After hearing such horrible news, Arthur tries to sleep, but he’s struggling. The anxiety of being away from his family—combined with the fear that he might die soon—gives him a terrible nightmare where he’s haunted by a sleep paralysis demon. He suddenly hears someone calling his name and opens his eyes to find Tessia sitting on top of him. She’s been trying to wake him up for a while, but he keeps muttering about some kind of monster, which is starting to annoy her. She tells him to hurry and get ready because Virion is already waiting for him outside.
Arthur gets out of bed and starts changing. While he’s doing so, Tessia asks if he’s really planning to stay and become her grandpa’s disciple. Arthur hasn’t decided yet—it depends on whether Virion can really help him contact his family. As long as Arthur gets the chance to talk to his parents and let them know he’s okay, he’ll be satisfied. Once he’s dressed, he and Tessia head downstairs. But as soon as they open the doors, they hear Alduin arguing with Virion, furious at the idea of Arthur living in the elf kingdom. Taking in a human as a disciple would go against centuries of elven tradition.
But Virion doesn’t care. He likes Arthur and plans to make him his disciple, no matter what anyone says. Tessia tries to speak up for Arthur, but Alduin ignores her because she clearly supports Arthur staying. Coincidentally, Virion doesn’t care for Alduin’s opinion either. So, he tells Arthur and Tessia to get in the carriage—they’ve got somewhere to be.
On the long ride to meet Virion’s mysterious friend, Tessia falls asleep. Arthur, now feeling more comfortable, calls Virion “grandpa” and asks if it’ll take much longer. Virion is amused by how quickly Arthur dropped the formalities, but if Arthur ends up living under his tutelage, he’ll be like part of the family. Virion doesn’t mind Arthur’s casual tone—in fact, he’s happy that Tessia finally has a real friend. As an only child and heir to the throne, most kids avoid her, and those who did befriend her only ended up betraying her trust. So she finds it hard to open up to people. But with Arthur, she’s always smiling and having fun, and Virion is thankful for that.
Arthur, who also has deep trust issues, feels like he can trust Virion, who just seems like a sincere and kind grandpa. Eventually, they arrive. Arthur wakes Tessia, and they all step out. Arthur is curious—this mysterious person must be very special if someone like Virion came all the way to see them. Virion stomps on the door and yells for Reinia to come out. When he puts his ear to the door, he gets smacked in the face as it swings open.
After regaining his composure, Virion introduces Reinia as a special mage, and with her abilities, she might be able to help Arthur contact his family. She invites them all inside to begin. But once Arthur steps in, all he sees is an ordinary house with a bucket of water on the table—so he starts wondering how she’s supposed to help him.
Reinia explains that she is a special type of mage called a seer. As a seer, she can look into the past and future of people. She momentarily uses her powers on Arthur and quickly realizes he’s an unusual case—there are parts of his past she can’t see. But that’s not surprising since she only sees fragments. That said, Arthur didn’t come for a glimpse into his past or future—he wants to let his family know he’s alive.
Reinia slides a bucket of water in front of Arthur and tells him to think deeply about his parents to get the best result. She begins using her power, and within seconds, Arthur sees visions of his parents. Alice has just finished cooking stew—too much for two people—and though Reynolds loves it, neither of them can enjoy it without Arthur. For all they know, he died after falling off the cliff. Reynolds blamed himself so much that he nearly turned to alcohol but had to care for his pregnant wife. They eventually moved to the city, where Reynolds found work and managed to afford a house within weeks. But no amount of success could ease the pain of losing Arthur.
Suddenly, they hear Arthur’s voice—but they can’t see him. They fear it’s his ghost. Arthur assures them he’s alive and living in the elf kingdom of Elenoir. He doesn’t fully understand the magic, but thanks to a friend, he’s using a special spell to talk to them. He wants to come home but can’t right now—something is wrong with his body, and he won’t survive unless he fixes it. He promises to return once he’s healed, though he’s unsure how long that’ll take. He asks them not to blame themselves—it was his choice, and he’d make the same one again if it meant keeping his family safe.
Reynolds and Alice are overwhelmed with joy to hear Arthur is alive. Saying goodbye again brings Arthur to tears, but he’s glad they got to speak. He resolves to never make them worry like that again—and to do that, he needs to become stronger.
