Before going home, Arthur went to Joe's pub to hand him some artifacts. He had found a lot of such low-tier weapons in the prince's ring that he decided to use them as inscription material and sell them.
He wasn't worried about being found out as it wasn't like someone had every item of the prince's memorized and he only chose the bland and uncharacterized weapons to sell.
He took out ten swords from his subspace and handed them to Joe who stood there gaping at him. Arthur wasn't doing this for his sake, but to repay Joe for taking care of Kira and handling his artifacts.
"Take ten percent of the profit."
"What? No. I'll be taking the usual fees for this as well."
"I've run out of artifacts, so let's consider this as my farewell gift," Arthur said apologetically. He had a deal with Joe because he needed someone to be his mask, but he would no longer need this as a member of Mistletoe.
Mistletoe had the front cover of a famous auction company that traded in tressures, artifacts, and everything of value. Arthur would let Idris handle his artifact from no one so he wouldn't fear being found out.
No matter how things were with Mistletoe, he trusted them to a certain extent. He needed to trust them to be his shield until he grew stronger. It wouldn't be that far off with his Art of creation, but it would be better to have a group he could count on.
"Still…" Joe wasn't offended and even looked a bit relieved. It seemed he had some suspicions about the source of Arthur's artifacts. "This is too much."
"Just take it, Joe. In return, help me out when I need you again." Arthur smiled as he said. Joe sighed and nodded, taking away the artifacts and storing them away.
Arthur saw him go place them in the room he had taken a few weapons from in the trial. Stealing a peak, he saw the saber he had used at that time.
After he had practiced his Art, he had become more aware of things and their existence. He knew this saber was the one he used back then; the only question is how this region got there? Was it a future version of it?
Arthur bid Joe farewell and went back home. He would have his exams tomorrow and they consisted of a theory and practical part. For students who wanted to attend awakeners' colleges, they would need to prove they had the qualifications. Their scores would be handed to the colleges for evaluation.
Arthur had decided to hide his strength for now and wear the runes genius halo. To be a profitable and harmless pawn is better than a strong one that might take you down. This way, even if the Union and the Temple knew of his achievements, they wouldn't try to harm him.
Arthur skimmed through the topics he had at night. He heard their front door shut and realized Oren was back. He called out to his younger brother and the two sat in Arthur's small room.
"How is Selena?" Arthur smiled as he saw his brother go red the moment that he mentioned her. He also felt slightly envious that his brother was capable of being this social, unlike him.
"She's okay, we're hunting in dungeons together these days." His brother coughed and acted causal. "Primitive ones, I promise." He added.
"You can try higher-ranked dungeons, but nothing you can't handle." Arthur chuckled as he felt his brother's overflowing mana. Even though Oren had yet to reach Arthur's level, his mana was quite considerable for someone who had just awakened.
However, having mana was still not enough. Oren needed to train his body and skill since his ability wasn't an offensive one.
"Oh," Oren nodded. "With the ability you gave me, I don't think it would be dangerous." He looked with admiration.
"Oren," Arthur sighed. "I want you to never say anything about your fire ability. If words get out, the whole world will try to capture us." His brother's face was slightly scared, but Arthur didn't blame him. "Hide your powers unless necessary."
"I will," Oren hesitated. "Is it better if I stop hunting with… others?" He meant Selena. Arthur stared at him for a moment.
He remembered how he had to hide his ability every time he was with others, not daring to reveal it. He didn't trust them and was constantly on the edge. He imagined his brother being the same, a loner who only knew how to slay monsters.
"No," Arthur smiled and ruffled his brother's hair. "I want you to enjoy your time. Whatever happens, I'll take care of it. Never let the world stop you from living your life." This was the burden he would need to shoulder as the older brother.
Despite his protests to let go of his head, Oren looked happier nonetheless. It seemed that being able to see Selena made him happy.
"Let me meet her one day, okay?" Arthur smiled. "Now, I have another gift for you. Don't use it unless you're in danger." Arthur took out one of the peak-mid-tier cores he had as he grinned. It was time to give his brother another ability.
Teleport.
He saw his brother's eyes shake as he felt the change within. He had to hold him back from throwing his fist in the air. If he becomes excited again, he would take down their house with them.
"There's another thing I want to give you." Arthur took out a book from his subspace. It was an Art that the prince had and Arthur had read through. It was called Demonic Flames Sword that focused on swordsmanship and fire, suiting Oren well. "Practice this without anyone finding out."
Arthur wasn't worried as he had already checked and found that this Art was available at Jerano College and other Awakeners institutions around the world. Even if someone found out, they would just think that Arthur had bought it for his brother.
***
The next day, Arthur took his exams. He didn't do that well in theory but he didn't care at the moment. His scholarship would get him to any college he wanted. Topics like Monster Theory and Dungeons Analysis were important, but he can always use his legacy to learn them when he has enough points.
Jerano College was strictly for awakeners to develop the human race powers against monsters and other dangers. Even if Arthur got into it with his scholarship, he would still need to attend other topics. He enjoyed certain privileges that allowed him to take fewer classes, but nothing more.
His true aim was the Runes Research Department. It was said to be one of the best departments for runes research in the world working collectively with the Runes Association. Arthur wanted to evolve his ability using the resources he would gain from this department.
He had lunch with Amelia who was a lot more relaxed with news of the prince dying came through. She had been hiding for the past month lest they find her in the city. Arthur felt apologetic as he saw how brighter she became so he treated her for lunch.
"For our deal," Amelia swallowed a bite from her sandwich as she nervously brought it up. "I've already secured what you asked for. So…"
"I'll help you get stronger so just finish your food. How was your training?" Arthur asked.
"It's going well, just that it won't be enough. I'm a short distance away from reaching the rei-rank, but it feels unbridgeable."
Arthur nodded. He felt sorry that Amelia had worked her whole life to reach this stage, but he reached it in two months. Foundations were the hardest to establish since you had to manually train your body and absorb mana for it to host enough power.
Mana was important but a weak body couldn't handle too much mana. A certain foundation needed to be established even for those that focused on their abilities than their physical bodies.
"I call you next week so we can start right away." Arthur planned to strengthen Amelia using his runes after he finishes his breakthrough. This way, he would have an easier time getting her accepted into Jerano college.
The day afterward, Arthur passed his practical exam before heading toward Master Ronin's villa. He had called Arthur to tell him that he would receive his Medal of Heroism in the capital in the ball the next day.
Arthur felt his stomach twist at this thought. This would be the beginning of his troubles. People will see his face and some would recognize him.
Erin Voldor.
The last time they had fought, Arthur couldn't finish him off because of his blood armor. Furthermore, Arthur's body was already in a critical state from Jin's betrayal, so he couldn't use his rune for long.
This time, things would be different. Whether it was the genius berserker, the psychopath plant-controller, or the traitor summoner…
He'll crush whoever stands in his way. He had the fortress that even an Astra-ranker couldn't break into and he also had the strongest art in existence.
He will no longer be a weakling.