Chapter 48

"Was it too hard on you? I tried to hold back."

My shoulder was aching. His strike was much harder to bear even if he said he held back. The armour barely saved me from him. I'm lucky to even have my arm right now.

"Hold back? You call that holding back!?" I shouted out. "You really are a monster."

Artorius starts to laugh maniacally as I grab my sword and dust off my back. He sheathed his sword in a fit of laughter.

"Hah! I really caught you off guard didn't I?" He scoffs. "Well, anyway. That was easier than it should've been."

The soldiers had healed up from the healers that were on standby. "You all did well. The teamwork and cooperation were great. Sadly it wasn't enough to take me down."

So far no one has beaten Artorius in a duel or a proper sword fight. Even when he's outnumbered and with no weapon, he makes up his weapons and fights. What a monster!

Artorius starts to point out the mistakes that he saw when the soldiers were fighting. Since this doubled as a test for the soldiers, he was quite critical with his words and gave really good advice to the soldiers who listened carefully

"That's all I have to say, dismissed!"

"As you command, general Artorius!"

The soldiers marched away in formation, leaving me and Artorius alone for the time being. He turned to me and gave me a gleaming smile. I scoffed at him and walked away.

"You didn't even break a sweat fighting me, how odd." He mocked me as I walked away. "Must be a cold day," I replied in quick response.

We both walked away from the training grounds together. Surprising to see him in such high spirits after being so down at breakfast. What did he have to change him?

Artorius spoke no words as we walked into the palace, parting ways as he went to his room and I got inside the kitchen to check on the charity meals for today.

The chef sees me, holding my shoulder in pain and starts laughing hysterically.

"What happened to you!? Though he would go easy on you all!" He teased me.

"He did. Still hurts when your armour gets smashed inwards." I replied, smiling through the pain in my shoulders.

"Well, that cannot stop our work. We are nearly finished with the preparations, the only thing left is the stew to be finished."

"How much are we feeding today?"

"About a thousand can be fed with this serving."

A smirk breaks from my cheeks hearing the numbers. "The numbers dropped, haven't they?"

"Indeed. Just a month ago we were feeding nearly ten thousand, now that number is down to just one thousand."

I took a stroll around the kitchen, making sure everything was looking up to standards. The staff were hard at work, preparing all the meals so that they could be sent out on time. The kitchen was in a bit of chaos since we were running late but that added to the excitement.

"Prepare the last dozens of bowls! The stew is ready!" The maid who was preparing the last serving of stew shouted out.

The servants quickly gathered temporary bowls to fill up with the stew. They were efficient and quick with the serving and were done within a minute of the stew being ready. The only thing left to do was serve them.

"Felix, the food is ready." The head chef notifies me. I give him a nod and quickly walk outside the kitchen to notify the team that will serve the food.

ARTORIUS' POV

"Already taking the second shower of the day. How much cleaning do you do!?" Amelia shouted out in telepathy.

I sat comfortably in my bathtub, taking in the sweet smell of the condiments that mixed in with the water and the petals that float on it.

"It's not uncommon. Do you want to smell like sweat and feel unclean all day?" I replied to her.

It took no energy to speak to her in telepathy and I preferred it that way. Even speaking with my mouth felt like work to me.

Though my peaceful bath is never just me relaxing, it's also the time I think about what my next move should be. There's so much happening and so much I want to do, I cannot keep up!

The rest of my day's plan is to get the items that I ordered yesterday and finish off my royal duties in my office, signing away more papers.

"Is there anything more exciting today?" Amelia asked me as she grew more and more sleepy.

"Possibly, I have a new project I want to try out."

I could hear her get all excited as I told her about it. "What is it? Tell me, tell me!" She exclaimed.

"Calm down, it's just an idea," I told her, chuckling softly. "It's something to do with our military. I realised that most of the army is made up of different kinds of troops with a single skill set."

"That's true, it becomes a hassle since only certain troops are good for certain work."

"That's why I want to make a team that focuses more on being talented in multiple skills, not just fighting with a sword and magic, but with all sorts of weapons."

Amelia gasped audibly as an idea bubble popped into her head. She was excited about the idea of soldiers with multiple skills, but it was nothing new to me.

"So they are like super soldiers?" Amelia asked, curious and thrilled. "Pretty much. They will be highly skilled soldiers that know more than just using a singular weapon or manipulating mana. They will know everything."

Amelia already approved of this idea, she wanted to see some strong soldiers too.

As I got out of the bath, I remembered that I had to go pick up the dress and ring soon. I asked Amelia where she was, and she replied that said in the garden.

Without wasting much time I wore my casual outfit and rushed outside with my coat that I didn't have time to put on. I navigated through the maze-like design of the palace and finally made it to the foyer where I found carts being loaded with food. Felix stood at the door, keeping watch.

"Felix, I need you right now." I quickly told him before running away. "W-wait why? Is something wrong?"

"No, I just need you to come with me."

"I need to finish this charity duty first! I'll see you in five minutes."

