Chapter 698: An Execution?

Tiara sat down in front of Arthur, her body shaking as she listened. Arthur was granting her something that only he could see, which might change her life. However, Arthur's face didn't change. His expression was still flat.

"You seem unimpressed."

"This is not the first time I received Lyari's words. I met him once before, and he tried to act as my friend just the same." Arthur placed down the letter, which still had left of it unread. "I hate that."

"You were indeed friends until what happened between the two of you."

"Then, we are no longer friends. His feelings are nothing I relate to since I never betrayed someone dear to me." Arthur then paused. "Maybe I have; I don't know."

Arthur remembered Mistletoe, who wanted to infiltrate the ruins of Runera. However, at that time, Arthur didn't wish for them to meet because he didn't know that many things had happened between them.

"I know that the cause is unimportant when someone betrays another, but our ancestor wanted to stop the outsider from getting himself killed. He knew that it was a losing battle."

"Don't justify his betrayal to me," said Arthur in a low voice. "I've treated you with nothing but kindness so far, but that doesn't mean we are friends."

"I… stepped out of line." Tiara nodded. "You have the right to think of this matter as you wish, and I will do the same. There is no reason to convince you of anything else."

Arthur was silent before his eyes turned back toward the letter. Then, a smile appeared on his face. "We met yesterday," read Arthur. "And you were heartbroken about the meeting I had and the agreement. However, if you would only understand that this is the only method that we both live."

"I know that despite these words, you might be unconvinced. How much do you remember what happened between us? Are you still in pain over what happened with the rest of the gods? Are they still as blind as I chose to be?"

"It seems he knew that what he did was wrong, then why did he do it?" asked Tiara with a broken voice. "The Healer Guardian wasn't a man who would side with whatever is killing our home. There must be a reason."

"He believed that I would die if we fought against the guardians, so he decided to make a deal with them. Lyari was the sole guardian who chose this path, not for his kingdom, but his friend."

"Does knowing that change how you feel about him?"

"A reason is a reason, not an excuse. Lyari chose what he chose because of his beliefs, and I will choose based on them too."

"And what do you believe? What are you trying to achieve now?"

"A longer period of peace," Arthur said as he raised his eyes toward her. "I will choose the same choice I once made. Any alternative would be endangering everyone in this world."

"Then, instead of choosing a side, you want to avoid it."

"This is what I believed before, and it hasn't changed. A longer period of peace for the innocent is always the right choice to make. But, unfortunately, Lyari chose to abandon them as well."

Tiara closed her mouth while tightening her hand into a fist. Arthur could see that she wanted to disagree, so he didn't say anything more. Instead, he returned to the letter in front of him.

"No matter what I say, I know you will look at me with the same apathetic eyes," the letter read. "I will forever be the traitor who chose to live longer rather than save the rest and die. I'm indeed such, but won't you listen to me for just once?"

Arthur stopped reading after that. He stared at the book before flipping it over and standing. Tiara looked at him with confusion, unsure of what he was doing. However, Arthur was done.

"It seems there is a place in this palace that connects to him," said Arthur. "However, I have no interest in seeing him again. The rest of the letter are instructions about that."

"…are you sure that you don't want to meet him? Listening to what he says won't affect your decision in the slightest."

"Listen, Tiara. The guardians, the previous me, and the calamities are all unrelated to us. We are the ones living today in this world, and we make the choices we need to make. You have to choose between serving your ancestor or saving your people. Until then, there is no need for me to be here."

A few minutes passed.

"Is that the answer I should give my mother?" asked Tiara, to which Arthur nodded. "I understand. You have granted me this request as I asked, and for that, I'm grateful. The debt between us has been resolved."

Arthur nodded and stepped out of his room into the balcony. He was ready to return to Ascent, but he needed to make sure of one last thing.

"Are you going to tell the other nations about what you saw?"

"There is no need for me to share that information. In any case, I doubt it would make you any weaker. You've created a powerful guild, Arthur. The next time we meet, I hope we aren't enemies."

"The same goes for you." Arthur jumped over the railings and disappeared into the wind. Tiara stared in his direction for a long time before she turned toward the book on the ground.

The back cover faced the ceiling, and she reached to pick it up. As she touched the leather of the back, writings appeared on it. Her eyes widened as she read the hidden passage.

***

Ascent was still booming in reputation, and there were a lot of things that they needed to do. However, Arthur didn't return to his guild straight away. Instead, he visited the capital of Yalen. If there were a place that Master Ronin would be, then it would be the capital.

The giant screens downtown was all news about Ascent and their achievement. Arthur stared at them quietly before walking past that and making his way toward a mansion inside the capital. It was a place he had once visited: Mistletoe's residence.

The events in Runera still unsettled him, so he decided to visit the mansion in case there was something to know. However, he couldn't be seen.

[Invisibility-IV: remove any traces of the user.]

Arthur used this rune after reaching Level 40 in his legacy. As he once realized, the level corresponded to his ability to use runes. After using the rune on himself, Arthur could disappear without a trace.

However, Arthur couldn't use more than one rune simultaneously. He still needed to switch back and forth, and this level of required rune direct mana. Therefore, he had to find a different way into the mansion.

Arthur jumped over the fence and landed in the backyard, where a small garden was created. Unfortunately, no one was around, and Arthur had to walk inside through the glass door. However, a barrier surrounded the house.

"Can this rune avoid detection?" wondered Arthur, but there was only one way to find out. Arthur walked through the barrier and waited for a reaction, but there was none. So, after a sigh of relief, he walked deeper inside the mansion.

The mansion was empty, and it seemed that none of Mistletoe's members were there. However, Arthur could feel a presence inside. As he made his way toward that presence, he reached the same room he was once treated inside.

"Are they all there?" asked a voice from inside the room. Arthur couldn't enter, but he managed to hear their conversation. That drunken voice just now should belong to none other than Vihan, Mistletoe's eccentric healer.

"Si left Runera and went straight toward Ilios. It seems that Ivy is being publicly executed tomorrow morning. Si wants to infiltrate without causing a scene."

Arthur frowned as he heard the words. Ivy being captured in Ilios was no news to him, but he didn't think a public execution was in place. It might be because she was targeting the royal family of Ilios.

"Am I needed?" asked Vihan.

"Si asked us to stand by in case things go south," the one talking sounded like Idris. "We are going into a new hideout after Demon has taken the dome."

"This is becoming more of a mess," said Vihan, slurring. "I sure hope that loud mouth doesn't get executed. It would leave a bad taste among the team."

Arthur heard what he needed, but he still had no idea where to go. However, since it was a public execution, there should be news about it on the internet. So it might be best to see what he can find and work from there.

'I might run into Mistletoe and the rest if I go there,' thought Arthur as he walked out of the mansion. 'However, it's not like I can abandon Ivy.'

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