AFTER DISCUSSING THE PLAN.
"Then let's go after sunset." Felix concluded and the discussion was over.
"Excuse me, I'll let the knights know about this and have a look at the bakery."
"Okay, we'll meet you there in a while." Gunther stated as everyone stood up.
"I'll be going with the knight." Arius declared as he went to Felix.
"I want to ask him about a lot of things!" Arius said as his tone showed a hint of excitement. The others agreed to that and so currently Felix and Arius were walking back to the bakery.
"Your Highness, I can't allow you to go with me. I'll prepare a carriage for you to head back to the castle."
"..."
'Well I can't argue with him... Dad is quite overprotective of me sometimes. But I want to help them out... but I'm useless, I can't even use magic right now. But I said I'd help...'
Felix stopped walking and kneeled in front of Arius.
"Your highness, please leave this matter to me. I will make sure all the children are safe by the end of this. And do not worry I will tell those children an excuse about your absence."
"I understand..."
Felix's face brightened up.
Now they were almost at the bakery and as soon as they reached Felix ordered a knight to arrange a carriage for the prince.
A while later , Arius was sitting in the carriage waving goodbye to Felix as the carriage and a few personally selected knights by Felix were escorting him back.
─── ･ ｡ﾟ : *. .* : ﾟ.───
THE SUN HAD SET and it was time. Time for their plan to begin. Willow was guiding them to the area where the auction was going to be held. A mansion.
An abandoned mansion in an isolated and dark area. The mansion would normally be empty but Willow upon her search yesterday found servants cleaning the whole place spotless. Upon investigating further, Winslow found children being kept in the basement.
When they reached the mansion they saw masked people heading inside. They wore lavish clothes but had masks on their faces so as to not reveal themselves. At the entrance, they gave a card to allow their entry.
"Hey...do we have a card like that?" Gunther asked.
Winslow pulled one out and handed it over to Felix, along with a mask to cover his face.
"Where did you- when did you–"
Winslow gave him a smile. A slightly creepy one.
Winslow , Gunther and Willow were going to enter from the backdoor in secret, while Felix entered from the front with the card and mask.
Felix didn't completely believe the children's words that's why he was going to see it for himself before stepping in to arrest those people.
The children made their way to the back door, which as Winslow predicted was open. They stealthily made their way inside.
It was quite dark inside, but they kept moving forward to look for the stairs to the basement. Luckily they ran into no adults.
Thud!
"Ow." Gunther groaned.
"What happened "
"I hit a wall."
Winslow came closer to inspect the 'wall' Gunther had bumped into and it was revealed to be a door. Winslow slightly turned the door knob and quietly and slowly opened the door to peek outside.
It was a grand hallway with blinding lights and decorations. No one stood in the hallway so the three decided to step out from the dark place.
"Willow, where to now?" Gunther asked.
Willow pointed at the left side of the hallway. The two boys nodded and started cautiously making their way to the end of the hallway.
1
─── ･ ｡ﾟ : *. .* : ﾟ.───
THEY FOLLOWED WILLOW'S instructions and now found themselves to the door of the basement. They ran into no adults probably because they were busy with the auction at the front of the mansion.
They opened the door and headed into the basement. The basement was completely dark.
"If Arion was here, he could just make a flame to give us light." Gunther spoke in a disappointed voice.
"Well, he suddenly felt ill, Sir knight took him back to his house. What's done is done." Winslow said.
Clack!
The basement door suddenly opened and all three children flinched. Beads of sweat trickled down their foreheads. Gunther and Winslow took out their daggers and Winslow simply stepped behind them.
Step!
Step!
Step!
"You–"
"YOU—"
"Arion!"
"SHHH." Arius suddenly covered their mouths. He let go in a few more seconds.
"How are you here?" Gunther whispered.
"What do you mean?"
"Sir Knight said you feel sick."
'Huh...FELIX! Sick! SERIOUSLY! That's the lamest excuse I've heard in ages!'
