"What do I get in return?" Arthur asked after a short pause. He couldn't say he was happy about the method they would use, but his choices were limited. "And how do I know I can trust you?
"The rewards are simple, you'll become a free citizen of the Freda Kingdom. That includes getting rid of that gem on your hand." Traitor said before standing next to Arthur. "As for trust, you should trust our King, not me."
Traitor's eyes were clear, unstained by anything such as greed or shrewdness. They held firm conviction, but Arthur didn't know in what exactly. Of course, that was just how he felt about them. Eyes couldn't talk, only actions could.
"What do I need to do?" Arthur asked and Traitor touched his remaining right arm. Light seeped into it like before, and a new mark appeared.
"I'll contact you once you get there. Make sure to dress well, it is said that the Daughter of Ice and Fire likes formal clothing." Traitor turned to leave but Arthur grabbed onto him.
"I have one favor to ask." Arthur said, a desperate tint to his voice. "There's something I need, a storage ring. Filled with food, as much as you can. But I can't use mana, that's why..."
"I guess it's hard to be a slave. I thought it would be more valuable." Traitor smirked. "You'll find it in your cottage when you get back. Make sure to prepare for your travels."
Traitor left after that. Arthur kept looking through the materials before setting on Myriads Lights Water, a great source of nourishment and was a fit for Greatest Harmony.
Upon his return to the cottage, he found the ring inside of it. The ring had a small button on top that activated a small mana crystal. This way, the user didn't need to use mana himself.
When Arthur looked through the ring, he found all sorts of meals prepared and wrapped. From jerky to pots of soup to fresh loaves of bread.
Arthur closed the space by pressing the button again and sighed in relief. He looked at it silently as he remembered how much he had before, he could throw around artifacts and even create them. Now, he couldn't even use the one he had without damaging his own body.
'You don't need to do this.'
This was what his legacy told him when he wanted to kill Ellen, but failed. His legacy knew he couldn't do it, that he was only harming himself, that it was inevitable. However, Arthur still went ahead to follow his heart.
Now, he was all alone in a different world where he could die at any moment. His left arm was gone and had to rely on his right one. Rae's memories weren't there, making him obliged to take care of her like a plant.
He wasn't complaining, but grateful that he found her now rather than later. She would have starved to death if he hadn't chosen to risk his life at that time. With this ring, it would last her a bit more until he finds a way to remove that curse.
After putting the storage ring into his subspace, Arthur went ahead and used the Myriad Lights Water on the Greatest Harmony herb. It was already nighttime but he needed to give it one last push. The herb began shining brightly and dancing in joy after it absorbed the water. However, Arthur knew it hasn't matured yet, so he added the last necessary bit.
His fingers traced the different colored leaves, allowing each to shine more brightly until they were miniature stars. Once all the nine leaves shone brightly, the light grew stronger until Arthur couldn't see his hand.
The light exploded into the sky surrounding Arthur and the garden as well. Clouds gathered around the pillar of light that shed away the night. The whole city was illuminated by the white light as every finger was pointed toward the mansion.
Arthur's body felt light as the power of the herb seeped into it. The ancient power of harmony worked to recover his wounds and realign his soul.
[Recovery percentage: 10%.]
His recovery was slow, but the herb worked to increase it drastically. As the light began to fade, all that was left was a single white translucent leaf floating in front of him.
It was surrounded by a white barrier, but it didn't obstruct Arthur from touching the leaf. The light shook as he touched it, dancing in the wind.
"Fascinating." Larza appeared behind him and muttered. "I didn't think it was possible to grow it in a week. You're truly loved by stars. They must be the stars of life too." Larza took a step closer to touch the leaf, but the white barrier prevented her from doing so. "I guess it chose you." Larza said with a smile.
"I think it's time I prepare for my journey." Arthur said as the leaf followed after his hand. "I won't disappoint you, my lady." He reassured her and Larza nodded with a smile.
"What do you need?"
"Formal clothes." Arthur smiled. "I can't go to a duchy wearing these."
***
Words of the great light spread from the city of Herav to the whole kingdom. Bards sang of the sight of heavenly light piercing the sky. From within the mansion of the great herbology master Larza, rumors spread about a one-armed Seika.
The Great Gardener, who was loved by stars, and his quest to treat the Daughter of Ice and Fire was the excitement the public couldn't get enough of. Songs were written about the one-armed Seika and the great herb that he grew.
Arthur managed to slip away again as he was buying formal clothes to give Rae the ring filled with food. After explaining how the ring worked, he studied the walls in the giant room.
She had grown less lively since they met. There were drawings on the walls of things she remembered. It seems she spent her time hiding here by trying to remember who she was.
There was a throne and two eyes that were drawn with sharp strokes. Arthur glanced at her fingers and found that her fingers were chipped. He looked through his subspace and found a set of chalks that he used when researching in the fortress.
"This is a gift to you." He handed the chalks over and she hugged them as if they were treasures. "I'll be gone for a while." Arthur told her slowly and saw her eyes shake. "This ring has all the food you need. Eat as little as you can, I'll try to send people over."
"... Stay." She said while looking at the chalks in her hands.
"I can't do that; this is the only way for us to leave this place. If I can't get to you, I'll send others to take you. They will call me the Gardener. Alright?"
"Mm." She nodded, her red eyes reflecting the light sadly. Arthur caressed her hand before standing up and leaving. He had sent Fen to get him some shoes while he was supposed to buy proper clothes.
He closed the door on his way out and the last scene he saw was Rae sitting in the corner of the room with the chalks in her hands. She was nothing but a shadow of her former self. Just like a shadow, she kept chasing at what she was.
Rae chose to help him against Ellen. Arthur would repay her with everything he had. Whoever the witches were, he would make sure to find a way to lift the curse of Rae. Even if that meant he would kill every last witch in Alka.
He went toward a tailor which had premade clothes of high quality. He handed over the coins and took the clothes back to the wagon that Fen was driving.
After his achievement with the herb's awakening, the rest of the Demis treated him with indifference rather than hate. Fen drove the wagon back to the mansion where Larza summoned Arthur to her study.
"The trip will be lasting three days; I hope you won't miss me," Larza said with what Arthur assumed to be sarcasm. "Even if you are far away, I can find you with that gem in your hand. Try to remove it and you will die."
"I have no plans to." Arthur placed his right arm over his heart as he kneeled. "My loyalty towards you is indisputable."
"That's good, but I should give you another incentive to return." Larza smiled as she raised her hand. Chills traveled down Arthur's spine at those words but what he saw wasn't something he expected.
Great winds stormed into the study as an object appeared above her hand. With blood still leaking out of it, his torn-out left arm floated silently in a sphere of light.
"If you ever want to regenerate your arm fully, you'll have to come back to me. I can grant you that at any time. Well, only if you haven't developed a liking to your new body."
Arthur grabbed his left side reflexively as he looked at his torn-out arm with gritted teeth. He had yet to get over the feeling of being 'incomplete.'
"I will come back regardless, my lady." Arthur bowed his head as the winds disappeared and so did his arm. "I'll be back with nothing but glory and the artifact promised by the Duke of Fire."
"Good," Larza nodded and stood up. "At that time, I might reward you with something more than just an arm." She pulled his chin up. "Would you like that?" She grabbed his groin as she smiled.
Arthur felt repulsed by her touch but still nodded nonetheless. Even if she offered him his arm back, he would never come back here because he would be at her mercy to mutilate him again.