Level Up Legacy

"Forgive me."

The two simple words expressed how much guilt this father felt for dragging his son to hell and danger. Seeing the pair made Arthur imagine his own father asking for forgiveness. Would Arthur be able to forgive him, the same way that Dominic is forgiving his dad?

"I guess we will never know," muttered Arthur under his breath, making the others confused. He walked toward the father and son, and by the time he reached them, Dominic was gone. Mister White was still grasping for empty air, imagining that it was his son's warmth.

"How are you feeling?"

"I have never been such a mess, but I feel resurrected from the dead, as if the life I lead so far was merely to get me here," said Mister White as he cleaned his face from tears. "It might also be the first time that my pants have been soiled." n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

"For things that matter, right?" said Arthur with a smile, and Mister White nodded at him. Then, the old man offered a handshake which Arthur took with a smile.

"This is to the start of a great business."

"One that would shake the world," said Mister White with a smile. "My men and I will be working around the clock to get you to your destination. And in our world, there are no big mouths."

"I already know," said Arthur with a smile as they broke off the handshake. "I will visit you again after taking care of some other matters. Can I depend on you for the finer details of our plan?"

"Leave it to me, sir," said Mister White with shocking respect and reverence, making the gang members look at Arthur with confusion. "Joe will be our contact method. Please take care of him."

Arthur nodded and then turned around to leave. Sarohan walked from behind him and slipped the cloak around his shoulders, covering him. Then, Arthur left the junkyard with his three comrades under the eyes of his new allies.

Going back in the same route that they came from, the four found themselves in the street. Joe and the rest knew that Arthur wanted to solve the issue between the temple and the rebels, but they were surprised to see him stopping beside a wall.

"Someone spotted us with Mister White, and they are still tailing us," said Arthur in a low voice, alerting his companions. "Act like nothing is wrong. Although he is still chasing us, he is almost a kilometer away."

"What do you want us to do, sir?" asked Koby with dangerous eyes that seemed prepared for confrontation. "I can outmaneuver them and attack them from behind."

"We would gain nothing from killing them," said Arthur with a shake of his head. "We need to know who we are dealing with, what their purpose is, and what they found out about me."

"Is it possible that they have seen your face?" asked Joe with concern, but Arthur shook his head. After all, he made sure to notice whoever realized his identity. The main reason being that he no longer wants to wear masks.

"I need you to keep acting like nothing changed and wander around the city. I will find the right time to ambush them and capture them. After that, we will regroup at Joe's place."

"Let me handle it," demanded Koby from his lord. But Arthur knew that this mission should not be handled by anyone other than him. After all, this was a blessing in disguise.

"I will handle it," said Arthur with a shake of his head. "Go and be the bait luring them away. I will take care of them."

The three nodded and left the alley, making their way through the city. Arthur looked back, looking at the darkness of the city. Without further ado, his hand split the wall, and he walked into it. This was the way to use minimal mana that would not be noticed.

After slipping in and out of houses and shops, Arthur made his way around the city while keeping his attention on the pursuer. After tailing his comrades for a while, the pursuer finally revealed himself.

Sarohan and the others were at a local pub full of mercenaries, looking suspicious as they looked around, acting their role to perfection. The scout stood atop a faraway building, looking at them through binoculars while muttering his observations. Arthur hid his presence as he made his way around the man, approaching him from behind and standing to hear what he mutters.

"There are now three of them instead of four. I lost the fourth. Please follow-up on that, over," said the man to his walkie-talkie before cutting the line.

Arthur was now so close to him that he could hear the man's breathing, but the latter could not even feel his presence behind him. Sarohan and the rest left the pub, making the man tail after them again.

Without even an idea that he was being followed, the man packed his things and chased after them. After some bizarre hand movements, the man turned into a streak of light that flew after them. Arthur was surprised as he chased after him.

After some more monitoring, Arthur realized that this man did not know their identity. He was following after them because they met Mister White, who seemed on the Temple's blacklist.

The man worked for the Temple, but he was not a part of them. Instead, he was a scout hired by the anti-awakeners association to monitor the situation in Kera.

"There is no real pattern to their movements," said the man with a frown as he stood atop a branch on a tall tree in Kera. "We have been discovered. Hello? Hello?"

"I cannot let that transmit," said Arthur from behind the man as he revealed himself. The man flinched before jumping down, seeking to escape even before looking at Arthur. This was a real professional, but he teleported straight back to Arthur. "And I cannot let you escape."

"You are the fourth," said the man with a frown as he fell in front of Arthur. Before he could do anything, ethereal ropes jumped to tie him down, taking away his walkie-talkie and pulling down his hood. "How did you find me?"

"I always knew you were there," said Arthur with a smile as he looked behind the man, watching him send pulses of light that he intercepted. "You are rather too young to be a scout. How much did the temple pay you for such a mission?"

"What kind of question is that?" asked the man with confusion as he struggled to break free. "I will never spill out information, so you might as well kill me."

"That is a rather strong stance for a mercenary," said Arthur with surprise as he crouched beside the man and took out his wallet. "Twenty-five years old Genrick. What an odd name. You are not from here, huh?"

The man remained silent, true to his earlier words. Arthur looked through his wallet and found nothing but cash and an identity card. After some more search, he found a small picture of a girl no older than three.

"…do you have a daughter?" asked Arthur with furrowed brows. The question seemed to trigger the man as he tugged on the ethereal ropes so hard that his wrist almost broke.

"Don't use such cheap threats, bastard!" shouted the man as he tried to lunge at him, but the ethereal ropes remained in place. "She has nothing to do with this!"

"I feel ashamed that you would think of me like this," said Arthur as he placed the picture into the wallet and returned it. "I was asking because you seem to value your life so little even though you have a daughter. If she is the most important thing, why ask me to kill you?"

"Because a man's honor is more important than anything," said Genrick while glaring at him. "My daughter will never be proud of a father who sells his honor just to live."

"Where have you been born, Genrick?"

"…Kera."

"Me too," said Arthur as he pulled down his hood. "You should recognize my face since you live in Kera. I have been here for more than one time, and there is a giant statue of me."

"…you are…" muttered the scout with confusion before realization dawned on him, "Arthur Silvera."

"Arthur Netherborne," corrected Arthur with a smile. "Kera is my hometown too, so I came back to treat its issues."

"You were with those thugs earlier," said Genrick with a frown. "How would you explain this?"

"I cannot exactly ask the kingdom to help me, can I?" asked Arthur with a smile. "I know that you don't see me as a villain. How about we discuss that honor of yours?"