Another story: Arthur's Arc #6 His first meeting with the male protagonist

After letting go of the matter in his heart and brainwashing himself that everything he thought before this was only a misunderstanding, Arthur reluctantly shifted his focus to his mission.

Well, it's not like he wants to do it, but Q hasn't stopped bothering him since last night. His mind has been intruding by a barrage of notifications, which make him dizzy.

Q endlessly sent him several notifications, reminding him of his actual task. That is to take good care of the main protagonist, Danial Vie Vermillion, the abandoned crown prince of the Grandia Kingdom.

Because of Q's urging, here he is, on the training ground, so early in the morning, together with his classmates. He keeps his aloof and indifferent facade because he does not want people to question his behavior. Since the original rarely starts a conversation with others but isolates himself in some corner, he will gladly do that too.

They spend fifteen minutes doing light exercises and another thirty minutes sword sparring.

While other students were engrossed in training, Arthur had gone out without anyone noticing.

Arthur looks around him in vigilance, ensuring that no one follows him before he silently leaves the training ground and stealthily enters the backyard of Princes' Pavilion. His destination is not the front gate but beyond the pavilion's backyard.

On the very edge of the Princes' Pavilion, almost closer to the outskirt of the Dark Forest, separated by a row of sturdy and tall blue brick walls, there's this wooden thatched hut with a desolate yard.

That is where the first prince resided. He's been here since he was seven years old, alone and alienated by the others.

To think of such a luxurious palace to have this broken, dilapidated thatched hut that would collapse with a single kick, he did not know whether to sigh or to curse the Emperor for being heartless with his own son. How could he treat his son like this?

If the prince never held any malice toward the world after all the suffering those people caused him, that prince must be an idiot. Forgiveness might be far-fetched, but revenge must be on his bucket list.

Arthur has a complicated expression on his face. He is happy that he finally found his target but also deeply sad about the prince's living conditions.

How can someone live in this kind of place? If the exterior is already like this, how shabby is the inside? How can a human survive in this condition?

Even from here, he could see some holes in the roof. The wall looked broken, with crevices here and there, and the worn-out door hung awkwardly, almost falling apart at the hinge. How the run-down house still stands up to this day makes one wonder whether the prince had to resort to magic to reinforce this shamble hut.

Arthur cautiously entered the yard, scanning the surroundings back and fro.

The yard is desolate but clean and tidy. There is a vegetable garden in the corner. The green leaves seem particularly vibrant and full of vitality under the sun.

Seeing the door locked, Arthur suddenly thought of something. He couldn't help but pinch his temples in distress.

How can he approach his target? For him to suddenly come closer and talk to the prince out of nowhere when all he did before was ignore him, this action will garner unwanted attention toward himself. Even the prince might be on guard and refuse to listen to anything he might want to say.

{Well, duh, of course, he will feel strange when suddenly a stranger approaches him out of nowhere.} Q said in a matter-of-a-fact tone.

[Then, what should I do?] Arthur sighed exasperatedly.

{That's not my concern.}

[I know you will answer like that! Go away, you evil spirit. Stop bothering me!]

{Good luck, then.} Q seemed very happy when bidding him goodbye.

[...] That good-for-nothing helper!

The original never met this prince face-to-face before, mainly because of his introverted personality, who is unwilling to approach strangers and be friendly with them.

His usual task consist of training, training, and more training. Regardless of his sword training or strengthening his Mana's, he would spend hours a day to accomplish his desired result. He has no time to be wasted on someone else when he has a goal to achieve.

But even if he never saw the prince, he had heard many rumors regarding him.

The first prince was well-known for his hideous appearance that can make children who cry to cry even harder in horror.

It does make Arthur wonder how ugly this boy can be. Is his appearance very unsightly enough to freak people out of their wit?

He'd seen many people with a deformed appearance before this(from a game), and he should be immune to them. Besides, as a protagonist, he couldn't be uglier than a zombie, Right?

***

He waited and waited for the prince to appear. After he waited for like an eternity, that person finally returned to the thatched hut.

Arthur: Shocked.jpg.

Arthur's eyes are as wide as a saucer. He couldn't believe what he was seeing right now.

Who is that?! Arthur rubbed his eyes and then looked at the figure who walked staggeringly toward the thatched hut. He repeated this series of actions twice, yet the same thing displayed before his eyes.

Oh my goodness!

That chubby person with a bloated stomach is really the protagonist?! You must be kidding me, Right?!

There's no trace of handsomeness from that face. To say the prince is ugly is an understatement. His appearance is too unsightly and repulsive to the eyes.

It's no wonder that the Emperor loathed him. The mere sight of him would make anyone feel uncomfortable.

His face is hideous, full of pimples and acne, and dripping with pus and disgusting yellowish liquid. The prince needs to wrap gauze around his face lest he makes people vomit on the spot. There are also red spots on the fabric as the wound on his face dripping with blood.

His skin is abnormally dark and callous, wrinkled like a dead tree bark. His black pupils seem empty and dull, devoid of joy. It looks like he has been giving up his life, and there's no trace of struggle within those soulless eyes.

He appeared sluggish with a pale face and looked very sickly. There was a prominent trace of fatigue on his face. His body swayed as he walked, and he limped as he moved.

His stomach is bloated like a belly of a pregnant woman. His calves are very thick and fleshy, with swollen feet.

Huh? Arthur rubbed his eyes again in disbelief. Where are his shoes? Don't tell me that he is barefooted this entire time?!

His feet are dirty and covered with mud. Soil and dust smeared his patched and tattered clothes. Not even a beggar in the town wore that kind of clothing. How could these people treat him like a beggar?! Wasn't he a prince?

You can see that his body full of wounds and injuries. Bruises littered his skin, and dried blood sullied his already dirty clothes.

His heart-wrenching sight makes Arthur's heart twisted in discomfort. The prince is a year younger than his sister, but the disparity in their living condition is like heaven and earth.

Child abuse. Not only did they not extend their hands for help, but they also abused this child.

What kind of sin did he commit to deserve such deplorable treatment from people around him, especially from the one who was supposed to protect him? That person(the Emperor) even consented to their actions!

Unforgivable.

Arthur clenched his fists and gritted his teeth in anger. His eyes only see red, and anger has slowly clouded his judgment.

He wanted to help him. He wished to help him seek revenge. But he knows, with his current ability, he cannot do nor change anything.

Everything happened with the Emperor's permission. Blatantly helping the prince means that he rebels against the Emperor. Who knows what he might do to himself and his family if he insists on helping the prince?

He cannot endanger anyone's life because of his mission. He owed the original of his life, so he would not do anything dangerous.

What can he do to lessen the prince's suffering?