Chapter 500 – The Kingdom of Sekalada

The Sekarado Kingdom was a small nation bordering the northwest of the Raging Wave Desert. As a small country, it naturally possessed the characteristics typical of such states—for instance, reclusive living and an almost complete lack of presence.

At the very least, this kingdom, much like the Tandak Kingdom within the Raging Wave Desert, was an insignificant minor kingdom that drew no attention. Whether it flourished or declined, whether its people lived in happiness or misery, even if it were to suddenly perish one day, it would not create so much as a ripple in the vast world of the Faerûn Plane.

However, as a foundational element of a kingdom, even without any external attention, this nation still possessed its own Kingdom Protector!

That’s right, the Kingdom Protector of this Sekarado Kingdom was Kane Bisadas!

This was Kane’s kingdom, yet in stark contrast to the knight’s flamboyant demeanor—where he wished every strand of his hair to shine brilliantly—the style of the Sekarado Kingdom was absurdly low-key.

This understatement was not only reflected in the kingdom’s approach to affairs but also in its architectural style, which was extremely frugal or, one might say, dull and lackluster.

In a small outer town of Sekarado, for example, the majority of buildings were drab, gray wooden single-story houses. In other countries, even if buildings were somewhat dilapidated, they would at least be painted with a bit of color for decoration. But here, all structures essentially retained their most natural hues, and even the marks left by rain erosion were plainly visible on the houses.

Moreover, this small town lacked any trace of the peace and tranquility typically found in such places. On the contrary, the streets were almost littered with emaciated beggars sitting on the ground, corpses of those who had starved to death were piled in alley corners waiting for guards to dispose of them, filth covered the streets with no one to clean it up, and from some shadowy corners, the sounds of fists striking flesh and faint, weak sobs could be heard.

“Kane, is this your kingdom? It seems you are not adept at governance! Poverty, hunger, filth, crime… from this small town, one can already discern much about the state of the entire nation.”

Stepping on a magical barrier beneath his feet, Punk frowned slightly as he walked through the streets. With his sharp judgment and extensive knowledge, a mere glance at the surroundings allowed him to assess the situation in the Sekarado Kingdom.

It could be basically confirmed that the Sekarado Kingdom was no different from the Tandak Kingdom; both were nations ruled entirely by the irrefutable violence of a Master-Level powerhouse. The unmotivated populace muddled through each day, while rampant crime and corruption spread unchecked, and a sinister atmosphere prevailed in every city.

A few years prior, Kane had finally managed to locate this Godchild through various clues, and upon finding a Godchild, he had hurriedly rushed to the Thought of Truth to meet with Punk. Consequently, he had left this “Godchild” in this remote, inconspicuous town within his own kingdom.Now, since the “Divine Maiden” at the heart of this adventure also demanded to participate in the negotiations, Punk followed Kane to this remote town in the Sekarado Kingdom. Punk’s blunt assessment of the city showed no regard for Kane’s pride.

Stepping effortlessly over a desiccated corpse, Punk remarked mockingly to Kane beside him:

“Truly, a kingdom reflects its Kingdom Protector. A chaotic, evil madman can only produce such an eyesore.”

“Come on, as if you’d know anything about governing a kingdom…”

Though Punk had been hurling sarcastic remarks since arriving in his kingdom, the easygoing knight remained unfazed by his realm’s state. Hearing Punk’s comment, he even had the leisure to whistle before replying with exaggerated resignation:

“Look, I’m busy every day, alright? Politics isn’t for rough guys like me who only know how to fight. Since those Nobles are so eager to ‘share my burdens,’ I’ll just leave these troublesome affairs to them. As long as they pay their ‘tributes’ on time every year, I don’t mind giving those bloodsuckers a bit of power.”

Saying this, Kane casually kicked aside another corpse on the street while continuing to spout his “twisted logic” without concern.

“It’s just some worthless little Kingdom anyway. If it falls apart, I’ll find a new one. There are plenty of insignificant little countries like this all over Faerûn!”

“At the very least, I think you should ensure the place where that ‘Divine Maiden’ lives is safe. After all, according to you, she’s just a newly advanced Apprentice-Level Stalker. Of course, for an Apprentice-Level youngster to dare demand participation in Master-Level negotiations… she probably wouldn’t be afraid of a mere city of sin!”

Voicing his opinion of Kane without emotion, Punk continued walking through the streets atop his magical barrier. Admittedly, their appearance and aura were far too intimidating—every living creature along the way automatically cleared a path for them.

Hearing Punk’s words, Kane—who’d been walking jauntily with a blade of grass in his mouth—paused briefly. He certainly recognized Punk’s sarcasm, like the jab about “Apprentice-Level youngster” mocking Kane’s inability to control even an Apprentice-Level “tool.” Just then, the Magic Raven Vector on Punk’s shoulder added fuel to the fire in a childish voice:

“Caw caw! Shameful knight, you’re not even fit to compare with my Boss. Hmph, not fit to compare with any of my Bosses, caw caw!”

Well, perhaps because Vector had single-handedly blocked Kane’s attacks during their battle in the Raging Wave Desert, or perhaps the grudge-holding raven still resented Kane calling Sorsend an idiot, its words were even harsher than Punk’s.

Yet Kane showed little reaction to their dual-layered mockery. He simply spat out the blade of grass and offered a wry smile, saying:”Shut up, you fool! You understand nothing at all. That ‘Goddess’ is no pushover. Who hasn’t grown from weakness step by step? Power is never the standard for judging wisdom. Anyone who underestimates her will surely pay dearly.”

This cunning knight was not one to suffer losses willingly. His “fool” insult wasn’t just directed at Vector – the term also dragged Punk into it.

Frowning slightly, Punk looked displeased at Kane, but ultimately didn’t engage in meaningless bickering with him.

What concerned Punk now wasn’t Kane’s insults, but rather the knight’s evaluation of that “Goddess”.

“An underestimated, not-yet-fully-grown powerhouse”!

For such an assessment to come from Kane’s mouth was truly remarkable, and precisely because of this, Punk had grown quite curious about this goddess he hadn’t even met.

“A ‘powerhouse’ who hasn’t fully developed yet, but is no less remarkable than Kane and me? How intriguing!”

Narrowing his eyes imperceptibly, Punk murmured coldly to himself.

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(End of Chapter)