Chapter 338: A Proposal (1/2)

They were taken directly toward the Grand Hall of the palace. Arthur could hear the noise inside before he went in, and he knew that the nobles of the kingdom were gathered here.

This gathering was also the reason that they stayed that long in Contracts City. It was to give enough time for preparations to be made. After all, this was the beginning of a new page in Freda.

”Nervous?” Gala adjusted his collar under Dia's irritated eyes. Arthur was taller than her, so she had to raise her hands to adjust his clothes.

”Maybe I should be, but I'm not.” Arthur smiled, and Gala nodded with a smile.

The Knight of Courage returned after leaving them for a bit and nodded their way. Gruen stood by his side, wearing the robes of a craftsman.

The four walked into the Grand Hall together, following the Knight of Courage. The light coming from the windows and washed the hall, making the people inside look holy.

As Arthur walked into the hall, he found twelve chairs in a semi-circular fashion on each side of the grand throne. A carpet connected the doors to the throne, where a man was sitting with a divine aura.

The four of them walked side-by-side, entering the circular space made by the twelve chairs, with the throne in their center. With six chairs on each side, King Solomon looked at them with a thin smile.

Arthur glanced around the hall, looking at the twelve chairs. The Knight of Courage left their side and sat on a chair that resembled a small throne, with the word Courage engraved above her.

'These are the chairs of the Knights.' Arthur realized as he read the words on each chair. They were in Yalveran Language, so they were easier to read.

There were ones that he knew, like Courage, Honesty, Nobility, and Loyalty. Then came the titles that he didn't know, like Virtue, Honor, and Kindness.

'Seven Knights.' Arthur realized and turned toward the other five chairs. They held symbols instead of words: a tree, coins, a sword, a mountain, and a hand.

He recognized two of the symbols. The tree and the coins belonged to the Duke of Shades and the Duke of Contracts, respectively. If Arthur guessed correctly, these chairs belonged to the dukes.

”Greetings, King Solomon.” Arthur placed his hand on his heart and bowed slightly. ”I'm the Seika of Living Beings. It's an honor to meet you finally.”

Arthur raised his head with a polite smile, and King Solomon returned it. As he looked at the King, Arthur was sure this man was the same he met back in the trial, only a younger version of him.

”Welcome, Seika.” King Solomon said with an amused smile, his eyes gleaming with interest. ”I must say, for someone who wreaked havoc in my kingdom, the Seika is a polite man.”

”Words tend to twist themselves the more they travel,” Arthur said with a smile, and the Knight of Nobility snorted. ”I'm sure that you've heard that I'm the most barbaric, ruthless, and disrespectful man to have ever existed.”

”Not that far from it.” King Solomon grinned with interest. ”But I'm still certain that making a deal with you is in favor of the kingdom.” He turned to Dia with a smile. ”We meet again, princess.”

”Greetings, your Majesty.” Dia bowed slightly and raised her head. ”I see that you're still as divine as I first saw you.”

”As flattering as your mother,” Solomon said with a grin. ”I'm saddened by what happened to her.” His words sounded sincere.

”Many thanks for the kind words, your Majesty.” Dia nodded respectfully.

”Ah, you must be Manager Gruen.” King Solomon then turned toward the young dwarf. ”I heard that you have a proposal for me. Let's discuss that later, as a more important matter awaits us.”

”As you wish, your Majesty.” Gruen nodded.

”We met before.” King Solomon turned to Gala, who looked confused.

”Have we?”

”You were a traveler at that time, and I was a young boy.” King Solomon said in nostalgia. ”You look the same as twenty years ago.”

”Well, that's thanks to our Seika.” Gala smiled. ”I hope I didn't steal anything at that time.”

”You did,” Solomon laughed, his voice radiating nostalgia. ”However, you stole from a neighbor I hated, so it's fine.”

'Is he truly a king?' Arthur wondered to himself as the man in front of him laughed lightly. He greeted every one of them before turning back to him with a smile.

”I would love to discuss the terms of your service, but I think you have something that belongs to me.” King Solomon turned toward Arthur, his words shocking the present nobles.

”Does the king intend to take hold of Blessed Spirits?”

”As he should, those artifacts belong to the kingdom.”