"Hhaha... I felt better , plus I was worried about you guys so I came."
"Thanks." Gunther said. Willow went ahead and grabbed Arius's shirt.
'Huh...'
"What's wrong Willow?" Arius asked
"Let's go.." She said as she began stepping forward into the basement.
Arius used magic to make an orb of light. Yes. Magic. He had figured out the seal which Claude placed on him and was able to make a slight hole in the seal, so now he can use mana but in extremely less quantity.
Before them was,
"The basement...is empty?" Gunther looked at Winslow. Winslow looked at Willow. And Willow looked confused.
─── ･ ｡ﾟ : *. .* : ﾟ.───
"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! Welcome! And thank you for your patience! Now the moment you've all been waiting for!"
Slowly the red curtains behind the man began subsiding and revealed a girl with long light green hair and golden eyes.
"A beauty this one is! Her green hair! A symbol of the Deferim Tribe!"
Gasps could be heard as the guests were surprised by the origins of the girl.
"The starting price, eight thousand gold coins! "
The auction had begun and one by one hands rose. It went from eight to ten and from ten to fifteen. The guests were wholeheartedly enjoying while Felix sat with a grim face as anger was welling up inside him.
He stood up and asked for the bathroom. He commanded the knights (using a magic artifact) to slowly begin to surround the mansion and break the carriage wheels so none of the guests could escape.
Mia was the one sent for auction first and although she was scared of everything that was happening, she had faith that her brother would save her.
─── ･ ｡ﾟ : *. .* : ﾟ.───
THE KIDS HAS NOW BACK on the first floor, Willow was leading them to the preparation room, which they suspected was where the slaves had been moved to, if they weren't in the basement.
Arius was surprised by how well she knew her way in the mansion. Willow successfully led them to a room where children were clothed in colorful garments and prettied up like dolls.
Two men stood guard at the entrance of the room. All the children inside had their hands tied up with ropes and binded to hooks on the wall.
They decided to charge at the men since there were only two of them.
"Wait no, if we make noise more people could come. We should do it silently." Winslow suggested.
"...Uh How?" Gunther asked.
Arius snapped his fingers and a magic circle appeared over their heads for a few seconds.
"Invisibility. Let's go" Arius said as he began silently walking up to those men. They easily passed through the men without them noticing.
Arias and Willow looked around to search for Lifa and the rest, whereas Winslow and Gunther knocked out the men with a strike to their heads from the back and then straight in their groin.
Thud!
Their bodies fell down; Gunther dragged them inside so they didn't attract the attention of the passerby.
The invisibility spell wore off rather quickly; Arius had begun cutting the ropes binding the children and Willow was reassuring them and asking them some questions.
"Mia! Is she here!?" Gunther shouted as he observed the children in the room.
"Hey! quiet down!" Arius whisper-shouted, as he freed the last kid.
"Oh-uh sorry...I just..." Gunther mumbled.
"Not here. Let's go." Willow said and began walking back to the hallway. Winslow suddenly grabbed her arm and pulled her towards him.
"Woah lil sis' wait a sec." Winslow said and faced back towards the children who seemed half scared and half happy.
"A-Are you going to help us?" one of them asked.
"Don't worry, the imperial knights will be here soon. Just try to hide somewhere for a while." Arius said and their faces brightened up.
"Okay so now where do we go?" asked Gunther, facing Willow and Winslow.
"The Auction area." Willow replied, making Gunther and Winslow widen their eyes.
"Y-You mean the stage? where are all the slave traders and nobles who're buying them?" Gunther asked, a bit shaken. Willow nodded.
"The first group of children is there right now. The second and third group is here."
"Okay so let's head there then. Willow, you're staying here." Winslow stated.
"I'm coming alo–"
"Protect these children, they're already afraid as they are." Winslow told her, making her reconsider before agreeing to stay with the children.
"And stay safe." Winslow said before waving her goodbye and walking into the hallway. Surprisingly, Winslow also knew his way around the mansion quite well.
