NOVEL WEB Chapter 78: Everest (1)
Ding!
『 You have earned 100 mana points 』
'Amy did say she would use today to absorb as much mana for me, but she's really going at it.'
It had been two days since Arthur's talk with Amelia and Sylvia, and it was finally time to head to the academy, as the mid-break after the midterms had just ended.
A lot had happened in that short time span, like Arthur advancing to the Graduator rank and yellow core level for both his knight and mage classes respectively.
He also discovered that after reaching the same rank he had before the world reset, his progression began to slow—as if the world simply wanted him to return to his former strength.
Apart from that, he had been digging for clues about Nathira's whereabouts, but nothing had surfaced yet.
One piece of information that did shock him was the number of people who now knew about him.
There was even a girl cult devoted to him.
Some joined because of his looks, which they worshipped.
Others were drawn to his strength, and some admired him for proving that even someone discarded could still become a king.
Well, it was kind of awkward walking through the streets of the Arcain main market without fan girls swarming him.
It helped that Sylvia, who was supposedly their leader, was usually present, but more often than not, it didn't make much of a difference.
Still, Arthur had to admit, each of the girls in the cult not only assisted with gathering information but also contributed mana and force points to him. And with Sylvia keeping them in check, it wasn't all that bad.
Arthur let out a weary sigh as he followed his mother into the basement of their main castle. 'All this feels like something Seraph would do.'
Arthur wasn't sure if Seraph would remember him. Unlike his wives, she had only been his shadow.
Though they were connected, she had chosen him simply to fulfill her fantasies. That meant she might have already chosen a new master by now.
'Would've been nice if she became my shadow again?'
Arthur raised his gaze to his mom, who was holding a candle emitting an icy blue light.
"So Mom, what exactly are we doing here?"
Alicia turned to him, then looked back ahead as they descended another stairway in their ice castle. "I have something I need to give you."
"Give me?" he asked, surprised.
She grinned. "Yeah, something fascinating."
As soon as she spoke those words, she pushed open a door made entirely of solid ice, even thicker than their castle walls.
The massive door creaked open slowly as she channeled her force into it, though she did so with just one hand.
As it opened, a chilling gust escaped, making Arthur shiver.
Beyond the door was a vast hall that looked as though a battle involving ice magic and force had taken place there.
At the very center of the large frozen battlefield stood a skeleton clutching a sword, encased in solid ice.
"This is..."
Alicia nodded. "The grave of our ancestor."
'No way! The grave of the Arcain Ancestor?'
Ding!
『 New scenario generated 』
『 Conquer the ice blade: ##&##& 』
Ding! Ding! Ding!
『 #Scenario 7: Conquer the Everfrost Blade: EVEREST 』
Alicia glanced at his stunned expression, a smirk playing on her lips. "So what do you think? Can you take it?"
Arthur immediately shook off his surprise. "Mom, I'm not a fool. Why would a blade like this just be lying here if anyone could take it?"
Alicia chuckled. "Yes, you're right. Only the one chosen by the ancestor herself can claim it."
Arthur looked his mother straight in the eyes. "But why me?" He shook his head. "Actually, why haven't you told me about this until now?"
Alicia hesitated, her grip on the candle holder tightening slightly, before she gently placed it on the floor.
"Art, you've heard of the prophecy, right?"
Arthur followed behind her. "Yes."
Alicia came to a halt a few meters away from the frozen corpse and sword, then turned to face him. Her white nightgown fluttered in the icy breeze.
"Well, I needed to be sure the one I'm showing this to isn't some demon in the form of my son, but my real Arthur."
Arthur's eyes widened at her words.
Alicia smiled warmly. "I wanted to share this part of our history with my son—my only son—the real Arthur Arcain."
Arthur clenched his jaw. 'How is she so sure I'm not the demon?'
He really wanted to believe her. He truly did.
But even more than that, he didn't want to deceive the woman who had been so kind to him and loved him deeply.
Arthur's expression darkened as he lowered his gaze. "What if I'm the demon? What if the prophecy was wrong? What if I'm just some scared loser from another world who died because of a stupid kiss?"
Before he even noticed, Alicia stepped closer and gently cupped his cheeks. "Art..."
Arthur raised his eyes to meet hers. She stood just slightly above his chest height.
"Even with everything, I'll still love you. Maybe I'm a little biased toward the you who possessed this body... but I came to love you. You're my son, Arthur — and I will always choose you, the one the prophecy spoke of, the one I fought heaven and hell for."
She smiled gently. "So don't look down on yourself, no matter who or what you were before. You're Mommy's one and only son, after all."
Arthur smiled.
The surprise hadn't left him, but a strange warmth stirred within his chest.
"Thanks," he murmured, making Alicia's face light up.
She let go of his face and turned toward the frozen corpse.
"So, my baby. Any ideas?"
Arthur glanced at his mother, who then turned to meet his eyes.
"Mom, don't you know how to get the sword out or activate some kind of ritual?"
Alicia grinned. "Nope."
Arthur knew then that retrieving the sword was going to be much harder than he had initially thought.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
─── ✦ End of Chapter ✦ ───