Chương 478: Chapter : 478

"The seed feeds on their thoughts," Javier explained smoothly.

"It eats their free will. It makes my magic incredibly strong. The entire kingdom belongs to me now." He touched the growing dark roots. The roots felt very warm. They pulsed with stolen life force. But Javier suddenly frowned. The purple glow stopped expanding. The rapid growth slowed down completely.

"It is not enough," Javier complained. He crossed his arms over his chest. He looked very annoyed.

"Mind control is just the first step. The seed requires more raw energy. It needs physical sacrifice. It needs blood to reach full growth." He glared at the mindless citizens. They did not offer enough power. He needed a stronger fuel source. He needed the blood of warriors. He needed the life force of the royal bloodline.

"Find the remaining soldiers," Javier commanded his accomplices.

"Hunt down the surviving royal family members. Spill their blood on the streets. Feed the flower." The dark magicians bowed respectfully. They scattered across the city. They began their lethal hunt. Far away from the central plaza, Ken Eliot walked down a dirt path. He approached the border of the Bluemoon Kingdom. He wore his wrinkled navy blue suit pants. His white dress shirt hung completely untucked over his belt. He did not wear a tie. His black hair stuck up in messy, confused spikes.

He shoved his left hand deep into his pocket. He held a large bag of sour cream and onion potato chips in his right hand. He tossed a chip into his mouth. Crunch. Crunch. Crunch.

"This walk is taking forever," Ken mumbled lazily. He slouched his shoulders as far as they could possibly go.

"I should have packed a bicycle. Or a skateboard. A magical hoverboard would be really fantastic right now. Walking is terrible for my knees." He crossed the city limits. He walked into the outer residential districts. He stopped walking. The streets were filled with people. But nobody was talking. Everyone stood perfectly still. Their eyes glowed a bright, toxic purple. They stared blankly at the brick walls. They looked incredibly creepy. Ken chewed his potato chip slowly. He looked at the mindless crowd.

He blinked his sleepy dark eyes.

"Okay, this is very unoriginal," Ken stated casually. He pointed a lazy finger at the crowd.

"We are doing a zombie apocalypse arc? Really? I have seen this movie a hundred times. Slow zombies are very boring. You just walk slightly faster than them and you win. It requires zero tactical strategy." A purple-eyed citizen slowly turned his head. He looked at Ken. The citizen raised a sharp wooden pitchfork. He started shuffling toward the messy boy. Ten other citizens turned around. They all raised their farming tools. They shuffled toward Ken.

This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Ken sighed dramatically. He popped another chip into his mouth.

"And now they are trying to attack the main character," Ken complained.

"This plot is so predictable. I feel like I am stuck in a filler episode." The citizens swung their tools. Ken did not run away. He did not panic. He did not use a massive magical shield. He just lazily stepped to the side. A pitchfork missed his shoulder by an inch. He ducked smoothly under a swinging hammer.

"Substitution Jutsu," Ken whispered lazily. He did not actually use a complex ninja technique. He just used an incredibly basic teleportation spell. He moved five feet to the right. He left a small cloud of dust behind him. The mind-controlled citizens crashed into the dust cloud. They missed him completely. They bumped into each other. They fell into a tangled, clumsy pile on the dirt. They dropped their tools.

"You guys have zero coordination," Ken noted cheerfully. He looked down at the pile of people.

"You need to work on your team synergy. I am just going to slip right past you. Please do not follow me. I do not want to do any cardio today." Ken continued walking down the street. He easily avoided the slow, mindless mobs. He did not hurt them. He knew they were just innocent people. He looked up at the sky. A faint purple mist hung in the air. The mist blocked the sun.

"Someone is using a massive mind-control spell," Ken analyzed silently in his head. The goofy smile remained on his face.

"It looks exactly like the Infinite Tsukuyomi. The bad guy wants to trap everyone in a terrible dream. I need to find the source of the magic." He stopped and rubbed his lower back. He let out a loud yawn.

"But first, I need a place to sit down," Ken decided.

"My feet are killing me. I need to find a bench. Or a very comfortable rock. Saving a kingdom requires proper rest breaks." He dragged his cheap shoes on the cobblestones. Scuff. Scuff. Scuff. He shuffled deeper into the ruined city. He ignored the creepy purple eyes staring at him. He just wanted to find a good spot to eat the rest of his snacks.

Naomi walked into the strategy room of the 13th Unit estate. She held a clean dish towel in her hand. She looked around the room. The room was very quiet. The large wooden table was empty. She noticed a single piece of white paper resting on the wood. She walked over to the table. She picked up the paper. It was Ken's official leave of absence request. Princess Iris had signed it at the bottom. Naomi smiled a very warm, genuine smile. Her green eyes looked incredibly soft. She read the paper again.

"He actually went to a farm village," Naomi murmured to herself. She folded the paper neatly. She placed it carefully into her pocket.

"He always complains about needing a nap. I hope he gets some rest. He really earned a vacation. He protected us perfectly." Laxmi walked into the room. She tossed a small orange flame in her hand. She grinned a big, bright smile.

"Hey Naomi. Have you seen Ken? I want to challenge him to a card game. I want a rematch. I know he cheats somehow."

"He left," Naomi answered cheerfully. She leaned against the table.

"He took a few days off. He went to the countryside to look at potatoes." Laxmi laughed loudly. The flame popped between her fingers.

"He is probably sleeping under a tree right now. He is such a massive slacker. But the estate feels a little bit boring without his silly jokes." Sayma sat at the far end of the table. She opened a thick book. She pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose.

"Statistically, he will sleep for fourteen hours a day. He will consume three bags of chips. His behavior is highly predictable." Zinia stretched her strong arms. She cracked her knuckles.

"Let him sleep. He deserves a break. We have our own training to do today." Luna rested her head on the table. She yawned a massive, dramatic yawn.

"I miss his snacks already. He always shares the good chocolate cookies. I am going to take a nap to pass the time."