Arthur let out a sigh and raised his hand to knock on the door, but at the last moment, he lowered it.
He still didn't know how to start the conversation about him going to Antarctica. Maybe he was simply overthinking it, but in these cases, that might be the best thing one could do…
It was the day after his date with Seishan that he had resolved to do it.
And the worst part was that he wouldn't be the only one going to Antarctica—Sylvie had also joined, along with all the King's Wardens.
Basically, two of the most talented Ascended and a group of talented Awakened, heading to a continent that was lost before the chain of Nightmare Gates even began.
Adding salt to the wound was the fact that Valor had sent spies after him or Seishan…
The problem was that if they sent spies while in NQSC, in a place like Antarctica, they could perfectly send assassins, and the Queen wouldn't risk losing assets as valuable as them.
Even so, he could defend himself if they sent assassins, and Sylvie could too.
Either way, it was time to stop overthinking and do what he had come to do.
Arthur raised his hand again to knock on the door, but before it could make contact, it opened on its own.
He frowned and entered the throne room.
It remained as always, with its large windows and sunrays streaming through them, bathing the room in constant shadows.
"Arthur… it's curious to see you again so soon."
He bowed and replied.
"Your Highness, for me it's always a pleasure to see you again."
Ki Song laughed.
"You flatter me, little Arthur."
Arthur continued in a polite tone.
"My Queen, if it's not too much to ask… I was wondering if you've managed to extract any information from the two spies I caught."
"It's not too much to ask." She began. "Eunbin managed to get information out of them, but… it was nothing we didn't already know." She paused briefly. "Nevertheless, I must congratulate you for noticing them and capturing them alive—you did a good job."
He nodded.
"Thank you for the compliment. And I was wondering… which of the two were the spies following?"
Ki Song's voice came out slightly irritated as she told him. "They were following Shan." Then it returned to normal. "They had only arrived a few minutes before you intercepted them, so they didn't gather much information."
'So not me, huh?'
"I'm glad I caught them, then."
"Fortunately, they didn't manage to interrupt your date—that's what matters," she commented.
Arthur nodded.
"Yes, actually, I tried to make sure Seishan didn't find out about it so as not to worry her."
Ki Song smiled widely.
"Thank you for that as well, then. And I'm glad you had a good time, but tell me… did the advice I gave you help?"
Now it was Arthur's turn to smile widely.
"Yes, it actually helped quite a bit." He paused and added, "It was my first date, and I was a bit nervous before it… so your advice helped me try to let things flow and enjoy the moment."
The Queen placed an even more radiant smile on her beautiful face.
"I'm really glad it helped you, then. Things like going on dates are a very beautiful aspect of life."
Arthur nodded.
Suddenly, the urge to ask her if she had been on many dates entered his head, but he immediately erased it. It would be a bit strange and insensitive to ask something like that.
He was about to speak, but she beat him to it.
"Very well, we've talked about those things, but it's time to get to what's really important—what's the reason for your visit, Arthur?"
Arthur let out a sigh and began.
"I found out about the future situation in Antarctica, and I was curious about why the clan isn't sending help in the evacuation process."
Ki Song remained silent and eventually shook her head.
"That's not the reason you came to talk to me… come on, just say it."
"I've made the decision to go to Antarctica to help with the evacuation process," he said simply.
The Queen fell silent again, watching him. Slowly, the corner of her lip began to curve slightly.
"No."
He let out a sigh.
It was the expected response, but even so, he wasn't going to change his mind. In fact, it only made him want to go to Antarctica more.
"Your Highness, if you'll allow me to explain myself…"
"I already said no," Ki Song interrupted. "You are a very valuable asset for the clan's future and what we're going to build."
Arthur looked at her in silence for a few seconds before continuing.
"You know my parents are government officials, right?" Ki Song nodded. "Well, they're both going to be present at the Antarctica operation. For me, it would be much more reassuring to be in the same place as them than anywhere else."
Ki Song didn't respond at first and continued watching him with full attention.
"I can perfectly understand the feeling of wanting to protect your family, but my opinion hasn't changed."
"That's a shame, then," Arthur began, "because my opinion isn't going to change either."
She narrowed her eyes slightly.
"Come again?"
"I don't want to sound rude, Your Highness, but I've already made the decision to go, and I'm not going to change it."
The silence inside the throne room was absolute and not a single sound dared disturb it. The air itself seemed frozen between them—like two forces of equal magnitude in an impossible, eternal stalemate.
Arthur felt the pressure first as a weight on his shoulders, then his lungs struggled to draw breath.
