Let me know if you find errors.
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Arnold and the others were at a café a few blocks away from the academy. He had met up with Lauran when classes ended but she said that they could continue the work so he can take a bit of a break after school. That gave him some time to mess around.
He wanted to go to the guild but he wanted to relax a bit first. He can head over later tonight.
While listening to the casual chatter of the others, Arnold's vision switched to that of Fallene's.
'She's been walking for a while now. Where is she supposed to pick up the shipment? I just need her to make contact with whoever gives over the supplies… The other two have fancy equipment while I have my Halo.'
That way he can use the Halo on that person as well and pass it on until he reaches whoever's in charge.
He resisted the urge to put one hand over his eye and stand in a heroic pose like some eighth grader.
'I saw 1B earlier. Maybe I should approach her too?'
'No, that would be dangerous for Celeste. Some cretins might even attempt to pin this on her.'
That being the case, it's best to not be seen meeting her. He has no affiliation with her officially so suspicion would be inevitable.
'I'll reactivate the Halo once I sense her near another signature.'
"—Brother, could you do the same thing to me like you did for Professor Roderick? I want a martial spirit too!"
When his vision returned to normal, he was met with an excited Luke with eyes that almost blinded him with their sparkle. Now that he's so close, Arnold could smell the cologne he gave Luke before.
Huh, so the kid managed to resist the urge to use perfume. Maybe he's finally getting over his grief for Claudia.
"I did some studying on them and learned that they can improve your Aura pool and control which can make skills and martial arts even stronger!"
'You don't even have a martial art yet so why are you excited?'
"Professor Roderick should've told you in the beginning of the first year that it can't be forced out." Luke's face changed as if he lost his country. An actual dark cloud loomed over his head as he slumped back in the chair.
'You don't even need it. What, not satisfied with your cheat Golden Aura?' he was admittedly a bit pissed that endgame Luke could match up to him with Golden Aura alone despite Aether being the strongest energy there is, since it's an amalgamation of all energies.
Yet this little bastard is ungrateful!?
Realistically, there would be restrictions on Luke's growth that can't be lifted through normal means so he might not even be able to get a martial spirit.
"Tch, that lucky bastard."
Did the innocent and pure Hero just swear? Surely Arnold heard that incorrectly.
"Maybe a martial spirit will find you worthy once you manage to control your Golden Aura." Olivia said with a smile.
'No! Don't give him hope, dammit! That's not how that works!'
"Really, Big Brother!?"
"Agh… M-Maybe… W-W-Work hard…" He pumped his fist weakly to half-heartedly encourage the little hero but it felt like all his energy was being sucked by the overly excited Luke.
"Hehehe!"
"Princess Olivia," Wistorina spoke to the princess with a serious tone after they finished their unimportant chatter, "I heard that His Majesty departed for the Republic. Would it be possible for me to—"
"Absolutely not." Olivia shut her down, "If an entire organization is after you, they will stop at nothing to hunt you down. The moment you leave the empire, you will become a target."
"B-But Sir Arnold has been able to protect me even when he wasn't here…"
Their faux dating idea was doing most of the work but he had some shadow demons trail her and deal with anyone trying to get close with malicious intentions. She seems to be popular amongst the male students as well so a lot of unfortunate, yet bold guys got their butts kicked by shadows.
"The empire being your current sanctuary also makes a big difference. They wouldn't dare employ large-scale warfare inside the capital. No, they can't. There are many powerful individuals watching over this empire, including the adventurers. Their best bet would be using third parties, a small-scale but effective form of dealing with people. And the fact that you must be captured alive makes this all the more difficult for them."
That's true. The assassins were sent to deal with Arnold but now that his true strength is known, they've backed off. And with Elizabeth here, the fight would be even harder. That being said, he could still sense level 100 experts tailing them. These are most likely Serz's top fighters.
"I feel like I'm not doing enough for my people or my family by staying in the empire…"
"What do you mean? Tired of playing damsel in distress?"
Though it was a lighthearted joke from Arnold, her head lowered even more.
"Read the room, Arnold." Olivia glared at him.
"…You shouldn't be worrying this much. Remember what I said? Your father is the last card they'll use to draw you out."
The princess made a small smile, "Yes, you're right. Still… they may become impatient…"
Being powerless is starting to get to her. That said, her value is unquestionable. If she just plays the waiting game a little longer, Prince Julius and his forces can deal with them.
The prince being there is a big deal as he has not only assembled powerful heirs from prestigious households, but also experts from various martial institutions and mercenaries who support him.
The Murim Martial Alliance, though unknown to the public at the moment, also support Julius' ascension to the throne so it's possible that even the top experts in the sect are serving Julius to protect him.
That's why Arnold isn't that hasty. Even Serz fears the MMA and wouldn't dare fight them head-on with such a small force.
'Hessinia's clone should be on the way there right now.'
