"The captain of the Eirnard Kingdom…" His voice was barely above a whisper, thick with disbelief.
"Arthur Norlheim."
Arthur was a large man, standing tall at 6'1—shorter than Louis, but still towering over Mika.
His short, light purple hair fell in effortless waves, styled into curtain bangs that framed his sharp features.
Yet, despite his status, Arthur wore nothing close to the armor Mika had expected.
Instead, his clothing was casual, functional—but undeniably imposing.
A gray V-neck shirt, sleeves rolled up to his elbows, the fabric tight enough to trace the defined muscles beneath. Black, fitted pants, cinched at the waist with a sturdy belt, holding his sheathed sword in place. And draped over his shoulders, a white coat, effortlessly hanging without restraint.
Not a single piece of armor adorned his body—but Mika knew exactly why.
His red eyes flickered, locking onto Arthur's gaze.
Like everyone else, Arthur's eyes were gray—but buried within the dull shade, there was a subtle speck of purple dust, barely visible within his irises.
The mark of his blessing.
Arthur had received a gift from the God of War—not as profound as Louis' own, but powerful enough to earn him the rank of Captain.
Yet, Arthur's body itself was his armor.
He could heal himself, endure the harshest blows, and walk through the deadliest battlefield without faltering.
His skill with the sword was unparalleled—the second strongest swordsman, only falling beneath Louis himself.
But just like Mika, Arthur was ultimately cast aside for the sake of the plot.
He was killed—sacrificed to protect the Holy Maiden from an assassin.
A frustrating, senseless loss.
Because in the novel, Arthur wasn't just a Captain.
He was a brother-figure to Louis.
One of the few men Louis respected, admired, and willingly listened to.
And just like that—he was gone.
"Who are you?" Louis demanded, his voice firm as he stepped in front of Mika, one hand resting on the hilt of his sword.
Ready to protect his master.
Arthur turned at the sound, his expression brightening instantly. A wide grin stretched across his face, revealing two sharp canine teeth.
Mika blinked.
'Cute,' he thought absently. Now that he could see Arthur up close, it was even clearer—he looked just like an excited dog.
"Mika, highness!" Arthur called out casually, his tone so relaxed it sent his soldiers into a panicked frenzy.
"Sir!! It's supposed to be 'Your Highness, Prince Mika'!"
Arthur rubbed the back of his neck, a sheepish grin slipping onto his face.
"Oh, right!"
A frustrated sigh came from one of the soldiers.
"Seriously?! You scold us about manners, but you don't have any yourself!"
Arthur's cheeks flushed red.
"Huh?! That's different! Because I'm your captain!!"
His attempt at self-defense was met with a chorus of complaints as his soldiers continued to scold him mercilessly.
Mika watched them, peeking from behind Louis as his brows furrowed.
'That's just how Arthur is,' he thought.
Despite being the Captain of the Royal Knights, Arthur never carried himself as superior to his soldiers.
He never placed himself above others—not even with the blessing of the God of War.
Even in battle, his sword moved with kindness.
There was no bloodlust, no rage.
Just kindness.
"Your highness!" Arthur dropped down on one knee, one hand on his chest as he beamed at Mika. "My name is Arthur Norlheim, the captain of the Royal Knights and the King's personal knight. I'm here to bring you back home!"
"What?" Mika's eyes widened in surprise and confusion.
One of the soldiers sighed tiredly before speaking up. "Forgive our captain. What he means to say is: Prince Mika Verhault, we—the Royal Knights—have come under the King's command to escort you back to the royal palace."
"What?!" Mika's shock grew as he looked between the captain and the soldiers. This was not how things were supposed to go!
Was this karma?
Had fate decided that because he recruited Louis, his peaceful life had to be snatched away in exchange?
And more importantly—what had changed the King's mind?
"He doesn't have to go." Louis' voice cut through Mika's panic, snapping his attention toward his new bodyguard. Mika's eyes widened as Louis drew his sword at Arthur, his expression dark and unrelenting.
"He won't go back to someone who tossed him aside. But if you want to take my master—you'll have to go through me."
