A few days ago marked the second month since Alaric's passing. I can't remember a lot of details as the sixty days passed in a blur.
The work was worth it. We got up every morning at the brink of dawn and slept when the moon was high.
I learnt much more about the world. How it functions and all the details I need to rule my kingdom in peace. Faunus Kingdom will soon strive and follow me to the stars.
But we finally finished one project. As predicted by Mori. Even after the mild setback in the beginning.
Alexander and I sat in the living room, a bottle of wine in both hands. We had just come back from the opening ceremony for the locomotive project. It was, as expected, a great success.
"To more endeavours like this!" I exclaimed in joy, pumping up the bottle of wine in the air.
"Yeah!" Alexander does the same.
We sat around the living room while sharing a bottle of wine. It was Wilkin's special wine. We took a big gulp from it and let out an exasperated sigh.
"You can never get tired of this," Alexander said while sinking into the sofa.
I placed the alcohol down on the table. "I wonder what ingredients he puts in this. How does it have such a kick to it?"
"Don't question it. Just enjoy it."
Amelia curled up on the sofa opposite Alexander. She had grown significantly over the past two months. She went from an adorable newborn size to adolescent-sized fairly quickly.
She and I had been training rigorously. Slowly but surely she had grown taller than the palace itself. That was her peak height. She won't be growing any taller, only stronger.
"When are we going to be on the train?" Amelia asked curiously.
"Perhaps soon," I answered while picking up the bottle again. "Alexander may invite us to a special party soon."
The sound of a special party piqued Amelia's interest. Her ears perked up and she looked at me with keen eyes.
"What kind of party?" She asked.
"You'll see," I answered her with a cheeky smile.
Alexander looked at our interaction, though he heard no words being exchanged. He looked at me with a confused stare while twirling the bottle in his hand.
"What are you two talking about?" He asked me with a raised brow.
"Nothing, but I have something to talk to you about," I told him with alluring eyes.
"I don't like it when you look at me like that," He said with a disgusted look.
I sigh and lean back on my armchair. "Awh seems like you aren't affected by it" I get disheartened.
"What did you want to ask me anyways?"
"When are you getting married?"
He was taken aback by my question. "W-wha- Marriage?" He exclaimed while blushing red. "Who's talking about marriage now?"
"You, who else?" I said while pointing my bottle at him. "What's up with Lady Iris' daughter?"
He places the bottle of wine down and sighs. "We exchanged some letters after the party. But nothing came of it," Alexander said while looking at the floor.
A mischievous smile broke on my face. "Do you perhaps… need help?"
He brings his chin back up around and lets out a short laugh. "Not at all. My family heard of what happened and has been encouraging me to go for it. Not for romantic reasons though."
I crossed my arms and thought. "Hmm, even your family is after power and authority," I said to myself. "Runs in the family, doesn't it?"
He had no option but to agree. "Well, you're not wrong," He admitted.
I stood up from my chair and finished the bottle of alcohol in one final swig. Alexander stood up as well but continued to drink his wine.
"Where are you going?" He asked me as I walked away.
"To my office," I answered him. "I have something I need to do."
Amelia followed behind me as I walked out of the living room. I was headed to my office because of something I remembered. It was something I looked forward to for a while.
Before Alaric passed, he gave me a letter. He instructed me not to open it till I was free. The two months were quite hectic. Alexander and I spent all our energy finishing the project as soon as possible. Alongside Amelia's growth and my training.
Today was the day I can finally catch a break. But I was not looking for a break.
I wanted something more exciting than this. I was looking for adventure. Since I came to this world, I wanted to go on adventures across the world. Exploring and discovering new things.
But due to my duties, I was unable to do so. Also due to some scandals along the way.
I opened the door to my office and locked it. Amelia hopped onto the desk and sat with a straight posture, keeping her eyes on me as I walked to the desk.
"Is it finally time?" Amelia asked, excited and ready.
"It is,"
I sat down on my chair and rummaged through my drawer. For security reasons, I hid it away behind a pile of paper in the middle drawer. I didn't want anyone to find it.
The letter was still in good condition. No bends or tears. It looked fresh as I opened the seal and took the paper out from inside the envelope.
Amelia peeked over the paper to read it. Though she had a hard time reading it. She slowly walked over to my arms as I placed both of them on the table, holding the paper upright and reading it.
"Artorius, how have you been? I assume you have followed my instructions and you are now free. How is life? Are you enjoying the little things? Eating, drinking, breathing and being able to see your loved ones? I hope you are.
I don't know when you are reading this, or if you ever read this. But I want you to read carefully what I'm about to say. No one knows of this other than you and me. There's a good reason for this as well.
First, let me ask you a question. Do you wonder what's beyond the deep blue?
An odd question, yes. No one truly wonders what's beyond the sea. Myths and legends of old say its tempestuous seas, filled with monsters and terrifying beings that will eat you up.
But we both know those are legends, not reality. Though I've known you for your entire life, I've seen you change the most over the last month of my life. Seeing you change, I've realised you're a different man. You're not the Artorius I knew.
I trust you the most, Artorius. That is why I'm telling you to do this. If you are willing to change the world, you will possibly be interested in this.
Rumours came up last year of a colossal entity washing up on the shores of Delmont kingdom. It's an alien creature that we have not seen. Similar to the hellhound you killed.
It had the body of a human but it was much larger. Measuring up to thirty-four feet in length. It was a hairy being as well. But not furry. It had human-like body hair and facial hair.
