Arthur, August, Casia, and Jonathan were all sitting on the couch in Casia's house, engaged in light-hearted chitchat and laughter.
"So, this familiar of yours—where did you get it from?" Jonathan asked.
"It was luck, I guess. I found him as a baby while traveling in the Himalayas to train," Arthur replied.
"Oh, is that so? But how come you're so strong? I don't get it. Even if Guru Samarth taught you, I am one of the four original Elemental Generals, so I am supposed to be the strongest in our country. Yet you manage to play with me like a kid," Jonathan said, his tone curious.
"How can I know that, sir? Besides, if you ask me, you are way stronger than I am," Arthur responded humbly.
"No, no, son. You're being modest. There's no way I was stronger than you."
Arthur laughed awkwardly.
Casia tugged at her father's ears and said, "Dad, you can't tease him forever, you know."
Jonathan screamed in pain. "Ouch, ouch, ouch, honey, it hurts!"
"Then you shouldn't have messed with Arthur."
"Okay, okay, now cut it out," Jonathan said. He turned to Arthur and continued, "Arthur, I want to tell you something."
"Yes, sir, what is it?" Arthur asked.
"Would you marry my daughter?" Jonathan asked seriously.
"I originally intended to, but before that, I have to tell you something—not just you, but August too."
August and Jonathan both said simultaneously, "Okay, you have our attention. Say it."
Arthur took a deep breath, his eyes heavy with the weight of the truth. "You know the incident that happened five years ago? Do you know who the culprit behind it was?" he asked, looking directly at August and Jonathan.
Jonathan exchanged a glance with August before responding, "Well, yes, we have some ideas of who it might be, but we are not entirely sure." August stayed silent, his gaze fixed on the floor.
Arthur hesitated before revealing, "According to Guru Samarth, the culprit was Gridiron Salma."
Jonathan's face paled in shock. "Really? I never imagined something like that. I thought it was the Malvani clan."
August's silence spoke volumes, his expression unreadable.
Arthur narrowed his eyes at August. "It looks like I wasn't the only one who knew about this, right, August?"
After a tense pause, August finally spoke. "Yes, my father told me that he had suspicions about Gridiron," he admitted, his voice tinged with guilt.
Arthur took a deep breath, gathering his courage. "So now, regarding the topic of marrying Casia, I want to tell you that I will kill Gridiron in the coming weeks. I don't want to hide this from you," he said, his tone grim as he looked down.
Jonathan put his hand on Arthur's shoulder, trying to offer comfort. "Don't worry, kiddo. You can have your vengeance. I don't mind. I will ask you again, will you marry my daughter?"
Arthur's eyes widened in shock. "Wait, you don't have a problem with your daughter marrying a criminal?" he asked, disbelief coloring his tone.
Jonathan shook his head. "That's how you see it. The way I see it, I am marrying my daughter to someone who will become the strongest in the future," he replied, his eyes filled with determination.
Arthur's concern deepened. "You know very well how many risks there are, don't you?" he asked, his voice tinged with worry.
Jonathan nodded. "Yes, I know very well," he said firmly.
"Then why?" Arthur's voice broke slightly, his worry evident.
Casia stepped forward, her eyes shining with love. "Arthur, I love you, and that's all that matters," she said softly.
August placed a reassuring hand on Arthur's shoulder. "Arthur, we support you," he said, his voice steady.
Arthur looked around at his friends, his heart swelling with gratitude. "Thanks, guys," he said, his voice filled with emotion.
August's curiosity got the better of him. "So, how are you going to kill Gridiron Salma with the tight security he has?" he asked.
Arthur stood up from his chair, took a few steps, then stopped, turning to face them. "I am strong enough to break any security," he declared, his voice resolute.
The scene shifts to the entrance of Gridiron Salma's house. A lady dressed like a ninja stepped out of her carriage. Her name was Inuyaki, a top general of the Aquafera country.
Inuyaki sighed, "Why the hell did King Hirotaka accept a meeting request from an enemy country?" she muttered as she approached the main mansion of the Salma house.
One month ago:
Gridiron Salma went to Aquafera, the strongest neighboring country of Veloria. There, King Hirotaka and Gridiron had a brief chat in a meeting room.
King Hirotaka thought to himself while drinking tea, "Gridiron Salma, rumor says that this man is on no one's side. Whoever provides the best money, he is on their side. If he is here to talk with me, he must want to join our side." Thinking this, Hirotaka said aloud, "Why are you here, Sir Gridiron?" he asked politely.
"You know very well why I am here," Gridiron answered.
"Okay, how much money do you want in order to give every secret of your country?" Hirotaka directly came to the point.
Gridiron smiled evilly and said, "Sir, I want 2000 gold coins per week, making it 8000 per month and 96000 per year. Additionally, I want someone from your country to come to my house and take information whenever you want. That's it."
Hirotaka thought to himself, "His demands are high, which means he has a lot of valuable information." After that, he said aloud, "Okay, very well, I will give you that."
Present:
"What did King Hirotaka think before agreeing to these kinds of selfish demands?" Inuyaki wondered. Upon reaching the main mansion, she opened the door and saw five soldiers and Gridiron himself covered in blood. The whole room was drenched in blood, and its smell was overpowering. She was surprised and exclaimed, "What the hell? Who in the world did this?"
Three Hours Ago:
Gridon Sailma sat on the ground, sipping a cup of tea. He thought to himself, It will take around one or two hours before someone from Aquafera comes here.
As Gridon contemplated this, he suddenly sensed a presence. He tried to react, but immediately, everyone around him was slaughtered. Seeing this, Gridon was terrified and asked, "What the heck are you? Why did you kill all my subordinates?"
"No real reason," came the reply. "They were protecting you, and that's reason enough to kill them."
"What are you saying?" Gridon stammered, completely scared.
The attacker, Arthur, then sat down in a half-squat position and, in a terrifying voice, asked, "Did you think you would remain untouched after committing so many bad deeds? Tell me!" As he said this, he cut off all of Gridon's fingers with a sword. Gridon was about to cry out in pain, but Arthur swiftly cut out his tongue. Gridon's face twisted in agony. He cried silently, the pain visible in his eyes.
"Really, you're crying? You don't deserve to cry," Arthur sneered. He then snatched an eye from Gridon's face. The pain became unbearable for Gridon, and he started hitting the ground in agony.
"Oh, so now you're going to hit the ground? You don't deserve that." Arthur then cut off Gridon's other intact hand. Gridon's face contorted further in pain.
Arthur stood up and said, "Well, I guess this is enough. I shall kill you now." With that, Arthur gave Gridon a terrifying smile and removed his head.
To be continued...