Felix continued his work supervising the charity while I walked into the garden, looking for Amelia and Kathlyn.

"Where are you?" I asked Amelia to get her location for the last time. "Northeast side of the garden!" Amelia replied quickly.

"See you in a minute."

The minute would be seconds as I made my way over to the northeastern side of the garden. I see the glimpse of an elegantly dressed maiden who was catering to flowers with a crimson fox.

Amelia heard my footsteps as I came closer to them, Kathlyn was looking at a flower bush quite thoroughly and didn't hear me yet.

"Ahem, Hello, Kathlyn." I greeted her to get her attention.

She panicked and quickly jumped back to her feet, bowing as her form of greeting me.

"H-hello, Artorius! I didn't realise you came here. How did you find me?" She asked, skeptical and curious.

"I have my ways. What are you doing here?"

"Just seeing the garden. I'm quite impressed by the variety of flowers you have! They all look healthy as well." She exclaimed with enthusiasm.

"I'm glad you could give your professional analysis of the garden! It's a place of solace for me whenever I have time."

She smiled and giggled as I picked up Amelia. "It's a nice place to walk around for a while."

All I could do was nod in agreement to her. "Well, anyway. I'll be going out to pick up your dress and run some errands outside the palace. I hope you don't find yourself bored in the palace."

"Oh, It's fine! The palace has enough entertainment for me. Especially this garden. It makes me feel at home!"

"I'm glad. I'll see you later then."

Kathlyn waved me goodbye as I walked away from the garden. She continued examining and admiring the plants, Amelia on the other hand was barely hanging onto my shoulder with whatever strength she had in her.

"How are you so sleepy?" I asked her, concerned about her laziness.

"I just feel extremely lethargic today." She replied, barely getting the message through.

"Lethargic? Sounds strange coming from a dragon."

Dragons are known to be powerful and energized. They can go without sleep for days on end and still be stronger than any creature. Maybe I am spoiling her too much.

"After this party gig is over, I'm taking you out for training," I told Amelia in a serious tone.

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"You're not going to be reaching your true limits if you laze around all day. You need to be trained in the right way."

The best way to train a dragon is to put them in danger at an early age. It grows their abilities and mental fortitude, like a child in a war-torn country.

They adapt to uncomfortable situations and conquer any pain that they may feel. The only way to grow stronger is to go through hell, which is why the only way Amelia has to go through harsh training.

"What kind of training?"

"Harsh training. You're a dragon, it's what you need to go through at this age. You're just being spoiled because I didn't think much of it. But in the future issues may arise from this negligence."

She was shocked to hear the plans. "B-but, I'm still young! Isn't it too early for training!?" She exclaimed in fear.

A sigh escapes my mouth as I become disappointed. "You realise that dragons are always fighting for power? If it weren't for some odd circumstance you would be fighting fully grown dragons for territory."

"Scary…"

It didn't take long for me to walk back inside to find Felix who was finishing up his supervisor duties. He saw me and quickly finished talking to a few staff before turning to me.

"Yes, now why did you need me?" Felix asked me as he fixed his gloves. "Nothing much, I just need you to come to the city with me."

"Oh? Sure then. Are we meeting Wilkins?" He asked me. "Yes, and something else too."

"What else~?"

"Picking up the dress that Kathlyn had ordered, and picking up a gift for Amadeus at the library."

He seemed satisfied with my answer and continued walking. "Well, busy day I suppose. Let's get on with it."

Felix started to walk away as I stood in silence. "Someone's excited for today," I muttered softly before following him outside the palace.

As I walked closer to him I had never realised how long the tail of his coat was. It came to his knees and stayed still even when he walked.

"What plans do you have with Wilkins today?" Felix asked me to break the awkward silence between us.

"Nothing much, just telling him I'll be gone for the next four days. I just want to see what he will be doing with his new business."

"Well, he's reported on the business. You may see it whenever you have time."

"Oh? Should've told me earlier. I'm curious about what report he gave me so early on."

He said that the first batch of wine would start to age in a month. What did he do that he sent me a report on?

As we walked outside the gates of the palace, I saw the lines of poor and unfortunate people line up near the palace. They saw me and were ecstatic but did not break their line.

"Well, I didn't know you served them right outside the palace," I told Felix and I stared at the long lines of people.

"It would be difficult moving all the food across the city, especially during this time with the traffic in the city."

"You make a good point."

I'm still curious about this charity foundation that I never heard of till today. What else does this do? And can I make a profit from it?

"Probably not." Amelia suddenly spoke out as I monologue to myself. "It's a non-profit organization. I'm pretty sure it's the opposite of what you are thinking of doing."

Feeling disheartened, I let out an audible sigh as we walked into the market area of the city.

The markets were crowded as usual and it was difficult walking around. As usual, we were stopped by many people for a simple greeting or questions. The greetings were nice but the questions were annoying.

Felix seemed to be walking around aimlessly, not knowing where he was going through bustling streets. He looked everywhere but just looked confused.

