Aaron stood a few meters in front of Keith, with no one else nearby. Keith rushed towards Aaron, pointing his sword in an attempt to stab him. However, Aaron skillfully deflected the sword, resulting in a resounding clash of metal.
"Clangggg."
Undeterred, Keith continued to swing his sword, showcasing his prowess in swordsmanship. However, observers began to notice that Aaron was not retaliating or attempting to strike back. Instead, he focused on evading every attack with remarkable agility.
"YOU COWARD!! FIGHT BACK!"
Aaron wanted to witness Keith's fighting capabilities, but his expectations were quickly shattered after just a few clashes. He couldn't help but feel disappointed, as Keith displayed excessive aggression without a proper strategy to secure victory. Adding to that, Keith's incessant barking lacked the power to back up his words.
"Am I simply too strong for them? Or perhaps they are just too weak," Aaron contemplated. He couldn't deny that his extraordinary physical prowess seemed overwhelming in comparison to anyone he had encountered thus far.
Keith slowly realized that Aaron had never tried to fight back, which filled him with anger and frustration. After a few seconds, his sword began to emit a radiant white light, and he swiftly slashed it even from a few meters away from Aaron.
"Light Slash!"
A crescent moon-shaped beam of white light surged towards Aaron with incredible speed. However, Aaron, being aware of the sword's ability, easily evaded the attack. Keith continued to repeat the same action, growing increasingly perplexed as Aaron effortlessly avoided each strike, as if he had prior knowledge of Keith's artifact.
"You monkey! How do you know about my artifact?!" shouted Keith angrily, his breaths heavy and labored.
In response, Keith activated a barrier of light and continued to taunt Aaron.
"Hahaha! You can't touch me now! When the other royals witness this scene later, you will be finished!"
Aaron found Keith's actions quite amusing.
"Is this person brain dead?" he thought to himself.
He shifted his gaze away from Keith and calmly walked towards Natalia.
"I have cleared the warehouse, and most of them are severely injured inside. I have fulfilled my task... I will take my leave then," Aaron stated calmly.
Aaron could hear the sound of helicopters approaching at a fast pace, signaling the arrival of others who were coming to stop their fight. However, he believed it was too late for them to intervene.
"Natalia, don't try to stop me. The association and the Royal Army are too slow to handle this tense situation," Aaron replied, his gaze fixed on the sky where the helicopters were approaching.
Natalia was aware of the incoming helicopters and desperately tried to persuade Aaron to stay.
"Aaron, please reconsider. Let the association handle it," she pleaded, attempting to hold him back.
Aaron turned to Natalia with a sarcastic tone, a hint of laughter in his voice.
"So, you want me to fight against the other royals, huh? Hehe," he said mockingly.
As the military personnel arrived and surrounded Aaron, the helicopters began landing. Aaron decided to stay for a while, curious to see how the association would handle the situation.
If he felt that they were not making any effort to assist him, he would have no qualms about quitting as a mercenary. With enough money to sustain himself without work and the option to sell some artifacts to Garry for additional income, he had other means of support.
Aaron remained calm as he found himself surrounded by hundreds of soldiers from the Royal Army. He couldn't help but wonder why they were so determined to capture him. He observed that they had deployed an artifact that created an invisible barrier, effectively trapping him.
"Aaron Deen! You are under investigation for possessing more than one artifact. Do not resist or face the consequences!" one of them declared.
Aaron paused for a moment, contemplating their words, before responding.
"Wait... It's my artifact. Why should you all be concerned about it? I worked hard to acquire them," he stated calmly.
The same person who issued the previous warning continued speaking, mentioning that no one should be allowed to possess multiple artifacts, and that everyone who owned an artifact should be registered to track their origins.
Aaron's expression immediately changed, feeling that they had no right to control artifact ownership. He had no intention of complying with their demands.
"It's mine, after all. I refuse. Thanks!" he replied firmly.
Just as they were about to approach Aaron, he vanished from the spot. The sudden disappearance left everyone in shock. While they were aware of his teleportation ability, they had no knowledge of its range or distance. The fact that their barrier couldn't contain him only added to their surprise.
Aaron reappeared inside his room at the training facility, finding Luo and Garry waiting for him. Their presence was unexpected.
