The king was more normal-looking than Arthur thought, although what he expected was probably influenced by his nervousness. A mix of grey and blonde hair covered his head, a thin mustache under his celestial-shaped nose, and dark violet unfathomable eyes.
As Arthur started walking on the red carpet, the king examined him with his hand supporting his chin as his elbow learned on the armchair of the throne.
"Arthur Silvera at your service, your majesty." Arthur kneeled on one knee and placed his hand on his heart in greeting. The king made a sound like affirmation and Arthur stood up.
Now that he was facing the throne, he realized there were some chairs beside it. Five chairs, to be exact. Three of them were empty and two of them had two people sitting on them. One of them was Nera and the other was a young man that resembled Alfred, although a bit older.
"Give it to me," Not breaking eye contact with Arthur, the king extended his hand. Someone came forward hurriedly and gave him a file. The king started skimming through it, reading aloud sometimes.
"A son of a thief, huh?" The king's lips drew a thin smile as Arthur realized this file was about him. He gritted his teeth as his father was called a thief but didn't say anything. "Not long since you've awakened. Your latest achievement was the skillfulness you've showed in the runes path. A champion candidate, huh."
The king's voice was full of disinterest. Even though his words lacked the emotions to be considered ridicule, Arthur still felt they were. The king skimmed over the rest of his file and closed it. He then looked at Arthur again while someone took the file from his hand.
"Can you retell the events of what happened and how you've found out that my son was a traitor?" The king squinted his eyes.
So, retelling he did. He didn't say anything about the Enders or how he found the meeting place. He had a personal grudge with Tyrin, who tried to harm him before. He followed Tyrin after seeing him in the capital and ended up hearing something he shouldn't have. Fleeing for his life, he tried to stop the attack that was going to befall the Yalveran Union.
As he told the story, Arthur was impressed by how heroic it sounded. How he had taken it upon himself to protect the kingdom. How would they react if they knew he simply didn't want to lose his legacy, the source of his power, and rise?
Arthur would never get to find out, as the audience started nodding approvingly at his deeds. It was an undying loyalty to the kingdom that moved them the most. Even the king's expression turned gentler than before.
"How is this related to my son, however?"
"In the second region, I waited for Tyrin to appear so I could interrogate him. He told me who had the artifact to activate the weapon, your majesty. The rest of the events unfolded as you have already heard." Arthur didn't tell them about the personal grudge he had with the prince.
As they heard how Arthur, as skillful as he was with runes, decided to forsake his personal well-being and risk his win in the contest to stop the attack, the crowd began whispering in approval.
"Silence," A single word from the king ended the noisiness. "It matches the information we've gathered, but how do we know you're not lying?" The king remained unaffected and asked. As he did, his eyes started glowing violet when a pain assaulted Arthur's head.
As if something was trying to invade his mind, Arthur felt like something was prying into his head, trying to get in. However, before it managed to succeed, the double-doors behind him were flung open.
"I beg your forgiveness for the intrusion, your majesty." A familiar voice came from behind him. Before Arthur could turn around, the voice's owner was already standing next to him.
A bald old man with a white goatee beard, wearing a luxurious black suit that Arthur was unfamiliar with, placed his hand on his shoulder. Without looking at him, Master Ronin addressed the king casually as the pain left Arthur's head.
"This youngster here is a disciple I've taken, so I can vouch for his words." Master Ronin glanced at Arthur with a smile.
Arthur could see the king's expression freeze, the first hint of emotion he allowed to break free. He then frowned at Master Ronin, who didn't bow or kneel when he entered.
"It's been a while since you've shown your face, Ronin." The king's words lacked the affection they should have conveyed. "I always question your choice of disciples," He glanced at Arthur with a scowl. "However, I can't just allow him to…"
"It's better to give this young hero what he deserves than to treat him like a villain, your majesty." Master Ronin interrupted the king whose face turned gloomy. "Unless you want a national sensation. His story and deeds are already making waves in the news outlet. In a period of unrest, where the Union is being attacked from both sides, people need a beacon of hope."
His words made the king's entourage and ministers buzz with both fear and anxiety. The king, who was glaring at Ronin, sighed.
"We have more important matters at hand than deciding whether he was a hero or not. For now, he'll stay in the palace until the issue is over."
"I think not, he'll be staying with me." Master Ronin grabbed his shoulder. "When the whole thing is over, I'll make sure to bring him here to receive his proper reward." The king sighed again and waved his hands in dismissal.
Arthur and Master Ronin left the hall together, where the discussion already started about the possible countermeasures against the current crisis. As they left the palace and boarded Master Ronin's car, where a private chauffeur was waiting for them.
The whole ordeal ended so quickly and so well that Arthur, even after leaving the gate of the palace, sat there gaping. He then turned to Master Ronin who was already throwing his tie away like it was a venomous snake.
"So, Master is the help Ivy mentioned?"
"Haha, yeah, sort of." Master Ronin smiled. "Boy, you've caused quite the stir on the first time you've left. Not that I hate what you did," Master Ronin started unbuttoning his sleeves as well. "This attire is too suffocating." He sighed.
"I mean, you've should already have an idea. The king should have one as well." Arthur said after remembering that Si also knew what was going on.
"We did," Master Ronin nodded. "The king did as well, he's just really petty." He casually insulted like he was talking about someone ordinary. "He's also quite cynical about everything."
"Before you came in, I felt like there was…" Arthur tried to describe what he felt.
"Yeah, that was the king's ability."
"But that means Si is…"
"The king's son," Master Ronin nodded and sighed again. "Don't mention the subject in front of Si, not now at least." He turned toward Arthur and smiled. "Treat this as a way to learn things about Si and his past."
"So, his father also has the same ability?"
"No, a lesser version of it. One with more limitations but also fewer consequences. His father is only able to read minds, not truly see everything. Nera could see things a hundred kilometers away easy, making her a terrifying archer."
"What about Alfred?" Arthur asked, now hesitant to believe all of this. After all, Si's appearance was so different from the King's or the rest.
"That boy always said he saw things none of us could see, I don't know if he's simply untalented or there are things that we're unaware of." Master Ronin's words made Arthur think of a single possibility, the Enders. Even though people have seen traces of them, a manifestation, none of them could see the creatures for who they really were.
"As for Si's appearance…" The car made a turn across the Heji River and Master Ronin gazed through the window. After a sigh, he answered.
"He resembles his mother," He said. "It's such a heartbreaking thing to be shunned because you look like the person you love the most. His mother was the first queen. However, Si's lack of talent in his earlier years made her fall from grace. The king turned his back to her, making Si feel responsible for this."
"Oh," Arthur didn't know what to say. He felt slightly bad for this, as Si had tried to help him many times. However, he remained doubtful of his motives. Now that he was learning them, he was unable to decide what to think. "Then," He hesitated to ask. "Sier's goal is to…"
His voice trailed and sank in the car like a stone thrown in the Heji river, forever sinking. Master Ronin turned to face him with a thin smile.
"To overthrow the king."