Emilia was worried and thought she was the worst mother one could have. She lost her child when he was 3 years old and was told he went under the knight Spark.
Knight Spark was her husband's friend and took him under his umbrella as he took a liking to Arthur.
That didn't console her but instead angry at her husband who sent her child without informing her. She blamed herself for not strong enough to save her child from a mere level one magical beast.
If I am strong, there was no need to send my son to someone right? Emilia blamed herself.
But without the nature-defying treasures, it was difficult to form a magic circle as her past 30 years. Furthermore, the Ice element fell under the noble-category. So she couldn't buy them with money.
Meta-elements symbolizes the noble status. Thus they would not tolerate someone except their family using the meta-element spells and techniques.
If they wanted to learn and join, they would need to join the particular family.
All those six years, when Arthur left her, she couldn't sleep, cried, and was devastated to the point of having a nervous breakdown.
Alvar was worried about Emilia's condition and he knew he would lose her if it was continued any longer. So he forced her to have another child and Ava born.
After Ava was born, everything started to recover as it was, but there was this emptiness in her heart that couldn't fill even with the help of Ava. She always regretted that she couldn't look after Ava because of Arthur.
Arthur was her first child after all, and she was too attached to him.
Alvar then brought Arthur six years later after he completed the training. When someone joined the military, they could leave on two conditions. They either should die or complete the training.
That was why Alvar couldn't bring Arthur back even when Emilia was in critical condition.
'But now, he is suffering again because of us!'
She felt happy and proud when Arthur defeated the bandit after bandit without breaking a sweat. But that didn't last long. After the fifth stage, they included enhancers.
Back in the forest, when Arthur defeated the first-transformation enhancer, he was using lightning.
Now, he couldn't use lightning and could only defeat them with his sword skills. But he had to say, the enhancers he fought were weak. Their control over their skill and aura abilities was too poor. Otherwise, Arthur had no way of fighting against them.
The Aura skills were like the spell but instead of manipulating the mana, they would manipulate the aura to enhance both the body and the weapons.
After they started to use the Aura skills, the difficulty level multiplied by many times and he struggled to compete with them.
However, his acquisition of the sword skills was not something anyone could compare because according to his father, all his training mainly focused on body tempering and swordsmanship.
When Arthur held the sword for the first time in the village, he was surprised to find he really knew sword skills, and they were exquisite.
With the help of his exquisite sword skills, Arthur managed to defeat the bandits one after another.
Compared to Emilia, Alvar was composed. But looking at Arthur's injuries, he had visible worry on his face and had struggled on his face as if he was conflicted on something.
'Should I tell it?' Alvar thought as he looked at Emilia's tear-filled face and shook his head.
However, the couple didn't dare to make sounds lest they might distract him. The distraction was taboo in the fights, especially, the current one, which decides life and death.
When the duo had their own worries, Arthur realized something important. They lied when they said West-skull bandits were the weakest bunch among the four.
Because he could see nearly over twenty enhancers. Not to mention, most of the enhancers lived outside of the main base managing the outposts.
"Next!" Arthur said as the unintentional groan escaped from his mouth along with the word. It was his first time he had injured to this extent and continuous movements restricted the injury from healing instead of injury worsening.
If not for the determination to save his parents, he would've used the lightning when the stalwart faced bandit pierced his waist with the spear.
'Not yet….' Arthur exhaled as he looked at the sky.
Stanwick pinched his eyebrows and said, "He is almost lost, go and give a final push," as he looked at the vice-captain and added, "I don't like to break promises unless I need to."
"Yes, boss! Don't worry, I already disliked that brat's look at me. He must've held a grudge against me because I killed a purple-haired girl," Kallus said oblivious to the fact Arthur had already saved Claire.
Finished talking, Kallus walked over to the fourteen participants who were preparing to attack Arthur and tapped one of the bandit's shoulders from the back. The Bandit startled and enraged when someone disturbed.
Although bandits looked calm outside, they were inwardly scared to fight because his attacks became cruel and no longer used the blunt side to the attack after he was injured. Furthermore, every time Arthur attacked, he would focus on the fingers, slicing off as if they were vegetables.
