Chapter 573: Chapter 573
Arthur's Point of View
Pendragon Estate
It was a rough awakening the next morning. My hands covered my face as I still felt exhausted. However, there was a lot I needed to get done today, and more to work towards. Hopefully Lucia was having a good morning after finding out about her condition last night. Aside from that, I got ready for my day.
As soon as I opened my door, Allen Harlow was waiting for me. "Good morning, Sir."
Holding up my hand to stop him, I spoke. "Please give me a few minutes before we get into anything. Breakfast would be nice."
He looked surprised at that. "Uh, it's well past noon, Sir." Allen stated.
Blinking slowly, I sighed as I walked past him. "Then lunch would be nice. We can get into things in a few minutes, but I definitely need to speak with you today."
Falling in behind me, Allen followed me. It was a little annoying, but I was used to someone doing the same thing at any given time. When I got to the kitchen, Aydalia was there with Freya. I almost turned around to leave, although that would've been a tad excessive.
"Look who finally woke up." Aydalia commented as her and Freya worked behind the counter.
"I had a long day yesterday." I commented. "Any chance you two are making something for me to eat?"
Freya refused to meet my eyes, which wasn't anything new. "We can if you'd like us to." She averted her gaze any time I ran into her.
Aydalia snorted. "You're not one of my kids." She replied. "But I suppose if you'd like I can whip you up something to eat."
Sitting at the counter, I nodded. "Appreciate it." My eyes watched the succubus.
"Be nice." Aydalia told me in a warning tone.
"I didn't say anything. Why do you even care?"
Harlow sat down beside me a little hesitantly as Mamma Farro answered. "Because it's rude." I scoffed at that. "Freya apologized to my boy, Arthur. He forgave her. As far as I'm concerned, that's the end of that."
"Fine. I won't stare at the succubus. Any other rules I should know?" I asked back, but Aydalia just frowned.
"Do you want a nice meal or not?" The elf threatened me.
"God, you're snippy today." I rested my chin in my hand as I continued. "Something happen back at your estate, your nobleness?"
"Mock all you want, Arthur. My estate has hard workers who have been working hard in my absence. They are all trusted employees of the Farro family."
I just huffed. "Nobles." My attention turned to Allen. "Am I right?"
The former captain looked uneasy at that as Aydalia also stared at him. "Uh..."
Patting him on the back, I spoke. "Don't answer that." My attention then turned back to Aydalia. "Seriously, though. What's your problem?"
Aydalia frowned at that. In response to my question, her magic activated, and my former severed hand appeared. Her aura disappeared and the severed limb plopped down in front of me. It was definitely disgusting to see as it made a mess of the countertop.
"I was going to eat here, but I guess not." I then gestured to the table. "Do you want me to eat at the table or-"
The elf slammed her hands on the counter which made Freya jumped as it startled her. "Why do you keep doing this?!" Grabbing my hand, she threw it at my chest. Blood covered my normal clothes as it fell back into the counter. "None of this works if you keep doing things by yourself, Arthur!" She took it once more and wiggled it in front of my face. "Do you not understand how Marina appearing randomly, wounded, with your severed hand would be horrifying?!"
I frowned at that. "Aydali-"
She cut me off as she set it down and let out a frustrated sigh. "I'm sorry." Aydalia quickly said. "It's just... Do you understand that seeing you wounded, to such a degree is almost mind numbing. I know you can't help it, but if you were to disappear..."
Sighing through my nose, I replied. "I'm fine. Don't worry so much. As much as I'd like to say this isn't going to happen again, I'd be lying. I'm doing the best I can, Aydalia."
"I know." She stated softly. "I know. Marina has recovered, and your hand is back, so everything must've been resolved. Right?"
"..." My silence didn't assuage her fears.
"Arthur... We're fine, right?"
"We're fine." I confirmed. "Don't worry about Crawlana. Let me worry about that. It's not like any of you could do anything about it anyway."
Aydalia's teeth clenched as her fingers curled into fists. "It is becoming more and more frustrating to hear that. Did you know something was in Crawlana that was dangerous?"
Leaning back as I looked at her, I answered. "I gave Marina my orb because the Leviathan that lurked in the Middle Ocean. If Crawlana still existed, that meant there was something else present that likely gave it pause or was able to drive it off."
"So, you knew."
"I suspected there was something else present. Whether it was another demon or something else was beyond me. There wasn't anything I knew specifically, just made a rational speculation that just as easily could've been wrong."
"But you weren't."
Grabbing my hand, I looked it over. "No. I wasn't. Sometimes it really sucks being right."