The invisibility spell was once again activated.
'Felix is probably among the guests at the auction room...even with invisibility he can probably sense mana and would know I'm there...if he sees me... and using magic at that.'
Arius gulped at the thought.
"It's after the left corridor ahead." Winslow said as we neared the area.
THE IMPERIAL KNIGHTS HAD currently broken all carriage wheels and completely surrounded the mansion, and were entering it from the various entrances they had discovered.
Arius and the rest had now reached the backstage , still invisible.
They saw several men standing around them but quietly walked past them. Winslow was guiding them to the area where he suspected the group of slaves to be.
As they passed they could hear the Auctioneer loudly announcing the prices of the children.
It was disgusting.
Placing a price tag on a living being, as if assuming their worth. Selling them like objects who had no mind of their own whatsoever.
They're not objects.
They're people.
Living
Breathing
Humans.
Arius caught a glimpse of the stage as he passed by and saw a girl with pigtails trembling in front of the crowd which kept on raising prices for her worth.
The thought of how the girl must be feeling made him want to switch places. The crowd of nobles looked like demons waiting to devour the girl. She trembled and wanted to call out for help but her voice was too scared to come out.
Even if she cried , who would help her?
If she screamed and shouted , who would save her?
The feeling of being completely alone and helpless. The feeling of inferiority and weakness.
Arius knew those feelings all too well and as he looked at the small figure trembling quietly he was reminded of his past life when his parents would raise their voices at him and scold him. He developed a fear of loud noises due to it.
Even if they end up saving all the children currently trapped in this mansion. They will be traumatized for life because of these scummy adults. The memories of these days would replay over and over again in the form of nightmares.
"There!" Winslow whispered as he pointed towards a familiar blue-head. Two men surrounded Cadell as he stood behind the curtains.
"And now ! I present to you this young swordsman!"
The curtains once again subsided and Cadell came into the view of the audience.
A sword was placed in the middle of the stage. A real, sharp sword was right in front of Cadell and his hands were not chained either. The three watched Cadell as he was taken on the stage.
Suddenly, Gunther ran forwards leaving Winslow and Arius still staring at the stage.
"WH–Hey! Where are you-" Winslow almost shouted but switched to whispering and ran after Gunther when he saw him run.
Step!
It's her. Her long green hair matched with Gunthers.
Step!
She's okay. Her golden eyes that even amidst the scary situation remained calm.
Step!
Thank Goodness. He suddenly pulled her into an embrace which made her flinch.
"Uh–Wha–"
"Shhh." Gunther whispered in her ear and she recognized the voice.
"B-Brother? " her voice cracked with doubt and happiness.
"Mhm." Gunther hummed in agreement.
Mia's grip on Gunther tightened and tears began forming in both of their eyes. They hugged each other tightly as they both confirmed that they were not dreaming and that they were finally together.
Winslow watched them from afar and simply smiled at their wholesome embrace. His eyes then fell upon the rest of his family. Lifa , Jasper, Ruby and Elio.
Their hands were bound by ropes and they were blindfolded. They were standing, somewhat far from Mia, near the curtains along with six men standing beside them.
'I guess it will be their turn to go on stage after Cadell...'
"Arion, Let's go and help them break free. I'm sure the knights would be arriving soon..." Winslow whispered and heard no response.
"Ario–"
'Where did he...' Winslow thought as he looked back to see Arius nowhere in sight.
─── ･ ｡ﾟ : *. .* : ﾟ.───
ARIUS WAS CURRENTLY ON THE STAGE - still invisible. He was curious as to why Cadell was sent to stage without any guards to restrain him and the stage also had an extremely sharp sword simply waiting to be picked up.
Cadell was probably thinking the same thing since he looked baffled, but he didn't waste much time thinking and sprinted to pick the sword and point it towards the auctioneer.
Gasps were audible from the crowd as Cadell pointed the blade towards the auctioneer.
