The room was quiet. Too quiet.
"Hey, Arthur," a voice broke the silence.
Arthur turned. Legend was standing in the center of the room. The young swordsman wasn't smiling. His eyes, usually burning with a chaotic battle-lust, were dead serious, focused entirely on Arthur.
"Yes, Legend?"
"I have a question." Legend took a step forward. "Are you really a Spirit Lord?"
Arthur didn't blink. "Yes."
Legend's fists clenched at his sides. "Since we were kids, the priests taught us about the Lords. They told us that beings with the title of 'Lord' possessed unimaginable power over life and mana. They taught us that a Spirit Lord... can resurrect the dead. Is that true? Can you bring people back?"
The air in the room grew heavy. Even Gron stopped what he was doing, holding his breath as he looked at Arthur.
Arthur stared at Legend, his mind calculating rapidly. If I say no, he might lose his mind. If I say yes, he might break down and beg me to save Prina. Arthur hated dealing with emotional baggage. He decided that the cold, brutal truth was the most efficient way to handle this.
"Yes. I can," Arthur answered, his voice devoid of any warmth.
Before Legend could react, Arthur continued, his tone turning as hard as steel. "But let me make one thing perfectly clear, Legend. No matter how much you cry, no matter how much you beg or bleed on your knees before me... I will not resurrect Prina."
(Arthur's Internal Monologue: Not that I actually could right now. With only 10% of my soul's power synchronized with this vessel, true resurrection is impossible. And even if I had 100% of my power... I wouldn't waste that kind of cosmic energy on someone I barely knew.)
Silence stretched out in the room. Gron looked away, grimacing at Arthur's sheer callousness. Arthur braced himself, expecting Legend to draw his sword in a fit of grief and rage.
Instead... Legend chuckled.
The chuckle grew into a low, dark laugh. Legend looked up, and a terrifying, unyielding fire burned in his eyes.
"Don't flatter yourself, Arthur," Legend said, a fierce grin spreading across his face. "I wasn't going to beg you for anything. Prina is my responsibility, not yours."
Legend drew his sword an inch from its scabbard, the steel clicking sharply in the quiet room.
"I just wanted to confirm that it was possible," Legend declared, his voice echoing with an iron-clad vow. "So be prepared, Arthur. One day, when I am strong enough, I am going to challenge you. I will defeat you, strip you of your title as a Spirit Lord, and I will resurrect Prina with my own two hands. That is a promise."
Arthur looked at the fiercely determined boy in front of him. A genuine, dangerous smile slowly crept onto Arthur's face.
"Is that so?" Arthur whispered. "I look forward to it, Legend. Try not to die before then."