Walking towards the west gate of Brighton City, Arthur was still in high spirits, constantly discussing the events of the last ten minutes with George. "If I could control water droplets like that one day, wouldn't it be so cool, George? Swish, swish, bang!"
George, however, wasn't as excited. He had no interest in Parish's ability to control the weather and was more concerned about their safety. After all, they had just been in a standoff with members of the Arbitration Court's Bear Squad. The fact that they had seen their faces meant the story George had concocted, claiming they were hostages kidnapped by a wizard, could easily be exposed as a lie. The Arbitration Court wasn't as lenient as the Enforcement Team when it came to civilians; they'd do whatever it took to extract the truth.
Arthur, lost in his fascination with nature and magic, paid no attention to George's concerns. But as they neared the west gate of Brighton City, only about a kilometer away, they ran into more trouble. Deputy Captain Rastel of the Arbitration Court's Bear Squad, along with five other members, followed them and formed a circle, raising their long-barreled rifles to trap the two in the center. The reason there were fewer squad members was because two had been severely injured in the previous skirmish with Parish, and the remaining three had taken them to the northern district of the city for medical attention.
George quickly realized the situation was dire and immediately raised his hands. "We're the hostages of the wizard from earlier, brought out from the western district," he explained. Arthur, still in a daze, slowly raised his hands as well, realizing that George had been signaling him. "Yes, yes, we're hostages."
Rastel, however, didn't lower his guard just because they were children. Children seen standing with a wizard were not your ordinary hostages. "Why were you captured? And that dwarf—was he with you too?" His cold, guttural voice sent a chill down their spines, causing their bodies to involuntarily shudder. This was the direct pressure of the Arbitration Court.
"Sir, we don't know why he captured us. We don't know that dwarf either. It was the wizard who—" George began to fabricate a story, but the increasing pressure caused his legs to weaken. The towering, muscular George collapsed to the ground first, trembling. It wasn't just the intimidating presence of Rastel; there was also the unmistakable aura of danger. When George had been at the center of the previous encirclement, he hadn't felt such pressure because all the attention had been on Parish. But now, with rifles aimed at them, the sheer dread made George unable to speak.
Rastel aimed his rifle at George's head, his finger on the trigger. "Say it again. Why did he take you?"
"It wasn't... it wasn't a kidnapping..." Sweat poured down George's forehead as his lips turned white and trembled. "We secretly followed him to the outskirts of the city..."
"What's your purpose? Why do you know a wizard? Don't you know that any information about wizards must be reported to the Enforcement Team or the Arbitration Court? Do you understand that hiding a wizard is a serious crime?" Rastel's voice rose to a low growl, his anger increasing as he realized they weren't just children.
Watching George's desperate expression and the rifle barrel closing in, Arthur suddenly stepped in front of George. With one hand on the rifle barrel, he forcefully lifted it up. "Sir, we aren't criminals. Please understand that," he said, meeting Rastel's eyes without flinching. "We were just curious. We saw the wizard and the dwarf releasing some unknown abilities at the gate. We had only heard of wizards, but never seen one. That's why we didn't report it in time. There should be no problem with that, right?"
"Then why did he lie?" Rastel asked, narrowing his eyes.
"I think any child under fifteen would be nervous and say something foolish in that situation, wouldn't they?" Arthur responded calmly, his only sign of stress being a slight tremor in his hand gripping the rifle. His demeanor was unusually calm, surpassing any previous moment. After all, Rastel was just a human; if it had been an orc, Arthur would be the one unable to move, not George.
Rastel studied both Arthur and George carefully before yanking the rifle from Arthur's hands and standing it beside him, his voice irritated as he said, "Next time, report immediately to the nearest organization. Don't follow strangers out of the city late at night. If you're children, go home and get some rest." He then let out a sharp whistle, and his team lowered their rifles. They turned to leave, with Rastel slinging his rifle behind his back. Before walking away, he warned Arthur in a chilling tone:
"If I find out you have even the slightest connection to that wizard, no matter what it is, I will personally shoot you in the head."
Rastel made a slashing gesture across his neck with his thumb before turning and heading back toward Brighton City.
Arthur's gaze turned colder, and he silently memorized the sound of Rastel's voice and half of his iron mask-like face. "Are you okay, George?" Arthur asked, turning to check on George, who forced a wry smile, pointing to his pants. "Do you believe I peed my pants? I feel so embarrassed."
Arthur forced a smile and helped George, whose legs were still trembling, back to the city.
...
The next morning, in the northern district of the Arbitration Court's headquarters.
"Has his power been tested yet?" asked a figure standing before a large window, his hands clasped behind his back in a casual manner. Behind him, Rastel knelt on one knee, his head bowed low.
"Yes, sir. His abilities exceed those of several wizards in our dungeon. He can influence the weather and the surrounding environment, so he's likely a higher-level wizard," Rastel reported. "If we encounter him again, he won't escape."
The figure, turning slowly, locked eyes with Rastel, his sharp gaze piercing. He took a smaller pistol from his chest holster, pointing it at Rastel.
"You know we had a tip-off about him, yet you still failed to capture him, right? The lord is very disappointed. You know what you need to do."
"I'm sorry, Lord Edwards. My failure to act is my fault. I accept any punishment," Rastel said, pulling off his iron mask, revealing a face scarred from burns, with part of his ear missing. His deep, gravelly voice and fervent expression made him look terrifying.
Edwards smiled cruelly, lightly pulling back the trigger, and said in common human language, "God loves everyone."
With that, he pulled the trigger.