The next day…
Arthur was sleeping peacefully when a freezing sensation ran down his spine.
The danger radar he had strengthened through training with Perugius's spirits flared to life. Even before opening his eyes, his body reacted. He clenched his fist and delivered a sharp, dry strike to the side of his face.
Something small, roughly the size of a cat, went flying across the room. The impact against the wall echoed with a sordo thud before the creature slumped to the floor.
Silence settled back in.
Arthur opened his eyes in that instant. He was already sitting up, pulse racing, scanning the room with his gaze… until he saw it.
It was a rat.
Its fur was bristly, a dirty gray mixed with dark brown, with visible bald patches as if something had been eating it from the inside out. Its red eyes remained wide open and glassy. Its mouth, still slightly agape, revealed long, yellowish incisors. It was dying. Blood bubbled from its snout and nose, staining the floor while its body shivered in increasingly weak spasms.
"What is that thing…?" Arthur muttered.
"Stop."
The voice of the Great Sage halted him before he could take another step.
"According to the records," it continued, "it is a Bitstiz Rat. It is highly dangerous… don't you remember?"
Arthur frowned.
"Burn it immediately,"the Great Sage ordered. "Before it contaminates the area."
Bitstiz Rats.
As he repeated the name, the memory came rushing back. It was a creature capable of killing you slowly… by turning your body into stone. Without hesitation, Arthur used fire magic, followed by purification, ensuring not a single trace remained. The very air seemed to clear when he finished.
Then, he remembered. He wasn't alone in the room.
Arthur turned immediately.
"Roxy…?"
No one was there. The bed was empty. His chest tightened.
"She felt sick yesterday… I used purification… She said she felt better… but the image appeared in his mind: Roxy's face. Immobile. Petrified."
"Something is strange," the Great Sage warned. "How did that rat get in here? These creatures prefer dark, damp, and enclosed places… basements, ruins, abandoned areas."
Arthur gritted his teeth.
"There's no time to think about that."
He was already moving.
"I have to find Roxy."
He dashed out of the room, scanning his surroundings as he hurried through the fortress corridors. Near the exit, Ariel and Sylphie turned toward him, startled by his frantic pace.
"Arthur?" Ariel asked. "What's wrong?"
A bit further back, Luke was also there. His face looked weary, with dark circles under his eyes, as if he hadn't slept well.
"Have you seen Roxy?" Arthur asked bluntly.
Ariel and Sylphie looked at each other briefly before shaking their heads.
"No… I haven't seen her," Ariel replied
"Did something happen to Roxy?" Sylphie asked, her brow furrowing.
Arthur hesitated for a second before answering.
"She wasn't feeling well yesterday. She was pale… and she threw up."
Luke, who had been listening in silence, seemed to tense up. His breath hitched for a fraction of a second.
"Did she catch something…?" he asked.
"Didn't you use a purification spell?" Sylphie intervened. "Maybe something from lunch just didn't sit right."
"I did," Arthur replied curtly.
The ensuing silence was uncomfortable.
"If you see her, let me know," he finally added. "I'll keep looking."
Without waiting for a reply, he left the guest area, passing by Sylvaril.
"Lord Arthur," she called out. "There is something you should know."
"Later," he replied without stopping. "By the way, have you seen Roxy?"
Sylvaril hesitated for a moment.
"I believe I saw her… near the library."
Arthur didn't need to hear more. As soon as he heard those words, he sprinted down the hall.
"When you find her, report immediately to the audience hall!" Sylvaril shouted after him.
"Fine," Arthur replied without looking back.
Arthur reached the library and began his search, scouring shelf after shelf.
"Roxy…!"
There was no answer. Then he saw it. On one of the tables sat an overturned teacup. The liquid had spilled, soaking several books and dripping slowly onto the floor. Arthur stopped dead. His heart began to beat faster and faster.
The tea was still warm.
"What if you look in the gardens…?"
Those words snapped him out of his trance. Arthur spun on his heels and ran back through the corridors of the *Chaos Breaker*. His breathing quickened with every step. As he passed the audience hall, he noticed the massive doors were wide open.
What he saw left him bewildered.
In the center of the hall, Rudeus had a hand over his mouth, eyes wide in shock. Sylphie and Ariel stood a step behind him, pale as ghosts. Nanahoshi also stood there, stunned by the revelation. Cliff and Zanoba exchanged looks of absolute confusion and horror.
Elinalise was the most terrifying of all: her usually jovial face was twisted in a grimace of pure fury, her clenched fists trembling with contained rage.
And on the floor, right in front of Perugius's throne…
Luke.
