Chapter 108: The Monster King

The second day began uneventfully.

Too much so, Tanaka thought. He stood nearby the gates to the east district with Sora, watching another set of travelers trickle through the gate. Eldoris had become accustomed to foreigners since allying with other countrie, but two almost-simultaneous delegations of travelers from two different nations was something else entirely. The Varkesh delegation was still kept in the diplomatic district. The Velmoran delegation was still in Eldoris.

Both were observing Eldoris.

Tanaka glanced toward the trees. The same feeling from the previous day still lingered.

Something was happening in the forest. He hadn’t failed to notice. Raizen’s wolves had been ordered to increase patrols, Zephyr had sent out a handful of his Mana Birds to keep watch on the northern roads, and Tanaka himself had ordered everyone under his command to keep an eye out for anything unusual and to report it before taking action.

There was no reason to begin a conflict without knowing what was happening. "You’re thinking again." Tanaka turned to find Sora hovering beside him in his humanoid form, idly nibbling on a piece of bread. "You say that like it’s a bad thing. I’m a king, thinking is part of the work. "Being king looks like hard work." "It is." "Then why be one?" Tanaka looked over the city. "Because someone has to."

Sora smiled. "The way you said that was very king-like." Tanaka rolled his eyes. Before he could respond, one of the guards approached and bowed to him. "Lord Tanaka, the Varkesh and Velmoran envoys have requested an audience." Tanaka sighed. "Tell them both I’ll meet them in the council hall." The guards bowed and took their leave.

An hour later, the council hall was filled.

Karesh was seated on one side of the table, his Varkesh warriors behind him. Seris Varn sat across from him with the other members of the Velmoran delegation. Tanaka took his seat at the head of the table. Sora hovered beside Tanaka. Tanaka turned to regard the room. "Let’s hear what you wanted to discuss." Karesh was the first to speak. "This time, I have more specific questions." Tanaka smiled. "I expected as much." Karesh leaned forward. "How do you rule?" Raveana raised an eyebrow. "That’s a strange question."

Karesh ignored her. "In Varkesh, the ruler must be capable of giving orders to every warrior under his banner." Tanaka nodded.

"That makes sense." Tanaka nodded. "The ruler must also be the strongest creature in the kingdom."

Karesh continued. Raveana smiled. "That also makes sense." Karesh fixed Tanaka with a piercing stare. "But Eldoris appears to be different." Tanaka leaned back.

"It is."

Karesh’s gaze swept over the room. "I have been observing your people since we arrived." He turned to stare at Raishin. "The Kijin have their own leader." Raishin remained silent. "The Star Wolves have their own leader." Raizen’s eyes narrowed slightly.

"The Orcs have their own leader." Razer crossed his arms. "The Goblins have their elders." Eldrin nodded. "And yet all of them answer to you." Tanaka smiled. "In the end, yes." Karesh looked genuinely interested.

"Why?"

Tanaka turned to look around the table. "Because I don’t need to control everything." He gestured to Raizen. "Raizen understands the wolves better than I do."

Then to Razer. "Razer knows more about hunting and surviving in the wilderness than I do." Then to Eldrin. "Eldrin understands the Goblins and their work better than I do." Finally, to Raishin.

"Raishin understands military organization better than I do." Raveana leaned closer to Karesh. "And I know more about fighting than him." Tanaka turned to regard her.

"Don’t get carried away." Raveana grinned.

The tension in the room eased slightly.

Tanaka turned back to Karesh. "Being king doesn’t mean doing everyone’s work. It means knowing who should." Karesh’s ears twitched. "And what does it mean to be a Monster King?" Tanaka considered the question. He had thought about what it meant to be a ruler of a kingdom full of monsters. It wasn’t that different from ruling a kingdom of humans, really. He had built Eldoris up from nothing over the years and he knew how it worked; the districts, the economy, the defenses, the responsibilities. But the question was different. What did the title of Monster King signify, beyond ’king of the monsters’?

Tanaka answered carefully.

"A Monster King needs enough strength to protect his people." Karesh nodded. "But that’s only the beginning." Tanaka turned to look around the council chamber. "A king has to make decisions that will affect everyone under his banner. Different races are going to have different ideas about what should be done. Resources are limited. Territory must be defended. There are people who need to be healed, fed and protected." He paused. "And when someone threatens the kingdom, the king has to deal with it."

Karesh watched him carefully. "In Varkesh, strength creates obedience." Tanaka’s shifted slightly. "In Eldoris, strength creates security. It doesn’t automatically create loyalty." Raizen spoke up. "Strength is still necessary." Tanaka nodded. "Of course. A ruler who cannot protect his territory cannot hold on to it." Raishin turned to regard Karesh. "But that isn’t the same as forcing people to obey." Karesh turned to regard him. "You were once an Ogre Prince." Raishin’s eyes narrowed. "You’ve done your research." "We studied the leaders of Eldoris before coming here." Tanaka smiled. "Of course you did."