Which means she's now back by Celeste's side and can move when he wants her to.
"I'm curious, what did you do before transferring over here? From what I hear from sources, you seem to be acing every revision test." Olivia asked.
"Same as here, mostly alchemy and divine studies in the sixth year. We have our own version of the academy… Although, magic isn't integrated into our lessons there."
"Ah, so the hate for magicians affects even the academies? Isn't that detrimental to the development of the nation?"
"…As a citizen of the Republic, I can't normally agree but yes… Our alchemists and priests are being overworked. The latter wasn't even allowed to practice their magic until a decade ago due to divine magic being a derivation of magic. As such, we're very behind in terms of medical progress, among other things."
"Priests were only allowed to exist because they aren't considered battle mages. In other words, they won't outshine the knights combat. They're just support, after all."
"Isn't it a rule that, in order to gather a successful raid party, magicians are required?" asked Luke.
"The people of the Republic don't think about monsters when they make decisions like banning open practice of magic, they only think of other humans. They want to make their knights the best in the world but know that magicians will always outshine knights in terms of strength. Look at the Archmage. Despite being a magician, not even the strongest swordsman or martial artist in the world can defeat her." Olivia added.
"It's a shame that you're right, Your Highness." Wistorina smiled wryly as she scratched her cheek, "My father has been fighting for magicians' rights for years by this point. Every child born with mana is treated like a second-class citizen, which is why so many choose to leave the country instead of facing further oppression."
"If they allowed magicians in their kingdom, they might've had a chance to fight off the monsters Serz summoned." Said Arnold.
It was the cold hard truth.
"…True." even Olivia agreed, "I hear they used summoning rituals to spawn the monsters. If countermeasures were set in place, the chaos could've been avoided entirely."
But those countermeasures require experienced magicians.
Someone placed a drink down right next to Arnold's empty soda cup just as they were in the middle of the discussion, "—Mint Blossom is your favorite flavor, right? What a strange preference for a guy like you."
It was Stella von Ayried. She was in her casual clothes, which consisted of a cute blouse and short jeans, as well as trendy sneakers. These kinds of clothes didn't exactly suit her.
"…Sorry for interrupting, everyone but I need to talk to him." she bowed to everyone else.
Where did she learn these manners!?
Arnold was almost horrified. Just what does she want to talk about?
**
After coming into the café while the others remained outside, the two sat down, with her ordering a drink of herself while he drank the soda she brought earlier.
A free drink tastes better than one he bought himself, at least.
"What did you want to talk about?" slurping without manners, he said in-between his gulps, "Here to challenge me again?"
"No, I'm still in the middle of training… There's something else… It's about my brother."
He stopped drinking.
"…This morning we received a letter from your city saying that an envoy led by your city advisor will come to our estate in the next few days." Hands fidgeting awkwardly, she lowered her head, "…I need to know what you plan on doing to him…"
"What? Did my advisor not express it clearly in the letter? The punishment will be discussed during the meeting. That little bastard endangered the lives of my citizens and my future wealth. If he succeeded, a chain reaction would've destroyed every crystal vein it could reach in that mine. While they can be found in the ground as well, the mountains have a higher chance of yielding larger amounts."
"…"
"Are you here to beg for his life?"
"…I know he deserves punishment but I, like the rest of my family, hope you can give him mercy. Tyran has always been impulsive so he takes action against any offense."
She bowed her head. Knowing the difference in power between the two, she figured being respectful was for the best. He could end their bloodline on a whim and no one in the empire would do anything since there's justification for such an escalation.
In a way, Tyran endangered his entire city—not just his mountains and forests. It's possible for those crystals to be found under in the city as well.
This is no different than pouring poison into the food being prepared for the royal family. The person responsible will lose their head even if no one died. Their family might also be punished.
In other words, their fate lies in Arnold's hands. The hands of the Unlikely Hero who saved this empire from doom alongside the other Heroes.
"Duke Ayried was sent that letter so that he can prepare an apology and compensation because I won't be happy with just his bastard son's exile. I might even take his head if I'm not happy."
He wouldn't do that, of course. While justification is there, acting so rash doesn't accomplish anything. Everyone already knows how strong he is and what he can do, so what does he have to prove?
On the contrary, this situation will show everyone that he's magnanimous and his citizens will see him in an even greater light.
"W-What will make you happy then?" trembling slightly she asked.
"Why do you seem so afraid of your brother's fate? He's never treated you kindly and even humiliated you in front of guests at the parties your father held. And yeah, I was at a few of them and saw this."
He treated her like a peasant from the slums and she just took the humiliation, knowing the rest of the family won't leave her alone if she retaliated. The Ayried family is filled with snakes who flock to the stronger candidate. Hans has the most support but Tyran is also a strong candidate.
Stella has only a few family members on her side. None are of the main household.