Mika stared, completely stunned by Louis' words—by his willingness to fight for him.
It almost made Mika feel warm inside.
Almost.
Because Louis was about to challenge a damn Captain of the Royal Knights.
Instead of being offended, Arthur's smile grew even brighter as he looked at Louis with an excited gleam. Rising to his feet, Arthur grabbed his own sword.
"Oho! That's interesting!" He pointed his sword at Louis, only for the excitement to waver slightly when he realized the gate was still closed. Arthur hesitated, his enthusiasm deflating like a kicked puppy, before slowly turning to Mika with an almost pleading look.
Mika, a bit taken aback, glanced between the two before sighing heavily and nodding. "Very well, you two can fight but—" He jabbed a finger at Louis. "Stay away from the garden or I'll make it two thousand!"
Louis' body froze at the warning, his expression shifting from shock to determination as he slowly looked back at the prince.
The soldiers pushed the gate open, quickly stepping behind Mika, ready to protect the prince in case of any stray attacks.
Arthur grinned proudly, pleased that he didn't even need to command the soldiers to take their positions. He strode toward Mika and, without hesitation, flung his coat at the third prince.
"Take care of my coat, yeah, prince?"
Mika blinked in confusion as Arthur's coat—a massive piece of fabric—engulfed him entirely. For a moment, he simply stood there, swallowed by the thick folds, before slowly nodding his head in reluctant agreement.
Arthur grinned before turning to face Louis, spinning his sword effortlessly as he stepped forward.
"C'mon, Kiddo. Show me what you can do. Don't embarrass yourself in front of your master."
Louis narrowed his eyes at Arthur's teasing, gripping his sword tightly. Without hesitation, he rushed forward and swung down his blade with force.
In the underground arena, that swing alone was enough to take down an ogre.
Yet—Arthur deflected it with ease, the clash of steel sending Louis stumbling backward, shock flickering across his face.
"Good strength, but terrible form!" Arthur said, flashing a grin. "Don't just swing—do it like this!"
He raised his sword above his head and brought it down in one clean arc.
Louis braced himself, lifting his weapon to block—only to be forced down to one knee under the sheer precision and weight of Arthur's strike.
"Ugh!" Louis gritted his teeth, shoving Arthur's sword away. He glanced down at his own hand, noticing the slight tremor in his fingers from the impact.
Arthur didn't let up.
"Don't think your enemies will wait for you!"
Before Louis could fully recover, Arthur swung again—his movements sharp, controlled, landing each strike with perfect strength and precision.
Louis barely had time to raise his sword to block, his breath heavy as he struggled to keep up.
"Louis is above in terms of strength, but Arthur is more experienced..." Mika muttered as he watched the fight.
All of Louis' life had been spent fighting other warriors, each battling to survive and win.
But Arthur—he fought to protect. His sword was never swung to kill. There was no bloodlust in his strikes.
It was a completely different approach from Louis.
"If you keep fighting like that, you'll end up killing your master!" Arthur scolded, landing a swift kick to Louis' stomach. His attacks grew faster, pushing Louis to his limits as he struggled to keep up.
"I can protect my master perfectly!" Louis growled in annoyance.
"Hah! Then you should know—don't dodge the next attack!"
Arthur's words confused Louis, but his ego was stronger than his reasoning.
Without thinking, he dodged the next strike—only for his eyes to widen as he realized Arthur's blade had sliced straight through one of the black roses.
Louis stared as the delicate flower fell to the ground, its silky petals scattering across the stone.
"My… My paycheck!"
"P—paycheck?" Arthur blinked, thrown off by Louis' sudden outburst.
Before he could process what just happened, Louis charged at him, swinging his sword down again—this time, with everything he had.
Arthur tried to block it, but unlike before, Louis was no longer holding back.
"Oho! But if you fight with blind rage—" Arthur twirled his sword around Louis' blade, effortlessly disarming him before, without warning, landing a solid punch to Louis' face.
The impact sent Louis crashing to the ground, his breath hitching in shock.
Blood dripped from his nostril as he stared up at the Captain of the Royal Knights, completely stunned.