Strange, isn't it? A being that we have never seen suddenly washing up on the shores of a kingdom. No one thought much about it though. It sparked some talk but it was later classified as one of our ancestors. A lie told by the researchers to not spark any new controversy.
We both know this is a lie. I've always wondered what's beyond the sea. But I never dared to go beyond the sea. I feared that the legends may be true and I would die. But you, you are different.
A true king is one who faces danger himself instead of sending others to face it. He bravely faces his fears and enemies and battles through. Sadly, I was never a real king. But you are.
If you truly are a king, show it to the world. You have my blessings."
The letter had no end. It seemed he stopped writing it abruptly. He knew there must be more, but he wasn't willing to write it.
Amelia and I read the letter together. After finishing it, we both stared at it for a few minutes, trying to take in all the information.
I laid back on my chair and looked at the ceiling. It was made of expensive marble and reflected the sunlight. Amelia jumped onto my lap and looked up at me.
"Are you thinking of doing what he said?"
"Yes," I answer deliberately.
It was something I always wondered about. That's why I was making the ships. Alaric didn't know of this but he and I had the same idea.
We both wondered what lies beyond.
With the current longboats, they won't be able to survive the winds. The mast cannot be moved and the manpower won't be enough to fight the rough winds.
All the men that row is used to calm river waters that flow gently. At sea, the water is rough and high waves can easily blow the ship away.
Fishermen themselves don't sail far from shore. Perhaps twenty kilometres away at most.
Three knocks came on the door as I thought about the entire thing.
"Come in," I answered.
Without a doubt, it was Felix who entered my room. He entered alongside Zenith and Leo.
"The work is done. We are ready to progress. Felix said with a joyful smile on his face.
I couldn't help but smile at his words. "Congratulations," I muttered.
Felix and Leo both clap as I congratulate ourselves. Zenith stood next to the two with a slight frown on his face. The same frown that rested on his face no matter the occasion.
Felix was talking about the elite force. They were recruited out of the army in two months and trained to their limits.
The first battalion was made. A battalion consisting of a hundred and twenty soldiers. They were men capable of handling any situation. The perfect army.
Group Alpha is their name. They are supposed to be the most skilled group out of the four. The man commanding them? None other than our prodigy, Zenith.
Zenith has been training alongside the men to better understand the work. He easily adapted to it since this training was at the level he was most comfortable with.
"We will have a ceremony for them tomorrow," I told Felix while standing back up, grabbing Amelia and putting her on my shoulder.
Leo grabbed Zenith under his arms and took him out of the room. The two have grown a close bond. Though Leo was quite energetic and playful, Zenith is much colder and emotionless.
Can't blame the kid. Growing up without a family and father figure is hard.
Felix and I stared at each other for a moment. As if we connected through telepathy. He understood I had something to tell him.
"What did the letter say?" Felix asked as he looked at my desk.
He noticed the letter on my desk. "It's from Alaric. It came yesterday,"
"Yes, but what did it say?"
"Dear Artorius, life in the afterlife is quite peaceful. Mori treats me well and tells me how arrogant you are to him. Lots of love, Alaric."
Felix lets out a short chuckle. "Sounds like him," He says before turning around.
"What it actually said was, there is another continent out there."
This caught his attention. He turned back around and looked at me with a confused expression.
"What do you mean?" He asked with keen interest. "What continent?"
"Other than Morroin, there is another continent that is left undiscovered," I answered him.
Felix seemed curious and thought about it. "So he confirms it too," He nodded and scratched his chin.
The two of us walked out of the office and talked to each other about it. Apparently, Alaric had gone to a port city once and was quite curious about the sea. He called it mysterious and full of wonders.
He always seemed to think differently. While most people had a straightforward look at life, he was always different.
When everyone took the left, he took the right. If there was no other path, he would carve a path… using other's hands.
"So you both had the same idea?" Felix questioned as we walked down the staircase.
"Pretty much," I answered. "Except I'm taking action instead of cowering away."
Alexander saw us come down the stairs, standing in the foyer and waving to us.
"Ah, you're finally back," Alexander answered. "That was quite quick."
I walked past him and headed outside. "It was small work," I told him without paying much attention. "Come, let's walk and I'll tell you everything,"
He lets out a short sigh before following behind me. We stepped out into the bright summer sun and walked around the palace.
Since it was summer, I began wearing lighter clothes. Just a simple shirt and beige pants. No cape or overcoat. It would be too hot for that.
Even still the heat was quite exhausting. Walking around in this heat is annoying.
While we walked, I explained to Alexander why I left him in the living room. I also informed him about the elite force. Both things shocked him and made him excited.
"I can't wait to see the elite force in action!" He exclaimed. "I haven't seen them train but have heard quite a lot of praise from you and Felix."
"Get ready to be blown away," I smirked arrogantly. "These men are masters at everything."
"Are you saying they're better than you?"
"No, no one is," I laughed.
It's been a while since I had a day of leisure. Since I had no work today, I didn't want to waste it away.
"Would you like to visit the library?" I asked Alexander, hoping he would take interest in one of my hobbies.
"Huh, I haven't read a good book in a while," He said skeptically.
"There should be a few good books at the library," I told him while turning to Felix.
He gave me an uncertain stare. "Last time we went there was nothing that you liked," He said in a dead tone.
"I'm a picky reader," I cried out. "What else would we do today?"
Alexander scratched his head and smiled awkwardly. "You're not wrong. There's nothing much to do."
So it was decided. We would be a bunch of losers who would rather read at a library than do something more interesting.