Level Up Legacy

After the souls said goodbye to their families and joined the army of wrath, the fight was concluded as a tie. Malrik raised Arthur's hand, hailing him as the newest addition to the legion of warriors. The crowd cheered for him, making Arthur feel welcomed in his new – temporary – home.

"Feast! Feast! Feast!" the elves chanted, and Malrik grinned before waving his hand. They burst into cheers before they ran in every direction, beginning their preparations.

Everyone was in high spirits after realizing that their comrades were not gone but still fighting with them to protect their home. And now, the king of this relentless army was here to help them. Songs played out as the elves played on their harps.

Arthur was pulled away by the crowd together with Diana and Tiara, crowned with flowers and branches. He could see the elves' grateful smiles as they cheered for him. Before long, he found himself sitting around a dancing crowd and served sweet syrup.

"My name is…"

"Thank you for…"

"I love how you…"

The elves bombarded him with compliments, gratitude, and questions. Arthur found himself overwhelmed and just smiled in response, saying a few words here and there to avoid being seen as rude.

Food was prepared, and it was mainly made of fruits and plants. Arthur expected them to be bland or simply sweet, but he was surprised that they were tastier than meat could ever be. After asking about the leaves which tasted like meat, Malrik grinned at him.

"These belong to meat-eating plants. They devour roaming monsters, insects, and anything they can get their hands on. This just proves that we are what we eat, right?"

Arthur took another bite of the leaf, chewing thoughtfully before looking at Malrik. "So, what you're saying is… I'm technically eating secondhand monster."

The crowd burst into laughter at the absurd dryness of the statement, some of them doubling over as Arthur simply shrugged and took another bite.

The feast went on, with elves dancing in circles and singing their battle songs. Arthur and Diana were the center of the crowd, and they were dragged to dance with the rest. The two of them didn't refuse, and they began dancing amidst the crowd.

"I didn't think you would accept them this easily," Tiara said with a smile as she sat next to Malrik, tilting her head at him in teasing. "You were always a difficult person, even when we were young."

"I'm far from difficult," Malrik said, a few bloodstains still covering his teeth. "It just takes me a while to accept outsiders. You know how we were raised."

"Those were times of war and hatred," Tiara said with a sigh. "Humans and elves couldn't coexist, but now… we have no reason to hide that we are different anymore."

"Elves will always be the closest things to humans, but are not," Malrik said with a shake of his head. "Even now I hear of humans enslaving the demi-humans."

"Ascent and Runera are working every day to solve these issues," Tiara said with a sad smile. "He is kinder than any human I have ever met."

"I know what kind of man he is now," Malrik said as he watched Arthur dance with the elves, hand in hand, sharing smiles and laughter. "My brothers told me that he promised to kill famine."

"At last, my mother can rest easy," Tiara said with a sigh as she raised her cup to drink with a smile. "Janea will thrive again."

---

The feast ended late at night, before Arthur and Diana were shown to their new home. It was a small treehouse that oversaw a meadow. The river flowing through the dark forest was right beside them, giving them quite the sight to look at. Continue your saga on empire

Arthur carried Diana back to their house with Malrik guiding them. It seemed that the sweet syrup was one of the strongest spiritual wines in the world, and the elves had the purest quality. It came from an elusive tree hidden deep in the forest which appears once in a hundred years.

Diana was drunk, giggling and smiling to herself as Arthur carried her home. Malrik sneaked some glances at Arthur, who was as cool as a cucumber. He raised his brows in surprise as he questioned, "How can you be this sober after drinking so many cups? I can't even walk straight."

"Spiritual wines have little effect on my mind, sadly." Arthur said with a smile as he pulled Diana closer in his embrace. "It seems that my fiancée has yet to learn how to control her spiritual energy."

"Spiri..." Malrik began, but rushed to cover his mouth. Arthur was surprised to see the dark elf run toward the river and begin to vomit the wine he had drunk.

Arthur looked at their new house in the distance, and then toward Malrik who was still vomiting the wine he drank. After a while, the elf rose, washed his face, and then returned to Arthur.

"Apologies for the ugly display," Malrik said with a smile. "I feel better now."

"No worries…" Arthur said with a smile. "Please lead the way again."

"Of course," Malrik said before taking them toward their house. "This house belonged to my brother and his wife. They both died one week ago."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"There is no need to be sorry," Malrik said. "My brother saved his wife, but she died of infections later. They died loving each other, for their kingdom, and that's the ultimate honor. Wouldn't you do the same for her?"

Arthur was silent as he turned toward Diana, who was sleeping on his arm. She was mumbling something to herself in some sort of dream which involved a wyvern, a bar, and an angry chef. He smiled as he looked ahead.

"I would fight the world for her, and I did just that."

"I heard about the six kingdoms attempting to stop you but failing," Malrik said as he whistled. "Respect for that, Lord Arthur."Nôv(el)B\\jnn

"Call me Arthur," he said with a smile. "I'm one of you now, right?"

Malrik grinned at him. "Damn right you are."