[LitF] 3. Dreamless Oblivion (Patreon)

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[A/N: Not sure when the next chapter will come out, but probably this week.]

Arthur did another pushup. Well, he tried to. His trembling arms gave out midway through the motion, and he slammed into the ground.

"Good job!" the lieutenant said. "Did your strength increase?"

Arthur had no energy to speak, so he only shook his head weakly in response.

They were in the cruiser carriage, a big floating box. Inner metal walls separated the main room from four tiny bedrooms in the back, each containing two bunk beds. The main room itself, where he was being tortured, had no furniture. Oversized windows let him see a few of the fifteen royal knights running outside as the carriage moved to their next destination.

The commander kept hopping from window to window, pretending to look in the distance. Arthur knew he was just pretending because they were in a forest with so many trees that he couldn't see more than a few dozen yards beyond the gravel road.

"Your stats will grow in no time," Charlotte encouraged. She had taken her helmet off again after they entered the carriage. "Awakeners raise their stats faster than the unawakened."

It was his second time hearing that. The first time had been right after they entered the carriage. She had said that improving stats like that was called natural growth. It made him stronger without requiring Arthur to spend his distributable stat points.

She had also said that she coincidentally needed to feel his blood running under strain to better help him with his mana lessons. Thus, he had been ordered to do push-ups until his arms couldn't support him anymore.

Complaining about the pain midway through had gained him no favors or a breather.

"Why even care about stat points if stats can grow like this?" he asked after merely breathing didn't take all his focus, and he could at least sit up and talk.

"Call her ma'am," the commander ordered without looking at them.

"Ma'am," Arthur complied.

"Awakening makes us better at almost everything than the unawakened," she explained. "We have one very tiny disadvantage, however. We can't go past ten points on a stat without spending points; that's why we care about them."

"The unawakened have stats, ma'am?!" That was startling news to Arthur. "I only got mine after awakening!"

Charlotte hid it quickly, but Arthur saw her look of surprise for a moment. He guessed he should the answer that already. The commander hadn't been lying when he said Arthur had messed up when he didn't learn from his tutors.

Or maybe he imagined it; she chuckled before answering, which meant his question was fun, not dumb. "Your body didn't grow new parts when you awakened, Your Boyness. Your strength, intelligence, and other stats were already there. When anyone awakens, Fate systematizes their existence into three types, body, mind, and mana, with three quantitative categories each, for a total of nine categories—nine stats. Then, it tells you how good you are in those categories and gives you an easy way of improving them: stat points.

"We have arguably many other stats, but those nine are the ones Fate cares about and display for us. You can measure those stats on the unawakened, too, but you need specific skills or items. The unawakened also must work much harder to grow stronger naturally, not to mention going past ten points. You'd be hard-pressed to find an unawakened who reached ten points in all stats, but just awakening gives us the points to push us way past that."

Arthur was having trouble following all that, so he focused on understanding the very basics. "Are ten points in a stat a lot, ma'am?" he asked.

"Yes and no. Most untrained healthy adults have six to nine points in their body and mind stats. They seldom grow their mana beyond a few points, if at all. If they want to reach ten points in one of their body stats, they'll need to train for a year or two. We consider it the breakpoint that separates enthusiasts from dedicated..."

She trailed off. Arthur was frowning as he tried to understand everything she was saying. She sighed.

"Think of it like this," she continued, "ten points of strength will let you barely lift a baby elephant or a gorilla, but most unawakened adults will never be capable of such a feat. Ten points is a lot for the unawakened, but any awakener can beat that."

Arthur thought about it. Although he hadn't understood everything, it gave him a great idea.

"Why doesn't everyone awaken, then, ma'am?"

Then, Arthur caught it again. She once more briefly gave him a look that told him the answer was so obvious he should know it. He hadn't imagined it the first time.

She did look at him as if he were stupid.

A transparent black rectangle suddenly appeared on the left inferior corner of his vision.

| Natural Growth: Perception +1 → 4

Arthur didn't even glance at the rectangle's way. He was deep in thought.

Was he just a dumb boy, after all?

