Chapter 423 - The Uncorrupted Yet
"Tell me what happened," Arthur said as he leaned back in his chair. Kaza was silent before he nodded. It was a short story, but it ended up revealing the monstrosity of the kid named Veran.
Someone discarded Veran at an orphanage in Kaza's family estate. Being of the same age, the two boys began to play together, with Veran being Kaza's follower.
One day, they met a group of bandits who found out they could get a ransom for Kaza's life. It was in that moment of despair that dark energy overtook Veran, and the massacre happened.
"My Lord," Kaza held the handle with a pale face. "He is not a monster, nor is he possessed. However, his ability is an unstable one. There is no way that he is a bad person."
"I know that his character has nothing to do with what happened," Arthur smiled as he leaned forward. "I had a suspicion of my own, but I guess that I'll need to ask him myself."
Kaza nodded, and Arthur decided to appoint him as a knight as well. It seems even if they were friends, Kaza could tell right from wrong. Even without Arthur saying anything, he was capable of making sound judgments.
After that, Arthur allowed Veran to enter. The knight took a shower to remove the scent of sewage from his body, but Arthur would have been fine with it either way.
"My Lord," Veran was nervous. "I want to ask you something."
"The reason I picked you rather than Kaza or the others?" Arthur asked, and the knight nodded. "You are interesting, and a few questions will confirm my suspicions."
"What questions?" Veran was confused as he tried to tidy his messy hair. Arthur could tell that his attitude has shifted after learning of his social standing, and that was the norm, it seems.
"Do you hear voices?"
The question startled the knight, and he seemed to glance toward a corner of the room. His eyes darted between Arthur and the dark corner as if something was talking to him, shifting his attention.
'The first fallen human I meet in Alka,' Arthur realized. 'And the first human ever to use the powers of the Enders without being corrupted.'
Arthur knew that the Beings of Nothingness promised power and made use of despair. However, it seems that this knight found a way to exploit the negative emotions around him and turn them into power.
That was, in a way, a terrifying ability. Nevertheless, this knight can become the savior in moments of despair and the last card that can change the course of a battle.
'His fate is to suffer,' Arthur looked at the knight sadly. However, it was risky to keep such a person close to him, the bane of nothingness.
"I... don't know what you are..."
"There is no need to lie to me, Veran," Arthur stood up from his seat and walked toward the man, who backed away against the chair. "I am the only person who knows what you are going through, and I can promise you salvation."
"What salvation?"
"I can offer you sleep," Arthur stopped walking as he raised his hand, and the mana of creation filled the room. Veran turned toward the corner before turning back to Arthur with shock. "I can make the voices stop."
"I..." the knight seemed to realize that Arthur wasn't there to harm him but still hesitated. "Without their power, I can do nothing. I will die in this world. I can sacrifice sleep and rest for that."
As if a switch was flipped after the mana stopped the voices, Veran began to speak more easily. Arthur understood his point of view, and he was in no way trying to take that away.
"I want you to use that power, don't worry. But I also need you to be my source of information about the enders. Tell me what they say and do, and tell me everything about their power."
This knight was the perfect chance to learn more about those beings and what they seek. Arthur didn't know why he hadn't fallen to them yet, but he wanted to understand how.
'His story is like that of novels,' Arthur realized as he stared at the pondering knight. 'An orphan who harnessed the darkest of powers to aid him, either a tragedy or a heroic tale. Maybe both.'
"Sir," the knight started as he looked at his hands. "I'm afraid you are asking of the impossible. I'm trying not to lose myself every waking hour because the voices pull me into doing all kinds of things. If I try to get too close to them, I'll lose myself."
"I'll stop you if that happens. Believe me. I'm the only one who can do that. Otherwise, there will be a day where you will lose yourself either way. So it is best if I'm there."
"And if you are not?"
"Then Kaza will kill you," Arthur said it both as a reassurance and as a test. When the knight heard his words, his expression eased, and he smiled.
"I'm sure he will," there was not a hint of fear in his voice. "Kaza always keeps his promises, after all. I agree to be your knight, sir. I want to sleep just for a bit without waking up feeling like I want to kill everyone."
"Then you can sleep now," Arthur waved his hand, and a bed appeared in the office. The knight blinked at him, wondering if he was joking. "I mean it. I'll wait for you until you wake up, and you can be sure that you won't hear anything."
The knight grew hesitant but nodded and laid on the bed. Arthur smiled as he sat back in his chair and closed his eyes. The quiet breathing of a tired young man sleeping reminded him of his past.
The minutes went by as Arthur took out the books he had and started reading them. Big Bear knocked on the door and came in before being startled by the scene. Arthur hushed him, and the bandit whispered.
"Sir, Manager Ma sent someone. Your meeting with the marchioness has been arranged. The Manager said we need to find a solution to the issue with the shipbuilder too."
"Why does everything need to be so complicated?" Arthur closed the book and sighed. "I understand. It'll be another hour before I'm done. Prepare the carriages. Oh, and is there an orphanage in this city?"
"I believe so, yes."
"Make a list of all the orphans and make sure to include their age and gender. Then, we'll be adopting them in masses."
"Sir, what do you intend to do?"
"Raise them to be useful for my city," Arthur answered calmly. "Of course, I'm not going to force anyone. Bring me the list first."
Big Bear nodded and left the room. Arthur waited for another hour before the knight woke up on his own, looking dazed at the surrounding.
"I... slept," muttered the knight with raw emotions, tears pooling in his eyes. "After ten years, I slept for two straight hours."
Arthur could never understand the suffering this young man had to grow through. For someone to spend ten years without restful sleep? It was no wonder that there were dark circles beneath his eyes.
"Please, My Lord," Veran hurried to offer Arthur his sword and become his knight. "Please let me serve you. I swear that my loyalty lies with no one but you and that I will always do as you command."
Like a drowning man who found a lifeboat, Veran clung to Arthur desperately. Finally, after repeating the knighting process as his knight, Arthur sent Veran to prepare for their return.
After clearing one of his goals in Aquamia, Arthur will have to meet the marchioness and discuss the establishment of trade routes between the two cities. But, of course, he would have to have ships and a dock for that to happen.
'The Shipbuilders Association,' Arthur smiled as he got onto the carriage, which his newly appointed knights surrounded. 'I need to know who is the one behind their schemes.'
Arthur knew that these were small fishes listening to a shark, and he needed to find which shark to strike down. After all, he didn't want to turn everyone against him at the same time.
Arthur returned to the empty mansion, and he waited until morning before another carriage was prepared. Then, Ma accompanied him toward the marchioness's estate, where they would have their second meeting.
This time, the marchioness was already there waiting for him. Arthur walked into the hall that looked like the seabed and sat on the chair with a bright smile.
"I'm sorry for the delay, Lord of Aquamia," Arthur sat down in front of the expressionless marchioness. "I believe that you have already received a report, but the monsters should all be gone." Arthur squinted his eyes with a smirk.
"Indeed so," the lady nodded with a doubtful expression. "The monsters retreated so suddenly that it was almost as if something commanding them," she said, probing.