Chapter 982: Alternate Timeline: Arceus’ views

Two days later;

Nexus Weapon Store.

The sky outside remained pale and cloudy as dawn slowly spread across the Imperial City while cool morning air swept through the Business district.

Usually, mornings felt peaceful.

Quiet.

But not today.

Especially not in Carlo District.

Gunshots echoed repeatedly through the area.

Bang.

Bang.

Bang.

The sounds rolled across the streets loudly enough to wake nearby residents from sleep, causing many people to grumble while opening their windows in irritation.

Inside the training grounds behind Nexus Weapon Store, however, Arceus Silver looked completely focused.

Right now, he sat inside a Panzer while carefully gripping the controls.

The heavy armored vehicle vibrated beneath him continuously, metal groaning softly as the engine rumbled with immense power, while the smell of oil, smoke, and heated machinery lingered thickly in the air.

Kiara watched him silently at first.

And honestly...

She was surprised.

Very surprised that Arceus learned frighteningly fast.

Within ten minutes, he had already understood the basic controls well enough to drive smoothly without stalling or jerking the vehicle awkwardly.

And after only thirty minutes...

He started skidding the Panzer, not driving, but trying to drift...

At full speed.

Kiara nearly choked.

The enormous armored vehicle screeched violently while turning through the training grounds, dirt exploding outward beneath the tracks as the massive body tilted enough to make her heart jump into her throat.

’Is he insane?’

For one terrifying second, she genuinely thought the Panzer would flip sideways.

Arceus was only at the 2-star rank.

If something went wrong, he would absolutely get hurt.

So she immediately stopped the game before his confidence evolved into disaster.

Afterward, the training shifted toward machine gun operation while driving.

Kiara drove a Panzer.

Arceus followed behind in another.

His task was simple.

Hit her moving vehicle.

Simple in theory.

But very difficult in reality.

The machine guns mounted on the Panzer could indeed be operated by the driver, but controlling movement, direction, aim, and firing simultaneously required absurd coordination.

Kiara had expected him to struggle.

Instead...

Arceus adapted quickly again.

His hands moved surprisingly smoothly across the controls.

Still, another problem soon appeared.

The cost.

Every burst of ammunition burned money.

In barely fifteen minutes, nearly one hundred forty rounds of 7.9mm ammunition vanished.

That’s one hundred forty gold coins. For many people, that money is enough to feed a family three times a day for a year. They were gone just like that.

Yet, Kiara didn’t seem to be bothered too much.

Arceus visibly slowed afterward.

Since losing his position as heir of House Silver, his mentality toward money had changed greatly.

Kiara noticed it immediately.

He stopped firing recklessly and started aiming carefully, trying to increase accuracy instead of spraying bullets wildly.

Even then, it remained difficult because of the machine gun’s rapid fire.

At around seven-thirty in the morning, both Panzers finally came to a halt.

Steam rose faintly from the heated metal. The smell of burnt olive oil, which was used as a fuel currently, lingered in the air.

As Kiara and Arceus climbed out from the armored vehicles, both of them immediately noticed a familiar horse carriage waiting quietly nearby.

And beside it sat a familiar hooded figure.

Arceus froze briefly.

Then his face brightened instantly.

Genuine happiness appeared there for the first time in a while. Without realizing it, he quickened his pace.

The moment he entered the store, he spotted Lucian Storm speaking with Zion near the counter.

"Luce!"

Arceus called out immediately.

Lucian turned around at once.

A wide smile spread across his face, too.

The two of them walked toward each other quickly before embracing tightly like brothers who had reunited after surviving a war or something.

Kiara quietly watched from behind.

For a moment, she felt strangely relieved seeing Arceus smile like that again.

Lucian eventually pulled back and greeted her politely before apologizing for not attending earlier.

Kiara simply waved her hand casually.

"I understand your situation," she replied. "It’s not a big deal."

"Um..." Arceus suddenly spoke awkwardly while glancing toward Lucian before looking back at Kiara. "De... Dear... we have something to discuss privately."

His ears turned red midway through the sentence.