He touched the leeching rope. Maybe he was. The commander had said so, and the lieutenant agreed, even if she was too kind to say it aloud.

'Choices have consequences,' the commander had said.

Did... Did he really choose to be stupid when he didn't listen to his tutors? Was it really his fault that his father and two grand knights kept getting disappointed in him?

Maybe it was.

Until now, Arthur had hated being a squire. However, he also hadn't enjoyed his classes, and if he had paid attention to them, he wouldn't be this idiotic. The classes had been good for him regardless of his enjoyment, even if he hadn't believed it at the time.

Maybe being a squire was like that, too.

Maybe he should pay attention to everything they told him. Even... He gulped. Even if they taught him math.

Another stat grew.

| Natural Growth: Wisdom +1 → 2

This time, he was less focused on his thoughts and checked the new rectangle, which popped on top of the last one. They faded away almost as soon as he read them.

"Aha!" the lieutenant said. "I bet you just received a notification saying one of your stats increased, didn't you?" He nodded. "Believe me, it happened much faster than it would do an unawakened. Which stat was it?"

"Perception and wisdom, ma'am."

"Never tell anyone how many stat points you have or which of your stats you improved," the commander interjected. "Lieutenant, you're to refrain from treating the boy as you would your child. He is either a mere squire or the crown prince. In either case, you're not entitled to his private information."

Charlotte's eyes widened a little. "Yes, sir!" she thundered, then lowered her voice to talk to Arthur. "My apologies, Your Boyness. I got ahead of myself."

Arthur nodded while frowning. "Why does privacy matter so much, ma'am?" he asked.

The old man replied in her place, "Knowledge is power, boy. It's easier to kill someone when you know what their stats and skills are, what weapon and armor they have, their house's protections, their connections, and so on. You're the crown prince. Always assume a spy is listening to your every word and your enemy knows about anything you ever told anyone."

"Yes, sir," Arthur said automatically, though living like that sounded dreadful.

The lieutenant resumed her lesson, "To answer your question, awakening stones are rare—and thank Fate for that. I can only imagine the chaos if everyone could awaken. We have enough trouble as it is."

Arthur opened his mouth to ask another question.

Charlotte spoke before he could, "Enough talking for now. The push-ups weren't enough for me to hear your blood sing. I believe some squats are in order. Get to it until you can't stand up anymore."

"I already can't stand up, ma'am," he complained. Getting to his feet with his arms like that would be annoying because he couldn't put any weight on them.

His protest was met with a silent pointed look. Arthur sighed, stood up, and obeyed.

Soon enough, he was lying on the ground once more.

= - = - =

They arrived at their next destination at about the same time Arthur could feel his legs again.

It was another dungeon in a forest clearing, this one a two-star. The outpost surrounding it was a little larger than the other one, and it had fewer people around, but everything was more or less the same as in the first one.

Arthur walked into the outpost unhindered and stepped into the dungeon proper.

"That's it," the commander said. "Let's go."

"What?" Arthur asked, surprised. He hadn't expected to fight this time, but that was it?!

The lieutenant, who had entered the dungeon before he did, turned and sighed. "I shouldn't have expected the commander to have explained the plan to you, Your Boyness. We'll be visiting many dungeons for some achievements. You'll also keep raising your stats naturally until they reach peak natural growth. That will give you some achievements. And you can't use stat points or learn skills until then because they would prevent you from getting those achievements."

From everything Arthur had understood from their earlier conversation, peak natural growth meant ten points in every stat.

"What about knight training, ma'am?" he asked.

"This is knight training, boy," the old man interjected. "Come," he ordered and started leaving. "Fast."

Charlotte sighed again and said kindly, "The commander has a point. The less time we spend on each dungeon, the safer it is for you, and the faster you'll reach peak natural stats. Don't dally." She motioned for him to go to the carriage and followed behind after he complied.

"This is knight training, ma'am?"

"I actually... don't know." Her reply greatly surprised him. "I've never seen a child squire before."

"It's not done nowadays," the commander said as they left the outpost. "But children were inducted into the White Griffin Order during the Great War. We're using their protocols."

