"Arthur Ludwig, for your extraordinary bravery and contributions to the empire, I bestow upon you the Abyssal Fang."
The mont those words left Regulus's mouth, a wave of murmurs spread through the crowd. Nobles exchanged glances, their expressions ranging from shock to disbelief.
"The Abyssal Fang? That demonic sword?"
"How can His Majesty allow such a dangerous weapon to remain in the hands of a re student?"
Despite their whispered concerns, no one dared to question the emperor's decision outright. His authority was absolute, and challenging it would be foolish.
Arthur, standing before the emperor, remained calm. He had expected such a reaction. He simply bowed. "Thank you, Your Majesty. I will make good use of it."
The emperor gave a satisfied nod before dismissing him. Arthur turned and walked back to his friends, ignoring the stares from various nobles.
As Arthur descended the steps, he was t with his friends' wide-eyed stares.
"You seriously got that sword?" Alex muttered in disbelief.
Cedric added. "You're now officially recognized as the owner of a sword that most people wouldn't dare to touch. That thing has a history, you know?"
Cassandra crossed her arms. "With that announcent, you're going to draw even more attention. So people won't like this."
Arthur shrugged. "Not my problem."
The banquet continued for a while longer, but the main event was over. Eventually, people started leaving, and the Ludwig family also prepared to depart. After exchanging the necessary farewells, they left the royal palace.
Inside the carriage, Arthur leaned back, arms crossed. The night had been long, but at least everything had gone smoothly.
"So, are you staying in the capital for a while, or heading back?" he asked, glancing at his father.
Lucious shook his head. "The duchy can't be left unattended for long. We're leaving soon."
Arthur sighed. "Would've been nice if you stayed a bit longer."
Iliyana smirked. "Why are you acting disappointed? You're coming with us."
Arthur raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, no. The academy isn't exactly lenient about students skipping classes."
Elona chuckled. "You might want to check the academy forum. I doubt you've had ti to catch up on the news while you were unconscious."
Frowning, Arthur pulled out his phone and opened the forum. Sure enough, an announcent was waiting for him.
[Announcent: Students who participated in the Royal Museum attack have been granted a one-week leave as a reward.]
Arthur blinked, then shrugged. "Huh. That's convenient."
Iliyana grinned. "So? Ready to go ho?"
Arthur smirked. "Yeah, let's get out of here."
With that, the carriage made its way to the magic tower, where they used the teleportation facility to return to the Ludwig Duchy.
*********
"Welco back, everyone," Alia greeted warmly, standing alongside the maids and servants of the Ludwig estate as Arthur and the others stepped out of the carriage.
The grand castle of the Ludwig family lood before them—not as extravagant as the royal palace, but still an imposing structure. The estate was bustling with activity, with butlers and maids diligently carrying out their tasks, ensuring everything remained in order during the family's absence.
Lucious stepped forward, his sharp gaze landing on Alia. "Did everything run smoothly while we were away?"
Alia bowed slightly and responded with a calm smile. "Yes, father. There were no issues. The estate has been running as usual."
Though they had only been gone for two days, their sudden departure to the capital had left little ti for preparations. However, Lucious had left the estate in Alia's capable hands without hesitation, knowing she would manage everything flawlessly.
Arthur, stretching his arms after the long journey, turned to Alia with a grin. "How have you been, sister-in-law?"
Alia t his gaze with a soft smile. "I've been well. More importantly, how about you? I heard about the incident at the royal museum. You must have gone through a lot."
Arthur waved a hand dismissively. "Ah, it was nothing I couldn't handle. But I have to admit, things got pretty intense."
Alia chuckled, shaking her head. "You always make light of serious matters, but I'm relieved to see you unhard. Seeing you smiling like this, I take it you're enjoying academy life?"
Arthur nodded with a bright smile. "Yeah, I am. It's been... eventful, to say the least."
The journey from the royal palace to the Ludwig Duchy had taken half a day, involving travel through two different teleportation portals before they finally arrived. The Ludwig territory was quite far from the capital, and even with magical transportation, the trip had been exhausting.
