A new day had once again dawned upon the lands of Stella.
Things were going smoothly everywhere except within the King's court, where Arthur was now training both his swordsmanship and magic. Early in the morning he got up, washed his face with water, and headed out to the training grounds where the imperial knights were being trained. Alongside the warriors, he took part in their training regimen. First came a light warm up, then sparring.
Sparring was done with wooden swords. The wooden swords had no padding so that every mistake would hurt, forcing the fighters to either correct themselves or suffer more punishment. And Arthur made sure that he himself was no exception.
He first watched a few sparring matches, observing how the troops fought. Then he got up, took a sword, and asked the captain if he could spar for a few rounds. The captain readily agreed.
Deep inside, however, the captain was already preparing the troops for a coup. But for that he needed to know the true strength of the King himself, so that he could overthrow him when the time was right. He had personally played a major role during the coronation, handling the security of the palace. He had purposefully left gaps within the security so that they could later be exploited. But before he could execute his own plans, a massive bomb blast within the palace had scattered both his plans and his planted troops everywhere. Thus he was now waiting for the perfect strategic opportunity, a moment when the palace would be at its weakest.
The King grabbed a sword and shield in both hands. It was a small rounded shield, perfect for maneuverability.
His first spar was against a newly admitted soldier who, due to family constraints, had been forced to join the army. Because of the drought he had no choice but to join the palace guard. And he deeply resented the King because he believed Arthur had allowed it to happen.
That resentment clearly showed as the soldier rushed forward and violently swung his sword, leaving himself completely open to counterattacks. He raised the sword high above his head and swung downward. Arthur simply poked him gently in the stomach, and the man's own momentum caused the strike to dig in even deeper. The soldier immediately fell to the ground in pain.
Arthur gave the signal for the next opponent to come out, but the soldier suddenly got back up and attempted to strike Arthur from behind, only to be kicked away by Arthur without even turning around.
Arthur explained his mistake.
"Never think that a person who has his back turned isn't looking."
The soldier was dragged aside by two guards as the next opponent entered the field.
His next opponent was a seasoned veteran. He held a perfect defensive stance while anticipating Arthur's attack. But Arthur never attacked. He simply observed him, waiting patiently while the veteran refused to leave his defensive stance.
Eventually the veteran ran out of patience and his guard slipped. He lunged at Arthur with a stab aimed directly at Arthur's chest while covering his own blind spot perfectly with his rounded shield.
Arthur used his small shield to redirect the stab sideways before immediately countering by smashing the veteran's chest with the pommel of his wooden sword.
The opponent was pushed back, but he endured the blow. This time Arthur fully shifted onto the offensive. He launched a side slash from the right, which the veteran intercepted with his sword. Arthur then attempted to shield bash him, but the move was predicted and their shields collided equally.
Arthur suddenly shifted the trajectory of his shield upward and counterattacked with his sword, finally striking the veteran's chest and knocking him to the ground.
And for the finale, Arthur placed the wooden sword against the veteran's neck, only a centimeter away from touching it.
The veteran had no choice but to admit defeat.
Arthur helped the man back onto his feet and patted his back in praise for a good fight.
The captain had carefully analyzed the entire spar. He noticed that Arthur had once used far more efficient techniques during training sessions in the past. But now he was intentionally using inefficient moves and still winning effortlessly.
The captain thought to himself,
"That's why he is called a true prodigy."
Arthur had worked up a good sweat and was about to continue sparring when suddenly a guard came running toward him in panic.
"Your Majesty! My King, there is an emergency!"
Arthur, who was in a very good mood after sparring, smiled as he turned toward the guard who had sprinted all the way from the palace.
"Sir, a messenger has arrived from House Daramten carrying an urgent message. He is awaiting your presence in the palace."
The moment the guard finished speaking, a chill ran down Arthur's spine.
He dropped both the wooden sword and shield. Without even changing his clothes or cleaning himself up, he immediately ran back toward the palace.
The messenger was seated within the guest room, being treated with the highest hospitality due to his affiliation with House Daramten.
Arthur burst through the doors and hurriedly demanded the message.
The messenger calmly opened the scroll and began reading.
"From House Daramten
To His Majesty, Arthur Pendragon
I, the Duke of House Daramten, deeply regret to inform you that we have finally located the carriage of the Royal Family. We have confirmed that both the Former King Aldric Pendragon and Former Queen Seraphina Pendragon have been found deceased.
We have recovered their bodies and are sending them to the palace shortly.
Their carriage appears to have fallen from the steep cliffs of the Croant Mountains. The carriage itself has been shattered into pieces. Not a single part of it remains intact.
A peculiar detail is that the Former Queen was found with a knife deeply lodged within her abdomen.
We are continuing our investigation into the incident and will immediately inform Your Majesty of any further developments."
After finishing the message, the messenger closed the scroll.
The moment Arthur heard the news, his legs began shaking violently.
He collapsed onto the floor.
His lips trembled uncontrollably. His entire body quaked. The tears he had once restrained before others now poured out endlessly as Arthur let out a scream that echoed throughout the palace halls.
The maids, guards, and butlers throughout the palace rushed toward the room to see what had happened.
Arthur knew this outcome had been inevitable. He knew what awaited him in the future. Yet even then he could not stop himself from breaking down.
An unbearable weight of guilt crushed him from within.
If only he had stopped his father that day, then both of them would still be alive.
Maybe he should have simply tolerated his mother's murder attempts.
Such unrealistic and irrational thoughts flooded his mind.
The butlers helped Arthur back onto a chair and handed him water.
But the moment the glass approached him, his paranoia returned and he slapped it away.
Another glass of water was brought to him.
This time Arthur forced himself to accept it with trembling hands. Yet even as he tried to drink, the water spilled uncontrollably from the shaking cup. Most of it poured over his clothes and face instead.
Arthur struggled to breathe. But instead of deep breaths, he could only take rapid, broken gasps.
The messenger watched Arthur trembling before him without the slightest hint of concern. His empathy and sympathy had long since died.
Eventually Arthur's mind went into shock and he collapsed unconscious.
The maids shrieked in horror, while a few even fainted themselves. The butlers quickly lifted Arthur onto their shoulders and carried him back to his room, laying him upon his royal bed.
The Head Butler remained beside him, watching silently as dangerous thoughts entered his mind.
"This is the moment when the emperor is at his weakest. Should I simply end him now?"
His eyes slowly shifted across the room, where he noticed the Head Maid standing nearby while also keeping watch over Arthur.
The Head Butler suppressed his murderous intent.
"I have eyes on me right now. Besides, I am the Head Butler. Harming one's own master while he cannot fight back is beneath me. It would stain my pride as a human being."
The Head Maid herself was thinking something similar.
"This was the perfect chance to end his pathetic life. But this damned old geezer just had to stand beside me now."
Thus neither of them acted. They simply continued watching over Arthur while silently contemplating how they could kill him without attracting suspicion.
Poisoning him right now would have been perfect.
But his death would appear far too unnatural.
Neither the Head Maid nor the Head Butler moved even an inch.
Meanwhile Arthur remained unconscious, showing no signs of waking up even when water was splashed across his face.