Level Up Legacy

1174  An Apple Witness

"How would that be achieved?" asked the woman with intrigue. Although her voice and face were masked using an artifact, Arthur still found her familiar. However, he did not know such a capable and mature woman in the Yalveran Union.

"We can use this," said Arthur as he picked a red apple from the refreshments on the table. "This apple will serve as our witness and the closest to our hearts as long we are touching it. And if anyone with ill-intentions touch it, it would rot."

The woman was confused, and Markus was bewildered. The concept was simple, but asking the apple to be their witness and thinking that it would rot did not sound like a reality. Thus, they looked at Arthur as if he was crazy.

"…this is just an apple, not an artifact."

"Everything answers if you ask nicely," said Arthur with a grin as he threw the apple in the air and watched it rotate. "And this applies to everything, and instead of an apple, this could be the world."

Arthur could feel their questioning gazes, and the dwindling faith they had in his abilities. However, he was not one to rush things. These two would see his true abilities in just a bit.

"Greetings, dear fruit. Can you be the witness of our intentions, and whoever carries malice, would be stained with rot upon touching you?"

The apple gave no answer, and Arthur looked like a lunatic. After that, he placed the fruit on the table separating them. Then, he looked at the woman and gestured for her to touch the apple.

"Dear sir… is this a joke of some sort?" asked the woman with fear of offending Arthur, who smiled upon hearing her question. "An apple cannot act as a medium, even if you were the best runemaster in the world. Organic objects cannot be mediums."

Her words were not wrong if someone used the basic logic of runes that this world had. However, Arthur knew that runes had infinite potential to be used on any medium. The limit was the authority that a runemaster had to command a certain rune.

"Runes have nothing to do with this," said Arthur with a smile. "I just asked this apple a favor. All you have to do is touch it."

Although hesitant and now almost convinced that Arthur was insane, the woman still touched the apple. Nothing happened until the apple began shaking and leaves grew from its stem. The woman was then shocked as she stared down at the apple.

"I guess this is my turn now," muttered Arthur as he touched the apple as well. This time, the apple grew bigger and shimmering lights exploded from it. The red turned to deep golden as the branches and leaves were dyed as well.

As the two witnessed the scene, they could not help but be shocked. This magical phenomenon took just a few seconds, and it stopped the moment Arthur retracted his hand.

16:54

"I can now trust your intentions, and I hope that this is enough for you to trust mine," said Arthur with a smile. "If you wish to examine the apple further, then I have a different method."

"…please elaborate."

"You should touch the apple first," said Arthur to Markus. "I want to test your intentions before we go further."

While confused, Markus did as he was told. The apple showed no more reaction, which was a safe sign that Markus was not hiding anything from them. However, Arthur wished to elaborate that the apple was indeed a genuine witness.

"You can now think about killing me, and touch the apple again," said Arthur with a smile. "I did not suggest it earlier because it might turn into an intrusive thought. But now, I want you to prove that this apple is genuine."

Markus looked at his leader with hesitation, and when she nodded, he touched the apple. As soon as he touched it while thinking about killing Arthur, the apple began rotting at an alarming rate. Markus flinched and retracted his hand, making the rotting process stop.

"…how did you achieve this?" asked the woman with confusion, looking at Arthur as if he was an alien. "You want to believe that you asked the apple to be a witness and it obeyed?"

"I did not ask, I asked nicely," said Arthur with a smile as he clasped his hands. "Revealing any more of this power might expose my identity. How about we end this here with mutual trust of our intentions?"

The woman was silent for a few seconds before reaching for a handshake. Arthur took the handshake with a smile before retracting his hand. Just like that, he infiltrated this group of rebels. Markus then removed his mask, but the woman kept hers.

"My name is Markus."

"I know," said Arthur with a smile. "We met before, but I cannot give back the memories that I sealed. However, I need to warn you. If you use those eyes to see through my identity again… I have no chance but to kill you."

His threat was ice-cold and without any introductions, making the man shocked and a bit alarmed. The woman, however, held his hand and nodded at him.

"If he thinks that revealing his identity would endanger people that are dear to him, he would, of course, be cautious about it. We must respect his wishes of anonymity."

"I understand," said Markus with a nod. "I will explain our plans and the resources we have to achieve them. Then, I would ask for your contributions."

"And I would be happy to help take down the arrogant king."

His hatred-laced voice sent chills down their spines, but it reassured them that Arthur was indeed an ally. As the saying went, the enemy of my enemy is my friend.

The woman excused herself and disappeared back into the clock tower, while Markus became the guide that took Arthur out of the tower and to a small house in Kera. That house has been just built, but it served as a residence that the rebellion provided for its patronage.

Markus opened the door, and the entire house lit with lights. Runes ran across the floor and began warming the house from the cold of December. The kitchen turned out, as food began to be prepared not by butlers, but runes.

"This is quite fancy for a rebellion."

"We are not a rebellion, but a necessary change," said Markus with pride as he placed the runic key on the table. "Furthermore, we like to take care of those backing us. That is…"

"You need funding?" asked Arthur with a smile as he raised a hand. As he waved, several leather bags fell on the counter, jiggling as they did. "You can have these treasures."

"…sir… I did not mean…"

"I have no need for money," said Arthur as he looked around the house. "But I do have a question. How do you plan on entering Yalenia?"

"Our lady found a way to turn off the arrays on the day of the execution. We can teleport straight to the capital without any resistance, and save the Agard Family."

"Is that the main objective?"

"After we save the Agard Family, something that many of our supporters wish to do, we plan on assassinating the king and his family," said Markus without a change of his expression. "These are the only two goals we have, and the forces will be divided accordingly."

"I like that," said Arthur with a smile. "But I have a different idea for the attack. The Yalen King is a seer, and he will foresee our efforts. We must strike where he least expects it."

"We must adhere to the plan," said Markus with worry. "If we attack them divided, we will alert them of our plans. A surprise attack must come in a single strike."

"I understand your logic, but the king is a seer," said Arthur with a smile as he tapped the controls on the counter. He found that there was a rune to control everything in this house. "If we don't defy his knowledge, we will fail."

"…what do you have in mind?"

"We must steal his eyes," said Arthur with a grin. "If we prevent the king from seeing, then we have a chance to defeat him."

"If we can do that, we might as well kill him," said Markus with a frown. "I implore you to refrain from acting alone. We are allies now, right?"

"…indeed," said Arthur without saying anything more. "I will tell you the details before I act, Markus. You have no reason to worry."

His words made the man sigh in relief. Then, Markus excused himself and left, leaving Arthur in the runic house. The execution was two weeks away, and shortly after that, the ice will melt in Runera.

"Why is it always an execution that moves them?" muttered Arthur with a smile as he walked toward the window. "Even in Yalen, the people rebelled when their friends and family were threatened. It seems that this is the sole power capable of changing the world."