*Knock…Knock…Knock…*
Arthur's head instantly turned, his eyes narrowing as his gaze shifted towards the door.
He sat in his chair for a moment, squinting his eyes while contemplating whether or not to open the door.
He then gestures at the bed with his head before whispering in Liam's ear, "Get under the bed and don't come out until I tell you to."
Liam swallowed hard and nodded quickly before rushing to the bed.
Once Liam could no longer be seen, Arthur stood up and opened the door just a crack to be safe.
Before him stood Mark, trying to hide his rising frustration as he was about to knock once again.
Once he recognized their uniforms, Arthur's expression soured before he swung the door open.
"What are you disgusting bunch doing in front of my house?" He asked with a disgusted look on his face as he stared at the group in front of him.
"Greetings, Master Arther. It's a relief to see you doing well." With a startled look, Mark took off his hat, placing it on his chest before bowing slightly.
Liam instantly recognized Mark's voice, making his body tremble and his heart beat faster in fear.
"Cut the bullshit and get to the chase. I need to get back to my work." Waving his hand in dismissal, Arthur replied.
Hearing that, Mark gritted his teeth as he kept his head down.
Once he regained his composure, Mark asked, "Have you perhaps come across a boy with black hair and golden eyes in these woods?"
"Why the fuck would a kid be in such a place? Have you finally lost your minds and started feeding kids to monsters?" Arthur replied.
"He had escaped our custody just a few hours earlier after he awakened into a dragonborn, and we couldn't find any traces of him beyond your house," Mark explained as he corrected his pose, trying to sound as neutral as he could..
"Not only are you a bunch of feral dogs doing the dirty work of that garbage, you can't even do your job correctly." Arthur scoffed.
"No, I have seen no kid with the description you are looking for. Now, screw off," Arthur added, shooing them with his hand as he turned to go back inside.
Mark watched silently with his jaw clenched, ready to head back humiliated, but before Arthur could close the door, a voice echoed from behind..
"Then, you wouldn't mind if we searched your hut?" Edward, who had been standing silently behind Mark, suddenly spoke with a demanding voice.
The color instantly drained from Mark's face as his eyes widened, but before he could shush Edward, the ground beneath them shook violently, and the trees around.
The trees surrounding them swayed to the point where they seemed about to snap, forcing the birds hiding in them to fly away in a panic.
Then, a terrifying pressure that felt as if the gravity had multiplied a dozen times engulfed them, forcing them to their knees.
Even Liam inside could feel the pressure pressing his body against the ground and making it hard to breathe.
"What is happening?" Liam thought as panic began surging through his body while he turned his eyes around.
"Watch your mouth, you vile dog," Arthur spoke in a low voice as he turned to face Edward, who was struggling to keep his head up, "Not only do you show up at my doorstep uninvited, but you dare suggest to dirty my house with your presence?"
"P-please forgive my partner's ignorance, Master Arthur. He doesn't know your ways." Mark struggled to get his words out as he slowly lifted his head to face Arthur.
For a few moments, Arthur kept the pressure, looking down at them with disgust. But he soon let out a sigh and relaxed his body, freeing them from the pressure.
"Thank you for your mercy, Master Arthur. I'll make sure to correct his behavior," Mark gasped for air as he stood up.
"We'll be on our way now. Thank you for your time," Mark added as he bowed his head again, only to be met with the door slamming shut in his face.
Mark immediately turned to face Edward, gritting his teeth as he spoke, "What were you thinking! You could've gotten us all killed there."
"I-I'm sorry, Mark. I-I didn't know," Edward explained, his hands still shaking.
"That's not an excuse! I told you to keep quiet and let me handle this before we even got here," Mark replied quickly. He then gestured for the group to follow him as he headed outside the forest.
"B-but…"
"No buts! Even if he sounds suspicious, we can't do anything about it," Mark explained, "Unless one of the commanders goes to question him, there is no one who can handle that man."
"I would rather be humiliated by one of the commanders than end up killed here," he added.
—————
Once Arthur made sure they were gone, he called for Liam to get out.
"I assume those are the ones chasing after you?" Arthur said that once Liam was standing on his feet again.
Liam instantly nodded, his hands still trembling in fear, to which Arthur said, "I made a deal to keep you safe, and as long as that deal stands, those fuckers will not lay a finger on you."
Hearing his words, Liam let out a sigh of relief and relaxed his shoulders.
Seeing as he had calmed down, Arthur explained, "They are most likely going to send someone with more authority to investigate further."
