Artur and Robert walked through the corridors inside The Great Hall. Currently, they were on the second floor, precisely one floor below the ground. The arion species were accustomed to living underground, so their building construction extended downward rather than upward.
Nevertheless, the lighting in this place resembled sunlight. Artur looked up and saw bright lights illuminating the area. He didn't sense any mana within these lights, so the energy source for this illumination wasn't mana stones.
Artur didn't know how the arion species utilized their technology. However, it was truly fascinating and unlike anything seen in any human alliance kingdom.
Following a maid ahead of them, Artur frowned. The same expression appeared on Robert's face. The reason was that the maid walking in front of them wasn't an arion; she was a human like them.
Initially, Artur thought that the only human within the fortress was Anna, but it seemed he was mistaken. Knowledge about humans wasn't obtained solely through Anna by the arion species; there were other humans as well. Perhaps the relationship between humans and the arion species had been ongoing for a long time.
The question, however, was why they had never known about this before. If the human alliance indeed knew about the existence of the arion species, Robert would surely have been aware of it. But not just them—even Gathjee was seeing the arion species for the first time.
"Ahem... excuse me, miss. My name is Robert Gaht, and I am the son of Stent Gaht," Robert said.
Artur understood what Robert was aiming for. He initiated the conversation by introducing his name and his father's name. No human was unaware of who Stent Gaht was. To humans, Stent Gaht was an admired and revered hero.
By revealing that he was Stent Gaht's son, Robert hoped to soften the maid's demeanor. Usually, Robert never used his father's name for anything. However, this time he was compelled to do so because there were many things he wanted to ask the maid in front of them.
But the maid remained indifferent and simply nodded. It was as if she didn't know who Stent Gaht was, or perhaps she didn't care.
This made Robert feel quite awkward. This was an expression he had never encountered before, especially from a woman. With his handsomeness, strength, and background, it could be said that no woman remained unaffected by him.
"Um... may I know your name?" Robert asked hesitantly.
"Gupita," the maid replied shortly.
The conversation fell silent, and Robert, who wasn't accustomed to initiating conversations with women first, could only glance at Artur for help. Artur frowned, observing his friend's evident awkwardness. How could someone as handsome as Robert not know how to talk to a woman? No wonder he was still single.
After sighing internally, Artur cleared his throat and directed a question to the maid in front of them, "Um... may we know which kingdom you're from, Miss Gupita?"
Gupita didn't answer and continued to walk in silence. Her pace quickened, indicating her eagerness to reach their destination.
Robert's brow furrowed, and he looked disappointedly at Artur. Is this all you can do? How can someone with such looks not know how to hold a conversation with a woman? Artur could clearly read these two questions on Robert's face, which only added to his frustration. If they weren't in another species' territory right now, he might have punched his annoying friend's face already.
Eventually, their journey was filled with silence. Only the sound of footsteps echoed in the quiet corridor. Meanwhile, Artur and Robert wore increasingly sour expressions. Each time they exchanged glances, their eyes communicated alternating mocking remarks.
Finally, Gupita stopped in front of a door and knocked.
*Knock! *Knock! *Knock!
"Madam, I have brought your two guests," Gupita said politely.
"Oh, please have them both come in," a voice, a woman's voice they recognized, replied.
As Gupita opened the door, Robert whispered to Artur, "Hey siscon, you better hold yourself back right now. Otherwise, I truly won't be able to save you from the impending doom."
Robert's voice sounded dead serious, as did his gaze. Artur didn't say anything; he just nodded. He understood that Robert wasn't looking for words right now but for evidence shown through his behavior.
The door swung open, and Gupita ushered them inside. Artur swallowed hard and clenched his fists. He didn't want to lose control again like earlier and endanger his friends' lives.
They both stepped into the room and saw Anna engaged in conversation with a red-haired woman. It was Rini, Artur's wife.
Artur was taken aback to see that Rini was in the room with Anna. No wonder he hadn't noticed her when he woke up from his fainting.
Rini turned to Artur before looking back at Anna. Placing her teacup on the table, Rini lowered her head towards Anna.
"Madam Anna, I want to apologize again for my husband's rudeness earlier," she said with a genuinely apologetic tone.
Anna just waved her hand, "It's alright, Rini. I never expected anything from my air-headed little brother anyway," she said before taking another sip of her tea.
Artur was taken aback, not by Anna's words, but by Rini's current expression. He understood that Rini had two expressions—one she showed to her friends and one she displayed to nobles. And right now, Rini was wearing the expression she used when talking to nobles when addressing Anna.
Though Artur didn't fully grasp what was happening, Robert quickly understood. The Anna they were facing wasn't the same Anna Artur knew. However, this didn't mean the Anna before them was fake; it was just that her current status had changed.
Robert pulled Artur's arm and led him closer to Anna. He nudged his still-dumbfounded friend to bow his head and said, "I appreciate your magnanimity, Madam. However, I would also like to apologize for my friend's childish behavior."
"Artur, just apologize!" Robert whispered to Artur.
Artur just turned to Robert with his mouth agape before looking back at Anna. He truly didn't understand what was really happening and where he had gone wrong.
Everything was so perplexing that it felt like his lungs might burst. Artur stayed silent, staring at Anna without blinking. He didn't know why he had to apologize to Anna, and he didn't understand why everyone was acting like this.
Seeing Artur's stunned expression, disappointment was evident on both Rini's and Robert's faces.
Anna placed her teacup back on the table. A deep sigh escaped her lips before she spoke, "Sir Robert, it's alright. Both of you, please have a seat."
"Madam Anna, but--"
"It's fine. Artur won't understand unless we explain in detail. Let me do it. He's a mage now, and it's only fitting that I, as his sister, teach him about etiquette," Anna cut in, interrupting Robert.
Robert nodded and pulled his friend to sit on the sofa. Artur sat between Rini and Robert. He remained frozen, not blinking at all. His puzzled expression was evident, much like that of someone lost in a maze with no way out.
Seeing everyone seated, Anna began to speak, "Artur, earlier you may not have realized my current position. I'm no longer the sister you used to know. However, that doesn't mean I'm not Anna anymore, nor am I under a spell's control.
"If I were under a spell's control, Sir Gathjee would have found out already. So, dismiss any ill thoughts from your mind. I'm not that weak for you to worry about. In fact, I might be stronger than the three of you combined, even if you were to fight me together."
Anna's words sounded somewhat boastful, but no one could fault her for it. Robert realized that Anna was stronger than the three of them combined. Maybe the current Anna was even stronger than Vate and Listi.
He could sense the same mana aura as the Mana God from Anna's body. So, currently, Anna was at least a Level 4 Constellation Mage.
"I heard from Rini that you're now a noble. Not just an ordinary noble, but a noble from the Valya family. So, your name now is Artur Valya. Not only that, but you've also married a noble.
"Therefore, you should understand that the life of a noble and a commoner is vastly different. It's not just about honor; we carry the responsibilities of the nobility we hold.
"Artur, what stands before you now isn't Anna Morris anymore. It's Anna, who married a prince of a certain mana species. My position now is even higher than Robert's, who is the son of the hero Stent Gaht.
"Though my husband may appear easy-going, he is deeply respected. Unlike the human species which respects lineage, the arion species respect strength.
"Even though my husband is powerful, I can't simply enjoy that honor. I also need to become strong so that other arions respect me. Yet, I'm just a human.
"I need time to become as strong as my husband. That's why I've changed my attitude, so my husband and I won't be underestimated. This is the version of me you see now."
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