Every instinct in his body screamed at him to lower his gaze, to bend the knee, to acknowledge the superiority of the being seated upon the throne.
But Arthur refused.
Aether surged through his body as every augmentation activated in response. His Aether channels spreading his power through his limbs, reinforcing flesh and bones alike as he pushed back against the invisible force threatening to crush him.
Still, it wasn't enough.
Finally, he did something he had considered possible but hadn't had the chance to try until now.
Arthur activated [King's Presence].
But instead of directing his Ascended Ability toward Ki Song… he used himself as the target.
His essence reserves immediately began draining at an alarming rate, disappearing faster than ever before. Yet Arthur ignored it and poured more into the ability.
For a brief moment, nothing happened. Then the world changed and the crushing weight vanished.
Arthur's eyes widened.
Even he hadn't expected such a result.
Across the throne room, Ki Song noticed the change immediately and then he felt the pressure again—but it no longer felt the same
It no longer demanded submission or carried the certainty of a ruler addressing a subject.
Because the moment Arthur used [King's Presence] upon himself, the balance had shifted.
There was no Queen and subject within the throne room.
There was a Queen.
And there was a King.
The pressure that had sought to force him down lost its meaning the moment those truths became equal.
Because kings did not kneel.
"Oh my… what a surprise," said the Queen after a few seconds. "You really are something special, Arthur. That little trick I just pulled on you would have brought most Saints to their knees, and you're still standing as if nothing happened."
'As if nothing happened? Five of my six cores are completely empty!' Arthur thought.
"Thank you for the compliment?"
Ki Song laughed widely at Arthur's confused expression.
"You know… if everyone had the same will to stand firm in their decisions as you've just demonstrated, the world would be a much better place." The last part had a sad tone hidden beneath her laughter.
It sounded more like something she had said to herself many, many times—as if she regretted not standing firm in her own convictions.
Arthur couldn't help but relate this to Nephis's father's death. Was the Queen regretting having done it? Or was it something else? Not having done it sooner? Not having managed to eliminate Nephis? He didn't know, but that strange phrase gave him a lot to think about…
"My will is affirmed in wanting to keep my loved ones safe. That's why I'm willing not to yield to pressure."
He didn't know exactly why he said that, but it seemed to have a positive effect on the Queen, because she proceeded to nod.
"I have one last question, and I'd like you to think about it carefully before answering."
Arthur felt a bit of fear at that but ended up nodding.
Ki Song smiled.
"Does Seishan count as one of those loved ones of yours?"
Immediately, the image of her smiling after he gave her the plushie came to his mind, and he replied before even thinking.
"Yes, she is."
The speed with which he responded surprised them both and Arthur even began to feel his cheeks gaining color.
The Queen recovered immediately, and her expression returned to normal, but now her eyes reflected something different. She understood something very key.
Arthur wasn't questioning her authority, nor was he challenging her. He wasn't asking for permission—he had come to notify her of something he was going to do, whether she liked it or not.
And the motivation behind this wasn't a selfish act or one against her authority—it was a motivation born from affection. Born from wanting to protect what was his.
She understood because she's been doing the same thing her whole life.
She remembered that she was someone who had to fight as an eighteen-year-old girl to reclaim Ravenheart from the traitors who let her mother die, and then had to build a name for herself among those who tried to crush her whenever they had the chance, those who tried to take what was hers.
All to achieve something like forming a family.
And the man standing before her had just said that one of her daughters was a loved one of his, implying that he would do almost anything to keep her safe.
At that moment, Ki Song felt… jealousy.
No… jealousy wasn't the right word.
It was a feeling of deep longing.
But at the same time, a feeling of satisfaction also found its place. Satisfaction that all her effort in raising her daughters had been rewarded.
She focused her black eyes on the figure of Paragon of Purity.
He truly was a diamond—or perhaps something more valuable than a diamond.
Seeing him standing there like that, full of conviction and certainty, she couldn't help but let her mind wander to Broken Sword.
They were both similar and at the same time very different, but every second she continued looking at him, the image of the former superimposed itself over the latter.
But she could also identify a feeling of regret within herself.
She wasn't regretful for having betrayed Broken Sword—it was necessary in the end. An heir of Weaver should never become known.
She regretted not having done something different with Little Nephie… perhaps, perhaps if she had tried to protect her instead of sending assassins, she wouldn't be interested in killing her now.
Perhaps she could have hidden her, or found a way to raise her, but the circumstances made it impossible.
But, even that wouldn't have stopped her from growing up with the intention of avenging her father either.