"That's…"
"Shouldn't you be happy that the competition is taking itself out? Hans might be the best candidate for heir now but until Drakan finalizes it, any of you have a chance. Tyran getting his own head sent to the guillotine through his own actions makes things easier for you." He said it so casually as if the concept of someone's head being chopping off meant nothing to him.
"That's not how I want to win! Fire Lily would never accept me that way!"
He sighed.
"You really think the sword cares about human struggles and whatnot?"
"Its powers can be misused so obviously it would!"
She really knows nothing about the sword. He was curious how many of them were so clueless about it. Drakan can't even use it himself so it's basically just an heirloom that let him use its Fire Aura once in the past.
Fire Ki is chaos itself.
It seeks destruction.
It seeks to erase living things.
It seeks to even absorb the ashes.
"I know deep down beneath that badmouth and short temper is a girl who thinks her chaotic aura is just a means to protect herself." He said, pointing at her inches away from her face and staring closely at her crimson eyes. They seemed to burn like a wildfire but there was also an innocence to them.
"W-What are you talking about?"
"Fire Lily will never be yours unless you understand it and give it what it wants."
"You don't know anything about Fire Lily!" she slapped away his hand.
'How can I not know about one of the strongest Star-Class swords in the game?'
This sword and its special Fire Ki, that mixed with her red Aura, created a combination of two energies that could burn almost anything.
It seeks destruction in order to awaken.
But the current Stella is incapable of providing it that destruction.
That being said, if that sword isn't satiated, after starving for hundreds of years and generations of heads passing it around, it will cause another disaster, seeking to satiate itself on the lives in the empire.
This happens when you choose to ignore Stella throughout the story until it's too late. You find out only after the empire is covered in pillars of dark red flames that burned forever. Only endgame Luke would be able to stop it.
That's the sword's spirit, something akin to a Martial Spirit.
It contrasts the current Stella perfectly.
After downing the last bit of dark green juice, he put the glass down, "Isn't it a known fact that the sword has a spirit inside it?"
"So what?" she glared at him.
"I learned during my short time in the dungeon that spirits that are sealed within artifacts can also become frustrated. They're like toddlers, only the kind that can end the world depending on what kind of spirit they are."
This was a normal thing in Star Fantasy which is why relic tomb hunting was so popular. Everyone raced to get the powerful artifacts with spirits inside them since they are stronger than ordinary artifacts of the same level.
That said, there is a downside to having a spirit in your weapon.
It requires tributes.
He thought of Luxtivin. While not the same as a spirit, his soul weapon also has a will. As such, it's possible it also requires tributes. Or in his case, satiation.
If he had refused to allow Luxtivin to experience human society, its frustration may grow into something dangerous in the future. There's also that rogue A.I to worry about that might take over if Luxtivin if enough time passes by.
Luxtivin might be his soul weapon but it developed its own subconscious and will, which isn't that different from a spirit.
"Huh?" as if it was an absurd thing to say, Stella stared at him like he was speaking bullshit.
"Think about it—why won't the sword answer to anyone else but your father? Though I wouldn't call that subservience since it only lets him use a bit of its power." Without waiting for her to answer, he gave her a hint, "Somewhere in his life, he caused destruction—which pleased the spirit so it—"
"Enough!" she slammed the table, startling the other customers and employees, "Why are we talking about the heirloom when this is about you toying with people's lives!?"
"…"
"!"
Feeling the air around him change, Stella turned pale and gulped.
"Toying with people's lives?" he stood up and grabbed her by the collar. She was effortlessly lifted with one hand, unable to escape his iron grip.
"Eek!"
"I'm giving your household enough mercy by letting that little bastard get away with what he did without chopping his head off myself or killing his parents for raising him this way. I may even have justification to start a war with the Ayried House. But if it wasn't for my image to my citizens, I would've burned that household of yours to the ground."
He wanted nothing to do with the Hero Party and let Luke gather them on his own but it seems that's unavoidable with how things are going. Tyran just had to act like Prince Jurius. At this rate, all Luke will have as an ally is Lauran who is the only one diligently becoming stronger. Well, there's Flora and Freya too…
Four. That's how many members of the original Hero Party are training hard to become strong.
Whereas Stella is still a weakling after all this time.
At this rate, he can't use the Hero Party as a shield and will have to deal with the demons by himself.
Again.
He knows what he was getting into when he took Valtraak's name, something that would anger all of demonkind. But he was certain the Hero Party could take responsibility.
Luke also has this distorted sense of admiration for him so he was the perfect shield. Imagine having the most powerful human alive as your lapdog despite being the original villain of the game.
Who would miss that chance?
'Ahh, whatever. I'll use Guinevere for now. She'll be my shield after I defeat Oriel. She should pay her rent while I try to recover my Aether by then.'
"…" he let go of her, making her collapse on her chair, trembling.
"Oh! I know what can serve as compensation!" Smirking widely, he declared, "I'll gladly take Fire Lily since it's merely a decoration in your mansion."