Episode 387 – A New Master (5)
There was a room inside the castle that even the attendants weren’t allowed to approach.
Knock, knock, knock.
Standing in front of that door, Arthur knocked lightly.
“It’s Arthur.”
“Co in.”
When he opened the door and stepped inside, he saw a middle-aged man enjoying tea at an elegant table.
He wore a crisply shaped gentleman’s hat and proudly stroked his neatly trimd mustache.
It was Samuel Barber, the spatial sorcerer.
The fifth mber of Hunt, he welcod Arthur warmly.
“Just as well. I was about to head out—my tea leaves are running low.”
“You’ve already finished them? I gave you plenty.”
As Arthur glanced at the nearly empty glass jar, Samuel placed a new jar on the table as if it were the most natural thing. It was filled with Twilight Leaf Tea.
“When I keep the spatial portal active, don’t you know it accelerates the curse of the Rift? Do you know how much I’ve suffered so far?”
“I’m about to grow calluses in my ears from hearing that. You don’t need to say it anymore.”
“Sharp as always. That’s what I like.”
Arthur shook his head, then placed his hand over the jar and sent energy into it.
Instantly, the room was bathed in golden light.
Enchanted Sacred Power.
A type of divine energy effective against the Rift’s curse now infused the tea.
Samuel studied the softly glowing jar, then opened it and inhaled the scent.
“This aroma… it’s insane. Such rich flavor.”
“There’s no aroma to speak of.”
“Still no fun, I see.”
Adjusting his gentleman’s hat, Samuel rubbed his hands together and resud enjoying his tea.
Arthur quietly watched him.
After eliminating Azonne, Arthur had been too busy handling the aftermath to visit the portal warehouse. When he finally arrived, Samuel had collapsed, foaming at the mouth.
“Is your body okay now?”
“As you can see, I’m fine. Though I’ve got so aftereffects. If you’d co any later, my body would’ve shattered from the Rift. A price for my trust, you might say.”
“Were you always this petty? You’ve been milking that incident for days, just because I was a little late visiting the warehouse.”
“A little late? Didn’t you see lying there? My face pale as a ghost?”
“Wasn’t that acting?”
“Tsk, such treatnt. Makes question why I joined Hunt in the first place…”
The spatial portal that connected the World Tree and Aintrier.
Just maintaining an activated portal consud Samuel’s spatial reserves, and the longer it remained active, the greater the strain on his body.
And this ti, he had to maintain it within Aintrier’s distortion barrier, which greatly amplified that burden. According to Samuel’s own words, it was like “giving birth while standing.”
Clearly still salty about it, he never missed a chance to grumble.
“At this rate, he’ll keep it up for months…”
Arthur chuckled quietly and sat down across from him.
“Did you see the witches who entered the mansion yesterday?”
“I glimpsed them through the window this morning.”
“Did you see their expressions?”
“They were smiling.”
“That smile… the witches were locked away for years, even decades, just to be able to smile like that.”
“That smile—they owe it to you, Samuel. Do you realize that?”
“Well, I an… ahem.”
Samuel had played the biggest role in the Aintrier campaign.
Without the spatial portal, Arthur wouldn’t have been able to secretly bring Fenry, Natasha, and Dorneth from the World Tree. Nor would they have been able to reverse the trap Azonne had laid.
“Freeing the elves, and now the witches—all of it was thanks to you.”
“Really?”
“Especially Lily. She’s declared she won’t bother you anymore.”
“B-Bother? I was simply indulging a child out of generosity.”
Though he said that, the way his face brightened showed he had truly feared Lily.
Samuel smiled contentedly as he stroked his mustache—likely relieved that he wouldn’t lose it again.
“Hmm…”
Just then, a faint groan ca from behind the table.
Arthur turned his head toward the sound.
Lying on a bed far larger than a king-sized one was a familiar man.
Lochter Felice.
Thanks to the efforts of skilled healers, most of his physical injuries had healed—but he still hadn’t regained consciousness.
“Sir Lochter is still unconscious?”
“As you can see.”
Occasionally, he groaned as if dreaming, but he never opened his eyes. Even the healers shook their heads, unsure of the cause.
“Could it be due to the wound inflicted by the Special Investigator?”
“So say Richard’s aura might have affected his mind—but I doubt that.”
“Do you have another theory?”
“The energy flow is normal, so it’s not a curse. I don’t sense major ntal damage either. His unconscious emotions show clearly on his face. Look—he’s frowning.”
Lochter’s face twisted slightly, as if in a nightmare.
“This morning, he even smiled. If there were sothing wrong ntally, such natural expressions wouldn’t appear.”
Samuel finished his explanation, then brought the steaming teacup to his lips and closed his eyes.
A silent ssage not to interrupt his tea ti.
Given Samuel’s deep knowledge of healing, accumulated while combating the Rift’s curse, it was worth taking his insights seriously.
Arthur didn’t disturb the tea ti. He simply watched Lochter.
The frown gradually relaxed.
What kind of dream was he having?
A short while later, once Samuel finished his tea, Arthur asked,
“Then what’s the problem?”