But the auctioneer was unfazed by his action, instead he smirked at Cadell and went on with his conduction.
"You see Ladies and Gentlemen! Such swift movements! so the starting price for this young lad will be... Fifteen Thousand Gold Coins! "
The crowd began raising prices for Cadell without anyone being particularly interested that the boy was holding an actual sword and could potentially injure or kill the auctioneer.
This made Cadell and Arius even more confused. While Arius was thinking about a reason for their nonchalance Cadell charged at the auctioneer without thinking too much about it.
The sword was heavier since it was full metal, but Cadell still ran as fast as he could and aimed for the man's neck.
"Hya–"
But before he was close enough to hit the man , he suddenly hit thin air and fell down.
Clang!
The crowd broke out in small giggles and laughed as the boy stood up confused at the sudden fall. Blood dripped from his nose showing exactly how much force he put as he charged at the man.
'Of course! there's an invisible barrier surrounding the stage! That's why Cadell suddenly fell down.' Arius thought as he was examining the scene.
Cadell swung his sword a couple more times but in vain as the barrier around him always stopped the blade.
"Pst! Cadell, it's me, Arion!" Arion whispered to Cadell as he approached him, invisibly.
Cadell was only more baffled by this and took a few steps back while forming an almost frightened expression.
"I'm using magic to become invisible. Listen to me, you're surrounded by a barrier right now. I can break that barrier and when I do , that's when you should charge at the auctioneer. The imperial knights will be arriving soon as well so don't worry about the aftereffects." Arius explained while whispering.
Cadell didn't take too much time to understand the situation and nodded in agreement. Arius then began to inspect the barrier.
The crowds were still raising prices for Cadell without any hint of humanity present in them.
─── ･ ｡ﾟ : *. .* : ﾟ.───
FELIX HAD MET UP WITH A GROUP of Imperial knights and were now currently making their way to the Auction room. The other knights had gone to various parts of the mansion.
One of them had already discovered the preparation room where the other children were and had taken the children outside for safety. Willow had joined up with Felix and was coming along with them.
Meanwhile, Winslow had freed Lifa and the rest and now they were hiding at the backstage waiting for the time to charge, which was when the Imperial Knights entered the room.
"Forty Thousand Gold Coins! Any other bidders?! " The auctioneer shouted.
Cadell was still on stage and several nobles were competing to buy him. He glanced at the audience and couldn't help but grow afraid at the way the nobles kept staring at him.
"Okay!" Arius whisper-shouted.
"On the count of three, Charge at him."
Cadell nodded and suddenly went into stance.
"One..."
Cadell gripped tighter on the hilt of the sword.
"Two..."
Cadell focused his eyes straight at the auctioneer who seemed to not care about what he was doing.
"Three!"
Cadell charged at him with unimaginable speed and in less than five seconds it was over. Silence remained for a moment.
The sword's blade stopped beside the neck of the auctioneer and after a second red fluid began to flow down his neck.
"AAAHHHH." the screams echoed in the hall. The auctioneer, nobles and all those who saw the scene couldn't help but scream at the sight.
But Cadell didn't feel anything. His red eyes grew brighter as he felt anger well up inside him.
He was trembling with anger as he thought about how the nobles had been enjoying traumatizing all the children here without a single regret.
They laughed.
They joke.
They expressed their pleasure so openly.
His anger only grew stronger as he heard the nobles now screaming with fear.
The children screamed like that as well, but did they let the children go? no. He was going to kill them all. All of them.
But then his eyes fell upon a few children standing behind the curtains who were frozen with fear as they stared at the blood splattering out of the auctioneer's neck.
'Ugh this is driving me crazy.' he thought as he once again made the decision to not kill another person and get blood all over his hands.
"You! little dog!" The auctioneer shouted as he immediately placed his hand on the huge cut on his neck to somehow stop the bleeding but it was futile.
The auctioneer began walking towards Cadell but fell on the floor long before he could. Cadell placed his right foot on the man's head and shouted as he faced the crowd.
