"Are you leaving?" Roya asked with sadness that made Gala a little teary. Arthur nodded and crouched in front of her. "Rega will cure the illness you have, so make sure to be a good kid. Your father is a good man."
"Thank you, Seika. Thank you." Daniel bowed several times as he held to his daughter's hand. Arthur smiled and waved his hand.
"Take care, Daniel." Arthur walked away after that, going to the carriage awaiting them.
"Are you sure about leaving that spirit here?" Dia asked him and Arthur nodded.
Rega has given him a core, which she called a 'seed.' Arthur can plant the seed anywhere else, and the spirit will leave this city and go there.
They got into the carriage and sat down, waiting for the wheels to start rolling. The noises of people resounded in the street, ready to bid Arthur farewell.
"I hope this is a reinforced carriage. I don't think we can survive a thousand rocks." Arthur smiled.
"You seem calm for someone so hated," Gala said as she twirled with her hair. "Maybe you took Dia's offer behind my back~" Arthur ignored her again, making her pout and huff.
The carriage began moving after a while, surrounded by a giant convoy of knights. Arthur suddenly remembered the last convoy he traveled in, a slaves' convoy. Yet now, he was going to meet the King of Freda and the man with answers.
Their carriage passed through the gate of the mansion, the same route they took when they arrived. The people appeared on each side, full of hate and ungratefulness.
"Leave our kingdom!"
"Lorius! Scram!"
"Lorius!"
"Lorius!"
The people chanted, each time louder than the last. Arthur looked through the window at the faces of a thousand people hating him for saving them.
'No, it's true that I chose the lesser evil.' Arthur sighed. 'But was it the wrong choice?' He didn't believe so. The people needed to hate someone, and that someone was him. In the end, the Knight of Nobility managed to convince the people that Arthur was Lorius.
The Calamity.
As he looked through the window, he saw a hill in the distance. On top of it was the bowing Daniel and waving Roya. They were the only two in a crowd of haters who were grateful for Arthur.
"How ironic it is that the man who called me Lorius when we arrived is the only one thinking I'm not in the end?"
"The difference is that he met you and saw what happened." Dia consoled with a solemn nod.
"By the way, Seika," Gala asked with furrowed brows. "Why did you try to make a deal with the wolfman at that time? You could've used your ability to get the answers directly."
"Oh," Arthur realized it was indeed strange if one didn't know the reason. "I wanted to see if the Vampires Overlord's servants are capable of betraying him. It was also a good way of knowing their enemies."
"The wolfman lied in the beginning, does that count as a betrayal?" Dia wondered.
"It doesn't matter. Traitor accepted the deal." Arthur placed his hand under his chin. "I wonder what kind of person that Knight is."
"Maybe it was better to tell the other knights about Traitor's confession," Dia muttered, but Gala shook her head.
"They will never believe the Seika," She said as she inched closer to Arthur. "The Seika's actions back in the meeting hall were the most appropriate one, even though it was ruthless." She began rolling up Arthur's empty sleeve.
"What are you doing?" Arthur turned to his left with a frown.
"It's better than allowing this sleeve to hinder you in a fight," Gala answered. "Or would you rather keep it loose as a reminder of your arm?"
"It's not a reminder." Arthur shook his head as he unrolled the sleeve. "I don't want to look incomplete, that's all. It's a sign of weakness."
"You are thinking like a noble now," Dia observed. "The only difference is that you are more ruthless."
"I'm ruthless to my enemies or anyone who plans to be one." Arthur smiled at the ice princess. "As for my alleys, no harm will befall them as long as I'm around."
***
After they left Shades city, they found themselves going through countless mountains. Beyond that came a forest, and on the edge of the forest was a valley with a giant road.
"This is the Divine Road. It links every city to the capital of Freda, Livia." The Knight of Courage rode beside them. "It's the safest route to travel, and the rest of our journey should be smooth sailing."
"You're raising several flags there, but I hope it's as you say." Arthur closed his eyes. "How is the Knight of Honesty?"
"Kind of you to ask." The Knight of Courage smiled.
"It would look pretty bad if he didn't heal before we arrive at the Royal Court." Arthur puckered his lips.
"He reattached his hand, even though I think he wanted King Solomon to see it. The two of you think quite alike, despite the hate between you two."
"Hate?" Arthur shook his head. "He's unworthy."
"Don't let him hear that. I don't want him to lose another hand." The Knight of Courage smiled and left.
They arrived at the next city after three days without being attacked, unlike what Arthur expected. The place they arrived at was called Contracts City. A trading hub for every merchant in this world to make a profit without fearing being scammed.
A giant tower in the middle created a barrier that made people capable of conducting contracts. Any merchant can buy a small artifact that allowed him to make contracts and sign others. If a breach in the contract happened, the merchant could use the artifact to inform the city's lord, and a trial begins.
This system was explained to Arthur by Rinzo, who followed after them all the way here. As he said it, Rinzo was still the acting butler for the 'Seika.'
They entered Contracts City at dawn, just as the people began their daily activities. Arthur left his carriage and looked at the bustling market in front of him.
'I want to create artifacts.'
A desire emerged in his heart, but he didn't want to create an ordinary artifact. He wanted to create a powerful one. He missed the process of inscribing runes, even artificial runes.
'Does this world also have artificial artifacts?' Arthur wondered to himself as he walked away from the carriage.
"Stop." The Knight of Honesty appeared in front of him. When Arthur turned to him, the Knight added another word. "Please."
"What's the matter?"
"It's dangerous for you to walk around in public." The Knight explained. "Rumors have been going around about a One-Armed Lorius, so for the people to see you will only bring chaos."
"Is my missing arm my unique quality?" Arthur asked Gala, who was beside him.
"Well, I think you're quite handsome~" Gala smiled. "But yet, it's the unique thing about you. Powerful people are rarely one-armed, after all."
"Oh?" Arthur was surprised. "Why is that?"
"No one can injure them that badly, and they wouldn't survive if they only had one arm."
'Ironic that I had to lose my arm to regain my powers.' Arthur started to walk again, forgetting about the Knight's warning and his existence entirely.
"Seika!" The Knight called after him, but Arthur waved his hand. A robe appeared to cover him from head to toe.
"This should be enough," Arthur said and walked into the market. The hustle and bustle brought Arthur a sense of normality after his life turned upside down.
"Buy! Buy! Artifacts of each kind!" A vendor shouted in a Yalveran Language. Arthur walked up to him with Dia and Gala following after him.
Their appearances didn't raise any commotion because there were many Demis in the crowd. As Arthur stopped in front of the small shop, Gala asked from behind him.
"What is he saying?" Gala was confused. Arthur realized that all this time, they communicated using the Alvan Language and not the Yalveran one. Even the people in Shades City talked using the Alvan language.
'It's a border city. That must be the reason.' Arthur thought to himself. However, Contracts City was close to Livia, the capital. The difference in language became more apparent as they were closer to the capital city.
"He's selling artifacts," Arthur explained in Alvan Language. "I thought you'd learn the Yalveran Language since you are so ancient."
"I'm not that good with studying." Gala shrugged. "I spent most of my life going from a city to the other. Freda is quite new in comparison to the kingdoms I visited."
Arthur wanted to ask how many kingdoms were there, but he didn't know if Gala would give him a reasonable estimate since she was hundreds of years old.
"Why are you interested in artifacts?" Dia asked as she stood beside him. "They are the language of the wise and the tools of the wealthy."
"Well, I plan on being both." Arthur smiled as he walked to the vendor. "Give me the most powerful artifact you have."