A dozen delvers lined the corridor demarcated by the golden and red chains that led from the cruiser carriage to the outpost. They didn't bow to Arthur this time, which was great; they didn't recognize him, so they wouldn't know the crown prince was wearing a baby accessory. His shame wouldn't follow him this time.

"White Griffin Order, sir?" Charlotte asked.

The old man nodded without turning to face her. "I was just a child back then, but I remember the stories. The Tarvaroi Empire only survived as much as it did because of the White Griffin Order. Alas, as any knight order, their refusal to use mana ultimately caused their demise."

The commander entered the carriage, and Arthur gave it a good look again before following.

The thing was a dull metal box on the inside, but it looked nice on the outside. Dark brown wood with golden drawings of silhouettes of magic beasts surrounded the structure except for the large windows, which were completely dark from the outside—unlike on the inside, where they looked crystal clear. A second detachment of royal knights and a third grand knight were on top of the carriage, but Arthur could only see the former, who stood guard at the edges.

"Why can't I see the other grand knight again, ma'am?" he asked as he stepped in.

The commander had told him about the grand knight and why they were hidden the first time Arthur entered the carriage, but he had been too awed by the cruiser carriage and only paid attention to half of it. He hadn't yet decided to do his best to improve, which included learning.

"He's protecting the mage fueling and controlling the carriage," Charlotte explained while closing the door behind her and taking off her helmet, which she kept under her arm as usual. "Both the grand knight and the mage are invisible for the mage's protection. The grand knight will protect the mage if something happens, just as the commander will protect you."

Arthur suddenly thought of something, but the way his thoughts worked felt weird. It was as if he kind of... connected the dots and reached an unexpected conclusion?

He frowned and decided to talk about what he had just thought of. He wanted to see if she would look at him as if he was stupid again. "Doesn't that makes the mage safer than me, ma'am? No one knows they are with us."

She did not look at him as if he were dumb. Instead, she smiled kindly and replied, "It makes you safer, Your Boyness. The enemy will wonder whether we have a dedicated mage with us and won't know their numbers or their power. We could be using mana stones for fuel instead, and then a mana-knight would suffice to drive the carriage. As things are, if we're attacked, the mage and the other grand knight will help protect you until the commander has put a big distance between the enemy and you. Only then will the grand knight spirit the mage away."

"When we're attacked, not if," the commander corrected. As usual, he was looking through a window of the now slowly moving carriage. "We're too exposed. The kingdom's enemies would be stupid not to take this chance, even if it lets us fix whatever weakness they exploit to get to us."

Arthur frowned again because his thoughts once more followed a strange path. He decided to talk about it again. "Can I ask two questions at once, ma'am?" He was afraid of forgetting about either if he asked the other first. She nodded. "If this is dangerous, why are we doing this? Also, mage knights exist?"

"We're doing this to get you an EX-tier achievement. You receive it by entering a thousand different dungeons in consecutive days without repeating a single one in between."

"EX-tier, ma'am? Is that better or worse than S?"

"F to A, then S, then EX; the eight tiers from worst to best. We only know of two EX-tier achievements, the one we'll get you and another one for getting a hundred achievements." She paused, then added, "F-tier gives 3 points, then it doubles for each tier. E-tier gives 6, D-tier 12, C 24, B 48, A 96, S 192, and EX a whooping 384."

"How many achievements do you have, ma'am?"

"Don't invade people's privacy like that, boy," the commander said briskly. "I told you not to show or reveal your data to anyone. Others have the same rights."

Charlotte nodded, and Arthur felt his face redden. "Sorry."

"Never mind that," she said. "You also asked about mage knights. That's a contradiction. Knights are warriors, and warriors focus on physical stats and skills. Mages focus on mana instead. Oh, and scholars focus on the mind. But notice that I said they focus on those things, not that they only do that.

"Take the White Griffin Order, which the commander spoke about. Knight orders are all like that, purists, which makes them weaker. That's why His Royal Majesty forbids knight orders them in the Golden Kingdom—or mage towers, for that matter. All our grand knights and first-class wizards have an auxiliary type, which we call specialization. The right skills at the right time can be the difference between life and death."

