Chapter 24：Legacy of Kings (1/2)

”Fey… What do you think you're doing?” The girl shouted at Fey before Arthur could answer. It seems the two knew each other and Fey decided to withhold any further questions.

”This person is with us.” A voice answered instead of Fey as a person walked over from the forest. As Arthur looked at the thin pale man, he was reminded of how he got this legacy. Yuran looked as sickly as ever, yet just as kind as he stood in front of Arthur. It seems the girl regained her calm after she saw his entrance.

”I see, so it was true. The fairy and the cripple, what a duo.” The girl spat out as she looked at Arthur and continued. ”Someone else also said he was with them, but that's a lie. I know every person who's going to participate in the trials. He's not one of them!”

As the tension grew between both sides, Yuran sighed as he shook his head.

”He's like me.”

This one sentence seemed to shut the girl up. Her eyes shook as she turned pale.

”Impossible! There shouldn't be another survivor!”

Arthur's felt the whole scene was chaotic as he didn't understand anything that was going on. As he got up, he decided to stay quiet and simply stare at the girl hoping the bluff would work.

”It was impossible too in my case, but I survived.” Yuran's voice was sad and desolate. Arthur found it hard that he was the same kind and cheerful person he met a while ago.

After a lengthy silence, the girl found herself unable to say anything. As the tension grew between the two sides, Fey finally opened her mouth diffusing the whole thing.

”It's not like you can beat me anyway.”

***

”So, how come you're alive?”

That was the first question Arthur received after he, Yuran, and Fey left. The one asking was Fey, as she was more shocked than happy.

”I fell out of the dungeon at that time. I even ended up in the wilderness, barely making it back.”

”Oh…” As dungeons were thought of as separate spaces from the normal plane, the explanation couldn't be refuted as not much was known about the laws governing them.

”I'm just glad you're alive.” Yuran cut as he held Arthur by the shoulder and squeezed. His smile was of true relief and Arthur felt touched, although awkward at the same time.

”Then why are you here?”

Fey was the one asking. Faced with her direct questioning, Arthur found himself unable to explain it properly. In the end, he tried to state the simple truth.

”I fell here by accident…”

”You sure fall a lot.”

After also inquiring about his eyes and telling them that it had something with his awakening, the two didn't ask any more as they were on good terms and didn't want to dig any deeper into it. As they made their way to their hideout, the three kept chatting idly. Arthur took the chance to ask about the money Yuran sent, and the latter apologized that it was too little compared to saving his life. He said that he was… currently in a dire financial state, too.

Arthur found it hard to reject his goodwill so he left it at that for now and made a mental note to give it back in the future. The three finally reached the cave the two used in the meantime and Arthur decided to rest here for the night. Even though Hazel was left at the camp, she was with her family and over-caring Jin. Arthur felt safer to stay here as he knew the characters of these two to some extent.

The night drew near as the three sat around the campfire talking. After meeting a familiar person here, Arthur found some relief of his loneliness. He decided to ask Yuran about the situation he landed himself in.

”It seems you fell here by accident without knowing everything.” Yuran's eyes held complex emotions as he looked at Arthur. The latter felt like Yuran was not looking at him, but reminiscing the past. Yuran continued, ”The Holy Crown is a symbol more than an Artifact. There are Seven Families hidden from the world, although it's like a shared secret between the powerful. Many Guilds followed one of these families that have what we call a bloodline.”

With a brief pause, Yuran gave Arthur a bowl of grilled meat and continued.