Karesh continued. "And now you are Kijin. And you serve a Slime." Raishin turned to look at Tanaka. "Yes." "Why?" Raishin didn’t hesitate. "Because I chose to." Karesh was silent for a long moment. Raishin continued. "When I was an Ogre, I believed strength and position were enough to protect my people." He turned to look down at the table. "I was wrong." Tanaka remained silent. Raishin turned back to regard Karesh. "Tanka defeated us. He could have killed us." Karesh’s expression darkened. "But he didn’t." "No." "Why?" Raishin turned to look at Tanaka. "Because he gave us another option." Raveana crossed her arms. "So did I."

Tanaka laughed. The Varkesh warriors exchanged glances. Karesh regarded the room again. That was the difference. The people of Eldoris hadn’t obeyed Tanaka because he was stronger. They had obeyed him because they had chosen to stay under his banner. Seris Varn finally spoke up. "That is what sets Eldoris apart from many monster societies." Tanaka turned to look at her. "You’ve studied them too?" "Not all of them personally. But there are enough records to know some general information."

Seris folded her hands in her lap.

"Some monster societies band together in tribes, others in packs. Some remain as settlements for generations without expanding outwards. Powerful monsters can band together and surround themselves with followers, creating territories of their own." She turned to fix Karesh with a calculating gaze. "Some even become kingdoms."

Karesh said nothing. Seris continued. "It depends on how the society was formed." Tanaka nodded.

"That makes sense." He stared down at the map on the table. Eldoris had started as a group of monsters trying to survive. Eventually, it had stopped being a place where monsters happened to live and become a country. Tanaka knew that.

What he hadn’t considered was that it probably looked quite different from the outside. No single race dominated Eldoris.

No tribe owned it. No pack ruled it. No group could claim that the land and its people belonged to them and them alone.

They were all Eldoris. Tanaka turned back to regard Karesh. "Is that why Rhazek is interested in us?" Karesh hesitated. "Partly." ℯ

"What else?" "He wants to know if Eldoris is truly strong enough to survive." Tanaka smiled.

"So that’s what all the questions are about." Karesh’s expression remained inscrutable. "King Rhazek respects strength." Tanaka leaned forward slightly. "And does he respect me?" Karesh didn’t reply right away. "He respects your position enough to investigate it." Raveana frowned.

"That’s not an answer." Karesh stood. "King Rhazek’s philosophy is simple." Everyone listened as he spoke. "A king should stand above his people." Karesh fixed Tanaka with a piercing stare. "You appear to believe a king should stand among them."

Tanaka smiled.

"I think a king should know the difference between being above everyone and responsible for everyone."

Karesh studied him for a long moment.

Then he nodded. "I understand." He sat back down. Before Tanaka could say anything, Zephyr spoke up.."I have a report." Everyone turned to look at the Mana Bird. He had been standing near the window the entire time, listening to the discussion. "What happened?" Tanaka asked. "I sent additional Mana Birds north after our last meeting." Zephyr’s voice was measured. "One of them has returned." Raizen’s ears twitched. "From where?" "The northern forest." Tanaka’s expression tightened. "What did it see?" Zephyr turned to look at the map. "Varkesh warriors."

Karesh’s expression changed slightly.

"How many?"

Tanaka asked. "Fifty-two."

Raishin frowned. "Armed?" "Yes." Zephyr paused. "And they’re traveling with human mages." Seris straightened up. "Human mages?" Zephyr nodded. "They are restrained." A tense silence filled the room.

Tanaka slowly turned to regard Karesh. The envoy didn’t move. "You knew about them."

Karesh met his gaze. "I knew that a search party had been sent into the forest."

Tanaka narrowed his eyes. "For what?" Karesh shook his head. "I wasn’t told everything." Tanaka studied him closely. That could be true. But it didn’t explain everything. Why had Varkesh sent fifty warriors into the forest while their envoy was inside Eldoris? Raizen stood. "How close are they?" Zephyr turned to regard him.

"They are approaching the northern border."

Tanaka turned back to regard Karesh. "Do you know why they’re coming toward our border?" Karesh remained silent. Then Zephyr spoke again.."There is something else." Tanaka turned to look at him. "The Mana Bird reported that the mages were performing some kind of search." "For what?" Raishin asked. "We don’t know."

Tanaka turned to look toward the northern forest.

Something was there. Perhaps it was about the corruption. That meant the approaching force wasn’t necessarily an assault.

Not yet. They were searching. And if they wanted to search the area around Eldoris’s dungeon, they would inevitably have to cross into the Dominion. Tanaka stood.

"Raizen."

The Star Wolf King turned to look at him.

"Move the northern patrols closer to the border." Raizen nodded.."Understood."

"Zephyr." "I’m already sending more Mana Birds." Tanaka smiled. "I knew you would."

Tanaka turned to regard Karesh.."And you."

Karesh turned to look at him. "Yes?" Tanaka smiled. "You said you wanted to understand Eldoris." He gestured toward the northern forest. "Then I suppose you’re about to see how we protect it."

Karesh said nothing.