4

The duo had left the loot house not long after Arthur returned Emilia's insignia to her, initially, Arthur hadn't wanted to leave Rom's body, he didn't quite know what his relationship with Felt was, but he knew Felt's already frayed mental state would be totally broken if his corpse was left here, but Reinhard was insistent that it was a job for the knight's he called and that he would make sure the body was brought to his home so they could have a proper funeral for him.

Emilia had left earlier, rapidly expressing her thanks for the help, after a carriage driven by a pink-haired maid had stopped outside.

He decided not to question how the maid knew where to find them, chalking it up to some different type of magic.

From there, the trip to Reinhard's home was uneventful, with Arthur, who carried Felt, following Reinhard throughout the streets that he and Emilia passed through a few hours earlier.

It was only after they arrived at Reinhard's home, which was more akin to a small mansion, that things started to take an odd path, Reinhard issued a few whispered commands to a pair of servants, an older man and woman, who led him to a room where he could leave Felt, Reinhard meanwhile disappeared while the servant duo gave him a brief tour of the building.

The building was, to put it simple, beautiful, with the main color seeming to be red, with contrasting gold elements, the hallways seemed to stretch on endlessly and a vast lawn was visible through the numerous windows on the backside of the building, something that seemed out of place in the middle of a bustling city.

The rooms were kept lit, even in the fading daylight, through the muse of illuminating crystals, no doubt powered by some type of magic.

Overall, the interior was a mix of the modern homes he encountered during the Holy Grail Wars and the more rustic buildings that were typically encountered in Camelot.

It wasn't long before he found himself in an elegant sitting room, one that wouldn't be used to discuss anything but the most important topics.

The servants left him in the sitting room with two steaming cups of what he assumed was tea, along with the knowledge that Reinhard would arrive shortly.

Snatching one of the cups, he hesitantly raised it to his mouth, taking in its minty aura, before taking a shallow sip, the hot liquid searing his throat as he swallowed it.

It was divine, the taste was one that he had never had, but above all else, it started to quench the thirst he didn't realize he had carried, he barely stopped himself from finishing half of the cup.

Time seemed to pass at a snail's pace, it felt like hours had passed before the door to the room opened and a certain redhead stepped into the room.

"I had hoped to be back before you were done with your tour, it seems I was late,"

Reinhard shot him a soft smile, one that seemingly didn't seem to reach his eyes.

"It's perfectly fine," Arthur waved off his concerns, before giving him a cheeky smile and raising his half-empty cup, "besides I got to enjoy the company of a fine partner."

"Is that so." Reinhard's smile relaxed as he sat across from Arthur, taking the extra cup in his hands, "I take it you've seen to the girl…. I believe you referred to her as Felt?"

"She's out cold in one of your guest bedrooms, I really can't thank you enough for letting her stay here, I'm not sure I could have left her there…"

"It pains me that she was on the streets for so long, it's no problem to house her here at your request."

"About that," Arthur sat his glass on the table, affixing Reinhard with a stare, "I can't imagine room and board is cheap, so how much more is this going to add to the bill?"

"The bill?"

"For the wall and destroyed earlier, and now the fact that you are housing Felt here."

"And what of yourself?" Reinhard asked, steering the conversation from the topic at hand.

"What is there to talk about? I'll make do."

The was a simple statement of fact, he had no intentions of staying in this house himself, all that would do is increase his debt further, it didn't help that he needed to find a way to earn money.

"I'm afraid there is much to talk about, even more so in lieu of recent events."

"Oh, what situation have I been thrown into now?" Arthur asked, crossing his arms, the playfulness of his earlier tone fading.

"It has to do with this," Reinhard announced, extracting a small object from a pocket inside his jacket before placing it between them on the table.

It was an Insignia, based on its appearance alone he could have been convinced it was Emilia's if it wasn't for the fact that he handed it to her hours prior.

That similarity was the problem for Arthur, the mere fact that Emilia had hers stolen had thrown Reinhard into a frenzy.

The insignia couldn't simply be a piece of jewelry.

This has bad news written all over it.

Luckily, he only needed to take a glance at the familiar looking item to formulate an appropriate response to throw Reinhard off guard.

"I suppose you're not going to tell me that you stole the Emilia's insignia, are you?" Arthur tried to joke, if only to lessen the sinking of his own chest.

Unfortunately, it seemed to have the opposite effect as the sarcasm didn't seem to reach the man across from him, as Reinhard expression became downcast, and his speech became sluggish.

"I'm sorry that you think so lowly of me, I know I do not look it but…"

It was almost impressive how the room became so downcast at his statement, the world around them seemed full of sorrow. If anyone had been there to see it, they would have grinned seeing Arthur frantically backpedaling.

"I was just trying to lighten the mood!" Arthur hastily interrupted, cutting through Reinhard's self-criticizing lament, "Believe me, I don't think you look like a thief… you seem like… a nice guy?"

"A nice guy?" Reinhard questioned, still wearing a sad smile.

Never before had he ever had, let alone tried, to comfort someone that was truly sad, even the relentless teasing that he endured from Merlin could compare to the sorrow present on the face of the man before him.

Not to mention the sadness he was witnessing was undoubtedly real. Something that was in no ways assured with Merlin.

"Yeah, a… nice guy…" Arthur stuttered with a nervous laugh, unable to ignore the gaze of the man across from him as the silence continued to stick to the very air in the room, "I don't know" Arthur eventually muttered.

