14 Mysterious Figures
New things unraveled for Arthur. Each time any of his attributes increased, he got stronger. That fact did not need much thinking to realize. But now Arthur discovered that there were some thresholds to unlock new powers. When his strength and charm reached 10, two new abilities popped up. Arthur was on his journey to the top, and all abilities came in handy, even though he was sure these low-leveled ones wouldn’t be too strong.
[Bestial Strength(Rank 1)]: You are on your way to unlocking your bloodline. The bestial blood pumps inside your veins, doubling the strength of your body.]
[Charming Aura(Rank 1)]: Beasts from the Dream Realm exhale a unique aura capable of drawing the purest heart. You can charm others more easily.]
Both abilities were generic, but they were good nonetheless. Doubling the strength was overpowered, at least Arthur thought it was. He was happy with what he got. It was the first time the system gave him new skills. The only ones he had were the ones he got when he first arrived in that world.
But one thing made him curious. The skill said he was on his way to unlocking his bloodline.
“Bloodline? Doesn’t this mean I’m not entirely human in the first place? What if I’m a monster with sealed powers?” thought Arthur.
These were things he couldn’t find the answers to yet, so Arthur returned to what he could do, and that was to sleep. The journey had been tiring, and Arthur’s true mission would start the next day, so he needed a proper sleep.
Hily left without speaking much. Maybe she heard that it was the prince and got scared.
Arthur finally got a soft bed with warm blankets. He slept like a baby, and nothing could wake him up.
~~~~
The sun had yet to rise, and all people inside the palace weren’t up yet. Arthur was so tired that he slept without eating, and his body could not endure it anymore, so he woke up in the middle of the night.
“Raaaaaawrrr!”
“My stomach is so noisy. I’m afraid it will wake everyone, damn it.”
Arthur left his room, trying to make as little noise as possible. He even changed his clothing to a more stealthy one. The chef’s clothing was as white as marble, and anyone would notice him.
The palace was pitch-black, and Arthur could not see much. At least not until his eyes got used to the darkness.
Everything was quiet and devoided of life. During the nighttime, no guards were allowed to stay inside the palace. The royal family did not want their sleep disturbed by a patrolling guard. But that did not mean the place was unprotected. Many guards patrolled around it, and no one could get near the palace.
Arthur planned to get to the kitchen and prepare a meal for himself. The kitchen was far away from the bedrooms, and no one would get pissed by him making noises during the night. He walked in the palace halls, spying at every corner, and looking back at every second. The atmosphere was somewhat strange and daunting.
The kitchen was close, but when Arthur turned to the right, he was two shadows in the distance. He quickly got back before they noticed him. Arthur leaned against the wall, spying on what was happening in that hallway. It was impossible to hear what they were saying, but it couldn’t be good.
“They are both wearing hooded cloaks and meeting in the middle of the night. I hope they are not assassins or something,” thought Arthur.
Arthur was disguised inside the palace to rescue Jane. But now, two more mysterious people showed up. He hoped they wouldn’t mess up his plan.
These mysterious figures chatted for a while, and then they left, clearing up the path for Arthur to reach the kitchen. He still waited for some time before going there, afraid that they would be nearby.
“I need to figure out what is happening inside this place,” Arthur thought as he pushed the door, entering the palace’s kitchen. The place was empty, as he expected it. The first thing Arthur did was to look for a candle. He found one inside a drawer and used a plate as the candle’s base.
Only a fool would walk in the middle of the night without a weapon. Arthur came along with his sword attached to his back, so liting up the candle was no big deal. He touched his finger on the sheath, absorbing a small amount of mana, then he used it to create a small flame.
“This is way better. Now, where are the ingredients?”
It was no longer pitch-black, but Arthur still had no idea where most things were. He scanned the entire kitchen looking for utensils and ingredients. All of these things were inside a smaller room attached to the kitchen. It was a type of storage room containing all of the food.
The world did not have electricity, but it does not mean they couldn’t store foods using magic. The storage room had a magic seal on it, and that seal made sure no food would spoil.
Arthur already knew that the morning breakfast he would need to prepare was fried eggs with a slice of meat. The good news was that people in that world ate chicken eggs. Arthur was worried that they ate eggs from horrendous beasts. But the meat was a different story. He had no idea what type of meat that was, but surely it would taste good, right?
Anyway, Arthur decided to make himself the same breakfast the royal family would have. It was a good thing to practice, and it was not as if fried eggs and meat were untasty, at least not for Arthur.
The way they cooked in that world was by using a bonfire with a cooking pot above it. It was rustic, and there was no stove in that world. But it was still doable.
Arthur picked up a pan and a small amount of oil. He had no idea what type of oil it was, but it was the only one he found. He used his fire magic to lit up the bonfire and then put the slice of meat on it. Arthur took his time to put some condiments on it to make it tastier. In that world people weren’t sure about what spices to put, so Arthur had an advantage in that regard.
He did the same thing with the eggs and fried them. These were fast to make, so he made them after the meat, or else they would turn cold.
It was now time to taste it. Arthur cut a piece of the meat and shoved it inside his mouth.
“Whoaa, this is good. I honestly don’t want to know what type of meat this is, or else it may ruin my experience,” Arthur thought.
The eggs were something he did back in his world, so he was more skilled with that. They were awesome, and Arthur was sure no one from this world could make a better-fried egg.
After eating that marvelous plate, Arthur cleaned up all of the evidence that showed he went there. It would not look good for a newly hired chef to be wandering around in the middle of the night.
~~~~
He returned to his room, and this time, there was no shadowy figure in the halls. There was no way he would return to sleep, so he decided to practice some sword moves inside his room. It was not the best place to do so, but it was the only one he had.
Wisa taught him the basics, and the basics were the most important. One needed to master the foundation before attempting to learn more complex stuff. Rushing his way through it was not a good idea. Perhaps that was the reason why Wisa only taught him the basics? That way, Arthur had nothing else to practice.
Sweaty dropped from Arthur’s forehead, and time flew as he practiced his moves. The royal family had yet to wake up, but the servants were already starting their daily tasks. Some took care of the garden, some cleaned up the halls. The others that worked in the kitchen were still asleep, so that means Arthur still had some free time to bathe himself.
There was no shower, but the palace had a gigantic area with bathing pools. All servants could bath there. The royal family had a separate space for them to bathe far away from the servants, of course.
Arthur stored his sword and went to the bathing pool, carrying his chef’s clothing. He would bathe and change right after.
No one knew him, but all servants glanced at him when he passed through them. The bathing pools were outside, close to the garden. It was a huge building with all of the pools inside.
Arthur did not know much about the palace, so by mistake, he went the wrong way, entering the bathing pool for women only.
Three girls were bathing, and one of them was Hily.