On his knees. His forehead pressed against the cold marble in a posture of total humiliation. He wasn't moving.
Perugius, sitting on his throne with a hand resting on his chin, looked up as he felt Arthur's presence.
"You arrive at an opportune moment," he said gravely.
Arthur looked at him, confused for only a second… then he composed himself. Only one thing mattered.
"Where is Roxy?" he asked without preamble.
"Do not worry," Perugius replied calmly. "Sylvaril is already attending to her."
Arthur exhaled sharply, but he didn't quite relax. Perugius extended a finger and pointed at the figure prostrated on the floor.
"I believe your 'friend' has something much more important to tell you."
The Dragon King narrowed his eyes.
"This boy was doing something in your room. I asked him… cordially." A brief pause. "And I received a very interesting answer."
Luke trembled. He slowly sat up and turned around, unable to look Arthur in the face. He swallowed hard.
"Arthur… I'm so sorry…"
Arthur's heart skipped a beat.
"It's my fault…" Luke continued. "Roxy is like this because of me…"
Arthur's eyes widened with horror.
"I… I put a Bitstiz Rat in your room."
Silence fell like a heavy loss over the hall. No one breathed. Then, footsteps were heard. Slow. Firm.
Arthur was moving forward. His hair fell over his face, hiding his eyes. Sylphie took a step forward, alarmed.
"Arthur…!"
Rudeus grabbed her arm.
"No," he whispered. "Let him be…"
Arthur stopped in front of Luke. For an eternal second, he said nothing. Then, he grabbed Luke by the throat and lifted him off the ground with a single hand, squeezing just enough for the air to begin failing him.
Luke clawed at Arthur's arm, trying to break free, desperate. Then he saw Arthur's eyes. Pure gold. Empty. A look Luke had never seen before.
"Do you know what happens when someone hurts the people I love?" Arthur said, his voice so calm it was terrifying. "You know it very well."
The pressure increased.
"I served as a bodyguard to protect Ariel, along with you. We fought together. We ate together. We trained together… I called you a friend."
Luke could no longer answer. He only gasped. Perugius watched the scene with genuine interest.
"So this is Arthur when he is enraged… his aura… it becomes so much denser." Even the Dragon King's spirits had instinctively backed away.
A flash. Arumanfi appeared at Perugius's side and whispered something in his ear. Perugius raised an eyebrow.
"Well… so that's how it is." He sighed. "I could let this continue, but if Arthur lets himself be consumed by rage… his future will become dangerously unstable."
He turned his head slightly.
"Sylvaril."
In an instant, she appeared… and with her, Roxy.
"Lord Arthur," she said urgently. "Could you please stop for a moment?"
Arthur froze.
"Lady Roxy's life is in no danger."
Sylvaril's voice cut through the tension. Arthur didn't release Luke immediately. His fingers, gripping the throat firmly, trembled slightly. His golden eyes, fixed on Luke's, were hollow with fury.
"Lord Arthur… please," Sylvaril repeated, stepping forward.
Arthur turned his head slowly. There, held gently by Sylvaril, was Roxy. She looked a bit weak, but nothing more. Upon seeing her, the strength left Arthur's arm. He released Luke's neck, who fell to the floor like a sack of sand, coughing violently and gasping for air.
"Roxy…" Arthur's voice shifted instantly.
He walked toward her, completely ignoring everyone else in the room, even the Dragon King. He took her by the shoulders, feverishly checking her face and hands.
"I'm fine, Arthur," she whispered, placing a hand over his. She looked into his eyes calmly. "Sylvaril explained to me what happened… and well, I also feared the worst at first. I was terrified, but… upon checking me, they didn't find a single bite. The rat never touched me."
He felt a weight of tons lift from his shoulders, but doubt still burned within him.
"Then why were you like that? The nausea, the malaise…"
Roxy looked down for a second, a deep blush covering her cheeks. A small smile, full of tenderness, appeared on her lips. She looked up at him, her eyes shining in a special way.
"It's just that… Arthur, it's not an illness," she said. "I'm pregnant."
The world stopped.
"Pregnant…?" he repeated in a barely audible whisper.
The word weighed more than any spell he had ever learned. He looked at Roxy's belly, then her eyes, then back to her belly. Arthur let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. His legs buckled and, for the first time in his life, he felt small before the magnitude of reality.
"I'm going to be… I'm going to be a father," he said, and this time a clumsy, trembling smile began to break across his face.
