Chapter 71
Part 1
The next day an uproar occurred in all seven cities of the Imperial Capital.
A ducal family was attacked by a fellow noble of the empire. An imperial prince was revealed to have been working with the mastermind. Jurius, who attempted to kill Arnold back in Lockinge city, was sentenced to two months in prison after the Imperial Court received permission from the Emperor. He would also lose his title as a prince and would be exiled in the future after his sentence was over.
Grace Lewan's father immediately cancelled her marriage to Jurius and the two were forbidden from seeing each other ever again.
The emperor and the Second Consort didn't comment on their son's involvement in the crime of trying to murder Arnold von Berkley. The same went for Marcus. He had remained quiet over the incident after he heard.
With the empress' help, Arnold was able to persuade the executives to protect him under the #46 Citizen Law.
Therefore, Arnold would not be punished for murdering a Count belonging to the empire, at all.
James Caervil's funeral would be held in a few weeks. Not all his assets would be taken away. His residences, fiefs and mines would be given to his wife's family while all the money and minerals he amassed would be given to Arnold.
The empire would take the resources and illegal goods that James was able to get like the illegal magic items and so on.
Nork, the man who instigated the attack on the castle, was found to be missing since his whereabouts are unknown. Many of his subordinates were still in the custody of the Berkley family.
As for the people who worked with James, they were all given hefty fines or prison sentences. It was required that at least one member from each other their families would be sent to Arnold's city to work on his land.
This was to bear the punishments of their fathers or husbands.
Arnold unlocked the room they rented from the inn. He took a spare key since he had no idea when he would be back.
"Huh?" He expected to find Elora waiting for him but there was no one there in the room.
The bed was cleanly made up and his belongings were standing in the corner.
Arnold took his things and hurriedly went downstairs. He found the inn lady mopping the floor.
"Excuse me but have you seen my companion?"
"Oh, you're back. I was wondering who made the front door bell ring," the woman put the mop down and went over to the front register, "Your companion left this for you. He seemed to be in a hurry."
She pulled out a letter and gave it to Arnold.
He began reading it:
-"I'll be going back to the city. I waited for sir Nova all night but you didn't come this morning. I assumed you were busy so I left your luggage in the inn lady's hands. Sir Nova can find me back at the guild. I'll be there every morning."
'I feel like a piece of shit right now…'
He had completely forgotten that the whole reason for coming to the capital was to strengthen their bonds as a party and hopefully pull others to join their team but alas…
'Well, I found out something interesting at least.'
Lucri—no, Elora was a girl with a troubled past. He wanted to do something that'd help her somehow but he had no idea how to begin by doing it.
Perhaps it was better to take advice from another woman?
"…I'll find Elora later on." He put the letter in his bag.
"Are you leaving the city, sir?"
"Ah, yeah. I have something important I have to do."
Arnold left the inn soon after he finished his preparations.
His destination?
Lockinge city.
◇◇◇
The streets were littered with posters and broken glass. The broken glass belonged to the Imperial Order branch building that was in the castle city.
Arnold could understand why the people were upset. Despite the uproar in the castle there was no one from the order who came to fight off the intruders. It seemed like the Order was short staffed so there wasn't any way for them to fend off the intruders.
Arnold thought that was bullshit; they could've tried to make contact with the HQ in the empire or even mobilized mercenaries at least but no one did a thing.
'This entire world is corrupted. You don't even know who to trust anymore.' Arnold thought as he got off the carriage, 'Many people lost their lives because of someone's selfish wish for revenge.'
That someone was none other than James Caervil. But since said person was already gone, Arnold didn't think about it any further.
'I should've spoken to that girl at least.'
But he knew that then wouldn't have been an appropriate time to talk with her. Plus, Arnold killed her father.
Who wouldn't feel frightened?
'I'll find a way to get in contact with her when the academy reopens,' He'd be going to the empire anyway so that was the best time to go see her.
Arnold opened the front door of the castle. No one was there to greet him since everyone was busy trying hard to fix the castle.
The entire castle was undergoing repairs. Arnold didn't know what really happened but he could guess a lot of people died in vain.
The castle walls which had stood majestically before were now on the verge of crumbling. The bridge which connected the library tower to the castle was also almost collapsed.
'I wonder how it's going with Luke and Olivia?'
"Maybe they're already kissing like lovebirds." He chuckled to himself imagining Olivia allowing a man to push her down and hump her.
Such a thing was something he imagined would never happen.
"Young master!" A familiar person called out to Arnold when he was about to head upstairs.
Arnold nearly fell when he saw the person who called out to him.
"L-Lauran?"
Lauran's once ponytailed red hair was freely let loose on her shoulders. There was light makeup on her face which made her glow. Her blue eyes were sparkling even more.
