Arthur watched as Kael prepared to fight the wolf.
It was only an iron-core creature, the same rank as Kael.
Still, it was a known fact that monsters tended to be stronger than humans of the same rank.
Arthur had expected a tough fight.
From his vast experience, he could easily judge that Kael had never been in a fight before.
Till now, the kid shouldn't have killed anyone in his life.
That was what Arthur's logic said.
But his instincts were saying the opposite.
The first time he met Kael, he had judged it as some sort of move from Castor Frost.
Arthur's relations with the royals and other powerhouses weren't at their best.
Everyone wanted his loyalty.
Every one of them desired for him to serve their houses.
His power was unfathomable.
He might not have been the strongest individual on the planet by core rank, but no one could deny his might.
Even the Sovereigns hesitated before engaging with him.
They feared him as something that was beyond their control.
Something that could destroy what they had built.
And more than anything—they wanted to control him.
Leaving an uncontrollable variable like him in the open, with no allegiance to any house or empire, was a risk none of them could bear.
Still, despite their best efforts, Arthur refused to bow before any of them.
He looked them in the eyes and rejected their offers.
He never considered himself below any of the major powerhouses in the world.
To him, they were equals at best.
This level of attitude from someone who wasn't a noble was damaging to their fragile egos.
Yes, Arthur wasn't born a noble.
He was a commoner.
Not much was known about his past, except that he had emerged as a powerhouse out of nowhere.
Despite being at Immortal rank, he had gone against one of the Sovereigns and managed to survive.
Not only survive—he had nearly defeated the other guy.
And this was when Arthur was at Immortal 1.
Now, being at Immortal 7, no one wanted to get on the bad side of this living monster.
So when Kael appeared in his casino, Arthur felt it was one of the same old invitations.
It was surprising for him to be invited by the Frosts, because Castor had never shown any interest in forcing Arthur to serve him.
That was the only reason that compelled Arthur to meet Kael and learn the intent behind his appearance.
Arthur knew about Kael.
Not personally, but from the rumors and news that had spread across the lands.
The spoiled noble brat of the Frosts.
The incompetent heir, who couldn't live up to the expectations of being a Frost.
Arthur had also heard of Kael's brother, Kevin, being selected as the new heir due to his elder brother's antics.
From the last piece of news that he had received about the Frosts, Kael should have left the Frost House, cutting all ties with his family.
'So why is he here?'
It was the only question in his mind.
He thought it might be that the brat couldn't survive on his own and came crying back home.
That was the only plausible scenario.
Hearing from all the rumors, Arthur didn't have a very good impression of Kael.
Still, he decided to treat the kid with some respect, for having the blood of the Frosts running through his veins.
But when he gazed into Kael's eyes for the very first time…
He was intimidated.
Those black eyes felt like they encompassed darkness itself.
They had the innocence of a child who had barely turned sixteen, but hidden in their depths, Arthur could see it…
The vast darkness.
It was terrifying.
Arthur's instincts kicked in, making him ready for combat.
The instinct of prey when it meets a predator.
It shouldn't have been possible.
Arthur could sense it as clear as day.
Kael had never trained in his life, nor had he ever killed anyone—be it a monster or a human.
He had no bloodlust attached to his body.
He was at a mere iron core, the most basic core of an awakened.
Weak.
That was the only word to describe the pathetic kid before him.
But Arthur's instincts were never wrong.
They had saved his life numerous times, so…
He trusted them.
And soon, he found it right to have trusted them.
Kael wasn't what was described in the rumors.
Yes, he was weak and still a kid.
But that was what his body showed.
His intellect wasn't something to be messed with.
He had the cure for his daughter—the very thing that Arthur desperately yearned for.
Arthur had left no end, turning the planet upside down to cure his daughter.
Still, no matter what he did, he couldn't find any hope of saving her.
No doctor, healer, or alchemist could provide him with anything.
Not the cure, not even something to delay her worsening condition.
With each passing day, Arthur cursed his inability.
The inability to save his child.
The inability to be a good father.
To provide his daughter with happiness.
Nothing.
He couldn't achieve a single thing for her.
His wife had left her in his care before she departed from the world.
Her death broke him, but he stood strong.
For his daughter, whose smile he wished to see.
And here was a kid, solving the very problem that had shattered him for years.
The price for the cure was cheap.
Reasonably so.
Arthur pledged his loyalty without a moment's hesitation.
For him, his daughter's life was far more crucial than his freedom.
But things didn't end there.
Kael promised to provide the cure for his damaged mana core.
Something that shouldn't have been possible.
This kid, whom Arthur had severely underestimated, showed him miracles—one after the other.
Arthur couldn't have been more grateful to anyone.
But then—Kael explained his objectives, and Arthur's role in them.
His guards had to be killed only because they knew things they shouldn't have heard.
Arthur had again mistaken the darkness that resided in the human before him.
Kael wasn't someone to be messed with.
Along with loyalty, another emotion surfaced in Arthur's soul…
Fear.