1171  A Dove"s Invitation

Genrick was hesitant at first, but Arthur managed to coax him word by word into talking. However, he never asked who his employer was because Arthur already knew it was the temple using a mercenary for a risk-free operation.

After some inquisitions, Arthur learned of this scout"s story. He was an Awakener working for a major guild before the Battle of Avarice, but the changes in Kera and increasing difficulty of clearing dungeons made the guild"s branch close. This left him without a job except hunting in the wilderness or working in reconstruction.

Genrick then became a private investigator, willing to spy or infiltrate inside Kera for a meager sum of money. When Arthur heard what he gets paid, he found it insulting given the risk of losing his life. It made him furious.

"No good man should be forced to work this way," said Arthur while rising from the ground, his wrath evident in his voice. "I have means to make you talk without even inflicting a wound, but I would rather not force things out of you."

"You already know everything," said Genrick with confusion. "The information I obtained so far is not even worthy of being bought. The temple would not even give me a bonus for them."

"I captured you for a different reason, Genrick. I want to end the battles happening in Kera between the temple and the extremist. The only people suffering from these are the good men such as yourself."

"Which side are you choosing?" asked Genrick with confusion.

"Helping the temple is out of the question, and I don"t think the extremist would take good care of Kera. I need to obtain more information on the temple"s plan on dealing with them so we could defeat them both."

"You want me to keep working for the temple to spy on them?" asked Genrick with a frown. Arthur replied with nothing but a smirk. The scout"s fate has been sealed the moment he landed in front of Arthur.

After arranging things with the scout, Arthur entered the bustling crowd without raising suspicions. Kera was the safest city for him to travel, since the temple and knights had no reign here. That, however, also meant that gangs and thugs filled the city, but its residents stood strong.

Arthur was making his way back to Joe"s place to meet with the rest when he heard some noises a few alleys away. His interest was far from ignited, but one of the voices seemed familiar, but Arthur could not remember who it belonged to.

There was a scuffle, and like an itch in his brain that needed to be scratched, Arthur wanted to know who this voice belonged to. After going into the alley, he found a few men fighting among each other. Arthur stood in the darkness and did not intervene.

Four men surrounded a thin man in a suit with ginger hair and blue eyes. The men tried to mug him, but the man fought with such precision and skill that the four men found themselves sprawled on the ground with an inability to move.

22:43

"How did you know who I am, Markus? Even my voice has changed, so I made no attempt to conceal it," said Arthur with interest as he turned around. The man smiled and wore his hat again, before reaching into his pocket and pulling out a small envelope.

"This is no place to catch up, but I believe that fate has brought us together," said Markus as he presented this envelope. "This invitation is to attend a secret meeting regarding the situation in Kera and the union. Many of the famous families will attend."

"And why do you think I would spare this a glance?" asked Arthur with confusion as he stared at the dove mark on the envelope. "You will never see me again except for this short meeting, Markus. I will not meet you anywhere else."

"But you trust me enough to keep your presence in Kera a secret?" asked Markus with surprise, his hand still outstretched. Arthur looked at him with a blank gaze that bespoke his intentions. "You plan on erasing my memories?!"

"Just this meeting," said Arthur with a smile. "Any last words?"

"The dove mark signifies freedom," said Markus with a pained look. "I cannot say anything more because they have eyes everywhere."

Arthur looked at him for a few seconds in realization. Markus was a part of the resistance against the crown now, and the dove represented a desire for freedom from its rule. After the king abandoned this city in its times of need, Markus was among those who wanted to break free from his reign.

"I am still going to erase your memories of this meeting, Markus," said Arthur as he took the invitation. Markus still sighed in relief as he saw Arthur take the envelope, and he bowed down in grat.i.tude.

"If that means a chance of having you on our side instead of my distant memories, I would offer every memory I have."

Arthur looked at the young man for a few seconds, realizing that he has changed so much. He used to be playful and childish, but he was now polite and mature. It brought a smile to his face.

"Good to see you again, Markus," said Arthur with a smile as a rune appeared atop his palm. "I still have to do this."

"Your secrecy is actually rea.s.suring," said Markus as he pulled on his jacket and leaned back. "I think we will meet again, even without my memories. At that time, just tell me the words cherry blossom to gain my confidence."

"If the chance arises, I will give back these memories," said Arthur as his rune shone bright. "Thank you for the invitation, Markus."

The rune dazzled the young man and left him stunned. As his memories of Arthur were sealed, the latter disappeared into the darkness while eyeing the invitation.