“For a swordsman of his caliber to remain unconscious this long, there are usually two possibilities.”
Samuel rose from his seat, stroked his mustache, and stood before Lochter.
“One: he sealed his own consciousness.”
“Is that possible?”
“Whether voluntary or not, there would be a reason. I’ve heard his power cos from willpower. Is that true?”
“It is.”
[Lochter Felice – Knight of Apostasy (Void)]
[Swordsmanship Mastery]
[Fundantals Mastered]
[Indomitable Will]
[Belin and Reyna (Unyielding)]
Arthur recalled Lochter’s divine na.
His ability, ‘Counter,’ was derived from his twin swords, Belin and Reyna.
To fully unlock their power, he had to use [Indomitable Will].
“Special Investigator Richard is a top-tier 5-star. Just facing him was an incredible feat. Lochter even managed to win. That wasn’t an easy victory.”
“So the aftermath of excessive willpower use…?”
“It could be that. Or it might be growing pains before he advances to the next stage. None of us have yet reached the wall of 6 stars.”
Arthur nodded. Samuel had a point.
He looked at the sleeping Lochter.
He seed peaceful, as if enjoying a deep, sweet rest.
Now that he thought about it, Lochter had never really rested.
Always at the frontlines, wielding his twin swords with life on the line.
His will was ironclad, but perhaps, after everything, he just needed a brief pause.
“An awakening, huh…?”
Arthur silently hoped that within that pause, an awakening to 6 stars would co.
If a 6-star Awakener erged now, it would be a trendous asset to the Allied Forces.
But he soon shook his head with a bitter smile.
‘Alone, it’s nearly impossible.’
In the novel When the Villains Get Stronger, all the villains who reached 6 stars had awakened their power through the blessing of an Absolute Being.
Such help was essential to beco 6-star.
So, when Arthur heard that Grand Duke Clarke had reached 6 stars, he imdiately thought of the Absolutes.
‘Who contacted Clarke? How?’
The Absolutes had started forming contracts with humans through the 6-Star Gates created by Gram.
But those gates were now completely shut down—by Arthur himself.
Without Samuel’s True Blood, the core material for the gates, no new ones could open.
‘There must be so dium maintaining that connection…’
But why Clarke, and not Gram?
That needed to be investigated first.
“For now, please continue watching over Sir Lochter.”
“Don’t worry. Just focus on your work. That’s the real help to .”
When Arthur had to be away for long, he asked Samuel to guard Lochter. Samuel agreed surprisingly easily.
It was because of the Black Market’s downfall.
He had heard from Arthur how the Black Market once used him as a deliveryman—and tried to kill him afterward.
Outwardly, Samuel grumbled, but once he heard Azonne—the Black Market’s master—had been killed by Arthur, he beca more cooperative.
“Tomorrow morning, I’ll send the witches back to the World Tree through the portal. I’ll also send the Leafs here, so can you et us at the warehouse?”
“Understood.”
“Then I’ll take my leave.”
Arthur stood up to leave. But just as he reached the door, Samuel stopped him.
“Speaking of portals, sothing ca to mind. Have you visited the study?”
“The study? You an Azonne’s?”
“Yes.”
“Why do you ask?”
“There’s sothing off about the space there. It feels… twisted.”
“Is it a major issue?”
“You know sothing.”
Arthur nodded gravely.
Azonne’s study had been the gateway to the Black Market’s secret space.
It was also the place where Arthur had killed Makibeldor, the King of Greed.
Since the bracelet acting as the portal key had lted, that space should have been sealed—but according to Samuel, it still existed.
‘Makibeldor should be dead, so why is the space still there…?’
Since it had once housed an Absolute Being, Samuel’s words stirred concern.
Arthur needed a proper assessnt, so he decided to tell Samuel the truth.
After hearing the secret, Samuel let out a hollow laugh.
So the first thread that unraveled the Black Market had started with Azonne’s study.
But what truly unnerved Samuel was Arthur’s strategic mind—how he had used that information.
“You’re scarier than I thought, Arthur.”
“I prefer to think of it as doing what’s best for the Allied Forces.”
“Well… I suppose I’m more relieved since we’re on the sa side…”
“So then, will the space distortion in the study cause a serious issue?”
“Hmm…”
Samuel spent a while in deep thought.
Then he nodded.
“It shouldn’t be a major problem. Only soone at my level can even sense the distortion. And if the key’s destroyed, there’s no way to access it from the outside. Spatially, it’s sealed off.”
“That’s a relief.”
Reassured by Samuel’s conclusion, Arthur still decided to check the study for himself.
He left the room and headed straight there.
No one had entered since Azonne’s death, and in just a few days, the room was already thick with dust.
Arthur looked around briefly, but sensed nothing unusual.
He made one round of the room and quietly stepped out.
Leaning his back against the closed study door, he placed a hand over his chest and sank into thought.
Ti passed.
As the light through the window began to cast his shadow at an angle, Arthur’s heavy lips finally parted.
“…Reto?”
[………]
He waited, but there was no response from Reto.
As if deliberately hiding its presence.
Arthur let out a faint groan and stared at the firmly shut door.
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