Admiration

Arthur untied the blindfolds and ropes that confined Lily, Anna, and Magnus. Their expressions of sheer joy caused a warm, fuzzy feeling to appear in Arthur's heart. It was wholesome as their expressions bled into that of such beauty.

"Big brother!" shouted Lily, jumping into his embrace immediately once she was freed from her restraints. Arthur patted her back as he embraced her, allowing her to sob on his shoulder. Soon, his shirt was wet due to the tears.

Uncaring of that, Anna, too, jumped into Arthur's arms. Magnus simply observed, allowing a smile to blossom on his face.

"Arthur," spoke Magnus in a heavy tone. The atmosphere, which had only just lightened, darkened again. "Thank you."

At the unexpected words, Arthur nodded. Once he was free of his mother and sister's embrace, he approached Magnus before wrapping his arms around him. Magnus's eyes widened slightly, but he accepted it.

"Such words do not exist in a family," said Arthur, to which Magnus nodded. "Now, should we exit this place?"

The decision was unanimous.

*

"Fifty bronze coins!?" Magnus's eyes widened as he viewed the currency in Arthur's hands. It was utterly absurd. Such money was usually a person's life savings or over a year's worth of salary.

Even middle-class people didn't throw around such money. The bronze coins stacked up to half of Lily's height and were exceptionally thick. Arthur chuckled, observing Magnus's shimmering eyes.

"Yeah," said Arthur. "Half of a silver coin. I spent the other half on this."

The crimson-eyed boy revealed his longsword, which was sheathed within a scabbard and strapped to his waist. "So you did manage to kill the King Wolves. Also, the aura around you has…changed," commented Anna.

Lily and Magnus noticed the change before nodding in acceptance. "Yeah, the feeling of being around you has changed. You seem… sharper. Your face has changed shape, and you've become fat–"

"It's not that significant," replied Anna, cutting off Lily's monologue. "And from where does Arthur look fat?"

"He has pounds upon pounds of weight now!" replied Lily. She approached Arthur and squished his bicep. "It's so big, now!"

"But isn't it hard, too?" inquired Anna, allowing a smile to blossom on her face. "Honey, that's muscle, not fat."

Magnus burst into laughter while Arthur chuckled. Anna simply smiled gently at her daughter's innocence. Lily, on the other hand, reddened in sheer embarrassment. She flailed her arms, attempting to mask her mistake.

"What did I do in my past life to deserve such a cute daughter?" Anna asked no one in particular, putting both palms on her cheeks while praising Lily endlessly. The latter simply turned red.

"Let's not tease Lily too much," suggested Arthur, wrapping his little sister in a protective embrace.

"See? Big brother gets it!" announced Lily proudly, puffing up her chest. "If you guys tease me, big brother will protect me!"

Anna and Magnus simply burst into more laughter. Lily glanced at Arthur, motioning him to act. However, watching her cute face, the crimson-eyed man burst into laughter, too, ignoring his previous words.

"Big brother!"

*

"Mother, do you know where I can find old Melzer?" Arthur asked, sipping his tea calmly.

Anna and Magnus paled while Lily perked up at those words. Lily glanced at both of her parents. "Who's that, mommy? Daddy?"

"That's… no one, Lily," replied Magnus, forcing a smile. He then interlocked his fingers with Lily's. "Let's… go out for a bit and let big brother and mommy talk. They have something important to discuss."

Lily seemed disappointed but nodded regardless. "Bye, mommy."

Anna waved at her as Magnus took her outside. Before exiting the living room, Magnus cast a glance at Anna, who nodded calmly.

"What was that about?" Arthur asked, narrowing his eyes. He gazed into his mother's eyes suspiciously, wondering what she was hiding. "Mother, who is old Melzer, and why did you send Lily outside?"

"Where did you hear that name?" asked Anna, clasping her hands together before forming a solemn expression. Noticing his mother's unusual expression, Arthur couldn't help but frown in confusion.

"Aunt Edna…"

"You talked to that bitch?" Anna asked, raising an eyebrow. "First, she tried to steal my husband… and now she's telling my son such things?"

"Never heard you curse before," muttered Arthur, but didn't Anna didn't bat an eye. It seemed her resentment for Aunt Edna ran deep… very deep. It was akin to a blood feud, according to her.

"She deserves it," spat Anna. "Anyway, why do you want to meet old Melzer?"

"First, you have to tell me why you sent Lily out when I mentioned his name," Arthur persisted. "What's wrong with old Melzer?"

Anna hesitated for a few seconds. Her gaze shot from left to right, up and down before she finally sighed in defeat. Arthur commented inwardly on how childish his mother could be when stressed.

"I'm sure you've heard old Melzer used to be an Elite Ranker," explained Anna. "I'm sure it's the reason you want to meet him in the first place. However, he is not someone you should admire."

'Admire, eh?' thought Arthur, letting out a chuckle inwardly. He scoffed, wondering how he could admire a person he could have squashed like a bug during his years as the Lord of Sins. No, Elite Rankers weren't even bugs to a Divine Ranker like him.

However, Arthur currently didn't care about power. He wished to be a jack of all trades and not rely on a single source of power. He wished to form his constitution, and the best way was to learn from a former Elite Ranker.

Learn… it was a strong word.

But it applied to this situation perfectly. The Lord of Sins wasn't a person interested in forming a base of power. He was one who zoomed through adversities, avoiding any obstacles and paving his way through his domineering might.

However, in this life, such a process wasn't possible. He couldn't defeat the Angels and Demons through normal means.

He needed all the power he could get… like a Hoarder.