Aydalia sighed as she watched me. "Please be careful, or at least give us a warning."
"I can't warn you about what I don't know."
"I know... I know." She leaned on the counter slightly as she continued. "If you fall, my family will likely not be far behind. It might not be anytime soon, but Arceana won't leave us be now." Her head hung as she trembled. "Lestrania will not survive without you anymore. You know that."
"No pressure." I mumbled.
The elf wanted to respond but was cut off. "Finally awake, are you!?" Our collective attention turned to the doorway to see a very ecstatic dwarf. "Been wandering around with that golem of yours! This place is nice. Bit too clean in my opinion."
Aydalia snorted at that. "You should've seen it before dozens of people started living here. Place looked like it was abandoned."
I shrugged. "What do you want from me? I only used three or four rooms." My attention turned back to the dwarf. "So, you were out with Rock. Did you see Marina?"
"Rock? Marina?" Our new dwarf asked back.
"He means the golem you've been with." Allen responded. "Weren't you listening to Lady Farro yesterday while she explained things?"
The dwarf looked at the elf for a moment before he scratched his head. "Kind of. I was more distracted by the golem."
"Gods..." Aydalia whispered in frustration.
He chuckled. "Don't worry. I'll figure things out as we go!"
Allen slowly rubbed his eyes in frustration. "Dwarves..."
"We definitely got a hodgepodge of races here. Everyone will just have to get along." I turned to the dwarf. "Be wary, Vome. There are some powerful figures here that come and go as they please."
"Any stronger than you?" He asked back.
"No."
"Then does it matter?"
Aydalia was amused by that. "The dwarf has a point."
"If you two want to wait in my office, I'll be in there once I finish eating." I told Allen and Vome.
"I'm rather hungry. Would you mind if I ate with you?" Vome asked.
"I haven't eaten yet either." Allen told me.
I shrugged again. "Ask Aydalia and Freya if they can make some extra of whatever it is they're making."
Aydalia rolled her eyes. "Freya's been prepping the food since this morning under my watchful eye. Don't worry. There will be plenty to go around. Alwin, Typhon, and Elincia are all likely to visit as well. Ayda... Well, she'll eat eventually or collapse."
"Should I go-" Allen started, but she quickly shook her head.
"Nope. Tried to stop her long ago. It doesn't matter. No matter how she was punished, Ayda would always eventually return to working until exhaustion. Why do you think she's so small?"
"I assumed it was neglect." My comment got Aydalia to turn to me with a bit of a stink eye. "Or genetics. Either or."
Vome sneered at that. "What's wrong with being smaller than others?"
Aydalia looked bemused at that. "While it may be normal for others, it's not expected of others." Was her quick retort before she stuck a couple of plates down in front of us. "There you go. Some food before you start the day. Late as it may be..." She added as we looked over the soup and freshly baked bread.
"I slept in. Sue me." Taking a loaf for myself, I took a bite and moaned in delight. "Love fresh bread." Then I held it up to Allen. "And it makes the kitchen smell amazing."
"Sue?" Aydalia repeated confused as she ignored my love for bread.
"It means to prosecute him." A voice came in from the doorway once more. Turning right as I was about to dig into my lunch, I saw Marina. "Father."
Our new Dwarf yelped in surprise. "The fuck is that?"
My brow quirked at that as a small smile came to the corner of my lips. "My name is Marina. Arthur Pendragon is my father."
Vome turned to me in surprise once more. "Everything I learn about you just makes me question so much."
Ignoring him, I turned to Marina again. "Are you feeling better?"
"Much. I was not expecting a foe stronger than me in my own element. Especially not to overpower me in such a manner. If not for you-"
Stepping away from the counter, one of my arms wrapped around her. "Do not blame yourself. You did nothing wrong. Besides, I got payback for you."
"Then where does that leave us with Crawlana?" Marina inquired.
"In limbo for the moment. Believe it or not, but I restrained myself, and didn't kill anyone."
"That's a little surprising."
"I know."
Aydalia sighed at that. "Yes. Yes. We're all proud."
Vome was off his stool as he looked up at Marina to examine her, while I brought her to the counter. She sat down and looked at me in surprise as I gestured to the food. Her tail wiggled a bit in excitement.
"Would you like some?" I asked her.
"What about you?" Marina inquired.
"We have plenty coming, so don't worry." Aydalia answered. "Isn't that right, Freya?"
The succubus nodded shyly as she almost tried to stay hidden. "Yes. I'm following your instructions." Freya answered.
"See?" I said with a smirk. "Eat."
Allen moved down a spot so I could sit beside her. "Okay!" A bright smile came to her lips as she ate.