If she had ears and a tail then they would probably be wagging.
"Welcome back, young master." Lauran curtsied which made Arnold speechless.
What baffled him wasn't her polite gestures but the genuine smile on her face as she bowed.
He also noticed a wand attached to her newly acquired maid uniform befitting the heir's personal servant. It was the same brand as Victoria's.
'Don't tell me… She awakened? This early?'
He held out his suitcase which she quickly took in her hands.
"I'm back. Where is everyone?"
The two of them ascended the stairs. They walked down the hallway. Arnold couldn't spot a single member of his family here.
"The First Lady is currently outside the castle on business related to the recent incident. I'm sure you've heard."
"Yeah."
"Young miss Melina, young master Jack and the Second Lady have gone to the manor while the castle is undergoing construction."
"But why are you here?"
If the duchess and the second wife weren't here then there was no reason for the servants to be here as well. They would much rather be needed at the manor than here.
"I serve the heir of the Berkley household wherever they might be. Young master Luke is currently sitting in the dining room and eating his lunch. Her Highness, Olivia is also having her lunch with him."
'So she's still here.'
"Why haven't they left yet? There's no reason for them to still be here."
"I asked young master Luke before and he said that he's waiting for you."
"What? Waiting for me?"
Arnold entered his room and began undressing. Lauran quickly headed to his closet and retrieved a clean shirt and pants.
"There is something they would like to discuss with you, is what they said." Lauran helped Arnold pull up his pants and put on his shirt.
She had been doing the same thing for years now but this was the first time he had seen her do it so flawlessly. She was always stiff and uncomfortable but now it just seemed like a memory.
'Something to discuss with me…? It can't be that Luke wants to give the title back? Shit! I don't want to become the duke! I want to be a rich, independent young master!'
He didn't want such a title holding hum back. He could at least have some freedom as a city lord but not as a duke. The responsibilities were one thing but the constant political wars would tire someone like him in an instant.
Things would be bearable with Rein by his side but said person was currently sick and his location unknown.
"…Did Luke say what it is?"
Lauran finished helping Arnold, "All he said was that it involved your relationship with Her Highness."
"I see…." Arnold realized that there was someone else he missed, "Where's my future wif—I mean, where is Victoria?"
"I saw her standing under the tree on that hill that overlooks the grasslands and forest."
"Hmm…"
'Why is she there of all places?'
Victoria would always go there whenever something was troubling her. But what could be troubling someone like her?
'I want to go over some plans regarding my city's future. Also, I should have her try and search for Rein's whereabouts.'
He could've left it up to Liumiala but decided not to since she would definitely stack up his debt because of this. Their job from before was already over so Arnold wouldn't contact her again unless something big happened again.
"Tell her to meet me in my room later tonight when she comes back."
"Understood." Lauran bowed.
"You're dismissed."
"Eh? Ah…" Lauran seemed disappointed but she bowed again before leaving.
"Now then…" Arnold locked the door, "Come to me, Demon Armour."
A large, black helmet with two horns manifested itself on Arnold's head.
Arnold looked at his status. He was now in his early level 40s which was a surprise. He couldn't believe that he managed to gain levels after eliminating a death flag.
'Hmm… I still haven't unlocked those question marks yet. As expected, trying to get back my original skills will be difficult.'
After that he took out his black notebook and turned to the page that said, "Death Flags".
He wrote down "James Caervil" and proceeded to scratch the name out. Lauran's name was also scratched out since her death flag had already been eliminated.
He closed the book and left the room soon after, an expression of satisfaction on his face.
◇◇◇
All he could hear was the occasional chewing and slurping as he neared the dining room. The castle—which was so remarkably huge for just one family—seemed quiet since there were no servants inside.
Only the workers and a few guards were outside.
Arnold arrived at the dining room. He looked inside and could see three people inside.
There was Olivia and Luke at the dining table. Then there was Elna, Olivia's knight.
The two were eating in silence and now conversation was being made.
'So stiff. It seems me hoping that things had improved was hopeless.'
"I see there's no plate set out for me."
The three inside the room were startled by Arnold's voice.
"B-Big brother…?"
"Haa… Can you stop calling me that? Just call me Arnold—"
Luke pulled his chair out and ran over to Arnold. He swung his arms around Arnold and hugged him.
"…."
'What… What do I do?'
Caught off guard, Arnold could only stand dumbfounded.
"You're safe…"
"Ah, yeah. I'm back," Arnold could see Olivia look at him with narrowed eyes, "What? You're not going to hug me too?"
"Screw off."
"Guh."
Luke released his hug, "Where have you been all this time… brother?"
"Well, I can't really tell you that," Arnold went towards the table and sat down. Since there wasn't a plate for him, he could only look at their food in envy.
