# Chapter 159
—
Angelina and Willet’s mouths fell open.
For a moment, they could not accept the reality before them, staring blankly at Arthur.
*He… rejected the proposal?*
*But why?*
By their understanding, there was absolutely no reason for Arthur Bayern to refuse the offer just made to him.
With Dormund as their common enemy, what could be more ideal than Arcane and Bayern joining hands?
That was why Angelina and Willet found themselves unable to react at all.
But then, Arthur’s next words forced their hazy thoughts back into stark reality.
“If you’ve finished speaking, may I get up now?”
“…!”
Willet was the first to regain his composure and hastily asked,
“Arthur… are you truly intending to reject this proposal?”
Arthur, rising from his seat, tilted his head.
“Yes. I have no intention of accepting it.”
“……”
Angelina, coming back to her senses as well, quickly followed up,
“Do you dislike us, Young Master?”
“No? Why would I dislike either of you?”
“Then why refuse?”
Arthur stroked his chin.
“Mm… that’s a tough question.”
“I’d still like an answer.”
After pondering her words for a moment, Arthur smiled brightly.
“Because I don’t think the two of you really understand yet.”
“…Understand what?”
“Cain Dormund. You don’t comprehend what it means to oppose that man.”
Willet blinked.
“…Misunderstand? What do you mean by that?”
“Well… put simply.”
Arthur snapped his fingers.
“If Arcane joins hands with me here and opposes Dormund, this city won’t last a week.”
“…!”
“And that’s being generous. At the earliest, you’d be overrun within three days. That’s why I haven’t joined forces with you.”
Angelina’s mouth fell open in dismay. Willet too was shaken. But the older and more seasoned of the two managed to steady himself enough to ask,
“…If we ally with you, Arcane will vanish? What are you saying?”
“Cain Dormund values legitimacy.”
“…?”
“He’s a deeply hypocritical man. If Arcane and I unite, that hands him all the justification he needs. And then? He’ll rush here from the imperial capital and erase everything.”
“…!”
“That’s the last thing I want, elder. I won’t let this city be lost over a single poor decision.”
“……”
“Isn’t that reason enough for my refusal?”
Angelina and Willet fell silent, staring at him in genuine shock.
*That’s why he refused?*
It was surprising enough that he turned down the proposal, but the reason stunned them even more.
If he joined hands with them, Arcane would be destroyed by Dormund—so he would not.
And yet, thinking it over more carefully, it wasn’t entirely without merit.
*Seven years ago… when Cain Dormund invaded… did he truly strike Arcane with all his might?*
Willet shook his head at the unspoken question.
Though enraged at his son’s death, Cain Dormund had not unleashed every measure to annihilate Arcane. Even as the Empire’s most powerful man, he could not afford to sever ties with Arcane, a city connected across the continent.
He must have deployed only a force limited enough to be contained.
But if things were revealed now, the outcome would be entirely different. With a just cause in his hands, Cain Dormund would pour in everything he had.
That realization drew a soft exclamation from Willet.
*…I never thought he’d see this far.*
And the fact that it was Arthur Bayern who had perceived this stunned him once again.
It was then that Angelina slowly spoke.
“…I see. What you say makes sense. But, Young Master—”
Her eyes gleamed.
“Looked at another way… that is exactly why we must join hands.”
Arthur tilted his head.
“What do you mean, Lady Mayor?”
“You are underestimating Arcane’s strength.”
“…?”
“Cain Dortmund… he is a formidable man. But Arcane is also the greatest city of the continent.”
“…!”
“If we fight him with everything we have, we can endure for many days. We won’t fall so easily.”
Arthur’s lips curled faintly.
Encouraged by the interest glimmering in his eyes, Angelina pressed on fervently,
“So if we ally, we will not drag you down. But if we do not, both sides will only suffer losses.”
Arthur opened his mouth.
“…Hmm. And what are you really saying, Lady Mayor?”
“My stance hasn’t changed, Young Master.”
Rising to her feet, Angelina’s eyes shone.
“Put your trust in us. I promise you will never regret it.”
At her confident words, Arthur’s expression grew ambiguous.
—
—
Angelina’s persistent proposal left Arthur deep in thought.
*…Hmm. This is troublesome.*
Not in a bad way, but in a good way.
Truthfully, an alliance with Arcane would benefit him as well.
*It would mean gaining a force to support me.*
Since deciding to kill Cain Dormund, he had never had such a chance.
After all, who in their right mind would ally themselves with someone aiming to slay the Empire’s true ruler?
Thus, Arthur had always stood alone against him.
But if he joined with Arcane, for the first time he would have comrades who shared his goal.
He already knew that it was easier to fight alongside others than to fight alone. And Arcane was not just an ally, but a formidable one.
That made him want to accept. And yet…
*Would that man really sit by and watch?*
Of course not. Cain Dormund, a man consumed by the same madness as himself, would never let this pass.
He would unleash every means to crush Arcane.
And Arthur did not wish to see that.
At the same time, another thought stirred within him.
*Cain Dormund… I want to keep him all to myself.*
Just as it had been with Ian Dormund. He didn’t want anyone else to have him—neither his life nor his death.
He wanted to end it with his own hands.
That was why Arthur’s hesitation deepened.
Then Willet spoke.
“…Is there another reason?”
Arthur lifted his head.
“Yes?”
“Judging from your face, it isn’t only the reason you gave us. There’s something else, isn’t there?”
“……”
At Willet’s sharp question, Arthur scratched his head.
*As expected… I can never hide anything from Willet.*
He truly was a man fit to be Arcane’s greatest broker.