Vome seemed to find this curious. "Are you really so happy for a simple meal?" He pondered out loud.
She shook her head as she dipped some of the bread into her soup. "No. It's just that this is the first time I've eaten with my father since we first arrived here." Marina answered, and my eyes widened at that as my jaw dropped. "Breeze sat down for a meal with him at the Reed's, but this is the first time I've had the opportunity to."
Marina was unaware of my expression as I turned from her as she ate away happily. It was true. I had thought nothing of it. One of my hands covered my lips as I stared at the counter in disbelief. Most of the time my meals were random or given to me in my room and sometimes my office.
"This is a nice change!" Marina continued. "Rock doesn't eat, so none of us have really brought it up."
Putting my food down, I sighed as I ran my hands through my hair. "I'm sorry." I said simply as I turned to Marina. She looked at me in surprise. "I'll try to set some time aside so we can-"
Marina placed a hand on my forearm. "I didn't mean it in a bad way! We know you're busy!"
"Having a meal with you and the others isn't that difficult. It just never crossed my mind." Her hand fell from my forearm as my hand moved to the top of her head. "I'll try to do better." She smiled at that.
"We could start planning mealtimes if you're interested." Aydalia offered. "Some of my workers wouldn't mind-"
"No to your workers." I immediately told her, and she seemed surprised at that. "Some of the spies watching us are likely from the lovely nobles of Helmsforth. I don't want any workers who have any involvement with them." My eyes focused on the elf. "You volunteered to stay here. I trust you, but I don't want anyone who can be bought with gold or silver here."
She nodded slowly. "A fair concern. Perhaps I should meet with Duke Leiflan. He would know more than most."
I shrugged. "By all means. As for mealtimes..." My eyes glanced to Marina. "If you think we can, I'm all for it."
"That sounds nice." Marina commented and then slowly turned to me. "Father..."
A continued title that I didn't take lightly. "Yeah?" I asked as I put the bowl of soup to my lips.
"What would you have done if the Seafolk killed me?" Marina asked me quietly. Freya seemed interested in that as well. "Would you have killed them?"
"..." I was eating silently as I thought on her words.
Others watched on in silence as they waited for my answer.
A scowl came to my lips. "If you have my memories, you already know my answer." I told her.
Before Marina could respond, yet another newcomer joined us in the kitchen. "As someone who saw Arthur's despair when he thought Lucia had passed, I assure you, vengeance would likely be swift." Camoa stated as she moved behind the counter to where Aydalia was and whispered something to her. The elf seemed surprised, but nodded, and quickly left. "You know of Arthur's actions directly." The Druid said simply as she gestured to Freya. "The succubus present are all direct reminders."
"I suppose so." Marina commented. "Still, it was amazing how you were able to overpower their control over water." She smirked as she nudged me slightly. "Removing all the water from that city wasn't something I would've even attempted."
"A feat to be sure." Camoa added.
"There's a Druid here too?" Vome whispered from the other side of Marina. "You a fuckin collector or something?"
The druid in question frowned. "He's certainly not a collector of class if your language is anything to go by." Camoa pointed out.
Vome rolled his eyes. "Go fuck a tree." I had to stop myself from laughing at that as I covered my amusement with my fist as I continued to eat. "You're not a fan of our new alliance, sister?"
Camoa, to my surprise, summoned a flower to her hand and placed it behind Vome's ear. "It was a surprise to be sure, but a welcome one, brother." She told him with a small smile. "With how much the world is changing, I can say it is a delightful change. Especially after how I heard about your prince taking my people in."
"Mmh." Vome grumbled out slightly. "He'll be good king, with a greater heart." He eyed her. "Why are you here so isolated from your own people?"
"Arthur had need of my help. My home is no longer safe, so he offered me a place to stay." Camoa told him.
"It would seem we have similar stories." Vome pointed out.
Allen finally spoke up at that. "I hope those are stories that only you can share. Unfortunately, I think it will be happening more and more."
Freya actually decided to speak up as well. "Isn't that why you're all here?" Everyone turned to her. "To stop this from happening again?"
"It is." Wiping my mouth, I stood. "Camoa, can you show Allen and Vome to my office? I'll be there shortly."
"Certainly." She then moved to leave the kitchen. "Follow me you two."
Allen grunted as he put his food down after taking one more bit while Vome just picked up his food up. Both men followed the Druid out of the room. Marina continued to eat while I looked at Freya.
"Freya." I called to her, and her eyes met mine after a moment.
They quickly averted once more. "Yes?"
I tapped the countertop a few times as I spoke. "How good are you at following orders?" She looked surprised at that. "Are you willing to follow orders?"