"So, who's next?"
"SO, WHO'S NEXT?"
His red eyes glowed behind his blue strands of hair and his eyes screamed anger as they faced the disgusting beings before him. Right then a couple of men ran on the stage from behind the curtains.
"Why you little punk!?" They were armed with swords and began swinging them as soon as they could.
Arius's Invisibility spell wore off and now he became visible. One of the men targeted him but Cadell defended him.
Cadell fought against the two armed men all on his own.
Arius wanted to help but he couldn't use any more mana.
He closed his eyes and tried focusing so he could muster some mana but before his attempts bore any fruits he heard a voice from the distance call out to him.
"Your Highness!"
It was Felix. The Imperial Knights were now in the Auction room. Arius smiled when he saw the knight's arrival. But then why did Felix look so worried?
Why was he shouting?
Why did he call Arius by his title?
Arius knew these cliches all too well and he immediately turned to face behind him.
'Ah...'
A third man had emerged from behind the curtains. He had a sword and he was coming right at Arius.
Time slowed down.
Felix tried to reach Arius in time but the man was too close.
Felix once again shouted Arius's title as he ran closer. Arius didn't have time to run. He just closed his eyes as if hoping for a miracle to happen.
And it did.
Arius opened his eyes as nothing had happened to him. And what he saw before him was green hair.
"G-Gunther?!" Arius exclaimed in surprise.
Gunther hit the man in the stomach with the hilt of his sword, causing the man to lose grip on his sword and allowing Gunther to easily subdue him.
He sent the man's sword flying and Jasper, who was also standing at the edge, caught the sword.
"Your highness!" Felix called out and this time he was only a step away from Arius. He suddenly picked Arius up and began checking for any injuries.
Arius gulped as he thought about how much trouble he's in.
"Hahaha Felix...I'm fine..."
"Take His Highness outside and protect him with your life." Felix ordered a knight beside him. Arius didn't argue because he could see that he had made Felix extremely worried and he had been close to death.
Everything was over a lot sooner than Arius thought. After almost twenty minutes of assuring the children outside, Arius saw Imperial Knights coming out of the mansion with arrested slave traders and nobility.
Soon Gunther and the rest were out as well and they all hugged each other in relief.
"I can't believe we survived that!" Ruby cried out. She was a mess, tears streaming down her face and her eyes swollen red.
Everyone else was a mess as well. Most of them looked exhausted.
"I'm glad it's over." Arius said as he smiled at them.
"Ario–" Jasper was about to say something when Felix suddenly came and stood behind Arius.
Arius turned and could swear he almost screamed at the face Felix was making. "I believe there is something we need to discuss." Felix said in an extremely serious tone, which is not like him at all.
─── ･ ｡ﾟ : *. .* : ﾟ.───
"YOUR HIGHNESS. Do you realize exactly what you did?"
"Felix, I know that was dangerous and I could have died but in the end I'm alive...so, it's okay..."
"Okay? Your highness, does dying not sound serious to you? what if your friend had arrived a bit late, what if you had gotten injured. What were you thinking when you decided to come to such a dangerous place?!"
"..."
"Your Highness. This is not a game. You would have lost your life. I understand that you are very mature and knowledgeable for your age...but even so... you are still a child."
"..."
Arius was conflicted. He knew Felix was correct but at the same time, he didn't understand his concern.
'I'm fine. All's well that ends well, no?'
'I didn't even get a single scratch.'
"I told the emperor that I would protect you with my life. "
'Oh, so he's worried about what Claude would say...?'
"..."
'Would Claude care if something happened to me? I...don't know. In Lovely Princess and who made me a princess, Arius de Alger Obelia didn't exist. And even in this new story which he is affecting, Claude seemed indifferent about the assassins. He said he cared but he's begun to create a wall between us. Honestly, I'd like to see his reaction if I did die. Would he be sad , would he cry , or would he just have his usual blank face and carry on with his life without any regret?' Arius's thoughts as he sighed after that.
