Arthur blinked slowly as he stared at Sergi. His eyes slowly squinted as the silence took over the place, leaving only the sound of the wind.
“Leave?” Arthur asked coldly. He had already noticed the underlying threat in his voice. Then, there was that last word ‘Cursed One’. That particular word reminded him of something he heard not that long ago.
That was what Vincent told him when they first met. He talked about the people who hated the Gifted Ones and how they’re the biggest threat they might face in the capital. That was when it clicked in Arthur’s head and he realized everything.
‘Is he…?’
Seeing the look of anger and hatred embedded within Sergi’s mind, Arthur could only take a moment of silence.
“Yes, you people are not welcome here in the tower. You cannot tarnish this Divine Place with your hands.” Sergi said in a cold tone.
“… And who are you to tell me what I’m supposed and not supposed to do?” Arthur retorted. He didn’t like how Sergi was talking to him like he was some kind of devil. It was almost as if he thought Arthur was not even human but rather an inferior creature.
“I’m warning you, Cursed One. If you do not want to end up in trouble, leave this tower and this city and never come back. There are other places fit for you people…” Sergi said as he lifted his hands up, indicating that he wasn’t going to do anything yet. “We do not need you bastards to try and ruin our great empire. You are only a cause of destruction and a bad omen for this great kingdom. We will make sure to kick you all out of our lands.”
“…” Arthur stared at the man silently, not replying to anything he was saying. He could see a hint of insanity in his expression, indicating that he truly believed every word he said.
‘Is this some kind of cult he’s a part of that brainwashed him into thinking I’m some kind of monster? It definitely looks like it.’ He mused as he exhaled a small, tired breath. The last thing Arthur wanted to deal with at that moment was a fanatic who wanted to exile him.
“Sigh, listen here man, I don’t know what they told you and I frankly don’t care. But, here is what’s going to happen. I am going to do whatever I want and you will mind your own business. How about that?” Arthur asked with a cold grin.
“… You!” Sergi was immediately outraged by the blatant disrespect. “This is my last warning. If you don’t leave, your life here will be hell.”
“Oh yeah, ehem, I totally understand you.” Arthur smiled as he turned around to leave. “Well, I wish you good luck. Also, if you dare and try to do anything annoying, I’m going to kill you. Consider that a promise.”
“…” Sergi felt a chill run down his spine when he saw that cold, emotionless glare in Arthur’s eyes.
Experience more on empire
‘That bastard! He isn’t showing any fear at all! What does he have to be that confident?! But, he will regret it! I will make sure he does!’ Sergi clenched his teeth as he glared at Arthur’s back while he was walking away.
“I need to tell the others as soon as possible… The Gifted Ones are starting to arrive… The end is near…” Staring into the white world ahead of him, Sergi sucked in a cold breath before he turned around and started walking, his mind set on what he was supposed to do.
***
“Pfft, this is such a stupid situation. I mean, it was bound to happen sooner or later. But, now I have to keep in mind that a bunch of people want me kicked out or dead.” Arthur muttered as he stopped in the middle of the road and shook the snow off his head.
He felt a huge headache just thinking about this problem that appeared out of nowhere. Now that Sergi knew he was a Gifted One, he would do everything to try and kick him out. However, what was even more frustrating was that he couldn’t really do anything to Sergi yet or all his plans would be ruined.
‘We have already killed two mercenaries before and we somehow escaped without a problem. If I kill another one, there is no guarantee I will be spared this time around.’
But, that didn’t mean Arthur was going to let him do whatever he wanted. Now that he was aware, if Sergi tried anything funny, Arthur would take that as a good enough reason to kill him and perhaps send a warning to all of these anti-Gifted people.
‘When that time comes, he better pray I don’t get my hands on him.’
With that in mind, Arthur finally ended his exploration and headed back to the heart of the settlement. His task for the day was done and he wanted to spend the rest of the night studying for tomorrow’s test.
‘Hmm, how do I leave the tower again? Oh right… The prince told me I simply need to think of lea-‘
Before he can even finish the sentence, Arthur is immediately swallowed by darkness. When he opened his eyes again, Arthur saw the gates of the tower slowly opening for him.
“Well, that was fast…” He muttered as he slowly walked toward the exit.
The light of the world welcomed him with open arms and the cold, icy temperatures of the Frozen Peak vanished as he felt a completely warmer environment.
‘Fuuh, finally back to the warmer capital! I’m happy!’
Looking around him, Arthur noticed that the two guards he met earlier were there. The trio stared at each other silently for a few seconds before Arthur finally spoke.
“… Good work, both of you.”
“… Ah, yes! Thank you.”
Nodding his head faintly, Arthur walked past them as he bid them farewell and walked through the Shard Plaza. On his way, he saw some mercenaries getting up the stairs as they headed to the gates. They all eyed him weirdly but nobody spoke to him as they quickly scurried to their tasks.
‘It’s safe to say some of these mercenaries are also a part of this Anti-Gifted cult. I cannot trust anyone.’ He mused.
It was just one single interaction that made every single mercenary around him a suspect. They could all be his enemies for all he cared and he would never tell unless they outright say it.
‘… Damn it, if I have to fight all these people, I’m going to lose my mind. I will never be able to take another step into the Divine Tower again in my life and the princess doesn’t seem like he will be able to do much about it. After all, it’s not like they’re vocal about their intentions.’
Arthur was almost certain that all the danger he might face wouldn’t be here in the capital as it was under the supervision of the Royal Family. If those people wanted to get rid of him, they had to do it somewhere where nobody could see.
‘And what’s better than the place where the most people vanish and their corpses are never restored?’ Arthur snorted coldly. ‘It’s inside this tower itself.’
A//N: Don’t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3