Chapter 933 Musician

Arthur realized how time-consuming running a guild was. Since Julia was not here, he had no choice but to run things himself. It consumed all of his time. Everyone wanted something, and problems arose at every moment. He had to control the Runic Dome and use the arrays that the residents wanted.

Julia has been doing all of this in his stead, which gave him enough time to move around and go places without worrying about it. Arthur still remembers how much time he spent away in Ilios, and Julia was left alone to make the decisions on his behalf.

His goblins gave him the biggest headaches since fights always broke out. Arthur could not even enforce his will upon them because these fights were a part of their instincts. He was reminded that these were monsters, not humans.

As for the various sub-guilds, arguments were common between each other. These guildsmen took pride in their leaders and sub-guild, so it was natural that some rivalry would occur.

There was also the logistics, where food needed to be prepared and personnel a.s.signed to specific tasks. The tanks needed to be recharged, and the horses needed to be fed. It was overwhelming even for Arthur, who was used to a lifestyle of peace.

This made him appreciate Julia even more for what she had been doing. It had been a few hours since she left, and he already had a headache. However, no one knew the arrangements made other than Julia, and he didn"t trust another person enough to lead the Runic Dome.

Their pace had increased by two folds under his command, meaning it would take them a day and a half to get to Runera. It might even be a day before the two armies meet each other, but Arthur would lower the pace before they got there to give the soldiers time to rest.

The mood around the camp grew gloomier with each pa.s.sing hour because of the imminent battle. It looked so far away before, but fear spread among the soldiers now that it would happen at any moment.

Aurora relayed all of these to Arthur since she could read their hearts. However, she was helpless about what to do since she could not influence how much they feared death. Thus, she came to Arthur.

"I fear there would be deserters now that we have come to this stage," said Aurora as she munched on beef jerky. Arthur was confused about why she ate so much since she held a bag of them. "All these negative emotions are draining my energy. I have to eat."

"…I see, but what am I supposed to do about the soldiers?"

"Another speech would seem excessive," said Aurora. "The best thing for these soldiers is spiritual buffs. I would allow them to think with a clearer mind and focus."

"That sounds like giving them steroids."

"It would not grant them any strength or harm them but simply make their hearts at peace. People with musical abilities are so desired because they can influence big crowds. "

"Do we have someone like that?"

"I looked through the lists the guild provided, which listed every ability we had, and found one person who could do that. I asked her to do it, and she agreed that she would be allowed to meet you."

"That is all?" asked Arthur with relief. "That does not sound so bad. You can bring her here soon since the battle is close."

"As you command, Guild Master," said Aurora with a bow before leaving carrying a bag of food. She looked like a bandit with that bag, but Arthur said nothing. He was more focused on leading his men to victory.

Aurora later returned with the musician just as the daylight began to fade. It was perfect timing since Arthur wanted the soldiers to eat and feel at peace. However, he was speechless when he saw who Aurora had brought to his tent.

"Greetings, My Lord," said the woman as she bowed with a smile. Her long black hair and white armor were the same as the day he had met her in bed. "It has been a while."

"It has indeed," said Arthur with a sigh as he turned toward Aurora. "You should know about this when you met her, right?"

"I needed to sacrifice your peace for the peace of our soldiers," said Aurora with a sly smile before bowing. "Her name is Lexi, and she is a violinist who could influence hearts. Her musical ability made it hard for her to become a true knight, so she became an adventurer who trained her body. Although, I needn"t explain her body to you."

"Leave."

"As you command, pft, my lord," said Aurora as she held back her laughter and ran out of the tent. This left Arthur and Lexi staring at each other. The woman did not shy away from his eyes, even after he had seen her naked.

"After how much you tried to get close to me, I suspect your ability to be a lie," said Arthur with a sigh before he walked toward his table and sat down. "Can you perform for me so I can rest a.s.sured?"

"As you command, my lord," said Lexi before she raised her hands to summon a violin and a bow. The moment the two appeared, Arthur opened his eyes wide because he realized that her ability was not just musical. This instrument was a manifestation.

Lexi placed the base of the violin on her shoulder before gently placing the bow on its strings. Then, the most sound echoed in the tent as she started playing. Arthur stood there in silence, but he could not hide his awe.

The music was beautiful as if he was beside a lake carried by a gentle breeze. His worry and even his wrath disappeared when he heard the music. It lasted for a minute but had beautiful effects on his mind.

Lights blinked around Lexi as she closed her eyes and played each note. Her manifestation grew brighter with each pa.s.sing moment as if it would become a star. After she was done and placed it down, it grew dimmer.

"This is what I can do, My Lord," said Lexi with a proud smile as she saw his surprised expression. Arthur did not try to hide it and smiled before clapping and rising from his seat.

"It was wonderful, Lexi," said Arthur with a sincere expression. "I never expected to witness such a magnificent ability among our ranks. How come you never became a world-renowned violinist?"

Lexi seemed surprised by his genuine praise and smiled warmly before looking at her violin. She did not answer his question and seemed lost in thought as if remembering something in the past.

"I promised my mother that I would not play for anyone other than the people I love because no one deserves to listen. This is my first time playing something like this since she pa.s.sed away."

"How did she pa.s.s away?"

"She turned into a fallen being inside the Dawn Plaza," said Lexi as she closed her eyes. "It was the horrible thing I experienced, but then you arrived and took away all her pain and agony. Your golden flowers allowed her to leave this life with peace."

Arthur was shocked again because he never thought this was the reason behind her actions. Even more, she has just lost her mother but still chose to join his army.

"I wanted to thank you at first but never had the chance. Then, I looked at every article that mentioned your name. Your achievements left me in awe, and I thought I would never be in your presence."

"I am not that great," said Arthur, a bit embarra.s.sed at being praised with such reverence. Lexi smiled two before making her violin disappear and knelt on the ground.

"I have grown to admire you and love you even. However, the main reason that I wanted to meet you was to thank you for saving my mother. This is a grat.i.tude that Helios will remember forever."

"You can rise, Lexi," said Arthur with a smile. "I am the one to apologize for not being able to be there sooner and save her."

"Not at all, my lord," said Lexi with a shake of her head as she rose. "That being said, please let me use my ability for your army."

"And what about the promise you made to your mother?"

"I am still doing this for the person I love," said Lexi with a smile. "I know you are the sun, and you will never love me back. However, consider this my grat.i.tude for what you have given me."

Arthur was silent before nodding, and Lexi then left. Aurora would let her play her violin for the soldiers for the next few hours, letting them be at peace.

However, the whole incident left Arthur feeling a little alienated. This worship has become a little unbearable, although he knew it was the side-effect of his powers on humans.