"Have you grown attached to the princess?" Larza followed him after Arthur was dismissed by the duke, defeated. "I told you to stay away from her, yet here you are holding her hand every night."
She scrutinized him, looking for any slip-ups that would give him away. Suspicions were written clearly on her face. As her slit irises darted from one place to the other, Arthur hurried to grab her hand and kiss it.
"No such thing, my lady," Arthur explained. "I was only advising the duke to avoid the risk, but he seems to trust his daughter. I was only fulfilling my duty to you."
"Is that so?" Larza smiled in contentment. "I missed you for the past two weeks and also missed our little sessions." She placed her hand on his neck and he resisted the urge to slap it away.
He had managed to recover well thanks to his work on the herb and his visit to the duke's house. Yet now, Larza was here. This will make it more difficult for him to escape.
"I beg your forgiveness, my lady." Arthur apologized. "However, I need to visit the witch to discuss tomorrow's ceremony. I don't want to embarrass you, after all."
"Mm," Larza smiled. She caressed the armless sleeve as if to remind him of his arm. "After this is over, let's go together on a vacation. We'll have a lot of fun."
'The only one who will be having fun is you sucking me dry.' Arthur smiled and nodded to her before leaving toward the workshop. His footsteps were quick and panicked.
"Come in." Gala's voice was relaxed, even happy. When he opened the door, he found her staring at herself in the mirror, admiring her newly found youth.
"Get over it already." Arthur closed the door. Over the past two weeks, they had grown closer with each day. "We have a problem."
"Never~" She pinched her cheeks with a smile. Even the glow in the crystal on her forehead was brighter now.
Arthur still found it hard that she was a witch since he had the impression that witches were evil. When he asked her about it, she shocked him with the truth.
"I have been banished by the witches when I was young." She told him a few days before after they discussed which agents to use. "It's forbidden that witches fall for humans and they would be shunned if they do."
"What made you fall for him?" Arthur asked at that time.
"Mm, it was fate~" She answered but blushed when Arthur gave her an 'I won't buy this bullshit' face. "Okay, he was that handsome!"
They laughed at that time and their relationship got better afterward. Arthur felt at ease that she didn't associate with the witches and he confirmed it with Rinzo.
She had been living with the duke for ten years. This made her innocent of what happened to Rae. Whoever did it, they were a different type of witches.
"I said we have a problem!" Arthur paced around the room. "The duke wants the ceremony to take place tomorrow!"
"Calm down," Gala said. "I thought your progress was going well. Speeding up the process a bit should be fine." She made a valid point, but that wasn't what Arthur was worried about.
"Even if I managed to make her live past this, what we agreed upon isn't ready yet." Arthur reminded her. "I still need you to create that barrier."
"Is it that important?" Gala frowned. "It would indeed take more than one day to finish. At this rate, you'll be defenseless after the ceremony."
"Can you finish it today?" Arthur asked but Gala shook her head.
"That would require a tremendous amount of energy. I can gather it in two days, but a single day would be difficult." Gala said.
"The alternatives?" Arthur furrowed his brows.
"We can make up to it using a mana source. However, everyone would sense the change in the surrounding. The barrier won't be as hidden as we have planned."
"So, we need a mana crystal and a diversion." Arthur nodded. "I'll bring you the mana crystal by night. As for the diversion, it'll happen after I meet with Dia today. Use that chance to construct the barrier."
Arthur left the workshop and returned to his room. On the way back, he met a group of nobles with Neray in the lead. He was talking to another person clad in azure armor.
"Is this the One-Armed Seika?" The person Neray was talking to stopped in front of Arthur, looking at his arm with interest. It was a female knight with short-cut blue hair. Her eyes were clear and sharp, radiating ice energy that Arthur found familiar.
"Ah," Neray paused as if he had eaten a fly. "Yes, he's the Seika who would be performing the awakening ceremony. However, he's nothing but a slave. This is his duty toward his masters." Neray said while glancing at the gem on Arthur's arm.
"Do I need to remind you of my identity?" Her tone was still amicable but had a certain edge. "I'm the Knight of Courage of his majesty, King Solomon." The knight looked at Neray with a smile. "I'm sure you know my king's views on slavery."
"This is Alva, not Freda, Knight of Courage." Neray waved his hands. "Our relationship might not be the best, but it's out of place to dictate what is allowed and what is not."
"Truly," The Knight smiled. "A marvelous way to repay hard work. I hope we have the time to chat, Honorable Seika." She walked past Arthur and patted him on the shoulder.
As she did, Arthur felt the familiar icy mana enter his body. He was sure of her identity now. She was the swordsman who saved him from the Skywalkers.
The group of nobles left after that and Arthur returned to his room. He opened his legacy and bought a high-grade mana crystal for one Legacy point, reducing his stash of points to seven.
After that, Arthur placed it in his subspace directly. He still had a few hours until night so he tried to rest on his bed, pondering the situation.
Things have changed. He now had one less day to implant his plan. He planned on doing it tomorrow, but there was no time left. If he did in the ceremony, he will be obstructed by the nobles from every part of the Alva kingdom.
He needed to do it today. However, the barrier wasn't ready and his progress with Dia's core insufficient. The aura of creation was nothing compared to the actual power. He needed the power of creation to use the Bestial Order technique.
[Proceed with Soul Restructure?]
[Yes | No]
Arthur gritted his teeth. With a single choice, he would reclaim his powers and control Dia after she awakens. However, he will lose his arm forever. There won't be any generation or reattachment, his soul will forever be detached from his arm.
He grabbed the empty sleeve as thoughts raced in his mind. The right choice was there, but which one is it?
'Maybe I can handle the nobles using only Dia to escape. If I choose Soul Restructure, everything I worked for until now will be meaningless. But if I don't, I'll die after I help Dia awaken. It's all because of this.' Arthur grabbed the gem on his arm. 'I can't escape because of this.'
He had read about these gems in the library. He had thoughts about taking it out, but the book convinced him otherwise. Without the mana of the master, the gem would inflict the slave with a curse that would kill them if they tried to remove it.
'I have no choice.' Arthur covered his face with his right hand. 'Proceed with the Soul Restructure.'
[Please confirm. This action is irreversible. Your arm will be lost forever.]
His legacy sent another message, shaking Arthur's resolve. He gritted his teeth until his mouth bled. He grabbed onto his shoulder tightly as he confirmed.
"Confirm!"
[Soul Restructure shall begin now. Please find an isolated place away from people. The process shall commence in 59 seconds.]
Arthur stood up and hurried to the bathroom. He lied in the tub as he grabbed his arm, watching the countdown with agony. This time, he wouldn't lose his arm because of the circumstances, but because of a choice he made. Whatever that shall follow after would be a path of regret. He will always wonder how things would have been different.
[10 seconds.]
[9 seconds.]
[8 seconds.]
[7 seconds.]
[6 seconds.]
As the countdown reached five, Arthur snapped his eyes wide open. Mana exploded from within his body and left it. The mana gathered to materialize the Knight of Courage in front of him.
[3 seconds.]
Arthur stared at the Knight of Courage who had appeared in front of him.
[2 seconds.]
'Stop the restructure!' Arthur commanded and the countdown stopped. He stared at the panel in front of him as sweat rolled down his face.
[1 second.]
The countdown stopped and the panel was red, the same color as Arthur's bloodshot eyes. He turned toward the Knight of Courage who was looking at him with a smile.
"You look like a mess, One-Armed Seika."