"But whyyyy~!" Luke whined and pulled Arnold's arm. Arnold only ignored Luke and went to sit down.
"You were the one who did it, right?" Olivia spoke all of a sudden. She was obviously talking to Arnold.
"Did what?" He asked ignorantly.
"Don't play dumb with me. Although it'll take a while for the news to reach the entire city, I already found out what happened in the empire from my mother."
'Shit. Why did that woman tell Olivia of all people what happened?'
The public already knew that Arnold was the one who killed James Caervil and that he had seized most of the Caervil family's wealth. But the news about an Imperial Court noble's involvement was kept secret because the aftereffects of revealing that would be severe. This might even cause a second civil war.
Arnold knew how much of a talker Roseria was so she probably already told Olivia about everything that Arnold had been doing.
Although she was an easy person to manipulate, she had a lot of shortcomings. One being that she couldn't keep her mouth shut.
Luke looked between the two of them in confusion, "What happened?"
"I didn't tell young master Luke because I was waiting for you to get back," Olivia spoke, "The one who caused all that disturbance in the capital was none other than him," She pointed her fork at him.
"Eh? Do you mean…"
"Yes, he killed a man with his own hands, destroyed the lives of several others and caused my elder brother to be exiled."
"…."
Luke's eyes widened.
Arnold didn't deny anything which only added fuel to the fire.
Luke's head lowered, "…But he started it first… right? I heard about it from miss Adrianna—"
"…"
"—The man who brother killed wanted to kill brother too." Luke said as he looked into Arnold's eyes.
"W-well, I guess you're right," Olivia cleared her throat.
'What a joke. It seems she wants Luke to hate me no matter what.'
Arnold thought it was cute so he didn't pay it any mind.
There was Luke as well who knew right from wrong. Even the Hero didn't allow bad people to live. Plus, James Caervil was the cause of his mother almost being injured in the process.
Why would he argue against the death of such a man?
Arnold noticed that the atmosphere had gotten awkward, "I think Elna should leave."
"Pardon me? I am here to guard Her Highness." Elna protested against Arnold's words.
"Leave." He held up his finger towards Olivia who wanted to say something.
"I'll smash that face of yours in someday." Elna muttered as she left the room.
'Unfortunately, that day will never come.'
"Now then, why are the two of you the only ones left in the castle?" he looked at both Olivia and Luke, "The rest of the family is staying over at the manor from what Lauran told me. But strangely enough the two of you are here."
"I…" Luke was the first to speak, "No, we wanted to speak about something…"
"That being…?"
Luke glanced at Olivia for a second, "I've been thinking and talking to others to get their advice… I know this marriage between the two of us is necessary for the unification of a powerful ducal family and the Imperial Family but…" he hesitated on his next words, "Is it necessary to play things by the rules?"
Arnold quietly listened.
"Brother, you told me that you loved her highness, right?"
"I did."
Olivia's expression didn't change.
"But what about miss Lauran?"
'Shit, why the hell are you bringing her up?'
"I heard from others that you were fond of her and that you wouldn't let her go even for the sake of her normal life. But was that love or possession?"
"…Neither."
'It's actually possession.' It wasn't as innocent as love at first sight. Original Arnold wanted Lauran for himself.
"Then what about me, Arnold?" Olivia spoke this time, "All those times of constantly chasing after me, fighting all the suitors who wanted to wed me in the past… Which one was it? Possession or love?"
Arnold didn't know why they were bringing this up. No, the bigger question was how would he answer it?
He already knew that Arnold loved Olivia immensely in the storyline but how far did that love go? It turned into a disgusting obsession when she fell in love with the hero. That only fuelled Arnold's rage for him. It was part of what made Arnold a villain.
But that same love could even end the life of a villain. The heart which held all those feelings for Olivia was pierced through by the Holy Sword of Song and Light.
But that was the original Arnold's feelings. What about the current Arnold?
'She's a beautiful woman, sure. Smart too. But...'
She wasn't someone who could make his heart flutter. Even for a bit. These feelings were the original Arnold's so he couldn't understand them either.
"…You can't answer me?" Olivia's head was lowered.
"No, that's not it. I'm trying to think of ways to say it so that it doesn't sound like I'm trying too hard," Olivia raised her head, "Remember when we used to play as kids. I told you one day how we got a new maid and that she would become my first wife?"
Olivia's eyes widened and a tint of red was on her face, "Do not… dare mention that day…"
Arnold ignored her and continued, "But you would cry and tell me that I should make you my first wife. Why? Because the first wife is the one I should love the most."
"Aaah! Stop!"
Arnold laughed as Olivia was throwing him with the bread on the table.
"…I told you something when I saw you cry," Arnold looked straight into Olivia's eyes, "I said, 'Why wouldn't I love you the most when I come to see you every day? Your smile warms my heart, your cheerful voice, long hair which danced in the wind… You're perfect'. This is what I still think."