The confession had struck like a lightning bolt in the hall. Rudeus opened his eyes in disbelief, Cliff blinked several times processing the news, and Zanoba remained mute, realizing his master would soon have an heir. Roxy looked down, her cheeks burning, overwhelmed by the attention.
But Ariel and Sylphie weren't looking at Arthur. Their eyes were fixed on Luke. He had regained his breath and sat on the floor, shoulders slumped and head bowed—the vivid image of a man who had lost everything.
Ariel pressed her lips together, feeling a corrosive mix of anger and confusion. She knew him well… but apparently not entirely. He had committed an unforgivable act against people she cared for deeply. Now, he was likely gone for good.
Perugius, too, knew he could no longer play any cards for Luke. The Princess understood in that instant: the trust was broken forever. He could no longer be her guard, nor could she let him follow her to win the throne.
Luke stood up slowly.
"Arthur…" he said, his voice breaking. "I know it's no excuse… but I need to say it." He swallowed with difficulty. "Someone spoke to me. He calls himself… the Human God. He told me to do it. He swore it was necessary, that it was the only way for everything to turn out well for Ariel… that no one would die." He lowered his head, letting a tear fall onto the marble. "I'm truly… sorry."
Arthur frowned. The name Hitogami burned in his gut. "Him again," he thought. The fury returned, but this time it was a controlled flame, a silent promise: "When I get him in front of me, he's going to pay for everything."
Perugius, from his throne, rested his elbows on the armrests and spoke.
"So it was him…" His golden eyes became daggers of ice. "Even if you didn't share his malice, your actions were real, Luke Notos Greyrat. You committed an infamy within my fortress." The Dragon King rose slightly, emanating a sovereign pressure. "Leave. You are no longer welcome in the Chaos Breaker."
Luke nodded. He didn't argue; he didn't beg for mercy. He knew his presence was an insult to everyone there. He turned to Ariel and fell to his knees one last time, bowing his head until it touched the floor.
"Forgive me, Princess," he said in a whisper. "I am no longer worthy to be your bodyguard. I will return home… and think of my errors until remorse consumes me."
Ariel closed her eyes and exhaled slowly, hiding the pain of losing a childhood friend. She didn't stop him, gave no words of comfort, not even a formal goodbye. She simply stepped away, letting the silence be the final sentence.
Arumanfi spoke to Perugius. He understood and followed Luke closely. Luke stood up and, without looking back, walked toward the exit. His footsteps echoed in the empty hall, marking the end of his path alongside them.
....
Arthur's Point of View.
I let out a long sigh, feeling the adrenaline finally leave my body, leaving behind a heavy but strangely sweet exhaustion.
I turned toward Roxy, who still looked somewhat overwhelmed by the situation, and gave her a look that tried to convey everything I couldn't say with words at that moment.
It wasn't long before the silence was interrupted. Rudeus approached us with a grin from ear to ear, followed by Cliff, Zanoba, and the rest of the group. Everyone seemed to have caught their breath after Luke's drama.
Everyone... except Ariel. She remained a few meters away, watching the scene with a complex expression—a mixture of relief and a melancholy she couldn't entirely hide.
"Congratulations, Roxy! Wow, I see Arthur didn't waste any time, eh!" Elinalise exclaimed, bursting into the circle and breaking the tension in one stroke with her mischievous tone.
She approached Roxy and winked, crossing her arms with a smug expression, as if she had won a bet with herself.
"You two must have done it every day for you to end up pregnant. After all, you're from different races and it's not that easy... though with the strength Arthur shows, I'm not surprised he pulled it off so fast," she added with a malicious giggle, causing Roxy's face to go from pale pink to crimson red in a second.
Rudeus let out a loud laugh, giving me a pat on the back that nearly knocked the wind out of me.
"Well, Elinalise is right," Rudeus said through his laughter. "Even though the timing was... well, a bit chaotic, it's the best news we've received in a long time. I'm truly happy for you both."
Cliff stepped forward, a spark of joy in his eyes. "Congratulations, truly. As a member of the Millis faith, I must say this expedites certain procedures we should discuss later, but today we celebrate! May the God Millis greatly bless this child."
Nanahoshi, who had joined the group shortly after because she wasn't feeling very well, let her eyes soften as she looked at Roxy. "Congratulations... to both of you," she murmured weakly, before being interrupted by a dry cough that made her cringe slightly.
Seeing her like that, I remembered the work the Great Sage had finished. "Nanahoshi, we can talk later. I have a way to stop you from getting sick," I told her firmly.
She looked at me with incredulity, her tired eyes widening. "Really?"
"Yes, of course."
"Thank you so much, Arthur..." she replied, and for the first time in a long while, I saw a trace of real hope on her face.
