At the break of dawn, Arthur and his family set out for Arcadia, the largest city on the planet. Lily slept in Anna's arms while Arthur and Magnus loaded the luggage onto the carriage. It was quite heavy.
They set off immediately, traveling through the cities of Junter and Vieira.
It was a slow and arduous journey, but they had arrived at Arcadia by the next day at the break of dawn.
It had taken a total of twenty-four hours.
*
"We may as well settle in Arcadia," muttered Magnus. His face was pale, and his fingers were trembling. Not only was he suffering from motion sickness, but he also hadn't gotten a wink of sleep.
The roads were bumpy and the surroundings were loud. Anna and Lily were deep sleepers and slept for most of the ride. Arthur and Magnus drove the carriage, but the former was rejuvenated simply at the sights of Arcadia.
'The mana concentration is quite high,' thought Arthur. Within the village, the mana was quite thin, which forced the crimson-eyed man to focus on his body rather than mana. However, now that he'd unlocked his constitution, he could focus on mana.
Speaking of which, the constitution he unlocked was named 'Fairly Powerful Body.'
He'd dismissed the status windows a long time ago, but they explained the basics of the body. In layman's terms, his constitution was slightly more powerful than that of a regular human's. It's organs were stronger and more efficient, while the mana circuits were allowed to travel freely instead of being restricted by a regular body.
The trouble Arthur had in this 'Lord of Sins days' had vanished. Now, he simply needed to strengthen his constitutions and unlock new ones.
But for now, he decided to focus on mana, considering the atmosphere. He planned on staying in Arcadia Academy for a few months before entering the tower as a mercenary affiliated with the Academy.
Then, he could betray it.
It was quite a simple tactic, but he needed to gather as much strength as he could during his time at Arcadia Academy. Also, he needed to discover the vulnerabilities of the leaders of the academy.
Furthermore, it was the last time he would be allowed to spend time with his family. Unless, of course, they entered the tower later on.
But for now, he planned on cherishing every moment.
"M...Moom!" Lily spoke in a drowsy voice as her eyelids slowly opened. She took one long glance at Anna's bright face before hopping off her lap. Immediately, she approached Arthur before interlocking her arms with his. "Let's go check this city out!"
"Not right now, Lily," Anna reprimanded. "We have to unpack."
Arthur and the others had booked a hotel room in the heart of the city simply to enjoy the view. It cost a fortune, but trips such as this were quite rare. That's why they planned to spend a lot.
Of course, Arthur saved a bit to enter Arcadia Academy in case he couldn't acquire the scholarship. But the chances were quite low, considering his prowess. But he still had hopes for other competitors.
'But none of them can match up to me.'
"I wanna go!" Lily complained, jumping into Arthur's arms. The latter simply shrugged, directing an awkward smile towards his mother.
"Are you okay with this?" Anna asked.
"Why wouldn't I be?" Arthur replied, ruffling Lily's hair. He then placed her on the ground before holding her hand. "You wanna go check the city out? Let's go."
"Big brother's the best!" Lily squealed before directing a sour look towards Anna, who chuckled bitterly.
"No one loves me in this family," muttered Magnus tearfully.
*
"Where do you want to go?" Arthur inquired, barely holding onto Lily's hand as she sped across the city.
Lily was ecstatic at the opportunity of being able to explore with her brother. She squealed in delight every two seconds while rapidly calculating places they could visit in her tiny brain. "Let's go to a bakery."
Arthur glanced in the direction Lily pointed.
It was quite a vast, colorful building with a sign hung at the top. It said, "Manohar Bakery."
'She hasn't eaten anything in a while, so why not?' Arthur thought as he followed her towards the bakery. The scent exuded by the building was heavenly, while the dishes placed atop the racks were ethereal.
Even Arthur's mouth watered slightly as he gazed at the treats.
"Which one do you want?" The crimson-eyed man inquired, retrieving his wallet from his pocket. Lily hurriedly approached a cake with red frosting. She placed her hands on the glass protecting the cake and gawked at it.
"So all of us can share," she said, and Arthur patted her head.
"All right."
As Arthur paid, Lily observed the other customers and cakes in the bakery. Her eyes glittered at all times, and she attracted the attention of many customers, who commented on how cute she was.
However, as she was staring at the certain cake, a child who seemed to be around the same age as Lily approached her.
"Move out of the way," he spoke in a haughty tone. Lily glanced at him before politely making way. She then decided to look at the other cakes. However, the boy didn't relent that easily. He gritted his teeth, wondering if he was being ignored. "Hey, are you ignoring me?"
Lily looked at him innocently before shaking her head. "No."
"Lily, let's go!" Arthur called out from the other side of the store. Lily's expression brightened, and she waved at the boy before running off to her big brother. However, instead of leaving her alone, the boy followed.
"That looks amazing!" Lily praised the cake, practically drooling as she got a glimpse of it.
As she prepared to exit the store alongside her brother, the boy who'd followed Lily shoved her forward, causing her to fall on her knees. Tears welled up in her eyes as she gazed at the blood smeared over her knee.
Arthur, noticing the exchange, hurriedly rushed to her rescue. With bloodlust vivid in his eyes, he placed his hand on the hilt of his longsword.
But before he could unsheathe it, a terrifying aura arose.
