Chapter 324: Seikas (2/2)

These were all past recordings of the appearances of Seikas. They were many and diverse, but not all of them were powerful. Even the Seika of fire could only manipulate flames, not produce them. He was, however, invincible to all fire attacks.

'But he had burn marks.' Arthur noted. 'Do Seikas need to come in contact with the thing to which they have an affinity? If so, then from where did this affinity come?

'The Origins of Powers.' A chapter had such a title.

'Many people tried to trace the ancestors of Seika but were all met with disappointment. These people were normal farmers and craftsmen that had nothing noteworthy to explain why they had these powers.'

'Many data traces back the existence of tales that resembled the Seikas powers. We conclude that the power could be inherited through blood.'

”Fascinating.” Arthur smiled and closed the book. He felt a weight on his shoulder and turned to see the Knight of Courage sleeping on it. She seemed to be sleeping peacefully after being washed away with Arthur's aura.

'I guess some things changed after I did the Soul Restructure.' Arthur smiled as he saw how peaceful the Knight slept. 'No, it was after the golden eyes appeared in this world.'

He met them before when he was studying runes in the fortress. At that time, he ignored it because he couldn't get any answers, not even from Jizo. However, the eyes made another appearance.

'What lies within that portal? What did the giant mean when he said he said not yet?' The answer lies in the identity of this being. Why was he the one behind the portal instead of Jizo?

Arthur closed the book and opened another, the Age of Gods. The book depicted the guardians and their powers. Arthur continued reading with the Knight sleeping on his right shoulder.

***

The Knight of Courage opened her eyes slowly. She couldn't recognize what lay in front of her. It was a desk with many opened books and the hand of someone holding one of them.

”You are finally awake?” A voice startled her, and she jumped up. ”You even drooled on my shoulder?” The Seika asked with amusement.

”I, I, I'm so sorry. I was asleep before I knew it.” The Knight stuttered with an embarrassed face that wanted to die.

'I was supposed to monitor him, but I ended up sleeping on his arm! Shameful! Shameful! My King will kill me if he hears of this!'

The Knight wanted to bang her head on a wall, but the Seika seemed unnerved by her actions. He simply laughed and nodded.

”It's alright. I guess I'm the one who made you tired.” The Seika waved his hand, and a plate of food appeared on it. ”Have your breakfast?”

”No, no.” The Knight shook her head, but her stomach grumbled at the smell of the food. Her mouth kept drooling even though she felt ashamed of it.

”Just take it, I have a question.”

Hearing this, the Knight nodded bashfully and took the plate. As soon as she ate the fried toasts and jerky, the delicious taste exploded in her mouth.

”What's your question?” The Knight of Courage asked as she munched on her food.

”Well, why is the duke... the duke?” The Seika asked with a smile. The Knight felt that something was off, but she couldn't tell what it was. After a few seconds of thinking, she didn't see any reason to refuse to tell him.

”The Duke of Contracts is a bit special. He was initially a merchant who worked to grow his wealth. After a certain time, the Kingdom couldn't ignore him. That's why the King gave him the rank of a duke and made him govern the city.”

”So, he's not a war hero or founding nobility?” Arthur asked with interest. ”He's just a duke because he's the wealthiest?”

”Technically, yes.”

”What if a wealthier person appeared out of nowhere? What would happen?” The Seika's eyes gleamed like a curious kid.

This was one of the traits that she found unsettling in him. The change that happened after the incident with the duke of fire. He appeared more childish, treating everything in a relaxed manner as if nothing could hurt him.

”If that happened,” She tried to imagine such a scenario. ”I think it would mean the kingdom needs to replace the duke. The city of contracts is special, so any change in economy is accompanied by a change in politics.”

”What if the duke still had his wealth?” The Seika asked relentlessly.

'Why is he imagining such a scenario? Does he know how much wealth the duke has?' The Knight was confused.

”Listen, Seika. Let me put it in perspective. Long ago, the kingdom needed money to buy some items from abroad. However, the treasury was empty after the last king. That's why King Solomon had to take some funds from the duke and repaid them after a while.”

”Are you saying that the duke is richer than the kingdom?” Arthur raised his brows. ”What about the Magic Vault?” He couldn't help but ask. ”Why not sell artifacts?”