Now that they were back, the sun was already setting, casting a warm orange glow across the horizon. The relief of returning ho was evident, but fatigue weighed on everyone after the long journey. Even Arthur, despite enjoying the ti spent with his family, was growing restless—sitting in a carriage all day had made his legs stiff and his butt numb.
Lucious, noticing his son's exhaustion, placed a reassuring hand on Arthur's head. "Go rest for today. There's a surprise waiting for you tomorrow."
Arthur blinked in confusion. "A surprise?"
Lucious simply smiled, offering no further explanation. Arthur glanced at the others, hoping for an answer, but they all shared the sa knowing look, refusing to give anything away.
"You'll find out soon enough," Elona said with a chuckle.
Realizing he wasn't going to get an answer, Arthur sighed. "Fine, I'll just wait, then."
With that, he decided to let it go for now and headed inside to rest, curious about what awaited him the next day.
****
Late at night, inside Arthur's room.
Within the system's space, Arthur stood with his arms crossed, watching an amusing sight unfold before him.
A small girl—no taller than his waist, with tiny horns on her head—was darting around frantically under Sol's command. She huffed and puffed, her frustration evident, but Sol simply watched with an amused grin.
Arthur approached her. "Looks like soone's having fun."
Sol turned at the sound of his voice, grinning. "Oh~ When did you get here?"
"Right when you were busy tornting that poor thing," Arthur replied, glancing at the tiny horned girl still glaring at Sol.
"Hah! 'Poor thing'? That thing would've taken over your body if not for the dormant divine energy in you," Sol scoffed.
Arthur raised a brow. "That still doesn't explain what you're doing now."
"Tch, what do you know?" Sol waved him off. "I used to be bored out of my mind in this space. It's nice to have soone new to ss with."
Arthur sighed. "Alright, I get it. But call her over—I have questions."
Sol shrugged. "Fine." Then she turned to the small girl and called out, "Hey, you. Get over here."
The girl huffed, crossing her arms. "Hmph!" But despite her reluctance, she still stomped her way toward them.
Her crimson eyes glared up at Arthur. "Just you wait! Once I regain my powers, I'll make you pay for this!"
"Yeah, yeah, sure," Sol cut her off with a light bump on the head. "Until then, just shut up and answer his questions."
Arthur let out a sigh, rubbing his temples. "Great. Another stubborn one."
The small demonic soul still glared at him, fists clenched, her tiny fra trembling with frustration.
"You—you're the reason I'm in this damn state!" she snapped. "What the hell are you, bastard?! How did you devour my demonic energy?! Because of you, I've been reduced to this size and turned into this wench's slave! Give back my powers!"
With that, she lunged at him, throwing a flurry of punches and kicks that barely amounted to anything more than an angry child flailing at an adult. Arthur stood still, unimpressed.
"Tch." Sol clicked her tongue before delivering a firm punch to the girl's head, making her wince. "Watch your mouth, slave."
The small girl clutched her head, eyes watering from the impact. "Ow—damn it, you brute!"
Arthur raised a hand. "Alright, enough bickering. I don't have ti for this nonsense."
Turning to the demonic soul, he crossed his arms. "Now, tell your story. I never knew Abyssal Fang had a soul."
The girl scoffed. "Hah! There's so much you humans don't know. You all think you're so damn smart, but you're clueless."
Arthur shrugged. "Which is exactly why I'm asking you. So start talking."
She narrowed her eyes. "And why should I? What do I get out of it?"
Before Arthur could respond, Sol sent another punch to her head. "Since when do slaves get to make demands?"
The girl grit her teeth, tears pooling in her eyes from the pain, but she still refused to back down. "Even if you beat to death, I won't say a damn thing. I'm already reduced to this—what's the worst that could happen?" Experience tales at My Virtual Library Empire
Arthur stared at her for a mont, then smirked. "You'd be surprised."
Arthur crouched down to her height, his gaze sharp yet composed. He slowly raised his hand, allowing a faint golden aura to flicker around his fingers. The divine energy humd softly, contrasting the eerie darkness clinging to the small demonic entity before him.
The mont the divine energy brushed against her, the reaction was imdiate.
"Agh!" she gasped, her body instinctively recoiling, but there was no escape. The golden light crackled in the air, pressing against her as if it had a will of its own.
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