"Felix, I apologize for my reckless actions. I will try to be more careful in the future." Arius said politely and bent his neck for a small bow to show his sincerity.
Arius then walked back to where his friends stood, leaving Felix to wrap up the scene.
"Hey guys–"
"Blessings and Glory upon the future son of the Obelian Empire." They said in unison as they kneeled on one leg.
'A-Uh-Wha...F-Felix!'
Arius immediately turned to glare at the redhead who seemed to be ordering the knights. Felix could feel his intense glare on his back and dared not to face him.
1
"Thank You for helping us, Your Highness." They once again said in unison.
"S-stop! " Arius said as his cheeks slightly blushed at the tone they were using.
"No need to be so formal... just act like you usually do..."
Cadell suddenly slapped Arius's shoulder slightly and replied with a 'Alright!'. The rest of them also eased up.
"I knew you were fishy from the moment we met." Jasper stated.
"Same here, but to think you were the prince..." Winslow said as he placed his index finger on his lips and thumb underneath his chin, and went into his own thoughts.
"Ahah..." Arius laughed awkwardly and they went on with their discussions.
It was over. They were free. Arius looked around to see the other slave children talking, crying , sleeping , and looking happy. He was glad. Glad that they were finally out of that hell.
His gaze then shifted to the nobles and slave traders who were currently bound by iron chains and locked inside a cage placed on a carriage.
His eyes shone an icy cold blue which shone brighter when the moonlight fell upon them.
No mercy.
No mercy will be given to them.
Arius decided that. And he chuckled slightly when he thought of the various punishments they could be given.
─── ･ ｡ﾟ : *. .* : ﾟ.───
IT HAD BEEN LONG NIGHT. Felix wrapped up everything extremely quickly and prepared for a carriage to take the children back to their base and escorted Arius back to the Palace in a different carriage.
The carriage ride was quiet. Arius didn't talk to Felix, which made Felix a little worried.
'Did I scold him too much? He is just a child... so it's okay for him to be mischievous and disobedient...what if his highness never trusts me again?' Felix's trail of thoughts was interrupted by Arius's sudden praise of the crescent moon which illuminated the night sky.
"Isn't the night sky lovely Felix?"
"Ah, Yes. " Felix stated as he shifted his gaze outside the carriage window and onto the moon. When his gaze returned to the prince he saw that the prince's eyes were closed and his head was leaning onto the window.
He softly smiled at the prince who was in a state of deep slumber and arranged his position to allow him to comfortably sleep during the time they arrived at the Palace.
ARC 3 - NEW BEGINNING
THE MOON HAD DISAPPEARED as the sun was now illuminating the earth. Arius was awoken by Olivia in the Ruby Palace.
He was bathed and dressed and soon stood beside his sister as they were waiting for Felix to escort them to the Garnet Palace for their daily breakfast with the emperor.
Arius had told Athanasia everything that occurred last night and Athanasia was amazed to say the least.
That aside Arius was scared to attend breakfast, because he knew there was so much to explain to Claude. And he didn't wanna imagine his reaction.
Sigh!
─── ･ ｡ﾟ : *. .* : ﾟ.───
Thud!
The doors to the dining area closed. The Prince , Princess and Emperor were now sitting peacefully on the dining chairs and eating their breakfast.
Arius kept nervously glancing towards Claude every five seconds.
Felix stood behind Claude and was also sweating from the silence in the room.
Athanasia was busy eating sweets, but she would nervously glance at the surrounding people after a few bites.
"Felix reported to me about yesterday." Claude began with a blank expression.
Arius gulped.
"Dad I–"
Arius stopped in his tracks. Not because Claude interrupted him. No. He stopped when he saw the way Claude looked.
Indifferent.
His eyes are void of any emotion.
Claude wasn't angry at Arius for what he had been doing. He showed nothing. It was kind of scary the way Claude looked.
Emotionless.
