The princess's voice came stoic yet unable to hide the tint of sadness folded within. As Arthur listened, he felt bad for being inconsiderate to her. They might have fought in the past, but she wasn't a bad person. Furthermore, he was the person who killed her brother.
"Alfred wasn't a good person, but he was my brother. I tried to change him, but he was always so distant, so secluded to himself. He could only see my parents and how to be approved by them."
"I'm sorry."
"No, what you said was right. You made the right decision, and for that I'm thankful."
"I don't know if it was right or wrong, we'll see how it unfolds. For starters, I sure don't enjoy these people dissecting me with their eyes." Arthur said making the princess chuckle.
"You'll get used to it." She spoke as she tightened her hand on his. Her delicate fingers were cold to touch and her frame swayed in the light. "Now, let's give the people what they want." She grinned with no hint of her earlier sadness.
The rest of the dance was tough even for Arthur, but he didn't do any mistakes. By the end, he was sweating a little and the hall fell into a silence. Their elegant dance coupled with their different statuses captured the attention of whoever saw them.
***
The next day, the news spread like wildfire. Media outlets wrote articles upon articles as newspapers printed two figures dancing elegantly on their front pages.
'The Rising Hero and The Princess.'
'The Story of His Rise: Arthur Silvera.'
'The Patriotic Hero Wins More Than a Medal.'
Such titles flooded the market as people discussed avidly the broadcast that was playing on TV. Just like Nera had wanted, their dance gained the public's interest because of their different statuses.
A commoner hero who tried to save the nation, a genius no less, dances with the princess of the kingdom. This piece of news allowed the public's unrest to shift slightly because humans loved to gossip.
Despite the denial from the royal family, the people allowed themselves to fantasize about the relationship between the two youngsters.
Princess Nera, despite her cold personality to her peers, was loved by the people for many projects she had endorsed. A shelter for homeless people and those affected by dungeons, an orphanage, and several other projects that allowed her to be called the favorite of the noble society.
This news affected Arthur's life greatly. His name was published along with his face, making him stress about the consequences this would bring. Nonetheless, he feared nothing but endangering the well-being of his family. He contacted Oren and asked him to take his mother and head to Master Ronin's villa after getting permission from the old man.
His breakthrough was still underway but this sudden fame disturbed his mind. He knew it was coming but it didn't make it any less uncomfortable. Somehow, his past was unearthed as they begin to embolize him as the hero of the public.
Despite his great disgust regarding the person that they were making him be, he still planned to make use of it. The Royal Family was unfitting to rule, and this was undisputable for him. Their characters were questionable and their motives proved to be not the welfare of the people, but their self-interest.
His public image would help him when the time comes to follow Sier's plan. He didn't see himself as a saint, but his life wouldn't have been this difficult with a better ruler. They were thrown away as soon as they were used with no regard to how they would fend for themselves in the world.
He didn't know if Sier was fit to rule or not, he didn't know that yet. However, Mistletoe was ruled not by fear, but loyalty. Sier managed to bring several people together and make them a 'family.'
Arthur was eating in the hotel room when the phone rang. It was the room's phone, not his. Confused, he picked it up to hear the nervous voice of the receptionist.
"Sir, several reporters are crowded down here asking for an interview. Should we refuse, or would you like to receive them?"
"Chase them away," Arthur said before he was ready to hang up. However, the reception hurried to say something more.
"We can't do that, sir. They have already booked several rooms so they're considered our customers now. They're not trespassing."
'That's a good but low move.' Arthur sighed inwardly. He told the receptionist to leave them and hung up before he started changing his clothes.
The reason he didn't use his Teleport rune before was that he would be fined if caught. Luckily, one of the privileges he gained from the silver medal lying on the bedstand was that he could use his ability inside the city.
He threw the medal into his subspace before using his teleport rune. In an instant, he appeared on the roof where he jumped on the railing to see the surrounding. It was a spectacular scene of skyscrapers and greenery. The clouds mottled the sky in a great belt that hugged the city's scenery.
"Should I try to break through now?" Arthur wondered aloud. His short-term plan was always to get stronger and that's how he would achieve his long-term plans. However, he lacked a suitable place for his breakthrough.
He needed a place with high mana-density. Since his Art used existence to condense his mana, it didn't need a mana-condensing agent.
Before he could decide what to do, his phone rang. Looking at the name, it was Sier. They must have returned from the fortress since he could call him now.
"The great hero, Arthur Silvera! A pleasure to talk to you at last." Si's voice came tauntingly from the phone and Arthur felt his mentality take a blow.
"Please stop, that's not funny."
"It is for everyone in Mistletoe. They're already changing your nickname to Newbie Hero or the Hero Kid."
"That sounds torturous," Arthur said despite laughing a little. His spirits were lifted. "Are you guys back?"
"Yeah, we had Idris smuggle some vehicles outside of the kingdom to the fortress. Are you busy?"
"Only if running away from reporters counts."
"Ah yes, I saw the news. My sister was always a good dancer." Si said with a hint of pride making Arthur believe Si's relationship with Nera wasn't that bad. "She's just a naïve kid, but she's a good person."
"I thought so as well."
"I'll send you the address of the company. Let's introduce you to our disguise."
The call ended and Arthur received a message with an address. Since he couldn't break through until he got the chance, he decided to visit it now. It was a few kilometers away and Arthur started teleporting on the rooftops of skyscrapers.
His teleport rune allowed him to sense space in a specific radius and send objects in that space. Of course, he still needed to directly use the rune. However, with how flexible his ability was, he wondered if he could cheat his way through and make a long-distance teleporter from permanent artifacts.
Throwing aside such thoughts, Arthur looked at the building in front of him. It was exactly a skyscraper, but it was grand on its own. It looked like it had fifteen floors or more from the looks of it.
Arthur read the name of the company and almost laughed. It was Broken Goods. It had a reference to Mistletoe and some taunting to the Unbroken Corps, beloved troops of the royal family. He dialed the number Sier gave him and Idris gruff voice answered him.
The two agreed to meet on the rooftop to avoid drawing attention since Arthur was currently famous. His fame had yet to die down so he needed to avoid being spotted. Arthur teleported on top of the rooftop and Idris arrived after several minutes.
"You're so full of surprises, young lad." Idris's face was expressionless, but his voice was amazed. "Welcome to Broken Goods."
"A pleasure to be here." Arthur smiled and followed. "Are the rest already here?"
"Yes, they're waiting for your arrival."
Opening the rooftops, door, a giant corridor with an elevator presented itself. Arthur followed as Idris entered the elevator and chose Floor 14.
The giant man was quiet, unlike the other members of Mistletoe. His frowning didn't help in decreasing how intimidating his face was. From what Arthur said, this man was one of the best at managing a company.
"So, what does the Broken Goods company usually do? Just sell artifacts and the like?" Arthur asked to break the silence.
"Yes, we hold auction houses every month too. If you like to sell anything, please tell me." Idris said knowing that Arthur, being a rune master, would surely provide a reliable source for artificial artifacts.
"I will. However, I would like to leave my identity anonymous for now."
"As you wish. However, I also recommend using your identity as Ghost to publicize your works. Many collectors buy such works for their value rather than function."
"I'll think about it."
The elevator stopped and the door opened revealing a wide lounge. Idris led him to a room further to the back. Following after Idris, Arthur couldn't see the room because of the man's large back before the lights flicked open.
"Surprise!" Mistletoe's members roared as confetti was thrown. Arthur almost burned them instinctively.