Chapter 298: Dead or Rotten
"This barrier is as reliable as you said, Gala." Arthur smiled when he saw Neray"s futile attempts to break the barrier. "Dia, shoot him down."
"Do you have any idea who would come after you if you hurt him?" Dia looked at him with fear. "The Dragonair family would haunt you down even if it took down the Alva kingdom with it."
Hearing her words, Arthur frowned and ceased his b.e.s.t.i.a.l Order. If judging from the name, he was an heir of a dragon-family, then it would be troublesome indeed.
"Gala, can you take care of him?"
"I thought you would never ask," Gala said, fearless. "I"m not afraid of his family, so I can punish him a bit for his arrogance."
"I don"t want enemies left and right." Arthur shook his head. "It"s best if you don"t hurt him. Can you achieve that?"
"Fine." Gala pouted but still held a smile afterward. "It"s a lot of fun to challenge the whole world, but I"m okay with following you, Seika."
As she said that, Gala spread her arms. A presence left her body and hovered above her. A fairy that had antennas on her body but otherwise looked human floated there with a devilish smile.
"Charm him, Zoe!" Gala waved her hand and the spirit rushed forward, snickering. Neray frowned and flexed his arms before sending blades of white light, but they did little harm to the spirit.
The spirit appeared in front of him and caressed his cheek, making his eyes turn unfocused. His eyelids dropped as he went into a deep slumber and fell to the ground.
Arthur looked at Neray speechless as Gala unsummoned her spirit. She turned with a smile and winked at Arthur.
"Don"t worry, it only works on the weak-minded." Gala tried to rea.s.sure him but Arthur reminded himself to keep her as an ally.
"Dia, let"s go."
The ice platform rose in the air and started soaring away from the mansion. A wave of flames chased after them but was shot down by Dia.
"Gardener!" Duke Zenos roared from beyond the steam. "Don"t expect to live after this! You"ve chosen the path of self-destruction!"
"You would"ve killed me anyway, dude." Arthur shook his head as he gazed at the distance. He looked back and saw the Knight of Courage fighting the duke back. Suddenly, a knight flew over to them and Arthur allowed him entry.
The knight took off his helmet and Rinzo was revealed. Dia"s eyes turned wide but Rinzo didn"t try to explain himself.
"Seika, you surprised us all," Rinzo said with a weird expression. "Nonetheless, our king has approved of you. Let"s get you to safety first."
"We"re heading to Herav." Arthur declared. "Relay this message to the Knight of Courage."
"Herav? Your arm should be in the mansion with Lady Larza." Gala asked with curiosity. "Do you have something more important than your arm?"
"If you can convince Larza to give it up, after breaking through the duke"s defenses, then be my guest." Arthur sighed. "Someone is waiting for me in Herav."
"Ah, I see." Gala smiled. "The person you"re trying to help." Arthur noticed a change in Dia"s emotions after she heard Gala"s words.
"Dear Princess," Arthur said and saw her body flinch. "If you think about hurting them to get back at me, then I"ll kill you even without the b.e.s.t.i.a.l Order to help me, I promise."
The princess didn"t answer, but Arthur knew she was still trying to break the b.e.s.t.i.a.l Order. The seed of his power of creation was far stronger than anyone in this world could break.
The ice platform was controlled by the princess to carry them away. The sounds of battle were far behind them as they flew over the city, seen by every citizen in Freya.
***
The news spread like wildfire. The Daughter of Ice and Fire was kidnapped by the one-armed Seika that was supposed to save her. The hate was unimaginable as the hope of the Alva kingdom to end the war was taken away.
The good impression that the citizens had of Arthur was destroyed, but the person in question didn"t care a lot. He knew that a good impression wouldn"t guarantee that he would be safe, especially with the painful lesson Larza gave him by taking away his arm.