Those were Arnold von Berkley's honest feelings. There was no need to lie. If anything, Olivia storming out of this room in disgust was something he expected.
But…
"…." Olivia was only silently gazing at the ring on her finger.
It was a promise ring.
"Then… why don't the two of you embrace your feelings?" Luke stood up and stared at both of them, "It's easier this way, right? The princess and I only need to marry each other and give birth to a child but that doesn't mean that the two of you should give up on each other—"
"Luke."
"Y-Yes?"
"Arnold and I are not kids anymore," She took off the ring and slid it over to him, "The promises we made back then doesn't need to be upheld anymore. We changed. I changed. From that naïve little child who would follow him around everywhere into a woman who wants to one day dominate the battlefield and become this empire's first female general."
She stood up, "I will not let someone like you keep me from that."
She turned around.
"Heh." Arnold chuckled which made Olivia stop, "Are you saying this because you mean it or is it because you want to protect that pride and self-respect of yours, Livia?"
"Don't call me that," Olivia glared at Arnold.
Neguard—who was at her side—growled.
But Arnold didn't stop speaking. He could be ripped to pieces by Neguard but he was confident that some miracle could save him.
That was what he hoped for at least.
"Why not lay yourself bare. Just like you did on our first night together."
Slap.
Olivia had approached Arnold and smacked him in the face.
He only silently looked down at her.
"It's funny. Everyone calls you the Icy Princess yet look at you. Anger is written all over your face."
"…." Olivia chewed her lower lip and her mouth moved like she wanted to say something. Instead of saying anything, she gritted her teeth, headed towards the door and left.
Arnold didn't really get hurt by the slap but the psychological damage was much worse.
'Why… did I say those things…'
He realized it too late.
'Is this the reminiscent feelings of the real Arnold?'
His mouth was speaking faster than he could think so the words didn't match what he really wanted to say to her:
Of course I want to make you my wife.
We'll support each other.
But none of that managed to come out of his mouth.
Luke stood in front of Arnold, "I'm.. I'm sorry… I thought that if I get the two of you together then…"
"I know you mean well but sometimes it's better to leave things up to fate, Luke. Kindness can be poison if you use too much of it. Our relationship was shitty to begin with but we talked before at least. I don't even know of things would be the same now."
"I'm..."
"Stop apologizing. It's fine."
There was no strange feeling that he got from the time with James' incident so this encounter with Olivia shouldn't have affected it that much that she would want to kill him.
'Trying to eliminate a death flag is harder than I thought. I wanted to speak normally with Olivia but we were at each other's throats before I knew it.'
"Here," Arnold gave Luke the ring.
"Eh? Why give it to me?"
"Remember my words from before? About her wanting to protect her self-respect and pride?" He put the ring in Luke's hand, "She'll want it back. I can guarantee that."
It was the only thing that still remained from their childhood together after all. The friends which they had, had long since broken apart from each other.
It was obvious that she didn't mean to leave it here.
"R-Right…"
"I'll get going then. Olivia and I'll patch things up later," Arnold patted Luke's shoulder.
The two were like that every time they met after all. One moment he was making her blush and the next she would be raging and throwing things. Her interactions with him contradicted the nickname "Icy Princess".
Of course, this was only when they weren't in public. It was a side of Olivia that only Arnold could see. A side she would only show him.
"Um!" Luke called out to Arnold when he was about to leave.
"What?"
"I…" Luke scratched his cheek as his gaze swam around the room, "…I have something to show you…"
"And that is…?"
Luke opened up his right hand. Golden flames burst inside his hand. It twirled around his arm as if it was alive.
Arnold couldn't even react.
"I managed to control some of this power with the help of the sword brother bought me. I'm not sure how it works but Sebas said that the sword absorbs the power locked away in my body and allows me to use it freely. I have to focus really hard though."
"…."
"Miss Flora, Sebas and I are going on a journey."
"…"
"Um, they said that staying in the city is inconvenient because there aren't any monsters to test my power on so we'll be gone until the academy reopens…"
"…."
"It won't be long until we can have our rematch! I'll fight big brother without relying on luck or miracles!"
"Luke…" Arnold grabbed Luke's shoulders.
"Yes?"
"H-How… is this possible?"
Arnold wasn't surprised about the sword being able to absorb golden aura without breaking apart. Golden aura itself couldn't be harnessed by artifacts lower than Semi-Star. Arnold already knew how special the sword was—that was why he bought it.
Why else would he waste his time going to an auction which had a low possibility of having good items?
What made him speechless was how Luke was able to unlock his power and control it freely.
'First it was Lauran…'
Now even the Hero had awakened early…