Liam had a dream that took place on Earth.
He was back at the guild and sharing a couple beers with his comrades. They had finished raiding another top guild and overtook the second guild.
Liam remembered that there was a mentorship program that the guild master implemented to make money. They would accept rookies from other guilds who wanted to grow stronger using the connections of other players.
When Liam remembered that program, he recalled a certain player as well.
'I can't really remember her face but she was a new player who joined the guild.'
The guild only accepted those who reached level 90. During the time they reach the level cap of the game, a guild member would take the newbie under their wing.
Liam took a girl under his wing. Of course, he had gotten used to speaking to girls after the years of interaction with Alecs. Had it not been for her patient and kind personality then he would've stayed that pathetic idiot who was afraid of females.
Alecs was also someone who valued helping out others in need. The girl that he was dreaming about was still in high school when she joined the program but she was a very competitive player. The girl had a Valkyrie class and always used to use a claymore or a lance when she was in combat.
'I completely forget that her mentorship should've ended that day I was transmigrated. Wasn't the entire guild supposed to meet in real life to celebrate their graduation? We even set up a venue…'
That would've been the first time everyone met reach other in real life. Other than texting and calling, Liam had never met any of them. Although, some had said that they saw someone who looked exactly like Liam that passed by them.
But other than that, he didn't know how any of them looked like. Alecs was someone who worked for a gaming company. That was about all he knew about her from their interactions.
They didn't speak about real life that much. Why would they? When playing the game, it was important for them to stay focused at all times.
The dream faded as quick as it came and all Arnold saw was darkness.
'I feel a little stiff. Did I sleep on a hard floor or something?'
Arnold moved or at least tried to. His body was extremely heavy.
"Hm?" He opened his eyes when he felt a rattle. Noticing the small space he was in, he guessed that it was a carriage. It was heading somewhere from the sounds of the hooves of the horses.
He looked to his right and noticed someone leaning against the headrest with her eyes closed.
"…Victoria…? Ugh…" When Arnold tried getting up, he felt a sting in his chest.
"Al…? Al!?" Victoria's face seemed groggy at first before a relieved expression emerged on it. She looked eager to hug him but was considerate of his wounds.
"Thank goodness…" She held his hand and smiled in relief.
"Ugh…Why is my left eye not working…?" The left side of his vision was completely dark.
"I bandaged that eye up. The artificial nerves should finish connecting to your brain in a few days."
"Artificial?" Memories flooded into Arnold's head as he remembered his fight with Lancelot.
"He…didn't kill me…"
"Yes…" Victoria was smiling warmly as tears leaked down her eyes.
"What time is it? And where am I?"
"It should be noon by now. And we are on our way to the castle. I heard knights shouting earlier so we have already entered the city." Victoria looked through the curtains. "This is peculiar…"
"What is?"
"There is a large airship stationed above the castle."
Arnold's entire body grew cold when he heard Victoria's words.
'Olivia….She has already arrived?'
Arnold looked through the window and saw the airship. Its design was fairly similar to Dunfer and the earlier ship models that was in the game. It was no wonder because Dunfer should be a mythic relic in this world.
'That's definitively hers.' Arnold recognized the model of the ship. Although the one in his memory had weapons on it after she modified the ship. Arnold remembered that she used that very same ship to destroy an entire army.
While Arnold was thinking about Olivia, he saw Victoria take out a piece of paper. She held it out to him silently.
Confused, Arnold curiously took the paper and opened it up.
Almost immediately after his eyes widened and his mouth curled downwards.
It was a letter from Liumiala.
· The darkness is ironically searching for those curious enough to find it. That is a saying I have heard many times. It is very similar to your case, is it not? You are one of the only confirmed cases of demon lord factors. Anyway, that is not what I want to talk about. You should know that the one who saved your life was not your little maid, it was I. You know what it means to owe a favour to a member of the Dark Society since you had the balls to make contact with us. Since I have made myself clear enough, come to the guild when you recover then we shall talk business, Arnold von Berkley, Demon Lord descendent of Seir.
'That little bitch.' Arnold thought as he crumbled the paper.
'So you want to squeeze me dry, huh?' Arnold laughed evilly. 'Two can play that game.'
If Liumiala forced his hand then he wouldn't hesitate to take on her and the higher ups of Serz. Although it would be a hard battle, he knew basically every single weakness they had. Since he wasn't interested in fighting them, due to the risks, he had let them roam freely under his nose.
However, if Liumiala were to blackmail him using the fact that he was a Demon Lord Factor…
'Then all hell will break loose, little girl.'
"Fetch me a mirror, Victoria." Arnold loosened the bandage.