When they were fleeing, Arthur ordered Rinzo to remove the gem from his hand. If it stayed, it would be impossible to hide from Larza. Rinzo took out an artifact and used it on the gem, disabling it. It seems Solomon"s creations were truly vast.
Thanks to the Knight of Courage"s army holding back the Duke, Arthur and Gala managed to escape using Dia"s powers. When they were a far distance away, the ice platform descended and Dia fell to the ground, exhausted.
She used her powers to carry them at an unprecedented speed for a long distance of time. Even for the weapon that would change the course of the war, this was the limit of her powers.
Arthur took out an elixir from his Legacy Inheritance and crouched next to her. However, Dia refused to drink it.
"Don"t try to act caring now, slaver." Dia smiled weakly in defiance. "I don"t need your help."
"I don"t care about you, but I need to make sure your powers are restored in case of an attack," Arthur said in a blank expression. "I know that you"re trying to make me feel guilty, but there"s nothing for me to feel as such about."
"You are a lot worse than the Demi slavers." Dia spat. "You make Freda an ally as if you believe in their ideals, but here you are enslaving a Demi. A hypocrite is a nice way to describe how rotten you are."
"Hah," Arthur laughed. "If I had to choose between being dead and being rotten, I will choose the latter without even thinking. Drink." He ordered.
Dia couldn"t resist anymore and drank the elixir. It restored her powers but Arthur ordered her to hide them, making sure they wouldn"t be found out.
"Should I summon our little spirit now?" Gala stretched her body. "Relax, no one is following us." She said to Rinzo who was looking around wearily.
"Please do," Arthur said and the black spirit appeared again. It danced around Arthur in joy before concealing their existence.
"It seems to like you," Gala squinted her eyes. "Maybe darkness is truly your friend." She teased.
However, Arthur knew that the spirit liked him because of his powers of creation. Very few things in nature didn"t like him, except the Enders.
"Rinzo." Arthur turned to the lizardman. "What are we going to do now?"
"After we leave Herav, we need to cross the border without being found out. The only problem is her." Rinzo glanced at Dia. "She"s too conspicuous to be hidden. We"ll need to find a way."
"Her?" Dia snapped at him. "I was still your lady a few hours ago. You betrayed us and now dare to disrespect us?" She glared at Rinzo but he was unfazed.
"What about sneaking into Herav?" Arthur furrowed his brows. He ignored Dia"s ent.i.tled att.i.tude completely. "Is it safe to do so?"
"I don"t think they would expect us to head toward Herav, they will be focusing on the borders." Rinzo a.n.a.lyzed. "The Knight of Courage should have her hands busy in retreating after the battle, so we"ll have to rely on ourselves."
"Traitor said that there was a plan in Herav," Arthur recalled. "What did it involve?"
"Herav is known as the city of slaves. Every slave in Alva is sold in Herav before being taken away to the other cities. The plan is to free all the slaves in captivity and give them a chance to escape."
"We"ll use that." Arthur decided. "The chaos is the best way to get into the city."
"But it would be difficult to leave afterward." Rinzo reminded. "The city would go into lockdown as soon as the slaves are released."
"Can I rely on you, little spirit?" Arthur spoke to the air and the spirit appeared. The sphere jumped up and down under Gala"s furious eyes.
"You should only listen to me!" Gala said with mock anger and the spirit disappeared quickly as if it was trying to run away. "I"m not sure if I even need to help you with the contract anymore." Gala sighed as she looked at Arthur.
"Don"t worry, you still haven"t told me how to lift off the curse." Arthur smiled. "Our deal still stands, and I never forget a debt."
"Heh." Gala smiled in contentment. "You"re a lot better than this ungrateful fellow." She addressed the spirit.
Arthur looked around; they were on the side of a mountain. He decided it was best to rest for a bit before Dia used her powers again to carry them toward Herav.
As they approached the city of slaves, Arthur felt an ominous apprehension about Rae. He hoped that no one found her or that harm had befallen her.