Finally, Sylphie approached timidly. She stood beside Rudeus and took Roxy's hands with genuine tenderness; her elf ears twitched slightly with contained emotion. "Roxy-sensei, I'm so happy for you," she said with her sweet voice, her green eyes shining. "If you need any advice or help with care, just let me know. Rudeus and I will be there for whatever you need. Arthur, I'm sure you're going to be a great father."
The warmth of the group made me forget for a moment that we were in the fortress of a Dragon King. However, looking over Sylphie's shoulder, I saw Ariel. She remained apart, wrapped in a dense silence, processing Luke's betrayal while trying to force a smile for us.
I turned my head toward the throne and noticed that Perugius was gone. He had left at some point without us noticing.
"It seems the Dragon King doesn't like emotional moments very much," I thought with a half-smile.
After the commotion, I decided that enough was enough for now. I took Roxy back to the room so she could rest. Although she protested, insisting she wasn't an invalid and felt perfectly fine, I didn't take no for an answer. I left her under Elinalise's care, who accepted delightedly.
Once I made sure Roxy was comfortable, I headed to a secluded corner with Nanahoshi. She looked pale, with that chronic fatigue that seemed to be consuming her life bit by bit.
"Stay still, this won't hurt," I told her in a low voice.
She nodded, though her eyes reflected a mix of doubt and hope. I placed my hand on her head.
"Very well, let us begin. Mana Adjustment Spell" the Great Sage resonated in my mind.
I closed my eyes and channeled the new spell the Great Sage had perfected overnight. It wasn't a simple healing; it was magical surgery at a molecular level. A soft, silver-blue light emanated from my palm and enveloped Nanahoshi's body.
I could feel her system—which had been rejecting the mana of this world as if it were poison—finally beginning to stabilize. The energy flows that previously clashed violently now flowed in an artificial but perfect harmony, and they could leave without issues.
Nanahoshi let out a shaky sigh. Her cheeks, previously ashen, regained a bit of color almost instantly. Her eyes snapped wide as she felt the constant oppression in her chest vanish.
"This is... incredible," she whispered, resting a hand on her chest. "I already feel much better, even better than before."
"It's just a temporary solution to stop you from getting sick," I replied, withdrawing my hand as I felt the slight fatigue from the mana expenditure. "But it will give you enough time to finish your experiments."
She looked at me with a gratitude she couldn't put into words.
Now, what I had left was to talk to her—the one who looked the most despondent.
I went to look for Ariel. I asked the guys, and it was Sylphie—whom Ariel herself had asked to leave her alone—who gave me the answer.
"She's outside, in the hanging gardens area," Sylphie told me with a sad look, feeling helpless for her friend.
I nodded and headed there. When I arrived, I found her.
The garden of the Chaos Breaker was a place of surreal beauty, but Ariel didn't seem to notice. She was leaning against a golden marble fence, her gaze lost in the sea of clouds surrounding the floating fortress.
The wind whipped her golden hair, and from the way her shoulders slumped, she looked much smaller and more vulnerable than the future Queen of Asura allowed herself to show.
I approached at a slow pace, letting the sound of my boots on the stone warn her of my presence so as not to startle her. I stopped a couple of meters from her, leaning against the fence as well.
The silence lasted a long moment, broken only by the whisper of the wind.
"It's an impressive view, isn't it?" I finally said in a soft voice, trying to break the silence.
Ariel didn't respond immediately. Her fingers gripped the golden marble of the fence a bit tighter, and for an instant, I thought she would pretend she hadn't heard me. Then, she exhaled slowly.
"It is..." she murmured. "But today, not even that can distract me."
I didn't look at her directly at first. I kept watching the sea of clouds, letting the cold wind clear my head.
"Luke is gone," I said. "Perugius made sure he left the fortress without causing more trouble."
Ariel closed her eyes.
"I know... I saw Arumanfi taking him. It's strange..." she laughed humorlessly. "For years I thought he would always be by my side. That, no matter what happened, Luke would be there, covering my back."
She turned her face toward me. Her blue eyes were glassy, but she didn't cry.
"And yet... it was he who endangered the person you cherish most. Roxy. And you."
There was no reproach in her tone. Only deep exhaustion.
"I'm not looking for you to defend him," she continued. "Or even to forgive him. I myself don't know if I'll ever be able to."
I nodded slowly.
"I know," I said. "And I'm not going to lie to you: if Roxy had truly been hurt... Luke wouldn't have walked out of here."
Ariel wasn't surprised. She just looked down.