Arthur had never expected to hear something like that. So he had thought like a purist, and purists were weaker?

The lieutenant continued, "Commander Stinson, for instance, is a mind specialist, or mind-knight. That's public knowledge, so we're not invading his privacy. Most leaders and military strategists invest in the mind to some extent."

That was the first time the prince heard the commander's name. Stinson was a ducal House, and Arthur knew that because Carl belonged to it.

Was that old man Carl's grandfather?

"I specialize in mana," Charlotte went on, "That makes me a mana-knight, not a mage knight like you said. My vampire heritage gives me access to spells that let me better analyze my enemies' movements in battle. I'm twisting its usage to help you with your mana instead."

"Enough talk," Stinson said when she was done.

"Yes, sir," she said. "You heard the commander, Your Boyness. Show me some jumping jacks."

Arthur grunted but obeyed.

= - = - =

Arthur's days became a boring repetition of physical exercises, drinking terrible-tasting potions to improve his vitality stat, and stepping into and out of dungeons.

He was only given a few seconds to sleep every day, though the grand knights used some wizardry to try to make him believe it had been much longer.

The thing was, it was dark outside when he went to one of the bunk beds. However, he barely closed his eyes after throwing his exhausted body on the bed, and then the commander was beside him, ordering him to stand up. There were no windows in the tiny bedrooms, but the sun was up again when he returned to the torture chamber.

How could the night pass in a blink? It couldn't. The commander was messing with the windows; Arthur was sure of it.

His resolve to learn and obey eroded quickly under such conditions. Everything was much harder than anything had ever been for him.

The crown prince deserved better!

His complaints were ignored or brushed aside as if unimportant. It greatly upset Arthur, but, fuming in anger or not, he had no choice but to keep obeying.

= - = - =

"That's it," Charlotte suddenly said on their fifth day while Arthur ran around the torture chamber. "I found what I was looking for. Come here, Your Boyness."

He complied, though he didn't feel comfortable approaching her while smelling like that. Sweating a lot had made him rancid. It only added to his grumpiness of being tortured daily.

"I really need a bath, ma'am," he pleaded for the hundredth time.

"Squires only bathe once a month," the commander repeated, also for the hundredth time.

"At least a change of clothes, ma'am," Arthur attempted for only the fiftieth time.

"I'm not running some charity, boy," Stinson insisted, also for the fiftieth time. "The Golden King's retinue doesn't hand out clothes or waste time with pointless etiquette. You'll be allowed to buy new clothes and change in your free time."

There was no answer as to when that free time would come, though, or how he would buy clothes in the middle of nowhere. He had asked before and received only silence as an answer.

"Stand still," the lieutenant said when Arthur reached her. She touched his head, and he felt a cold spot inside his brain a moment later. "I'm making your blood colder in your will-mana center. That's the part of our brain we use to control our mana. It's located in a different place for everyone, so I had to find yours. Now, close your eyes and focus on that spot. Imagine your consciousness connecting to it. Try to grasp it with your—"

Arthur had been doing as told, and it suddenly just... connected. He felt linked with something he was sure had always been there; he just hadn't known it.

The next moment, he felt a strange sensation throughout his body, a kind of cold heat or hot coldness. He couldn't explain it. It also felt like liquid and a stream at the same time.

It seemed like there was more liquid-steam a little below his stomach, a thick ball of it. He kind of willed the cold heat to decrease and felt all the liquid-steam suddenly leave his body.

Weakness hit him. He opened his eyes and didn't even look at the new achievement occupying his vision. Instead, he grabbed his throat. He couldn't breathe. His throat felt dry and—

Warmth filled him, and everything was good again. The sensation of stuff in his body was also gone, and he quickly found he could switch it on and off by focusing on that part of his brain.

"Congratulations," the lieutenant said with a smile. "You have just learned how to feel and release your mana." She took her hand away. "You'll get used to emptying your mana pool in time."

