(3rd Person POV)
Arthur returned to the hall, his steps calm and composed, looking completely unscathed. His expression was unreadable, but his mind was quietly turning over the recent exchange with Luke.
'A little display of power should be enough to make him think twice about trying anything foolish again,' Arthur thought, a faint smirk playing on his lips. 'There are only so many ways he can approach now—and all of them involve negotiation. No more arrogance, no more manipulation. If he wants access to my technologies, he'll have to co to the table like everyone else. Not as a king—but as soone who needs .'
The party was still in full swing, laughter and music filling the air. Only a few minutes had passed since Arthur slipped away for his brief eting. And yet, in those few minutes, he had completely shaken the king of Morningstar.
Azazel was the first to approach him, his eyes scanning Arthur with subtle concern. "Hey... you're alright?"
Arthur chuckled lightly, brushing a bit of invisible dust off his coat. "Of course I'm alright. Why wouldn't I be?"
Azazel hesitated for a mont. He couldn't admit that just monts ago, he had felt a terrifying pulse of power erupt from the royal office. It was so overwhelming that it shook the very foundations of the castle, and he almost stord into the office himself—only to be stopped by the royal guards.
Instead, he just said, "I thought you might've had an intense argunt with Father."
Arthur shrugged with a slight grin. "Argunt? Perhaps. But nothing serious. We just exchanged a few words. So civil, so... less so."
Azazel nodded, offering a warm smile. "I'm glad you were able to speak with him, at least. Did you manage to clear the air between the two of you?"
Arthur's smile faded slightly as he shook his head. "Not really. I had hoped so... but no. So people never change."
Azazel sighed quietly, disappointnt flickering in his expression. "That's a sha. I was hoping maybe he'd co around..."
Arthur looked at him for a mont, then said with a low chuckle, "He ca around, alright—just not in the way he wanted."
Azazel raised a brow, curious, but didn't press further. Sothing told him there was more to it than Arthur was letting on.
"Mr. Pendragon! Rember ?" a loud, cheerful voice suddenly called out. Arthur and Azazel turned toward the source.
A chubby half-demon waddled over, cheeks round, brows thick, and skin with an unmistakable oily sheen. Arthur squinted. Sothing about his slick deanor was oddly familiar.
"Do I know you?" Arthur asked, raising a brow.
"Hahaha! Mr. Pendragon must be joking," the fat demon laughed, clearly flattered yet hopeful. Seeing Arthur's genuinely puzzled expression, he added with a touch of helplessness, "I'm the bank manager from Ferland Bank! The one who approved your 200,000-dollar loan!"
Arthur blinked, then the mory clicked. "Ah... you."
The half-demon grinned widely. "I'm Jeremiah Mammon—now the Senior Vice President, actually. Not from the main Mammon family, just a distant branch. But still, I've climbed up since then!"
"Is that so?" Arthur said flatly.
Jeremiah gave a slightly awkward chuckle before straightening his collar. "Mr. Pendragon, I would be honored if you entrusted your fortune to Ferland Bank. We offer—"
"I rember," Arthur cut in, his tone colder. "I rember how Ferland Bank suddenly pushed for repaynt far earlier than the agreed date. I haven't forgotten that."
Jeremiah froze. The smile on his face stiffened. "Ah, well... you see, that... that wasn't really my decision... there were... circumstances..."
"Doesn't matter," Arthur replied calmly. "I don't place my assets with institutions that twist terms when it suits them."
Seeing no way to salvage the conversation, Jeremiah gave a frustrated huff and walked off, muttering under his breath. Arthur just watched him disappear into the crowd.
Azazel turned toward him, a bit concerned. "Are you sure about that? Offending Ferland Bank isn't exactly a small matter. They handle billions in assets. You might need them one day."
Arthur chuckled. "No need. I'm planning to open a bank of my own."
Azazel blinked in surprise. "You're opening a bank? That's not sothing you just start casually. What would your bank offer that the big ones don't already?"
Arthur reached into his pocket and pulled out a sleek card with a faint glow to its edges. He handed it over. "Take a look."
Azazel examined the card curiously. The design was minimal but elegant, with a string of numbers and a na printed across it: "Arthur Pendragon."
"What's this?" he asked, flipping it over.
