[You have absorbed the Elemental King of the Pantara Range, "Pantalasa."]
[Pantalasa wishes to reside in your manaheart.]
[If you permit him to stay, you will succeed him in his position as "The Elemental King of the Pantara Range."]
Still in a daze, Lloyd did not notice the new messages that appeared in front of him until two minutes later when he opened his eyes.
Ding dong.
[The Asrahan Core Technique Skill Option β€: Your Supercharge time is up.]
Ziiing... His mana circle gradually slowed down its violent speed of rotation. The absorption of mana came to a stop.
Whoosh! Lloyd later opened his eyes to find snowflakes tapping his cheeks and eyes as the range's cold air filled the gaps left by the mana storm.
Lloyd scanned his surroundings right after opening his eyes. Then, he skillfully swept across the message before his eyes in deliberate motions.
The messages give me an idea of what happened while I was unconscious and what gains or skill I earned through the mana absorption.
This allowed him to get a grasp on how the situation developed, whether any favorable changes occurred around him, what he gained, and the decisions he needed to make. And the message that appeared this timeβ¦
This is beyond my expectations.
Gulp. Even though the message wasn't long, Lloyd had to read it over three or four times as the content it contained was far more incredible than what he expected.
Pantalasa? I didn't know he was the elemental king who ruled over this range. And he what? Wants to reside in my manaheart?
Lloyd knew he was not dealing with an ordinary elemental and expected the spirit to have some influence over the range, which was why he decided to use the Supercharge to get rid of him. But it never occurred to Lloyd that the elemental king would make this kind of demand.
And he wants to settle inside my manaheart? What in the world?
Lloyd cocked his head to the side, unsure of how to interpret this unexpected request of some sort of permanent residence. However, one thing was certain.
If I grant his request, I will gain the authority he had as the elemental king of this range.
It was intriguing to think about ruling over the elementals around here as a human king. However, Lloyd didn't easily give in to these sorts of temptations.
Tsk. No matter how great something seems, it's better to confirm it myself.
It was a dog-eat-dog world. There wasn't anyone or anything that could be trusted. Even if something seemed great on the outside, an impulsive purchase would usually end in regret the vast majority of the time, particularly if it involved an unfamiliar product.
I mean, imagine there's a fruit drink that looks really high-quality and tasty. But then, you look at the ingredients and realize it's only three percent fruit juice. These kinds of incidents happen all the time. That's why I have to consider the benefits and drawbacks of becoming the elemental king.
The position of an elemental king seemed great at first glance. But who knew? It could be a trap. With that thought in mind, he examined the inside of his manaheart the way he used to check over the ingredients in the ten-dollar container of salt at the grocery store. Lloyd's manaheart responded immediately to his actions.
"Haah... It's cold... It's cozy..."
Through the lewd-sounding whispers faintly coming into his manaheart, Lloyd sensed a mass of mana that had condensed in the extremely frigid air. He recognized what the mass of mana was and tried to start a conversation with it.
"Hey. Are you Pantalasa, the elemental king of this mountain range?"
"Ha... It's cool... It's cozy..."
Lloyd frowned.
"Ha... This feels like home..."
"Hey."
"ΠΠ°..."
"Do you want me to kick you out?"
"Ha?"
Dammit.
Lloyd's veins popped, and he complained like a landlord of a tenant who was twelve months behind on rent. "Hey! What are you doing inside? Do you want to get kicked out right now?"
The eviction warning must have worked. "Eh? Kick me out? From here?" asked Pantalasa.
"Yeah. You. Out. From there," growled Lloyd.
"Can't you postpone that decision for a bit?"
"Postpone it?" asked Lloyd in disbelief.
"Yes."
"How long?"
"Until you die."
Lloyd frowned in disbelief.
"I'm asking you for this favor because it's just so perfectly cool, cozy, and comfortable here. I mean it. I've been alive since the day the Pantara Range rose from the ground, but it's my first time experiencing this... refreshing cold."
"It's cold?" asked Lloyd. "Do you mean the Heart of Winter?"
"Yes. The Heart of Winter in you." Pantalasa's voice lightly trembled, like a person experiencing culture shock or trying out an air conditioner after using a fan for their entire life. "So, I beg you, human. I won't ask for too much time. Can't I stay here for a little while just until you die?"
"Hmm... In that case, you won't care if I destroy more of the mountains?"
"I do a little... But..."
"But what?"
"It dawned on me that this is a rare chance."
"You mean a chance to experience the immensely refreshing cold of the Heart of Winter?"
"Yes, exactly," replied Pantalasa. "Human, I have been keeping a close eye on your construction. I figure you are planning to build a road across the range."
Lloyd nodded.
"Do you plan to construct on any other areas?"
"No," said Lloyd. "Probably."
"Well, then it's fine."
"I thought you were the elemental king of the range," reminded Lloyd sharply.
"You already destroyed this area, and the range will still remain vastly untouched even if you expand a bit more from here."
Lloyd was speechless.
"So, here's my request. Permit me to stay here for a few decades."
Finally, Lloyd realized this bastardly elemental king had abandoned his duties and responsibilities after being enticed by the Heart of Winter.
Well, humans are no better. I can't expect perfection just because he's an elemental king.
Regardless of their level of diligence, everyone wanted to slack off at times. Lloyd thought that the elemental king wouldn't be any different.
Well, Pantalasa is basically the guardian of this range as his title suggests. I'm sure he would like to take a small break after working tirelessly since the formation of the range.
A few decades may seem long to humans. However, it was about the same amount of time as a few hours for Pantalasa, who had been alive for billions of years.
