Arlo had muddied the rumors about Roy.
The people who believe what they want to thus refused to take Roy seriously.
His reputation was still bad as ever in the county.
If not for the fact that Arthur had met up with the Knights who were present at the training ground that day, he wouldn't be so sure that Roy was at the fifth level.
But even then, how did it warrant him to treat Roy so good when there were trainees at the sixth and seventh levels under his wing?!
"What about the other trainees? Why are you considering me over them?"
Roy was curious about why he was chosen to be the carry in the upcoming competition by this brother of his.
"They don't carry our blood. Who knows if they would betray us or refuse to honor the promises made in the future?"
Arthur was rather distrustful of outsiders.
'He might have old scars from getting betrayed by a close person. That's why he's so hesitant about trusting them.'
Roy judged Arthur as a rather pessimistic and guarded man.
"I did rather trust you, my kin, than them." Arthur pointed at him. "You're a heaven-sent gift to our family. I want to trust my future and the honor of the Baldwins on your shoulder. If you're willing to uptake this responsibility, uh… well, you'll be rewarded handsomely. This Elixir will just be the down payment. I'll give you more things in the future."
Roy immediately grabbed his hands.
"I won't let you down!"
Arthur looked up, only to see him beaming at him.
"You're accepting my proposal that easily?"
He was a bit taken aback by Roy's sudden exclamation.
'Shouldn't he be putting up an attitude at this moment? Why is he giving in so easily?'
Arthur's eyebrows raised.
"Why?" Roy questioned, "Did you expect me to push forth a refusal in the face of this?"
It was such a good deal.
He only needed to earn the entrance token for this brother of his.
Well, since he was strong enough to dominate a section of the competition, it could be made possible.
And since he was getting a rare treasure for something that was inevitable, he would have to be a fool to not accept it.
Not to mention, he wanted to get strong as fast as possible to stand a chance against the chaos.
"I thought you would give me attitude, so I had my advisor prepare a long list of ways to make you agree: threats, taking close ones as hostages, and whatnot; every way to set straight a child throwing a tantrum is in it. But… I guess I no longer need it." Arthur said before tearing apart the paper that he had just taken out from his chest pocket.
Roy's eyes bulged.
It wasn't without reason people cursed Arthur out as a cruel man, a tormentor.
He was far more vicious than a devil when needed to be.
Those who have experienced his viciousness firsthand knew well not to offend him.
Roy would've experienced firsthand what made this guy terrifying if he had made the wrong decision.
"I'm very thankful that you put your trust in me. I have been shortsighted. I admit that. I should've dealt with Yiran while keeping the benefits of the family in my mind. So…-"
"Hm?"
"I also want to apologize for the mishap I've caused you as well. Please accept my apology, elder brother."
Roy was sincere when apologizing to Arthur.
Thus, he earned Arthur's admiration.
'He has a few shortcomings, but he's willing to change himself. His personality may not be the best, but it's better than mine. Forget about agreeing; I wouldn't bother talking to a person that has neglected me for years. But he has put his personal feelings aside for a better future. He has a better character than me.'
Arthur judged Roy as someone better than himself.
"Apology accepted."
"Then… good brother of mine, I will be taking this."
Roy took the nectar of Sun out of Arthur's grip.
He held it like he was holding his newborn baby, carefully and attentively. And looked at it lovingly. It was too precious. He dared not be rough with it.
Arthur found him silly and thought he was making a mistake. 'Is it too late to go back on my words?'
Caw! Caw!
Suddenly, a black crow flew in through the window. Roy was about to smash its head, thinking it was a threat, but Arthur signaled him to calm down.
"Is this yours?" Roy asked, pointing at the crow circling above.
Arthur replied, "Yeah. It's a messenger that I own. It looks like a crow, but it's a magic beast. It understands human language and can store things ten times bigger than its size without a hitch." Then, he frowned, "But it's only used as a medium to urgently pass military secret. Why would it be here?"
Arthur was a general stationed at the Northern Border of the Empire.
Beyond that was uncharted land where existed the worst nightmares of the human race.
This crow was only used to send out military messages.
Since it appeared here, it could only mean trouble back there.
The crow sat on Arthur's shoulder and spat out a scroll larger than its body.
It was taken and opened up by Arthur. Whatever was written on it didn't sit well with him, and he jumped up from his seat; deep creases appeared on his forehead.
"You bastard… we treated you like a brother, and you betrayed us. How dare you?!"
Endless rage surged out of Arthur. The betrayal of a trusted subordinate was too much for him to bear. Roy felt that an Earthquake had hit a manor as he could feel the floor beneath his feet trembling and the bed and the shelves of his room shaking. But this was all caused by Arthur losing control over his emotions.
"Brother, calm down before you destroy our house."
Roy shouted this at Arthur.
Only then did the redness in his eyes recede, and he withheld the anger in his heart from exploding.
"Sorry, my bad. I couldn't control my emotions there for a second."
Arthur was man enough to admit his faults and seek forgiveness when he was in the wrong. Roy found that characteristic of him to his liking.
He pointed at the crumbled scroll in Arthur's hand and curiously spoke.
"What does it says?"
"A fool joined hands with the Ever-Night, forsaking his humanity and becoming an Undead. He was a high-ranking soldier from my division. That bastard... he has run into the uncharted land in search of the thirteens commanders. I will be punished if that bastard found even one of them and exposed the secrets of our military to it. The Chief Commander had summoned all the Generals stationed in the north to stop him. Ad that includes me. I will be going out of the Empire's boundary to hunt him. I will be setting out immediately. Give my regards to father and tell him my reasons for not being home to greet my fiance."
"Okay..."
Arthur used the window as an exit and shot to the sky.
He was flying without the support of any item.
The fact that he could fly said a lot about him.
He was at least an Aura Grandmaster. This was two realms above a Weapon Master.
"I may… if I ever get to meet him," Roy muttered under his breath as the figure of Arthur blurred out of his sight.
Right then,
"Master~I've brought tea."
A sweet voice rang in his ears.
He turned around and saw Amelia walking in through the open doors with a tray in her hand.
"You're a bit late."
She set them on the table while looking around.
"Ah… where did Lord Arthur go?" She asked Roy.
Roy pointed his finger north. "He left to tend to important duties."
"But… I had tea prepared for two." Amelia said this while serving him a cup of tea.
Roy smiled at her guiltily. "I'm not too thirsty, so you'll have to help yourself to one, or it will go to waste."
And so, Amelia was forced to relax and enjoy tea time with her master.
