Arthur couldn't help but praise the teenager.
Indeed, his view had been obstructed by the fire he had breathed out. But it was still impressive because his instincts had been slow to react. Especially considering the distance between them wasn't close. As far as he could remember, no one had ever had such a fast attack.
"That boy is dangerous," Athrecia concluded. "We need to kill him before he becomes much stronger. He probably hasn't mastered the second stage of spirit mastery yet. We have to eliminate him before he becomes an unsolvable problem."
"Beside his spirit abilities, I'm more concerned about why he sides with Lukhiel."
Arthur completely ignored Athrecia's suggestion. He didn't deny that his lover's words had some truth, but Arthur had a different idea. Rather than killing the teenager, it would be better to recruit him. The power the boy possessed was too enticing to waste. He surely had a stronger king's spirit than his own.
"He might be an orphan taken in by Lukhiel, or something similar. I don't think there's any other answer, Your Majesty. We must kill him before it's too late."
Arthur felt strange hearing Athrecia's strong desire to kill the boy. But he didn't question it. Perhaps she was upset because her favorite spell had been rendered useless. Perhaps she was angry because he had been hurt. Or perhaps, Athrecia didn't like the teenager's threat.
"Do you understand his abilities?" Arthur asked as he stood—Athrecia's magic circles had disappeared, and the mage also stood up. "Killing him will be very difficult if we can't overcome his abilities."
"Setting aside his wind element, I've noted three unique abilities he possesses. The boy can nullify all powers. He has an invisible barrier that seems impossible to break. And he can swap places with others."
"Ah, that's how he suddenly appeared in front of me. Then, isn't Lukhiel nearby?"
"He should be. Do you want me to search for him? You can hold off the boy for a while, and I'll find Lukhiel's location. We can capture Lukhiel and force the boy to surrender."
Arthur wasn't surprised by that suggestion. His lover cared about nothing but achieving her goal.
"No," Arthur responded as he resumed walking. "I want to try recruiting him. Using that method will only make him angrier. Besides, I'm not sure Lukhiel is alive. If he's not dead, he will be. There's no way he'll survive after being hit by Excalibur Devasta—huh, Athrecia..."
"I saw it too," the mage quickly replied, furrowing her brow—her legs instinctively stopped, just like the king's.
"Did he just enter… a spatial portal?"
"…It looks like a spatial portal."
"Did he… just ignore us and leave?"
Arthur didn't know what to do as he watched the teenager he wanted to confront leave so easily. He hadn't tested if his Excalibur could pierce the invisible barrier. Arthur didn't know the boy's weaknesses. He hadn't even asked his name. And… the boy had just left.
"If he left not to check on Lukhiel's condition, he left because he wasn't sure he could handle both of us. Maybe he sensed my true strength."
Hearing the mage's opinion made Arthur turn his gaze to her. He was reminded that Athrecia was the mage who had killed Morgan Le Fay—the mage acknowledged as the second strongest after Merlin. Athrecia was also much older than him. Arthur began to wonder, just how strong was his lover?
"Clearly, whatever the reason, he's probably still not far from here," Athrecia paused, her eyes intensely fixed on the king. "What do you think, Your Majesty? Should we search for him?"
"With his abilities, he might just escape again. We'd likely just be wasting time and energy." Arthur paused for a moment, then continued while averting his gaze, "Unless you plan to show your true power, or the kid decides to fight us, I think it's impossible to kill him."
"I'll only reveal my true power if it's before Merlin, Your Majesty."
Arthur shrugged. "I didn't ask you," he said quickly. "But you can make a picture of him, right?"
Athrecia nodded.
"Then, make a wanted poster of him. I want him alive or dead. Whoever can bring him to me will get one million escal."
"That's a large amount."
"A fair amount for the power that kid has."
Athrecia nodded in understanding. "What reason should I put? Should we label him as a demon's ally?"
"Yes, yes, that's it. He stopped me from killing Lukhiel, so he deserves to be an enemy of mankind. That'll make his life hard. If he doesn't come to me because Lukhiel is dead, he'll come because of the poster."
"And then you'll offer to clear his name."
"That depends." Arthur shrugged and sheathed Excalibur. "Now, let's go back. I need to have a long talk with my nephew. He failed to bring me Lukhiel's head."
---ooOoo---
Mariel couldn't stop himself from frowning. Lukhiel was unconscious, and he would die if nothing was done.
Mariel couldn't do anything. Neither could Celinee. And Lukhiel's body couldn't regenerate anymore after being struck by Excalibur. Reluctantly, Mariel placed Lukhiel into his dimension, where time didn't flow.
This timeless dimension was an endless void. A small island floated at its center. The island was completely covered in white sand, with not a single blade of grass. Apart from a large tree with thick, bright blue, glowing leaves that stood right in the middle of the island, there were no other trees.
Mariel placed Lukhiel beneath the tree—the only source of light.
Mariel stood there, staring at his master for a while, thinking about what could be done to heal Lukhiel. Since Lukhiel was here, he wouldn't die—his condition would remain the same. Mariel didn't need to worry about him dying. However, if he couldn't find a way to heal the demon, he would remain like this until the void itself vanished when he died.
Mariel couldn't let that happen; he had to find a way to help his master. But how?
Mariel sighed deeply, unsure of what to do. But he was determined to keep searching for a way, no matter what.
Then, the young man opened a dimensional portal and stepped out. It would be dangerous for Celinee if Mariel didn't leave immediately—she could die if those two humans found her.
"How is he? Will Sir Lukhiel really be okay?"
That question immediately invaded Mariel's ears as soon as he left his dimension. She was genuinely worried; the respect Celinee had for Lukhiel was truly sincere.
"Rest assured, he won't die as long as he's there. But if I die and we haven't found a way to heal him, Lukhiel will die."
The effect of the holy sword on demons was truly dangerous. No surprise—hm...
Mariel instinctively drew the sword he had tucked at his waist. He examined it closely. Remembering that the sword was called "Sword of Salvation" made Mariel wonder.
"What's wrong?"
"No, I just wanted to know, why is this called 'Sword of Salvation'?"
"Do you think the sword can heal Master Lukhiel?"
"I don't know, but we won't know until we try." Mariel paused briefly as he tucked the sword back to his left waist. "What about you?" he asked, his eyes returning to Celinee. "I want to go back to where my master and I were staying."
"I'm not good at hiding my anger; going back to Old Granny Rhemea is not possible. Is it alright if I come with you?"
"I don't mind. Since we're both alone now, it's better to stay together. Besides, I'm going on a journey to find Merlin. You're a ninja, it will be very helpful if you join me. If this sword can't save my master, maybe Merlin knows how."
"Then, I'll go with you. I want to become stronger; sparring with you every day will help me improve."
Mariel nodded. He opened a dimensional portal again. Celinee immediately entered the portal without being told, and Mariel followed her. The portal quickly disappeared.
Exactly two seconds after the portal disappeared, a beautiful blonde girl in black-and-white servant attire appeared suddenly about ten meters from where Mariel had been standing. A moment after, a woman with long, wavy silver hair appeared beside her.
"Is it true he has the same powerful spirit as mine, Master?" asked the blonde girl.
"Not just the same strength, but even stronger. Unfortunately, he hasn't mastered his spirit yet."
"Then, what are we waiting for? Let's recruit him, Master. You can help him to master his spirit. He'll be useful to help us deal with those people."
"No need. Let her be. It's better if we go back."
"Huh, why?"
"…He holds 'Sword of Salvation'. I don't like that sword. And don't ask me why again. We're leaving now."
The silver-haired woman immediately disappeared, and the blonde girl had no choice but to disappear as well, following her master.