And, it was a shame that she and Arthur were friends, because if he was willing to go to a continent destined to die just to ensure his family was safe… he would surely extend that same devotion or kindness to a friend.
Which meant that in the future, if Little Nephie asked Arthur for help in trying to kill her, he would surely do it. And it was a shame, because she really liked Arthur.
But it circled back to the beginning.
She had already had to kill her mother's traitors and face everyone who tried to stop her along the way. If they both decided to stand in her way, she would crush them as well. But for now, she would play along with them.
Ki Song smiled.
"I'm glad, then. And you've made me reconsider." She paused and saw Arthur's eyes widen slightly. "But obviously, there will be conditions that I'm not willing to discuss."
Arthur nodded, and she continued, raising one finger.
"The first is that you'll be accompanied by a clan cohort designed to protect you against possible attacks from Valor." She raised a second finger. "The second is that if you find yourself in an impossible situation where it's either protecting civilians or your own safety, you'll choose the latter." She raised a third finger. "The last one is that you will come every two weeks to notify me how things are doing."
Arthur nodded again.
"I can accept the last two conditions right away, but I have a better idea for the first one, Your Highness." Ki Song gestured for him to continue. "If the purpose is my safety, it seems to me that bringing more clan members creates a contradictory effect. However, I was thinking of bringing my King's Wardens."
"I'm listening."
Arthur smiled proudly.
"My idea is to use the clan's position against the government and offer them an exchange." He paused and smiled wider. "The help of the King's Wardens, Sylvie, and myself, as long as they send one of their Ascended to my cohort. This would mean that if Valor decides to attack us, they would be attacking the government at the same time, putting them in an awkward position."
Ki Song matched his smile.
"I can assume you already have a name in mind to ask for?"
He nodded.
"Yes, actually, I do."
She leaned forward slightly, and her smile grew wider as she heard the name.
"I really like the idea, little Arthur. You're free to leave." The doors opened. "I'll take care of the rest."
Arthur left the throne room, satisfied…
***
A beautiful woman with short, raven-black hair and icy-blue eyes was stepping out of her PTV, letting out a sigh of frustration at being called to the government headquarters at this hour of the night.
'What the hell does that old man want today?'
It was supposed to be her day off! For spell's sake!
And yet, Cor had called her in urgently to discuss something about the Antarctica operation.
She entered the access codes and headed to the elevator. After pressing the top floor button, it began to ascend, and she leaned back against the wall with her arms crossed.
Only two weeks remained until the start of the operation, and the fact that logistical changes were still happening was a clear sign that the crisis had caught the government with its pants down.
Not only had it accelerated by a few years, but it was now supposed to be even worse than expected. And on top of that, there was the Category Four Nightmare Gate that would open in South America.
Meaning that in just a few months, the second most populated continent and the site where most of their food was produced would be completely lost.
The change that would occur in the world was going to be huge, and she had to prepare herself to adapt to it.
One of her strong points, really…
'I hope at least the news is positive,' Jet began to wish.
But of course, in this world, the number of positive things that happened was lower than the negative ones, throwing the balance off.
One positive piece of news she had gotten was the fact that Sunny had agreed to go to Antarctica as well.
She obviously hadn't asked the reasons for his decision, but it made her happy to know that he would be there.
After long minutes, the elevator reached the top floor, and she entered Cor's office.
Upon doing so, she saw that the old man was already sitting there waiting for her—which was strange, since it was always the others who had to wait for him.
The government Saint saw her and gestured for her to sit across from him.
Jet, instead of sitting, dropped herself into the chair, not caring much about how she looked.
In the end, it was just the two of them, and she had known Cor for years.
"What happened that you called me on my day off?"
Cor let out a sigh, and at that moment, Jet noticed how stressed the government Saint was. His brows were slightly furrowed, and his shoulders were slightly hunched.
Another person might not have noticed, but Jet did—she could notice these things because she had studied to do so.
"We have an update on the Antarctica operation," Cor began, and Jet raised an eyebrow. "Two days ago, I had an audience with Ki Song, and she proposed a deal regarding the operations in Antarctica and South America."
'A deal? I hope it's not something crazy…'
Cor continued. "This deal caused a major change in the logistics of both operations, which is why it took us two days from the audience to make the changes public."
"Could you get to the point?"
The government Saint shrugged.
"Ki Song's offer is that she is willing to send all the King's Wardens, Master Sylvie, Master Seishan with her followers and finally Master Arthur, in exchange for the government facilitating the transfer of civilians from Antarctica and South America to Ravenheart, and for one government Ascended to join the Masters' cohort."
Jet blinked, and a bad premonition entered her body.
