King Arthur had defeated the Chimera. But shortly after killing it, a sudden pain spread throughout his entire body. Another wave of shock ran through him. This time, he lost all the strength in his body. King Arthur collapsed on the spot.
Everyone immediately rushed toward him. Royal medics were called in, along with some of the most renowned medical-based adventurer groups, including Red Heart and Lasting Halo.
Unrest spread throughout the arena. The situation felt almost surreal.
The King of Cero had just defeated an incredibly powerful Chimera Beast, only to collapse moments later.
All anyone could do was wait and pray for King Arthur's recovery, hoping that his condition wasn't as serious as it appeared.
Hours passed.
The medical room was filled with people possessing exceptional medical talent, yet none of them could identify the cause of Arthur's collapse.
Even worse... They couldn't wake him.
The only relief they could find was that King Arthur wasn't on the verge of death.
His condition appeared to be closer to a temporary coma.
It took nearly two days before the medical team was finally able to wake King Arthur and stabilise his body.
Meanwhile, the Carnival being held in the Capital City continued. The public were given a false reason for why King Arthur would not be attending the events, preventing unnecessary chaos and panic.
But for everyone who knew the truth... Every second felt heavy.
Some were sad. Some were confused. Some were furious. And everyone were waiting.
Finally... King Arthur woke up.
His body felt incredibly weak.
He struggled to perform even the simplest tasks. Eating was difficult, and speaking was even harder.
By then, royals from other countries had called upon their best doctors to examine him. Yet even they failed to identify the true cause of his condition.
For an entire week, the medical teams continued their efforts.
After seven days of continuous treatment, King Arthur was finally able to stand.
His body was still weak, but he had recovered considerably.
Even so... The unrest had not disappeared.
King Arthur knew he had to address everyone. He called for an audience.
Every royal present in the capital was summoned.
Every adventurer who had participated in the incident was called as well.
The court was filled with people.
King Arthur stood before them.
He cleared his throat. "No need to panic."
His voice was clearly weak. Even speaking seemed to be a struggle. But he continued.
"The reason for my current state is probably my own carelessness."
He paused briefly.
"Perhaps when I allowed that Chimera to pierce my abdomen with its tentacle..."
His expression became serious.
"I don't think it was poison. No poison in this world should work on me because of Praito Butham."
The room remained silent.
"The situation is grave indeed. We still don't know who our enemies are. We don't know what they want. But I am sure that together, we will be able to face that threat."
He looked around the court.
"For the time being, the only thing bringing us down is our lack of information. They had enough courage to start a war...right in front of all of us."
His voice was weak.
But his eyes weren't. They burned with confidence. With strength. With determination.
"Let's make them regret every single action they have taken."
The atmosphere inside the court suddenly changed.
A rush of motivation filled everyone's hearts.
In that moment, King Arthur reminded everyone that King wasn't merely a title given to him.
It was something he carried.
Something he embodied.
Suddenly, the doors of the court opened.
A royal army messenger rushed inside.
"Your Majesty!"
King Arthur looked toward him.
"I have an urgent message to pass to the King."
Arthur nodded.
"Speak."
The messenger hesitated.
"There are a few people who wish to speak with you."
King Arthur looked around the court before replying.
"Make them wait."
The messenger's expression changed.
"Your Majesty..."
He swallowed.
"One of them said that if Your Highness does not allow them to enter... then I should simply say his name."
Fear was clearly visible on the messenger's face.
King Arthur narrowed his eyes.
"And?"
The messenger finally spoke.
"He said his name was... Zortheus."
The entire court fell silent.
Then, murmurs erupted everywhere.
Zortheus.
The legendary dungeon boss.
The being whose very name had once terrified the entire world.
Why was he here? How was he here? And most importantly... Why had he come?
Only King Arthur and a few others knew the entire story.
After a moment, King Arthur gave permission for them to enter.
The doors opened.
Several figures walked inside.
Arachna.
Shin.
Riya.
Kalix.
And among them...
Zortheus.
Before anything else could be said, King Arthur called upon Astra Axis, The Rising Heroes, The Grand Party, Redwake, and Wind Chasers.
These were the groups that had interacted with Zortheus and the others before.
They explained everything.
The truth.
The events surrounding Zortheus.
Everything that had happened.
Silence filled the court as the story was heard.
Many were still unable to believe it.
The very being who had once made the entire world fear him...
Was now potentially one of their strongest allies.
Of course, not everyone was willing to fully trust Zortheus.
But at this point... They had little choice.
Once the explanations were finished, King Arthur looked toward Zortheus.
"What is the reason for your visit?"
Before Zortheus could answer, Arachna, standing beside him, spoke.
"Praito Butham."
Everyone looked at her.
"That is the reason for your current condition."
Confusion immediately filled the room. Before anyone could ask what she meant, Arachna continued.
"To be more precise... The divine light that fills your body whenever you use Praito Butham."
She paused.
"It is only a theory for now, but it is our strongest guess. They rely on what you know as corrupted energy. Pure evil. Your Praito Butham purges every form of evil and darkness."
She looked directly at Arthur.
"That made you a huge obstacle for them. They cannot kill you. And they know it. So instead... They decided to use your own strength against you."
