The herb grew hungry for Arthur's powers, trying to feed on them more by weakening its barrier. This was the chance that Arthur had hoped for and he reached out to the herb while holding Princess Dia's hand.
They were met with some resistance, but the barrier was weaker than it was before. Thus, they managed to inch closer to the herb, allowing Dia to bask in its curative powers more.
The frosting on her eyelids began to disappear as she closed her eyes. Her two icicles, or ears, started glowing an orange hue that gave a warm feeling.
However, all things come to an end. That was the way life worked, but it came too quickly for Dia's moment of reprieve. The herb pushed her away after it had its full and the barrier grew stronger.
"No!" Dia's tone was desperate as she reached out with her other hand, but the herb made sure to protect herself. It had realized that Dia was using its powers, making it go defensive.
'This herb can sense things, is it really just a plant?' Arthur's eyes couldn't be pulled away from the white leaf that was glowing brightly.
"Please," Dia whispered as Arthur felt her hand begin to shake. "Do it again." She was desperate. The frosting was returning to her face as cracks reemerged, albeit fainter. Her hand tightened around his eyes while shaking.
This time, Arthur felt pity towards her. This was the first genuine moment of weakness that she had exhibited. It wasn't her charade of miserable fate, but desperation to escape it. The most prominent sign of misery wasn't to be aware of it but to seek to escape it.
"I'm sorry, Princess." Arthur let go of her hand and it fell beside her, still shaking. "This is the limit of what we can do today," His tone was apologetic but firm.
"... I understand." Princess Dia nodded. However, she didn't move back to her chair. "Can I..." She allowed her sentence to trail, but Arthur failed to understand what she wanted. Her eyes were looking down, but Arthur knew she couldn't see yet. "Can you hold my hand again?"
Arthur was stunned by this request, which had nothing to do with healing. However, he didn't sense any malice in her request. There were also no ulterior motives behind it, but a genuine desire.
"Why?" Arthur understood what Neray wanted from Dia, so he knows that if he got too close, he would burn. "We both know that this place is monitored."
"I..." Dia didn't say anything, proof that Arthur was right. She grabbed her hand, which Arthur held, with her other hand before turning to leave.
Arthur watched her back departing the garden as a presence appeared behind him. White light surrounded Arthur's neck as breathing was taken away from him.
"You've crossed the line, even if it was to cure her." Neray's threatening voice came behind Arthur. "After you cure her, I'll make sure to cut away that remaining arm of yours. I will never tolerate the existence of a hand that touched Dia before mine."
Arthur struggled to breathe, but it was useless. The white light disappeared and he fell to the ground. He turned around but there was no one in the garden.
'Am I going to lose you too?' Arthur looked at his arm that supported his body. 'When am I going to escape this weakness?' He sighed and stood up. The leaf was still hovering beside him, the only reason he was still alive in this place. 'I guess we both need each other for now.'
***
Arthur returned to his room after that, which looked empty and dark. He tapped a floating sphere and the mana worked to light the room. When he turned, he found that someone came for a visit.
"You've done well, Gardener." Sitting in the armchair was the butler, carrying a leisured demeanor. "They say the Princess is still lingering for the first contact with another being."
"Are you congratulating me on manipulating her?" Arthur frowned. "It's weird that you're this apathetic about the person you worked under your whole life."
"My father was also a butler to the Phoenix Family." The lizardman looked at him silently, his eyes beastly. "He was beheaded by Zenos Phoenix because there was an incident with a noble."
"Is that the reason for your betrayal?"
"The word betrayal would imply that I served them at a certain point, which is inaccurate. I only serve myself, my goals, and my agenda."
"What are you here for?" Arthur felt tired. He remembered the swordsman that had saved him from the Skywalkers, he had warned Arthur about this.
"I have a message from King Solomon." The lizardman stood up as he said. Arthur felt goosebumps at this revelation. "Break this." Arthur was handed a crystal.
After that, the lizardman left the room. Arthur looked at the crystal silently before breaking it. It turned to dust and light flew into his head. Solomon's voice appeared in his mind.
"Greetings, One-Armed Seika." The voice was familiar but full of vigor. "I received word that you are helping us against the Alva kingdom in order to free humankind from their cruelty." Solomon sounded confident, unlike the desperate tone he had in the trial.
'He was truly a king.' Arthur was now sure of it. The man that had helped him in the trial is a king. 'How did I meet him in the trial when he's right here now?'
"First of all, thank you, One-Armed Seika. Your help was what we needed to break into the Alva kingdom. This will be the first step to uniting the continent and make our dream of equality a reality."
'Does he charm everyone with this dream of his?' Arthur wondered. 'It's a noble dream, but is it a genuine one or simply a facade? Is this the religion sold to the poor and the broken?'
"Second is my command." Solomon's words demanded obedience. "My men will help you in capturing the Daughter of Duke Zenos. However, make sure that she isn't cured before that happens. Her powers, if awakened, would break the balance we have with the Alva kingdom. The war will be theirs."
Even Solomon spoke perfect Yalveran, like Traitor and the other Seika. This meant that Arthur's world and this world were connected by the culture, there was a link.
"Postpone her healing until she is desperate and then propose another method to heal her. The method would be to give her some of your powers, for her to control the herb. This can be the bargaining chip to take her out of the palace. For the rest, I leave it up to you. Your rewards shall be handsome, and I wish we meet under better circumstances."
The message ended there. Arthur looked at the broken crystal in his hand silently. A single thought took root in his mind.
'Even Solomon craves the powers of the Seika La Vega. What exactly are they? No, what exactly am I?' He asked himself. 'He's using me, the same as Larza. The world of politics is indeed frightening.'
Solomon trusted him for some reason, entrusting him with the responsibility of kidnapping the princess. If Arthur had to guess, it was because he met with the young man back in the slaves' market. What did that young man see in him that such a responsibility was given to him?
'No,' Arthur shook his head. 'There must be something more to it. This can't be the real plan. Even with his daughter taken away, the Duke wouldn't necessarily betray the kingdom. Solomon wouldn't rely on me to decide the fate of this war, he must have other plans.'
The question was whether he should trust Solomon or not. The person who saved him in the trial demanded that he kills the Queen, there were no debts left between him and Solomon. Arthur only needed to ensure that Solomon goes to the trial and dies for Arthur to keep on living.
'One of us needs to die.' Arthur realized. 'If Solomon doesn't get stuck in the trial and dies, I'll be the one to cease existing.'
As far as Arthur could tell, Solomon would end up in the trial. That's all Arthur needed to do to ensure he wouldn't die.
'Such a cruel choice this is.' Arthur stood up and looked through the window. 'If I want to live, I need to destroy any chance this world has of achieving peace.'
It was the same as before, the same thing was happening again. There was no escaping from this fate for him.
'I am the outsider again, and the world is against me.' Arthur's heart drowned in loneliness. At times like these, he would call his family if he could, the only reminder of his past life.
Now, however, he didn't even know if they were alive. His simple wish that they were safe, that no one else from Earth got transported to Alka, and that he would find them again.