I guess it would be the same as leaving work early or taking the morning off for humans.
The comparison helped Lloyd understand where Pantalasa was coming from. But it didn't mean that he'd easily grant the latter's request right away.
"Then, let me ask you one thing," said Lloyd.
"What is it, human?"
"What do I gain from granting your request?" asked Lloyd expectantly.
"You will have the power to reign over this range for a few decades."
"No," said Lloyd impatiently. "Tell me specifically what I gain from earning the title of the elemental king."
Lloyd needed to hear the answer to this question. How could he not?
I don't want to blindly trust his words that it's a good thing and regret it later.
Lloyd was being serious. It was a painful lesson he had learned throughout the course of his life. Regret was an inevitable outcome if he blindly trusted other people's words. Lloyd never wanted to follow in the footsteps of his parents, who were scammed into bankruptcy, or Count and Countess Frontera, who were previously on the verge of bankruptcy. He wanted to carefully go over everything one by one instead of being swayed with empty words of persuasion.
This is a mistake people make when people buy stocks or other investments. A group of people suddenly praise a company, and everyone rushes to buy their stocks. Then, the stock prices plummet, and they're forced to hold onto them for dear life. The same thing happened with bitmoney. There was a boom in demand for the currency at one point in time. But what happened to the people who rashly went into it?
Instead of hitting the jackpot like they expected, they were all hit with plummeting prices.
I don't want to end up like them. The same is true now.
This was his plan: Hear the pros and cons of becoming an elemental king in detail. Pantalasa responded.
"First... It feels nice."
"I don't care..." said Lloyd, struck dumb. "Be more specific."
"Be more specific, you say... Hmm... You can summon and command the elementals in this range."
"Command? However I please?"
"Probably," replied Pantalasa. "If the others accept you as the elemental king. You will then have absolute control over the elementals in the range. At least, within this mountain range."
"Are you sure? I have some doubts."
"Why do you have doubts?"
"You didn't call for any other elementals when you fought with us. Why is that?" Lloyd asked sharply.
"I let my guard down. It never occurred to me that being hit by a human could hurt so much, and there was one who could absorb my mana so relentlessly."
"Hmm.." mulled Lloyd.
"I mean it. I was able to easily take care of the swordmasters that I encountered before by myself. So, I assumed it'd be similar this time and didn't think that there would be a need to disrupt their break by calling for them. But I was wrong."
"Hmm..."
Pantalasa's answer made sense. The next question followed.
"Great. If the upside is gaining command over the elementals in this range, what's the downside?"
"Nothing," replied Pantalasa confidently.
"Nothing?"
"Nothing."
"I smell something fishy."
"Fishy?"
"Fishy. Like you're trying to scam me."
"I'm not. I'm being honest right now. Just make sure not to destroy the range too badly. That's all I ask from you."
"Not much damage?" asked Lloyd.
"Yeah." The elemental king continued to speak. "Once the range sees too much damage, the elementals will grumble and find another home. You let that keep happening, and you will lose support from the elementals."
"You mean a riot would break out?"
"Yeah. A riot. That's all you should need to watch out for."
Hmm... Lloyd pondered for a second about the possibility of the other elementals raising a coup if he enacted too much damage on the land here. He chuckled. "I won't lose anything. Well, I'll hand over the position if someone throws a coup."
"What?"
"The position wasn't mine in the first place anyway. Why obsess over it? All I need is for the construction to end well. So I see. I'll grant your request."
"H-Hold on! What do you mean you can always pass over my title to someone else? What do you mean by that?"
"Oh, your request is granted. Enjoy your decades' worth of rest."
Ding Dong!
The moment Lloyd voiced out his consent, Pantalasa's voice faded out, and messages appeared in front of his eyes.
[You have accepted the request of Elemental King Pantalasa.]
[You have now become the "Acting Elemental King of the Pantara Range."]
[You can reign over the range until you die or hand over the power to some other elemental.]
[From now on, you have the unrivaled ability to summon elementals from anywhere in the range and locate their exact location.]
Whew...
Lloyd exhaled a sigh after checking the message. What Pantalasa said was true. Messages appeared in series as soon as he permitted the stay. Feeling content, he looked at the side.
"Are you okay, Young Master?" Javier asked as if he had been waiting. Lloyd noticed the cold gaze distinct to Javier.
Lloyd knew that the coldness was a mask to hide Javier's concern for him. With a smile on his face, Lloyd said, "As you can see."
"Then... The elemental..."
"I absorbed him. And now, I have become the elemental king of this range."
β...β
"I'm serious," pressed Lloyd.
β...β
"I'm serious."
β...β
"If you doubt me, then relax your face and ask me a question."
"It is not that I am doubting you," replied Javier. "However..."
"However?"
"I suddenly pity the elementals who have to serve a man like you as their king," Javier said. "The elementals will soon be sent to the construction site, where they will be treated as nothing more than construction equipment day in and day out. They will be drawn into exploitation with an overtime bonus and so on. I can see it happen as clear as day."
Lloyd was quiet for a moment.
"Am I wrong?"
"Yeah. That's how you've been treated until now."
Javier seemed pensive.
"I'm only an evil contractor to you," quipped Lloyd. "That's why I'm getting started right at this moment."
"Start what?"
"What else? To delegate chores to the elementals, I'll have to make them respect me. Set up a clear order."
"Order?"
"Well," Lloyd said with a grin, his gaze running the length of the range that extended below the steep range, where he intended to put his newly acquired power to good use. "Let us give these elementals a taste of physical labor. First come, first served."