I'm really not good at talking to people…

Reinhard's ears perked the minute his thought ended, and the sorrow present in Reinhard's' blue eyes seemed to vanish as disbelief washed over him.

"Your… not lying…"

"What are you talking-" Arthur trailed off after realizing his intended private thought was actually spoke out loud.

Good work Arthur, he thought, making sure his mouth explicitly kept itself shut this time.

Maybe being in a different world was messing with him more then he thought, surely that had to be the reason, right? After all, he had spent years on the throne of England, and he had never let himself slip-up like this.

Or maybe being the King was what defined your entire existence, Whispered a traitorous voice deep in his mind

"Anyways," Arthur rapidly spoke, keeping his wandering eyes anywhere but the red-haired knight before it finally rested on the source of his current problem, "What's the deal with this insignia?"

Reinhard looked like he wanted to ignore his question and instead continue talking about Arthur's accidental comment, but the minute he seemed to gather his resolve it seemed to dissipate nearly instantly, before he could even finish opening his mouth.

"This insignia is vital to the Kingdom's future," Reinhard eventually answered, his eyes never leaving Arthur, "And if I am correct, it is vital to yours as well."

"What do you mean," Arthur asked, unable to stop his curiosity that seemed to momentarily fill the pit in his stomach, as he watched Reinhard lean forward and grab the insignia before extending towards him.

Tentatively, Arthur extended his hand towards Reinhard's, his mind running wild with possibilities of what Reinhard was looking for.

The minute his gripped the insignia, the answer became painfully clear, he didn't even have to be looking at the object in his hand to know what it was, as the room around them practically glowed with crimson light.

A pointed stare was all it took for Reinhard to answer his unspoken question.

"This insignia proves that you are the fifth and final candidate to stand election for the title of the 42nd King of Lugunica."

The proclamation from the red-haired knight seemed to cause time to slow, Arthur became painfully aware of the constricting in his chest, the stifling lack of free-flowing air in the room, and a familiar weight starting to once again rest on his shoulders, one he couldn't break even as Reinhard's' mouth to silently intone words.

Your Majesty…

From the minute your hand touched this blade…

Something less than human…

The streaks of crimson light illuminated Arthurs body twisted and warped becoming a viscous red liquid that seemed to claw at his skin, as the cold embrace of death started to slither up Arthur's' neck.

"… would be honored to…" Reinhard spoke, cutting off as the chair under Arthur scrapped backwards and the insignia escaped from his hand, landing on the table with a dull thud and the glow from its ruby red gem steadily fading.

"If you wouldn't mind," Arthur hissed, failing to keep his emotions at bay, "I'd like to leave."

The response came instantly, almost robotic.

"I'm sorry, but I cannot allow that."

"Oh," Arthur challenged, not giving the other man an inch to work with, "and why, exactly, is that?"

"It would be impetuous if I allowed you to leave in your current mental state."

"Reinhard, you seem like a person I wouldn't mind being around," Arthur admitted, unintentionally causing a small smile to find its way onto Reinhard's face, "So I'd hate to burn our bridge over this."

"Although I do not completely understand the phrase you spoke, I am more than willing to accept the burden in this issue, nevertheless I cannot comply with your request."

The tension in the room was palpable, and neither of the two were willing to be the one to shatter it.

It was only the door to the room getting thrown open that prevented the silence from dragging on for minutes.

The young maid that hastily entered, one that Arthur hadn't met yet, faltered for a moment seeing the precarious atmosphere in the room before regaining bearings and addressing Reinhard.

"Lord Reinhard, the girl staying in one of the guest bedrooms has gone missing."

Her words were all it took for all hell to break lose.

Arthur had carried out the open-door seconds after Flam had finished her announcement, the sudden eruption of Arthur's mana careening past her nearly caused her to fall to the floor, it was only the short appearance of Reinhard at her side the steadied her, before he too shot out the door, following the distinct mana trail left behind. The insignia laying on the table and all of its problems all but forgotten.

If the situation had been any different, he would have marveled at how fast Arthur ran through the manor, he was only able to keep up due to one of his numerous divine protections.

The two had reached the bedroom Felt had been left in seconds, Arthur sudden stop in front of the door causing a gale to rush through the hallway, throwing a multitude of paintings and decorations careening to the floor.

By the time Reinhard came to a stop, without introducing the hallway to a second hurricane, Arthur had already barged through the door into the guest bedroom.

The instant he entered the room it became clear he could disregard at least one theory explaining Felt's disappearance, something Arthur could as well if the dull laugh that escaped his lips was anything to go by.

The only disturbance was the blanket that rested at the foot of the bed and an opened window that led out into the crisp air of the night.

"Not a single sign of a fight," A pained whisper forced its way out of Arthur's lips as he fell to the floor, "She left, ran likely, something she was undoubtedly competent at after years of thievery."

Competent would be an understatement, Arthur didn't know it but Reinhard was aware the minute that his eyes landed on her that she possessed a divine protection that greatly enhanced her speed, she could likely be halfway across the city by now.

At least this time, invading someone's privacy would have it's uses.

"Her only family was just brutally killed in front of her, and she latched onto me," Arthur's agonizing whispers continued as the reality of the situation started to dawn on him, "And I left her alone with no explanation for where she was when she woke up..."

For a few seconds Reinhard stood beside the kneeling Arthur in silence before the blond-haired man broke into low hysterical laughter.

"What a monster,"

It was painfully clear who he was referring to.