"We’ll come down for breakfast afterward."

"And... and tell Noah I’m fine with anything."

The way he forced himself to act naturally almost made Kiara laugh.

She simply nodded while watching Arceus hurriedly drag Lucian upstairs.

Only after they disappeared did Kiara finally understand.

’So he still wants to maintain the fake relationship story even with Lucian.’

Honestly...

That made things easier.

She waited about a minute before going upstairs herself.

By the time she reached the living room, both of them had already entered Arceus’s room.

Kiara did not care enough to eavesdrop.

Instead, she simply returned to her own room for a shower while Zion continued operating the store alongside the robots downstairs.

Inside the bedroom, Lucian casually sat on the edge of the bed while observing the room around him.

"You really got used to this place quickly," he commented lightly.

Then a teasing smile appeared.

"But I suppose that’s natural. You’re staying with your wife after all."

Arceus’s ears immediately flushed red again, giving away his feelings.

"We’re not married yet," he muttered softly.

Ever since Arceus ran away from Silver Manor, he had become detached from the outside world due to isolation. As Kiara and the other two Androids also rarely leave the store, he had been relying on Lucian whenever he wanted to know what was happening in the Noble circles.

Lucian knew this very well.

That was why, before visiting him today, he had already gathered news through the servants and informants of House Storm, carefully sorting through rumors, political changes, and movements inside the Imperial City so that he could tell Arceus everything personally instead of letting him hear distorted versions from strangers.

The two of them sat together inside the bedroom while soft morning light slipped through the curtains, and for quite some time, Lucian simply updated him about everything happening outside.

The Imperial Court.

The reactions of the Noble Houses.

The public discussions.

The tension between factions.

Everything...

Arceus listened quietly the entire time.

Sometimes he nodded.

Sometimes he asked short questions.

Sometimes he merely stared downward while absorbing the information silently.

There was a strange calmness around him now that had not existed before.

But it wasn’t peace.

Lucian could tell the difference.

It was more like exhaustion after a storm finally stops destroying everything around it.

Eventually, however, Lucian reached the topic he had been avoiding from the beginning.

His expression turned hesitant.

Because no matter what Wester Silver had done, he was still Arceus’s father.

"Your father received a life imprisonment sentence," Lucian finally said quietly. "Two hundred thirteen years. The House Elders completely turned against him."

After speaking, Lucian carefully observed his friend’s face.

He expected pain.

Or anger.

Or at least some visible reaction.

Instead...

Nothing happened.

Arceus merely lowered his gaze slightly and nodded once.

"One cannot escape karma," he replied calmly. "Every person must eventually face the consequences of their own actions."

His voice carried neither hatred nor affection.

That frightened Lucian a little as indifference sometimes hurts more than rage.

It sounded as though Arceus was speaking about a stranger instead of his own father.

Lucian remained silent briefly before speaking again.

"You know me," he said softly. "I’ll always stand on your side no matter what."

Then he exhaled slowly.

"But my father told me something important."

Arceus finally looked at him properly.

Lucian continued. "If you and Kiara decide to forgive your father officially, his sentence can be reduced by twenty-four years."

A bitter smile appeared on his face.

"Though honestly... 213 years or 189 years... both are practically the same punishment."

He paused again before adding carefully, "But unofficially, if Kiara further appears to the Emperor in person, it’s highly possible to reduce it to just exile instead of imprisonment altogether."

"I know what he did is unforgivable, but my father wanted you to know that you had a choice to save your father from this life imprisonment."

"And I think as long as enough compensation is paid to Kiara, she might also forgive him. Wester is not a match for her anyway. Whether he is in prison or outside makes no difference."

"My father said he will try to help out if possible, considering his old friendship with Lord Wester, but personally, I want to know your thoughts."

For several seconds, Arceus said nothing.

The room became quiet except for the distant noises downstairs from the store opening for business.

Then he slowly shook his head.

"The old me would’ve agreed immediately because forgiveness is the highest form of righteousness," he admitted quietly.

His fingers tightened slightly against the edge of his sleeve.

"But now..."