Arthur stood in his new mansion, a gift from Prince August. "Wow, this place is huge," he mumbled to himself, toweling off after a bath. "I didn't think they would give me so many facilities without asking for something in return. Well, let's wait and see."
Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. "Thup thup!"
"Yes, come in," Arthur responded, covering his lower half with a towel.
"Arthur, are you done washing?" Casia asked as she entered the room. Seeing Arthur's upper body exposed, she blushed. Her eyes widened at the sight of his scars. His muscular body was far more worn than a typical seventeen-year-old's. His right arm was a different color from his left, and a large scar marked his chest. Tears welled in her eyes. "What the hell have you gone through in these five years, Arthur?"
Arthur turned away to hide his scars. "Oh, don't worry about those. They're just little scratches."
Casia noticed his back, rough and covered with bruises and scars. She couldn't contain her emotions.
"Where is Celina? And Garudax?" Arthur asked, trying to change the topic.
Suddenly, Casia hugged him from behind, stopping his words. "Arthur," she said, her voice breaking. "You don't have to be so rough on your body, you idiot."
Arthur gently pulled her hands away and turned to face her. "These scars are proof that I'm stronger. They're something I'm proud of, so don't worry. They're just from training." He tried to reassure her, but Casia began to sob.
"Sobbing... sobbing..."
"Celina, where is she?"
"She's playing with Garudax... sobbing..."
Arthur stroked Casia's hair, trying to comfort her. Just then, Celina entered the room. "Brother, someone is here to meet you," she said in a cute voice.
Casia quickly composed herself and stepped away from Arthur. "Yes, I'm coming," Arthur said, dressing quickly.
Arthur walked to the hall to see who had come to visit. As he reached the door, he saw the king and his escorts waiting. Arthur thought to himself, "Here comes the payment time, I guess." Aloud, he said, "I, Arthur Cifer, welcome Your Majesty to this house."
"You don't have to be too formal with me, just relax," the king said.
"Please, come and sit with me on the sofa. Have some tea, and then we can discuss whatever subject you have in mind," Arthur replied in a very formal tone.
Everyone settled down on the sofa, and the maid brought some snacks and two cups of coffee. Only Arthur and the King were sitting on the couch, while Casia and Calina stood beside them. Ascort stood near the King. Taking a sip of coffee, the King looked at Calina and said, "I see you have reunited with your sister."
"Yes, sir. Thanks to your grace's mercy on my family, I was able to reunite with her," Calina replied.
"I wouldn't call it mercy if I were you," the King retorted.
"I guess it was more of a deal then, right?" Arthur said with a smile.
"Yes, you catch on quickly."
"So, what do you need from me, sir?" Arthur asked.
"It's not an order, but a request. I need your help in the war. I want you to fight on our side," the King stated.
"I will, and I intend to," Arthur replied confidently. "But before that, can you please tell me what exactly happened during the five years I was gone?"
The King thought to himself, This boy... he's only 17 years old, yet his presence is overwhelming. It's like standing before an adult. He said aloud, "Alright, what exactly do you want to know?"
"I want to know why the war lasted for five years. As far as I know, when a kingdom weakens, other countries will attack immediately. If a king insists, he can hold off the war for a maximum of two years. But given our country's health and wealth, you shouldn't have been able to hold the war for five years. How did you manage it?" Arthur asked with a confident smile.
"Okay, I'll tell you. As you know, our country is renowned for its warriors. Because of that, other countries can't wipe us out easily. The people's faith in their king depends on the warriors' support. The bravest region of our country, the warrior's area, was destroyed by the Malvani clan. It was a tragedy, and because of that, not only our country but the whole Asian continent was shaken. If Asia's most powerful area could be destroyed in the blink of an eye, how could anyone feel safe? Other countries got busy dealing with this situation, which bought us around three years. During that time, we were collecting forces and money as best as we could.
The King paused, then continued, "After about three years, other countries began to act, but somehow, I was able to hold them off for two more years. And then, you came back. Recently, we discovered that the Malvani clan is interfering in our country's matters and trying to destroy us."
Arthur pondered for a moment before responding, "The Malvani clan, you say? Why would they interfere in our country's matters? According to Guru Samarth and my investigation, Gridiron was funding the Malvani clan to destroy my family. But if they targeted only my house, suspicion would fall directly on Gridiron. So, they decided to blow up the entire southern area."
"Exactly," the King said. "We thought the same thing, but it looks like they have an ulterior motive."
"Okay, I've heard enough," Arthur said decisively. "I will fight on our side, and I will write a letter to Guru Samarth. If he's in the mood, he might join us in this war."
Hearing this, the King's face lit up with happiness. "Very well, then. I shall make the arrangements, and you will hold the highest rank," he said, standing up from the sofa. "I shall take my leave now."
Arthur just smiled.
The scene shifts to a battlefield where armies are camped. Inside one of the tents, two formidable figures converse. One of them, a man with spiky hair and an aura of power, is named Zarath, ranked seventh among the Ahankaras. The other, exuding an even stronger presence, is Sicotes, the top-ranked Ahankara.
"So, what is the plan?" Zarath asked.
"Nothing special. We'll fight them normally," Sicotes replied.
"What do you mean 'normally'?"
"There are four generals in Veloria, and we have four generals too. So that's settled. As for the kid named Arthur, I'll be the one to fight him."
"Why? You're the strongest in the Ahankaras. Why would you fight a mere kid?"
"He's not a mere kid, you idiot. He has something special."
Zarath exclaimed, "You mean he has..."
"Right. He has one of the Eleven Veils."
The Veil is known as an object bestowed by the gods upon humans as a symbol of acknowledgment. Generally, it is a rectangular-shaped artifact, though sometimes it is engraved on one's soul. In Arthur's case, Gimir is one of the Veils.
"So what about me, then?" Zarath asked.
"You will be fighting Guru Samarth," Sicotes answered.
To be continued....