"Wow, you actually made it. Can't believe you had a fight with those royal dogs and managed to escape unscathed," Luo remarked sarcastically.
Aaron let out a deep sigh, choosing to remain silent. He proceeded to wash himself and change into fresh clothes before finally joining Luo and Garry, who were waiting just outside his room.
Aaron... You do realize that you are now labeled as a criminal for betraying the country," Garry said in a concerned tone.
"Yeah... I suppose so. But what else can I do? Surrender myself? Let them kill me?" Aaron's calm demeanor masked the sense of betrayal he felt, especially when Luo showed him a picture of his face on the wanted list across all online and offline platforms.
"I really wish I could help, but my power is limited when it comes to the royal families. I'm so sorry, Aaron," Garry expressed regretfully.
"It's okay, guys. I'll be fine. I'm not really from this country anyway. Maybe it's time for me to return to where I belong. Also... I apologize for not being able to complete the artifact identification task you asked me to do today... I was supposed to do it, but with the current situation... you know," Aaron's tone turned somber, especially when addressing Garry. He felt guilty for postponing the task and knew he could have completed it.
But then, to their surprise, Luo stepped away momentarily and returned with a metallic box that had yet to be unlocked. He used a small card key to unlock it right in front of Aaron and Garry.
"You can identify them here. I took these artifacts the moment I learned that the Capital was being invaded by those evil organizations," Luo explained.
After that, Luo remained silent while Garry continued the conversation. They discussed the ownership of the artifacts and proposed giving Aaron a portion of them to identify. However, they were taken aback by Aaron's response.
"No... I refuse to take any. Consider this my parting gift to both of you for your help until today," Aaron stated with a sincere smile.
They walked to Aaron's room but Luo didn't follow since Garry wanted to talk with Aaron privately.
"I hope you won't abandon us; I'll do my best to resolve the conflict with the royal families. In fact, I've already submitted my company's resignation from the mercenary association."
Garry talked for a while before leaving Aaron to identify the collected artifacts.
Opening the box, Aaron found around 20 small items they assumed were artifacts. Little did they know that only half of them were genuine, while the rest were just clever fakes or ordinary items.
He spent an hour writing everything he knew about them, relying on the descriptions written on the pieces of paper he had borrowed. As part of his gift, he also included information about the artifacts' grades and their durability when faced with different artifacts of varying grades.
He knew Garry wouldn't ask for too many details about how he obtained this knowledge; he simply wanted to repay their kindness properly. Aaron also included information about a serum that could enhance the human body, but he provided a balanced account of its pros and cons to ensure they understood the potential risks.
Meanwhile, in a grand meeting room where the royal families had gathered, tensions ran high.
"Are you absolutely certain he attacked you first? Because my reports indicate that our side shot at him initially. Please, be honest with me. Why did you provoke him?" King Arthur, father of Clarissa, confronted Keith, who stood at the center of the gathering.
"Because I saw him talking to Clarissa! And she even wanted him to be her personal guard for the university's field trip. I couldn't bear to see a commoner like him getting too close to her. Moreover, he broke the law by possessing more than one illegal artifact. We simply cannot trust him. I did what I did for the good of our country. For Argolia!" Keith answered with an air of pride.
Though he respected the king, he was aware that the king tended to be lenient towards his relatives. Being the younger brother of the king's son, Keith had grown up with a sense of entitlement.
Arthur gazed at Keith with a calm exterior, yet inside, he couldn't help but feel deeply disappointed in how his brother was raising his son. The mercenary association demanded an explanation for Keith's behavior, having lost some of their forces due to the conflict between Aaron and Keith. Despite their pleas, Keith and the royal family refused to provide any explanations.
Whispers and rumors swirled, suggesting that some members left the association, feeling that Keith was being protected, despite evidence indicating the Royal Army's initial aggression towards the mercenaries. This wasn't the first instance of Keith's actions causing trouble. But this time, it involved a high ranked mercenary recommended by Garry, one of the wealthiest individuals in the country.
Later, with only his trusted advisor by his side, Arthur turned to the person in the meeting room.
"I'll speak to Garry," Arthur said, his voice tinged with concern. "Do you think he'll show us some understanding?"
His advisor looked back at him, offering a reassuring nod.
"I believe he values your friendship and the well-being of Argolia. He might be willing to lend an ear, Your Majesty."