Arthur gazed at the nine figures kneeling before him. Among them, a teenage girl lay unconscious, her body covered only by a white sheet pulled up to her neck. She looked as if she were in a deep sleep, her chest rising and falling with the steady rhythm of her breath.
Arthur rested his arm on the throne's armrest, letting the Staff of Avanheim hover gracefully by his side. He glanced at Emma, who stood elegantly beside him.
Emma met his gaze with a faint smile and a small nod.
Arthur directed his attention forward again, to the faces that felt foreign yet so familiar.
Five months since that day, huh….
Back then, all I wanted was to stay with the guild until the very last second, until Avalon's servers shut down for good. But now… how did it end up like this?
He looked back at the faces of the Floor Guardians before him. His contemplative expression now hardened, becoming serious and sharp.