He simply ate his food and began speaking once again, "The slave traders will be punished and the nobles who participated in the auction will have to give up twenty-five percent of their fortunes to the imperial power."
"What is the punishment of the slave traders?"
"Execution."
Athanasia dropped her fork on the mention of that term. Her face went pale and she completely froze.
"Ah–Your Majesty, I believe it would be better not to discuss such things during a meal. " Felix interrupted.
"Uh-No it's fine...Athy is done eating so Athy will take her leave now..." Athanasia's voice trembled. She soon left the room leaving Claude and Arius alone.
Felix was escorting Athanasia back to Ruby Palace.
Arius was making an unsatisfied expression.
"Father."
Clauds put his utensils down and looked towards Arius with the same blank expression.
"Isn't execution too light of a punishment?" He asked and Claude's eyes widened as he saw his son's glowing icy blue eyes.
"They will first be tortured and then executed. You don't need to worry. They will beg for death by the time the torture is over." Claude assured him, making Arius somewhat pleased.
"Oh and another thing , Your Majesty."
─── ･ ｡ﾟ : *. .* : ﾟ.───
ARIUS ONCE AGAIN WENT TO TOWN. This time along with Athanasia because she kept feeling left out. And of course, Felix escorts the two. Their carriage stopped outside the abandoned looking building , within which lived Arius's friends.
Before Arius could go in to meet them, they came outside by the sound of the carriage and horses.
"Arion–" Lifa spoke before stopping to think about whether she should address him as Arius or Your Highness.
"OH MY GOD." Cadell suddenly screamed.
"IS THAT YOUR SISTER?!" Cadell couldn't help but scream at Athanasia's adorable smile.
"I mean Ahem! Blessings and Glory upon–" Cadell began as he knelt down to greet the princess.
"Stop."
"Ehehe, Nice to meet you, I'm Athy." Athanasia spoke in her cutesy voice.
'So cute.' They all thought, except for Arius. He had now become used to her looks.
"We were going to go celebrate Mia's return by heading over to a popular restaurant in the main street. You should join us." Jasper said, which is very unlikely of him.
'I guess he's begun to trust me a little more now.' Arius's thoughts.
"Uh, sorry , I only came for a short time. Speaking of which, there is something I wanted to give you all." He spoke as he signaled Felix.
Felix brought over a large wooden chest and placed it in front of the children. "For your brave deeds in not only helping this empire but also serving His Highness, Prince Arius in need, The emperor has bestowed these rewards unto you." Felix spoke and then opened the chest revealing eighteen large pouches filled with gold coins.
Their jaws almost hit the floor and it was silent for a while before Lifa and Cadell spoke at once,
"T-THIS IS AMAZING!"
"W-WE CAN'T ACCEPT THIS!"
"..."
It took a while for Arius to convince them to take the coins since they deserved it. And then came the real surprise.
"Gunther and Cadell. Do you want to become my knight? " Arius asked them.
Their expressions changed from Surprise to Shock, again Surprise to Shock, and Happiness to Surprise, and lastly Tears to Shock.
2
And almost fainting but then Cadell screamed and started running around while Gunther just stood there shocked. Mia came up to him and congratulated him and the others did the same.
Gunther looked at Arius with a gaze filled with happiness and indescribable emotions.
Arius once again signaled for Felix to bring out something. Swords.
Both Gunther and Cadell were given their own real swords as a reward and also requested to become Arius's Knight.
Their dreams to become the greatest swordsmen, Arius was helping them immensely in bringing those dreams to life.
They looked like they were gonna faint from the happiness. Cadell ran a whole marathon out of excitement and Gunther looked like he was gonna faint from it all, but what matters is that they were happy.
They accepted the offer to become his Knights, that being said , Felix was gonna train those two personally before allowing them to officially call themselves Arius's Knights. Nevertheless they were euphoric about this.
This marked the start of a new beginning for them. A new hope and a new light to guide them and help them achieve their dreams.