Chapter 79 - Equal Grounds
"I see," The killing intent disappeared and the man simply sighed. "It seems Dimon has failed. Kill him and retrieve the egg." He casually instructed.
Arthur gritted his teeth as his Earth Manipulation skill. There wasn't enough time before he collapsed and he needed to use the weather to his advantage. It seems the unstable mana here has caused the change in the wind as their robes were fluttering. Using his skill to soften the soil then move it, Arthur created a dust cloud that hindered everyone's vision.
The golden mask retreated and covered his face with his robe. He peered through the dust cloud and ordered the rest to stand by. Being surrounded, the goblins and the masked person had no way of escaping. It was then that shadows emerged from the dust cloud and ran toward the forest.
"Catch him!" The man roared and the pursuit started through the terrain of the forest. It took the group of pursuers a few moments to realize that only the goblins were running away, the masked person was nowhere to be seen. They halted their steps and turned toward the cave but there was no one there.
"Use your skill to find him!" The golden masked man ordered one of his followers, who nodded and stood there for a few seconds.
"There's no one except the goblins."
"Impossible, did he simply disappear?" The person behind the golden mask looked gritted his teeth and frowned. There was a sense of disharmony in his perception that kept bugging him.
"Sir…" The man who used the Search Skill hesitated and rampaged his mind for words. The man behind the mask felt irritated and shouted for him to spit it out.
"Why are there six of us?" When those words were out in the open, silence descended like rain on the group. They looked at each other, and there was indeed an extra person. Before anyone can do anything, one of them was holding into another with a golden dagger on the latter's neck.
"No one moves." His voice was grim and husky, matching the person behind the mask. The dagger dug deeper into the neck of the hostage and blood trailed down.
"Don't!" The golden mask shouted urgently. "You have no idea what you're getting yourself into. Release him immediately."
"Well, I doubt you'd let me leave so obediently. My hands are tied too." Arthur studied their agitation in puzzlement. It was a cowardly move to take a hostage, but it was inevitable for his survival.
He had picked up the weakest person in the group to hold hostage since the others might break free. Even though his body was approaching its limits, he had no choice but to bite the bullet and endure.
"We'll let you go if you release him." The man behind the golden mask said with a caution that made Arthur realize the person he held into was more important than he thought.
"That's a lie," Arthur snorted. "You think I'm dumb enough to believe you'd let me leave after what I saw inside?"
The man in the golden mask stood there silently. Arthur felt like he needed to add one more sentence.
"I have a poison skill."
The atmosphere shifted ever so slightly that Arthur the group might have not heard him. It was then that the man in the golden mask said something that left Arthur confused.
"We have the girl,"
Arthur looked at him with confusion, not understanding his words. It seems the man took it as if his words weren't believed and gestured to one of his followers. Arthur pressed the dagger one the hostage's neck making him leak a grunt.
"He'll just go and get the girl. We left her somewhere nearby." The man with the golden mask raised his hands in a surrendering gesture.
"Thirty seconds," Arthur paused a bit before he answered. The man disappeared into the forest and returned with someone on his back after exactly thirty seconds. When Arthur saw who it was, he felt a headache in his head as his irritation almost making behead the man.
'What the hell is Amelia doing here?' Arthur felt a stabbing pain in his temples as his thoughts raced. She looked around with terror in her eyes as she was cuffed and gagged. Arthur felt very complied to leave her here when he realized she must've followed him here. If she told these people that she was here because she was following him, Arthur's cover would blow up.
He couldn't pretend that he didn't know her. He wanted no loose ends that would trace back to him. If she confessed that she followed him here with him being accompanied by goblins, they would know his identity.
The question was how to know if she had already told them his identity. The thing is that she was unmasked, making this all the more complicated. If he left her, she would tell them who he was. If he saved her, they would still know she was with him. They would search for her and find the truth in the end.
The best solution would be to save her and then kill her.
Arthur felt his sides turn cold at the image in his head, but there was no other way. He couldn't risk these people knowing who he was. It was her fault for following him.
"Untie her and remove the clothes from her mouth."
Arthur ordered and the man in charge signaled for them to do as he wanted. Arthur looked at Amelia with coldness as she rubbed her contused wrists.
"Did you tell them anything?"
Amelia looked around with confusion as she couldn't spot Arthur anywhere. Arthur felt even more complied to kill her now.
"Answer!" He barked.
"No, I didn't."
"Come here." Arthur gestured with his chin for her to come forward. However, the golden masked person raised his arm in her path.
"Release him first."
"Yeah no way that's happening," Arthur almost laughed out loud at the ridiculous notion. He was sure they'd attack as soon as he released him. "I have no use in hurting him, I just want to leave this place." The man lowered his arm when he heard those words. Amelia tottered toward Arthur and stood beside him.
"But to be on equal grounds, let's unmask this fellow first," Arthur said and took off the mask the man had on his face.
"NO!" The golden masked roared as he took several steps forward.
"Don't move!" Arthur roared back making the man halt his steps. Arthur had no way of seeing the face of the man he was holding from behind so he looked at Amelia's shocked expression and asked her. "Is it someone you know?" Amelia nodded her head with her hand on her mouth. "Who is it?" Arthur proceeded to answer. "Answer!" This girl was getting on his nerves.
"The… Third Prince of Yalen Kingdom…" Amelia gulped at those words. Arthur frowned heavily at those words. However, in the next moment, he saw the solution to his dilemma.
"Haha, to think it would be the royal family who would do such a thing." Arthur could feel the atmosphere changing into that of bloodlust when he said these words.
"If you know, then let me go immediately!" The third prince said coldly while feeling the cold edge of the dagger.
"I can't do that, your highness. In either case, you'd have hunted us down regardless. That's why it was necessary to play on equal grounds. But now, the situation is different. No one knows what's in that cave but me, and if anything befalls us the whole world would know of it."
Arthur's aim was obvious. He wanted both sides to back down. Since Amelia didn't know what's in the cave, they didn't have to go after her. If they did go after her, the whole world would learn of the truth. By that time, the situation would be chaotic, and doing anything further would prove their guilt. Furthermore…
"If rumors about you get nasty, there's no way you'd inherit the throne." Arthur's words made the other side shut his mouth. It was true that only mutual destruction would befall them if words got out. Whether it was truthful or not wouldn't matter anymore, as the public would still suspect the prince.
"Come here," Arthur had Amelia stand behind him and pushed the prince forward. "This is our parting gift," Arthur said as he used his fire rune on the prince's back as raging fire engulfed the view of everyone. The fire appeared so suddenly and it was blazing enough to scorch the skin of the golden masked person.
"Bastard!" The man roared and rushed toward the prince but Arthur was already on the run. "Catch them!" If they managed to kill these two, every problem they had would be solved. The rest rushed forward in pursuit.
It was now a race between cat and mouse. If Arthur managed to flee, he would have enough time to figure things out. The thing is… he wouldn't be able to use mana in a few minutes. Moreover, the backlash from using the Release rune would so make him collapse.