"Not for a long time," the commander interjected. "You'll keep the leeching rope on until I'm satisfied with your ability to manipulate mana. I won't have you getting the wrong achievement at the wrong time by accident."

"What?" Arthur asked disbelievingly.

His entire body was sore, he couldn't sleep, smelled like a pig, and now would keep being treated like a baby?

No. That was it. This was too much.

He was done with playing nice.

"You said I was only using it because I couldn't use mana!" he yelled, releasing all his pent-up frustration. "Now I can!"

The man scoffed. "You call that using mana, boy?"

"I do!" Arthur screamed. "I do, and I demand—"

Arthur was interrupted by something pulling him upwards fast. He hit the ceiling hard, and his body was pinned with extended arms. An invisible force prevented him from even blinking his widened eyes.

Commander Stinson turned. He rose from the floor while strolling toward Arthur, getting higher on each step as if climbing an invisible stairway. He stopped when his face was inches away from the boy's. He grabbed the prince's face by the cheeks and forcibly turned it toward Charlotte.

"And this, Lieutenant Graham, is why knights keep a strict hierarchy," he said. "When the rabble mingles too much with their betters, they start getting ideas. They will think themselves better than you in less than a week." She was clenching her jaws with an angry face but said nothing. The commander turned Arthur's face to him. "Boy, you're a squire, a servant. Do you know how many lashings a servant would receive for yelling demands at the crown prince? Fifty. How many for doing that to their king? A hundred. And how many for doing it to a grand knight? Ten."

Arthur tried to frown, but even his facial expressions were frozen.

"I tolerate many things you say and do," the commander continued. "You're a servant, but the Golden King is still your father. I was being soft on you because I have the utmost respect for him. But just because Lieutenant Graham, a grand knight, talks back to me, you believe you, a level one squire, can yell at me? Do you really think I will stand for such disrespect? That I will stay my hand because your father is king? You are only lucky I'm out of whips, but I have the next best thing with me at all times."

He released Arthur's face—then used the same hand to strike the boy's face. Hard.

The shock was so enormous Arthur didn't even know what to think. He had been slapped. He, the crown prince, had been struck in the face by a knight who was supposed to protect him with their own life.

And then, the man slapped him again. And again. Ten times he did it. When it was over, Arthur tasted blood and felt blood running down his nose.

The prince would usually have cried. However, the shock of being in such an absurd situation made him incapable of even thinking straight.

"Look at Lieutenant Graham, boy," the commander ordered. Arthur tried but found his neck was hurting too much from his head forcibly turning sideways with each slap. The man grabbed his face again and turned it. "She disagrees with what I'm doing because you're a child, but she acknowledges you overstepped your boundaries and must be punished. Maybe she'll respectfully talk about it with me later in private, but even she, a grand knight, my daughter, would never, ever dare to yell at me. She understands her place. You don't."

Arthur's surprise at finding out Charlotte was Stinson's daughter briefly overwhelmed his dazed mind, but it was instantly replaced by the feeling of falling down. Stinson had released Arthur's face when the magic holding the prince in place stopped working. The prince fell face-first on the metal floor.

A loud crack evidenced his left leg had broken. So had his nose, though it didn't crack as loudly. It hurt, but invisible magic prevented him from crying out in pain.

"His Royal Majesty put the kingdom's fate on your shoulders, boy," Stinson said. Magic turned Arthur on his back. The old man was still floating, looking down on the prince from high up. "Yet you only complain and care about yourself, your pride, your ego. Does being seen with the leeching rope shames you? You shame me every time someone sees my personal student wearing it. Me, the strongest grand knight in the kingdom, the commander of the Golden King's retinue. Have you ever heard me complain? You didn't and won't. I understand some prices must be paid for the greater good."

Stinson suddenly dropped down from the air, the magic keeping him afloat suddenly gone. He crouched down, his legs close to the prince's head, still looking down on Arthur.

His anger was gone, though. Instead, Arthur saw a tired old man. A sad old man.

