Arthur slammed the Knight's body to the ground, and it caved under the weight of Arthur's spiritual arm. For some reason, the barrier that made him unable to attack others couldn't deflect his spiritual power.
"I've made myself clear." Arthur walked toward the bars, and they bent open to allow him through. He stood beside the Knight of Nobility. "I don't care about your status or your titles. If you insult those with me, prepare to die."
"Don't get arrogant." The Knight of Nobility struck the ground to get up, creating a hole in it. He levitated in the air as he grabbed his grabbing the hilt of his sword.
Blinding light exploded from the Knight's arm as the heat rose. Arthur frowned as he felt space compress, and he side-stepped.
The sword slash flew past his face and destroyed his cell, room, and tore a large part from the wall. Arthur disappeared from his spot and appeared behind the Knight. He struck with an open palm covered in liquid fire.
The heat rose further until the curtains caught on fire from the elemental particles. The Knight tried to block the attack in time, but he didn't need to in the end.
An ice wall appeared in front of Arthur and blocked his attack. The Knight of Courage appeared out of the ice as she glared at Arthur coldly.
"One more offense, and not even the King will turn against you."
Arthur looked at the Knight's cold face and knew she was serious. He was once again reminded that he needed to make sure Solomon goes into the trial to survive, so he couldn't afford to antagonize him just yet.
His liquid fire disappeared, and Arthur retreated his attack. Arthur flicked the Royal Seal with his index finger, and it disintegrated to pieces under the shocked eyes of the two knights.
"His attack destroyed the Seal, have fun explaining that to your king," Arthur said and left the cell as its walls began to crumble under their weight.
He waved his hand over his shoulder, and a cloak appeared to cover him. Arthur threw the hood over his face as he walked out of the mansion, enjoying the fresh air for the first time in two days.
He walked toward Hidden Gems workshop with unhurried steps. However, a giant crowd blocked the street leading to the shop.
"Brother, what's going on?" Arthur asked a passerby, who was a middle-aged man with his daughter.
"Hah? Friend, are you from afar? Or were you living under a rock?" The man laughed.
"Well," Arthur thought about it. "You can say that." He said with a smile.
"It's the new shop, Hidden Gems! Rumors are that they're going to sell five hundred artificial artifacts today, five hundred in a single day!"
"Is that a lot?"
"Man, what kind of rock were you living under?" The man laughed again. "The City of Contracts, known as the trading hub of Freda, only trades six hundred artifacts per day. That means this shop will get as much money as the whole city in a single day, in artifacts revenue, of course!"
"It's a wonder that the nobles allowed this to stay," Arthur said, probing. He wanted to see if the people knew something about this.
"The best that they could do is prevent the shop from obtaining resources. After all, the Contracts System protects you as long as you register."
"The Contracts System?"
"Was the rock you lived in called Alka?" The man looked at him with shock. "It's the eyes and ears of the king. As soon as it acknowledges you as a trader, no harm will befall you in the city. However, you have to turn in a few of your earnings to the kingdom."
"I see, thanks, brother. Take this, little girl." Arthur handed the girl a gold coin and slipped into the crowd.
"What, hey!" The man called after him, but Arthur was gone.
'I guess the items we bought yesterday are the last we can get. I don't think the duke and the nobles will sit still while we buy so many of them.'
Arthur reached the shop after pushing his way through the crowd. He had to use his art, Submission, subtly so that people would unconsciously make way for him.
He could just teleport into the shop, but he wanted to see it for himself. These people came here to get things he created, for items that he gave life to, and to change their lives using these items.
He walked into the shop and was surprised at how lively it was. There were ongoing bids for each item sold, no direct sale. Gruen's face was red as he tried to keep things under control.
Many salespeople were standing around to either sell artifacts or make sure no one steals. Arthur walked between the crowd and saw each of his artifacts held by the farmers or nobles with reverence. As he enjoyed this feeling, someone walked beside him.
"How did you leave the Seal?" Dia asked as she tried to keep her face hidden beneath the hood. Arthur smiled as he stood in front of a bidding crowd.
"Thirty Gold!" One of the bidders shouted.
"A guest visited me and broke it," Arthur answered vaguely. Dia turned to him silently, and Arthur could tell she knew what he meant.
"Someone attacked you?"
Arthur was surprised by the edge of her voice, the rage, and the killing intent. With her at the center, the area began to turn frosty under her wrath.
"Calm down." Arthur slipped his hand into hers, and the cold disappeared before the customers turned into popsicles. "That's better." He let go of her hand.
"Who was it?"
"The Knight of Nobility," Arthur answered. "Please don't freeze these people." He hurried to ask of her as he felt the air freeze around her again.
"Did you make sure to beat him up?"
"I did, but the Knight of Courage intervened to threaten me." Arthur looked at the bidding war with interest as he felt Dia's gaze fall on him.
"You know that this kingdom isn't as perfect as you thought, so why are you so determined to meet King Solomon?"
"He has what it takes to make a change in the world. He's a true ruler."
"I think you'd make a better one," Dia said, and Arthur paused. He turned to look at her with confusion.
"A better what?"
"Ruler."
"I don't think I'm small enough, or straight and flat, to be a geometry tool." Arthur shrugged. "I can help you measure distances, though."
"..." Dia looked at him silently, and Arthur grinned. "Do you have these jokes memorized or something?"
"I'm flattered that they are good enough for you to think that." Arthur laughed as Gruen sold another artifact. "And no, I don't think I fit to be a ruler."
"You have what it takes." Dia was persistent, and she stepped closer to Arthur. "You can be a ruler; I've seen it in you."
"You've seen power," Arthur said with a light smile. "That's the worst quality to look for in a ruler."
"I've seen compassion," Dia said. "But also, determination."
"That's a nice word for ruthlessness." Arthur walked closer to Gruen, who was shouting with a red face. "You forgot one crucial element: I don't want to rule."
He stood close to Gruen as Dia stood behind him. He turned to her since he knew she had more to say.
"Then what do you want to be?" She asked him, locking her eyes to his. Arthur knew that his answer would determine whether she followed him or not, but he didn't want to lie.
"I want to be a creator, whether this means to build a kingdom or to destroy others." Arthur looked at her, and he spotted something behind her.
A man didn't look at the artifacts but simply tried to get into the shop. His eyes darted around, and Arthur could see he was sleepless.
"We'll have to talk later." Arthur walked past Dia as she turned. "We have an uninvited guest."
Arthur walked behind the man through the shop. The man tried to stay for a bit next to every artifact before changing direction and moving toward Gruen.
Arthur stood behind the man as the latter kept looking at Gruen. The man then took out a wrapped item from his jacket and flexed his arm to threw it at Gruen.
"Woah there, wait." Arthur grabbed his arm. "Let's take this elsewhere."
Arthur struck the man with the teleport rune before following after him. The two appeared in an abandoned building at the edge of the city.
"Wait, what is going!" The man screamed, but Arthur closed his mouth as his dagger rested on the man's neck.
"Shut up, or you'll die," Arthur said lightly, with such ease that it alienated him. "What's in the bag?" Arthur glanced at the wrapped item that the man held.
Suddenly, the man shoved his hand into his pocket and pressed something. The item in his hand was engulfed in flames and exploded.