"Which shop was it?" Felix asked me as he turned around. "That one near the centre," I told him as I took the lead from him.

He followed right behind me as I walked to where the store was. I couldn't take Felix to the jewellery so I'd just send him off with the dress.

After a long walk through the hoards of people that recognized me, we finally made it to the centre. Now it was time for us to part ways.

"Well, here is where we part ways for now. You go get the dress and meet me at Wilkins'." I told Felix as I slowly strayed away from him.

"And where are you going?" He asked me with skepticism.

"The library, duh."

He lets out a soft scoff and nods. "Sure, I'll see you there."

Without another word, he walks away and goes to the tailor that I hadn't told him about.

"Did he see through my words?" I whispered.

I shook my head and walked towards the jewellery which wasn't that far across from the tailor. If I could just be quick at the jewellery I can go to the library and pick up a book at the same time it takes him to do what I told him to

Even though I wasn't wearing many layers today, the sun was melting me. Maybe it's due to the crowd of people but I felt like I was being baked in these clothes. It's good for fashion but horrible for convenience.

As I reached the jewellery store, I remembered that it was cooler inside and felt relieved that I would be saved from this early summer heat.

"Welcome back, your majesty. We have what you ordered here." The familiar kind voice rang out as I entered the store.

A smile breaks from my lips as I cool off inside the store. "Thanks for keeping it in reserve," I told her as I walked over to the counter.

She looked at me with a gleaming smile while the staff that I talked to was also on standby. They both seemed extremely happy that I would be purchasing this ring from their store, quite odd.

"It is a pleasure to be of assistance to your majesty. Wait here for a moment, I'll go and bring it at once!" The staff said before bolting away from the room, through the double doors that led to mystery.

I nod in response and stand in front of the desk with my arms crossed, blankly staring at the jewellery that was on display behind a glass enclosure.

Amelia copied my stance and stood on my shoulder, giving the pieces of jewellery a judging look. The shopkeeper felt nervous but kept up a smile nonetheless as we judgingly stared at her jewellery.

"Why are we staring at the jewellery?" Amelia asked as she sighs and sits normally on my shoulder. "Oh, no reason. Just blankly staring at something."

A few minutes passed as we waited but no sign of the staff. We both felt the awkwardness in the air but couldn't figure out what to say to keep each other busy.

Finally after a long time of no sounds, one of us spoke out.

"Where is he? I told him to keep it here." The lady said, breaking our silence.

"Hm, must be a really important ring that is kept in such secrecy."

"It is! It's one of our most expensive rings. Many nobles had seen it but were turned away by the price, calling it a waste and too expensive even for their budget."

Seems like I had made a bold move.

"At least it's being sold now. Speaking of which, I should pay in advance since I'll be buying it anyway."

I rummage through my coat that I hadn't worn properly and just hung on my shoulder. I found a heavy bag of gold coins and kept it on the desk.

"Here's the payment. Now the item that I bought…"

And speaking of which, he finally arrives.

The double doors crept open and out came the staff that left empty-handed, coming back with the same small ring box that we saw. He walked over with a huge smile on his face and kept it on the table, next to the bag of coins.

"Here it is! You may open it and check it if you wish to confirm it." The staff says as he took an at-ease stance.

I took hold of the box and slowly opened the lid. Just to confirm that it was the ring, I gave it a proper look and made sure it was the real deal.

"Seems like it is. Really glad I could get something so beautiful so easily." I told them as I took it and kept it in my trousers pocket.

"When will you be using it?" The lady teased as I tried to take my leave.

A gentle smile breaks out as I turn around to take my leave. "Maybe soon, maybe later. You will see."

Without another word, I left the jewellery and patted my pocket, making sure that the box was still there.

"So when will you be using it?" Amelia asked me the same question that the lady asked.

"Possibly soon, possibly later."

She puffed her cheeks in retaliation and rumbled. "At least tell me."

I sigh a breath of relief, knowing that I could rest easy with these two being done. I just need to pick a good book and then go meet Wilkins.

The crowded streets were slowly clearing off a bit, giving me room to breathe and not feel like I was being baked. The less crowded the roads become, the easier it is for me to walk with such heavy clothes in such weather.

Most of the common folks wore a simple yet elegant tunic that gave their status as to which class they were in. The fabric used on the clothes also told you which class they were in.

I noticed all of this as I walked to the library. The poor wore a tunic made of a rough and ragged fabric that would mostly be used for sacks while the normal middle class wore a tunic made of cotton or wool.

Wool has slowly become less and less popular as the season changes and cotton is becoming more prevalent. Wish I could say the same for me but my coats always have a layer of wool on them, mostly as a symbol of status and for convenience in the winter.

"What kind of book are you going to get?" Amelia asked, excited about books. "Not sure. I'll just get something that seems rare and he might be interested in."

"What about that old book about dragons?"

"It's not a bad idea, but its condition is terrible. If I tried to somehow take it to the capital it would tear and pages would be lost.

She sighs in disappointment and lays flat on her stomach on top of my head. "Well, let's see what we can find."