"We're at war," he said with a much softer voice. "People are dying, good knights and mages sacrificing themselves to protect your future subjects. Yet here you are, whining because you don't smell like flowers, can't waste your time on the bed, and can't change your clothes. You keep making a fuss because we don't pamper you in your every waking moment like your maids did back in the palace.

"People are dying," he repeated, "good men and women caught in the wrong place at the wrong time as their towns get conquered and pillaged. Yet here you are, complaining because your own choices made you too weak and useless, so you have to wear a trinket for babies. You keep crying about your self-inflicted situation instead of doing your best to grow stronger."

He sighed and stood up. His voice turned stern again. "Do you want to be a knight, boy? Then start acting like one."

Stinson walked back to a window. "Let him think for a few hours, then heal him and continue with his training."

"Yes, sir," Charlotte said with a strained voice.

Arthur still didn't cry. Not really. Tears rolled down his face as he stared at the ceiling, but he never sobbed. The magic that had locked him in place was gone, but now he felt frozen by the shock and pain of being slapped—both by a blunt hand and sharp words.

For a long while, all he could think about was how the commander was right. He didn't deserve to be the crown prince, much less a knight. He was being a crybaby while people were dying.

But he was the only prince the kingdom had. He barely recalled a tutor saying the burden of sovereignty was his to bear and none else. As Stinson had said, he had to become a better person. Someone worthy of his position.

Arthur vowed to himself to become the very best version of himself.

= - = - =

Lieutenant Graham healed Arthur a few hours later. The hot feeling of magic running inside his body and the pain from his bones setting in place awoke him from his unexpected sleep.

Arthur worked extra hard from then on. He never complained. He did as told until his body failed, emptied the big metal mugs of nasty-tasting potions into his throat, and asked for more.

He only spoke when spoken to. He never questioned. He never talked back.

His every tear was silent and hidden by the darkness of his lonely bedroom.

Dungeon after dungeon, exercise after exercise, the days passed.

Days turned into weeks.

Arthur never stopped crying in bed.

= - = - =

Weeks after Arthur's training started, he stepped into a new dungeon and got an achievement.

「 Achievement: Dungeon Variety

Tier: C

Reward: +24 stat points

You visited a hundred different dungeons without rest!

You shall not falter in the unrelenting pursuit of justice. If your fate is to be a shield against the horrors in the dungeons, you shall pursue it dutifully. No dungeon monster will ever be safe while you draw breath. 」

"Congratulations!" Charlotte said excitedly. "Only two more dungeon achievements to go!"

Arthur said a heartless, "Thank you, ma'am," and turned to go back to the carriage.

= - = - =

Arthur woke up to Charlotte speaking harshly, "...depressed, dad! I just checked; he cried himself to sleep again. That's not healthy!"

The prince opened his eyes. There was light in the bedroom despite its lack of light crystals, which made the place pitch dark whenever he closed the door. Unsurprisingly, he looked sideways to find the door slightly ajar.

He always closed it to make sure no one saw him cry. Charlotte's words revealed she and her father had seen through his ruse. His face flushed a little.

The commander sighed so loudly that it could be heard in the bedroom. "I... I agree with you to some extent, Charlie. But I have my orders." He sounded uncertain for the first time since Arthur had met him

"Orders?" she laughed acidly. "Are you saying the Golden King ordered his son to be lied to? I'm not six, dad. I don't buy your bullshit about the best grand knights in the Central Plains following some obscure protocols for children created by a bygone knight order I never heard about. You hate purists more than anyone I have ever met and would do the opposite of any method they developed out of spite, no matter how good they might be. You're having me hold the boy back on purpose for a measly couple hundred extra stat points while filling his mind with ridiculous ideas of helping us win the war! Why, dad? Why are you doing this to that poor child? Do you like seeing him suffer so?"

There was a long silence as Arthur's ears perked up. Stinson was lying to him?! What was that about a ridiculous idea... Wasn't he needed to win the war?

No, he had heard wrong, or Charlotte was wrong.

His father, the king, had said he wanted Arthur's help with the war, and his father never lied. His father would also not tell anyone to lie to him. That was absolutely impossible.