"That's what scares me most," she confessed. "Not your rage... but that I was right to trust him. And now I can no longer trust. Not in Luke... nor in myself. I don't know if I'll be a good queen."
The wind blew harder between us.
"Ariel," I said, finally turning to face her. "Just because someone betrays you doesn't mean you were weak. It means you trusted. And in this world... that is still something very valuable."
She watched me in silence.
"But politically..." she started, then shook her head. "Everything became harder. My path to the throne of Asura will be even more difficult."
"It was never an easy path," I replied. "And yet, you keep moving forward."
Ariel let out a brief, tired laugh.
"You always say things like that..." she commented. "As if it were simple."
"It isn't," I admitted. "But you aren't alone."
She looked at me intently.
"Arthur..." she said in a low voice. "After today... will you still support me?"
I didn't hesitate.
"Yes," I answered. "As long as you don't lose sight of who you want to be when all this is over, and you never let yourself be influenced by others."
Her shoulders relaxed just a little. The rigidity in her posture began to yield.
"Thank you..." she whispered. "Truly."
Silence enveloped us again, but this time it wasn't as heavy. Ariel looked back at the clouds, and a small, sad smile played on her face.
"Roxy is pregnant..." she said suddenly. "I suppose I should congratulate you properly."
Surprise gave way to something like warmth in her eyes.
"Congratulations, Arthur. You're going to be a father."
I felt a knot in my chest.
"Thank you," I replied. "I still find it hard to believe."
"Take good care of her," she added. "And that child... boy or girl."
I nodded. "I will."
Ariel let out a soft, almost embarrassed laugh, without taking her eyes off the horizon.
"Though I admit it..." she said after a brief silence, "I feel a bit of envy toward Roxy."
She turned her face just enough for me to see the expression in her eyes: there was no poisonous jealousy, but a mixture of longing and melancholy.
"She found something very rare in this world," she continued. "Someone who looks at her without expecting anything in return. Someone who, even when angry, puts her life before everything else."
I swallowed, but said nothing. I let her speak.
"I was born surrounded by people," she added. "Servants, nobles, allies, enemies... but almost no one sees me as Ariel, but as 'the princess,' 'the future queen,' 'the political piece.'"
She leaned her elbow on the golden railing and rested her cheek on her hand.
"Roxy... she can just be Roxy with you."
Ariel went silent for a moment, letting her words float in the cold afternoon air. The wind played with the golden strands of her hair, and for an instant, the future Queen of Asura seemed like just a young woman tired of carrying the weight of a crown she didn't yet possess.
"Sometimes I wonder," she whispered, almost to herself, "if anyone will ever look at me like that. Without the title. Without the throne. Just me."
I remained silent, processing the vulnerability of her words. I knew Ariel wasn't looking for pity; she was looking for something much scarcer in the high nobility: sincerity.
"I already do, Ariel," I said calmly.
She tensed slightly and turned her head to look at me, eyes wide open.
"To me, you aren't just a political piece," I continued, holding her gaze. "If you were, I would have limited myself to a few words and left. But I am here, on this balcony, because I care about what you feel. You are my friend, and you are someone I respect for your own strength."
Ariel blinked, and for a second I saw her eyes grow moist before she managed to restrain herself. A smile, this time more real, illuminated her face.
"You are a dangerous man, Arthur," she laughed softly, though her voice still trembled a bit. "You say things that could make any woman lose her head."
"I'm just telling the truth," I replied with a half-smile.
She let out a long sigh, and this time her shoulders relaxed completely. The melancholy that had enveloped her since Luke's betrayal didn't disappear entirely, but the shadow was no longer as dense.
"Thank you," she said, straightening up again and regaining that spark of royal dignity that characterized her. "I needed to hear that. I suppose now... it's time to go back inside. I can't let the others think the future queen spends all day staring at the clouds."
"Give them a little more time," I suggested. "Rudeus and the others are still celebrating the news about Roxy. I think a little peace out here won't hurt either of us."
Ariel nodded and looked back at the horizon, but this time her posture wasn't one of defeat, but of reflection. We stayed there for a few more minutes, sharing a comfortable silence as the sun finished setting, bathing Perugius's fortress in long shadows.
I knew the road ahead in the Kingdom of Asura would be bloody and complicated. Hitogami wouldn't stop, and Luke's absence would leave a void difficult to fill. But as I watched Ariel's determined profile, I knew that no matter what happened, I wouldn't let her fall. I could see she would be a great Queen.
With one last look at the sea of clouds, we turned to return to the hall, parting ways in the guest lounge, each entering our own room...
End of Chapter...