Something about her expression and parting lips suggested the princess wanted to tell him something but refrained. Her mother was her reverse dragon scale and the subject that she avoided at all cost, even with Arthur.
"Do you want to tell me?" Arthur asked, but the princess looked at Hana and Rega before shaking her head.
She didn't say anything more and departed at once, leaving Arthur hanging on the question of what happened to her mother and why it was that this subject was off-limit for him. He didn't feel this way when they talked about other matters, so it made his heart uneasy.
His revenge would go unhindered now that Diana didn't ask him to let it go. The asymmetry of his left and right side always left him incomplete, and it was time to take back what was his yours, even if he could no longer use it.
Arthur looked at the druids in the distance, the princess, and the two kids playing around. They were living a period of peace that shouldn't last much longer, and he needed to prepare.
Before he started cramming knowledge into his brain and creating artifacts, there was one final stop for him to visit. That's why when the sunset descended on Hidden City, its ruler left using the cover of the night.
***
The six knights were still useless to him, except Lusica, for he was helpful with the enders. Arthur couldn't know anything about them himself because his simple existence would eradicate them.
The key to returning home was also with the enders because Ellen was the one to bring him here. This made Lusica invaluable. However, Arthur's current quest didn't involve the beings of nothingness but the lowly nobles, which separated a child from its mother. The name he got from Randolph belonged to a marquis, which Arthur had heard before from Dia.
The traitor was the knight of nobility, and he was the one working with the Duke of Fire against Arthur. In one of the times he talked to Dia, she mentioned the families who made the kingdom's nobility. Some of them were powerful enough to stand on their own. Others chose to group up under one banner of First Nobles.
The name 'Ancient One' was mentioned before, and Dia said he was the previous Knight of Nobility, who left his seat after Solomon's coup.
Sadly, despite being of no significance in their own compared to the Duke of Battle, Ore, Shade, Contracts, and the King's Hand, they were still the most powerful entity in the kingdom.
Solomon's Knights and artifacts were the only reason they couldn't take over the kingdom, which left the kingdom in a state of stasis. The First Nobles didn't start anything in fear of Alva and Solomon himself, but that should be changing now that Arthur learned of their plans.
The marquis estate was close to Livia, but Arthur had no problem traveling there on his own. He chose against informing anyone but Dia of his plans, as he didn't want to burden others.
The marquis business were perfumes, and he had countless factories in his estate. Despite how brutal this world was, nobles still needed to enjoy luxury. The marquis estate was crowded with his soldiers, but it wasn't difficult for Arthur to find a way into the estate.
After teleporting inside one of the barracks, Arthur found two soldiers getting ready to take on their duty. When Arthur appeared in front of them, the two soldiers were about to scream in alarm.
"Don't make a sound," Arthur commanded right away, and they closed their mouths instantly. "Don't move," he commanded again, and they were frozen in place, reaching out for their sword. "Sleep for a day."
Arthur used his Art of Creator to knock one of them out, and he took off his equipment and clothes to wear them himself. The other soldier was frozen in place beside him, and he watched as Arthur took out an artifact and changed into the appearance of his friend.
This artifact was the same one he obtained from the Tower of Yearning.
"As for you, you'll act like usual and guide me through every place in the estate. Otherwise, you will stop breathing. Do you understand?"
The soldier had tears in his eyes before he hurriedly nodded. Arthur didn't want to terrorize these soldiers, but it was inevitable that he did. The soldier walked out of the barracks with Arthur in tow to lead him throughout the estate.
They acted like a regular pair of soldiers doing their patrol as they walked through the different areas of the estate. When they met an officer, the soldier reported that everything was normal before they resumed their patrol.
"Tell me what the marquis does in this place," Arthur whispered, and the knight couldn't do anything but answer his question.
"We make perfumes for the rest of the nobles, among other things," the soldier replied, and Arthur could feel his grasp on the young man's existence tighten. That meant the soldier was hiding something.
"What other things?"
The soldier's face turned veined as if he was trying to prevent the words from coming out. Arthur felt surprised when he felt the soldier resist his command, but it was futile. With a single tug to his existence, the man spilled what he knew.
"The marquis makes aphrodisiacs for other nobles to use," the soldier revealed, but Arthur knew that there was something more than just that. There was something that made this man guilty, and he could feel it.
"How?"
The question made the man shake, and he closed his eyes in resignation. Then, with a sigh, he chose not to answer Arthur but lead him toward the truth.
They went into the mansion and passed several hallways before they reached a small door protected by a soldier.
"Become unable to perceive us and our actions," Arthur commanded, and the guard went into a trance. They passed the guard unhindered and opened the door before going down a set of stairs.
Their descent was long, and Arthur questioned how far they would have to travel. Finally, after a while, they reached the basement, which was lit by lanterns.
"What is this place?"
"We call it the extractor," the soldier said with a grim expression, and Arthur could hear the disgust in his voice. "This is where those things are extracted and turned into aphrodisiac perfumes. Here we are."
The soldier stopped into a cell, and Arthur took a step toward the door and peered through the bars. From there, he could see a figure tied to the wall with many tubes attached to it.
"A demi?" Arthur squinted his eyes at the tigress woman who has withered like a leaf in fall. Her eyes were hollow, and her skin had shriveled. The scene was traumatizing, a portrayal of how a lifeless person can look.
"Demis has stronger pheromones than humans, and they can be extracted to create aphrodisiac perfumes that are used by the nobles for pleasure."
Arthur turned to look at the soldier, who had a stoic expression to him. This man was no longer obeying Arthur's words but revealing them out of his own volition. This made him forgivable in Arthur's eyes.
"How long has this been going on for?"
"I don't know. I started working here three months ago, and I only learned about this from an old soldier. It is the first time that I'm here too."
The man took a step forward, and his body trembled. He took a deep breath to calm himself before turning to Arthur and saying in a shaky voice.
"I don't know who you are, but I think you can end this," the soldier said with hope, and Arthur nodded.
"Have there been any creatures brought here a month ago?" Arthur asked, and the knight stopped to think about it before shaking his head.
"No," he said, "but I know something else that might happen a month ago. I was deployed to prevent people from going into the forest beside the city. I noticed a pair of lovers sneak into the forest and followed to get them out of there, and managed to succeed. My orders were to eliminate any eyes, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. Then, I heard a melodious wailing that pierced my heart and made me who I am today."
"What do you mean made you who you are?"
"I never thought about good and bad before. I only cared about earning enough money for booze and women. Then, however," the soldier paused as if he was remembering. "That voice changed me."
Arthur stared at the soldier and nodded. They went back toward the barracks, and Arthur erased their memories before leaving the estate. If the soldier's words were accurate, then that sound must belong to the child of the sea.
The night was quiet as Arthur teleported into the forest beside Livia.. It boarded the Lo River and stretched as far as the eyes could see.