Stinson's previously uncertain voice turned firmer. "I wondered why you left the boy's bedroom door open. Was it merely to undermine my authority and have him demand we return him to his parents? Such a pitiful scheme. I thought I had raised and trained you better than that."

"I meant what I said," she replied, sounding defensive. "He's sick. Heck, you know that better than I do. You're the mind specialist here, not me."

The commander's following words came in a tired voice. "I just said I agree with you, Charlie. I also said I have my orders. But—"

"Screw your—" she started saying, but Stinson talked above her.

"But!" he interrupted loudly and forcibly. The cruiser carriage actually shook a little. "But..." he repeated softer, "...if you need more than that, I'll tell you why the king didn't attend your wedding."

A strange, powerful sort of silence followed that declaration.

Charlotte's voice was subdued when she said, "You always said it would be better if I didn't know."

Stinson sighed and continued, "Yet, revealing it to you will make you understand why I will obey my orders no matter the cost, be it to the boy's health or the terrible image you and he will have of me. Keep that in mind." He paused, then continued with a more business-like tone, "Back when Colonel Graham asked for your hand, I commented in passing with His Royal Majesty why I thought it was a poor union. I was just venting a little, though, in retrospect, the king's next actions should've been obvious to me. He agreed with my every word and wrote a Royal Decree forbidding your union. I ripped it to shreds in front of him."

"What?!" Charlotte asked weakly.

Arthur felt as shocked as she was. A grand knight had not only disobeyed his father's orders but even destroyed the scroll onto which they had been written? It was one thing to slap Arthur, but what Stinson had just confessed was treason of the rightest order!

That didn't even make any sense! Knights were loyal and always did the right thing, but his father also always did the right thing!

How could two opposing things be the right thing to do?

They... They couldn't. Either Stinson or the king had done the wrong thing.

Or maybe both had done the right thing, but some things were righter than others? That sounded complicated and scary. How could Arthur one day become the king if he couldn't always know he was making the very best choices?

Kings should be wise and fair. Yet, now he was learning that sometimes their knights were wiser than kings?! Nothing else could explain why Stinson was still alive after his treason. His father had acknowledged the commander's wisdom and agreed with the man.

The world suddenly felt much more complex than Arthur had ever imagined.

| Natural Growth: Wisdom +1 → 3

He ignored Fate's notification and kept paying attention to the conversation outside.

"I know my place better than anyone," Stinson continued. "Most of the time, I am but a glorified servant. I dutifully serve my king to bring him glory; that is a knight's lot. I respect the king and take pride in being an instrument of his will. When I increase my stats, learn new skills or traits, or improve the ones I already have, I think about how best to use them to further my sovereign's goals. And sometimes, that means doing what my exceptional mind stats ensure me are for the best regardless of anything else."

He started walking. His footsteps kept getting louder; he was coming to Arthur's bedroom. "His Royal Majesty first agreed with my reasoning against the marriage because it was objectively the best for his kingdom. However, that one time, he forgot a kingdom is made of people. And his people deserve to pick who they'll live with for the rest of their lives, even if it's the wrong person. That's why I never forbid you from marrying William despite being very vocal about it. And that's what I told the Golden King as I tore his Royal Decree apart." He reached the bedroom and grabbed the door knob. "So, Charlie, believe me when I say His Royal Majesty did not lose track of his people's well-being this time. Quite the opposite. He had nothing but His Highness's best interests at heart when he decided every detail of His Highness's training. And he only thought of his subjects when he decided how to end this war. I believe in it with all my heart."

Stinson closed the bedroom door, and dark silence surrounded Arthur.

A great many things had been said. Arthur hadn't followed it all, but he understood his father had decided his training was the best for him. Even Stinson, who had committed treason before when he disagreed with another order, agreed with the king this time.

The prince felt confused by a great many things. But he also felt tired. It was terrible how he was always so exhausted to even think things properly!

It was almost as if they did this on purpo—

He yawned. Thinking was hard. Sleeping was good.

He closed his eyes and warmly welcomed the ensuing dreamless oblivion.

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