Chapter 493 - Reason To Live

"I heard that you fought with our guest," reported the Knight of Courage as she sat in front of him, one leg over the other. "This is a sensitive time, Seika."

"I did not know that," said Arthur sarcastically as his eyes kept assimilating information. "Amon is not a threat. However, his presence here suggests something. The king is desperate."

"You believe that the king sent Amon?" frowned the Knight of Courage. "What did Amon want from you?"

"These are classified information, even from you," smiled Arthur as he placed his papers down. "I know that you are here on a new request."

"I want you to do your magic again," smiled Courage as she dropped the previous subject. "I need more training arrays and hunting grounds."

"I am not a wish-granting factory," laughed Arthur.

"You are, Seika. We all know that whatever you want to build, you can build it in an instant," she said with a grin. "Just let me have these two. The division that you assigned me needs them."

"I am not responsible for your incompetence," Arthur shot her down.

"You wanted me to train these chicks as fast as possible! So, what do you think I am, a wish-granting factory?"

"Aren't you supposed to show more respect to your lord?" sighed Arthur. "I will give you the arrays, but the hunting ground is hard to achieve. I cannot create life. You will have to ask Mojang for his help."

"The hobgoblin?" blinked Courage. "Those ogres would tear my cute disciples apart. So I cannot take them to the mountains."

"Mojang is my most trusted subordinate. You can rely on him for anything. He will make sure your disciples do not die."

"Your most trusted..." she seemed jealous. "I am the one who was with you the most, Seika. The hobgoblin is one you bought at the auction!"

"That means you have to do better than this," Arthur shooed her away. "I want to study, so leave."

"Always studying," she grumbled and left him alone. Arthur could not help but smile at how far they had reached. It felt like yesterday since he was her captive, but now they can even be considered friends.

"Friends," muttered Arthur as the lines scattered into disarray. "I wonder which world is a better fit for me. After all, these people are the ones I spent a lot of time with."

His words sank into the silence of his study. Arthur sighed and stood up, walking toward the board and picking up the chalk. Then, his hand began dancing, and words appeared.

Arthur was writing what he had in this world and his previous world. It was a simple equation: which one meant more to him? However, it was impossible to solve.

"I thought I have gotten smarter," smirked Arthur as he leaned on his desk and stared at the board. "However, I still cannot decide. It seems the best chance to have both is by my original plan."

Solomon needed to be transported to the trial ground, which can be achieved by the Isotox. However, Arthur had no idea how to open the trial from this world. Before that, Arthur needed to find a way to go into the future.

"Solomon was at the trial for a hundred years," pondered Arthur. "It seems that he does not have the answer to my questions. How do I go back into the future?"

Solomon had half the answer only. Arthur could use the trial to jump the timelines and go back toward the future. It was a vague plan, but Arthur had no clues other than Solomon.

"Hazel said that the time on the outside world stopped when we entered the trial. She must have meant that time within the trial is not linear with the timeline we follow. The timeline is a train, and the trial was nothing but a station that we got off to, making it a dimension with a separate timeline."

Arthur felt like his current thought process was in the right direction. But, then, the notebook that the old man gave him appeared in his hand, and he started flipping through it.

"These are the places where the old man suspected a temporal fissure. Oh," blinked Arthur. "I forgot one important factor. Kira!"

His beloved wolf was transported into the trial when the temporal fissure happened. This was the one factor that he miscalculated. It means that the temporal fissures were somehow connected to the trial.

"This proves my theory," Arthur cleaned the board before he started writing down his thoughts. "The timeline that I was in and this timeline are connected through the temporal fissure, which in turn is connected to the trial. I always thought that I jumped back, but what if I simply jumped into a different timeline?"

Arthur started drawing both timelines, making sure that they met at every temporal fissure that occurred in this world. Then, he started calculating the time between them according to the old man's notes.

"There is a pattern..." Arthur realized. "The fissures were never random, and Ellen did not create a fissure. Instead, the temporal fissure was a side product of the trial. Every thirty years, more Verniz people arrive at Alka because the trial undoes the split when it occurs."

Arthur's hand was trembling. His current ideas were nothing but a hypothesis, and it was a long shot from the truth. The trial was a separate dimension. He cannot calculate how long Solomon was in the trial to determine how far he is in the past.

"Wait, the Spirits Sovereign told me that my father met Gala a hundred years into the past. My father was here twelve years ago, creasing the council. However, my father left our world three years ago."

Arthur grew more confused by the second. It was a mess that he needed to untangle. However, Arthur knew the answer to all of his questions was simple.

"The answer lies in the dungeons," laughed Arthur, and he couldn't help but keep on laughing. "I just need to go to earth, and I will know the answer. When am I, and how do I go back?"

***

"I gathered the report, Seika," Ma sat in the chair beside Arthur. "The saint is indeed held captive by the church. However, they say that she is the vessel of their god and are inviting people to join."

"And what about the king?"

"Most of the kingdom follows Schelera, and one man leads it from the shadows. The previous Knight of Nobility who served the previous king and who leads the nobles: Ancient One." 

"The one I outbid in the auction," smiled Arthur. "I knew that religions can never be trusted," he laughed. "However, it seems this man holds too much power. The people and the nobles are with him, so why does he not dethrone Solomon?"

"Rather than dethroning him, it seems he supports the king," Ma was confused. "I lost three men in finding these correspondences between Scholar Jermyn and Ancient One."

"Are they the ones I trained?" asked Arthur, and Ma nodded. "Compensate their families and make sure to include their names in the Divine List."

"As you command, my lord," Ma saluted. "The saint is held captive for unknown reasons. It seems they are trying to train her to lead the people. I fear it would be hard to save her."

"I should have taken her with me when I had the chance," frowned Arthur. "I should not have listened to their words."

"A direct order from the king cannot be disobeyed," Ma shook his head. "The king is not a follower of Schelera, but he is the inheritor of the guardian. So it must be somehow connected."

"That is uncertain," Arthur shook his head. "Solomon was the one to proclaim Ai as one sent by their god, The Scholar Guardian. He wanted to hide the fact that I revived her."

"Revived..." Ma gulped. "I had my doubts, Seika. I would never have thought you were the one to bring her back from the dead."

"You should believe in my abilities more," Arthur pointed the fork at him. "I cannot believe that the enemies believe in me more than my allies."

"I believe in you, Seika!" Ma stood up, almost offended. "I would lay my life if you command me!"

"Ah, really?" smiled Arthur. "And what would your reasons be?"

"My name will be on the Divine List, and it shall be remembered for centuries. What higher glory and purpose could I obtain?"

"Glory and purpose," repeated Arthur as Ma reminded him of what his father said. "Those are trivial aspirations. When we die, we will disappear, and no glory or purpose can bring us back."

"I cannot think of anything more important, Seika," said Ma as he sat back down. "I am older than you are, but it always feels like I am the rash one."

"Haha," laughed Arthur. "I am not wise; I only know what is important. Look at these people, Ma," pointed Arthur toward the bustling cafe. "They are living safe and happy lives because of us.. Being here, with people I care about, is the reason I chose to live."