"It's a debit card," Arthur said with a small grin. "I can't explain all the features yet, but let's just say this little card will be one of the core strengths that'll eventually leave the major banks in the dust."
Azazel stared at it thoughtfully, still skeptical. 'A card like this... and he thinks it can compete with the biggest banks in the world?'
But then again, this was Arthur—nothing about him was ever ordinary.
---
(Joseph Jackson POV)
I pulled my Fire of Hell car to a stop near Morningstar Square, engine humming softly before I killed it and stepped out. The city was alive, as it always was—buzzing, breathing, moving forward with a rhythm of its own. I walked into the crowd, letting the noise and chaos blur the heaviness sitting in my chest.
Whenever I felt hopeless, this was where I ca. Watching people go about their lives—working, laughing, moving with purpose despite whatever burdens they carried—gave a strange sense of peace. No matter what pain I held inside, life didn't stop. Neither did they.
My eyes drifted to the massive billboards above the buildings. Ads for products, upcoming movies, glowing faces of celebrities—people I used to watch with envy, now standing as symbols of success I could only dream of.
Frederick's face flashed across a music ad. Queen was topping the charts again. Then ca the flashing screen from a nearby TV store, showing Tom & Jerry, drawing small crowds of kids and passersby. Another reminder—it was all Hellfire. Their reach was everywhere.
People walked by in clothes from Demonfather, headbands from Naruto, or shirts with Nirvana or Queen logos. Everywhere I turned, Hellfire was there. Unavoidable. Unshakable.
I leaned back against the door of my car and pulled out a cigarette, lighting it with a flick of fla magic. I took a slow drag, letting the smoke fill my lungs before I exhaled into the wind.
"Guess Her Highness didn't hesitate to toss away," I muttered bitterly under my breath. "Am I really that worthless to her... to my own family?"
I watched the smoke curl and vanish, just like my place in Lucy's agency. When the cigarette burned down, I dropped it to the ground and crushed it beneath my heel.
My gaze turned upward again. More billboards. More Hellfire. The music charts—Nirvana at number one, Queen holding second. Everywhere I looked, Arthur Pendragon's empire lood like a shadow over the world.
"Maybe Hellfire isn't such a bad idea after all," I said, gritting my teeth. "If she doesn't want , then I'll carve my own path." I clenched my fists tightly. "I'll be famous. I'll rise higher than anyone expects. I'll even surpass Leonardo in fa if it kills ."
His na left a bitter taste in my mouth—Leonardo, my golden-boy brother. The one they always compared to. The one whose shadow I could never escape.
The pressure I carry from constantly being compared to Leonardo—it's suffocating. Acting, music, charisma—he had it all. And because of that, the more people praised him, the more I grew to hate him... more than I ever wanted to admit.
—
(3rd Person POV)
Arthur continued mingling among the guests, sharing a light conversation with Apollonia and Azazel. Firfel, standing gracefully beside him, also engaged with his siblings, exchanging words with ease and warmth. Despite the political tension in the air, the evening maintained its elegance on the surface.
But at a distance, Enril stood with a sour expression, his wine untouched. His gaze kept drifting toward Arthur. The longer the party went on, the more his resentnt burned. Had they been outside the castle, he might've acted on it. But here, in the palace, he could only clench his jaw and smile through gritted teeth.
As ti passed, the party slowly drew to a close. King Luke took the stage once more to deliver a formal closing speech. He spoke with practiced grace, but those close to him—Azazel, Lily, and Apollonia—noticed sothing off in his deanor. His eyes flickered toward Arthur too often, too deliberately.
Apollonia leaned to whisper to Azazel, "Do you notice sothing odd about father?"
Azazel nodded subtly. "He's hiding sothing."
When the speech ended and the guests began departing, Arthur approached Lucy near the exit, his tone calm and casual. "About Joseph—one million Hellion."
Lucy scoffed. "No. I said Global Dollars. One million Hellion is only around two hundred thousand in dollars. That's a rip-off."
Arthur chuckled lightly. "Hellion is the Morningstar's official currency now, isn't it? I assud we were negotiating in the local standard."
Lucy narrowed her eyes. "Don't play gas with , Arthur."
Arthur smiled faintly. "Who's playing? I'm just adjusting to the new economy like everyone else."
---
Read 33 Chapters ahead in my p-a-treon/NewCor714.
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