"Even if you take it off, you won't be able to see. For both your eyes to function at the same time, the left one needs to be covered for a few days." Victoria seemed to know that it was hopeless. Therefor, she handed him a mirror as he ordered her to.
"What the…Why is my left eye looking in the opposite direction?"
His eye was similar to a glass eye that couldn't be moved like the human eye.
"The person who put it in must've been in a hurry. Don't worry. Like I said, you'll be able to use it in a few days. It's best to close your eye for now."
Arnold grunted at Victoria's words and leaned against the seat that he was lying on. Although it wasn't a bed, it was suitably comfy.
'Nothing can be changed anyway so there's no use complaining.'
There was no choice for him other than to fight Lancelot, after all. He also couldn't escape since that barrier was there. If not for the Star Draw then he would've lost his life.
"Al."
"Yeah?" When Arnold was looking out the window, Victoria called out to him.
"Mind explaining what this is?" There was a long, dark and ominous sword in her hand. One of her eyebrows were raised and a small smile was on her face. It was a face that she always made when she was about to scold him.
"That's the…"
'No way! Did it follow me here!? No, that doesn't make sense. Why the hell is it here anyway!?'
He remembered using the sword to fight Lancelot but had no idea that it was actually a demon sword. The sword vibrated as if it missed him.
'Isn't this the treasure from the Theocracy? I remember that there was a duo of swords that were called Praise and Worship. Which one is this sword exactly?'
As mentioned before, Lancelot was not a major character so there wasn't a lot of information on him, let alone his skills. The fact that he had this sword meant that he was a force to be reckoned with.
'Doesn't this mean that I have a Star-class sword now? Ehehehe—No, why am I happy!? This is a demon sword! If people find out then I'm screwed!'
He looked at Victoria with a wry smile.
"It's nothing special. I-I got it along the way back to the city."
"Oh? You just happened to find it laying on the ground?"
"Y-Yeah, exactly. Besides, this sword saved my life when I ran out of aura! Praise the sword!" Arnold said exaggeratedly.
"….."
Victoria lifted the sword and swung it down.
"Eek!"
The sword split the floor of the carriage and even the ground that was right beneath them. The paved road was cut as if it were butter. The coachman's shriek came from outside.
"I wonder why someone would toss away a sword like this? It is extremely sharp and looks very exotic in terms of design. The material used to make it is unknown but judging by the hardness and sharpness, it isn't an ordinary material." Victoria lifted the sword again.
"If you would please, tell me what happened, starting from the fight with the dragon."
Victoria was still smiling but her tone was serious.
"…Okay."
**
Arnold left out the information about the Star Draw and the fact that he was a demon lord factor. He only told her about the fight with Lancelot and how everything led to it happening.
Victoria didn't even let out a single word and only silently opened up the carriage door. Arnold told the coachman that he should park near the castle walls since it was a very long story to tell.
"Victoria…" He held her hand. It was soft and so much smaller than his own.
She only shook his hand off. It was an action that she had never done before. Although not to the point of extreme intimacy, the two had a fairly close relationship in the past. This cold shoulder she was giving him was a rather fresh but unwelcomed experience.
"We must hurry inside. You must give your greetings to Her Highness before receiving your treatment. I will prepare the necessary items for your recovery."
Victoria—with her back facing Arnold—spoke with a matter-of-fact tone.
"Victoria…"
Arnold could only watch her back as she left without him. Sitting on the stairs of the carriage, Arnold cursed.
"Shit. Why is she ignoring me?"
'I know that I'm in the wrong but shouldn't she have scolded me at least?'
Arnold was more worried about Victoria's silence than anything else.
'Forget it…As long as she knows.'
"What the hell happened to you?"
When Arnold was lamenting at the earlier development, he heard a familiar voice. The girl spoke at a tone which didn't fit her beautiful appearance.
"Flora." The one standing there was a woman with long green hair and brown eyes. She was wearing light clothes and judging by the sweat on her body, she came back from a jog.
"I heard from the butler that you went adventuring. Did your little maid find out? Pft." Flora looked at Arnold in amusement.
"Tch."
Arnold ignored her and started walking.
"Hey, hey~ Shouldn't you be in your city and managing it?"
"And shouldn't you be training Luke?" Arnold remarked instead of answering her.
Flora groaned. "…I can't right now." She looked up at the airship. "The Imperial princess arrived."
"I can see that. I never expected her to come so soon."
"How come? I thought that it took two days to travel from the Empire to this city?"
'Had it been a meeting with me then she would've delayed it by a few more days.'
But since it was Luke she didn't do it this time.
"I see…"
"Why were you out jogging until this late? As a guest of our household, it's important for you to be here as well."
Flora shook her head as she waved her hands.
"I'm not looking forward to meeting a princess of another nation. Not now at least."
Arnold chuckled.
