Level Up Legacy

1161  What Kind of World Are You From?

Arthur did as he promised even if Julia manipulated him into it. He had some experience establishing Hidden Gems in Jerano and growing it into Runera, the city of runes. Thus, it was easy for him to establish a giant organization and employ the runemasters awaiting his commands.

The machines he provided also allowed them to create artifacts almost instantly, letting this organization boom with activity and work. Although the runemasters felt like workers rather than researchers, Arthur still provided them with genuine artifacts to study. Although he was the creator himself, Arthur lacked the secrets of the universe and how it worked. He has lost the memories that preceded his birth, making him no better than these researchers in terms of knowledge. And they needed something to make them feel valuable.

In just three days, everything was set in order. Julia rushed into his chambers to find him packing whatever essentials he needed before leaving the city. As his right-hand assistant, she was the most worried about his absence.

"There is just a little less than three weeks before your birthday, and you want to leave on another adventure?" asked Julia as soon as she barged in, but Arthur still had a smile on his face as he threw whatever he needed into his subspace. "I will send our men to save Emma."

"This is not just about Emma," said Arthur with a smile as he glanced at her. "I want to repay the Yalen King for everything he did before, and make him an example for the rest of the Seven Families."

"You've set a good example in Helios against the Light Emperor," said Julia as she rubbed her head in frustration. "Please, Runera needs you."

"Instant Teleportation," said Arthur as he threw her a small plate toward her, which she caught with confusion. "Infuse your mana into this artifact and I will show up in three seconds, no more. I cannot even reject the teleportation. Summon me in the case of an emergency."

"What if you were doing something important?" asked Julia with concern as she looked at the plate like a detonator. "I cannot be the one to destroy your plans."

"I thought you were against my trip to the Yalveran Union," said Arthur with a smirk. Julia was flustered before she threw the plate back at him.

"I still am!" said Julia with a frown that made her look like a demon. "You just came back from another adventure, so why don't you take some time off here?"

"…come with me," said Arthur to her as he walked closer. "I know how hard it is for you to work here, not to mention alone. Come with me to the Yalveran Union."

Arthur understood one thing about Julia and her insistence for him to stay. She was not worried about her ability to manage things in his absence as she did several times before, but she was scared of being alone in the place she killed her father.

"I cannot just leave," she said with determination. "Runera is at its weakest at the moment. If we do not consolidate our powers here, it will crumble under its own weight."

Arthur knew that she said the truth. Runera was fast growing, and things were changing every day after he came to rule it. If the two of them left, the two capable of making decisions on the spot, Runera would start to lose its momentum and crumble to pieces.

"I would rather watch Runera crumble and rebuild it than burden you with its weight," said Arthur with determination, surprising Julia. "You are not just a follower of mine who has to finish her tasks, Julia. You are more important than the guild or this city."

Julia stared at him with widened eyes, the light of his room clearly reflected in her pupils. Then, tears fell from her eyes, which she hurried to wipe them away. Arthur gave her a moment, before she slammed a fist on his chest.

"Don't say stuff like that so easily," said Julia as she turned her body away from him. "I know that for a fact, so it doesn't help me for you to say it. I need to stay busy and focused or I would… crumble as well."

Julia looked lonely as Arthur looked at her, so he said nothing more. Instead, he held her shoulders from behind her, patted her slightly, and slipped the small plate into her hand.

"Summon me even if you just feel alone. I would drop everything to have a meal with you," said Arthur with a smile as she turned toward him. "Call me whenever you have the free time. I would be there too."

"…what a troublesome brother you are," said Julia with a sigh before smacking his head so light that he couldn't feel it. "Just take care of yourself and don't worry about me, alright?"

"I refuse," said Arthur with a grin. "Well then, I will be going now."

***

As the Yalveran Union was the combination of three kingdoms, Arthur had to access the other two before reaching Yalen. After the execution was announced, the entire kingdom had a lockdown. Teleportation stations were closed and travelers were denied entry or exit.

Arthur had to travel on his own, but he could not teleport a great distance since such a usage of mana was monitored. Kody and Selena Nightroad once mentioned that their company had military satellites that monitors any mana activity, so he wanted to avoid alerting his enemies in case it triggers an attack against Runera.

Arthur was still able to travel a great distance from Runera to the Yalveran Union in a single day. However, before he left, a small obstacle appeared in the form of his great warriors refusing that he goes alone.

Although they understood that Arthur was not a man who should be worried about, they still thought that going on missions was something beneath them. Arthur had to spell it out for them loud and clear:

His followers failed to understand how a ruler, or a king, could be anything but that. Arthur tried to convince them that he was a different type of king, but none of them seemed convinced to leave him alone.

A bargaining war began after that, where they wanted to include as many of them as they could in his mission. Arthur managed to lower the number to two after they argued it should be five, minimum.

"We came a long way, huh?" said a masked Sarohan to him while the two watched the border of the Veran Kingdom from the mountain top. "Earth is an amazing place! Most places have no snow, and life is bustling everywhere!"

Arthur sighed as he looked at the tall Waiga, who stood out like a sore thumb. Although he hid himself with a cloak and hood, he was still three meters tall, making him look like a pole. At the very least, his other companion was less eye-catching.

"I doubt they would let strangers enter the border," said Koby beneath his cloak, wearing his round glasses as he eyed the kingdom. Then, he said the most dreadful suggestion to mankind. "We should just annihilate the guards."

"What kind of world did you come from, man?" asked Sarohan with complete shock. Arthur shared the same sentiment, but he couldn't decide if he preferred the eye-catching Waiga and his reasonable attitude or the unassuming Koby who thought like a medieval mage.

"We can just hypnotize the guards to let us enter," said Arthur as he looked at the mage with worry. "Don't do anything extreme, Koby. We are not here to wage war."

"…we are not?" asked Koby while taken aback. "I thought you wanted to overthrow the king?"

"Those two are different," said Arthur with a smile. "I once managed to uproot an emperor without killing his armies. In the end, the same armies helped us fight against Runera and its armies."

"…what kind of world do you guys live in?" asked the mage with confusion, making Arthur laugh. Then, the three descended the mountain to enter the Veran Kingdom.

Arthur used his rune to turn them invisible and hypnotize the guards against detecting them with their artifacts. The three slipped into the small border town without notice, and took a ride straight to Yalen on one of the carriages.

Instead of alerting his enemies with a teleportation, Arthur wanted to keep a low profile. The other people riding the carriage looked at them with confusion as the Waiga had to bend his head out of the window.

"You have a rather tall friend," said a middle-aged man with a smile to Koby, trying to ease the mood in the carriage. However, the mage glared at him with offense.

"Are you mocking my comrade?" asked Koby as his aura intensified, and Arthur had to grab his arm and pull him back. Then, he lowered his hood and revealed his true face to the man with a smile.

"His ancestors had a giant among them," said Arthur with a smile. "Where are you from, uncle?"