"So, what do you have to say in defense?" The duke squinted his eyes, and his hatred was unmasked. "You dare blow up the suite I generously give you. Your reasons should be convincing."
"A bomber slipped through my window, blew himself up, and turned to ashes," Arthur said without skipping a beat. The audacity he had to lie with a straight face made everyone feel annoyed.
"Seika," The Knight of Courage stood up. "We knew it was your mana that exploded. We just want to know what happened. Did you lose control?"
"Nope." He said with a smile.
Arthur would never admit losing control; Dia knew that. She looked at him standing there with his missing arm, carrying a presence that dominated everyone. He would never show weakness.
"It's simple. The decoration wasn't to my liking."
His reasons were more absurd the more they heard him. He didn't even try to come up with something believable, but only Dia knew the truth. It wasn't a lack of control, but something disturbed his emotions.
'What can make him feel so lost?' Dia wondered. The events that took place a few hours ago were fresh in his mind. 'And how is he related to that man?'
She tried to hide away her shock from him, and the chaos that took place because of the explosion worked in her favor. It was unknown why she didn't tell him, but she didn't feel comfortable doing so.
'Even if he's related to that man, it doesn't mean he is responsible for my mother's death.' Dia tried to think logically, but she still felt a void in her chest.
"Impudent!" One of the duke's vessels stood up. It was a fat merchant with a single strand for a beard. "We can't allow such disrespect. Let's hang this man!"
"The only thing we shouldn't allow is that beard." Arthur glanced down at him as the merchant's face turned purple.
"Is that your reason?" The Duke of Contracts squinted his eyes. His aura was threatening, bespeaking that it took nothing but a single wrong word for him to erupt.
"Don't blame me. Blame your stylist." Arthur shrugged.
"Seize him." The duke of contracts stood up and waved his hands. "If he dares resist, then use force." His eyes were threatening.
"Your grace!" The Knight of Courage stood up. "It's nothing but a suite!"
"It is disrespect." The duke shook his head. "If I tolerate this, then I'm going to be losing face."
"Didn't know you have a face to lose," Arthur said nonchalantly in spite. The present people looked at him as if he was mad. Why does he keep provoking the duke further?
"Throw him in the grand cell." The duke glared at him as the guards surrounded Arthur.
Dia spread her wings, and with a single flap, she appeared above the Seika. She landed next to him as she threw her ice barrier to push the guards away.
"Don't come closer, or I'll send your lives to heaven." Dia raised her hand as the hall turned frosty. The nobles shivered, and the guard's armor was layered with frost.
"Kill that vermin beast! I can't believe we allowed an animal here!" The fat noble pointed with his fan in disgust. He was referring to Dia being a Demi. A light shone from the noble's fan and shoot toward Dia's barrier, breaking it.
The attack reached Dia instantly, and there was no way she could block it in time. Whatever material this bolt was made of, it was not something ordinary as it tore through her barrier quickly.
Before the attack could reach her, the bolt stopped midair. The Seika stepped forward as the bolt fell to the ground. Seika looked at his back which suddenly disappeared.
'Where...'
Dia turned to look for him, but he reappeared instantly next to the noble. He clutched the noble's face with his right hand and raised him in the air.
"Guh, Agh!" The fat nobleman squirmed midair as the Seika looked at him with terrifying. Then, a distinct crack came from the noble's face as the Seika crushed his jaw and cheekbones with his hand.
"Whoever dares says such words about my friends, dies." The Seika said slowly, his face holding a terrifying frown. Dia felt her heart shiver at his threat, and so did everyone else's.
"Release him immediately." The duke of contracts rose in the air. "Otherwise..." The duke was about to deliver his threat when the Seika's words interrupted him.
"And whoever tries to harm my friends, dies."
Mana exploded from the Seika's hand and obliterated the noble's head from existence. Screams echoed the noble's body fell to the ground, limp. A pool of blood gathered beneath it as Arthur wiped away the smear of blood off his face.
The hall was deathly quiet as some of the nobles and guards threw up what their stomachs had. The sight of the headless noble rang terror in everyone's hearts, including Dia.
He called her a friend, but the sight of him obliterating the noble's head was terrifying. It was in no way a sight that anyone would feel good to see, but she was an exception.
His words made her feel touched, as she felt protected for the first time instead of imprisoned. She was supposed to be the one protecting him as a part of their deal, but he didn't allow harm to befall her.
"You dared harm one of my vessels!" The Duke of Contracts roared as veins bulged on his arm. "Knights! Kill this man even if it meant using every artifact you have!"
"Knight of Courage!" Dia turned to the Knight of Courage, whose face was pale and dazed. "If things escalate from here, there won't be a city anymore!"
As if she was coming to her senses, the Knight rushed toward Arthur and held her sword against him. A symbol appeared on her weapon as the Knight looked at the Seika with both fear and helplessness.
"Seika of Living Beings, known as The Gardener." The Knight spoke each word slowly. "Under the name of his Majesty, you're now under Royal Seal for the murder of a nobility. Do you yield?"
Dia wasn't the one facing the Knight, but even she could tell the Knight was desperate. This method was the only way for the Knight to protect Arthur until they reached the capital.
"I do," The Seika nodded as he shook the blood of his hand and released a sigh. "I'm sorry for the inconvenience."
The symbol on the weapon struck Seika's body and restrained his hand to his body as a barrier appeared around him. The guards stood down as the Seika was apprehended.
"The Court shall take place in Livia in three days." The Knight of Courage said with a pale face. "Whoever objects will be going against the wishes of his majesty and commit treason!"
Her threat made everyone back away as the Knight took the Seika to leave the hall. As the show's curtains closed down, only the nobleman's body was left to remind the people of how ruthless this Seika was.
***
"Can you unrestrain me now?" Arthur asked the Knight, who ignored him and kept walking. He looked at the barrier around him. It allowed no one to touch him, and it also fed him with a life force that would sustain him.
"No can do that other than his Majesty. Do you think the duke would back away if I didn't use the Royal Seal?" The Knight of Courage answered after a while.
"That's harsh, so I'm going to stay this way for three days?" Arthur frowned. "He attacked first. It was in self-defense."
"No, you killed him out of rage, not of self-defense." The Knight snapped at him. "Do you value life so little that you can kill someone this easily for the slightest of reasons?"
"Have you never killed a person before?" Arthur was surprised.
"I did, many times, but all for a valid reason." The Knight said with disgust. "But you... you treat people as your belongings, and you break them as you wish."
"Do you know what kind of attack the noble used?" Arthur smiled at her words, and the Knight was taken aback. She shook her head, and Arthur sighed. "It was a corrupt attack, as you guys call it."
"Do you mean... that noble was a foul being?" The Knight grew hesitant.
"Oh no, he was a human." Arthur corrected. "However, he's someone who collided with the corrupt beings before, hence his weapon."
"That doesn't mean he's with them just because he used a weapon that..."
"I don't care." Arthur spat. "He wanted to harm my friend and had dealings with evil beings. That's all I needed to know to judge him as unworthy of living."
"Who are you to judge such things?" The Knight stopped walking and turned to face him. "Do you think of yourself as a god who can judge humans?"
"If I don't judge them, who would?" Arthur's face was cold. "It's my task to take care of those who sold their souls."