For a bandit who didn't have fighting capabilities was equal to death, it was scarier than quick death which they would prefer. However, Arthur was not directly killing them instead of sparing, which was worse.
"Wh~V-vice leader!" Bandit's enrage turned into fear and respect when he saw the Kallus and asked, "Why are you here, vice-leader?"
"You go rest, I will fight in your stead," Kallus said.
Bandit was overjoyed hearing the Kallus words, then hiding his emotions, he quickly left without saying words. Envy could be seen in the other 13 bandits' eyes when they saw that guy wouldn't need to fight.
Arthur's eyes blazed in fury when the Kallus joined in the fight. He couldn't wait to see the despair on his face. Sooner or later, he would've avenged Claire, but he was more than welcome if the other party came to his doorstep.
Towards Arthur's hatred, Kallus simply sneered as swaggered towards him, and behind him was thirteen bandits. All the fourteen bandits were enhancers, not to mention the Kallus was on the other stage compared to them.
"You want revenge, boy?" Kallus asked playfully.
Arthur didn't talk as he narrowed his eyes towards the Kallus's hands and suddenly swung the sword in a cross pattern.
'*Tink*' '*Tink*'
As he swung his sword, two needles greeted the sword before falling to the ground.
———
"Grandma Helen, How is Claire?" Arthur asked as physician Helen walked out of the room.
"She is fine for now. But I found these needles on her body, careful, they are coated in the poison."
———
When Arthur asked who injured Claire, it was also one of the reasons. In any case, they wouldn't suspect them, he was asking them because of this reason, and he really wanted to torture him.
'That was close!' Arthur thought as he looked at the poison needles with purple edges lying on the ground.
Kallus gazed at Arthur with widened eyes as if he looked something impossible. In all his career, only one guy managed to stop his sneak attack. It was his captain, Stanwick, but he could do it because of the special aura skill he had.
Kallus didn't discourage because Arthur stopped the attack, instead, he released his aura as he appeared behind Arthur and attacked his nape. Arthur's battle wits were scary, he immediately rolled forward dodging the attack.
But the remaining bandits brandished their weapons at a time cornering Arthur. The last fourteen enhancers, Stanwick, saved were all elite bandits among the elites. So their attacks were too fast not giving any chance to escape.
As the attacks closed, Arthur didn't have time to get up or defend with the sword, thus rolling his body to the side. With his speed, Arthur somehow dodged the four bandits attacks as their weapons hit the land, but he was not lucky enough to dodge the next barrage of attacks.
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One skill after another, nine skills landed on his body. Arthur bellowed in the pain vomiting the blood nonstop as the nine attacks ravaged his internal organs irreparably. And only after a half-a-minute Arthur stopped vomiting the blood, but at that time you could see the organ pieces in the blood puddle that came from his mouth.
After that Arthur's body twitched in the last struggle like a snake after beheading its head. Everyone was stunned when Arthur laid down unconscious after a few minutes and cheered in the victory.
A grin appeared on the Stanwick face looking at the almost-dead Arthur, and shouted, "Kallus!"
"Yes, Boss!" Kallus went to Arthur understanding what his boss meant, and kicked the waist turning his body. After Arthur laid on his back, everyone could see his face clearly. His face covered in blood, especially his left cheek, dust, and leaves stuck glued together with the blood.
"Tch, You are this injured but still not let go of your sword!" Kallus said, stomping Arthur's left hand that was holding the sword.
The true swordsman never let go of his sword, even in the face of death. However Arthur didn't know that belief, he simply didn't like to leave the sword because he was in danger.
"Kanha!!!!" Emilia wailed when she saw her son's condition. She even forgot to breathe as she spat a mouthful of blood before losing consciousness.
As if her shout was stimulant, Arthur's body suddenly trembled.
Kallus' smile suddenly froze as he felt movement under his legs. When he looked down, he saw Arthur's body shaking uncontrollably as if some ghost possessed his body then the strange seven-colored lightning appeared over his body, sparkling chaotically.
That day, under the witness of two hundred eyes, a miracle had transpired.