'Don't tell me—'
Cor, unaware of this, continued. "And the Queen specifically requested that the Ascended be the famous Soul Reaper."
She didn't respond at first, remaining silent, staring at him. She was disappointed but at the same time happy…
Disappointed at the change in her role and that she would basically now have to act as a babysitter during a crisis, but happy because this was obviously an action from Little Art.
That boy had only been back for two weeks, and the first thing he did was get himself into more trouble. It was as if he were a magnet for them.
She wanted to smile, but instead, she let out a sigh.
"So my role now is to babysit three Masters?"
Saint Cor didn't respond.
"Remember, we need all the help we can get, and this offer from Song gives us more assets for Antarctica and solves the problem in South America." He paused. "The benefit of having more Awakened and three talented Masters is something the government simply cannot refuse even if the final result may not change much because of this."
She snorted.
"I'm not stupid, Cor. She only wants me there to use me as security against Valor."
Cor replied without shame.
"Yes."
Jet rolled her eyes and forced herself to calm down.
"And what if Valor doesn't care and decides to send a Saint to kill them?"
"That's not your concern," Cor replied immediately. "In fact, in such a situation, you have orders to prioritize your own life and escape if necessary."
"Yeah, sure… and then have a Song Saint pay me a visit afterward?"
The government Saint didn't respond.
Jet let out a sigh.
"So my role is simply to watch over them and act as security against Valor? What about the Gates? The cities? The evacuations? The leadership of the operation?"
Wake of Ruin smiled.
"The Queen also agreed to place that cohort as the second strongest force within the continent. Therefore, you will be sent to all high-category Gates that can be identified. In case high-class creatures emerge from them, your cohort will be the second option, as long as none of the Saints can handle it."
He took out a map and began showing her the cities and evacuation routes.
"The cities and the evacuation process will remain more or less the same. It will also be expected of you to assist in city evacuations, protecting them from hordes of Nightmare Creatures."
Then he put the map away and leaned back slightly in his chair.
"Finally, command has now passed to Reynolds, while you will be second-in-command."
Jet nodded, as the orders made a lot of sense.
A cohort of four Masters would definitely be the second strongest force within the continent, so sending them to deal with major threats was the most logical course of action.
There was also the matter of the cities and the evacuation process, which the government had already devised a new plan for over these two days, based on this fact.
The new plan focused on giving the cohort more freedom of movement, not spending more than a couple of days in different locations, with the intention of not spreading their force across multiple fronts.
Jet wondered about the option of Lady Sylvie, Lady Seishan, and Little Art creating individual cohorts to cover more areas, but the danger from Valor would be amplified with that method.
Not to mention the fact that they would cease to be the second strongest force on the continent by following that plan.
In theory, the current plan would use them as if they had a force similar to a Saint, and therefore send them to the most complicated Gates, with the possibility of facing Fallen or even Corrupted Terrors or Titans.
The plan seemed quite solid, and there was clearly a slight intervention from the Song Clan in the matter.
If only they were willing to do this for the entire operation and not just when it benefited them, the crisis would be resolved much faster and with fewer casualties—but well, that was the situation.
Even so, Jet didn't fail to notice something.
"I understand the new plan, and I can't say it has flaws, but I wonder…" Jet looked up and met Cor's gaze. "Why me? I understand all the Soul Reaper stuff and blah blah, but Rey will also be there. Why not him?"
Cor stopped smiling and replied neutrally.
"The first reason is that the Queen specifically requested your name." He paused. "The second is that if a tragedy occurs, the Leywin family would only lose one member instead of two."
Jet's icy-blue eyes hardened slightly at the last option, but in the end, she understood it perfectly.
She would obviously wish that none of the Leywins suffered something like that—she owed them too much. But if misfortune were to strike… it was preferable that it only happened to one of them rather than both…
"I understand that. Still…" Jet continued, "I would like to check their level and coordination before everything starts. If we're going to be tasked with something like this, that's extremely important."
Saint Cor smiled for the second time.
"That's perfectly understandable." He took out his communicator, and seconds later, a message arrived on Jet's. "What I just sent you is an invitation to the Song Ball in a few days. The clan has invited you to attend, and once it's over, Saint Beastmaster will personally take you to Ravenheart, where you'll spend the rest of your time training with them."
Jet blinked.
"You already knew I was going to ask for that?" Cor nodded. "Well, I suppose I'll have to buy a dress..."
"You're free to go, Jet. Enjoy the rest of your day off."
She nodded and stood up to leave.
'I wasn't joking… I really do need to buy a dress.'