'I doubt you have the manners to meet royalty.'
"What the hell is so funny!?"
Ignoring the pouting Flora, Arnold greeted the knights who were standing at both sides of the gate. The seemed surprised at Arnold who looked so injured.
They looked tense for some reason when Flora walked behind Arnold.
'I wonder what they did. One idiot probably tried to harass her.'
Arnold could only wonder.
The two of them looked around the castle premises. A big, white table was standing near the garden of the castle. Arnold could see lots of knights and servants walking around.
"I thought she'll only greet him?" Arnold said with a frown. His guess was wrong, it seems.
"Oh, all this? Your mother has been making these poor people work since yesterday. From those expensive bottles of wine and the delicacies on the table, I doubt that this will be a small event."
'No shit Sherlock.'
Arnold grabbed the nearest servant. The girl shuddered when she met Arnold's glaring eyes.
"Where's my mother?"
"T-The duchess is h-having tea with Her Highness, young master."
"And Luke?"
"H-He is upstairs getting ready for the feast we prepared."
Arnold frowned. He was getting a bad feeling for some reason.
"Look who finally showed up~"
"Young lady Grace!?"
The servant girl exclaimed when a voice came from behind Arnold.
"…Grace?" Letting go of the servant, Arnold slowly creaked his head in Grace's direction.
"In the flesh." She swung back her long brown hair and put her hand on her hip.
"I see you didn't bring your love slaves."
"Tch. Don't call them that. And they aren't slaves. I pay them to work for me!"
"With what money, I wonder? Doesn't the count clean up after the trouble your husband always cause? I still wonder how his family can afford meals at this point."
"That is…" Grace cleared her throat and averted her face. "Where I get my money has nothing to do with you."
"Did you sell your body? I never knew you were worth something."
"This piece of—" Grace seemed dizzy from anger.
"Now, now. There isn't any need to fight." Flora stepped in-between the two of them.
"Humph."
Grace harrumphed and Arnold only shrugged. Although it felt nice to work on Grace's nerves, he'd be wasting his time. But he would make some time later to work on her nerves.
Another person shouted when the two stopped fighting.
"Big brother!" A young boy's voice entered Arnold's ears. When he turned to the entrance of the castle, he saw Luke who was running towards him with a worried expression.
"Who did this!? You're injured badly!"
"Ah…This is…"
"Oh!? It's Arnold! He finally showed up! He wasn't hiding after all!" Luke's timid and small voice was drowned out by the loud, rowdy voice of a particular bastard.
Grace and Arnold sighed almost simultaneously.
The person who came out of the castle was carrying a bottle of wine in his hand. He put his arm around Luke's shoulder.
"You never told me this kid was actually the heir! We met each other just the other day yet I had no idea. I thought he was your slave as well!"
Arnold looked at Jurius in distaste. The way he was putting his arm around Luke's neck and acting chummy disgusted him.
'And why the fuck did you emphasize slave? Was there some sort of meaning?'
"I mean, he's cute and cheerful sure. I thought at first that you got tired of women—"
"Let me stop you there, Jurius. Whatever weird thought you have is false."
Before Jurius could give Arnold second-hand embarrassment with his stupidity, Arnold shut him up with a glare.
"Get back to work! There's nothing here for you to see!" Arnold's roar made the servants and knights shudder. They hurriedly returned to their duties.
"Let's just go inside." Arnold ignored Jurius narrowed eyes. The bastard was making it obvious that he was planning something. But Arnold assumed that it was nothing special so he ignored it.
'I really don't want to deal with this idiot so let's just greet the princess and go do my own things.'
◇
After leaving the sides of Grace, Jurius, Luke and Flora, Arnold headed for the backyard. That was the place his mother and sister liked to drink tea.
"Mother!"
He could see the back of a head full of silver strands of hair through the backyard door. His mother and sister were also sitting by the same table.
He could also see another person who was rather unfamiliar.
Arnold swung open the backdoor.
"Al? Why do you look like that?"
"Forget about what happened to me. Has father returned yet? Have you received any news yet?"
He was actually concerned about Marcus. If said person died then the collapse of this household wasn't far off. Luke wasn't ready to take over yet and Adrianna wasn't willing to work as a professor and manage a household. Anna was also unsuited for the role since she didn't have experience or skills as a heir. That was because her education growing up was only focused on economics and finances.
The final candidate would be Arnold and that was something he didn't want to do. Even if it was temporary.
"No, Al. Your father has not sent anything yet. You are being really rude, you know? She was in the process of telling us a wonderful story."
Adrianna pointed at a woman with long blonde hair.
"Huh? Who's this?"
The woman stood up and bowed.
"Hello, young master. My name is Claudia. And I am Luke's mother(caretaker)."