"Does it involve the children?" Freya asked as Marina watched on silently.
"No."
"..." The succubus was quiet for a minute before she nodded. "Then yes. I never expected to stay here for free."
Instantly, my hands went up to correct her. "As far as I'm concerned, you've been earning your keep. Same with the kids. All of you have been working hard to clean this place up. You don't have to accept this offer. You're essentially already my employee. You're just getting paid in crystals filled with my energy instead of gold."
Her lips tightened. "You think of us as servants?"
"I think of you as refugees I'm putting to work and giving an opportunity. Giving you any gold or silver now would be wasteful when sustenance is what you really need. In the future though, near or far, I plan to change to an actual currency so you can buy whatever you want. This is just a temporary measure given the current situation." I gestured to her softly. "If this is all you want to do, then so be it. I won't force you into anything."
"May I think about it?"
With a nod, I spoke. "Take all the time you need. Let me know when you've come to a decision." My eyes narrowed as I glanced towards one of the walls leading outside. "Things may be resolved by the time you make your decision though." My attention turned to Marina. "I'm glad you're alright. Enjoy the meal."
As I to the entryway, a teleportation went off, which resulted in two new visitors. "Arthur." Alwin greeted me as Ty stood next to him.
"Go see Lucia if you haven't had the chance to do so."
Alwin looked confused at that. "Is she okay?"
I didn't answer him, but instead repeated myself. "Just go see Lucia." He seemed concerned as he quickly ran up the stairs in concern.
Ty also seemed worried. "Is Lucia hurt?"
"No. She just needed to talk with Alwin. However, I need you to go find Aydalia or Ayda. See if they need help with anything. I have my own meeting I need to go to. We'll continue your training afterwards." He nodded, and moved to the stairs, but I quickly grabbed his arm. "Ready yourself for todays training." I warned him, which startled him. "Steel yourself."
He pulled his arm from my grasp as he looked at me. "I'm always ready. Isn't that what you taught me?" Ty moved to the stairs as he headed upstairs.
A sigh left my lips as I moved to my office. "Am I supposed to be here, or should I leave?" Camoa's voice called out as I entered my office.
All three were looking at me. "Depends." I answered as I moved to sit in my chair. "Are you a ward?"
The men seemed confused at that. "Like those wolves?" Camoa asked back and I nodded. "No."
"You understand my hesitation, right?" I inquired as I leaned back in my chair. "After all, you were in that forest for quite some time without any complications."
"I'm not offended. I can leave if you so desire."
My shoulders slumped slightly. "You might not even know, so it doesn't matter. If my suspicions are correct, it's not like they can do anything." Rummaging through my desk, I pulled out several scrolls and held them up before the group. "Here, Vome. Tell me what you think."
Vome caught one of the scrolls that I had tossed while I set the others atop the desk. The dwarf seemed interested as he glanced at me. Unwrapping the scroll, he opened it and his eyes immediately widened. I watched as his eyes darted about the parchment as he examined it closed. Allen and Camoa also looked it over closely from over his shoulder.
"...What is this?" Vome's voice came in at a whisper with clear awe.
"A ship." I answered. "Of sorts."
Allen slowly looked up at me. "This is unlike any ship I've ever seen."
"I'd be very surprised if you had." Leaning forward, I tapped the other scrolls as they all looked at me. "These are blueprints from what I could remember. This worlds technology is sorely lacking in making such a vessel... But...!" My fingers steepled together in front of me as my elbows rested on the desk. "I was hoping with dwarven ingenuity, the ways of druids, elven magic, and human tenacity, we might be able to make this."
Vome was the first to speak as the other two were completely lost. "Well, I cannot say for sure. This is beyond anything I've ever attempted to make, and I certainly would need help." He looked it over a little more. "This is clearly not just a simple ship." His eyes then locked on mine. "What is this, really?"
A smirk came to my lips. "Let's call it the future. It might also be my last resort. That is all I will say on the matter."
All three frowned at my wording. "You wish for my crew to sail with this?" Allen inquired.
"Allen, you will herald in a new age of discovery and adventure. This ship will do so much more than sail."
Camoa then gestured to the other scrolls. "How do you expect us to make such a thing if we don't have the means to actually do so?"
"The dwarves owe me a favor and I know an elf or two who are more creative than they should be. With my knowledge, and everyone's help, I think there is a very real possibility of succeeding." I answered.
"Even the sheer scope of this project would take thousands of workers under a coordinated effort." Vome pointed out.
"Tens of thousands." I quickly added and I put my pointer finger on the desk. "None of you would believe me if I explained to you what this really is. So, for the moment, I just want to know whether or not I have your help."