Arthur grinned, shaking his fingers as if loosening his joints.
"Awh, c'mon. Do you really think throwing hands in a sword fight is off-limits?"
Louis wiped the blood off his face with the back of his hand, standing back up.
"That's not fair."
Arthur shrugged casually, crossing his arms over his chest.
"Nothing is fair—especially in protecting someone."
Louis' eyebrows furrowed slightly, his grip tightening around nothing.
"Tsk."
Arthur laughed. "Well, I won. So that means you don't have any complaints about me taking your little master, right?"
Without waiting for a response, Arthur walked toward the discarded swords, picking up his own before tossing Louis' blade back to him. Louis caught it effortlessly, his movements automatic despite the frustration lingering in his chest.
The two men sheathed their weapons—only to realize Mika had been completely ignoring them the entire time, engaged in conversation with the soldiers.
"Oh, I suggest you go to LuLu Bakery in the capital. They have delicious bread," one soldier said.
"And if you want real food, definitely go to Bell Restaurant!"
"My kid loves candy from Sweet-Sweet Love!"
"If you want clothes, Nako makes really comfortable designs."
Louis and Arthur sweatdropped, exchanging a glance as they stood there—battle forgotten, completely overshadowed by food recommendations.
"Well, that's just hurtful." Arthur laughed, though it was clear he was more amused than offended. Rubbing his shoulder, he walked toward Mika and the soldiers, grabbing his coat from Mika before throwing it back over his shoulders.
"I'm glad you're getting along with my soldiers, but, highness!" Arthur's voice dropped into a dramatic whine, something no man in his early thirties should be doing—but Arthur did it anyway. "You should be looking at me when we're fighting~!"
Louis' eyebrow twitched in annoyance as he pushed Arthur away from Mika, his expression darkening.
"Why would he? My lord should be looking at me—I'm his bodyguard."
Mika sweatdropped, visibly exasperated. "Anyway, let's go. We don't want to keep your highness waiting." He moved past them and headed toward the gate.
"Huh? Dressing like that?" Arthur frowned, his gaze flicking toward Mika's attire—the third prince was still in his sleeping clothes.
"Dressing like this." Mika replied dismissively.
Arthur smirked, his eyes gleaming with intrigue. He nodded, following Mika. 'Brave kid.'
By dressing so casually, instead of in formal royal attire, Mika was sending a message—he didn't care about his status or about the King.
Whatever the King was planning—Mika wasn't going to be a part of it.
Louis quickly rushed after Mika, glaring at Arthur before settling into his rightful place behind the third prince.
"Are we walking there?" Louis asked curiously. He had never been to the capital before, so he had no idea where it was.
Though, knowing him—he'd carry Mika across the country if it meant keeping him safe.
And if he got paid more.
"Walking? That would take us a week with the prince here," Arthur chuckled, attempting to sling an arm around Mika—only for Louis to slap it away without hesitation.
"We're teleporting there."
Mika's expression shifted instantly, his brows raising in surprise.
"Teleport?"
Arthur nodded before gesturing toward one of the soldiers. The knight stepped forward, pulling out a massive scroll and carefully laying it on the ground. As he unrolled the paper, the elegant structure of a magic circle revealed itself beneath them.
"Heeh. Special treatment."
Mika knew teleportation scrolls were expensive, their magic single-use and highly regulated. Unlike the ones used in the underground arena, this one had a guaranteed long-distance range, ensured by royal magicians themselves.
A far safer method than what he had used before.
Mika stepped into the circle, Louis and Arthur following close behind.
Predictably—Arthur tried to casually throw his arm around Mika's shoulders again.
Just as predictably—Louis slapped his hand away with a murderous expression.
Arthur only laughed.
The magic circle began to glow, pulsing with radiant energy as it engulfed them completely. Mika closed his eyes, his body turning weightless, warmth wrapping around him.
Then—
Solid ground beneath his feet.
"We're here, prince."
Slowly, Mika opened his eyes—
And for the first time, he saw it.
The grandest hall he had ever laid eyes on.
The royal palace.