If there was one thing Sergi couldn’t understand at all, it was the fact Deka kept siding with Arthur again and again. During the entire trip, she always defended him and stopped Sergi from dealing with him.
As far as he was aware, Deka only knew Arthur for as long as he did. How come does she trust him that much? It made no sense at all.
‘What does she see in that bastard to do all of this?! He’s a goddamn Gifted One, Deka! Why do you want him with us?’ He clenched his teeth as he looked at her with a complicated expression. Continue reading at My Virtual Library Empire
As much as Sergi was angry with her, he still saw her as a dear friend and someone he couldn’t lose. All his anger was coming out of worry for this group and their well-being. Too many have already died, they cannot afford to lose even more people. He cannot handle more losses.
“You! You have been nothing but a curse on us! All we got since you appeared is death and even more death!” He yelled.
“Sergi… Calm do-“
“No! I won’t listen to you, Deka! You can think of yourself as the leader all you want, I am not accepting this filthy bastard on this ship! We are doomed if he continues with us!”
The mercenaries looked at Sergi silently, they were still so heavily affected by the loss of their friend that they couldn’t really deny or stop him. They had lost another precious companion and they had a strong urge to put the blame on someone. After all, once they find something to put that blame on, it makes them feel a little better.
They couldn’t do that to the monster responsible for killing him, so who was the second option on the list?
It didn’t take long for them to recognize who it was.
‘All that power he showed and he couldn’t save Felix?’ One thought to themselves.
‘Maybe he didn’t even try to save him as he didn’t want to risk his life.’
‘Tsk, the story he told doesn’t add up. I feel like he’s lying.’
Slowly but surely, the group started doubting Arthur more and more. Their suspicion grew and along with it, their anger rose as their minds finally found the perfect target to blame for Felix’s death. It was a subconscious process and it slowly manifested in their conscious minds as the truth.
Arthur felt the slow shift in the atmosphere on the ship and he could only frown. ‘Now what are they thinking about?’
Arthur wasn’t really bothered about the accusations Sergi was making. For him, that man was just a noisy insect and he couldn’t harm him. However, he also didn’t want any more trouble than he already had. It was already a headache just thinking about the horrors swimming right under their feet, having to deal with a human fool is not gonna make it easy.
“Sigh…” Exhaling a small breath, Arthur tried to calm down. “I guess there is no other choice.” He muttered.
“Huh?” Sergi heard him and raised an eyebrow. “What did you sa-“
*Swish*
Before the man could even finish the sentence, he found his vision suddenly turned upside down. The next moment, he found his face planted into the ground with his arm locked behind his back.
“What the hell?!”
“Shut up. I also had enough of your nonsense. You keep blabbering on and on about me as if you know me. Listen here, idiot. The only reason you’re still breathing is because I don’t want more unnecessary blood on my hand. Don’t push me into cutting your head off.” He said coldly as he unleashed the full weight of his aura, making Sergi squirm in pain.
He felt as if he was being crushed by an unknown force and it made him groan.
“And you lot.” Arthur shifted his gaze to the rest of the group. “I have tried my best to save you from death and you want to blame me for it? I can see it in your eyes. You should be grateful I went out of my way to keep you useless idiots alive. You’re a dead weight that keeps hindering me. Don’t push your luck.”
Arthur’s tone didn’t sound any less threatening and it made all the mercenaries step back in fear. The appearance of that bloody monster flashed before their eyes and they couldn’t handle it.
“Deka, I do not think this kind of environment will help you survive this trip. If you keep doubting me on every single step, then your end will be death. For me, it’s no problem because I can always escape. I can’t say the same for you.”
Deka stared at Arthur silently as if she was trying to read through him. She understood very well what he meant. The fact they doubted his sincerity even though he was going out of his way to keep them alive was quite disrespectful.
‘I tried to side with him against Sergi. But, that man won’t give up… His hatred for Arthur is too big.’
“RELEASE ME, YOU MONSTER!! HEY, YOU LOT! GET HIM OFF ME!!”
“Shut up, I’m still speaking. Who gave you the order to speak.” Arthur replied in a grumbling tone before he stepped with his boot on Sergi’s head.
“AGH!!”
“…”
“Now, I will present you with two choices here, folks. You can either follow your little friend here and I will leave you on your own against this river. Or you can behave and don’t be a hindrance to me more than you already are. That way I can at least try my best to get you to safety.”
The two options Arthur gave made the mercenaries look at one another. Doubt was clear in their eyes. They wanted to trust Sergi, and at the same time, they knew that their biggest chance of survival was Arthur.
So, it was a choice between friendship and life. What do they value more?
“You guys…” Sergi said with clenched teeth. “Don’t… let him… control you…”
The more they thought about it the more it was harder for them. No option felt any better than the other.
‘What should we do?’
‘That kid… He is the strongest fighter we have. If we get rid of him, how can we do anything against this river?’
‘But, Sergi is our friend… We can’t betray him…’
“Goddamit…”
“So, which choice are you going to make?” Arthur asked as he rested his head on his hand. “We don’t have all day long here.”
The time ticked down for them as they found themselves under immense pressure.
“If you are with me, lift your hands up.” The boy added with a small, cold smile. ‘Let’s see if these fools have any level of intelligence or if they’re just blindly following this cultist right here.’
Arthur was secretly amused at the situation. The way these men were struggling to choose between their lives and their bonds was quite… entertaining and he didn’t know why. The feeling of power he had gave him a rush of excitement.
A form of excitement he didn’t even think he had in him.
A//N: Thank you all for the gifts, golden tickets, and PS. Let’s keep it up!