So, he asks Virion to make him his disciple. Now, they just need Alduin to approve Arthur living in the castle. Alduin is still opposed due to his deep hatred of humans, but Tessia reminds him that Arthur saved her. If he rejects Arthur, it would make him look like an ungrateful savage. Alduin argues that Arthur’s presence might spark issues in the elf kingdom, but Virion already planned for this. He tells Alduin to publicly announce Arthur as his disciple—no one would dare challenge Virion’s authority.
With that, Arthur is officially granted permission to live in the royal palace. After the meeting, Alduin approaches Arthur to apologize for his earlier behavior. He still doesn’t like humans much, but Arthur seems like a good kid. And since Arthur saved Tessia, it’s Alduin’s duty to repay him. He tells Arthur to think of himself as part of the family now. Arthur is surprised by how quickly Alduin and Miel changed their stance, but it makes sense considering how much Virion and Tessia stood up for him.
Arthur thanks Alduin, calling it an honor to be welcomed into the royal castle. But Tessia interrupts—this isn’t enough. If Arthur is really welcome, she wants him to be allowed to play outside with her. Since Alduin has already accepted him, he agrees.
With that, Tessia excitedly drags Arthur into town to show him around. He’s once again fascinated by elven culture. Tessia knows the area well and mentions a nearby shop that sells popular snacks. She warns him they need to hurry before everything sells out, and pulls his arm to rush him along. Arthur happily follows her, but accidentally bumps into a kid on the way.
It’s an honest mistake, but the kid starts insulting Arthur and yells about “filthy human germs.” Arthur wonders how the kid dares to be so rude within punching range, but Tessia tells him to just ignore it—causing trouble over something so minor isn’t worth it.
Normally, Arthur would’ve just walked away from someone like Ferith, but when Ferith starts insulting Tessia—saying she shouldn’t hang out with “trash” like Arthur and should be spending time with him instead—Arthur decides to have a little fun. Ferith, being a noble with an overinflated ego, clearly thinks too highly of himself. So Arthur pretends to be excited to meet him, only to deliberately mispronounce his name as “Feebich.”
Ferith immediately gets mad, but Arthur fakes an apology, saying he’ll make sure to “show proper respect to Fith” next time. Then he turns to leave with Tessia, but Ferith isn’t done. He might be arrogant, but he’s not dumb—he knows Arthur was mocking him, and he refuses to let it slide. He challenges Arthur to a duel, claiming it’s a matter of family honor.
Arthur can’t believe how ridiculous this is. In his old world, a duel usually meant a fight to the death—why would some kid casually challenge him like this? But judging from the amused looks of nearby adults, it’s clear duels here are more like formal sparring matches than actual life-or-death battles. So Arthur shrugs and accepts.
Tessia tries to stop the whole thing, warning Ferith that Arthur is Virion’s disciple. Challenging the student of the strongest man in the kingdom is, frankly, stupid. But Ferith believes that there’s no way a mere human could defeat him. He even goes so far as to say that refusing the duel would disgrace Virion’s name.
Arthur agrees, and the duel becomes official. When the fight begins, Ferith charges in confidently with a wooden stick. But, like most people, he had a plan—right up until Arthur punched him in the face.
Ferith drops instantly, unconscious before he even hits the ground. His friends rush over to help, but Tessia isn’t surprised. She already knew it would end like this. With the duel over, she grabs Arthur’s hand and pulls him away—they’ve got more places to explore.
The two spend the rest of the day together, visiting shops, eating snacks, and enjoying the town. Eventually, they take a break on a quiet balcony, and Tessia asks when his training with Virion starts.
Arthur tells her it begins first thing tomorrow, though something is clearly on his mind. He reflects on what Virion told him: the training is going to feel like hell—like being submerged in boiling tar—and he’ll have to endure it for years without his family by his side. Virion wanted to be sure Arthur was truly ready.
And Arthur was. Even now, despite knowing how painful it will be, he’s excited to begin. He needs that strength to build the future he wants.
Tessia nods and says she’ll train hard too—she doesn’t want to fall behind. But for now, she wants to enjoy the rest of their playdate.
So, she grabs his hand again and suggests they go get some more food.
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