430: An Old Enemy

An Old Enemy

As he listened to the quiet breathing of Veran, Arthur watched the blonde knight stumble toward them. Kaza looked like a mess, as he must have seen the short meeting between Arthur and the Hydra.2

"Seika?" the knight asked with confusion before he saw his friend on the ground, sleeping peacefully. Arthur was leaning on the tree beside him, waiting silently.

"Shush," Arthur gestured for the knight to be quiet, and he nodded before he took small steps toward them and sat down beside Veran.

Arthur watched with interest as Kaza looked at his friend as if his soul was slowly returning to his body, seeing that he was unharmed. A feeling bloomed within his heart when he witnessed their friendship, and it was envy.

'I never had such a friend,'

Everyone he considered friends would do anything to protect him, but he never had such a casual friendship yet so mutually independent.

The reason was simple: he never allowed himself to depend on others for his happiness or wellbeing. During The Holy Crown Trial, Arthur wanted to trust people, help them, or receive their help. However, his scar lives as proof of his foolishness.

"What happened, Seika?" muttered Kaza, unable to wait.

"Veran helped me find out the truth," Arthur answered, but his face didn't betray the gravity of the matter. "It came at the cost of his darkness increasing, so I'm making sure that he can recover."

"Seika," Kaza looked at his friend with unease. "I heard that you can stop the voices. But, please, can you erase them forever?"

"I can, but that would come at a great cost," Arthur answered after a brief silence. "Veran would lose his powers, and I will lose my eyes which peer into the darkness."

"I can protect Veran," Kaza said.

"Then what about my eyes? Why would I willingly give this up?" Arthur's questions left the young knight silent as if saving his friend needed no reason. "I'm not you, and there is more than your friend's wellbeing."

"Tell me, Seika. Why leave a man to suffer?"

"To make sure that fewer people suffer," Arthur raised his hand slowly, looking at the mana leaving his fingers. "If you can prove to me that your friend's life is worth more than that of others, then I'll do as you ask."

"There is no way to determine that," muttered the blonde knight, seemingly helpless by his lord's demand. "Lives aren't measured by gold, and they can't be compared against each other."

"Does that mean you think of your friend's life the same as that of a stranger?" Arthur leaned back and closed his eyes, allowing his mana to wash over the forest and eradicate the darkness. "Veran won't like hearing this."

"This is not what I mean," sighed the knight. "I just can't prove that my friend's life is worth more simply because I care for him. In that sense, everyone would argue that their loved ones are the most important in the world."

"I can argue that your friend's life is worth more because he can end the suffering of many," Arthur rebuked. "The only way to measure a person's worth is by how much good he could bring to this world, even by being evil."

"Is that the most important thing about being a knight?"

"Do you think that question is the most important at the moment?" Arthur opened his eyes, and they rested on the red-nosed man. "I believe the goodness in a person is the most valuable out of all traits, and that's why I chose you to be my knights."

"Then, why must he suffer for others?"

"There's no such thing as 'must,' it is all about the choice that your friend made. He never asked me to conquer the darkness, only to let him sleep for a bit."

The words ended the conversation, and the knight simply waited. Arthur's mind was filled with the question about what he saw earlier in the darkness, and what amazed him was that the darkness was connected across time.

It was an ordinary night, but it drenched the forest with a vile of darkness. The eyes Arthur saw from were of someone who traveled the woods at night, accompanying someone else.

There were no exchanged words between the two, and Arthur couldn't see who that person was. They were cloaked, and Veran's connection to the Enders was blurred.

When they reached the lakeside, the water parted in front of them. The two people were isolated from the world as they walked deeper into the lake without diving.

The power of the darkness worked to kill everything in its path, and that was the act of the person that Arthur shared their vision. As for the other person, they raised their hands to retain the isolation of the world.

No exchanged words and no faces. They walked like mindless puppets until they reached the palace. The underwater palace disintegrated under the power of the enders, and the two walked into the palace to finish their job.

A bright light shone through the lake, and the hydra's screams rang in their ears. However, the two didn't fight the giant monster and simply snatched the child before leaving the lake.

After they left, the person who isolated them from the world turned at last. Arthur got to see her face, and she was none other than the person who took his hand.

'Why is Larza in Freda?' Arthur asked himself as they sat in the forest. He expected someone else, but it made sense that this person could retrieve the child.

After all, she was the perfect person to isolate a living being. Arthur didn't think that she would come to Freda again despite his warning. However, it was about time that he executed his revenge.

Many months ago, he would have never thought of hurting someone physically, even if they hurt him. However, Arthur didn't feel a thing about it anymore. It was that he wanted to take revenge, so he would.

After the knight woke up, he was confused about what had happened. Finally, Arthur explained that his darkness overtook him and that he became Arthur's eyes. Veran seemed quite embarrassed that he decided against using the darkness only to jump into it a moment later.

Their trip to the Baron of Pearls ended without problems, and Arthur decided it was time to return to Aquamia. There, he would find a shipbuilder even if he had to force them.

Then, it would be time to return home.

***

"Are you... him?"

The girl in front of him asked, freckles all over his face. She was standing behind Diana with a scared expression, looking almost exactly as Arthur imagined her.

"Good to meet you again, Hana," Arthur said with a smile as he raised his hand. Then, from his palm came out the golden mana that proved his identity. "I'm sorry for taking so long to bring you here."

Hana looked a lot shyer in the real world than she was as a spiritual entity, and she simply nodded a few times while hiding herself. Then, finally, Arthur turned to the cold princess, who seemed to have earned the child's trust.

"How does it feel to kidnap a child?"

"Kidnap?" Dia shook her head. "I only said that I wanted to have her as a disciple, and her parents almost threw her at me. Wretched bastards who know nothing but to snob."

"I think you need to work on your language in front of kids," Arthur sighed and turned toward the little girl, who was pouting. "You really can't recognize me. Well, how about this?"

As he said, his spiritual energy enveloped her and lifted her in the air. The girl almost screamed as she began floating around the room, raised by a gentle, familiar force.

"Woah! It's you, annoying mister!"

"Annoying?" Dia asked with a frown as if the girl insulted her directly. However, Arthur signaled for her to ignore it as the kid played around. Then, she landed in front of him on the desk, her shoes resting beside the stacks of paper.

"What happened after I was gone?"

"We met a lich who talked weirdly! He said that you disappeared with a friend from the spirit's realm and that you were meeting someone important," Hana jumped to sit on the edge of the desk.

"What about the monk?"

"He left after I contracted a spirit," the girl seemed sad about it, her twin tails resting on each shoulder. "Lin Zhao said that he wants to meet you and that fate would make sure that they do."

"Wait, you contracted a spirit?" Arthur's brow raised in surprise. "What kind of spirit did you find?"

"Hehe, I need to show you," Hana giggled. "The lich gave me a gift to make a lot of friends! But I need to use it beside the water."

"She showed me on the way," Dia said with her arms crossed in front of her. "It's an ability that will solve your maritime issues."

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