So in the end, Arthur confessed.
“To be honest… yes, there is another reason.”
“…And what is it?”
“I don’t want to share Cain Dormund with anyone.”
“…?”
Willet and Angelina both blinked at the strange answer.
*What’s this now…?*
*What kind of reasoning is that?*
He didn’t want to “share” Cain Dormund?
Was that his reason for refusing alliance?
Then came the unexpected words from Arthur’s lips.
“If we ally, then we must kill Cain Dormund together.”
“…!”
“I don’t want that. That man… I must kill with my own hands.”
Angelina and Willet’s mouths slowly parted. In contrast, Arthur’s lips curled upward.
“Him, and him alone—I must be the one to kill. That is the very reason I live.”
“……”
“Does that answer suffice, elder?”
Willet could not reply.
“……”
Silent, he trembled at the madness in Arthur’s gaze.
*…So that’s it. That’s the unease I always felt from him.*
Arthur Bayern.
Why he had always walked such a different path—Willet finally understood, letting out a bitter laugh.
He was obsessed with Cain Dormund.
Obsessed enough to stop at nothing to kill him.
It had taken Willet seven years to realize this. And that realization sparked another thought.
*…All the more reason to want him.*
Arthur Bayern would kill Cain Dormund.
But walking that path alone would be harsh and painful.
Willet did not want to see him suffer so.
And so he decided to be greedy—for Arthur’s sake, not Arcane’s.
His mind made up, Willet spoke.
“Then isn’t it simpler, Arthur?”
“Yes?”
“Use us for your revenge.”
“…!”
Arthur’s eyes widened.
Willet’s voice rang with firm conviction.
“Use us. You have every right.”
—
—
Willet continued calmly,
“Our goal is not Cain Dormund’s death.”
“……”
“Our goal is to keep him from conquering Arcane. Which means there’s no problem in joining hands with you.”
Interest flickered in Arthur’s gaze. Willet pressed the point home.
“But if you wish it, Arcane will go to war with him for your sake.”
“…!”
“Don’t ask why. You deserve it. So reconsider.”
Willet smiled faintly.
“Do you truly have no need of Arcane, Arthur Bayern?”
At that question, Arthur’s heart pounded. His doubts and conflicts vanished. Only one question remained.
*Do I need Arcane?*
Yes. He did.
What greater ally could there be than the greatest commercial city on the continent?
At that thought, Arthur burst into laughter.
*I’ve been overthinking this.*
Now that he was no longer mad, he considered too many things.
*Not bad… but inconvenient in moments like this.*
Better to think simply, as he once had.
Would Arcane help? Or not?
The answer was clear.
“…Elder, do you need me?”
Willet nodded.
“I do. And do you not need me?”
Arthur grinned.
“No. I need you. You’ve always given me the right answer.”
Willet grinned back.
“Then the answer’s settled.”
With those words, Willet drew his sword. Using it, he cut his palm and dropped to one knee.
“…!”
Arthur gasped, but Willet declared,
“I, Willet Christol, swear this. I shall be Arthur Bayern’s steadfast comrade.”
“……”
“My oath shall last until my final breath.”
At his solemn vow, Arthur’s eyes widened.
And then, Angelina too rose and knelt before him.
Startled again, Arthur heard her murmur,
“Knights swear by blood, but we magicians swear by our name.”
Her voice trailed as she began to chant.
A breeze rose, wrapping her and Arthur in its embrace.
Then she smiled brightly.
“By the name of *Angelina Babi*, I swear.”
“……”
“Whenever you call, I shall come to you.”
With the end of her incantation, the wind subsided.
Arthur, regaining himself, looked between the two of them and then smiled faintly.
“…Very well.”
“…!”
“I, Arthur Bayern, shall formally join hands with Arcane.”
At last, hearing his consent, Angelina let out a soft gasp. Willet simply smiled.
“Then… will you give us a ‘banner’?”
Arthur blinked.
“A banner?”
“Yes. A banner… a flag to symbolize Arthur Bayern.”
At those words, Arthur’s eyes widened.
“Arcane is yours now. Should it not fly your banner?”
—
—
Three days passed since Arthur accepted Willet’s proposal.
Lifting his gaze, he looked up at Arcane’s city walls.
Behind the eagle that symbolized Arcane, something vast fluttered in the wind.
A lion with crimson eyes.
Staring at the banner, Arthur let out a breath.
“So that’s my flag…”
The lion—symbol of Bayern. The red eyes—his own emblem.
His lips curved upward at the sight of his first true banner.
“Not bad.”
He had never possessed anything truly his own.
Everything he had was stolen away by Dormund.
But now, for the first time, something belonged solely to him.
Arcane.
The greatest commercial city of the continent.
His heart thundered at the thought.
*A strange feeling… but good. Very good.*
It felt like he had taken one step closer to his goal—closing the gap that had always separated him from Cain Dormund.
His lips were just starting to curl when someone familiar came running from afar.
“Young Master!”
Jeannie Davern—the elf who now led the Mafia.
Arthur waved to her.
“What is it, Jeannie?”
“It’s done!”
“…?”
“All preparations for the Arcane train are complete!”
“…!”
His eyes widened.
“Then…”
“Yes! You can go!” Jeannie shouted excitedly.
“You can finally go to the Empire! You can see Anna again, Young Master!”
At those words, long-buried memories surged back.
The home he longed for.
The family he missed.
The precious ones who had sustained him through the curse of the white beard.
Clenching his fist, Arthur whispered,
“…At last.”
He was going home.
And his heart pounded wildly at the thought.
