"It's happening again, this cursed thing," one person muttered. "Oh, even though I have the bloodline of the Ashgrey noble family, I'm still nothing more than a stray dog!" another grumbled. "Shh, keep your voice down! If anyone hears you, they might throw you into the dungeon." "A descendant of a fallen knight will surely become a traitor in the future. The King is too kind to let this guy in." Arthur lowered his head and walked through the bustling streets of the Capital of the Empire of Dawn, his face shadowed by a deep gloom. Arthur had been in this world for nine years and had lived in the Capital of the Empire of Dawn for five of them. What began as excitement had, over time, turned into resentment. As those around him liked to remind him, Arthur had the blood of the Ashgrey noble family running through his veins. But that lineage meant nothing to the Ashgrey family. To protect the purity of their bloodline, the Ashgrey family only married within their own ranks. Arthur's parents, however, did not follow this tradition. His mother was from the Ashgrey family, but his father came from the rival Ember family, long sworn enemies of the Ashgrey bloodline. When the Ashgrey family's leaders discovered that Arthur's mother was pregnant with him, they immediately confined her to her house, demanding that she abort the child. Arthur's father, upon learning of this, secretly infiltrated the Ashgrey family's compound, rescued his wife, and fled the Capital. The Ashgrey family, furious that their bloodline was being tainted, reported the incident to King Clerk Maxwell, who swiftly declared Arthur's parents "Fallen Knights" and sent the Black Knights after them. Though pursued, Arthur's parents managed to escape, eventually living in seclusion in a village far from the reach of knights. For four years, they lived in peace. Those were the happiest four years of Arthur's life. Then, disaster struck. A horde of vicious beasts invaded the village. With no knights in the village, there was no one to defend them. In a desperate bid to protect her family, Arthur's mother used the power of the Knight's Heart, fighting alongside Arthur's father to drive the beasts away.But their victory came at a high cost.
The beasts were not the only danger. A group of knights, drawn by the scent of
the Knight's Heart, arrived, intent on claiming it for themselves.
In the ensuing chaos, Arthur's father gave his life to protect Arthur and his
mother.
Severely wounded, Arthur's mother managed to send Arthur to the Capital,
pleading for the Empire of Dawn to take him in.
King Clerk Maxwell, recognizing that Arthur's parents hadn't harmed the Empire,
and aware of the boy's Ashgrey bloodline, agreed to let him stay. Though Arthur's
parents were considered fallen knights, their actions were not seen as a direct
threat to the Empire, and Arthur's bloodline carried potential—perhaps even the
possibility of awakening the Bloodline Limit in the future.
Thus, Arthur was brought to the Capital of the Empire of Dawn.
Clerk Maxwell sent someone to the Ashgrey family, asking if they would accept
Arthur as one of their own.
But the Ashgrey family rejected him outright, refusing to recognize him as a
member.
Left to fend for himself, Arthur was given a modest house by the Empire, but no
one paid him any attention after that.
At first, Arthur didn't mind. He understood the deep animosity between the
Ashgrey family and the Ember family. With his Ember blood, it made sense that
the Ashgrey family would disown him.
But Arthur, naive at the time, had hoped that life in the Capital might be different.
He believed that, without the animosity of the past, the people of the Empire
might be more welcoming.
He was wrong.
The people of the Capital despised him.
Arthur soon understood why.
First, his parents were considered fallen knights, traitors in the eyes of many.
Second, the Ashgrey family's power had grown with the rise of the Capital's
Guard forces, an institution that they controlled.
The Guard's main task was to maintain order within the Capital, enforcing laws
and apprehending those with criminal tendencies. And when it came to the
Ashgrey family, even the slightest criticism was enough to be labeled a crime.
This made the people of the Capital resent the Ashgrey family even more.
But the Ashgrey family was the most powerful noble family in the Empire, and no
one dared to challenge them.
As a result, that resentment shifted toward Arthur. A child with Ashgrey blood inhis veins, yet without a surname, he became a target for the people's anger. Unlike figures like Naruto, who possessed an innate kindness that could win hearts, Arthur did not have that luxury. After five years of living in this hostile environment, Arthur's spirit had been thoroughly broken. He could no longer understand how someone like Rose, raised in the same conditions, could forgive the people of the Capital. Arthur also came to realize that Clerk Maxwell, whom he had once viewed as a symbol of kindness and fairness, was not what he had imagined. He had witnessed Arthur being bullied more than once, but Clerk Maxwell merely glanced in his direction and walked away, as if he hadn't seen anything. Gradually, Arthur came to a painful conclusion: Maxwell's seemingly kind demeanor was nothing more than a facade. To Arthur, the Capital had become a prison. But he could not leave. The Empire of Dawn would not allow it. Even if he could escape, he would be powerless to protect himself. Despite how little Arthur valued the Capital, it was still the safest place for him. Though he was trapped, Arthur was confident that he could change his situation in the future. His confidence did not come from his Ashgrey or Ember bloodlines, as he doubted he would ever awaken the Knight's Heart or the Bonemarrow of Nature in his lifetime. Instead, Arthur relied on a system called "Witness." The system granted him points every time he witnessed an event, but to activate it, he needed 100 witness points. In the past five years, Arthur had accumulated only 50 witness points. This was thanks to his enrollment in the Knight Academy three years ago, where he had witnessed Roland's entrance and gained 50 points. However, the remaining 50 points were elusive, as Arthur's current status made it difficult to be involved in any significant events. The times were peaceful, and war was still a distant possibility. As a result, there were few opportunities for Arthur to gain more witness points. But now, an opportunity had appeared. Rose Valen was about to transfer to the Knight Academy in the Capital. If Arthur could witness her admission, it would grant him the 50 points he needed to unlock the Witness system.