"What is this price?" asked a voice that was as haughty as the skies as the customer slammed his hand on the counter. "You think you can exploit me because I have points?"
"Dear sir, this is our policy. As a top ranker, there are fees applied on our prices before we can sell the artifacts or runic cards to you," replied Ivan in a decorum manner.
"Are you trying to make the top rankers your enemy?" the customer gritted his teeth. "Summon the owner this instant!"
"We will not disturb our owner with troublemakers," frowned Ivan before spreading his arm toward the door. "Please leave this instant."
The unsatisfied customer looked at Ivan with a terrifying cold, bloodlust before grabbing his arm. Ivan found himself rising off his feet as he was whipped on the counter, his body moments from crashing into the hardwood.
BOOM!
There was a loud impact as the counter broke apart, splinters flying everywhere, making the students and customers scream. Then, as the dust cloud blocked everyone's view, one of the female clerks screamed in horror as she ran toward the guest room where Arthur was with his friend.
However, she ran head-on into someone standing in front of the door due to her panic. The clerk fell back before a hand reached out and held her by the wrist, preventing her from falling.
"Are you okay?"
"I am…" as she heard the question, the clerk flinched and turned to look at her employer. "However, Ivan… he is…" she pointed at the counter with panic.
"No need to worry about him," said Arthur with a smile as he turned to the side. "I think he is just confused."
The female clerk turned to the side to find Ivan standing next to Arthur, his mouth gaped. The young man turned toward Arthur with the same shocked expression before pointing at the counter.
"Sir, I was there…"
"I cannot allow harm to befall those working for me," said Arthur with a wrathful smile as he pulled the clerk to stand steady. "Take the others and stand back as I handle this nuisance."
Ivan and the clerk blinked before nodding their heads repeatedly. Arthur walked over toward the counter, which had broken under the effect of the assailant's fist. As his face was revealed, Arthur remembered one of the three people who annoyed him the most in this place.
"Arlo," muttered Arthur with a cold smile as he walked forward. "It seems our dearest top ranker wants to die today," as he clenched his fist, the shop started to shake.
"This is a first," grinned Arlo with surprise after a moment of realization. "It seems the rat is finally coming out of its hole. So tell me, Alexie Linan, are you aware of what your actions are costing you?"
"A fair distribution of power," replied Arthur as he walked closer to the noble before standing in front of him. "Are you aware of what your actions are costing you?"
"My actions are the absolute…" as Arlo was declaring with pride that shook the heavens, the man disappeared from his spot. Then, as the crowd tried to understand what was happening, a booming noise came from the double doors of the workshop.
Arthur watched the noble fly through the air like a broken kite as he felt his anger die a little. However, there was one thing that he could not shake from Alka, and it made him unable to back down now: his overprotectiveness of his followers.
As the crowd shouted in shook, Arlo spun in the air a couple of times before crashing into the opposite building. Arthur stepped on the destroyed counter in an attempt to walk toward the door.
"Sir!" shouted a voice behind him, and Arthur turned to see Ivan reaching out to him but not daring to touch him. "This is not the first time these troublemakers come here. Any more than that and…" he said with worry about Arthur.
"Do what I asked, Ivan," smiled Arthur as the wooden boards broke beneath his legs. "I will never allow these scumbags to touch even a single hair of those working with me."
The wooden tiles snapped in half as Arthur stormed out of the workshop, making the students part ways in front of him. He made sure that Arlo flew higher than the students lest anyone else gets injured, which would make this more of a mess.
Arthur did not know what happened on previous offenses, but he was different now. The ruthlessness that made him behead a man was still there, barely hidden beneath the surface.
"Oh, Arlo," muttered Arthur as he stepped out of the workshop, surrounded by the customers that wanted to buy his artifacts. "I wonder why a person would bring his doom."
"You have done it this time…" replied the man with calm as he stood up from the rubbles. "I did not think that a simple provocation would be enough to make you make this mistake."
"I am terrified," shrugged Arthur with a smile. "What is the next step in your genius plan? Are you preparing to suffer a beating?"
"The third clause of duels," grinned Arlo as he walked out of the buildings. "If there is a conflict between two students involving physical violence, then a duel must be initiated to resolve it, and neither student can decline."
"…that is all?" asked Arthur with surprise as his ring rang with the notification for the duel. As his eyes skimmed through the rules, he realized this man's goal. "Ah, the initiator can choose the arena, and since this is a duel I cannot refuse, you are going to choose the coliseum."
"It is time that your arrogance ends, Alexie Linan," grinned Arlo as his eyes glared daggers. "Let me show the world that you are either a weakling… or a coward."
Arthur stared at this spiteful man with a calm expression as his earlier anger disappeared. There is not a lot that he knows about this timeline, but there was something weird about this little scheme.
As he realized that much, Arthur looked around and scanned the crowd. His perception allowed him to recognize every face around them. Then, his eyes fell on someone hundreds of meters away. It was none other than Prince Caleb.
'This is his scheme,' smiled Arthur at the prince, who frowned, realizing that he had been seen. 'It seems that he saw me hug Emma that day on the balcony. Is this jealousy?'
There was nothing to make someone more hateful than love, even though Arthur did not think this man was capable of feeling that. It seems that Prince Caleb wanted to ruin his chances of ever being scouted by a guild.
"I accept," smiled Arthur and nodded as he accepted the duel. "It seems we will be meeting in front of every guild in the world tomorrow morning, Arlo."
"…you have finally lost it, Alexie Linan," Arlo cracked his neck as he shrugged the dust away. "Remember, this is a friendly duel. However, I doubt any guild wants to associate with humiliation."
After dropping those words, Arlo walked away full of pride at his success. Arthur stared at him silently, wondering why this man listened to Prince Caleb. The moment that duel commences, his future will end.
"It seems you are finally moving," said a voice from behind him. Arthur turned around to find Ori standing at the door, holding his arms against his chest. "This will spread like wildfire," he sighed.
"I hope it does," said Arthur as he walked back under the eager eyes of the crowd. "Have I tolerated this in the past?" he whispered while standing beside the alchemist.
"You had no choice."
"I had a lot of choices, but I chose the right thing," Arthur shook his head. "I wonder what the previous Arthur wanted from being in this place."
"The same thing that you want from going back to Alka," Ori said while throwing his arm around Arthur's shoulder. "Love, my friend."
"That can hardly be it."
"Well, among many other reasons," grinned Oriole as the two of them backed toward the counter. "You can ask the one who sent you here about that."
"I will, after teaching them a lesson," answered Arthur as the two walked between the rows of students. Then, as they got to the counter, Oriole took out a runic card.
"That is not the only reason, right?" he said while crouching down. The alchemist activated the card and threw it at the destroyed counter before watching it repair itself. "As good as new!"
Arthur did not answer and simply stared at the runic lines. It was true that he wasn't going to fight Arlo because he was angry, as he also wanted a platform to show the world.
Arlo and Caleb believed their plan would ruin Arthur's future in Jerano, but unknown to them, it would be his chance to announce the creation of his guild.
It was safe to say that most of the world's guilds will be sending their representatives to Jerano during this time of the year, which meant worldwide coverage of the duels.. Arthur could not think of a better chance than this.