That instantly alarmed Liam, so Arthur added, "However, by the time they reach this place, they will find no one here."
"Huh? What do you mean?" Liam stared at him in confusion.
"I'll be heading to the capital in a few days to deliver some weapons and restock my shop there," Arthur explained. "I assume you don't wanna stay here alone, do you?"
"Of course not," Liam replied.
"Great. Then come here and give me a helping hand so we can finish faster," Arthur smirked as he sat back in his seat.
But before they could start working, a voice echoed from behind them, "You've got an interesting kid there, old man."
Liam immediately turned toward the voice, only to find himself face to face with a green-haired woman who was now sitting on the bed.
She looked at him with her emerald green eyes as a sly grin covered her face, her gaze sending chills down the boy's spine.
"Camelia, how many times have I told you not to enter my house without permission?" Arthur asked with a sigh.
"Oh, come on, old man. I'm not doing anything bad, am I?" she replied.
She then disappeared and instantly appeared behind Liam, wrapping her hands around him and grabbing his chin. "How did you get your hands on such an interesting boy?"
"Leave the kid alone, you're making him uncomfortable," Arthur said in an annoyed tone. "Why are you here?"
"You are always no fun, old man," Camelia said, pouting her cheeks.
She then snapped her fingers, revealing an envelope that started floating above her finger, "Here, it's from the royal palace."
"Do those bastards not get tired of asking? They are starting to play on my nerves," Arthur remarks as he pulls a letter from inside the envelope.
"You know how they are, they won't give up easily, especially when it comes to you," She shrugged. "Well, they sounded more serious than usual when they gave it to me."
Confused by her words, Arthur opened the letter and began reading it.
[ To our hero, Master Arthur.
Under the order of his majesty the Emperor, you are summoned to the royal palace for an urgent matter regarding Your Highness.
The matter can not be delayed, so we wish to welcome you as soon as possible.
We await your arrival, hero of the empire.
Long live the emperor.
Long live the empire. ]
"I see, it's an order from that dickhead." Arthur remarked as he folded the letter back into the envelope.
"Zephyr? Well, it sounds like it's actually important since he doesn't usually request you himself." Camelia said.
"Well, I was heading to the capital in a few days, anyway. It wouldn't hurt to hear him out," Arthur uttered, "But if it's the usual, I'll kick his ass this time."
"You know he won't really stop asking even if you do that," Camelia chuckled.
"What do you mean?" Liam asked in confusion.
"They want him to either return to fighting or serve as their exclusive blacksmith. Although he is sort of doing that already." Camelia crouched and answered him as she patted his head with a smile.
"Well, there is just one problem," Arthur added as he gestured to the boy with his eyes.
"As long as he is with you, I don't think anyone would try something funny," she replied with a smile.
Seeing the still hesitant and grumpy look on Arthur's face, she added, "Well, just to add a layer of protection."
Camelia closed her eyes and started mumbling some words that felt to Liam like chanting a spell, then she touched the boy's face, turning his eyes into a silver color and his hair completely white.
"This should be good enough to hide his identity," Camelia added, "I also covered the intense energy your body was emitting. Unless you come across someone who is actually competent, no one would realize that you are a dragonborn."
"Ah, so that's how they immediately know what I am," Liam thought.
"Anyway, my job here is done, so I should head back," She added as she stood up, "I'll wait for you there."
With a snap of her finger, she disappeared into thin air, leaving behind green butterflies after her.
"She always creeps me out whenever she appears and disappears like that," Arthur said as he felt a child running down his spine.
"Who is she?" Liam asked.
"A royal magician. We used to fight together before I retired," Arthur explained, "She is also creepy. Really creepy. But that doesn't matter right now."
"You used to work for the empire?! Why did you retire?" Liam questioned, his eyes wide open.
"Because I hate a lot of those fuckers now," Arthur answered.
"Yeah, you mentioned that earlier, but why, though?" Liam said.
"Because I realized that, except for a few of them, they are all a bunch of horrible people that I would rather die than associate with," Arthur answered, his face now filled with an expression of disgust.
Not wanting to press him any further, Liam just nodded and remained silent.
Arthur then pointed at the anvil and added, "Let's finish this so I can make you a bed before it gets dark."
"A bed?" Liam looked at him in confusion.
"Well, unless you wish to sleep on the ground, that is," Arthur added, "I'm not giving up my bed for you."
Liam laughed slightly and said, "Well then, let's get back to work."
—————
Back in the camp, a loud thud echoed through the lines of the soldiers as they watched a boot land on someone's face.