated toward the door.

The doors swung open, showing the room to Henry. Contrary to the library, there was no natural light within this room and no trace of ice could be seen on the walls, there was only darkness.

Henry turned his eyes towards Leier, looking at the car in her eye with some guilty, before saying – "Wait here!" – Without giving Leier a chance to respond, he took a step forward and entered the room.

As Henry stepped into the dark room beyond the 'King's Way' door, an otherworldly sensation enveloped him. The air grew heavy with an eerie anticipation, and a shiver ran down his spine. It was as if the very atmosphere had shifted, responding to his presence. The few strands of mana in his heart seemed to respond and beat without constraint.

Suddenly, a long trail of purple fire, like a mystical serpent, began to materialize on the cold, stone floor. The flames danced and flickered around him, casting an enchanting and ethereal glow that seemed to defy the laws of nature. The flames gradually stretched out ahead, caving their way deeper into the cave, creating a mesmerizing path that beckoned Henry to follow. Leier wanted to follow, but the flames created a wall that didn't allow her to go inside. Nôv(el)B\\jnn

*Thud* *Thud*

Each step Henry took sent ripples of power through the fire, causing it to intensify in brilliance. The flames were vibrant and alive, radiating a sensation of ancient magic. Their hue held an allure that was impossible to resist, drawing Henry further into the unknown depths of the cave.

*Huff*

The purple flames seemed to be able to enhance the Sun God Technique's flow, the concentrated mana allowed Henry to swiftly accumulate Mana and convert it into Fire Mana. At the same time, the king's Mana Circuits and muscles were also rapidly recovering, like a miracle.

Suddenly, when the door he came from became indistinguishable in the distance, the trail of fire abruptly came to a halt. Henry raised his grey eyes, which had become purple, towards the darkness in front of him, trying to peer through it. Then, as if responding to his wishes, the flames erupted in a chaotic and intense run, forming a huge circle in front of him, where a burning purple throne stood with a great dark sword leaning on it.

The throne had menacing spikes that resembled the horns of a demon and the purple flames seemed to form the eyes of a dragon in the middle of it. These fiery eyes appeared to fixate on Henry, beckoning him to draw nearer. Henry felt himself become hypnotized as he walked further towards it, until he sat down.

At that moment, a memory of ancient times seemed to flash across his mind. It was an image of a great war amongst humans and dragons.

-x-

In Stahl's capital, Zahra anxiously lowered her head as she awaited Luther's decision. She had reached the capital in just two days, running without pause and even instructing her soldiers to take their time in collecting information as they moved forwards. She advanced alone, understanding the need for discretion and swiftness in this situation.

"The king..." - Luther began, his voice and gaze concealing the anger and concern he harbored. However, his years of experience in the frontlines quickly took over – "Excellent work, soldier! I will be sure to relay your accomplishments to the king when he comes back. But for now, we must prepare for war. Luak's army is closing in on us."

The war is about to begin! Grab your weapons!

Stoicist