Vome chuckled. "I may not know what it is, but it is what I signed up for. This thing seems like it might change the world!"
Allen looked at me concerned. "Is this to help us in our fight against the demons?"
"Yes and no. It can help, but I want this built for another reason."
"May we know what that reason might be?" Camoa pressed further.
I shook my head. "Until I know for certain, I will not add paranoia to our list of things to be concerned about. While I may not entirely deserve it, your trust would be appreciated."
"Who fuckin cares!?" Vome asked excitedly. "Just look at this!" He held up the scroll before reaching to the others and opening them. "The amount of details is unbelievable! It doesn't get better than this! A step for step plan on how to change this world!"
"Just because one 'can' change the world, doesn't mean one should." Camoa said in a warning tone as she looked at me.
"On that, we can agree, Camoa. Unfortunately, this is necessary. Otherwise, I wouldn't be suggesting it. Weapons came to mind, but this..." I pointed at the scrolls. "This could save hundreds of thousands of lives."
All three of them were surprised at that. "Well, I'm very interested, but you clearly don't have the manpower to take on such a task." Come commented.
Allen nodded in agreement. "How do you plan on getting the materials to build this? Resources like this aren't rare, but I've never heard of these in such large quantities being available anywhere."
Camoa looked at me as if a switch had flipped in her mind. "Rock!" She said with a gasp. "He can find them!" A small smirk came to her lips. "And if he can't, he can find more valuable metals to pay for them."
"Exactly. He will also be helping build this if he's willing." My attention turned back to Vome. "Aside from that, how do you feel about seeing how the new dwarven and druid alliance is going?"
Vome quirked a brow at that. "You want to head back to Vithari?" I nodded. "I just fuckin got here!" He groaned. "Can I stay?"
A chuckle came to my lips at that. "It won't be that long of a trip. I can open a portal to Dwardew's ruins. We can find where the dwarves and druids are from there." He pulled at his beard in thought. "But you did just travel for several months. So, I understand if you're a little reluctant."
He groaned. "I'll go... Just, take us somewhere other than Dwardew. I left the capital for a reason." Vome's mirth disappeared at that.
"Of course." I told him with a solemn nod. "I understand. We can always appear in the desert or along the coast."
Vome sighed at that. "Alright. Let's get this over with."
I shook my head. "Take your time to rest. There's no hurry. We'll head east in a day or two. Rest for the moment. We need to discuss this project in more details before we head there. Going to meet the dwarves and druids without a solid plan seems pointless. We'll go when we have a place to start building."
Allen crossed his arms at that. "Speaking of, where do you plan to build such a monumental ship? It would be almost impossible to hide this project."
"Normally I would suggest the forest, but I think that ship has sailed." Camoa smirked at her pun as us men looked at her with a raised brow. "So, one of our goals is to find a place to create such a massive ship, that by these instructions," She paused as she grabbed the scroll and looked it over before she continued. "Appears to be larger than Mt. Helmsforth itself."
"Don't worry about where the project will take place. I can handle that with Rock's help." My attention turned to Allen. "Inform your men that they'll be busy soon. They'll be paid under my employ along with given housing, food, and other necessities, but inform them that this will be a long term project."
The former Lestranian captain nodded. "Of course." He left the room to do as instructed.
"If you don't need me for the moment, I'm gonna go find that giant fuckin golem!" Vome said happily as he left the office.
That left Camoa and me alone. "Are you sure this is the best course of action? Wouldn't raising an army be better than-"
I cut her off. "My plans for the upcoming summit are still underway. No single army will be able to repel the demon's forces. The dwarves and druids are the perfect example of that. Besides, there's no army that we can raise that would be able to handle even one of their generals." Gesturing to myself with a frown, I continued. "I'm the perfect example of that."
Camoa began tracing one of the vines on her arms in thought. "Very well. If you think this is our best course of action, I will aid in the construction of this ship. Inform me when I am needed." I gave her a small nod and she left the room.
My hands instinctively picked up the scroll as I looked it over. Memories of my past came flooding to the forefront of my mind. Times on the moon going over plans and blueprint models. This 'ship' was meant to follow after me years after my mission. Decades even. Instead, I was sucked into a blackhole and ended up here. It was, with all intents and purposes, meant to be an ark.
Tracing the sketch, my fingers almost trembled. "So much potential and so much at stake. Will this become the beginning of the greatest city and or nation to ever grace this world's surface, or will it become a vessel to preserve this world..." I whispered to myself. My fingers steepled together and tightened until my knuckles turned white. "That's only if it is completed."
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