"How about you try convincing him instead?" Arthur felt a headache. He didn't mind using the Submission Art to get what he wanted, but only to protect himself, not to enslave others.
"I always do stuff for you; can't you do this for me?" Gala pouted as if she asked him to lend her some copper, not to enslave a person.
"Where's the fun in that?" Arthur smiled. "How about we have a bet as to who would convince him? Whoever wins can order the other person one thing."
"Fun, deal!"
"I'll keep her away from you and give you all the resources you need for your work." Arthur turned to the young alchemist.
"I accept." The young man nodded like a scared kitten. Gala's face froze as her mouth gaped.
"I win." Arthur smiled at her. "As for my order, stay away from him."
He left afterward, leaving Gala speechless at him. Arthur knew what kind of person this man was as there were many like him in Jerano: the type that only cared about doing what they love.
Arthur left the workshop and walked back toward Gruen. He found that the crates were loaded to the carriages, all neatly sealed. The young dwarf seemed tired now.
"Done?"
"And dusted." Gruen wiped away his sweat. "Boss, I felt so many eyes on me as I was loading them." He warned with a cautious face.
"Don't worry, that's why I'm here." Arthur smiled. "We can't have these materials destroyed by them." As he said so, he ran his finger on the crates as they began disappearing one by one.
"This... this..."
"I'll keep everything with me. I just need you to make sure that no one knows these carriages are empty. Employ our people to keep an eye out." Arthur said as he patted Gruen. "It's better to make them think that they won."
"Yes, boss!" Gruen nodded with awe.
"Now, it's time to set off."
***
"Are you going?" King Solomon asked Arthur with a frown in the hall. "I apologize for not doing anything more to help you."
"There's no need, your Majesty." Arthur placed down his tea with a thin smile. "I know that throwing my crimes under the rug was tiring on its own. For that, I'm thankful."
"It was in self-defense, so it wasn't without reason." King Solomon smiled. "Tell me one thing before you go, Seika. Why do you want to be my advisor so much that you'll create a city just to prove it?"
"The idea was in spite of the Duke of Contracts, to be honest. It went out of proportion before I realized it. Nonetheless, I think a neutral trading hub needs to exist in the kingdom."
"Does that mean you'll be selling artifacts to other kingdoms?" King Solomon's eyes were probing.
"Well, of course." Arthur smiled. "Artificial ones, but we won't refuse anyone who has the money."
"They call me the Inheritor of The Scholar Guardian, but even I can't create that number of artifacts so quickly." King Solomon sighed.
"I believe that the Ghost Runemaster has hoarded these artifacts until now rather than creating them on the spot." Arthur held his chin. "Are you truly his Inheritor?" Arthur asked, feigning calm.
"Maybe," King Solomon didn't give him an answer. "I wish you well on your travels."
"Thank you, Your Majesty." Standing up to leave, Arthur said. Asking anymore would be suspicious. He would have to wait for Solomon to trust him before he can know the truth.
"Oh, by the way," King Solomon called out as Arthur reached the door of the workshop. "Maybe you should visit Lady Dia before you leave."
Arthur's body went stiff when he heard the words. However, he nodded silently and left the workshop, walking through the empty corridors.
'It has to be done.'
Arthur knows.
'It has to be done.'
He walked toward her room.
'Don't be a fool like you did with Emma.'
He stopped walking a short distance before reaching her room. Glancing to the balcony, he found a familiar figure standing on it. Dia was grabbing the railings. Arthur walked outside and stood a few feet behind her.
"I'm leaving tomorrow,"
"I know," Dia said without turning.
"Hopefully, in three months, you'll have enough nobles backing you. Then, with the resources that Hidden City will bring, Freda can win the war. From there, you'll have Alva."
"Mhm," Dia nodded as Arthur walked closer to stand beside her. She flinched when he placed his hand on hers but didn't move away.
"You're the only person who knows my name," Arthur said quietly, remembering the time Jizo's feelings made him lose control. "I know that I took you away from your kingdom, from your family, and I'm sorry."
"Do you know why I want to rule Alva?" Dia interrupted him and continued without waiting for an answer. "I want to create a place I call home. A place where someone knows me, unlike the prison I lived in after my mother's death. Yet, it feels just the same."
She was showing him a side of her for the first time: a vulnerable side that took his hand and squeezed it. As if she was asking him not to let go, she kept holding his hand tightly.
"Be well, Arthur," Dia said before he could say anything. "Create that city and gather all the wealth in the world. When you come back, I'll be a queen." She grinned, her eyes turning into crescents, as she let go of his hand.
"I see," Arthur smiled and looked at her expression, which looked forced. "I'll wait for that."
He turned and left the balcony, and his back felt cold all of a sudden. When he turned to look for one last time, Dia was gone, and only snowflakes danced in her place.
***
They raced against the wind, their carriages leaving trails on the unpaved roads. There were almost fifty of them, with Arthur's carriage leading ahead of them.
The Knight of Courage accompanied them with her knights, who Arthur met only now. They were scarred men and women with scary expressions. When Arthur asked them what they did before, they all replied with pride.
"Bandits!"
Arthur didn't think much of it until bandits blocked their path. With a single slap, a captain from the knights lectured the bandits to mend their way.
Astonishingly, they called him Big Brother.
It seems he was famous in the circle of bandits, and his story of becoming a knight made the bandits follow them while protecting the convoy.
"What the hell is going on?" Arthur said to the Knight of Courage as she rode beside him. She had a thin smile while galloping her horse.
"Nothing unusual, bandits respect the strong. They called him Big Bear before I took him in as one of my captains, and it seems he helped a lot of bandits before he became a knight."
"That works too?" Gala snickered. "I'm falling in love with this group."
"We'll be staying in, the future, Hidden City to maintain order. After all, all you have are workers, not knights."
"I'll take care of clearing the monsters, though," Arthur said with a smile.
"You are too similar to Wang." Courage sighed. Seeing Arthur's puzzled expression, she continued. "It's the Duke of Battle. He's also a battle maniac, just like most powerful people."
"What an unusual name." Arthur raised his brows. This name reminded him of the Theocracy of Shin back on Earth.
"Well, he's not from here." Courage said while brooding. "We're getting closer." She pointed at the distance.
They were riding beside the Lo River until they reached a valley. The river ran beside a mountain and boarded the valley, which had a large expanse of land.
This land will be the place Hidden City is built. There was a river beside them, a road, a mountain, and a forest. As they traveled closer, Arthur felt the presence of monsters in the mountains and the forest.
"What kind of monsters are we facing?"
"Other than wild monsters, there are Ogres and Druids." Courage replied with a stoic expression. "Two tribes are inhabiting this land. The ogres inhabit the caves in the mountain, while the druids inhabit the forest. They don't interfere with each other, but they team up against any outsider who gets close."
"Ogres and Druids?" Arthur nodded in understanding. "Ogres aren't Demis, but what about Druids? I met them before. They sold me to a lizardman."
Hearing the past of him being a slave, Courage looked at him with pity. Gala, on the other hand, looked at him with interest.
"The tribe is considered Demis, but they are outlaws. The kingdom doesn't govern them, and they refused all massagers that we sent to create peace treaties." Courage explained.
"Are you saying... that I can kick them out or kill them if they refuse to cooperate?" Arthur asked with furrowed brows as their carriages got closer.