Everyone remained silent.
"As everyone here must have seen, those Chimera Beasts were creations of Vorath, who is one of their members."
"Perhaps there are others like him who were capable of creating something that could work against divine light. That may be what caused your current condition."
Arachna's expression became serious.
"My suggestion is that you stop using Praito Butham until we find a proper remedy."
"Yes... This is exactly what they want. To make you unable to use Praito Butham."
She looked around the room.
"But I am telling you this because you are needed against them. And we cannot risk anything"
Suddenly, one of the people present spoke loudly.
"And how can we be certain that you aren't with them?"
The man glared at Arachna.
"How can we be certain that you aren't advising him like this simply to make sure your own plan succeeds?"
More questions immediately followed.
Zortheus was attacked with words.
An enemy of humanity. A demon who had terrorised the world. A being whose dungeon had once felt like a graveyard.
They weren't aware of the truth.
And yet... Zortheus didn't speak.
He didn't try to defend himself.
Then, a loud voice echoed throughout the court.
"EVERYONE, JUST SHUT UP!"
Everyone turned.
It was Lila.
She had been struggling to accept the truth herself.
Her father wasn't actually her father.
The man she had known all her life wasn't even human.
He had hidden his true identity from her.
Yet when everyone began badmouthing Zortheus, something inside her couldn't take it anymore.
Yes.
Zortheus had hidden his identity from her.
Yes.
He wasn't her actual father.
But at that moment, memories flashed through her mind. The years she had spent with him. The moments they shared. All the love she had felt in her life. All the happiness.
And some part of her realised that perhaps Zortheus had been wrong to hide the truth... But he had never once made her feel alone, that he had given her the best he could.
Lila shouted again.
"Have you ever been to his dungeon?! Have you ever faced him?! Then how can you say all those things about him?!"
One of the royals immediately stood up, furious.
"You there! There is a proper manner in which to speak in court, especially when this court is filled with royals from all over the world!"
He pointed toward her.
"You must be held accountable for your actions!"
Adrian immediately stood up. He was furious at the man's words.
But before he could speak, Cyrus stopped him.
He leaned toward Adrian and whispered, "You are the Prince of this country. Your words will affect the relationship between two countries."
"Let me handle it."
Cyrus then stepped forward.
"I apologise on her behalf. She didn't have any ill intention behind her actions."
He looked around the room.
"I know you all have your doubts. And to be honest... Those doubts are justified. But even if you aren't able to trust Zortheus... I am asking you to trust King Arthur."
Silence once again filled the court.
The same royal spoke.
"I can agree that we should trust King Arthur. But I don't know if I can forgive that girl's rudeness."
"Even if she meant no ill intention, raising her voice against us is still a punishable offence."
"Everyone else may forgive her... But I cannot condemn the rudeness she showed toward royalty."
Several guards stood around the royal. They looked as though they were waiting for the order to take Lila away.
Cyrus sighed.
"Alright. Do what you want, sir. But just to make something clear... Have you ever thought about why, out of everyone in this room, this girl decided to stand up for a dungeon boss?"
The royal replied coldly.
"The reason doesn't matter. She committed an offence, and she must be punished. And I don't know why you are even trying to defend her."
"Clearly, no one from the Kingdom of Cero, neither King Arthur nor even her own team, is trying to defend her. So why are you so eager to defend her?"
He smirked.
"Don't tell me you have some soft spot for her."
Cyrus chuckled.
"If I were you... I would think twice. Or thrice...before I spoke, sir."
The royal looked confused.
"And don't get the wrong idea. I am not defending her. I am trying to save you from embarrassment."
The man's expression darkened.
"Are you out of your mind? You may be an influential figure and a strong adventurer, but the rules are the same even for you!"
"Are you trying to disrespect me? Do you not know who I am?"
Cyrus chuckled again.
"I know exactly who you are, sir. So let me introduce you to this girl you are trying to punish."
The royal interrupted.
"Why would I care about her information? Enough of this! Guards, get her!"
The guards immediately began moving toward Lila.
Cyrus sighed. But he continued anyway.
"Her name is Lila."
The guards moved closer.
"And she is the daughter of Zora..."
He paused.
"...or as we all know him as... Zortheus."
The guards froze.
The royal's expression changed immediately.
Fear spread across his face.
Everyone in the court was stunned.
Zortheus slowly turned his head.
Just slightly.
His eyes met the royal's.
That tiny moment of eye contact was enough.
The royal's body weakened from fear.
The revelation shocked everyone else as well.
Lila... was Zortheus's daughter.
Finally, King Arthur spoke.
"Enough."
The entire court fell silent.
"I apologise on her behalf. We are not here to quarrel amongst ourselves. And it is in everyone's best interest that we don't."
He looked toward Zortheus and his companions.
"I trust Zortheus and his companions. And I believe we need them far more than you can imagine. They know more than we do."
He looked around the room.
"And the proof was quite clear today. Further discussion can be held later. For now, I am ending this court meeting."
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"I hope you all stay until the end of the Carnival...and enjoy it."
One by one, everyone began leaving the court.
The room slowly became empty.
But two people remained standing in the same place.
Zora... And Lila.