Chapter 426: A Peaceful Empire (2/2)

As he read further, Arthur found that there was a lot of uncertainty regarding the matter, and he needed to keep his focus on the current predicament.

Arthur closed the book and left it in his subspace for further research. After that, he went to sleep, delaying his plans to investigate the disappearance of the sea monster's child tomorrow.

***

The monster told him where the child disappeared from, and it was a lake to the south of the river that a tributary of the Lo River fed. This place was the palace where the monster lived with its child, and it was one of the few zones in Freda that was unsuitable to be inhabited.

The fact that a lord visited them made the noble residing in this area panic, and he summoned back all of his family members to properly receive their guests.

Even though Arthur wasn't someone with a proper noble title, he was still the lord of a city, and the promising man labeled Solomon's Excalibur. At the very least, the noble didn't want to disrespect him.

Arthur got out of his carriage together with Ma, who seemed confused about why they were here. Then, for a reason, Arthur said they were here to see the damage of the monster's attack.

”You should aim for perfection,” Arthur said some bullshit about work ethics, and Ma took it with a grain of salt. Their carriage drove away as the two walked toward the noble's house surrounded by Arthur's new knights.

”Welcome, Lord of Hidden,” the fat nobleman bowed, his sweat pouring out of his every pore. It seems that Arthur's reputation among noblemen wasn't good since he killed one of them for attacking his friend.

”I thank you greatly for receiving me, Baron of Pearls,” Arthur said with a smile. ”I'm sorry for my sudden visit, but I'm here to investigate the cause behind the Mernars' Breakout. I hope, for the sake of everyone, that you provide your aid. After all, we are proud citizens of Freda.”

”That would be an honor, sir,” the nobleman gestured for his eldest child, a handsome blonde man in his mid-twenties. ”My son will accompany you to investigate the breakout and provide any assistance that you may need. I've prepared rooms especially for you esteemed.”

”Thank you, Baron Henry,” Arthur nodded and then greeted the rest of his family before they were led to their pavilion. The Baron of Pearls was famous among jewelers, and that made him quite wealthy for a Baron.

There were, of course, dangers folded within the man's carrier of looking for pearls in the giant lake. He lost many of his people just to make sure that the monsters did not attack the nearby villages under his protection.

”My Lord, the recent breakout has been devastating for us,” the handsome young man, whose name turned out to be Randolph, began giving Arthur a summary of the events. ”It came without warning, taking down several of our checkpoints in one full sweep. Yet, weirdly, the villages were left unharmed, and they only focused on occupying the river and its branches.”

Arthur nodded as he followed Randolph into the pavilion, which was a luxurious work of art. Unfortunately, the knights made sure to secure the area before they allowed Arthur to take residence in this place, and it made Arthur feel embarrassed.

He knighted these men not for his protection but for the city's forces to grow. After all, he couldn't waste resources on knights who have exhausted all of their potentials.

”The place is safe, My Lord,” the Mad Prince stepped forward to report, and Arthur grinned in response.

”Great job, temporary leader,” he said to remind her that her position was jeopardized. After all, Arthur wanted them to strive for strength and compete against each other. The Mad Prince's expression stiffened, and she saluted before leaving Arthur and Ma with the Randolph.

The winged demi stood to the side to protect them, but Arthur found it cute that they wanted to protect him with their strength. However, this was an excellent trip to train them and motivate them to grow stronger.

”Tell me, Randolph,” Arthur started with a casual smile. ”Have there been any other noble visitors before the attack?”